Chapter 25 "He looks a lot like Ling."

…

"It's you? What a coincidence."

A clear voice came from the communicator, with a slight smile, like a gentle spring breeze in March.

He spoke English, although only two sentences, but the familiar accent and tone still made Shuichi Akai's eyes widen suddenly.

A person's voice may change as they grow older, and the way they speak may also change, but... foreign languages ​​are different.

If you do not correct the pronunciation you learn when you first start learning a language that is not commonly used in your native language, it will often stay with you for the rest of your life.

And... Ling's English was what he had taken the trouble to teach her for many years, and she had long been accustomed to it... so how could she have forgotten it?

Akai Shuichi's heartbeat quickened uncontrollably. Did he hear it wrong because he missed her so much?

Or is it because we haven't seen each other for so long that I'm hallucinating?

Ling...really, it looks like Ling.

Not to mention the pauses and changes in tone when speaking English, just the recognizable voice and the smile in the words... are already 60% similar.

At this moment, Shuichi Akai even felt that his own heartbeat was noisy, and he was eager to hear it more clearly.

…

Judy didn't know about Shuichi Akai's psychological changes at this time.

She smiled and said, "Yes, I didn't expect to see you again today. Thank you so much for yesterday."

As she spoke, her eyes fell on the young man's neck.

The temperature was very high today, so the young man did not wear a coat, but his thin clothes inappropriately covered his neck.

"Don't be so polite. I didn't help you at all."

Judy smiled, then asked in confusion, "It's so hot today, why do you have to wear a turtleneck?"

"This..." Miyakawa Ling said, "It's because I caught a cold these past two days, and I'm naturally very afraid of cold."

"so it is."

The young man did not wear a mask today and his face looked pale. From the looks of it, he did look like he was not feeling well and had a cold.

Judy: "Come to think of it, your English is so good that at first I almost thought we were from the same country."

Miyagawa Ling's smile faded a little: "Thank you for the compliment, Miss. Actually... my English was taught by a friend."

Then he averted his eyes slightly and said in a sad tone: "He has been gone for many years."

This was not a suitable topic to continue the conversation, and Miyakawa Ling had no intention of continuing the conversation with the woman in front of him. He suspected that she was from the FBI, and there was no benefit in talking too much.

But Judy seemed not to understand and continued to ask: "Is your friend a foreigner? Has he returned to his country?"

To continue to probe this topic... a hint of coldness flashed across Miyakawa Ling's eyes.

The scene fell into silence.

Ethan Hondou, who knew Miyagawa Ryo better, subconsciously became alert.

He didn't know whether what Miyakawa Ling said was true or false, and he wouldn't take it seriously, but he could feel at this moment that the young man in front of him was in a very bad mood.

It was so bad that it made his hair stand on end and alarm bells rang in his mind.

After a moment, Miyakawa Ling said softly: "He is dead. Sorry, I don't want to talk about this topic anymore."

"Oh my god." Judy apologized quickly, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you. I'm really sorry... How about this, I'll pay for all the books you buy later, and I'll do my best to make up for it."

"No need..." Miyakawa Ling shook his head, then said, "I'll go choose a book first."

"Okay." Judy's gaze fell on the man behind Miyakawa Ling.

But she didn't ask any more questions because she knew that this was the limit and she couldn't ask any more.

After the two of them walked towards the distant bookshelf, Judy lowered her head.

She didn't say anything and didn't make any movements, but she was asking Shuichi Akai: How is it?

Akai Shuichi also knew that she was waiting for a reply. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "He... looks a lot like Ling."

He... must be Ling.

Judy frowned slightly.

In fact, when she saw Miyagawa Rei's appearance for the first time, she felt that it was somewhat similar to the appearance of Miyagawa Rei when he was a child that Akai Shuichi had shown her.

But there are many similar people in the world, so we cannot judge based solely on this point that he is Miyagawa Ryo.

The most important thing is that every move of the young man just now was normal, including the slight unnaturalness and displeasure at offending her when he mentioned his dead friend.

The young man's body was covered with traces of growth in the sun, and even as he walked away, he smiled and nodded at her, demonstrating the utmost politeness.

——If he really has no problems, then combined with the experience that Shuichi Akai talked about, he is unlikely to be Miyagawa Ryo.

But if he was involved in the case of the past two days, then he was Miyagawa Ryo, which was not good news for Akai Shuichi.

"You two have a good relationship, right? Why did he say you were dead?" Judy asked quietly.

Akai Shuichi lowered his head and looked at his golden pocket watch with a complicated expression: "That's because Ling really thought I was dead."

I thought he had died twelve years ago.

Judy was stunned. She originally wanted to remind Shuichi not to judge too much based on emotion just because that person was Miyakawa Ryo, but unexpectedly, Shuichi Akai's words made her believe that this person was Miyakawa Ryo.

