Chapter 119: The Sour Smell of Love Hagiwara-kun, wake up! ...
Kenji Hagiwara sneezed violently.
...Why is that? I have this strange feeling...
Today, the EOD squad had a rare opportunity to avoid field work. As soon as their shift ended at noon, their colleagues were already eagerly heading to the cafeteria. Hearing him say this, the younger team members came up to cover his mouth, "Stop talking, Captain Hagiwara!"
"It's so rare that nothing happens... No, I can't dwell on this kind of thing...!"
"Ahhh, stop reading! Do you know how rare it is to have a day without bombs to deal with? I want to stay in the office this afternoon and don't want to go out—"
"I went to the temple to pray after get off work yesterday..."
Hagiwara was young and easygoing, so he didn't get angry at the teasing. He simply put on a stern face and said, "How can you conduct such superstitious activities in the Metropolitan Police Department? If Captain Matsuda finds out, be careful and he'll deduct all your bonuses."
"Hey - Captain Matsuda is scary."
Matsuda, who was standing next to him, suddenly got shot in the knee and nudged him with his elbow in disgust. "You were the one who started all that talk about having a bad premonition, right? What does it have to do with me? If they want to beat you up later, I won't help."
"I didn't say it was a bad premonition," Hagiwara Kenji said in a serious defense, blinking. "It's just a strange feeling—like something good is about to happen, and it's a little subtle..."
He was quite specific in his words, like some serious charlatan spouting nonsense. The curly-haired young man glanced at him with disdain and went straight to the vending machine to buy a drink. "And it's a sudden good thing... Have you bought any lottery tickets or anything like that lately?"
"Maybe I'll win a luxury tour to Hokkaido or something like that by buying some drinks—Xiao Zhenping, please treat me to some oolong tea." Hagiwara Kenji smiled. "If it's a two-person tour, I'll definitely invite you along."
Matsuda raised the corner of his lips slightly. "Dreaming in broad daylight? If I win the lottery, it's mine, right?"
Despite all the talk, he still helped You Xunran get a bottle. The other team members behind him also came over to buy water, and the whole group headed towards the food window in a mighty procession.
Eleven or twelve o'clock is lunch time, and the Metropolitan Police Department cafeteria is rarely crowded.
In the past, Tokyo was plagued by murders almost every day and every hour. Officers from the Explosives and Explosives Division and the Investigation Division were often out on duty, and upon returning, they would often stay in the office to work overtime. They would simply eat bread or something similar on the scene, and if they stayed in the office, someone would buy a lunch box to take home and eat there. The crowds today were clearly due to the lack of cases, and it was rare for everyone to have the leisure to enjoy a leisurely meal in the cafeteria.
Such relatively quiet moments were rare, and Hagiwara quickly forgot his strange premonition as he chatted and laughed with his colleagues as he went to get his lunch. Good-looking and sociable, he was popular with his colleagues in the Explosives Squad and throughout the Metropolitan Police Department, greeting and chatting with everyone he met.
Matsuda, who just wanted to eat quickly, walked aside with an expressionless face. He just thought that Kokunen was a real socialite - that's why he didn't like to go downstairs to eat with Hagiwara, it would always turn out like this... If he let Hagiwara continue chatting, it felt like all the female police officers in the cafeteria would surround him.
He was just wondering whether he should use some force to drag Hagiwara away to eat in the corner when he heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, Hagiwara-kun, and Matsuda-kun?"
Several officers from the First Investigation Division sat together for lunch, and Officer Aida was facing the food window. Seeing Hagiwara approaching with his plate, a star-studded figure, and Matsuda standing nearby with a scowl, she couldn't help but smile and waved. "Would you like to sit here? There's room."
Hagiwara wanted to chat with the others for a few more words, but Matsuda grabbed his arm and dragged him to a corner. "Thank you, Officer Aida—let's go, Hagi. Eat first. Who knows if there will be any work this afternoon? Can't you just eat quickly and go back to rest?"
"Eh... Jinpei-chan is so cold. Managing relationships is clearly part of the job."
