Chapter 4: First Playthrough (4)
Around 2 p.m., Rei Furuya put away his phone and prepared to attend the afternoon training session.
The afternoon sessions consisted of physical training, including karate and firearms training, but today's freshmen only did some simple physical training and tests.
"Zero, did you really take a nap?" Morofushi Kagemitsu asked softly.
“Of course, what? Do I look tired? That must be because I had a fight with some curly-haired guy last night and it kept me up,” Rei Furuya said.
"Hey! Do you think I don't exist? You damn blondie!" Matsuda Jinpei, who was in front, suddenly turned around.
Watching the two injured people bickering and jostling each other during physical training to see who was stronger, Morofushi Hiromitsu and Hagiwara Kenji exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly.
"Alright, alright, if you keep arguing, Instructor Onizuka might not be able to resist coming over," said squad leader Date Wataru, once again stepping between the two with a smile.
"Hmph!" The two exchanged a glance and then looked away. Although they stopped arguing, they were still fiercely competing for first place in various tests.
In the end, of course, Matsuda Jinpei lost everything.
Rei Furuya has always been number one; his achievements are on a completely different level from everyone else's.
"Damn it! That blond bastard!" Matsuda Jinpei slammed his fist on the wall, nearly dying of anger.
Kenji Hagiwara, however, laughed heartily at his childhood friend: "Furuya is really amazing! No wonder he could beat you up like that, Jinpei. Is someone that perfect even human? But seriously, Jinpei, you even knocked out your dentures! That's hilarious, hahaha—"
Matsuda Jinpei lost that tooth during a fight in high school. Back then, Hagiwara Kenji would worry and get angry, but now he can only laugh.
Anyway, Kojinpei was clearly very happy. This kind of energy and drive is rarely seen in anything other than taking things apart.
Besides, Kofuruya clearly likes Kojinpei too.
I have a feeling that these two will become good friends very soon.
*
At 6 p.m., the police academy's training for the day ended, and the rest of the time was free time until 10 p.m. when room checks were conducted and students went to bed.
"You're a little tired from your first day at police academy, so go to bed early tonight," Rei Furuya said to his childhood friend who had just changed his dressing.
Morofushi Kagemitsu, who had originally planned to chat with him that evening: "..."
Although he also felt that Zero really needed to rest, he had a feeling that the other party wouldn't obediently rest.
Before Morofushi Kagemitsu could even hesitate, Furuya Rei had already tricked and coaxed him out of the house.
“zero…”
“I’m sorry, Hiro, I know what you want to ask, but it’s not the right time yet.” Furuya Rei gripped the doorknob tightly, his eyes meeting his with utmost seriousness. “I promise you, once I’ve figured it all out, I will tell you everything.”
Morofushi Kagemitsu was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but smile, his eyes crinkling into a smile.
“Okay, then I’ll be waiting for you, Zero,” he said.
*
Furuya Rei, of course, did not rest. He sat at his desk, chatting with the two people on his phone while taking out paper and pen to record and organize all the information.
After sorting everything out, he looked at it again from the beginning, then tore up the thick stack of documents, soaked them in water, and flushed them down the toilet.
Rei Furuya has become quite familiar with the two people in the group, and has also gathered most of the information.
Natsuki Subaru, 17 years old, a high school student, was originally just a shut-in who dropped out of school. Later, he was inexplicably transported to another world and began a life of constantly dying and rewinding to save the important people around him.
His profile picture in the chat group was of a boy with short, spiky black hair and brown eyes.
Shinpei Amiyo, 18 years old, is a student at a culinary school in Tokyo. He returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his childhood friend who died, and then begins a death loop on that strange and fantastical island.
His profile picture in the chat group was of a boy with a half-length black bun and heterochromatic eyes.
After learning Furuya Rei's age, Shinpei Atomai started calling him Mr. Furuya.
The flow of time is different in different worlds, and there is no pattern to it.
The two teenagers joined the group at the same time, and not much time had actually passed. However, the repeated deaths and rewinds had already shattered, numbed, and dulled people's sense of time.