She recalled the young man's expression just now. After Akai Shuichi's words, the look that seemed a little sad just now suddenly became much heavier when she thought about it now.

That was the longing and pain that had been pent up for twelve years.

"But he's here now..." Judy paused from tapping. Even she felt the unfinished meaning of the words was cruel.

Miyagawa Ryo appeared here at this time - for what else could it be other than Nishimaru Hideo?

"No, Ling would not do that. This is just a coincidence." Akai Shuichi said quietly, "When he leaves the bookstore, if nothing happens, Judy, please chase him and ask him directly about his identity. Then, tell him about my existence."

"Xiu!" Judy understood his feelings, but at this point in time, how could Xiu's existence be exposed?

"Don't worry, just tell Ling, it's okay."

"but……"

"I have died once in front of Ling. I will never forget his expression at that time."

“…”

"I don't want him to bear that kind of guilt and pain for even one more day."

"..." Judy took a deep breath, her eyes gradually becoming firm: "I understand, I will bring it to you."

only……

She glanced sideways at the black-haired young man who was smiling and talking to Nishimaru Ying.

But please, don't do anything.

It's just a clean and simple Miyagawa Ryo.

…

Of course, Miyagawa Ling didn't know that the childhood friend he had been thinking about for twelve years was now monitoring his every move.

After seeing Judy, he felt upset about the existence of the FBI, but Nishimaru Hideo still had to die.

The time given for this task is very long, but it is impossible for Miyagawa Ling to complete this task in so many days.

He needs to be on the monthly killing list, he wants to participate in the undercover hunting game, and he wants to save more people.

Every time he kills one more person, one less person dies.

No time for fbi fussing around here.

Miyagawa Ling walked towards the bookshelf and glanced at Nishimaru Hideo who was standing in front of the cash register.

This man is a true ruthless person. He knew very well how many people died in the Mingye Society yesterday, but he still dared to appear in front of the public today as if nothing had happened, as if he was just an ordinary bookstore owner.

If the organization didn't know his identity, then he was indeed hiding very well. No one would have thought that as an important member, he would dare to show up at this node without hiding.

No one would doubt a bookstore owner who goes to work as usual.

But to those who knew his identity, this was a good opportunity to take action.

"'Night', this book is very popular recently, have you read it?" Miyagawa Ling took out a book and turned to ask Ethan Hondou.

Ethan Bentang shook his head: "No."

He doesn't have time to look at these.

"It's a foreign book, translated after the fire." Miyagawa Ling flipped through two pages and then walked towards Nishimaru Ying: "Boss, do you have the original version of this?"

Nishimaru Hideo had noticed Miyagawa Ryo when he came in, but compared to him, Nishimaru Hideo was more wary of Ethan Hondou behind him.

"We had some before, but they were sold out in the past two days. It will take a few more days for the next batch. I'm sorry." Nishimaru Ying said honestly with a gentle smile on his face.

"Well, although the Japanese version is also very interesting, I prefer the English version because many of the lines in it have more flavor in the original language! For example, in Chapter 10..." Miyagawa Ryo spoke fluently, like a student who often reads, with natural expressions and movements.

Seeing that he knew it so clearly, and that Ethan Hondou behind him was listening attentively, like an elder who was accompanying his child to buy books, Nishimaru could not help but relax a little: "That's right, many customers have said so."

Little did people know that Ethan Hondou listened to every word of Miyagawa Ryo very seriously, as if he was reading and understanding it.

——How can you not be serious? This is a matter of life and death!

"Boss, have you read Chapter 12?" Miyakawa Ling asked, pointing at the chapter title.

“I’ve seen it.”

"My classmate said that the murder method in this chapter is too outrageous and beyond the scope of detective novels, but I don't think so. What do you think?"

Nishimaru Hideo was very patient: "I think the same as you do. The criminal Leo is a genius with high IQ and high education. It's not surprising that he can set up such a seemingly unsolvable situation."

"You think so too?! My classmates say that I am too obsessed with Leo and have deified him!"

"No, no, this is something Leo can do. In fact, the foreshadowing of this paragraph was mentioned in Chapter 8... and... and..."

"Wow, I didn't pay attention to these details! Boss, you are amazing!" Miyagawa Ling's eyes shone brightly and his tone was full of admiration.

…

Judy quietly changed her seat and heard the conversation between the two.

It is talking about the content of the book "Night", there is no unnecessary action.

Her heart was in her throat, and she kept her eyes on the three of them, feeling a mixture of anticipation and uneasiness.

"Boss, you should be the one to translate this book! The sentence you translated is really touching..."

"Boss, your knowledge reserve is too rich!"

"What? You actually graduated from a prestigious university? No wonder the comments on this chapter were so sharp."

"boss……"

Just as Judy was listening carefully, the shop door was suddenly pushed open again.