Under the forced urging of Xiao Xunran, the male peacock finally shook its feathers and hid quietly in a corner by the window. He smiled and greeted several police officers from the Investigation Section: "Good afternoon, Aida-san, Ozawa-kun, and Yamada-kun - is Officer Megure still working overtime?"
"Yes, Officer Megure and Officer Fujita are still busy." Officer Aida sighed. "Although there's not much to do today, there are still a few cases to be concluded... Officer Megure is always used to doing everything himself, so he's very busy."
"Speaking of which, has Hagiwara-kun been in contact with that kid named Asamura lately?" She had called Hagiwara to find out more about this matter. Seeing him sit down, she asked with concern, "That kid should be doing well these days, right? The reward for her bravery should have arrived, so her life should be getting better. I think you mentioned before that her part-time job is also thriving..."
Several police officers from the Investigation Division were impressed by the child who had a difficult life but bravely saved others. Officer Megure would occasionally think of him and ask Hagiwara a question or two to find out more about the situation. Officer Aida, who was responsible for helping Asagiri apply for the bonus, also paid close attention to Asagiri and would think of this incident when he saw Hagiwara.
"She is indeed very good."
Before Hagiwara could reply, Matsuda couldn't help but put his chopsticks aside and grumbled, "Not only does he earn money working part-time, but he also took some ridiculous success-themed courses and made up some nonsense... That kid's got a bit too much energy."
His words contained a lot of personal thoughts, and it was obvious that he was still holding a grudge against what Chao Mu said when he "read his fortune" last time.
But despite his complaints, Matsuda's tone clearly showed he was quite familiar with the person he was complaining about. Officer Aida smiled and said, "It seems like Matsuda-kun and that kid are getting along well."
"...It's okay." The curly-haired police officer who had been talking nonstop just now suddenly stopped talking. After half a second, he reluctantly and slowly replied, "It's just okay. That little brat is too naughty. I can't say that she and I have a particularly good relationship." "Xiao Zhenping and Xiao Chaomu have a very good relationship."
Hagiwara interrupted Yu Junran's personal revenge with a light cough and reported seriously to Officer Aida on the child's recent studies and life: "Thank you for your concern, Aida-san. Xiao Chaomu seems to have been appreciated by her boss at her part-time job. Her salary has increased significantly, so she should have no problem supporting herself. She also recently passed the motorcycle driver's license..."
When talking about Chao Mu, he seemed to be unable to stop. From how quickly she learned to ride a motorcycle and passed the exams in one go to how they went racing together, he didn't even have time to eat a few bites of food and only drank two sips of water in between.
Matsuda next to him didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He added some comments while listening to him. The two of them almost listed out the schedule that Chaomu had mentioned before.
Officer Aida's face was filled with love, his eyes filled with care for his juniors: "That child has taken good care of himself... Officer Megure would also be very pleased to hear this."
The other two male officers beside her were clearly not interested in this topic. Hearing her say this, Officer Ozawa curled his lips and said, "Could Officer Megure be more pleased? He must be really praising that 'helpful citizen' now."
Officer Yamada was almost done with his meal, wiping his mouth with a tissue. "After all, that's the 'saintly' kind-hearted citizen people keep coming to thank me for these days... She makes all those other local police officers look inefficient and useless."
Kenji Hagiwara frowned slightly.
Although the other party's words sounded like a compliment, the following sentence made it sound a bit sarcastic.
He was about to ask what had happened when Matsuda asked curiously, "What saint? What enthusiastic citizen? What did Chaomu do?"
"Don't you know?" Officer Yamada prodded his chopsticks at the greasy, limp shrimp tempura on his plate, his voice drawn out. "That kindhearted citizen has done a lot of heroic deeds in Beikacho in the past few months. She's helped find cats and dogs, rescued a housewife about to jump, busted drunks and helped young women in Kabukicho... She even sweeps the streets—it's like she doesn't have to work."
"Over the past few months, people have been coming to the police asking them to find someone to express their gratitude. Their appearances are all remarkably similar. If the investigation hadn't confirmed the incident, the police would have suspected someone had benefited from a bravery reward and was now obsessed with the prize money, committing fraud."
If Chaomu were there, she'd probably say innocently, "Why are you thinking about the bonus? The players are clearly thinking about the Raccoon Coins." There were no main quests early on, so she did a lot of errands to level up, taking on any quest she saw and earning a lot of strange achievements.
