·71｜Exclusive from Jinjiang·71

Join us for a feast of death.

"Zhenping, wait a moment."

Lai Chuan Huang Quan called out to the man who had changed his shoes in the entryway. She jogged a few steps and stopped in front of Matsuda Jinpei, looking up at the man in front of her.

Matsuda Jinpei casually put on his worn-out black sunglasses, put his hands in his pockets, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lai Chuan Huang Quan raised her hand and brushed her long hair behind her ear—she hadn't dressed up for a long time since Hagiwara Kenji's death in the line of duty.

She no longer wears delicate and pretty dresses, no longer wears makeup, and only occasionally adorns herself with bright red lip gloss on important days. Her once meticulously maintained black hair has lost its former luster and falls casually over her shoulders or back.

Yomi Yorikawa looked up at Jinpei Matsuda, her expression serious and earnest: "Go to the First Investigation Division."

"What?"

Matsuda Jinpei was taken aback and instinctively asked a question. He heard it clearly, but he thought he had misheard.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan smiled faintly: "I know, you've always wanted to arrest the bomber who killed the second-year graduate student yourself. You submitted a transfer application to the Metropolitan Police Department in the first year after he left, but it was rejected."

But for the next two or six months, Matsuda Jinpei didn't apply again. Yorikawa Yomi had inquired and learned that if he were to transfer to the First Investigation Division at this time, his position and salary would definitely be significantly reduced.

Matsuda Jinpei wasn't good at taking care of people; his love and care were too clumsy. Every time Yomi Yorikawa cried, all he could do was silently keep her company in the darkness, separated by a blanket and a wall, and occasionally give her a silent hug when he was discovered.

Perhaps I could take Yomi Yorikawa around, show her the snow melting in the hot spring mist of Hokkaido, let her touch the antlers of deer in Nara, and go to Osaka to see the Takarazuka Revue, which he wouldn't be very interested in... But a high-quality material life requires money as a prerequisite.

Matsuda Jinpei needs the financial benefits that come with the position of captain of the mobile unit.

Yomi Yorikawa wasn't good at reasoning, but she had inherited some of Mr. Yorikawa's intellect. She had already guessed why Matsuda Jinpei was no longer submitting his transfer application.

“Jinpei,” Yomi Yorikawa grabbed Matsuda Jinpei’s tie and adjusted it from side to side, then wrapped her forearm around his neck to adjust the back of his white shirt collar. “Your tie is crooked.”

"Um, thanks."

Matsuda Jinpei tensed his jawline instantly, unaccustomed to this distance. Although they occasionally hugged, the faint floral shampoo scent on the tip of his nose made his Adam's apple bob, and he subconsciously tilted his chin up.

Yomi Laichuan straightened Matsuda Jinpei's collar and then put her arm around his shoulder: "Jinpei, go to the First Investigation Division. You've taken care of me long enough; it's time to do what you want to do."

Matsuda Jinpei dreamed of personally catching the bomber who killed Hagiwara Kenji. He bent over and slowly reached out to hold Raikawa Yomi's back: "Hmm."

Lai Chuan Huang Quan leaned forward and was obediently pulled into Matsuda Jinpei's arms: "If you're worried about money, my rotating shaft design has already been patented. So go ahead without worry. I've been being willful for so long, it's time for you to be willful for once."

She raised her eyebrows, her eyes sparkling with tenderness: "Go do what you truly want to do, Jinpei." I shouldn't be a stumbling block for you.

Matsuda Jinpei's Adam's apple bobbed again, his pupils trembled, and his thoughts raced. He slowly uttered a single "Okay," then released his embrace and turned to go to work at the Metropolitan Police Department.

"I'm leaving."

"Okay, be careful today too. I'll wait for you to come home."

"Um."

Matsuda Jinpei gripped the doorknob and turned it halfway, pushing the door open a crack before abruptly stopping. Pale golden light slanted through the crack, casting beams of light into the room. Matsuda Jinpei stood quietly before the door, his eyes slowly darkening. His brow furrowed, and his left hand, tucked into his pocket, clenched into a tight fist.

