Chapter 27
By the time Kenji Hagiwara heard the new rumors about Shinryu Samikawa, it was already evening.
He went to the person in question and asked, "What happened? I heard that you said in front of everyone that you were going to teach someone a lesson in the interrogation session?"
Bo Yezhai: "…………"
Although he did it on purpose, the way he relayed the message... how did he arrive at this result? The process is truly baffling.
Although Usui Saiki didn't answer, Hagiwara Kenji continued on his own: "This is too outrageous. How could you say such a thing? Nobody believes it. They think the story has been distorted. If you wanted to teach someone a lesson, would you have said it out loud? You wouldn't even know how you died."
Usoya Saiki: "...You really know me."
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and said, "We're friends."
Caught off guard and suddenly struck by a direct attack, Usaku Saiki fell silent.
He thought that Kenji Hagiwara was only taking care of him out of gratitude for saving his life. It's normal for a corporate guy like him to be friendly to everyone. But it turns out that he already considers him a friend?
Kenji Hagiwara's spirit is truly remarkable; he managed to become friends with someone despite the "shady dealings" surrounding him.
He didn't speak, and Kenji Hagiwara didn't seem to care.
Kenji Hagiwara had long known that Shinryu Samakawa always liked to keep things to himself, and he also knew that Shinryu Samakawa was more used to facing the malice and suspicion of others than to kindness. So, Shinryu Samakawa was definitely not used to his sudden statement.
However, Kenji Hagiwara felt that becoming accustomed to malice was not a commendable thing, and if possible, he would prefer that Shinryu Samakawa also experience what the world is like for other people.
He can't control others, but he can start with himself, right?
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and gazed at his newly recognized friend: "Am I being presumptuous? Doesn't Fukami consider me a friend?"
The young man, who always appeared calm and composed, seemingly able to face any hardship, even when mistakenly arrested and taken to the police station, was now looking down at him with his head down. Hagiwara Kenji could only see the other man's thick, long eyelashes fluttering gently like butterfly wings.
"...Of course you are my friend."
After Kenji Hagiwara left, the system popped up a warning for Saiki Usui.
The true effect of the "behind-the-scenes halo" is to forcibly trigger emotions, accelerate thoughts, and expand one's imagination. The better your relationship with someone, the weaker the "behind-the-scenes halo" becomes. Since Kenji Hagiwara considers you a friend, he'll likely prioritize reason over emotion more and more often. In the end, it might just be a kind of supernatural filter, and those close to you won't be affected at all! Be mindful of your distance from others!
Bo Yezhai was initially a little troubled, as he genuinely hadn't expected to gain a friend this way. However, the moment the system spoke, his rebellious phase kicked in, and he immediately found his footing, speaking with righteous indignation: "What are you trying to say? I'm not the kind of person who likes to take advantage of those I know."
The system didn't believe a word: 【...Heh, yes, you're a good person who likes to stand up for what's right, fine, I'll believe you. But I still have to remind you, important roles have point weight, making Hagiwara Kenji more suspicious of you is the most efficient and rational approach.】
I know, don't worry. If it doesn't work here, there's always the organization.
[...You even helped the organization catch traitors, successfully demonstrating your value and gaining a lot of trust. It doesn't seem like you're trying to build up suspicion points at all.]
Usoppei sighed: "You just don't understand, do you? I did enjoy some things in the organization, but I can't completely do nothing! For example, when it comes to finding people to plan routes, I usually seem incredibly reliable and professional, but then I suddenly mess things up at a crucial moment. Don't you think Gin will suspect whether I did it on purpose or accidentally?"
The system thought about it for a moment, found it made sense, and was full of admiration: [Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Then I'll be waiting for your performance!]
The brewery didn't give Usaku Saiki a chance to perform for the time being. Instead, during class the next day, Hanakawa Shinryu raised his suspicion level again.
