*It should have been September, the season when osmanthus flowers were in full bloom. Looking through the window in front of the wooden desk, one could see the light yellow color among the clusters of green leaves. As long as one opened the window slightly, the rich fragrance would waft in.

The wind will carry the tiny osmanthus petals across the windowsill and quietly fall onto the table. As the pen tip sweeps across, a small dot symbolizing the years is left on the clean white greeting card.

The young instructor sat on a backless stool, his back straight, his eyes lowered, and wrote quietly in the empty room, writing line after line of lively congratulatory speeches.

To the past, to the present, and to the future without him.*

***

Hagiwara Kenji held the greeting card and turned around to look at the three people standing behind him in confusion. He pursed his lips and said in disbelief:

“It seems to be for us.”

Matsuda Jinpei and Date Kou subconsciously turned their eyes away from the greeting cards in his hand, only to find that the colors on the back were shockingly dazzling.

The greeting card has no outer packaging, probably because the owner feels that there is still a month to prepare and there is no need to rush.

Onitsuka Yazo raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't look at me. I haven't read it secretly. If it's relevant to you, read it yourself. If it's not, leave it alone. I'm going to go out and make a phone call first."

After he finished speaking, he went out, leaving the three of them in the empty room.

Kenji Hagiwara wiped off the thin layer of dust on the greeting card, and he always felt that he was gradually walking into a vague dream.

There was a silent figure standing deep in the dream. He slowly walked into him and met the calm and deep eyes.

[“To my dear student, Kenji Hagiwara:

The graduation ceremony is coming soon, I wish you a happy graduation.

I hope that after writing so many reviews, you can find the path you really want to choose, instead of being bound by employment.

Especially in the field of bomb disposal, don’t choose for others.”】

Hagiwara Kenji paused, and couldn't help but repeat softly: "Don't choose for others' sake?"

It was Matsue Shigure who told him personally that he had a talent for bomb disposal and hoped that he could go further. But in this graduation card, he wanted him to change his mind.

The ink at the end of this line was a little darker, and the owner seemed to be hesitant and still didn't write the reason.

【Just wrote: "You have a talent for repairs too."】

Hagiwara Kenji thought, indeed, if the explosion had not happened seven years ago, and Matsue Shigure's greeting card had been handed to him, perhaps he really would not be able to bear the high pressure of the Explosives Unit and would resign and go home to inherit the auto repair shop?

But there are no ifs.

The fire was like a pair of scissors in the hands of the goddess of fate, taking away his youthful arrogance completely, leaving behind only regret that had nowhere to vent.

If you want to persuade me to change my mind, you should tell me in person...

Kenji Hagiwara lowered his eyes and continued to read the next line.

【“After so many social events and still not finding a partner, I can’t help but doubt your actual ability to act.

Here are some suggestions for you:…”】

His expression became strange, and he suddenly turned off the sound while talking.

Matsuda Jinpei, who was listening nearby, asked subconsciously, "And then?"

Hagiwara Kenji pursed his lips and said, "...Keep trying to get out of being single. I'm rooting for you."

Date Hang: “No more?”

Hagiwara Kenji said in a hoarse voice: “No more.”

Matsuda Jinpei was incredulous: "...Is this something written by Instructor Matsue?"

The instructor who looks young but actually looks like an old-fashioned man from 1982 actually taught Kenji Hagihara how to pick up girls in the graduation card.

"But speaking of which, what Instructor Songjiang said earlier, didn't he tell you not to let me instigate you to join the explosion group?"

"But isn't it a little too late to talk about this kind of thing when you are almost graduating?"

Jinpei Matsuda wanted to come over to take a look, but Kenji Hagiwara put his hand on his cheek, squeezing the flesh out of shape.

"There's nothing to say. I'm not going to quit now anyway." He put his own greeting card on the table and handed the others to Matsuda Jinpei. "Take a look for yourself."

Matsuda Jinpei hurriedly caught the greeting card, fearing that he would accidentally wrinkle the already yellowed cardboard.

