Durarara!!, Vol. 5

by Ryohgo Narita

  …Is this what an info dealer’s office looks like? Shizuo wondered suspiciously. He continued toward the back in search of his archenemy.

  What he saw there was…

  “…”

  “………”

  “……………Huh?”

  Seconds passed after he first saw it.

  Shizuo could not initially process the sight before him.

  It was actually quite a simple scene, one that an objective observer could instantly identify.

  But for the subjective viewer in this case, it was almost impossible to piece together.

  He was looking at three blobs of flesh, dressed in suits.

  One in front of the TV, which was still on.

  One slumped in a chair.

  One driven into the thin wall that separated room from room.

  It took some time for Shizuo to realize that they were all “done in,” as it were.

  The face of the man in front of the TV was half-pulverized.

  The head of the man sitting in the chair had been twisted 180 degrees.

  The spine of the man driven into the wall was broken at an odd angle from the rest of his torso.

  There was one initial thing that unified all of them, as far as he could tell.

  All three had been dispatched using what appeared to be bare-handed means.

  “…”

  It had been a long time since he saw a dead body.

  Shizuo had never committed murder, but through his various exploits over the years starting from high school, he had seen corpses on a number of occasions.

  If he hadn’t, he might have thrown up on the spot, such was the level of carnage on display.

  How long had he stood on the spot?

  Wait, you gotta be kidding me. Why are there dead bodies in Izaya’s office?

  Surprise turned to suspicion in Shizuo’s mind, and the questions led to more questions.

  Hang on… Is this really Izaya’s office…?

  Just then, someone behind him bellowed, “Hey, you! Who said you could come…in…?”

  Shizuo spun around to see a young man with a shaved head. He looked imposing enough on his own, but he stopped in his tracks with obvious uncertainty when he recognized Shizuo.

  He looked from Shizuo to the blobs of flesh. His eyes went wide, and his mouth started working like a goldfish’s.

  “Y-y-you, why, why, why you…why you…”

  The man with the shaved head put a hand on the wall behind him and then ran toward the entrance in a panic.

  There had been no time to explain anything. Shizuo snorted in confusion and put a hand to his chin to think.

  That was when he realized that he had been framed, in the most direct and stunning way possible.

  Less than a minute later, the bald-headed man returned with a gun, fearfully looking for Shizuo. But Shizuo was already gone. The only sound in the office was the whistling wind from the open third-story window.

  A few seconds more after that, the room echoed with the man’s furious voice as he yelled into the phone.

  “Shizuo… It was Shizuo Heiwajima! I recognized him! Call Mr. Shiki right away!”

  “That little prick just killed three of our boys!”

  And as of that moment, Shizuo Heiwajima’s peace of mind and his desire to lead a quiet life were utterly eradicated.

  May 4, midday, underground east exit of Ikebukuro Station, front of the Ikefukuro Owl Café

  “Don’t worry. The person coming to see us is very nice,” Anri reassured Akane, who looked up at her and nodded.

  Akane’s fever was totally gone, and with Shizuo being gone now, it seemed that the mental stress plaguing her had eased. Shinra gave his stamp of approval as well, and so Anri decided to take the frightened girl outside to buoy her spirits.

  She was worried about the possibility the girl might try to run away, but Akane claimed that if she ran across “that Shizuo person,” she would try to hear him out properly this time, so Anri took her at her word.

  Plus, the mention of Izaya Orihara’s name was very concerning for Anri, too. She and Izaya had faced off as enemies once before, although that was less Anri and more Saika at work.

  On top of that, there was the sudden attack the previous night, as well as the girl’s claim that her father and grandfather were going to be killed.

  Shinra suggested that it might be dangerous to go out, but it also seemed very unlikely that any fights would break out among the bustling crowds of Ikebukuro in the middle of the day.

  When she explained that she had an arrangement to meet some school friends, Shinra said, “Okay, I’ll tell Celty when she gets back. Once she has some free time after work, I’ll send her to keep an eye on you. Of course, if Shizuo was around, I’d have him be your bodyguard,” and allowed them to leave the apartment.

  But now that they were actually out, Anri suspected that it might have been careless of her after all. If that assailant from yesterday wasn’t the type to hesitate in the middle of the open public, she might be exposing innocent Akane to danger.

  So Anri waited, tense and wary.

  She wanted Mikado and Aoba to arrive as quickly as possible to bring the sense of normalcy and security that they provided her.

  But she simply didn’t realize that the normalcy of Ikebukuro, particularly around the people she knew, had already been shattered.

  And thus Anri Sonohara did not yet realize that they were taking a step into that broken city.

  A dark place, Ikebukuro

  Izaya Orihara’s cell phone also received the message about the Dollars under attack.

  But that wasn’t all.

  He was getting messages from multiple pet sources of his with similar information. Every once in a while, there were details of an entirely different kind.

  Izaya glanced over all of this info equally in the darkness. He mumbled, “Those little Blue Squares brats. I guess they were after the same thing, but only up to a point.”

  Half-excited and half-irritated, he envisioned a particular boy’s face.

  “But that’s all right. If you think about it, Aoba Kuronuma is another sweet little junior of mine from Raira. I suppose…I accept his challenge.”

  He fiddled with his phone and spoke aloud—to the darkness or to himself?

  “Now I will work directly to outdo you in an honest battle of wits.”

  Izaya sent a few messages off and then reached for a knob in the midst of the dark.

  “As fellow black sheep among the sea that is the Dollars…”

  The door opened, filling his eyes with the blinding noon sun. He stared balefully up at it.

  “…We ought to get along and cannibalize each other.”

  Izaya Orihara laughed.

  It was unclear just how much he knew about Aoba Kuronuma and his cohorts.

  Did he have a plan to crush them, or was he happy to be obliterated in the attempt either way?

  Izaya’s smile was endlessly human, and that was what made him seem so unnatural.

  His laugh was only the starting point.

  It was the beginning of an extremely twisted story.

  AFTERWORD

  Hello, I’m Ryohgo Narita. It’s nice to see you again.

  Well, thanks to all of you, Durarara!! has reached a fifth volume.

  …But you’ll have to pardon me, as it’s just the first half of a two-part story. I switched things up this time to have the adult characters getting into the act, but this is still at its heart a story of love centered around Ikebukuro. I think.

  As usual, some characters don’t get much time to shine, but once I’m finished concluding this tale in Volume 6, I plan to write more of a romantic soap opera based around Namie, Seiji, and Mika. I have no idea if anyone actually wants to read that, but I choose to believe that there are many Namie fans out there.

  At any rate! I want to get the next book out to you as soon as possible, but I’m afraid I’ve really gone and damaged myself with bronch
itis this time, so my usual writing carnage will involve lots of rest. On the other hand, all of that carnage is making me get out of shape. I need to get back on that Wii Fit.

  So anyway, just as he was exhausted in both body and spirit, a bolt of lightning hit unsuspecting Ryohgo Narita!

  It’s a manga adaptation!

  As of the April 18, 2009, issue of Square Enix’s G Fantasy magazine, Durarara!! will be a manga! A fresh new breath of air will be blown into the world of Durarara!! courtesy of the artist Akiyo Satorigi!

  As a matter of fact, when I heard about the manga idea, I was secretly wondering, “But…how will they handle the chat scenes…?” Well, that’s something I’m looking forward to learning. In fact, these novels are really unsuited to a visual medium! I have nothing but thanks to Mr. Kuma from Square Enix for pushing so hard for this project.

  Even I don’t know what sort of manga this will turn out to be. As yet another reader like all of you, I can’t wait to find out how the world of Ikebukuro comes to life in manga form!

  That may have been a huge mental boost for me, but I was still physically exhausted, so I enjoyed a few days of rest and relaxation after turning in the manuscript.

  To fully enjoy my mini-vacation, I joined a number of other authors (some of whom might have been on the clock before deadlines, so I will not divulge any names) in an all-night board-game tournament at the home of Mr. Saegusa, a fellow writer. When I first saw his place, with two entire walls covered with board games both domestic and foreign, I nearly screamed. Gamers are scary.

  A few days later, I visited the new home of my friend Mr. Sigsawa, where we played Fallout 3 and Test Drive, then watched through all of Astro Fighter Sunred and the latest episode of Toradora! Mr. Sigsawa is a devout practitioner of safe driving in the real world, so watching him barrel all over Hawaii in Test Drive on a TV screen the size of a wall was really fun for the whole group.

  …Wait… I didn’t really get much rest at all, did I?

  Anyway, my break is over, which means it’s back to the carnage again.

  I currently have a little story I wrote for April Fools’ last year running as a special bonus add-on to a magazine called TYPE-MOON Ace, Volume 2 (Thanks, everyone at TYPE-MOON!), as well as a number of other projects in the works, but my Dengeki workload is still at full throttle.

  After Durarara!! I’ll have Hariyama-san or Baccano! 1710 or Vamp! or perhaps straight into Durarara!! Volume 7. Whatever happens, there will be no time to stop and breathe. No time at all…!

  Even as I begin to lose sight of where I end and the work begins, I’ve been enjoying video games as a means to get back to my basics.

  Meanwhile, my artists are becoming visible all over the game industry, what with Yasuda in Devil Survivor and Enami in Star Ocean 4.

  It feels strange, having that world be so distant and yet so close to me. Speaking of which, Devil Survivor is seriously way too fun to be allowed. If I get started on that topic, no number of pages will contain me, so I’ll hold back. Meanwhile, Fallout 3 on the Xbox 360 is blowing my mind as well, but the same limitations apply.

  *The following is the usual list of acknowledgements.

  To my editor, who has to put up with my constant nonsense at all times, Mr. Papio. To managing editor Suzuki, editor Jasmine Tokuda, and the rest of the editorial office, including one Mr. M who served as the model for an Awakusu-kai character.

  To the proofreaders, whom I give a hard time by being so late with submissions. To all the designers involved with the production of the book. To all the people at Media Works involved in marketing, publishing, and sales.

  To my family who do so much for me in so many ways, my friends, and the people of “S City.”

  To all the writers and illustrators working with Dengeki Bunko for their inspiration and permission.

  To Suzuhito Yasuda, for providing such wonderful illustrations, despite being busy with his work on Devil Survivor and his Yozakura series.

  And to all the readers who checked out this book.

  Thank you all so very, very, very much!

  January 2009 — “Heading into playthrough number three of

  Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor”

  Ryohgo Narita

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  Copyright

  DURARARA!!, Volume 5

  RYOHGO NARITA

  ILLUSTRATION BY SUZUHITO YASUDA

  Translation by Stephen Paul

  Cover art by Suzuhito Yasuda

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  DURARARA!!

  © RYOHGO NARITA 2009

  All rights reserved.

  Edited by ASCII MEDIA WORKS

  First published in 2009 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.

  English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc., Tokyo.

  English translation © 2016 by Yen Press, LLC

  Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Narita, Ryōgo, 1980– author. | Yasuda, Suzuhito, illustrator. | Paul, Stephen (Translator), translator.

  Title: Durarara!! / Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, translation by Stephen Paul.

  Description: New York, NY : Yen ON, 2015–

  Identifiers: LCCN 2015041320| ISBN 9780316304740 (v. 1 : pbk.) | ISBN 0316304743 (v. 1 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316304764 (v. 2 : pbk.) | ISBN 031630476X (v. 2 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316304771 (v. 3 : pbk.) | ISBN 0316304778 (v. 3 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316304788 (v. 4 : pbk.) | ISBN 0316304786 (v. 4 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316304795 (v. 5 : pbk.) | ISBN 0316304794 (v. 5 : pbk.)

  Subjects: | CYAC: Tokyo (Japan)—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Science Fiction / Adventure.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.N37 Du 2015 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015041320

  ISBNs: 978-0-316-30479-5 (paperback)

  978-0-316-30496-2 (ebook)

  E3-20161021-JV-PC