23 23

◎The cat is being pestered◎

twenty three

"Feijia, you really haven't tried this before, have you?!"

Kawakami Wakana, holding one of the bottles of cola, couldn't resist pressing the iced cola against Fyodor's face, though he quickly dodged it.

"No."

"..."

"Then your life really lacks a lot of fun!" Kawakami Wakana looked at the bottle of cola, then at Fyodor. "Let me tell you, when I was still in the volleyball club, my favorite thing was to buy a can of cola with Natsumi after school and drink it all in one go on club days! Especially when it was hot, it was just so refreshing!"

As he spoke, he opened the can with a "plop" sound, gulped down more than half of it, and made a "ha" sound.

Fyodor: "..."

Was it just his imagination?

It reminds me of those office workers who grab a beer with dinner to satisfy their cravings...

but……

Watching Kawakami Wakana drink her cola, he suddenly became somewhat interested in the beverage. He examined the can in the water and gently touched the pull tab—

"Oh right! Fei Jia, you're probably not very strong, right? Let me open it for you!" The girl snatched the cola, skillfully pulled open the can, and then handed it back.

Fyodor, who felt like he was holding the female lead's script: "..."

He had never drunk Coca-Cola.

But it shouldn't be to the point where they can't even open a soda can.

At least when he was in Lucia, he didn't need his subordinates to open the supermarket for him when he occasionally went to buy bottled water or something.

With Kawakami Wakana staring at him expectantly, Fyodor still cautiously took a sip of the can of Coke.

Suddenly, I felt a sensation on my tongue that was somewhat "spicy," but not quite. The carbon dioxide in the beverage felt like tiny needles on a blood sugar test, stimulating my mouth.

Is this what "soft drink" tastes like...?

His brows furrowed slightly without him even realizing it.

"Ah," a hint of apology flickered in the eyes of the girl who had been looking at him with great anticipation, "it must taste really weird the first time I've tried this! I should have just bought Fedia a glass of juice..."

"It's nothing." He shook his head.

Kawakami Wakana breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Fyodor's favorability and murderous intent had not changed because of this cola.

"Then, I'm going home."

"Um."

The girl, her braids swinging, took a few steps toward the ticket checkpoint at the station, but quickly stopped, turned around, blinked, and asked:

"Feijia, are you really not taking the car?"

Fyodor shook his head: "No. The tram might be crowded at this time, and I'll feel uncomfortable if it's too crowded."

"Alright then." Ruoyi was a little puzzled. "But how are you going to get home?"

"Take a taxi."

"..."

Feda... he's really rich.

Kawakami Wakana said nothing more, sniffed the inexplicable smell of money in the air, and silently boarded the tram.

After confirming that the girl had gone far away, Fyodor went to the taxi stand next to the station.

Buses in Japan are expensive, and surprisingly, there wasn't a single person willing to take a taxi. He got into a taxi without any trouble.

Sitting in the taxi, Fyodor looked at the can of Coke he was still holding in his hand and took another sip.

It still has that strange feeling, like popping candy exploding in your mouth.

Moreover, probably because of the carbonation, he only took two sips before feeling a bit bloated.

He touched his bloated stomach and stared blankly at the red can of cola.

really……

He still doesn't like drinking soda.

…………

station.

The station wasn't as crowded as I'd imagined, and Kawakami Wakana easily swiped her card and got onto the platform.

According to the display on the platform, the next train will arrive in five minutes.

So Ruoyi plopped down on the blue plastic chairs where people waiting for the bus could rest, sipping the remaining cola she had just drunk while swinging her legs and looking around.

Fedia isn't used to drinking carbonated beverages yet...

She made a mental note of it.

If I'm going to buy him a drink next time we meet, I'll just buy him regular juice...

Thinking this, her gaze quickly fell on the boy with a small backpack on the platform.

The boy looked to be just over ten years old, and his black and white hair made her wonder about his relationship with Dr. Blackjack. However, the most striking thing was the doll he was holding.

Words like "dirty" or "tattered" don't quite fit the bill, but for some reason, there was an inexplicable eeriness about it. The sight of such a doll being held in a child's arms unconsciously reminded her of the ghost doll Hanako from the toilet or Saeki Oo from *The Grudge*.

The child didn't notice her; his eyes were fixed on the ice cream vending machine next to him.

Could it be that he was too hot and wanted a cold drink, but didn't have any money on him?

Thinking this way, Ruoyi... just like that, she looked into the eyes of the child.

"Big sister," the little boy blinked and pointed to the vending machine, "can you buy me an ice cream? I want the mint flavor."

"..."

Was she being extorted?

"So, where are your mom and dad?" Although Ruoyi wasn't a cold-hearted person, she didn't let her guard down just because the boy was only a little over ten years old. She asked tentatively.

