Durarara!!, Vol. 2 (novel) (28 page)

They were both awkward people who had trouble loving others. But for some reason, these two people, flawed at being human, struck Celty as being incredibly human because of that.

What about me? I love Shinra…I think. But is my loving providing Shinra with anything? Is it making Shinra happy?
she wondered idly as she stared up at the sky. Then she considered Mikado and the brown-haired boy, the ones who hung around with Anri.

When I listen to Anri and Mikado, it sounds like each of the trio is living off the others, finding things they lack themselves.

It seemed like that in itself was a form of love to Celty, as she slowly drifted off into sleep.

But she didn’t realize what a very cruel thing her last waking thought was.

She let sleep steal over her body, quietly, so quietly.

Letting her shadow feel just a moment’s peace.

AFTERWORD

Hello, I’m Ryohgo Narita.

Well, it’s been a while since you heard from me, and my first book back is the second volume of
Durarara!!
For a second volume in a series of mine, it’s almost miraculous how
few
new characters there are. I spent most of the book shining the spotlight on those characters who didn’t stand out in the first volume, but I’m pretty sure the story idea was already constructed at the time I wrote the first book…I think. Well, let’s say the truth about that is lost in the mists of time.

Once again, I’ve thrown a lot of little experiments into
Durarara!!
If you recognize the references in Yumasaki and Karisawa’s conversations, feel free to smirk; if you don’t get them, please just take them as they are: creepy weirdos listing off a bunch of names and terms that make no sense to normal people. But unlike last time, in this book they’re just present for flavor, not plot reasons. However, at the time of this writing, with the book submitted and galley proof checked, I only just now got a message from my editor saying, “Oops, I forgot to get permission from all the authors you referenced.” Yikes!

At any rate, if this book safely sees the light of day—thank you to Kiyohiko Azuma, Masaki Okayu, Keiichi Sigsawa, Jin Shibamura, Suzu Suzuki, and Soichiro Watase!

I just realized that it’s been an entire two years since my published debut. My body and soul have been corrupted by the strain, but there’s nothing more exciting than seeing
doujinshi
made about my stories. To the groups who have been putting together eighty-page
doujinshi
, Viscount merchandise, and Celty figurines, you have my utmost gratitude. Thank you very much! Different authors have different feelings about derivative works, but I am perfectly happy about it. I just never thought anyone would want to create fan works about my stories! Thank you, really!

Just as I was writing that, my artist sent a message asking if we could add one more spread illustration. When I said, “Absolutely!” my editor included a note saying, “Just one page for the afterword, to make room for the art.” I’m writing this ten minutes before my deadline, so hang on real quick, there’s too much I want to say! Um, first of all, thanks to Suzuhito Yasuda for producing such wonderful illustrations on a hard schedule! Thanks to everyone else who helped make this book a reality! Aaaaaaah, no room left, oh crap, I forgot to thank everyone for all the Dengeki Bunko references! Um, there’s Yu Fujiwara, the author of
Lunatic Moon
…

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Copyright

DURARARA!!, Volume 2

RYOHGO NARITA,

ILLUSTRATION BY SUZUHITO YASUDA

Cover art by Suzuhito Yasuda

Translation by Stephen Paul

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

DURARARA!!

Edited by ASCII MEDIA WORKS

First published in 2005 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.

English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc., Tokyo.