Why they encountered the same thing in different worlds, and why they gathered together in this group, is still unclear.
All they can do is try their best to survive, then save everyone, and do everything in their power to achieve a happy ending where everyone survives.
Rei Furuya's fingers hovered above the keyboard, the glow of his phone reflected in his slightly lowered, smoky purple eyes, while his golden hair fell down, obscuring everything.
*
The day after returning to the past, at 5:30 in the morning.
When the alarm clock rang, Rei Furuya was awake.
He didn't sleep much that night, but he repeatedly read through the survival tips and precautions for newcomers that Shinpei and Subaru had summarized for him, and then mentally compared them with his own situation.
Even Rei Furuya is getting a bit tired now.
The blond youth turned off the alarm clock, rubbed his eyes, and sat up in bed, the white blanket slipping off his dark skin.
Rei Furuya, who was used to sleeping naked at home, had not originally planned to do so at the police academy, but the habit allowed him to think things through better, so he let it go.
Before leaving the dormitory after washing up, he took out the folding fruit knife from the drawer and put it on his person.
But he remained vigilant all day, and nothing happened.
While chatting in the group before going to bed that night, it seemed that things were going very smoothly in Subaru Natsuki's world. He had learned from all the previous failures, as well as the reasoning and analysis of the two smart people, Shinpei Amagawa and Rei Furuya, and felt that he would definitely be able to save everyone this time.
[Natsuki Subaru: I'll definitely save everyone this time! I absolutely can this time! I feel like I can!!!]
Both Rei Furuya and Shinpei Amagai congratulated the confident and excited young man.
However, when Rei Furuya woke up the next morning and picked up his phone, he found that Subaru Natsuki's death count had increased again.
He died again.
[1. Subaru Natsuki: From *Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-*, currently on his eleventh playthrough, and has died eleven times.]
[2. Shinpei Ami: From "Summer Revisited," currently in his fourth playthrough, and has died four times.]
[3. Rei Furuya: From "Detective Conan," currently on his first playthrough, already died once.]
This time, Rei Furuya clearly saw what it was like for someone who had died and reloaded their save file more than ten times to die again.
Shinpei Amedai was clearly used to it. Although he was also very regretful and sad, he also began to comfort and reassure Subaru Natsuki with great skill.
Encouraged by the two, Natsuki Subaru rallied his spirits and rekindled his fighting spirit to get busy with his own world.
Although this 17-year-old boy is not as rational, calm, and intelligent as Shinpei Amagai, his beliefs and spirit are also extraordinary.
Shinpei Amagai hadn't forgotten about the newcomer, Rei Furuya. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found that Rei was relatively calm about what had just happened, and then earnestly talked to him about another matter.
[Shinpei Amedai: Mr. Furuya, let's look at it from the beginning. Subaru and I have both died many times, and our world initially seemed normal. Even Subaru's experience of being transported to another world initially appeared calm and romantic, but after a certain point, the world's malice gradually began to show.]
[Shenping, a netizen: Having one's throat slit, intestines pierced, cursed, having one's head smashed by a bullet, tortured to death, frozen to death, having one's head chopped off... and suicide—these are all deaths we have truly experienced.]
[Shinpei Net: But our own death is nothing compared to the pain we feel most... the death of someone important to us.]
[Shinpei Akutagawa: Mr. Furuya, please be extremely careful about the safety of those important to you, and make sure to protect them.]
[Shenping, the online agent: Your world may seem safe in comparison, but joining this group will definitely prevent you from living a peaceful life.]
[Shinpei Netdai: Not to mention, Mr. Furuya, you're a police officer. Even in the most peaceful world, police officers always fight on the most dangerous front lines to protect the people, and they are the ones most likely to sacrifice themselves.]
[Shinpei Amagawa: That's why I respect you so much, Mr. Furuya. Subaru and I could only save the people close to us even if we tried our best, but you are determined to save everyone and protect the entire country.]
[Shinpei Netdai: Please be very careful, Mr. Furuya.]
[Shenping, a netizen: Our rollback mechanism may not be infinite.]
