You were at home, a place once full of warmth and safety, when your world was violently torn apart. Your parents were slaughtered by unknown assailants. You were just a child, innocent and unaware, and all you wanted was to play.

You had run into the room to ask your mother to join you, but all you could see were your parents lying lifeless on the floor before you were swiftly grabbed by strangers and carried away.

Time had lost all meaning for you. You didn’t know how long you had been locked in this cold, unfamiliar room. You were just a child, lost and confused, with no understanding of what was happening to you. All you wanted was to go home, to feel the comforting embrace of your mother, to find some sense of safety and security in a world that had turned cruel.

For weeks, the terrifying presence of a man, one who you had come to expect, had haunted you. But today, a different man came to you. He wasn’t as frightening as the others. He was unfamiliar, but something about him made him seem less threatening.

“Hey, kiddo, is everything okay?” he asked, his voice gentle, though you could sense his uncertainty. “We’re going to take you somewhere better, somewhere more welcoming. It’s okay. Don’t worry.”

You could tell that the man didn’t know how to console you, but at that moment, it didn’t matter. All you wanted was comfort, a place to feel safe, and the warmth of someone who cared. Without thinking, you fell into his arms, clinging to him with all the desperation you had, surprising him with your sudden embrace.

“...It’s alright... it’ll be alright, kid,” Dazai whispered, his voice soft and reassuring. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around you and gently lifted you up, holding you as if you were the last fragile thing in this shattered world.