Chapter 37 Jingguang: Debunking the rumors, my family really didn't produce anything...

A few minutes later, Furuya Rei, head drooping and holding an ice cream, followed behind the arrogant Nekono Ikuya with a rather dejected air, and successfully met up with Morofushi Kagemitsu, who had been quietly waiting ahead.

Morofushi Kagemitsu found the scene of Furuya Rei, who looked listless and whose blond hair seemed to have dimmed, walking towards him with Nekono Ikuya, who looked arrogant and was about to swing her legs, somewhat amusing.

However, to avoid getting really angry, Morofushi Kagemitsu would never laugh out loud; at most, he would just laugh to himself.

Rei Furuya took a bite of his ice cream, walked between Ikuya Nekono and Kagemitsu Morofushi, and mumbled, "You guys noticed me a long time ago?"

"That shouldn't be," Furuya Rei thought resentfully, staring at the half-eaten scoop of ice cream in his hand, as if trying to see right through it with his sharp gaze. He thought his stealth skills were pretty good, didn't he?

Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled and said, "Zero's tracking skills are good, but his gaze is too intense. Most importantly..." He looked at the shop windows on both sides of the street, "most importantly, Zero's blond hair is very eye-catching."

The reflections of the three people were blurred in the shop window, with Rei Furuya's blond hair being the most striking.

“Yeah, Furuya-kun’s blonde hair is practically glowing,” Nekono Ikuya chimed in with a grin. “You should at least wear a hat before following me and Kagemitsu.”

"Hehe, just like this!"

He slapped a black baseball cap, which he'd somehow gotten his hands on, onto Furuya Rei's blond hair, and then burst into laughter with Morofushi Kagemitsu.

When Furuya Rei looked at the shop window again, his own reflection was indeed much more inconspicuous.

Where did Nekono Ikuya get that baseball cap from? Nekono Doraemon? Do you have a four-dimensional pocket? Furuya Rei was both surprised and frustrated. Huh, what happened? He really thought his stealth skills were pretty good.

Hearing the harmless mockery from Nekono Ikuya and Morofushi Kagemitsu beside him, Furuya Rei took another big bite of his ice cream. Those two rascals!

Rei Furuya reached out and forcefully ripped off his black baseball cap, then compared it to Kagemitsu Morofushi and Ikuya Nekono.

Compared to Morofushi Kagemitsu, who at least managed a more restrained laugh, Nekono Ikuya, who couldn't contain herself and laughed until her eyes crinkled, was definitely more detestable. And to top it off, it was Nekono Ikuya who brought out that baseball cap!

He slammed the baseball cap back onto the head of the laughing Nekono Ikumi with a snap, and then pressed it down even harder as if that wasn't enough.

Only when the baseball cap completely covered Nekono Ikuya's hateful, smiling eyes did Furuya Rei slowly withdraw his hand, satisfied.

He breathed a sigh of relief; he felt great.

"Huh?" Nekono Ikuya's laughter abruptly stopped as his vision was suddenly blocked by the baseball cap.

In the artificial darkness, Nekono Ikuya blinked slowly. Why did it feel like Furuya had taken the opportunity to rub his head when he put his hat back on?

Hmph, you cunning Furuya-kun!

What are you laughing at? Rei Furuya stood tall in front of the shop window, straightening his blond hair a few times.

My blonde hair shines, and I'm proud of it!

"Pfft~" Morofushi Kagemitsu, who was well-versed in non-stick pan techniques, couldn't help but turn his head and laugh out loud.

Oh dear, he knew it! His two friends have such interesting personalities, making their interactions even more fun.

See, see, aren't they adorable?

With a bite of ice cream, Nekono Ikuya calmly reached out and lifted her baseball cap, fastening it back to a position where it wouldn't obstruct her view.

He even imitated Rei Furuya by tilting his head left and right to check his reflection in the shop window until he was satisfied that his image in the window was still perfect before turning his gaze away.

"Just tell us if you want to hang out next time, Furuya-kun."

Nekono Ikuya spoke with a mischievous tone, slowly licking her ice cream, her bright blue eyes still curved into cute crescent moons.

He deliberately dragged out the word "shy" and emphasized the volume, clearly not intending to give up teasing Furuya Rei easily: "Why are you so shy and secretly following me? It's not like I'm not including you!"

"Who, who's shy?!" Upon hearing this, Furuya Rei took a step back like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and retorted loudly, her cheeks slightly red.

However, he realized the next moment that he had overreacted and fallen into Nekono Ikuya's trap. Wouldn't refuting it like this be an indirect admission that he was indeed shy?

Pshaw, they're the ones who's shy!

Ignoring the sly smile that might have appeared in Nekono Ikuya's eyes, Rei Furuya quickly changed the subject, trying to gain the upper hand.

He crossed his arms, trying to disguise the slight blush on his cheeks as annoyance, but the ice cream he was holding slightly ruined his composure.

"Huh? It's not like you're not including me in the game?" Furuya Rei repeated Nekono Ikuya's words.

He looked at Nekono Ikuya and Morofushi Kagemitsu with a leisurely air: "Alright, then you two tell me what you've been up to lately by not taking me along, always getting together mysteriously without me?"

Rei Furuya repeated "I'm not included" twice in one sentence, making the sentences somewhat incoherent.

Nekono Ikuya and Morofushi Kagemitsu glanced at Furuya Rei, who seemed inexplicably sullen in the middle, and then looked at each other across Furuya Rei.

