Vol 2 Epilogue (1/2)
Durarara!!SHx2
Epilogue A
The Entrepreneur
Ikebukuro news site, IkeNEW! Version I・KEBU・KUR・O
Latest Article, ‘Birth of an Urban Legend’: The Headless Rider’s Lover Appears?!
‘The Headless Rider brings us a new urban legend’—Excerpt froital Edition
“It was mid-April when the return of the famous Headless Rider was first witnessed
Perhaps less known is that a new urban legend eed at the same time
A clip uploaded to a video sharing site shohat appears to be a late-night brawl between bosozoku gangs
The sudden appearance of the Headless Rider halfway through would presuht was forcibly put out, and not by the Headless Rider
The silent motorcycle that transforms into a headless horse And its decapitated rider, brandishi+ng a pure black scythe He, or she, has brought us—another anoure
Wrapped in squir shadows from head to toe; even its face unseen
Crushi+ng waves of oncos with unbelievable skill
A supernatural being that displayed staggering power against tens of opponents
What is the identity of this new urban legend?
Mr Tsukumoya shi+nichi, a writer based in Ikebukuro, co the source of legends, has brought us a successor Perhaps the half-year disappearance was a journey to find this successor'”
(Click here to read the full article)
IkeNEW! Administrator’s Comment
“The Headless Rider’s lover debuts-nari
We too pro a wo social life too-nari
Black rider black warrior Makes a nice couple-nari The lovey-dovey type that tag along with each other everywhere, hoeet-nari
It seeon Zombie to call that creature ‘Hebite’… ‘Snake Hands’-nari
So for convenience we’ll be using the nickname ‘SH’ or ‘Snake Hands’
It’d be nice if it could stick and make its way into a dictionary someday
Plus, apparently the green-head that disappeared was rescued safely with the help of these two-nari
The Headless Rider got a date, and everyone got their happy ending-nari
And they all lived happily ever after Nari?”
Administrator Lila Tailtooth Zaiya
shi+nra’s apartment
“Happy ending my foot~!”
shi+nra, who had been browsing a news site, suddenly wailed and began to roll around on the sofa
“How is this happy, there’s nothing happy here Celty Celtyyyyyy”
‘What’s wrong now? Areover your brain?’
“Look at this website! It’s spreading horrible lies about you having another lover, ignoring my existence completely!”
‘What if they aren’t lies?’
Celty asked an to howl
“No way… If that’s how it is, I won’t hand you over! I’ll fight this Yahiro child to the death!”
shi+nra, who had already heard of what happened from Celty, uttered the name of the monster—’Yahiro’—as he brandished his fists
‘He’s powerful enough to take on shi+zuo’
“…We’ll coy!”
‘How old are you!’
Celty scolded But shi+nra continued rolling about
“Uwahhh, this whole thingCelty but they didn’t evenhave done a 3D scan of Celty while she was sleeping and mass-manufactured life-size models!”
‘Wait a nore?!’
Afterwards, Celty an to contemplate Yahiro
‘But I do wonder who told that child there’s a monster in Ikebukuro’
“Hm?”
shi+nra cocked his head, and so Celty elaborated on the boy’s past:
‘Ah, you see, apparently Yahiro-kun came to Tokyo because a tourist back home told him there’s an even better ’
“…Mm?”
shi+nra thought for a moment, and asked Celty,
“Where did this Yahiro coain?”
‘Akita, he said’
Then shi+nra clapped his hands together, and said promptly,
“Oh, then that was me”
‘…What?’
“Reari Firework Festival ent to the Haburagi springs, right?”
‘Oh… That secret spring’
“I re a walk around there when I spotted this boy covered with blood and fighting people, so I said so like that”
Oh, so that hat happened… The two laughed about it together along those lines, and after, Celty typed in a large font to shi+nra
‘Oh—… Then you practically invited him here!’
“R, Really?”
‘What a coincidence… The article was saying the Headless Rider was searching the country for a successor—isn’t that almost exactly what happened?!’
“…Ahhhhhhhh! No way~!”
shi+nra’s face was the epitoret as he wailed
“Ahhh, did I callunto ave that kindness to a stranger and made him level up into a love rival, what folly… I’ll be ato yurubu”
‘Don’t s!’
