44 Exclusive post from Jinjiang

◎"мама(mother)...""холодно..."◎

46

Five minutes is neither a long nor a short time.

But Kawakami Wakana thought that she already had the answer in her heart.

“Nakahara Chuuya-san,” she heard herself say, “I don’t need five minutes, I can answer your question right now.”

"I'm willing to help you find Pushkin and persuade him to cancel this plan. So, please let go of Pinocchio right now."

"Is this your answer?" Chuuya Nakahara clicked his tongue. "Alright then. However, since I don't trust you enough yet, I can't give up the chips I already have."

"So, this little girl may have to stay in the Mafia Building until the boss wakes up."

"...!"

Kawakami Wakana wanted to loudly question Nakahara Chuuya about why he broke his promise, but before she could speak, she realized an even more fatal truth.

In the present moment, Chuuya Nakahara has no reason to trust her.

Black Jack, meanwhile, gripped the scalpel he had unconsciously held in his hand while Chuuya Nakahara was negotiating with Wakana Kawakami.

As a doctor, he knew exactly where the scalpel would hurt the most, enough to make the enemy release Pinocchio because of the pain, without threatening Chuuya Nakahara's life.

The accident happened at that moment.

The man who had been standing silently behind Chuuya suddenly exuded a chilling aura. Blood-red black beasts appeared on his black coat and charged towards him. The tiger-like boy, who had almost been bound by the beasts, jumped back in surprise, avoiding being restrained. Meanwhile, the yaksha behind the kimono-clad girl who had come with him swung its sword at the black beast that had nearly wrapped itself around the boy, though it was dodged.

Kawakami Wakai:!

It's Atsushi and Kyoka-chan!

"Human Tiger." The boy with black and white hair who came with Nakahara Chuuya turned his head, his eyes staring blankly at Nakajima Atsushi. Even Nakahara Chuuya's gaze was drawn to him.

At that moment, Blackjack's scalpel flew out of his hand and accurately pierced the back of Nakahara Chuuya's hand. Feeling the pain, Nakahara Chuuya instinctively loosened his grip, and Pinoko immediately jumped to the ground, crying and throwing herself into the doctor's arms.

When she noticed the look in Nakahara Chuuya's eyes that seemed to want to cut her to pieces, Kawakami Wakana finally realized what was happening.

The sudden appearance of the Armed Detective Agency may seem reasonable, but for Chuuya Nakahara, who witnessed her contact with Osamu Dazai, the understanding might be different.

He would assume that she had attracted the detective agency!

"Less than twenty-four hours left." Ruoyi said loudly, sensing the tense atmosphere around her.

"What?" Zhongyuan asked irritably, and the red outline he had seen before seemed to reappear around him.

With a loud crack, a fissure appeared in the ground.

“I mean,” Kawakami Wakana said, though she could clearly feel her heart skip a beat, and Nakahara Chuuya’s killing intent was already at 100%, she still stood in front of Blackjack and Pinocchio, “your president and leader have less than 24 hours left, right?”

"What's the point of fighting here at this time?"

"I don't know if fighting will be of any use, but I do know that my current mission is to protect the boss." These words did not affect Nakahara Chuuya, but only made his aura even more frightening, and even the favorability rating he had maintained since they met dropped from 0 to negative.

Kawakami Wakai:?

So, it turns out her special ability shows a negative favorability rating...

wrong.

Is now the time to care about this?

Fortunately, the blood-stained Yaksha's gleaming blade suddenly appeared in front of Nakahara Chuuya, preventing him from actually stepping forward and crushing Kawakami Wakana with a slap.

"Listen to what she has to say," Izumi Kyoka said calmly.

Now was the only chance to have a proper talk. Ruoyi swallowed hard and looked directly into Chuuya Nakahara's eyes.

"Chuuya-san, and this one too—"

“Ryunosuke Akutagawa,” Ryunosuke Akutagawa said calmly.

“Akutagawa-kun.” Kawakami Wakai nodded. “Since your positions are no longer in your hands, I’ll give you a choice.”

"Do you want a fight to break out here, but the outcome might not be exactly what you want? Or would you rather cooperate with me and the Armed Detective Agency to try and ensure that both of your superiors survive?"

"..."

"Tch." After a long silence, Chuuya Nakahara exhaled through his snort. "Tell me, what's your plan?"

The black beast that had been stirring on Ryunosuke Akutagawa's coat also disappeared after those words.

“That’s more like it.” Kawakami Wakana smiled. “Then, let’s sit here and have a good talk.”

“But before that,” she turned her gaze to Black Jack, “there’s something I haven’t had a chance to say yet because of Chuuya-san’s sudden attack.”

"Doctor, your patient may need a bottle of cough medicine."

Meanwhile, outside Blackjack Clinic, a calico cat wagged its tail, meowed once, and disappeared into the woods.

…………

One minute later.

In Fyodor's hospital room.

"I'm sorry, Fei Jia," Kawakami Wakana said, walking into the room with the bottle of cough medicine. "Something unexpected happened, so the medicine is a little late—"

She covered her mouth.

Fyodor had already fallen asleep.

However, he didn't seem to be sleeping soundly. His forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and his breathing was very rapid.

She placed the medicine bottle on the small tea table beside him and gently touched his forehead.