As for street sweeping, what did she mean by even sweeping the streets? That was the player's job, so it was normal for her to pay attention to it. The other tasks were just a matter of convenience.
Those tasks, big and small, will basically increase the player's reputation in Beika Town. Specifically, in the game, her legend gradually begins to spread in the city - some people will even spontaneously call or write to the police station or fire station to look for her and express their gratitude.
While public education in Japan prioritizes personal safety, and the media is relatively restrained in reporting on acts of bravery, proper recognition is still available, including medals and bonuses. With all that information piling up, some believe Chaomu is truly a rare good person, while others naturally believe she's seeking fame and fraud to secure the bonus.
Officer Yamada and Officer Ozawa are obviously the latter, and they are quite fond of conspiracy theories...but Hagiwara watched coldly, and it seemed that they were dissatisfied because they were scolded by Officer Megure for their low work efficiency.
After Officer Yamada finished his words, he continued to eat as if he hadn't spoken a word. Officer Ozawa, on the other hand, still had a look of indignation on his face, and it looked like he had more to say.
"How can those homeless people who hang around the streets all day be compared to the police? We have to handle so many cases every day, so it's inevitable that sometimes we don't respond quickly enough." Sure enough, the next second, he complained quietly, "Inspector Megure sometimes compares us to her when she hears the news... Isn't that too unfair?"
Officer Aida raised his eyebrows, but before he could say anything to him, Matsuda had already put down his chopsticks heavily.
When he heard the crisp sound of dishes, Kenji Hagiwara knew that something was wrong: Ozawa's evasive remarks undoubtedly hit the sore spot of Jinpei Matsuda, and the latter was probably angry.
"Then I want to ask... are you a police officer, and is she a police officer?" The next second, the curly-haired young man stared at his colleague who was talking nonstop with displeasure, his slightly rising tone sounding very sarcastic, "That unprofessional girl handled this kind of thing more efficiently than you did. She bravely helped your police handle a lot of the work they were supposed to handle, and she didn't seek fame or profit herself, but it was the people who helped her who spoke up for her..."
"The bravery bonus isn't paid out of your own bonus. It's fine if you don't get the bonus because of your own low work efficiency, but why are you being so jealous of this little girl's bonus? In my opinion, this part of the bonus should be deducted from people like you. After all, she was doing the job you were supposed to do—"
"Ahem, Jinpei-kun? How can you say that?" Before he could say anything more pointed, Hagiwara Kenji cleared his throat and gently interrupted him. "While Ozawa-kun may be a little unskilled at his job, he still deserves the bonus. After all, he worked hard while assisting Officer Aida... Aida-san's teaching skills have improved quite a bit."
Officer Ozawa's face suddenly turned red.
Officer Aida, who was standing nearby, was clearly reminded of something unpleasant by these words. He put down his bowl of soup and glanced at his colleague. "Well, I really have to thank you, Ozawa..."
"So, thanks to you, Xiaoze, my teaching and work abilities have indeed improved significantly," she said coldly. "After all, some people can't even perform the most basic scene protection. They'll hide behind the female police officer and vomit when they see a corpse... and before going on a patrol, they'll confidently boast, saying things like 'female police officers just hide behind the men'... Ha."
“…That’s…”
Ozawa, whose pain point was touched, hurriedly finished his meal and left. Yamada "happened" to put down his chopsticks and said goodbye to them while holding the plate.
Matsuda's sunglasses were dangling from his shirt collar. He leaned back in his chair, his arms resting behind his head, and casually glanced at You Xunran. "I thought someone like him wouldn't think there was something wrong with me so easily... Why did he suddenly break down?"
Hagiwara smiled and said, "It's mainly thanks to Officer Aida."
"Hagiwara-kun, please stop laughing at me." Officer Aida sighed helplessly. "Thanks to your help, I thought he had gotten over it... I didn't expect him to say such nonsense just because I keep praising Miss Asamure..."
Hearing her say this, even though Matsuda wasn't entirely clear on the whole situation, he figured it out: Did Ozawa...have a crush on Officer Aida? Was that why he was so upset by being scolded by his sweetheart?