“They’re not here,” the child replied ambiguously.

His eyes immediately became watery and sparkling as he looked at her: "I want to eat ice cream... is that not allowed?"

"..."

Kawakami Wakana realized that she was like a kind person in a novel who bought a sausage for a stray cat or dog and then got pestered by it.

She couldn't stand the boy's sparkling eyes and bought him a mint-flavored ice cream. After that, the boy followed her around.

If getting into the same train car with her could be explained as him also waiting for this train, then following her onto the express train to Tokyo seems completely abnormal!

“Little one,” Kawakami Wakana had no choice but to half-squat down and said to the child in a good-natured manner, “Are you going to Tokyo too?”

"...?" The little boy tilted his head. "Tokyo...?"

Where is that?

"..."

No way, really?

It's not like they're two or three years old. Is it really possible for a child that big not to recognize the capital city?

However, no matter what, Kawakami Wakai couldn't just abandon this child.

But she couldn't let the child go to Tokyo with her.

After all, Ruoyi doesn't want to be blamed for "abducting minors".

Therefore, she had no choice but to—

We took the child out of the station and ate something together first.

There are many restaurants near the station, and Ruoyi quickly found a family restaurant and ordered curry rice, which most children love, for the little boy.

When the curry rice arrived, the boy immediately stared intently at the curry.

"It smells so good! Big sister, what kind of dish is this?"

"...?"

"Curry..." Kawakami Wakana couldn't help but wonder if this was a child who had run away from home after being abused by her parents.

A real-life version of "Nobody Knows".

"Kare...?" The little boy tilted his head. "Never heard of it."

"But I've heard of rice and rice balls! I've even eaten them!"

"..."

These words made Ruoyi even more determined.

No, let's wait until we finish this meal and then take him to the police station near the train station.

If Ruoyi couldn't believe that there were really teenagers in the world who didn't know what "curry rice" was before the little boy started eating, she was certain that it really was.

Otherwise, how could anyone be so moved by a plate of curry rice that they cried?

"Why are you crying!" Kawakami Wakana tore off a few napkins and gave them to the child. "People around us will suspect that I'm bullying you."

"But—" the child sobbed, "it's just too delicious!"

"..."

"Then...then eat more?"

"Um!"

In the end, Ruoyi treated the little boy to three plates of curry rice before he finally rubbed his stomach contentedly and said he was full. Fortunately, the child wasn't the kind of brat who would run around everywhere. After Ruoyi paid for the meal with a touch of heartache, the child waited patiently in the same spot.

"Big sister, are we going to 'Tokyo' next?"

"Let's not go to Tokyo yet," Kawakami Wakana asked. "What's your name?"

"Yumeno Kusaku."

“Okay,” Ruoyi nodded. “Although it’s not Tokyo, I will take Kyusaku-kun to a place you should go.”

She was referring to the police station, of course.

"Where should we go?" Yumeno Kyusaku paused for a second.

But a smile quickly spread across her face.

"Big sister, how did you know I wanted to see someone?"

Um?

It was at this time—

With a "whoosh," words appeared above the head of the child, Yumeno Kyusaku.

[A member of the Port Mafia (probably), possessing supernatural abilities and a brain-deep hellish aura.]

[Favorability: 50% (friend). 】

[Killing Intent: %$&*]

The garbled text in the "murderous intent" column flickered a few times before turning into legible characters.

[Killing intent: 20%]

Kawakami Wakai:! ! !

Of course she'd heard of Port Mafia!

Yokohama is said to be a city you shouldn't go to unless you have to, and besides the fact that Dazai Osamu said it's where most of the country's ability users gather, there's another reason.

That is Port Mafia.

This organization has essentially been operating in a gray area.

She had seen similar stories in Mafia comics before, where these organizations sometimes adopted orphans and trained them to be natural-born assassins.

Could this child also be...?

Since she's also a superpowered individual, should she contact the Armed Detective Agency...?

As Ruoyi was thinking this, a photograph was placed in front of her.

The photo shows a blond man with a European-looking face. He's wearing a bespoke suit, which makes one unconsciously think of the term "evil capitalist."

“He is Francis.” Yumeno Kyusaku stared intently at Kawakami Wakai. “Francis Fitzgerald.”

"Big sister, do you perhaps know him?"

[Author's Note]

The current timeline is roughly around the point where Xiaomengye is released, tries to find the "group," but gets arrested.

Small Theater

If Kawakami Wakai and Fedor had a fight, be like

Ruoyi bought a little hamster.

Fyodor bought a cat

If you name your hamster "Feijia".

Fyodor called the cat Ruoyi

The two were giving each other the cold shoulder while being affectionate with small animals.

Sigma, upon learning of this: Two lunatics