Quote One:

A chill seemed to pass through the room.

I shifted my attention to the young man. His gaze was fixed on the wall, his face devoid of any emotion and meaning. He was as calm as if he’d simply stated his age.

The sight was nearly incomprehensible. It didn’t even feel like I was looking at a human being. Had this encounter occurred during midnight’s darkest hour rather than daybreak, I might have mistaken him for a ghost or perhaps a hallucination.

(Oda’s Perspective — The Day I Took In Dazai)

Quote Two:

“I’m Kunikida. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I’m here to help.”

“Oh, so you’re a detective at the legendary Armed Detective Agency! It’s an honor to meet you!”

He grabs my hand and shakes it vigorously, almost theatrically.

In that instant, I catch a cold, piercing glint in his eyes—as though he were calmly assessing his senior. No… it feels more like he’s peering straight into my soul through the gaze of some enlightened sage.

(Kunikida’s Perspective — Dazai’s Entrance Exam)

Quote Three: Dazai’s gaze quietly penetrated Mori, as if his eyes could see inside the man’s body like some sort of medical device.

“To that end, I was the perfect accomplice. Nobody would suspect a thing. Once you became the boss after I vouched for you…I could have simply killed myself for some unknown reason.”

The pair spent the next few moments staring at each other in silence so heavy and noxious you might think it was a stare-down between the grim reaper and a demon. A single word rang in Mori’s head over and over like an alarm.

Miscalculation.

You misjudged the situation, he told himself. You failed to pick the optimal solution. You shouldn’t have chosen this child to help you. Dazai is unpredictable. He can be sharp, but in a dark, twisted way. He’s observant. He’s cold and calculating with no equivalent even in the Mafia, where the most evil reside.