Chapter 17 Raccoon and Cat The raccoon dances with the cat.
It is said that if you keep thinking about something, it will come true. In the afternoon, Chaomu, who was carrying cat food, happened to meet the stray cat she wanted to squat with.
Unlike the previous outdoor refresh location, this time she met Midorikawa Kei in a bookstore.
Neon has a traditional social structure and a large number of housewives. There are always many housewives who come to the home economics section of the bookstore to read books before going home to prepare dinner, or they can look through cookbooks to find inspiration for shopping and cooking.
Among the housewives, the young man in the gray-blue hood stood out. His stubble was a little longer than it had been the day before, a small, bluish, furry patch that blurred the age of his handsome face.
Today, he wasn't carrying that conspicuous guitar bag, and his demeanor wasn't quite as intimidating. When Chaomu saw him, he was sitting by the bookshelf, lips pursed, intently looking through a cookbook. He sat there properly, a bit curled up, like a cat rubbing its paws.
Considering that the stray cat always ran away when it saw people, Chaomu did not choose to call him directly. Instead, he restrained his breath and tiptoed into stealth mode.
—As everyone knows, a stray cat's weak point is the nape of its neck. To make it lose its resistance, cooperate with her, and prevent it from escaping, she must be cautious and strike accurately.
But it doesn’t matter. Players have rich experience in trapping stray cats to hunt in the three-dimensional world. It’s just catching a cat, easy as pie.
…
"Green River Scene" was feeling a little depressed.
In the undercover mission, he needs to play another person, and it is inevitable that he will do things that go against his conscience, and the psychological pressure will gradually accumulate over time.
Therefore, when conditions permit, he sets up an anchor point for himself that is harmless and does not expose his identity to adjust his psychological state - that is, housework.
Cooking has always been his hobby. When cleaning the room or cooking, he can often briefly escape from the task and feel his own existence.
But today, this anchor point failed.
The shape of the blood splatter still seemed to remain on his iris, and when he saw the meat dishes, he could only think of the limbs of his own kind.
Even in the warm room, Midorikawa Jing still felt a chill running through his body. His hands, holding the book, were trembling slightly, but when he held the sniper rifle, his hands were so steady that the muzzle did not deflect at all, and it accurately pierced the target's head.
His eyes fell blankly on the pattern on the page, and he let out a soft breath. Reason told him that continuing to indulge his wild thoughts would be of no benefit to him. He might need to get up, go out and buy a pack of cigarettes, relying on nicotine to relieve his stress and distract himself.
...take a deep breath...
His fingers slipped out of his control for a moment, and he needed to wrestle back control, to stop them from leaving marks on the page with excessive self-loathing, but with little success.
Go back to the safe house first...can't...
The book was mechanically turned a page, and the red color in the picture made his limbs curl up slightly and his back arched, like a stressed cat.
Just at this moment, he felt something gently touching the skin on the back of his neck.
Almost immediately, the young man's heart, which had nearly stopped beating, began to beat again. His back straightened, and in an instant, he lifted his eyes from the page and reached behind him with lightning speed: "...!"
A warm hand lightly grasped the back of his neck, like a kitten. The girl in gray dodged his attack lightly, uttered a cry, and moved a little closer.
"I've caught you. Don't run." Her pupils were an impressive cold gold, but her palms were warm, almost burning his chilly back. "Someone asked me to bring you a message... Could you cooperate a little and hold still?"
Subtle words, cold eyes, warm hands.
That hand seemed to pull him back to the convenience store that day, and he was still on the "right" side.
Even though he was still in a state of tight martial law, Midorikawa Kei finally regained his breath and control of his body.
He rested his free hand on the gun handle and lowered his voice slightly hoarse: "... a message?"
What exactly is she up to...what kind of power does she belong to? Or is this just a prank?
The girl didn't intend to completely restrain him, nor did she go directly to where he hid his gun like she had done in the convenience store. She continued to pinch the back of his neck, and even had time to lean over and curiously glance at what he was reading, her chin resting on his shoulder.
The housewives who were reading at first glanced at them with understanding eyes, as if they were experienced people. They obviously thought they were a very affectionate couple. No one could detect the underlying tension, let alone realize that they had only met once.
"Yeah, that's right." Chaomu unfailingly placed his entire body weight on his back, half relaxed and half unsuspecting. "Let me think... someone asked me to tell you something. Thank you."
When he uttered his confused nasal sound again, she slowly lifted her eyes from the page and solemnly listed a series of names: "Ms. Sakurai, Mr. Kato, Mr. Fujii... They all still remember you, and asked me to tell you how grateful I am for saving everyone's lives that day."
“…”
Midorikawa Jing heard a very soft sigh coming from his throat.