Kenji Hagiwara leaned against the desk, crossed his arms over his chest, watching the two people's actions, thinking about the content he had not said just now.

He closed his eyes gently.

***

Matsue Shigure, who is reading comics on the other side: Contemplation.jpg.

Matsue Shigure: "Why doesn't he look happy? Is what I wrote wrong? It's better to beg than to persuade people to defuse bombs. It would be more profitable for him to go home and open a factory after I observed the stars at night."

System: "I have been working for seven or eight years before I saw it, and now I can't quit. How infuriating it is."

Matsue Shigure took a deep breath and said, "That makes sense... After all, seven years have passed and he's still single in his second year of graduating. Wouldn't he be ashamed when he sees the guide I wrote?!"

Ah! He just prayed that if they were happy, they would let him go, but he didn't expect that this looked unhappy!

The system was speechless: "With your three-legged cat-like level of the widowed king, you can't even release a strategy guide or a comic - what on earth did you write?"

Matsue Shigure briefly told him the story of "The Cold Male God's Journey to Chasing His Wife", which is said to have been learned from another strategy game.

"That game seems to be from your company too. The protagonist is cool and aloof, but I always feel a little flattering while playing it." He touched his chin, "It took me a lot of effort to complete it!"

The system felt something was wrong after listening to his description, so it ran a program to check the game that Matsue Shigure mentioned, and suddenly fell silent.

The game worlds have been integrated, which means that the NPC protagonist of the love game that Matsue Shigure played before has also been integrated into the plot.

Coincidentally, this NPC is the "good partner" in the instructor's background in the first round.

In other words, the behavior of that "good partner" was what Matsue Shigure had learned from playing games before.

The system asked quietly: "Do you still remember your partner in the background in the first round?"

Matsue Shigure came back to his senses: "Hmm? Remember, the cool and handsome boy, I didn't have OOC at the beginning and I copied his personality. Except for being a bit of an old lady and clingy, everything else is good. Why are you asking this?"

System: “No problem.”

Look at the level of this strategy. You can't even defeat yourself, and you still have the nerve to teach Hagiwara Kenji? !

***

Jinpei Matsuda found his own greeting card.

Apart from the congratulatory message at the beginning, there was not much content in the card that Matsue Shigure wrote to him, but compared to his usual serious words, the congratulatory card seemed a little more playful.

[I'm a little embarrassed for being so ruthless in the last fight in front of the whole class. If there's a chance in the future, we can meet again in the cherry blossom forest, but I won't give you a chance to beat me.

I'll give you a pair of gold-rimmed glasses without prescription. Your eyes are so beautiful, why cover them with sunglasses? 】

Jinpei Matsuda still remembers that incident.

At that time, they were tortured by self-review to the point of being unconscious. After a group meeting, Matsuda Jinpei, who lost by drawing lots, went to apply for a "reduction in sentence", which eventually turned into a fight. The winner would be exempt from punishment, while the loser would have his sentence doubled.

Jinpei Matsuda looked at the blond instructor, who was thinner than most people, and naturally felt that he had a sure win.

then--

Matsue Shigure put one knee on his back, pressed him to the ground, and whispered in his ear without blushing or panting: "You lose...Matsuda, the 15,000-word review is due next week."

Jinpei Matsuda turned his head to look at him, only to see the instructor's calm and unperturbed eyes - as if he was looking at an ignorant child.

He felt bad about it for a long time, because it took him three nights to finish writing the review.

But seeing that Matsue Shigure looked nonchalant, Matsuda Jinpei could only hold back his anger and get up late at night to train harder.

It turns out that he is not indifferent...

Jinpei Matsuda held the greeting card in the same position for a long time until his fingers became a little stiff.

He seemed to have caught a glimpse of an instructor named Songjiang whom they had never met through these greeting cards.

He is not as serious and rigid as usual, nor is he too cautious and cowardly. Like a person of his age, his emotions can be seen even in his plain words.

He said his eyes were beautiful and should not be covered.

Jinpei Matsuda recalled at this time and found that Matsue Shigure had actually looked into his eyes many times.

Those eyes, as calm and deep as the sea, often fixed on them, reflecting their youthful vigor.

He suddenly realized that Songjiang Shigure was only two years older than them, and should be of an age with high spirits and bright eyes.

But the moment those eyes shone brightest, they were actually reflecting the light of the fire.

They rarely saw Songjiang Shigure's smile, which was like the cold plum blossoms that melted the ice and snow in spring.

The young instructor stood among a group of anxious people, confident and proud.

"Let me go. I can handle this," he said. "Only I can."

***

[To my dear student, Date Kou:

…

I'm sorry that I can't attend your wedding, but I've already prepared the gift.

I have to say, you are probably the fastest to get married among my class, right? Others should learn from you. 】

Yi Dahang stared at the greeting card sent to him, and murmured in confusion: "...Why not?"

Why do you seem to know something's going to happen to you?

[To my dear student, Rei Furuya:

…

You have your own goals, and I don't intend to say much, but you still need to pay attention to some details in your daily life. Don't give up sunscreen just because of your skin color. I have prepared a sunscreen for you.

Only by loving yourself can you love others better. 】

[To my dear student, Morofushi Kagemitsu:

…

I don't ask much of you, just live.

The amulet is said to be the most powerful temple to ask for, buy one get one free, you don't have to think too much. 】

The three of them shared and looked at the five greeting cards, then fell into a long silence.

***

Matsue Shigure looked at the people in the comics who had turned dark gray, and fell silent as well.

System: “Happy?”

System: "Graduation gift?"

Songjiang Shigure wiped his face and said, "No... I felt quite happy at that time."

This happened so long ago that he only remembered the general content, but he felt it was a good thing that made everyone happy.

If he had sent it out at that time, the police academy team would probably be amused by what he wrote, and Furuya Rei might even hold a grudge against him for secretly saying that he had dark skin.

The result now... seems to have backfired.

The system looked at his guilty expression and said speechlessly: "So why did you leave a message like that flag for Ida Hang?"

Matsue Shigure: "I was planning to tear up the card, wasn't it? But the time should be after the graduation ceremony... Oh well, I couldn't go anyway."

System: "What about Zhufu Jingguang? Why did you give him a talisman for no reason? What a strange blessing!"

Matsue Shigure defended: "No! Think about what that guy did in the Wai Shou incident. He even went as far as to break into the fire scene, and when he reviewed it, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it!

What can I say? I can only wish him a good life and not ruin himself for no reason. "

Songjiang Shigure spoke more and more confidently: "As for the amulet, it's even simpler. It's because we're afraid that he'll run out of things to ask for.

As for the buy one get one free offer...

I was afraid that others would think that I was biased towards Zhu Fu Jingguang, because he was the only one whose things I had specially gone out to get, which was not good, so I thought I would be fair and just write it down like this. "

System: “…You are awesome.”

How come this stupid host wasn't beaten to death by those guys from the police academy?

Songjiang Shigure: "Congratulations, congratulations, it's just so-so, wait a minute!"

He finally realized that now was not the time to talk about the past with the system, and said with a bitter face: "They look very unhappy now, what should I do?"

System Hua Tuo said three times: "No hope, wait for death, goodbye, the grass on the grave is already three feet high."

Songjiang Shiyu's eyes were lifeless: "Wuwu, but this is none of my business. I didn't think so much at that time."

System: "Weren't you very happy when you broke into the fire scene and tore the card?"

Matsue Shigure choked up and said, "It was so fun to defuse the bomb that I forgot about it for a moment."

This is all the game system’s fault!

System: “…” Demonstrate on the spot what it means that students get free gifts when they top up their phone bills.

Songjiang Shigure: "No matter, no matter, no matter! Everyone, use your data to calculate, what is the possibility of me being exposed this time?"

The system sighed: "Are you sure you didn't leave any mess behind?"

