Chapter 147, Fifty-Seventh Cycle (19)
Bourbon returned home just in time for Christmas.
He arrived in Tokyo on December 24th, just in time for Christmas Eve.
No one else knew that Bourbon had returned. The boss had asked him to come back to handle things, but he wouldn't keep track of his every move unless there was an emergency. No one else had the right to force him to do anything. Bourbon's freedom was actually second only to Vermouth's.
The term "mystic" is not to be taken lightly, especially now that Bourbon has disbanded his party, making it even harder to know his whereabouts unless you happen to run into him or he tells you himself.
“Welcome back, Bourbon.” Scotland leaned against a blue Mazda, gave the blond youth he hadn’t seen in a long time a happy smile, and stepped forward to give him a firm hug.
Bourbon pushed him away with a look of disgust and speechlessness, but eventually got into the car with him.
Well, Scotland is an exception. Even if an organized group happens to witness this scene, it's impossible to determine how Scotland managed to pinpoint Bourbon's location and arrive at the airport so accurately.
Either way is possible; there's no way to confirm it anyway.
But no one could possibly guess the truth.
Because they are not just Bourbon and Scotland, but also Furuya Rei and Morofushi Kagemitsu.
"Zero, do you want to rest when you get back?" Morofushi Kagemitsu asked with concern. "You must be tired after sitting on the plane for more than ten hours. Let's go to my safe house first. I've prepared some food for you."
"Okay, but no need to rest, I slept enough on the plane." Furuya Rei took off his hat, casually ruffled his hair, leaned against the window and sighed as he enjoyed the evening breeze: "It's so much better back home. I'm finally back, and I don't have to deal with those damn FBI agents anymore. Even the air feels so much fresher."
Morofushi Kagemitsu couldn't help but laugh: "You've worked hard, but it'll be alright after this, right? You'll probably be staying in Japan most of the time from now on?"
Rei Furuya nodded and hummed in agreement, then turned to look at him: "How's Hiro's disguise training going? Are there any areas you're still not proficient in? Can you fully master it within this year before the main story begins?"
“It should be fine. I’ve been practicing according to Zero’s method for the past few months and I’ve improved a lot.” Morofushi Kagemitsu winked at him. “When we go out to meet everyone tonight, I’ll prepare the disguise and let the blonde sage check my work.”
Jianggu Ling: "..."
Rei Furuya covered his face: "Don't call me that, Hiro, it's so weird."
Morofushi Kagemitsu's lips curled up: "Really? I find that interesting."
No, you just find it funny because I'm uncomfortable, right?
Rei Furuya reluctantly changed the subject: "Have you decided where to meet tonight? We need to have a proper discussion about the upcoming class monitor's death plan. I also have some dangerous things to give you, so it would be best to go to a safe place."
"Yes, it's decided." Morofushi Hiromitsu slowly turned the steering wheel and drove the car onto a less crowded road. "Since Zero isn't taking a break, we can meet up early. Everyone is free today, so we're planning to try making strawberry cream cake at Matsuda's rented apartment. But none of them have made it before, and to be honest, I'm a little worried about whether the cake will be edible. Let's disguise ourselves and go help out."
"Then I'll tell them first." Furuya Rei took out his phone, typing as he pondered whether it would be okay to sneak into the Matsuda family's house in disguise.
“It’s alright, Mr. Kudo and the others have gone out to play, and Professor Agasa and Hiroki are with them too. They’re not home, so it shouldn’t have any impact,” said Morofushi Kagemitsu.
Rei Furuya nodded: "The class monitor said that Natalie couldn't come because of something urgent at school, and asked us to go to KFC to buy some fried chicken for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."
"Ah, the class monitor's plan to introduce Natalie to us has fallen through again. Fried chicken... well, we'd better hurry, there's bound to be a long line." Morofushi Hiromitsu sighed helplessly.
It's 6:30 PM now, and Matsuda and the others have just finished get off work and are preparing the ingredients for making the cake.
They originally planned to make the cake before buying fried chicken, but since Furuya Rei and Morofushi Hiromitsu could come over now, they decided to let them make it. Anyway, they could eat it right away when they got back, and it would be even more perfect when it was piping hot.
"Shall we give you some peace apples?" asked Morofushi Kagemitsu.
The "peace apple" is a custom that originated in China; it is simply an apple.
Giving apples on Christmas Eve symbolizes wishing someone peace and safety.
Rei Furuya nodded: "Let's buy it together when we go to buy fried chicken on the street."
Having spent some time in the United States living a dangerous and turbulent life, and constantly worrying about the class president's impending death, Furuya Reiichi is now suddenly back in his homeland, having such a normal and heartwarming conversation with his childhood friend in a safe and cozy environment, and he has to attend a friend's party later. Furuya Reiichi is a little dazed for a moment.
"What's wrong?" Morofushi Kagemitsu had been watching him closely and could always immediately spot something amiss.
Rei Furuya leaned back in his chair and laughed: "It's nothing, I'm just a little too happy."
Even if there are still many problems to be solved, as long as everyone is still by his side and as long as everyone works together, he will feel relaxed and happy from the bottom of his heart.
*
But I'm not very happy now.
"Resist and you will be punished severely; confess and you will be treated leniently." Date Wataru stood in front of him, arms crossed, looking down at him with a serious expression.
"Tell me honestly, what have you been up to lately? You'll tell me everything, right?" Kenji Hagiwara, on his left, leaned closer with a dangerous smile, his arm around his shoulder.
"Or would you rather take my punch first?" Matsuda Jinpei on the right grinned and started arm wrestling.
Jianggu Ling: "..."
Rei Furuya sat obediently on the sofa while being interrogated by three judges.
Morofushi Kagemitsu sat in the chair opposite them, took a sip of hot tea, and nodded with a gentle smile on his face, clearly indicating that he was in their group.
Furuya Rei gave him a resentful and accusatory look, which was noticed by Hagiwara Kenji, who laughed and hooked his arm around Furuya's neck triumphantly, saying, "Little Furuya, you should just admit defeat. Now the four of us are on the same team, so don't even think about deceiving us like before! Hurry up and confess!"
"That's right! You don't have any accomplices now!" Matsuda Jinpei was still concerned about this, and he also gave his former accomplice, Hagiwara Kenji, an elbow.
Kenji Hagiwara let out a pitiful "Aww".
Date Kō continued to firmly stick to the main point: "Furuya, when you saved Hiroki, did your heart actually hurt?"
Morofushi Kagemitsu put down his cup, and his expression became serious.
Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji were still staring intently at him from either side.
Rei Furuya sighed, reluctantly raising his hands in surrender: "Fine, I'll tell you everything. I'm sorry for hiding it from everyone again..."
In fact, he really didn't hide anything from everyone anymore. The only time he didn't tell them was when he touched the bottom line of the world and his heart ached. He then continued to test the waters alone and finally succeeded before telling them the result.
"That's all?" Matsuda Jinpei sneered. "Looks like we'll have to fight to bring you to your senses, Zero."
Rei Furuya quickly waved his hands and shook his head, admitting his mistake.
After confirming repeatedly that he really had nothing else seriously hidden, the four reluctantly let him go, and made him swear again that he would never hide such things again, that he would tell them, and that they would work together to solve the problem.
Rei Furuya hesitated for a moment.
Although he is indeed called a liar by many people and his credibility is pitifully low, he really doesn't want to deceive his friends. At most, he will use words to conceal some details.
But now, faced with the serious attitude of his four close friends, if he really made a vow, he couldn't break it.
If such a vow were to be broken, it would surely be a very, very serious situation. But even in the worst-case scenario, Furuya Rei did not want to break his vow to them.
The four of them didn't urge him, they just watched him.
Rei Furuya took a deep breath and said helplessly, "Alright, I swear, I will never hide it from you again."
"That's more like it." The four of them immediately breathed a sigh of relief and smiled happily, coming over to hug each other's shoulders and pat each other's heads.
Rei Furuya struggled desperately: "Wait! Stop it! Matsuda! Stop rubbing my head like you're petting a dog! My disguise is going to fall off!"