Yomi Lai smiled and tilted her head. She was puzzled, but she just stood behind Jinpei Matsuda without saying a word, looking at his broad back.

"What—uh!"

Before she could utter a single syllable, Yomi Laichuan was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace, her breath and the words she hadn't finished choked back. Her long hair, falling across her back, brushed against the back of Matsuda Jinpei's hand, tickling her like fingertips gently caressing her skin.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan was forced to stand on tiptoe while nestled in Matsuda Jinpei's arms, her fingers pressed against his chest.

After a while, Matsuda Jinpei finally let go.

The woman, her breathing finally returning to normal, raised her hand to cover her reddened lips, blinking for a long time before finally reacting. She looked back at the man in front of her, her almond-shaped eyes filled with innocent confusion and other emotions: "You..."

Matsuda Jinpei didn't give Raikawa Yomi a chance to speak. He turned and strode away, leaving Raikawa Yomi with only the closed door and the dry, sweltering air that filled the entryway.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan lowered her gaze and remained silent for a moment before turning and going back into her room. She sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the bright sky outside the window. The summer light was a bit dazzling, but Lai Chuan Huang Quan liked the feeling of the sun burning her skin; it was the only thing that could warm her, besides that person's embrace.

Downstairs, the man who had hurriedly fled the scene slammed the driver's side door shut. He fastened his seatbelt, then, as if waking from a dream, slammed his fist on the steering wheel.

Matsuda Jinpei closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, then stepped on the gas and drove away from the parking lot. The screen of his phone, which he had placed on the air conditioner vent, lit up; it was a message from Mr. Raikawa.

"Have you thought about what I asked you last time?"

Three and a half years ago, when Matsuda Jinpei took Yomi Raikawa away, Mr. Raikawa gave Matsuda Jinpei a bank card as a token of gratitude for taking care of Yomi. The money in the card could be used freely, whether for caring for Yomi, for living expenses, or for Matsuda Jinpei himself.

But Matsuda Jinpei didn't accept it. He leaned against the metal railing by the overpass and said coldly, "If you want to apologize, why don't you tell her yourself?"

Mr. Lai Chuan did not answer. His once black hair was now streaked with gray, and his clear eyes held a deep sense of vicissitude, like a jar of aged wine. In just three short years, he had aged considerably.

Matsuda Jinpei continued, "You sometimes appear downstairs at my house, are you looking at Yomi?" Through the curtain, through that tightly closed glass window, he longs for Yomi of Raikawa.

Mr. Lai Chuan lowered his gaze in silence, rubbing his left thumb with his right hand. Half a year ago, he had a severe fracture in his left hand, and now it aches whenever it's rainy.

After a long silence, he finally managed to move his lips, his voice hoarse and trembling: "I dare not see the Yellow Springs, nor am I worthy to see her."

Matsuda Jinpei remained silent, the only sound between them the click of his cigarette as he lit it. Noticing Mr. Raikawa's gaze, Matsuda Jinpei exhaled a smoke ring: "I don't smoke in front of the underworld."

“No, I just wanted to say thank you,” Mr. Raikawa said slowly. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have the right to look out at the underworld from across the alley.”

For the past three years, Mr. Raikawa has frequently contacted Matsuda Jinpei to inquire about Raikawa Yomi's current situation. Occasionally, he would sit beside Matsuda Jinpei and murmur to himself, like an elderly man.

"That girl hates carrots. She would cry whenever she ate them when she was little, even though they are such a nutritious food."

“She catches a cold every time the temperature changes suddenly during the season. Please keep an eye on her these next few days and make sure she wears two more layers.”

But every time Matsuda Jinpei asked him if he wanted to go see the underworld, Mr. Raikawa would stop all sound and stare blankly at the distant trees and the wind.

Mr. Lai Chuan's answer was always the same: "How can I face her?"

During their most recent meeting, before leaving, Mr. Raikawa earnestly asked Matsuda Jinpei, "Do you plan to marry my daughter?"

Whether it's a police officer or an ordinary company employee, as long as Huang Quan is happy, Mr. Lai Chuan will no longer stop them. He will fully support them and sincerely send them his blessings.