Matsue Shigure thought about it seriously and began to doubt his own reliability: "Should, should?"

"…Is everything okay?"

***

After a long silence, Kenji Hagiwara, who saw the greeting cards first, finally came to his senses. He collected all the greeting cards and carefully put them in his notebook.

"Then give the remaining two to Kofuruya and... Keimitsu." He said softly, "Although it will be seven years late."

Matsuda Jinpei closed his eyes and said, "He also prepared graduation gifts for us."

At that time, he wore sunglasses just to look cool, and occasionally he almost ran into a telephone pole at night. He didn't expect that Songjiang Shiyu saw all of it.

The delicacy hidden under the cold appearance will only be quietly revealed at a few moments, and most people will choose to take a detour when they see the glacier exposed on the sea.

Jinpei Matsuda suddenly couldn't bear to think about the scene where Matsue Shigure went to the store alone to pick out glasses for him. What would he be thinking at that time?

Do you think that Jinpei Matsuda, who usually has a bad temper and is always against him, has some good points?

And what was he doing at that time?

He was still with Hagiwara Kenji and the others, pretentiously writing a self-review for driving across the bridge, while complaining about how Instructor Matsue was making a big deal out of nothing and ignoring reality.

Jinpei Matsuda felt bitter. He recalled the surprised look that Onizuka Hachizo gave them. It was as if he was saying, "You came to Matsue Shigure just to apologize for the mistake in the bombing?"

What about before that?

What about what happened before that?

How much have they missed...

Yi Dahang's eyes wandered around the room and finally stopped at the inside of the desk, which was some distance away from the wall and covered by curtains.

He walked over and, as expected, pulled out a box from the bottom with their names written on it in marker.

They were placed from small to large, and on the top was a transparent bag containing a protective amulet. There was only one, and it was for Morobushi Kagemitsu.

Unfortunately, the so-called "buy one, get one free" amulet was like a joke played by fate. None of them worked, and instead became the most glaring curse.

"I don't understand." Ida Hang stroked the gift box and said in a low voice, "Why did the instructor say that you can't attend my wedding?"

If he married Natalie, he would definitely invite Matsue Shigure, and Matsue Shigure, who had always been single and had no interest in traveling, would definitely not miss it.

So why do you say you “can’t” attend?

The chill was like a thorn in the tarsal bone, gradually penetrating from the outside world and gradually spreading into the brain. The few people standing there inexplicably realized some directions that they had never considered before.

"Yes, yes, you handle it." At this time, Onizuka Hachizo walked in while talking on the phone.

He hung up the phone and looked at the students who looked like statues. He couldn't help but frowned: "Why? What did you see?"

“…”

He walked over and slapped the dazed Hagiwara Kenji on the shoulder with his palm as big as a palm fan: "Hey! Are you crazy?"

Kenji Hagiwara was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he was unable to extricate himself. When Onizuka Hachizo slapped him, he suddenly startled as if out of stress.

The wooden table he was leaning against was kicked by his heel, and it slid to the side for a distance with a creaking sound.

There seemed to be a sound of something heavy falling to the ground. Ida Hang was standing by the curtain and pulled it open. He found a dusty notebook in the gap between the desk and the wall.

I don't know how long this notebook has been stuck in this gap, it looks particularly worn out.

"What is this?" He squatted down, reached out to grab the notebook, and wiped the thick dust on it with the corner of his clothes.

Matsuda Jinpei frowned: "...It seems to be a diary?"

***

System: “…”

Songjiang Shigure: "..."

System: "Is that what you said? Man, how many surprises do you have that I don't know about?"

System: "If I remember correctly, this is the depressing diary you wrote to make yourself feel more involved when you were thinking about the instructor's character?"

System: "I told you before that you should put things like this away after writing them, but you were so careless that you didn't even remember where you left them. Have you found them now?"

……silence.

Songjiang Shigure covered his head with the quilt: "Don't say anything more."

He wanted to be alone.