As for saying that it was all thanks to Kenji Hagiwara's help... he remembered that his childhood friend seemed to be quite familiar with Officer Aida, and coupled with the latter's high popularity among the female police officers... it was probably to help Officer Aida, who had no interest in love, to avoid romantic opportunities.
He folded his arms and chuckled, "So, your low self-esteem stems from your unrequited love, and you're taking your anger out on others... You're blaming others for being too good when your own work is poor? What kind of logic is that?"
"Don't be so blunt, Jinpei-chan." Hagiwara Kenji pushed the now-cold chicken aside and shrugged slightly. "After all, not everyone can honestly admit they're inferior to others—especially when the other person is a young, amateurish girl. Some men's male pride would be shattered to pieces."
"You're not being very subtle, are you?"
The two of them started chatting back and forth, and Officer Ai Tian, who had been a little depressed just now, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Stop gossiping about your colleagues, lest they hold a grudge against you later." She cleared her plate, thought for a few seconds, and then stood up, ready to leave. "But holding a grudge doesn't seem to matter... they don't have much room for promotion anyway."
"Anyway, if that little girl encounters any difficulties in the future, you can ask me for help, okay? You two are both reliable men, but a girl of your age might also have problems that need help from an older sister."
The policewoman, who was about the same age as Hagiwara and the others, said this rather casually before returning to work. Matsuda gazed at her from behind thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "This Ms. Aida is really... are you friends?"
"Well, Aida-san and I are pretty good friends," Hagiwara Kenji said cheerfully, his chin in his hand. "She joined the Metropolitan Police Department around the same time as us. It seems she had excellent grades—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to get into the First Investigation Division."
While the First Investigation Division also had officers like Ozawa and Yamada who were just sitting there doing nothing, for a female officer, getting into a position inherently discriminatory against women was clearly quite difficult and a testament to her absolute ability. Officer Aida's ability to rise through the ranks naturally made her immune to the skeptical looks of her colleagues.
Matsuda understood and said, "No wonder she is so cool."
Then you can really just turn your back on your colleagues who have no manners and not care at all... Just like when he and Hagiwara first came to the virgin class, they led their own teams because they were strong and had not experienced much trouble from their "predecessors". People with achievements and abilities are always more confident.
"I feel like Xiao Chaomu is also like this... If I tell her what happened today, she will probably look confused and then laugh."
During the conversation, the half-eaten meal had already gone cold. Although Japanese people are accustomed to eating cold food, Hagiwara Kenji still felt that his appetite had diminished significantly.
He leaned back in his chair, took out his phone from his coat pocket, swiped the lock screen aimlessly, and unknowingly clicked on the raccoon avatar in the contact list.
The chat history in the dialog box was still two days ago. He asked Chaomu what he was busy with recently. The raccoon avatar on the other side sent an emoji of a raccoon throwing flowers and replied, "Conquering the stars and the sea."
She works so hard and still has time to do good deeds... How can this not be considered conquering the sea of stars that belongs to her?
The young man with semi-long hair raised the corners of his lips slightly, ignoring the inexplicable remark of "Hagi, why are you suddenly laughing so disgustingly" from the little girl next to him. Just as he was about to send a message to the hard-working raccoon, new content automatically popped up in the dialog box.
[From 小朝暮: A dusty little raccoon knocks on the door.jpg]
[From Koasamure: Hagiwara-kun, are you busy today? Have you had lunch yet?]
[From 小朝暮: Today we have a limited-time delivery event—your raccoon delivery driver will arrive at the loyal Metropolitan Police Department on a motorcycle! If Hagiwara-kun is free, please come and pick him up.]
[From Xiao Chaomu: Colorful Dazzling Supreme Invincible Raccoon Emperor.gif]
The moment she saw the message, colorful lights almost instantly lit up her violet eyes.
Matsuda next to him: “…………?”
He looked at his younger sister with a look of disgust, "What's with that expression on your face... What news did you get? Did they say we're going to have a ten-day holiday?"
Hagiwara hummed a song and turned his phone screen around. Matsuda leaned over to take a look and was nearly blinded by the raccoon emperor's dazzling emoji: "...What the hell is this emoji..."