Regardless of Matsuda Jinpei's wishes, Mr. Raikawa would not force him. He had already planned to give Matsuda Jinpei a small but well-located and well-structured house as a way of repaying Matsuda Jinpei's kindness. Whether he rented or lived in it was entirely up to Matsuda Jinpei.

Matsuda Jinpei did not answer.

Even now, he still hasn't found the answer to the question.

When he got off work, Matsuda Jinpei sat in his car for a long time. The ashtray in the car was full of cigarette ash and crushed cigarette butts. He held a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth and looked up at the apartment building with its lights on.

Matsuda Jinpei's apartment was on a high floor. Through the white gauze curtains, he would occasionally see the blurry figure of Raikawa Yomi walking past the window.

The crimson stain around his lips was about to fade when Yomi Raikawa, who had been waiting for Matsuda Jinpei for a long time, finally called to inquire about his safety and urge him to come home quickly.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

After hanging up the phone, Matsuda Jinpei stubbed out his cigarette, picked up the bag of snacks from the passenger seat, and turned to go upstairs. When he appeared in the entryway with the food in his hand and one hand in his pocket, Raikawa Yomi had already reheated the cold dishes on the table: "You're back. Come and eat."

"Yes, sorry to keep you waiting," Matsuda Jinpei said, squatting in front of the refrigerator with a bag in his hand. "I brought you some plain yogurt. Put it in the fridge first, and you can eat it tonight."

"good."

Matsuda Jinpei neatly placed bottles of yogurt into the refrigerator door one by one, his hands moving non-stop, but his eyes secretly glanced at the woman beside him. Raikawa Yomi was ladling rice into a bowl with a wooden spoon, her long hair falling down. The woman, hardened by hardship, was no longer boisterous, but gentle and quiet. A faint sorrow lingered in her eyes, like a withered flower swaying in the wind.

But Matsuda Jinpei still preferred the way she pounced on him with her fists clenched and pounced on him, radiating energy like starlight.

Matsuda Jinpei thought life would continue like this until that day, when the numbers went to zero and everything came to an abrupt end.

...

After his transfer application was rejected time and time again, the Metropolitan Police Department finally agreed to transfer Matsuda Jinpei to the First Investigation Division as the fourth November 7th approached, and he was put in charge of assisting with the bomb case.

The Ferris wheel turned, and car number 72 slowly rose into the sky. Matsuda Jinpei hung up the phone call from Officer Sato, lit a cigarette, and leaned against the metal door to sit down. Oh no, he was going to have to break his promise too.

Before leaving home today, Raikawa Yomi nervously gripped Matsuda Jinpei's finger, her eyes trembling. Her pale lips opened and closed repeatedly, but the words caught in her throat.

Matsuda Jinpei knew what she was worried about. He turned around and hugged Yomi Yorikawa tightly, trying to soften his tone: "Idiot, don't underestimate active-duty police officers. Besides, I still have to avenge Hagi. Everything will be alright."

Matsuda Jinpei released the person in his arms, his bright eyes flashing with determination. He would never let the bomber escape again; he would personally arrest this guy.

He released the person in his arms: "I'm leaving. I have something to tell you tonight."

What I want to say...

Matsuda Jinpei pulled a small red box from his suit's inner pocket, opened it, glanced at its contents, and unconsciously gave a faint smile. If he had known that the hug he shared this morning would be the last, he should have held it longer.

Matsuda Jinpei packed his things, stood up, and looked out at the world below through the transparent glass window. From here, he could see his and Yomi's house. He wondered if Yomi was watching the news. He hoped Inspector Megure would be perceptive enough to tell the reporters under the Ferris wheel to turn off their live stream.

Thinking this, Matsuda Jinpei looked down at his feet.

The ground and the sky seemed equally distant. Police cars, their lights flashing red and blue, surrounded the Ferris wheel. A police cordon kept the crowd at bay, and officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, wielding red batons, gestured for them to leave. At the edge of the cordon, a familiar figure caught Matsuda Jinpei's eye, causing him to widen his gaze. His cigarette fell from his lips as he pulled out his phone and dialed the number of the woman standing at his feet, looking up at carriage 72.