Police academy courses cover a lot of material. Although there are theoretical classes, practical experience is more important.
Even though more than 95% of Japanese police officers never fired a shot at anyone until they retired, and often only used it as a deterrent, they still had to take the necessary shooting lessons.
Although obtaining a gun license in Japan is difficult, there are many loopholes in gun control that can be exploited. It's not impossible for military enthusiasts to build their own guns from various parts, so it's hard to say that all students start on the same footing.
Because the shooting range has limited space and there are only a few targets, only a small number of students can shoot at a time, while the rest watch from behind. Therefore, everyone can generally tell how good or bad someone is.
Shooting lessons are too dangerous. Not only is Instructor Onizuka extremely busy, fearing that a gun might accidentally go off, but Assistant Instructor Kenji Hagiwara is also incredibly busy, constantly correcting other people's postures to prevent them from being injured by recoil.
The Onizuka class didn't have many members, 10 at a time, and it was soon Usaku Saiki's turn.
Instructor Onizuka instinctively stood next to Usaku Saiki, intending to observe his skill level. The other students also subconsciously slowed down their movements, and their attention all turned towards this side.
Instructor Onizuka said, "First, check the gun..."
Usoya Saiki exchanged the identity of Hanchuan Shenliu for firearms specialization.
Unfortunately, because Hanchuan Shenliu was assigned to the Red Team, he hasn't been able to touch a gun yet. Now that he's finally encountered one, as soon as he stands in front of the target and hears the keyword, his body feels like it's been parched for a long time and he can't wait to get moving.
However, as the gun twirled around his wrist in a fancy fashion, the gaze of the instructor beside him sharpened.
Usoba Saiki quickly suppressed his physical instincts, flipped his hand, gripped the gun handle again, raised his other hand, and began to examine the gun again according to the procedures he had learned at the police academy.
Instructor Onizuka asked quietly, "Were you trying to test the gun with one hand just now? Who taught you that?"
This isn't pen spinning. A gun with bullets has weight, and the weight distribution is uneven. It's also irregularly shaped. It's completely different from the guns in arcade games. It's difficult for someone handling a real gun for the first time to use it with ease.
With that move, most people would have dropped their guns, let alone managed to get back.
Because he was wearing earmuffs for shooting, the instructor's voice was muffled, and Usakata Saiki could have easily ignored it, but he still calmly replied, "It was just a slip of the hand."
Instructor Onizuka, who was beginning to express his doubts: "..."
I believed your lies!
Even if you answered that you often play shooting games at arcades, or that you've played with 1:1 scale gun models, that would be fine! While they're not the same as real guns, for someone with talent, that's certainly a valid reason. But this time, it was a slip of the hand…
—Am I not worth you putting in a little more effort to fool me?!
Instructor Onizuka was resentful.
Although Instructor Onizuka's initial impression of Shinryu Hanakawa was that he was dangerous, after actually getting to know him for a while, he sensed more arrogance from him.
He was a loner, never showed any interest in fitting in, didn't care if others misunderstood him, never explained himself, and didn't care what others said.
He seemed to live in another world, where the grudges and affections were just a drama on a curtain, not worth his time or effort.
In fact, with Han Chuan Shenliu's strength, even if he were shrouded in dark rumors, people would still be willing to approach him if he spoke—dangerous and powerful people have a strange charm.
Just like the cannibalistic doctor Hannibal Lecter in the movie, even when he was in prison, he made the female protagonist Starling, a police officer, both fearful and dependent on him, and eventually they fled to the ends of the earth together—this kind of thing doesn't only happen in movies, it's not uncommon for serial killers to have admirers.
Such people's arrogant attitude of disregarding the law and looking down on everything grants them excessive freedom and carefree attitude.
This kind of temperament does indeed attract some people who are tired of following the rules but dare not break free from their shackles.
In the eyes of Instructor Onizuka, Shinryu Samikawa only chose to stay in this world because of that strange, almost competitive reason he gave during the interview.