"Isn't that adorable?" While he was reading the message, Hagiwara conveniently shifted the remaining two or three pieces of fried chicken from his own plate onto Yu Jinran's. After he finished reading, he leisurely put his phone away, his brows slightly curved. "Anyway, I'll go pick up the brave Raccoon Knight first—I'll leave the plate to you, Jinpei-chan."
When he looked down, he saw the cold fried chicken on the plate had doubled in size. Matsuda Jinpei said: "......"
Veins popped up on his forehead: "Hagi, you bastard—come back!"
But in the moment he raised his head and lowered it, before Matsuda Jinpei could catch the guy who was humming a song and slipping away, his childhood sweetheart had already gone away like a gust of wind, leaving only a handsome back.
He looked down at the plate with a twitching eye, and looked out the window, only to see his puppy running happily towards the door, like a happy Samoyed.
Is this guy... a dog?
The police dog circled around the insulated bag vigilantly. Chaomu sat astride the motorcycle, holding the bag and leaning back, trying to protect the mission props he had been struggling with for the whole morning.
"This isn't for you..." she said righteously, "Why are you staring at me with such greed, Xiu Gou? Don't you have your own food? If you're hungry, go find your master to feed you. Don't even think about eating this lunch box of mine."
The young police officer in charge of security at the door hesitated to speak. "Is there a possibility, ma'am... Lei Ta didn't want to eat the lunch box you brought... Could you open the bag so I can check it?"
Even delivering a boxed lunch requires inspection? Is the Metropolitan Police Department's inspection so strict? Will they even use a silver needle to test for poison later... Oh no, this doesn't seem to be the set.
Chaomu wondered if this was some kind of level-breaking game that had to be triggered before delivering food. He covered his thermos bag with his hands and shielded it behind him. "Do you really need to check? I'm just delivering food..."
"Please cooperate." The young police officer said gently, but there was a hint of vigilance in his eyes. "Please open your lunch box and cooperate with the investigation..."
"Little Chaomu!"
It was at this time that Kenji Hagiwara arrived at the door.
He trotted downstairs, beads of sweat still hanging on his forehead, his eyes filled with a gentle smile: "Have you been waiting long? Sorry, sorry, it took a while to get downstairs."
Chaomu closed the half-open bag and hummed, "Not bad? I didn't wait long."
Hagiwara finally breathed a sigh of relief: "If you're coming next time, please tell me in advance. I'm often away on business, so if you, Xiao Chaomu, miss me..."
Noticing the police officer with a police dog nearby, he slightly curved his eyebrows and said a few words to the other party: "This is my friend..."
The officer recognized his face and greeted him. Seeing him chatting with the girl outside, he couldn't help but wonder: If she's Officer Hagiwara's girlfriend, she wouldn't poison her... So what was it that Ray was smelling that was so alarming? The sour stench of love?
The police dog named Lei was holding his tail, sniffing around the motorcycle with the tip of his nose, and nervously picking at the trouser leg of his colleague in front of him.
But Kenji Hagiwara did not pay attention to the abnormal behavior of the police dog.
At this moment, his eyes were full of the girl sitting astride the motorcycle in front of him. After not seeing her for a few days, she seemed a little cuter - the raccoon helmet really suited her.
"Hello, I'm your raccoon deliveryman, serving you." The raccoon ears on the helmet trembled in the wind. The short-haired girl opened the bag and asked seriously, "Excuse me, is this the gold lunch box, the silver lunch box, or the supreme invincible guaranteed lunch box?"
Hagiwara Kenji's gaze finally shifted from her head to the heavy thermal bag, eager to learn: "Why is this last bento named differently from the other two? Shouldn't it be called a copper bento?"
"Because this is the third lunchbox," the player replied. "If you didn't agree to the first and second, the third one should have triggered the big guarantee, right?"
It's not like she's tried this three times in a row... No way, no way? Hagiwara-kun wouldn't treat her like this, would he?
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The author has something to say: 10,000 copies plus more! I didn’t make it before 12 o’clock, but it was Saturday.
My consciousness was gone and I fell asleep immediately...
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