Chapter 21 You think you're my dad?! ...
"Hehe, after all, I'm the head of an evil secret society, and lying indiscriminately is part of my persona~" Ohma Kokichi cheerfully put his phone back in his pocket. "And I know, Kozuki Kazuya doesn't really mind, right? Don't you find this joke funny~?"
Tsukino and Chiya didn't seem to care much, but he thought Officer Matsuda might care more.
The black-haired boy who had died silently lit a candle in his heart for Officer Matsuda.
"Looks like I was right~" Ohma Kokichi skipped over to Tsukino and Chiya. "Anyway, before Officer Matsuda called, Tsukino seemed to have something to say to me. What is it? What did Tsukino want to say? Let me think... Could it be about the mark?"
“No, I didn’t actually mean to talk about the mark,” Tsukino and Chiya denied.
The black-haired boy's appearance was very deceptive.
His face was naturally gentle. His long, raven-black hair was tied into a braid and hung lazily down his left chest, a hairstyle that made him look even more innocent and harmless.
At this moment, Tsukino and Chiya's fingers were unconsciously stroking the ends of the braided hair.
If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, who would have imagined that this seemingly harmless, even gentle, boy had recently, with unimaginable speed, used the same hand that was stroking his hair to firmly stab the spear into the strange body, without the slightest sign of his hair being disheveled?
Yet his eyes were like a deep pool covered by a thin layer of ice on a cold winter night; anyone trying to peer into them could only see the outer layer of ice, never discerning what lay deeper within. This diminished his originally gentle demeanor, adding a touch of coldness and aloofness.
But... I've already mentioned this before, haven't I?
That's why whenever he speaks calmly, people can't help but believe him, and feel that "someone who speaks so calmly and seriously can't be lying."
Those dark eyes seemed to encompass everything in their field of vision equally.
Including those who are being quietly gazed upon by the owner of those eyes.
Ultimately, even if the reflection is equally projected onto the ice, it is still just ice. Although it seems to be separated from the pool water by only a thin layer, it is unknown how one can wait until the ice melts and then truly touch the deep pool hidden behind it.
Sometimes, even knowing this fact, we still...
"The fact that the incident was resolved so smoothly today is inseparable from the help you provided by 'seeing' those things."
Tsukino and Chiya said sincerely, "So what I wanted to say was... thank you."
Wang Ma Xiaoji's inspiration seemed unexpectedly high. If he hadn't been there, Tsukino and Chiya wouldn't have been confident that they could "see" the same scene themselves.
The black-haired boy said earnestly, "It's so good to have you by my side."
"...Hmm? Hmm...Okay, it's a bit cheesy, but not too boring. But isn't it a bit perfunctory to think that a mere verbal thank you is enough to get rid of this busy and evil leader?"
Wang Ma Xiaoji's eyes seemed to widen for a moment, but he quickly smiled and casually put his hands behind his head.
"The evil mastermind doesn't need sentimentality, so if you want to express your gratitude, how about you serve me as your servant for three days? That would be more sincere~"
After considering for two seconds, Tsukino and Chiya made a decision: "Then I'll withdraw my thanks."
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "What—?!!"
Tsukino and Chiya: "Why are you showing such a shocked expression at a time like this? Is that appropriate?"
Wangma Xiaoji: "Oh...that's amazing. I think Kozuki Kazuya is already qualified to be the 'Ultimate Tsukino-kun'."
Tsukino and Chiya: "Um, let's forget about that. I don't really want that kind of talent."
"You two seem to be having a good chat." At that moment, a voice suddenly joined their conversation.
Tsukino and Chiya turned around and saw Kenji Hagiwara, who had arrived at some unknown time and was now standing by the door.
The slightly long-haired police officer looked Oma Kokichi up and down without any attempt to hide it, then stroked his chin and said with satisfaction, "It seems you're all really alright, that's good."
"Officer Hagiwara is so slow," Ouma Kokichi complained. "I thought you'd be up here much faster."
“Actually, Officer Hagiwara did come up immediately after learning that the ghost painter had been dealt with.” Tsukino and Chiya chimed in, defending the innocent Kenji Hagiwara. “However, you were on the phone at the time, so I chatted with Officer Hagiwara in the study for a while first.”
Kenji Hagiwara shrugged and sighed dramatically: "Then I got contacted by Jinpei again. It's amazing that you could tell a lie like 'Tsukino is dead'."
Wang Ma Xiaoji clicked his tongue: "Tch, hasn't this already been exposed? I was really looking forward to seeing Officer Matsuda's expression after seeing the dead come back to life!"
Tsukino and Chiya remarked, "Instead of looking at your expression, I feel you're more likely to get beaten up."
Wang Ma Xiaoji didn't care: "It's okay, it's okay, I'm very good at running away!"
Kenji Hagiwara: "Don't get cocky in weird places... No, anyway, let's leave here first and go meet up with Jinpei. Do you guys want some late-night snacks? My treat."
*******
We met.
I haven't had my midnight snack yet.
But as expected, he got a scolding.
To ensure the two boys could safely return to their dormitory at Hope's Peak Academy, Kenji Hagiwara drove them to a convenience store near the school.