Wow, Rei/Furuya is really concerned about this. Is he really unhappy? (Worried) Is he really unhappy? (Curious)

Who is worried, and who is curious? It's really hard to guess!

Ahem, Nekono Ikumi pressed down her hand, which was itching to tease him again, and finally lowered her head in shame.

Oh well, just like a cat will unconsciously fix its gaze on a water glass that's about to fall off the edge of a table and reach out its paw to check if the glass will drop, Ikuya Nekono, who has spent too much time with Tayuki, has also unconsciously picked up some of the cat's wicked tendencies.

It makes sense, it makes sense... right?

...

"So, the reason you've been going out together so mysteriously lately is actually to visit someone you know at a mental hospital?"

Furuya Rei was stunned; he never expected to uncover this truth from Morofushi Kagemitsu.

This is so different from the image he imagined of Yuya Kagemitsu happily playing with his partner, leaving poor Lingling alone in a dark corner, bitterly biting her handkerchief!

Who would have thought that!

"It didn't just start recently; actually, Ikuya often came with me before I transferred schools," Furuya Rei added, as Morofushi Kagemitsu added. This was one of the main reasons why he and Nekono Ikuya were so close.

That's just one of the important reasons. The main reason, of course, is that they get along well and become good friends very quickly.

Otherwise, Nekono Ikuya wouldn't have been so patient as to frequently take time to accompany Morofushi Kagemitsu to the mental hospital to visit people the other person knew.

"Accompany?" Furuya Rei keenly caught the word "accompany" and glanced at the lazy Nekino Ikuya beside him.

Nekono Ikuya had finished his ice cream. He pulled the brim of his baseball cap to the side of his head to expose his forehead, interlaced his fingers behind his head, and was walking slowly with his eyes half-closed.

Hearing this, he opened his eyes and patiently explained to Furuya Rei, "That's right, it's about accompanying him. After all, this mental hospital was jointly funded by the Otome family and the Nekono family. Kagemitsu is too young and not a relative of that uncle. If I don't accompany Kagemitsu, the doctor won't tell him the uncle's specific situation."

Even Jingguang might not be able to get in, since it's too much for a child to go to a mental hospital alone to visit someone he has no blood relation to.

Actually, adding another child would be too much, but since Nekono Ikuya's identity is quite special, she can't be treated like an ordinary child. There's also Black, who, although seemingly absent, is actually always by Nekono Ikuya's side; he always makes sure everything is arranged in advance.

"Nekono-kun, so your family's businesses are quite diverse, you even own a mental hospital?" Furuya Rei looked at Nekono Ikuya with even more surprise.

"I just found out too." Nekono Ikuya also found it strange.

He himself only just realized that his family's business included a mental hospital, and that this mental hospital was jointly operated with Xiao Ai's family.

The cooperation between the Suotome and Nekono families is indeed very close. No wonder the adults in both families have always liked to put Nekono Ikuya and Suotome Ai together to play since they were young, probably to maintain the good relationship between the two families that has lasted for generations.

The uncle that Morofushi Kagemitsu visited was sent to a mental hospital by Ai after her trip to Nagano. It is said that he went insane because his daughter died tragically.

Feeling sorry for him, Nekono Ikuya and Sōotome decided to waive the old man's medical fees, allowing him to be hospitalized for free and providing him with the best psychiatrists and the best treatment environment.

If this still doesn't cure him, it's fine to let that old man stay in this mental hospital for the rest of his life. In any case, the total cost incurred during that time is just a drop in the ocean for Nekono Ikuya and Otome Ai.

It's better than letting a mentally unstable person who almost breaks into a house with a knife wander around the world. It's scary to not know when a bomb might explode.

"So..." Furuya Rei said, both hesitant and relieved, "So Kagemitsu wasn't forced to transfer to Tokyo because of a family emergency?"

His expression was somewhat hesitant. He had already connected the two people's attitudes with the intelligence he had gathered, realizing that his previous deductions were different from reality, but fortunately, they were good deviations.

"???" Nekono Ikuya and Morofushi Kagemitsu suddenly widened their eyes, and thinking of Furuya Rei's recent abnormal behavior, they suddenly realized something at the same time.

"No way!" They exchanged a glance, then suddenly realized. "So that's it. No wonder Zero/Furuya has been acting strange lately, always looking at me/Kagemitsu with a troubled expression. It turns out it wasn't just because he was bothered by their secret operation."

Zhu Fujingguang chuckled, feeling a sense of relief in his heart.

He explained with a smile, "No, I transferred schools mainly because my older brother is studying in Tokyo, and my parents also felt that the education level in big cities is better than in small places, so they made me transfer to Tokyo."

He paused, his smile fading slightly, and then added after a moment's thought, "However, the fact that Mom and Dad were able to make the decision so quickly to move the whole family to Tokyo is indeed related to the news that happened in Nagano recently."

His expression darkened, and he looked somewhat sad: "The girl who died in the news was a good friend I've known since childhood. After she died, her father went insane. He was the uncle that Yu Mi often accompanied me to visit. I guess my parents moved away so that I could get away from this place of sorrow."

Watching his best friend die because he couldn't get timely treatment is the source of his panic about his classmates suddenly developing acute appendicitis.

However, Morofushi Kagemitsu still wants to clarify that nothing has happened to his family!