"What does it matter? It's rare for us to meet, so let's take off the disguises for now. It'll also make up for the whole year's worth of stickers we owed you~" Kenji Hagiwara practically clung to him, laughing heartily.
"No, wait, you haven't given up on that sticky plan yet?" Furuya Rei exclaimed in shock.
Ida Kou nodded: "Of course we can't give up, right? Natalie also agrees that humans need to stick together. Since we started having at least six hugs and three kisses every day, Natalie, who was a little anxious because of work and marriage, has visibly become much happier."
K, kiss?!
The four single guys were completely stunned, and then gave him four thumbs up.
"Wow, class monitor is amazing!"
"How lucky you are, class monitor!"
"That's great! When are the class monitor and Natalie getting married?"
Ida Kou puffed out his chest smugly, the toothpick he was holding sticking up.
"Wait, marriage?" Furuya Rei suddenly grasped the key point.
"It's not a wedding. We plan to meet each other's parents formally next year and then get engaged." Ida Kou said, a little shy and nervous. He raised his hand to scratch the back of his head and grinned. "We are both at the busiest time of our careers right now, and I don't want such an important wedding to be rushed. So let's wait another year or two. I want to give Natalie the best wedding."
"Now that I have a house and a car, I feel confident enough to meet Natalie's parents and earnestly ask them to entrust Natalie to me," Ida Kou said happily. "After my ordeal is over, I'll go back with Natalie..."
"Aaaaaahh ...
Date Wataru was startled back by Hagiwara Kenji's shout and lunge, causing him to swallow his words.
Kenji Hagiwara, terrified, frantically shook his shoulders: "Class President! Class President! You can't make a promise like 'I'll go home and get married after I finish this task'!!!"
Ida Kou instinctively covered his mouth, his face serious.
"Pfft—" Furuya Rei couldn't help but laugh. "Hahahaha, it's not that exaggerated, is it?"
After laughing, his expression gradually became serious. He looked firmly into Date's eyes and said, "Don't worry, squad leader, we will definitely make it through safely and survive. You must invite us to your and Natalie's wedding."
Date Hang's eyebrows shot up, and he stretched out his long arm to hug all four of them together, laughing loudly, "Of course! You four! None of you will be able to escape!"
*
With the matter resolved, all five were in high spirits. They decided to postpone discussing the serious issue of their impending doom until after the celebration, since there was still time and no rush.
They quickly finished the fried chicken on the table, and then huddled together to start making a cake.
It was said that five people were making cakes together, but only Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei knew how to make them. The other three were not good at cooking, let alone making cakes. They were just learning as they went along for fun, and occasionally they would make things worse.
And so, by the time everything was over, it was 11 p.m.
They spent another hour decorating the Christmas tree and exchanged red apples for good luck.
Kenji Hagiwara happily took photos non-stop, and was very disappointed that he couldn't take a picture of Rei Furuya and Hiromitsu Morofushi together.
Morofushi Kagemitsu came up with a solution: all five of them turned their backs to the camera and then raised their cream cakes decorated with red strawberries, facing the camera directly.
However, just a second before the timed camera took the picture, Rei Furuya and Jinpei Matsuda were playfully fighting, causing Jinpei Matsuda's cream cake to fall and hit his black curly hair, right in the middle of his head.
Matsuda Jinpei: "Ah..."
Jianggu Ling: "Pfft——"
This group photo was thus preserved.
To be honest, it's a bit silly and very funny, but the dazzling Christmas tree in the background and the beautiful white snow outside the window make the scene incredibly warm and cozy.
Matsuda Jinpei wasn't too concerned about his image. Although he found cleaning his hair troublesome and was annoyed that Furuya Rei had done it on purpose and chased after him to hit him, he was still satisfied with the photo and had Hagiwara Kenji transfer it to his phone's photo album to save it.
Amidst the laughter and merriment, the clock struck midnight, and it was Christmas Day, December 25th.
This is their sixth Christmas since they met at the police academy.
The five people looked at each other and immediately burst into laughter.
"Merry Christmas!!!"
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