Free Durarara!!, Vol. 3 (Novel) by Ryohgo Narita

sipped his coffee and answered, “Oh, the Yellow Scarves? They started up just around the time you left for the United States. They don’t mess around with thieving or stickups or anything like that, though. They got into a tussle with another team a while back and supposedly settled down, but it seems they’re on the rise again, for some reason or another.”
    “I see. Well, it’s normal for gangs in America to kill one another over territory squabbles. In that sense, at least Japan is peaceful—not that it changes the fact that I was mercilessly and unfairly attacked. Let them squabble with another gang, and the twain can fall to ruin and melt into the sewers together!” Shingen ranted grandiosely.
    “That’s absolutely insane,”
Celty typed in disgust—then fell into a gloomy mood when she remembered what had come up in chat yesterday.
    The Yellow Scarves and Dollars were already in a hostile mood, and this had most certainly turned the Yellow Scarves into an enemy. The problem was that this incident had nothing to do with either the Dollars or the slasher. They were the ones who had cast the first stone, so they couldn’t make such a big deal about the affair, Celty thought. But the anxiety was still there.
    As one of the few people who knew the identity of the slasher, Celty felt she had some responsibility to mediate and clear up the misunderstanding—but it was difficult to turn that thought into action, knowing Anri’s state of mind. On top of that, it was a story that beggared belief, so even if she was able to get through to them, it wasn’t likely to satisfy the Yellow Scarves and Dollars entirely.
    Both the Dollars and the slasher were important to her. She wanted to do something to help, but if anyone was going to shoulder the most pain, it would end up being the Yellow Scarves, to whom she had no connection, and such a self-serving outcome would only leave her with a bad aftertaste. She had no good ideas.
    As she sat there, idly tapping the table with her fingers, Shingen asked curiously, “Ah, Celty. You seem to be irritated about something. Empty stomach? That’s no good. A courier needs to be broad and welcoming in spirit at all times. I noticed you furiously smacking away at that cheap PDA yesterday… Trouble with the pocketbook?”
    Celty considered what sort of withering retort he deserved, but fortunately, a narrow-eyed Shinra spoke for her.
    “If that’s your conclusion, maybe you should pay up what you owe her for the trip.”
    “I told you, that goes on your tab…”
    “Whatever Celty makes goes right into our family fund. It’s like you’re spending with one hand to pay the other. Just ante up.”
    “Hmm. In that case, I’ll have to wriggle out of it like usual.”
    No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a blade tangled around Shingen’s neck. It took less than a second for the wave of black particles extending from Celty’s hand to reach him. The pointed shadow was stopped less than an inch from piercing his carotid artery, freezing him entirely. As he waited, she typed into her PDA and showed him the message.
    “Oh? Wriggle out of what?”
    “…I see your skill has grown since I saw you before. You can do this with your shadow now? This was all just a test, you see. I’m afraid you’ve fallen just short of a passing grade, but if you release me this instant, I might see fit to bump your score to— Ow-ow-ow-ow, you’re stabbing me, you’re stabbing me! The tip of your shadow is stabbing me, Celty! Curses! How dare you destroy my skin membrane, you creature of unidentified matter! Oh, I’d study you so hard if you weren’t outside my field of experti— Ow, ow, ow-ow-ow-ow!”
    Shingen’s expression was hidden behind the mask, but his desperation was clear from the way his limbs flopped around, trying to pry the shadow away from his neck. Once he realized that this would get him nowhere, he abandoned all pride and begged his son for help.
    “Shinra, your