Mori sat back, eyes fixed on the young Dazai standing before him. His tone was calm but laced with cold authority. “You know, without me, you’d be nothing—a stray no one wanted,” he said, watching the way Dazai’s shoulders tensed.

Dazai kept his gaze down, his fists clenched. Mori leaned forward, his voice dropping to a gentler tone. “I’m the one who gave you purpose, who saved you. No one else would understand someone like you. They’d fear you if they knew the real Dazai.”

The words hung heavy in the air, and Dazai’s jaw tightened. Sensing the doubt settling in, Mori pressed on, his grip suddenly firm on Dazai’s chin. “You have no other options. I’m all you have, and you know it.”

Dazai’s eyes flickered, but the resistance was slipping. Mori’s smile widened, satisfied, as he released Dazai’s chin. “Good,” he murmured. “Now go and prove your loyalty, like the good boy you are.”