His palms clenched the pages of the book, then loosened them again - unknowingly, he had fully regained awareness of his body.
Even though his first reaction, after training, was "They probably didn't even see his face," the warmth still spread from the back of his neck to his chest and finally filled his whole body. He felt alive again.
"Anyway, thank you." Chaomu wanted to call him by his name, but then he remembered that he hadn't actually introduced himself, so he changed the subject and said, "Hey... what's your name?"
"...Jing," the young man with cat eyes looked back at her, his breathing gradually steadied, "Midorikawa Jing. Just call me Midorikawa."
"Thank you so much for saving everyone, Midorikawa-kun." Mission accomplished, Chaomu retracted his hand that was pinching the back of his neck, fished out a few candies from his pocket, and placed them in his hood. "Miss Sakurai gave them to me. I'll share some with you... The lemon flavor is a bit sour, but the others are delicious."
He hadn't shared the Metropolitan Police Department's rewards with her, which was much better than partners like Fuchshen and Heisher, who wanted a 70/30 split. Giving him a few more candies would be fine, as a deposit for the next collaboration. Next time, they wouldn't be allowed to share the rewards.
Thinking of this, she was no longer stingy and stuffed a little more into her mouth.
The hood drooped from being stuffed with a handful of candy, giving it the illusion of being heavy. Midorikawa Kei was silent for two seconds, then whispered, "Thank you."
The young girl waved her hand nonchalantly and went to read a book nearby. She quickly flipped through the book "Household Cleaning Tips" with great concentration, as if the candy she had just given him was just a coincidence.
She was reading a book, and he was turning the pages, glancing at her sideways in between turns.
After leaving the convenience store that day, Midorikawa Kei asked about her and learned that she would receive a commendation from the Metropolitan Police Department, so he didn't pay much attention to her.
And in the case of their repeated encounters, even though she had never done anything bad in front of him and had helped him a lot, while he was happy and satisfied, he still told himself not to completely let his guard down.
He needed to pay more attention to her... to make sure these coincidences weren't man-made. His current identity and mission couldn't afford any mistakes.
The girl named Asamure's resume had no secrets in front of him, but Midorikawa wanted to know more than just this superficial information.
There are many mysteries surrounding her that he needs to understand: who is she? What are her motives? What is she going to do?
There were no other tasks to complete today, so the young man with cat eyes observed her quietly with the patience of a sniper observing a target.
Although her intuition seemed sharp, Chaomu had obviously not received any professional anti-reconnaissance training, or perhaps she was very absorbed in reading... In short, she did not react to his secret gaze.
Unlike many people who read books at different speeds, she turned the pages at an almost constant speed, her eyes remained steady, and the movements of her fingertips seemed programmed... Contrary to her somewhat casual behavior and appearance, she was actually very stable at heart.
She read a book every half hour for three hours straight. Apart from changing books, she didn't even change her movements. She refused to drink water or go to the bathroom, and the comings and goings of the housewives around her didn't bother her.
As the hours wore on, Midorikawa Jing, who had been observing her for over three hours, grew increasingly confused. Most of the housewives had left, hurrying back to cook, but Chaomu remained seated, seemingly showing no intention of moving.
Just when he thought she was going to see the bookstore close, the short-haired girl suddenly raised her head, like a cat hearing the bell of a cat toy, and her golden eyes turned to the corner.
In the corner, a housewife with a slightly pale face stood up shakily, put down the book in a trance, and walked out.
Not only were there no books purchased, but her handbag full of vegetables and meat was also left on the stool in the corner.
At the same time, Chao Mu stood up, put down the book in his hand, picked up the bag, and quietly followed behind the haggard middle-aged woman.
And behind the raccoon's tail, the big blue-eyed cat pulled up his hood and caught up with her tail.
The haggard housewife hurried, swerving further and further away, oblivious to the people following her. The shopping mall where the bookstore was located wasn't particularly bustling, and the surrounding area was still under construction. She walked, watching the sunset, slowly approaching an abandoned building, climbing the stairs step by step to the rooftop.
By the time the thin woman slowly climbed to the top of the building, the setting sun had already fallen between the buildings in the distance.
"...Originally I just wanted to see the sun one last time..." She murmured to herself, "But it seems I don't have that much regret... After all, in my life, it seems like nothing has ever...come true..."
[Ding! You have opened the special event: Desperate Housewives]
Chaomu, who was following behind her, poked his head out from the stairwell and looked at the light figure.
In real life, she'd seen similar figures in newspapers before... but the photos in the newspapers and news were usually black and white. She'd usually glance at them and pass them by, finding it difficult to expend any extra emotion in the burdensome and numb daily life.
But this is just a game, and players are very idle in the game.