*
“Zero, have you been a little too stressed lately? What happened?” Morofushi Kagemitsu couldn’t help but grab Furuya Rei’s hand. “We agreed that you would tell me everything once you had investigated it, but… couldn’t you just tell me so I could investigate with you?”
If Furuya Rei is in a normal state, then Morofushi Kagemitsu will certainly keep his promise and wait for his childhood friend to tell him everything.
However, although Furuya Rei seemed perfectly normal these past few days and no one noticed anything amiss, Morofushi Kagemitsu, his childhood friend who had grown up with him, could sense just how abnormal he was.
Zero's injuries had completely healed, but he looked even more tired.
"Sorry, Hiro, let's wait a couple more days. I'm still unsure about something." But the blond youth still smiled and refused him.
"By the way, I was thinking of going to the archives at noon to look up information about Matsuda's father. Hiro, do you want to come with me?"
"Don't always change the subject at times like this," said Morofushi Kagemitsu helplessly, but he still went to the archives with him.
Rei Furuya is deliberately following his original memories. Only if the development is the same as before will his "prophecy" be useful and he be able to prepare for potential dangers.
However, it seems impossible to be exactly the same as before. For example, after he finished investigating that Matsuda's father had become depressed and degenerate because of the police's mistake in arresting him, and was about to leave, Hiro did not stay to continue investigating the case of his parents' deaths, but followed him and prepared to leave together.
Jianggu Ling: "..."
Furuya Rei felt a little helpless, but a soft, warm feeling kept spreading through his heart.
Honestly, Hiro is worrying about him way too much.
He's actually been doing alright lately, hasn't he?
Rei Furuya didn't feel tired at all. He was given a chance to turn things around, so he wouldn't feel tired no matter what.
With hope to look forward to and friends by your side, how can you be tired?
He simply slept a few hours less than before, would sneak out at night to gather intelligence, contact people through various means, and obtain weapons that police academy students shouldn't have.
These are all just preparations to prevent unknown dangers. Even if there are no special dangers, they can still be used to destroy the Black Organization later. It's always good to be prepared in advance.
It's been five days since he returned to the past, and the wounds on his face have completely healed.
In his memory, a dangerous accident was going to happen during the first class this afternoon.
That was Onizuka Squad's first pistol training session, and also their first time working together.
*
Matsuda Jinpei was in a rare good mood today. After going to the bathroom, he saw in the mirror that the wounds on his face had completely healed, which made him even happier.
He doesn't really care about his image, but that guy is all better now, and if he's not, it's really annoying.
Although there was a slight mishap during the afternoon pistol training, they managed to resolve it perfectly in the end.
After working together to resolve such a dangerous incident, Matsuda Jinpei found Furuya Rei much more agreeable.
"The blond geek." He muttered to himself the name he used to call that blond jerk, and chuckled a little. "It's a pretty good name, it suits that guy who's always taking things too seriously."
Just like Kenji Hagiwara likes to add "little" to people's names, Jinpei Matsuda also likes to give people strange nicknames.
For example, class president Date Wataru is the "boss," Morofushi Kagemitsu is "Master Kage," and there's also someone's "blonde bastard" and "blonde master."
Matsuda Jinpei chuckled, straightened his crooked police hat, and prepared to leave.
"Hey, do you guys know Furuya from the next class? What's wrong with that guy? I can't stand him, he's so arrogant!"
Matsuda Jinpei stopped in his tracks.
"Tsk, yeah, who has blond hair in a police academy? It's ridiculous. People will think we're some kind of delinquent school."
"Hahaha, but that's not the point. Look at his skin color and blond hair, he's definitely a foreign mixed-race person! How can someone like that be a policeman? Could he be a spy or undercover agent from another country?"
"Hahaha! That's great! That's really true! It's hilarious. How about we report him later? Let's see if he gets expelled?"
"Top student at police academy! First week of school! Dropped out! Hahahaha, so funny—"
A loud "bang!" startled the four people who were secretly smoking in the corner of the toilet. They turned around in alarm, only to find that it was just a student, and immediately felt relieved.
