Tsushima Shuji Doesn't Want to Talk

The Tsushima family, a Japanese clan that withdrew from the world fifteen years ago, reemerges in Yokohama fifteen years later. Its head is a handsome twenty-two-year-old man, but that's not the point. The point is, the head of the Tsushima family, Tsushima Shuji, looks exactly like his teacher, Dazai Osamu?!!

Nakajima Atsushi catches sight of Tsushima Shuji in the crowd and freezes. If Dazai Osamu weren't standing right next to him, he'd really suspect his teacher had a hidden identity. As Nakajima Atsushi's mind races, he hears his teacher chuckle. Then the much-admired head of the Tsushima family walks toward them.

Nakajima Atsushi stands off to the side, barely daring to breathe, and hears Tsushima Shuji speak in a cool, detached voice.

"Long time no see, Dazai-kun."

To him, the name "Tsushima Shuji" is a shackle binding him for life, and the source of all the tragedy in his life.

When he was seven, Tsushima Shuji said he wanted to see the world outside. Even now, he remembers the light in the eyes of that child, who had once seemed to see nothing but weariness. It was as if every beautiful thing he could imagine was hidden in those eyes. He helped the boy escape, but became "Tsushima Shuji" himself, spending day after day inside towering walls, looking up at a tiny patch of sky.

He and the Tsushima Shuji of that time, now known as Dazai Osamu, look so much alike that they might as well be copies. Their resemblance has not faded with time or distance. If anything, it has grown more pronounced over the years. It is the rope that ties them together, and also the curse he bears.

He will live forever in the shadow of the name Tsushima Shuji.

Pairing: Dazai Osamu

Top or bottom is undecided (at least for now).

1. I'll fill in the story gradually, so there's no need to rush.

2. Updates are irregular, with random lucky drops.

3. Writing this for love, not going premium. If it's not your thing, don't force yourself to keep reading.

4. The writing is a little rough. Please be aware.

5. Tsushima Shuji and Dazai Osamu are two different characters. In the flashbacks, I'll mark "Tsushima Shuji" specifically to distinguish him as the younger Dazai Osamu.

6. The flashbacks may be a little depressing. Watch out for heartbreak.

Theme: You and I, neither of us can escape.