The system has always had a high degree of freedom in special events. Even if optional options are provided, they are never enforced - sometimes there are simply no options or guidelines, allowing players to play freely.
Chaomu walked out of the stairwell carrying the shopping bag, which was not too heavy for her. When the woman turned around in panic, she raised the bag innocently and said, "You forgot to bring something, ma'am."
“…”
When she saw the shopping bags, a trace of disappointment crossed the middle-aged woman's pale face. She looked away and whispered, "Thank you... Could you please put them on the ground for me?"
During this question and answer, the other stalker had already nimbly reached the stairwell. Seeing the scene in front of him, he looked a little solemn. He carefully went around to the other side, crouched down, and slowly hid behind the solar panel.
Chaomu didn't notice him - her attention was entirely on the hostess in front of her.
She exchanged a glance with the woman with the mournful look, seeing a faint plea in her eyes. After thinking for half a second, she obediently placed the shopping bag on the ground. "Of course I can...but don't you want these dishes anymore?"
"...I don't really need it anymore." The woman replied in a daze, turning her head to look at the afterglow of the setting sun. "Actually, none of these dishes are my favorite..."
Chaomu's eyes swept over the beef, onion and cabbage inside. In the corner, a separate plastic bag contained O'O'Man dolls and adult magazines. She bent down slightly, pulled out her wallet, opened the compartment and saw a photo.
The faces of the men and boys in the small family were full of smiles, while the haggard wives and mothers were thin and looked like thin silhouettes with blurred faces.
The figure gradually overlapped with the woman leaning on the railing in front of him. In the wind, her slender figure was like a withered leaf, which could fall from the branch at any time and fall silently into the gradually brightening lights in the city.
At this moment, the idea of being a fallen leaf surpassed both "mother" and "wife." The older woman looked up at the sky with a wistful expression, her arms outstretched as if she wanted to embrace freedom.
Chaomu couldn't fully empathize with this feeling - if it were a regular TV show or game option, she should have said to the lady, "Your husband and son are waiting for you to come home, so don't commit suicide." Then the middle-aged woman would burst into tears as if she had just woken up from a dream, and go home with shopping bags to cook dinner.
But this plot is a bit too cliché and she is not interested.
And what good would that do? She couldn't change the other person's life or attitude towards life.
"Do you want to try jumping?" She threw her wallet back into the bag. "If you want to experience the feeling of weightlessness, I suggest going to an amusement park and riding a roller coaster or bungee jumping. Those kinds of activities aren't very reliable, so I generally don't recommend them."
And if the world view has supernatural elements, it seems that if you jump to death from such an abandoned building, you will become some strange earthbound spirit, and be reused when the protagonist appears in the future. Not only will you not get any appearance fee, but you will also be beaten to death again... It's very miserable just thinking about it.
The player's train of thought was obviously a bit too advanced for the NPC. Both the housewife who was about to jump off the building and Midorikawa Jing who was hiding in the dark and ready to come out to rescue people at any time were choked by her. The originally gloomy and depressing atmosphere was like an egg, which was shaken to pieces by her strong force.
After a moment of stunned silence, the cat-eyed young man hidden in the shadows raised the corners of his lips with a hint of helplessness: This can also be considered a negotiation strategy, pulling the other party into one's own rhythm... Should I say it's worthy of her...
The middle-aged woman, who was clearly somewhat cowardly and lacking in independent thinking, was led astray by her and actually discussed a few exciting projects with her seriously before reacting: "...Are you...trying to stop me?"
"Not really. That's your choice. No one else has the right to interfere." Chaomu blinked and walked over to her under her wary gaze. "I just think that if you want to try jumping, you might not have the chance to regret it. Why not try something like a bungee jumping machine first?"
"You might regret it halfway through the jump," she said calmly, watching the woman retreat to the railing. "After all, no one knows what it's like to be on the verge of death. Even if someone died from the fall, they wouldn't be able to climb back out and say they regretted it."
"But I can't go on living like this..." The woman leaned against the railing, swaying, and murmured as if to convince herself, "Just jumping down will end all this... Shota won't think I'm too serious and can't understand the hobbies of young people... My husband won't think I'm too boring..."
"Will it ever end?" the girl with golden eyes stood before her, pure doubt in her eyes. "Let's not even talk about whether their opinions matter or not... your death won't end their negative opinions. While movies and TV dramas have those heartbreaking moments of chasing wives to the crematorium, in real life, most people would still put you in the newspaper and think you committed suicide because you were overly sensitive and fragile."
"Jumping off the building to commit suicide won't make Shota love you more, nor will it make your husband think better of you. You'll be written about in the social news section of the newspaper, and your pathetic life story will be dissected..." She stated objectively based on the news she had just glanced at. "If you want to jump because of their opinions, don't you really feel it's a loss?"