The phone was answered as soon as it rang. Matsuda Jinpei's throat bobbed, and his voice suddenly went hoarse, "Idiot, what are you doing here?"

Lai Chuan Huang Quan stood at the foot of the Ferris wheel, clutching her clothes tightly to her chest, looking up at car number 72, which had shrunk to the size of a tomato due to the distance. Continuous trembling broke her breath into several fragments, and bitter tears welled up in her eyes: "Jinping..."

Matsuda Jinpei heard the sob that Yomi Raikawa was desperately trying to suppress, and he smiled: "Idiot."

He placed his palm on the glass window, stroking Raikawa Yomi's face from hundreds of meters away: "Let's go home."

Yomi Lai did not answer, but only whispered his name in a tender voice: "Jinpei".

Yomi Yorikawa knew that no matter how many times he came back, as long as he knew there was a bomb on the Ferris wheel threatening an unknown number of hostages in an uncertain location throughout Tokyo, Matsuda Jinpei would rush to this death feast without hesitation.

Because he is a policeman.

A policeman who is righteous and uses his bones as a sword and his body as a shield.

——"05."

"Ah, text has appeared on the bomb screen," Matsuda Jinpei suddenly said, "Beihana Hospital. I'll have to trouble Yomi to pass on this to Inspector Megure."

——"04."

"Yes, I will." Lai Chuan Huang Quan took a deep breath and said slowly in a trembling voice, "Jin Ping, you said you had something to tell me before you left today, what is it?"

——"03."

You mean that one?

Matsuda Jinpei used his other hand to open the tightly closed velvet red box, inside which was an object that would reflect a dazzling light in the sunlight.

——"02."

"I originally wanted to ask you if you were willing..."

He fell silent halfway through his sentence, his brows furrowed as he stared intently at the object in his hand, a sorrowful expression on his face.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan: "What?"

——"01."

Matsuda Jinpei chuckled and said frankly, "No, it's nothing."

"But you, forget about me."

——"00."

"Bang—!!"

After the loud bang, the phone call was forcibly disconnected. A certain number marked with a star on Lai Chuan's Yellow Springs became a cold string of numbers that would never be answered again.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan looked up blankly at the sky filled with thick smoke, without crying or screaming. She simply shed tears silently, her eyes red.

"Miss Lai Chuan!" The male police officer in uniform rushed to her and covered her eyes with his white-gloved right hand. "Don't look! Please don't look!"

They feared that Yoruichi Yomi would collapse again, and the tragic state of Hagiwara Kenji when he died in the line of duty was still vivid in their minds.

Tears blurred the officer's hand that was covering her eyes. Lai Chuan Huang Quan simply gave a meek "Mmm," her obedience almost frightening.

The Yellow Springs of Laichuan have become stagnant water that no longer produces even a stress response.

An empty shell that walks.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about me,” she said with a tearful smile. “Please tell Inspector Megure that the next explosion site is at Beika Hospital.”

After the incident was resolved, the Metropolitan Police Department arranged for a professional team of psychologists to provide psychological treatment for Yomi Laichuan. The woman who had covered her ears and screamed in agony last time was very cooperative this time. She greeted the doctor with a smile, answered all the questions honestly, and then took the prescription medication as prescribed.

Aside from taking a two-week leave from the research lab and starting to sleep late and wake up late, Yomi Laichuan seemed no different from usual. She would go downstairs to buy food regularly, take a comfortable hot bath every day, and then sleep while hugging the body pillow given to her by Jinpei Matsuda.

But just as the Metropolitan Police Department was beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, on the seventh day after Matsuda Jinpei's death, Yomi Yorikawa jumped from a high-rise building, his blood blooming into a bright and dazzling flower on the rough ground.

Even in the instant the Ferris wheel exploded, Yomi Lai had already planned her ending. Like the solemnity before a grand ancient ritual, the seemingly peaceful seven days were actually preparations for her death today. She would dress up in her finest attire and head to the world where they were.

The wind whistled past her ears, and the dull thud of bones hitting the concrete floor pierced her eardrums. This time, she could finally go find them.

[Author's Note]