As Celty shoved shi+nra off, she felt that she had truly returned to her everyday life
The ru the kidnapper had stopped now thepeople were back, and it see her had mostly died down
She was feeling grateful for her everyday life when just then, shi+nra suddenly asked,
“By the way… What happened to Tatsugami-san’s family?”
‘Right… They were hospitalised Apparently that shi+jis on thees , so it’s hard say what they did constitutes an actual crime’
‘I guess they just have to settle it within their family from here on out’
Raira General Hospital Private ward
Due to the effects of the drugs—Celty’s ‘worshi+ppers’ only returned to their normal state of mind five days after the incident
“I heard Ai can be discharged soon”
Himeka informed Aya Aya, from where she lay on the bed, turned to her and mumbled,
“…In the end you were the only one who got it right, huh?”
“That’s not it You just used the wrong way It’s good that you were thinking of the greater good”
Hie of loneliness, and answered,
“…You really are strong”
“You think too highly of me”
“So that’s why the Headless Rider chose you…”
“That’s not related I can introduce the two of you next time”
Aya ser sister, who had so simply offered to introduce the Headless Rider
“I have no face to see her What I did… I wouldn’t be surprised if the Headless Rider killed me for that”
“You’re… not that person anymore”
Hihed Aya suddenly felt curious, and asked,
“Hey… Why did Headless Rider-san… disappear for those six months?”
While Aya kneould be unfair to blaend for the despair she and her co curious
After a , said what she had been told
“She said she went to tour hot springs”
“…”
“…”
Time stopped between them
After a while of silence Aya spoke, her voice shaking
“Tour… hot springs…?”
“Yeah… from Akita to Kyushu… a full country tour…”
Himeka nodded Aya was dazed for a moment, but then –
In the end, as if a da
“Aha… Ahaha… A hot spring tour, what on earth…”
After laughing for nearly a an to turn teary
“Half a year to tour hot springs… Did I really… give my life over to someone so carefree?”
Aya laughed and wept at how ridiculous she had been; Himeka merely watched on the whole time
“It’s just as you said, Hiht… be just how the world is”
Aya apologised sadly, but Himeka shook her head, expressionless
“I’ this world either”
“What…?”
“But I can’t find it in myself to hate this life Because I have… Dad and Mom, Nee-san and Ai This precious fa away, I want to make it so everyone can be happy”
Taking Aya’s hand, Himeka spoke the words she never could before
“The world ed”
“Do you still—think of me as your family…?”
Aya asked uneasily Himeka tilted her head “Shouldn’t it be obvious?”
At this answer, Aya turned towards the , and murmured
She was crying again, but her tears were different from earlier on
“You’re a strong girl after all, Himeka”
When Hi outside
“Hoas it?”
“She’s mostly well now, I think”
At Himeka’s words, Yahiro felt relieved, almost as if it were his own family in hospital
“That’s great Now you can be with your faain, just like before”
“…ht not be just like before, exactly…”
“How?”
Yahiro queried without hesitation Himeka did not appear to mind; she simply described her family situation to him
Yahiro listened silently about her mother, and, blurted, abruptly,
“I think yourit in that shadow on the wall”
“Huh?”
“The part of her she doesn’t want… The weak part of her that ht have caused her children pain”
Yahiro, choosing his words carefully, began to talk about the behaviour of Himeka’s mother
“Like how the barber of King Midas shouted into the hole She buried her true self that she didn’t want to show, the person she ht become someday, all in the shadow on the wall”
“Why do you say that?”
Although she felt heto comfort her, Himeka asked for a basis to his words
But the answer Yahiro uttered was unexpected
“Because that’s hoas, too”
“…You, too?”
“Because I was cowardly, I couldn’t stop being terrified of the people who tried to hurt me In my mind, I honestly felt… Before they kill me, I have to kill them first Then I won’t have to be scared anymore”
“…”
“That’s why, in my mind, I always hit ht, I would escape into that kind of fantasy So that I could suppress it in real life, just that little bit”
“But wouldn’t that do the reverse?”
Hied as he answered
“Maybe But in reality I’ve never actually killed anyone… No, but I’ve gone over the top too many times, so maybe that doesn’t actually mean much…”
Yahiro decided there was no point overthinking it, and, sighing, said to Himeka with a bitter smile
“I don’t knohat’s right or wrong I’ll try to remember that from now on”
And, clenching his scarred fists, he promised Himeka: