Chapter 51, Eleventh Reading (3)
October 1st.
7 PM.
Kanagawa.
"I'm not going!" Matsuda Jinpei gripped the doorframe tightly.
"Why?!" Kenji Hagiwara continued to pull him along. "My family may be bankrupt, but we're not going to be eaten out of house and home by you!"
"Is that the point?!" Matsuda Jinpei stared at him incredulously. "Why do I have to go to the family celebration party your family is throwing for you?!"
"Because we're childhood friends! We've all become official police officers!" Kenji Hagiwara declared confidently. "If everyone were more available, I'd like to bring the class president, Morofushi, and Furuya back for a get-together. My parents and sister are so curious about us all~"
"That's because you told them all about what we did at the police academy over the phone!" Matsuda Jinpei gripped the doorframe even tighter. "I'm not going! I'll definitely get beaten up!"
Kenji Hagiwara burst out laughing: "Jinpei, are you still holding a grudge about being beaten up by my sister before? You know perfectly well that she's usually very gentle. She was only angry that time because you broke her phone at a crucial moment and disrupted her important plans."
"Ah, I suddenly remembered, isn't Jinpei's first love my sister? I see. Is he shy? Or is he really that afraid of my sister?" Hagiwara Kenji pondered, his expression incredibly complicated as he looked at the curly-haired youth.
"That was ages ago! I stopped liking her the moment she beat me up! Who would like someone who's scarier than a man?!" Matsuda Jinpei immediately snapped, "Fine, let's go! Who's afraid of who!"
Kenji Hagiwara chuckled behind him, "Liar, Jinpei clearly likes people who are serious and have a strong presence the most..."
Ah, that explains why Jinpei and Furuya became friends so quickly.
*
"That idiot Matsuda is still the same, hasn't he changed at all?" Hagiwara Chisato watched the curly-haired youth being warmly welcomed inside by his parents, almost clumsily. "I thought you guys would be more mature and composed now that you've officially become police officers after a few months of training at the police academy."
"Isn't this a good thing?" Kenji Hagiwara laughed. "It's good that nothing has changed. If something happened that could change one's personality in a short period of time, that would be the worst thing, wouldn't it?"
“…That’s true.” Hagiwara Chisato glanced at him. “You seem to have grown quite a bit.”
Kenji Hagiwara chuckled: "After all, I did encounter a lot of incredible things during my six months at the police academy."
Hagiwara Chisato couldn't help but laugh: "That's true. Even I've heard some rumors about you guys here at the Kanagawa Police Department. Someone said that a friend of theirs is an instructor at the police academy, and this year's class has encountered five of the biggest troublemakers in history, making the entire academy a complete mess."
"Huh? Is it really that exaggerated?" Kenji Hagiwara blinked innocently.
"It's said that because of you, the police academy decided to implement strict rules and management policies starting with the next class. You've really ruined the next batch of students," Hagiwara Chisato chuckled, arms crossed.
"Oh dear, that's a real sin." Kenji Hagiwara laughed without any remorse, even with a hint of smugness and gloating.
Hagiwara Chisato reached out and expertly ruffled her younger brother's hair: "Anyway, second year of graduate school, congratulations on graduating. From today onwards, you officially become a police officer."
"Since you say that, then stop rubbing my head," Kenji Hagiwara said helplessly. "Hagi-chan is a full-fledged police officer now, you know."
"I know, I know." Hagiwara Chisato withdrew his hand. "But you remember this, no matter what, your family is still your strongest support. Don't keep any trouble to yourself and act recklessly."
The stunningly beautiful woman with shoulder-length brown hair smiled and winked at her younger brother: "No matter how old you are in your second year of graduate school, even if you become a very, very capable police officer, Mom and Dad will still continue to worry about you."
Kenji Hagiwara then laughed, stood at attention, saluted, and said, "Yes, sir, Lady Wind Goddess of Kanagawa Police Department."
Hagiwara Chisato covered her face, her lips twitching: "How did you know that nickname? Help, please stop talking, I'm begging you..."
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and shook his head: "My sister is the most beautiful woman in the world!"
Hagiwara Chisato grabbed her younger brother's head and shoved him onto the dining table: "You smooth talker, eat your food."
"They're already bickering as soon as they get back. It seems Chisato really misses his second year of graduate school." The Hagiwara couple smiled and urged them to sit down quickly. "Alright, stop fooling around and eat. Look, Jinpei is already seated."
Matsuda Jinpei, sitting obediently, was speechless.
*
After finishing his meal, Matsuda Jinpei was finally released.
Kenji Hagiwara and Chisato Hagiwara, having eaten too much, leaned back on the sofa, chatting idly while watching TV.
"By the way, show me photos of your other three classmates from the same cohort. I've been curious about them for a long time. All five of you are outstanding graduates from the police academy this time, right?"
"Haha, that's fine, but if you see these two guys in the future, you have to pretend you don't know them at all. I'll also have to edit these photos later."
"...Okay, I get it."
"Wow, so tall! This must be the class monitor you were talking about, right? If you hadn't told me, I probably would have thought he was the drill instructor. These two are... well, both handsome guys, but are it really okay for someone so capable and conspicuous to go...? This cute cat-eyed boy looks so gentle. And this blond, dark-skinned boy is the top student in the police academy who had a paid fight with Matsuda at the academy, right? His features are so distinctive, it's hard to forget him once you've seen him. Are they really okay?"
"I don't know the specifics either, but don't worry, the professional department will handle it—hahaha! I'm telling you, it was super funny when this photo was taken! At that time..."
When are you planning to report for duty?
"The day after tomorrow, together with Xiaozhenping."
"I'm still a little worried about you two. Should I try transferring to the Tokyo Metropolitan Transportation Department as well?"
"What? Why are you suddenly so worried about us? If Jinpei saw you being this gentle, he might be scared to death, hahaha~"
“Because things are different now than before. You’ve become police officers. Being a police officer is really dangerous, especially in the bomb disposal unit you’re in. It’s only natural that we’d be worried, right? You have no idea how worried and anxious your parents were after they found out you were going to become a bomb disposal officer. We even had a fight about it, but in the end we decided to respect your wishes and just support you from behind.”
"...You've been a police officer for almost two years now, right? What are your thoughts on police officers dying in the line of duty?"
"If it's a sacrifice made in the line of duty for the public good according to one's own will, then I'm fine. I was prepared for that the day I became a police officer. Because that's what police officers are—the kind of people who constantly maintain order and fight against all kinds of criminals to protect everyone. That's what people call heroes."
"Yeah, heroes are so cool..."
"However, if we exclude objectivity and rationality and only consider my personal feelings, if I died in the line of duty during my second year of graduate school, I would definitely be very sad and angry, and I might even tear the prisoner to pieces."
Kenji Hagiwara froze, and when he turned to look at her expression, he met her incredibly serious eyes.
He immediately realized that she was serious.
If he dies in the line of duty, Hagiwara Chisato will avenge him even at the cost of her own life.
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and gave his sister a bright and determined smile.
"Don't worry! I definitely won't die!" he said.
*
【Furuya, my sister is very curious about you guys. I showed her your photos, but I also reminded her to act like she doesn't know you and subtly imply that what you're doing is rather unusual. Is that alright?】
——Hagi]
It's okay.
——Xiaojianggu]
That's good. My sister said she really wanted to meet you.
——Hagi]
Let's wait until everything is over. The class monitor said he would take us to see Natalie, and Jing also said he wanted to take you to see your brother. Let's all go together then.
——Xiaojianggu]
Kenji Hagiwara laughed as he lay in bed.
"What a huge scene of kids making friends and then meeting each other's parents..."
But then again, only Jinpei and Furuya don't want to take them to meet their families, after all, their families...
"Well, it's okay. Anyway, Morofushi and I are family to Jinpei and Furuya!" Kenji Hagiwara nodded seriously.
*
November 1st.
Rei Furuya took down the gray suit hanging on the wall and put it on. He tied his tie in front of the mirror, battled with a tuft of unruly hair for a few minutes, and finally was able to go to work in perfect condition.
He got up early and went out before dawn, when there were few people around.
After he arrived at the police station and submitted his report, things gradually became lively outside.
Even though they are all police officers, and even members of the Public Security Zero Team, Rei Furuya's situation is different from others.
What is the progress of the research on remote-controlled bomb jammers and signal jammers?
--Cherry blossoms】
The theories and knowledge you proposed are very complex and are entirely new to us and even the world. It will be difficult to fully understand and develop signal jammers and jammers that can be used immediately. It will probably take about another month.
——ZERO】
The recently famous information broker and hacker "Sakura" has chosen to cooperate with the police, and the National Police Agency's Public Security Zero Team is currently responsible for liaising with her.
Rei Furuya stared at the last "ZERO" in the email for a few seconds, subtly feeling as if he were asking and answering his own question.
What interrupted his subtle feelings was a new email.
Good morning, Zero. We have two bombs to defuse today, right?
Ugh, it's Halloween today! I really want to go out and play! I want to dress up as werewolves, vampires, zombies, and stuff with everyone and go out to participate in activities!!!
——Hagi]
Rei Furuya couldn't help but smile.
For the past month, Hagi has been reporting his situation to him almost every day according to the bomb list.
This was to put his mind at ease, and also to try to ensure that he and Matsuda survived.
"Because I promised my family I would never die," the young man with medium-length black hair said with a smile.
At 9:35 a.m., the first bomb came.
——Hagi]
When I saw this message, Rei Furuya's first training session of the day had also ended.
Before he could reply, the second email arrived.
[Yay! Problem solved!]
Haha, don't worry, it's no big deal. As Xiao Zhenping would say, it can be solved in three minutes~
——Hagi]
Yes, everyone is very strong and powerful. If they weren't being maliciously targeted by the world, why would they need to worry about dying at any time?
Moreover, there are still six days until November 7th, so there's no need to be too nervous right now.
Rei Furuya continued his training without worry.
He still has a lot to learn, his body needs further training, and promotion within the public security system is also a problem.
At 5:59 PM, the second bomb dropped.
Where did all these bombs come from?! Is the bomber celebrating Halloween today?!
But honestly, are bombs so easy to obtain? Is it my problem or the world's problem?
——Hagi]
It seems there's been a problem, and things aren't going as planned. It might take a little longer.
This is probably the butterfly effect, right? It's okay, after all, we've perfectly solved all the previous butterfly effects, haven't we?
While the crowd is being evacuated, let me tell you about the current situation.
...
——Hagi]
Rei Furuya saw the message half an hour later.
Although he had already experienced the butterfly effect several times before and always escaped unscathed, he still immediately dialed Kenji Hagiwara's number.
"I knew you'd call. Training's over?" Kenji Hagiwara's voice came through the phone. "Haha, that was tough, but don't worry, Jinpei's situation's resolved, and I'll be there soon too—"
The sudden lag made Rei Furuya's heart stop: "What—"
"Oh no! The bomb timer has restarted! Everyone run!!!"
When the familiar voice suddenly uttered those familiar words, Rei Furuya froze on the spot, a chill running from his feet all the way up his spine to the top of his head.
What?
"No, wait! What happened?! Hagi!!!"
Kenji Hagiwara gave a helpless, bitter laugh: "I'm sorry, Furuya, I think I've failed..."
"boom--"
【Hagihara Kenji is dead】
[Side ending unlocked: The Butterfly Binding - The Death of Kenji Hagiwara]
The deafening explosion lasted less than a second before the call ended.
But Rei Furuya stood stiffly in the police station corridor for a long time, feeling dizzy and unable to react.
All of this happened so suddenly, it was almost like a dream, unbelievable and incomprehensible, yet it was a cruel reality that we had to accept.
Calm down, calm down, Rei Furuya. Now, calm down and think about the cause and effect of everything. Hagi is dead, this loop is ruined, but it can be salvaged. The important thing is what to do next...
The blond youth's unusual behavior and the commotion he had just made caught the attention of the other police officers nearby, who hesitated, unsure of what to do.
About 30 seconds later, they saw the blond youth's wide, trembling purple eyes suddenly darken, he gritted his teeth, took a few deep breaths, and began to rapidly operate his phone with a dark expression.
Furuya Rei first used Sakura's identity to gather information, then opened the Time Loop group chat to remind everyone, but the moment he clicked in, he saw a new message that Okabe Rintaro had just sent.
[Okabe Rintaro: Mayuri is dead after all!]
[Okabe Rintaro: Why?! We tried so many things, we tried so hard! We escaped! SERN should have been stopped by now! Why did Mayuri still die in front of me? Why?! Why?!]
[Okabe Rintaro: Yes, you're right, we can't give up yet, I still have my time machine!]
[Okabe Rintaro: I must travel back in time again to save Mayuri!]
Rei Furuya lowered his head, his slightly long golden bangs obscuring his expression, revealing only his hands gripping the phone so tightly that the veins bulged.
He understood almost instantly what the system was up to this time.
He knew he couldn't let his guard down. He knew the system wouldn't give up on causing trouble so easily; it had only determined the direction.
Plan B also failed.
But it doesn't matter, he already understands what the system probably wants to do this time.
The game at the second save point is only just beginning.
"So that's how it is... So this is where you were waiting for me..."
After letting out a cold laugh, the blond youth expressionlessly pulled out a gun and pointed it at his own head amidst the horrified gazes of those around him.
"Bang--"
You are dead.
[End of eleventh playthrough]
[Result in a Bad Ending: Unexpected Calamity]
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【yes】
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