She turned her head and looked over. The person who came in this time was a tall and thin man with heavy dark circles under his eyes. His eyes were condescending and a little bit vicious.

The man had something in his pocket. After he came in, he first looked at Nishimaru Ying, and then consciously observed the entire bookstore environment.

During this time, he saw Judy, but did not pay attention to her. He just glanced at her and passed her by.

After observing, the man smiled slightly.

This person...!

Judy quickly delivered the message: A new suspicious person has arrived!

"Boss!" The new man stepped forward and interrupted the conversation between Nishimaru Ei and Miyakawa Ryo, and said in a tone like instructing a servant: "Go find me some books right now!"

Nishimaru Hideo's expression remained unchanged, but he was on high alert: "Okay, sir, what kind of book do you need?"

"I'm thirsty after walking all the way. Go and get me some water and snacks! Hurry up, if you make me wait too long, I'll kill you!" the man said bluntly.

Before Nishimaru Hideo could say anything, Miyagawa Ryo was already unhappy: "Mr. Nishimaru, since this gentleman doesn't know how to respect others, then you don't have to respect him! A man like you who is perfect in every aspect, from appearance and figure to education, knowledge, and conversation... some people are not worthy of your service."

“……” Nishimaru Hideo.

“…”Ethan Bentang.

“…”Judy.

Is this guy serious?

"What did you say, pretty boy?" the man was furious and grabbed Miyakawa Ling by the collar.

Seeing this, Ethan Bendon pretended to be anxious and on guard, but in his heart he was already mourning for this man.

Miyakawa Ling looked a little scared, but also very angry: "Am I wrong? The boss is the most manly, patient, and handsome man I have ever met! He is polite to you because he is gentle. Don't go too far!"

“…”Everyone.

Judy was confused by this development when Shuichi Akai's voice came from her earphone: "Send me a photo of Nishimaru Hideo later."

"?" Judy.

Xiu, what are you thinking about?

"Him?" The man sneered and gripped Miyakawa Ling's collar tighter. Miyakawa Ling had difficulty breathing and reached out to pry his hands away.

At this moment, his sleeve slipped down a little, and Judy keenly noticed the pinhole on his arm.

There was a purple bruise at that location, which was very conspicuous against the fair skin. It was as if something was injected but the injection was not done properly, but just inserted randomly, causing the bruise.

"Pretty boy, say another word if you dare?" The tall and thin man raised his fist and glared at Miyakawa Ling fiercely.

Miyagawa Rei couldn't pry his hands open, so he looked at Ethan Hondou for help.

“…”Ethan Bentang.

Being asked for help by this devil, my emotions are really complicated!

His face darkened, and he stepped forward and said, "Let him go. If you do this again, I'll call the police."

"Call the police?" The man laughed: "Go ahead and call the police. Do those cops dare to arrest me?"

Because of his laughter, his body trembled, and Miyagawa Rei's collar was forcibly pulled down because of his movement.

Then Judy finally knew why he wore turtlenecks.

That thin white neck was covered with pinch marks and scratches from nails. Just looking at it made one's heart tremble. It was hard to imagine what he had been through.

Judy did not hide her shocked expression, because that was the expression she should have at that moment.

Miyagawa Ling certainly didn't expect this accident, but he didn't care much about it. He just covered his neck in panic.

The tall and thin man also saw it. He suddenly understood something and looked at Ethan Bentang: "Why are you pretending to be a good guy? You were the one who caused the wound on the neck of this pretty boy, right? You are so cruel to your own son. I see if the police come, they will arrest you first!"

“…”Ethan Bentang.

His face suddenly twisted. To outsiders, it looked like he was angry and embarrassed because he was told the truth. But only he knew what he meant - "son"? ? !

When this word came out, he was afraid that he would not survive the day!

But Miyakawa Ling did not deny it, he didn't dare to deny it!

It's really frustrating.

Fortunately, at this time, Nishimaru Ying reacted. He stepped forward to apologize to the tall and thin man, bowed and said: "I will prepare tea for you, sir, please calm down first!"

At this time, Nishimaru Hideo still maintained his image as a "bookstore owner" and did not do anything out of line.

Miyakawa Ling shouted angrily: "Boss, what right do you have to apologize to him? A man like you is an honor for him to be able to talk to him! You looked at him so many times today, he must be so happy that he can't sleep tonight!"

“…”Enough, really enough.

Veins on Nishimaru Eiji's forehead were throbbing: "Classmate, please stop..."

"Actually, boss, you can beat him with one hand, right? The reason you didn't do it is just because you don't want to break up the relationship! But you know what? Some people are not worth your tolerance..."

Miyagawa Ryo seemed not to notice the twitching of Nishimaru Hideo's mouth, and he kept shouting in anger, his words becoming more and more outrageous.