Matsuda Jinpei had already arrived. He had long missed the last bus at this time, so he must have taken a taxi... Nighttime surcharges aren't cheap, and Tsukino and Chiya, who had previously run away from home and were short of money, couldn't help but feel a pang of regret when they thought about the price.
Matsuda Jinpei didn't go inside the store, but stood a short distance outside waiting for them. He was clearly familiar with Hagiwara Kenji's car, and walked towards them as the car was about to stop.
In fact, although he had only known Ouma Kokichi for less than a day, Matsuda Jinpei was somewhat aware that this unfortunate kid liked to lie and play pranks.
...Because he never hid this from the beginning!
So when Matsuda Jinpei heard Oma Kokichi say "Tsukino Kazuya is dead" on the phone, he didn't completely believe it, but that doesn't contradict the fact that he was stunned when he suddenly heard the news.
After all... the connection between vibrant life and death is indeed very heavy. Even though Matsuda Jinpei, as a police officer, was used to hearing news about death from time to time, he still felt regret for the loss of life.
However, he remained rational. Although he asked Ouma Kokichi a few questions after hearing the news, the kid just talked nonsense and brushed him off. But he quickly contacted Hagiwara Kenji again, who was probably checking on the two high school students. Finally, he got the answer that the two of them were fine.
The strange incident was resolved, the mark on the back disappeared, and the two high school students who somehow ended the matter were unharmed, seemingly without even losing a hair... This was certainly a good thing.
But I still have to say—
"You should tell me your plan to deal with the monster."
Kenji Hagiwara, who had previously thought the two boys were still investigating clues, only later discovered that they had quietly dealt with the anomaly. While in the car, he had already roughly understood the situation and learned that the two boys had not encountered the anomaly by chance, but had actively summoned it and dealt with it after devising a plan.
Before Matsuda Jinpei could speak, Hagiwara Kenji said, “Since you already knew that the monsters wouldn’t appear on their own, you should have called me up and let me participate in your plan. After all, your plan required us to confront the monsters at close range, right? That would have made it difficult to escape, and it would have been a do-or-die situation. I wouldn’t have needed to stay down there to help you.”
"Besides, there's still some time before dawn; it's not so urgent that there's no time to even call me upstairs. In any case, confronting the supernatural head-on is far too dangerous. I know you two are both highly capable and have considerable knowledge of the supernatural, but since you no longer need backup, at least let me go to the scene to help. However, of course..."
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and winked at the two boys: "It's one thing to not do it again, but actually, Jinpei and I have done a lot of things that were considered 'reckless' before. Let me make it clear beforehand that I don't advocate this kind of behavior, but you two are really amazing. You solved the problem perfectly. Well done."
Well, everything can change in an instant, and no one can guarantee that the plan will be foolproof. If anything unexpected happens along the way, even if it might endanger his own life, Kenji Hagiwara will do his best to protect them.
However, the two teenagers did indeed resolve the matter perfectly, which was truly remarkable.
Even the slightly reckless parts gave Matsuda and Hagiwara a sense of déjà vu... after all, they had been taught a lot of lessons for "reckless behavior" in police academy and even earlier.
"Oh... is this the legendary 'spare the rod and spoil the child' approach?" Wang Ma Xiaoji pondered. "It seems that police officers would also be suitable to join my evil secret society."
"Wait a minute, I still have something to say." Thinking of what had happened before, Matsuda Jinpei's head seemed to be filled with a tic-tac-toe expression. "You bastard, wasn't that joke a bit too mean?"
"Oh no, I'm going to get targeted!" Wang Ma Xiaoji pouted, and seeing the situation was bad, he decisively prepared to run away. "Xiaoyue, you hold them off for me, I'm leaving first! Evil leaders really shouldn't dine at the same table with the police!"
Tsukino and Chiya: "I don't really want to stop them."
Kenji Hagiwara: "Huh? Aren't we having a midnight snack then?"
Matsuda Jinpei: "Hey, don't run away!"
"No way! Do you think you're my dad?!"
Wang Ma Xiaoji ran very fast, and soon he was almost out of sight. But the air still carried his words, which he didn't forget to shift the blame to as he ran.
"—Besides, I was just joking, it's much better than Kozuki Kazuya personally fighting against monsters!"
Tsukino and Qianye: "..."
There was no fight. At that time, in order to recreate the scene that Ouma Kokichi "saw," Chiya tried her best to instantly kill that monster.
However, after feeling the gazes fixed on them, Tsukino and Chiya silently turned around and decided to run away together: "Um, it might be a bit dangerous for Ohma to be out alone at night, I'll go find him..."
But before he could slip away, Matsuda Jinpei, who was already prepared, grabbed him by the back of his collar: "It's alright, Hagi has already gone after him. Actually, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you... Hmm?"
Matsuda Jinpei's voice abruptly stopped.
The curly-haired policeman let go of her hand.
Tsukino and Chiya realized something. He turned around and saw the handsome policeman's serious expression.
"you……"
Matsuda Jinpei asked with a serious expression.
Why do you still have marks on your body?
A note from the author:
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Because he got the protagonist's script (x)
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