"What's so funny? You bunch of guys know nothing, yet you hide in the corner like bedbugs, using your imagination and jealousy to slander and frame others at will..." Matsuda Jinpei was already furious. "That's why I hate cops like you the most!"
"Tsk, calling you police officers is an insult to the police. Do you even know what a police officer is? Huh? Weren't you paying attention in class? Well then, let me teach you! So you won't tarnish the reputation of the police after you graduate!"
Matsuda Jinpei, his face dark with anger, rushed forward and first used his fists to teach them what they should and shouldn't say. Then, he read out the police code of conduct to the men who were running around on the ground, almost word by word, with each punch.
"Serve the country and the people with honor and a sense of mission. Respect human rights and perform duties fairly and kindly. Strictly observe discipline, unite as one, and cooperate amicably. Cultivate character, improve abilities, and enrich oneself. Maintain an honest, upright, and positive attitude towards life."
"That's what police are like! Did you hear me?!" the black-haired youth roared viciously. "If I ever hear you talking nonsense or doing anything reckless again, I'll beat you up every time I see you!!!"
"We heard you, we heard you! We'll never do it again! We're so sorry, we're really so sorry—" The four men, who had tried to resist but were no match for him, were truly terrified by the bandit-like Matsuda Jinpei. When he finally stopped, they scrambled away in a panic.
As soon as they ran out the door, they saw the blond honor student standing outside. After a moment of stunned silence, they immediately showed an even more terrified expression and ran even faster.
"Tch, a bunch of trash. Do people like this really want to become police officers after graduation? Is there anything wrong with this country?" Matsuda Jinpei walked out unhappily and saw Furuya Rei.
Matsuda Jinpei: "..."
Matsuda Jinpei threw a left hook: "You blond bastard! Did you hear that?!"
Furuya Rei dodged his fist by tilting his head and smiled innocently, "No, I just arrived, I didn't hear anything."
Matsuda Jinpei continued his attack with a right hook: "Liar! You clearly heard it! You definitely heard it!!!"
Rei Furuya continued to laugh as he exchanged a few simple blows with him: "Okay, yes, sorry, I heard you. Thank you for standing up for me. You were really cool just now."
"I'm not standing up for you!" Matsuda Jinpei snapped. "I just don't like them!"
After saying that, he realized something, and his anger flared up even more: "Since you heard them talking about you from the very beginning, why didn't you teach them a lesson? Just let them talk about you like that? Is that your personality???"
"Because the blond-haired master's fist is Jinpei's exclusive weapon?" Furuya Rei smiled as he caught his fist, and said seriously.
"Ugh... You win, you've successfully made me throw up." Matsuda Jinpei rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, took a step back, silently gritted his teeth, and turned to leave. "You learned it from Hagi, didn't you? That Hagi guy... as expected of the blonde master, he even learns this kind of thing so quickly, he's really amazing!"
He suddenly felt something was off. It seemed that ever since the accident during the afternoon pistol training was resolved, this blond bastard's mood had improved dramatically, and he was even making jokes like this.
Rei Furuya followed behind him and said, "Matsuda, Hagiwara said you're good at defusing bombs. Teach me how to defuse bombs later, I want to learn."
Matsuda Jinpei suddenly turned his head, incredulous and even more annoyed, and said, "Huh? Why should I teach you just because you want to?"
Rei Furuya smiled and winked at him: "In exchange, I can train and spar with you tonight."
Matsuda Jinpei: "..."
Oh no, I'm starting to feel tempted!
"Tsk, then you're not allowed to go easy on him, you have to take it seriously!" He warned this guy with a criminal record seriously.
Rei Furuya raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, then, shall we start tonight?"
Matsuda Jinpei was a little excited: "Actually, we can start now... But never mind, ever since that fight, the foreigners have been even stricter. How about the rooftop? There aren't many people on the school building rooftop at night, so we won't get caught. As for defusing the bomb, it depends on your schedule. I'm available anytime."
“Okay,” Furuya Rei said seriously, “Then it’s a deal.”
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