The tall and thin man initially stared at Miyagawa Ryo as if he wanted to punch him to death, but as he listened, his eyes fell on Nishimaru Hideo.

Nishimaru Eiji: “…”

"Boss! Show him some color! Let him know what the most perfect man in the world is!"

"No……"

"Boss, you don't have to worry about me. The moment I saw you, I understood that I lived just to meet a senior like you who is handsome, gentle, kind, knowledgeable, and understands me. Even if I die in his hands today, I will die without regrets! Please feel free to attack! Use your warm and powerful fist to knock down this weak man in one move!"

"..." Seeing the tall and thin man's eyes turn mocking, Nishimaru Ying almost choked when he saw that he was ready to really attack him at any time so that Miyagawa Ling could see the reality.

He couldn't help but raise his voice: "Classmate, I don't know why you are being so weird! Stop it! I won't hit anyone!"

"Stop sympathizing with people who are weaker than you!"

Miyagawa Ling was thrown to the ground, and the tall and thin man walked towards Nishimaru Ying.

Nishimaru Hideo: “I didn’t mean that…”

"If he can be beaten by you, he can brag about it for three years!"

"...Blow your mother!"

Nishimaru Hideo finally couldn't bear it anymore!

His mouth was wide open, his fists were clenched, his eyes were wide open, and bloodshot all over, he cursed: "What are you talking about? What the hell does it have to do with you?! You think you're too old to be strangled to death, right? You..."

The tall and thin man ignored his angry curses, walked up to him and was about to take action.

But at this moment, Nishimaru Ying, who was cursing, suddenly fell straight to the ground.

"Bang!" He knocked over the bookshelf beside him, and a large number of books fell and hit the ground together with the bookshelf.

Judy's eyes dimmed.

The tall and thin man was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Nishimaru Ying, you are really a coward. I haven't done anything yet, and you are so scared?"

He bent down and pulled Nishimaru Ying up: "Look carefully at the face of the person who wants to kill you..." Before he finished his sentence, he was stunned, because at this moment, Nishimaru Ying had already died.

But to others, all this seemed to be him killing Nishimaru Hideo.

Judy screamed and took a few steps back.

Ethan Hondou pretended to be frightened, pulled Miyakawa Ling from the ground, and ran out.

The two of them left the bookstore very quickly in just a moment.

The tall and thin man did not give up and tried Nishimaru Ying's breathing, but of course the result was... no breathing.

Judy's eyes were a little gloomy. Even though she had been staring, she didn't notice how Nishimaru Hideo died.

Reason told her that it was time to evacuate, as this was all the information they could get on this trip, but she still kept searching the area.

Clues...

Any clues?

Judy put on her sunhat to hide her personal information and walked out the door.

When she was about to leave the store, she suddenly noticed a flash of white in her peripheral vision!

——It was a piece of paper, quietly placed next to the cash register.

Judy paused and glanced at the man squatting on the ground. The most urgent thing was to leave quietly without attracting the man's attention.

But once she got to the cashier, her presence was all too obvious.

Judy looked at the window facing the door of the bookstore, where there was a small slit.

She moved her hand, which was originally pushing the door, to the other side. As the glass door was pushed open, the window opposite was blown open by the airflow, and a gust of wind blew in, bringing the note to her feet.

Judy quickly picked up the note and disappeared on the spot.

…

After quickly hiding in a deserted alley, Ethan Hondou turned around and looked at the black-haired young man: "Mission accomplished."

The young man who was just being held in the hands of a wolf, now had a comfortable smile on his lips: "Yes, Nishimaru Hideo is dead, and the way he died was the one you chose. How was it? Was this performance wonderful?"

"It's wonderful," said Ethan Bendon.

He had no idea how Nishimaru Hideo died.

This death, called "Nishimaru Hideo died of excessive praise", is really just as it says on the surface. It seems that from beginning to end, Miyagawa Ryo was just over-praising Nishimaru Hideo.

But Nishimaru Hideo really died.

——Ethan Hondou certainly wouldn't be so foolish as to think that Nishimaru Hideo died of "disgust". He thought that this option was Miyagawa Ryo's bad taste, and the real way of death was hidden behind it, just like magic. No matter how magical it seems on the surface, there is an explainable principle behind it.

However, he did not understand what this "principle" was.

This is why magic is wonderful, and this is why reality...is terrifying.

There is even a scapegoat.

But after going through so much, Ethan Bentang no longer had any curiosity in his mind. He just wanted to get back to the base as soon as possible and separate from this madman.

"Did you put the note I asked you to put in the right place?" Miyagawa Ling adjusted his collar.

"Um."

"Let's go then." Miyakawa Ling stretched his waist lazily: "This mission has been successfully completed!"

…

On the other hand, after leaving the bookstore, Judy did not look for Miyagawa Ryo.

She returned to a safe place and called Shuichi Akai directly.