Nakajima Atsushi was raised to believe that "if you can't save others, there's no point in staying alive."
During an unbearable punishment of being denied food, he chose to run away from the orphanage.
While wandering, he met companions who had banded together to survive.
Later... two of them became family.
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"One is named Gin. She's my little sister.
The other is Akutagawa. He's got a bad temper.
We support one another and do our best to stay alive.
Later, we joined the Port Mafia.
And after that... well...
Dazai-san and I defected together."
"Let me say this again: Akutagawa Ryunosuke has a really bad temper. So if a sickly-looking boy who keeps coughing politely asks you if you've seen me, you must say no.
Because Akutagawa really does have a terrible temper."
"Huh? You want to know why I'm in England?
I'm actually looking for a place called Hogwarts."
"You haven't heard of it? That's a little unfortunate..."
"You want to know where Dazai-san is?
I don't know either. He probably went somewhere he can be a good person. Anyway, finding Hogwarts is a journey I'm making on my own."
"What if Akutagawa comes looking for you?"
"Haha... ha..."
"Um, let's change the subject."
The setting is Dark Atsushi, but it's not an alternate timeline. Akutagawa and Atsushi are both in the Port Mafia, with a hint of childhood-friend vibes. They save each other, and the story focuses on their growth. The pairing is Akutagawa/Atsushi or Atsushi/Akutagawa, either way.
In my headcanon, Atsushi can see the works of the great writers through the "Book." Its contents change, influenced to some extent by the reader's intentions.
There are original takes on the great writers, and aside from their names and abilities, they have nothing to do with their real-life counterparts. Please don't conflate them.
The story is broadly about Atsushi traveling around after defecting from the Port Mafia, though things don't go very smoothly. Atsushi has put all his skill points into fighting and self-healing, so of course there'll be fighting wherever he goes. Yokohama shouldn't be the only place getting hurt, so let's have everyone get hurt together :).
It has a happy ending, no angst, so feel free to read.
Kyouka shows up a little later and doesn't get much screen time. Though the pairing is Akutagawa/Atsushi or Atsushi/Akutagawa, Dazai has a fair amount of screen time.
I'll add more if I think of anything.
Theme: Even those walking through the mud will look up at the stars.