She didn't use a thermometer, but the burning sensation made her realize that Fedya's temperature was definitely not as simple as the 41 degrees that Gogol had shown her before.

"..."

So be it.

This current situation might be more advantageous for Feja.

However, Ruoyi removed the fever-reducing patch from Fyodor's forehead. After confirming that it was no longer cooling, she opened the drawer, took out a new fever-reducing patch, and prepared to help him put it on.

Just as the blue fever-reducing patch was about to touch her forehead—

“Mama (Mom)…”

“холодно…”

Fyodor's eyelashes trembled slightly, his fingers gripped the sheets tightly until his fingertips turned white, and he uttered indistinct words from his chapped lips.

His voice was very hoarse, yet it seemed to carry a hint of childlike innocence and attachment.

He...he was calling for his mother?

Could it be that he's delirious from the fever?

Fyodor was such a master of disguise; she herself had been fooled far too many times. Kawakami Wakana couldn't tell if he was faking it or if it was just delirium caused by a high fever. But the word "Mom" still pierced her heart like a thorn in a rose.

If this is true...

She carefully applied the fever-reducing patch, and, just like in a scene from a TV drama, gently kissed his forehead through the patch.

“I’m sorry. I’m not your mother, I’m just a cat, nothing more. But if it’s just for a moment, I don’t mind being treated as your ‘mother’.”

Regardless of whether Fyodor, who was running a high fever, could hear her, Ruoyi whispered softly:

"Feijia, I don't really know myself whether I can still like you unconditionally like before. But if I can't change you, I can only choose to accept you as you are and not let you change me easily."

“I will join the Armed Detective Agency. But not to rebel against you, but to be myself.”

"Spokoynoynochi (Good night), sweet dreams."

As she spoke, she pushed open the door and left the ward, unaware that Fyodor's eyelids on the bed were trembling slightly and opening abruptly. Those grape-like eyes, though unfocused, no longer seemed like emotionless plants for the first time.

When he was burning up and his consciousness was hazy, he seemed to feel, and had no memory of, a kiss from his "mother"...

…………

When Kawakami Wakana left the ward, four people from the Port Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency were gathered in the living room of the Black Jack Clinic.

Although Pinocchio was still somewhat afraid of Nakahara Chuuya, who had attempted to kidnap her, and Akutagawa Ryunosuke, who was probably his "comrade," she still prepared a cup of barley tea for each of them at Black Jack's suggestion, just like the others. Black Jack, who was supposedly unrelated to the upcoming plan, simply drank his tea while keeping an eye on Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

Looking at Akutagawa, who was unconsciously covering his mouth and coughing, his gaze was as sharp as a scalpel in his hand.

“You,” Blackjack suddenly spoke up, “are you having lung problems?”

Ryunosuke Akutagawa seemed surprised that the doctor would suddenly say this. His hand, which had just touched the teacup, paused for a moment, but he still nodded.

“I am indeed suffering from lung disease and may not live much longer (1).”

“I know,” Blackjack said, unsurprised. “However, if it were me, perhaps I could cure you.”

"If you can accept a surgery fee of 30 million."

Kawakami Wakai:?

Wait, wait!

Is now the time to talk about this?

She understood Dr. Blackjack's principles, but right now it was clear that President Fukuzawa and Mori Ougai were more important!

"Thirty-thirty million?" Atsushi Nakajima was so shocked he almost jumped off the sofa.

You should know that he had never seen such a huge sum of money as 30 million in his entire life.

Atsushi Nakajima: emmmm...

so--

How many bowls of ochazuke could you buy with 30 million?

"You scared her," Izumi Kyoka said coldly.

"And we can discuss that later."

“I know, now tell me about your leader.” Blackjack took a sip of his barley tea and said with a poker face, “Sixty million.”

“I’m just a doctor without any special abilities. If your superiors’ illnesses are caused by so-called special abilities, I may not be able to cure them. But, if you pay a total of 60 million in medical expenses for both of them, I’m willing to try to create a medicine that can slow down their symptoms and buy you more time.”

"Is that acceptable?"

Atsushi Nakajima: ?

Sixty million...

That's more than 30 million, right?

It seems... one could buy ochazuke (rice with tea) for more than 30 million yen?

While Atsushi Nakajima was still in a daze, Chuuya Nakahara rummaged in his suit pocket and slammed a bank card onto the table with a "thud".

“Here’s a hundred million. The Port Mafia can provide that money, but only if you actually have the capability.”

"...!"

The entire audience fell silent.

Only little Pino was so surprised that he squeezed the flesh on his cheeks with his hands, almost squeezing his features together.

アッチョンブリケ(2).

Fyodorsan too, and this bad guy who tried to kidnap her too—is a hundred million so easy to come up with?

Just how many wealthy people did she and the doctor know?

Blackjack, however, remained unmoved and readily nodded.

"Okay, let me check on the patient's condition first, then I'll go with you to see your boss."

[Author's Note]

Adon's worldview was shaken (bu)

(1) Akutagawa's lines

(2) Pinocchio's classic verbal tic when surprised, without any meaning.

Small Theater

If Kawakami Wakana kissed Fyodor's forehead and he woke up, it would be like...

Ruoyi was startled when she saw Fyodor suddenly open his eyes. But thankfully, the unfocused gaze made her realize that he was not fully conscious.

"Feijia, I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now..."

He turned and left.

But his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"Don't go..."