"What do you know about me?" She didn't know if she was right or what, but the hesitant woman held her face and sobbed, "You know nothing at all! My parents, my husband, my children! No one understands me! No one!"
As if briefly putting an end to her life, she fell backwards, and the abandoned railing broke under her weight, and she fell down screaming.
not good!
Midorikawa Jing's pupils suddenly contracted, and he rushed out of the shadows, trying to reach out and grab the middle-aged woman.
But Chaomu, who was well prepared, was faster than him.
Almost instantly, she had climbed out of the rooftop, holding onto the broken railing with one hand to steady herself, and with the other hand she grabbed the screaming woman's arm.
The railing was somewhat shoddy, and as the woman struggled below, it ripped open like a zipper, causing them to fall further. Even as her body fell, her hand remained tightly gripping the middle-aged woman's arm like a clamp, while her other hand climbed up and grasped the steel bar at the edge.
The steel bar mercilessly pierced through her flesh, and the flesh of her palm couldn't bear the weight of two people, making a teeth-grinding sound as it was pulled apart. Chaomu pulled upwards without changing her expression, and saw the cat-eyed young man who had appeared on the rooftop at some point anxiously grasp her wrist.
"You're crazy...!" His voice was a little hoarse, and anger rubbed against his throat like gravel. "You just like this..."
There should have been a safer way to handle the situation, but she insisted on dancing on the edge of a knife.
Even now, as he was pulling her like this, with her body still dangling in the air, she still didn't show any panic. Instead, she calmly lowered her head and asked the terrified and crying housewife, "You've experienced the feeling of falling. Now do you still want to jump, ma'am? If you've made up your mind, I can let go."
"Don't... don't let me go!" The middle-aged woman shook her head desperately. After realizing how dangerous her current situation was, she became even more resistant to the feeling of falling from such a height. "I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."
"Then be quiet and don't move around," the short-haired girl instructed calmly. "It would be best if you could cooperate a little, ma'am. My arm hurts, too."
Midorikawa Kei was also tortured by the weight in his hands, but at this moment he didn't care about the protests from the muscles and fascia in his arms. His eyes fell on the girl whose face was so calm that she didn't seem to be doing anything dangerous.
Although someone else had taken over, Chaomu didn't intend to completely hand over the weight to them. She leaned on the steel bar for leverage, grasping the remaining railing. Her arm muscles tensed and she climbed up bit by bit, bringing the now limp housewife back to the rooftop.
If he hadn't been there, she would probably have been able to rescue both herself and the others with her strong physical strength - if her luck wasn't so bad, the steel bar connecting the railing below to the ground would have been enough to support their weight.
But now it seems that her luck is not that bad, isn't there someone coming?
"Well, with the help of kind people, the story has reached a happy ending." The short-haired girl mentally praised her own luck, looking down at the beleaguered housewife. She shook her slightly dislocated arm and said cheerfully, "After all this, ma'am, you probably don't want to commit suicide anymore, do you? Death is very painful. Instead of worrying about it internally, it's better to eliminate the external factors that cause you pain before you die... Hmm."
Unable to bear it any longer, Midorikawa Jing covered her mouth and looked down at the middle-aged woman whose face was filled with fear. "You should still be able to move, right? Do you need help? If not, I'll take her to treat her wound first."
"I, I'm fine..." The frightened woman collapsed on the rooftop, finally coming to her senses from the fear of near death. With red eyes, she looked at the girl's bloody palm, "I'm sorry... Please help her with the wound first! I'll pay for the medical expenses..."
Although drinking a red medicine would almost heal the wound, Chaomu naturally didn't mind paying for the medical expenses for free. Her mouth was covered, and she uttered a vague "hmm." The cat-eyed young man lowered his lips, but eventually released her mouth, lowered his head, and helped her pick up the woman's wallet, allowing her to take out a few bills.
While he was doing all this, Chaomu squatted beside him, hugging his knees and watching. Seeing that he had only taken a few, she tugged at his sleeve, winked, and said with all her might: "You haven't taken enough! Take more!"
This is her well-deserved mission reward! It's all hers!
Midorikawa Jing: "..."
He looked at her almost helplessly, and seeing that the housewife didn't seem to mind at all, he took one more ticket anyway.
"And there's also compensation for property damage." Chaomu pushed his arm, nitpicking, "All the candy Ms. Sakurai gave me fell out of my pocket!"
The young man with cat eyes took out a candy from his pocket with an expressionless face, peeled off the candy wrapper and blocked her mouth to prevent the scene from thanking the savior to blackmailing the citizens.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
Hiro: Your behavior is so erratic and your logic is so weird. Who are you?
Chaomu: An ordinary player passing by.
Who understands when writing about cats?
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