He may not care about justice or anyone else, which is why he is indifferent to many things, but this conflicts with his actions of acting bravely for a just cause.
Instructor Onizuka considered that perhaps Shinryu Sugawa was just doing what he felt he should do, rather than what he wanted to do, and that he was someone who made up for his lack of morality with reason.
Therefore, what he fears most is that Han Chuan Shenliu, who has no other ties, will one day suddenly see through everything and realize that caring about that answer is actually the biggest constraint in his life...
When that time really comes, how will they get him to stay here?
Because Instructor Onizuka was anxious, even though Shinryu Suikawa emptied his magazine and all his bullets hit the bullseye, eliciting gasps of amazement from his classmates, it did not arouse his interest.
After seeing the impressive gunplay just now, and considering that Hanakawa Shinryu excelled in all aspects of his studies, Instructor Onizuka had already assumed that this guy must be very good at shooting. Seeing this result, he wasn't surprised at all, but felt that it was just as expected.
"Well, don't be arrogant. There was one of your predecessors who hit the bullseye every time on his first shot."
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and replied, "I know, you mentioned it last time, that senior who now runs a detective agency, right?"
"Yes, it's him. What I wanted to say was..."
Han Chuan Shenliu turned around, intending to give the target to the next person, but his pupils suddenly contracted the instant he turned.
He suddenly rushed forward and tackled Kenji Hagiwara to the ground before he could react.
Because it was during the handover period, the sudden burst of gunfire was extremely jarring.
Instructor Onizuka immediately realized that a gun had accidentally discharged. He first confirmed that Kenji Hagiwara was unharmed, then sternly questioned, "Who was that just now?!"
"Little...Little Fukari?" Hagiwara Kenji watched as Fukari silently got up, then reached out to pull him up as well, feeling a strange tension. "I'm fine, you found me just in time, really, I'm perfectly alright..."
Han Chuan Shenliu's slightly long bangs hung down, obscuring his expression, but even so, anyone could feel the chilling murderous aura emanating from him.
He silently took off his own earmuffs and put them on Kenji Hagiwara, who had knocked them off, then turned to look at the crowd.
Instructor Onizuka, worried about a bloodshed, tried to stop it, but was suddenly pulled back by Kenji Hagiwara, who whispered something.
"Trust him."
Instructor Onizuka hesitated for a moment.
The man who gets angry when Kenji Hagiwara is almost injured, Shinryu Hachikawa, may seem more dangerous now, but he is surprisingly more like a person living in this world than a bystander as usual.
Maybe... I should trust him a little more? Anyway, his gun's out of bullets...
If he can control himself in a situation like this, then he can rest assured...
Hanchuan Shenliu has already identified the person.
He walked over.
The sound of the cold river flowing deep is like icicles under the eaves in winter, with a kind of chilling coldness.
"Didn't the instructor say that guns are not allowed to be pointed at people?"
He takes a step forward, and someone takes a step back.
Do you know what I want to do right now?
With nowhere to retreat, the overwhelming pressure and fear, like a tsunami, forced him to make a very irrational decision.
Hanchuan Shenliu stopped in his tracks.
In front of him was the muzzle of a gun that had only fired one bullet.
The young man glanced down at the gun, his usually indifferent face suddenly breaking into a slight smile.
His tone became very gentle, as if he were persuading or coaxing.
"Fire one more shot. This may be the last time you fire."
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I went to the dentist today, so I won't be posting extra tonight. Anyway, I don't owe much, I can pay it back slowly.
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For those looking for something more interesting, check out the long review section for "Why Gin is a God" (20 chapters).
For those who want a knife-wielding story, I featured a post titled "Han Chuan's Knife" in the comments section of the previous chapter.
Thank you to all the talented little angels!
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Instructor (solemnly): Han Chuan might be the kind of person who makes up for a lack of morality with rationality.
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