Chapter 79
The high fever came on quickly and subsided quickly.
Ye Yihe firmly believes that this is due to his early rising and early sleeping habits and taking his medicine on time.
However, the wound still hurt a lot when he moved it, so Ye Yihe simply used bandages to tie it up and hung it in front of him like a one-armed hero, trying to avoid using his left hand.
This might have slightly damaged Fyodor's image, as he made a rare, quiet question when facing his reflection in the mirror through shared vision: "Can I not hang like that?"
Hmph, she was quick and clean when she got shot, but now she knows she has to worry about her image.
Ye Yihe rejected the application.
However, while washing hair and taking a bath were manageable, there were more troublesome things during the recovery period—cooking with only the right hand was too difficult.
Fortunately, Ivan knows how to cook Western food, and his skills are amazing.
Pushkin was very frustrated.
"Why does my chicken breast taste worse when there are only three of us eating?" he complained, gripping his knife and fork. "Did you even forget to put salt and pepper in it? The owner always puts a little on when he cooks it for me!"
Chuuya, Dazai, and Odasaku are still at the Takase Club, so there are three fewer people at home; Gogol is also elusive, only returning at night.
There are only three people left now, and Ivan is even more perfunctory when it comes to cooking!
And they just gave him a perfunctory response!
Look at how well the boss is treated! The steak is pan-fried until it's fragrant and delicious, and it's even plated with carrot carvings. To accommodate the boss's inconvenience in using his left hand, Ivan specially cut it into pieces with a knife and fork!
If he took another look, Pushkin bet he could even see the juices oozing out from the tender cross-section—glug glug.
Damn it, I'm so hungry for it!
"Keep your belly in check, Pushkin."
Ivan, who was cutting the steak in front of him, said casually, "We've run out of black peppercorns, and you only put salt in your chicken breast."
Pushkin: "There's definitely still black pepper in the kitchen..."
How could you ask me for pepper?
Ivan's silver-gray eyes narrowed slightly.
"How dare you desecrate such precious ingredients, greatly diminishing their natural flavor, and even forcing my master to suffer for his taste buds—say it again?"
Ye Yihe felt like he'd been shot in the knee and wanted to cough, but he held it in.
...He used to just sprinkle pepper on top, so he couldn't taste the difference at all.
Anything but the kind of dry, hard, coarse bread that's so tough you'd feel the urge to swallow it even with water during church fasting.
"But what I ate was different from what the owner served..."
Pushkin dared not argue with Ivan, and asked with a heavy heart, "What about the black pepper that was originally there?"
Can't he just sprinkle some himself?
“It’s lost,” Ivan said succinctly.
"How could you bear to make me eat such awful food?" Pushkin cried out in despair, "You devil!"
“But there’s still some cumin and Sichuan peppercorn powder left,” Ivan slowly finished the sentence.
Pushkin's sorrow instantly turned to joy. "I knew I hadn't misjudged you, my good brother. Your heart is still with me!"
Ye Yihe and Ivan: "…………"
This guy's mood changes really fast.
In short, everyone reached a consensus on the issue of meals. Ye Yihe continued to bury himself in his Greek textbook when he had some free time, and Zhongye even took the time to visit him to make sure that he was really alright before he was relieved.
He said he skipped work to come over while on a mission. Dazai and Oda couldn't leave, so he was responsible for visiting them and then going back to let them know he was safe.
"I was going to go to the apartment with Dazai anyway, and maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
Chuuya clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, "But that guy said that leaving would arouse suspicion, so he insisted that I stay and deal with those old men. Tch."
"Old man?" Ye Yihe asked with interest.
Chuuya doesn't seem like the type to handle seasoned veterans at all.
"I'm against Takase Taisei succeeding as the Sixth Boss. He's already been dealt with by that guy," Chuuya said, spreading one hand nonchalantly. "I'm just responsible for beating them until they give me the vault password."
Ye Yihe: "Ah, then you are indeed in the right field."
"It doesn't feel like they're praising me..."
Chuuya spoke up suspiciously, his blue eyes scrutinizing Ye Yihe back and forth until Ye Yihe put on an innocent expression and said, "How could that be? Chuuya is the strongest, the one with the highest fighting power among all of us!" This made Ye Yihe uncomfortable, and he turned his gaze away, muttering that he was just playing a trick on him, while his ears turned red as he left through the window.
Ye Yihe thought to himself that Chuuya's reaction was too cute; no wonder Dazai liked to tease him until he got angry.
In contrast, Fyodor was quite cunning. Even though Fyodor was suffering from a high fever, he could still give an ambiguous and intimate answer to a question, even though the person he asked was clearly suffering from a high fever.
What if he guesses wrong?
Gritting his teeth, Ye Yihe could only pretend that he had already gotten the answer and stop asking.
A few days later, Ayatsuji Yukito actually came to knock on the door—alone, no less.
Only Ivan and Ye Yihe were in the small building. The latter was fiddling with the miniature doll that Ivan had sculpted for him, which was said to be able to automatically defend against or counterattack dangerous attacks, making it a step up from the previous generation of miniature Ivans.
Even the original scaled-down design referenced the style of Japanese figurines, leaning towards a chibi-style doll, making it exceptionally cute.
"Using an old residential building in a remote suburb as a base... Hmm, that's quite creative."
Wearing a purple baseball cap, Ayatsuji Yukito strode in, his eyes behind his sunglasses as sharp as ever. He slowly scanned the room before his gaze settled on Ye Yihe, who was holding a miniature Ivan doll.
"Oh, really, everything's alright now."
A slight smile appeared on his lips. "You were protected very well in time."
If Fedor's reaction from realizing something was wrong to taking over the field had been a fraction of a second slower, Ye Yihe might very well have followed the example of the murderer who strangled himself with a steel cable under the influence of [the falling object].
"I also have to thank Ayatsuji-sensei for her help back then,"
Ye Yihe, who had just put down his textbook, was beaming with joy. "I never expected things to go so smoothly, all thanks to you, teacher!"
Fyodor coughed lightly in his mind.
“—And Fyodor,” Ye Yihe readily added.
"That guy is facing me, the murder detective."
A wisp of smoke escaped from his lips as Ayatsuji Yukito chuckled, cradling an exquisite doll in his arms. He made no mention of how he had raced against time, staying up all night to search for crucial evidence in countless cases, all in order to ultimately outmaneuver Kyogoku Natsuhiko.
"His death at the hands of my powers is simply what he deserved."
“However,”—after praising himself so enthusiastically, Ayatsuji Yukito changed his tone, “that Dazai’s ability is also crucial. I have absolutely no interest in being endlessly haunted by [monsters]; the dead should just sleep peacefully.”
"There's another detective, Ranpo, I think? His methods for finding the bomb are also quite impressive."
Although Ayatsuji Yukito usually berates the agents who monitor him so harshly that they almost want to run away with their heads in their hands, his attitude becomes quite friendly when facing equally intelligent geniuses.
This is understandable. I heard that before Kyogoku Natsuhiko's identity was revealed, Ayatsuji Yukito would happily call him Kyogoku-sensei and even praised him highly for his unparalleled intelligence. Being remembered by him makes me feel extremely apprehensive...
I wonder if it has now become a dark chapter in his history that he can't mention.
"Dazai has been busy lately... If there's a chance later, we can all get together for afternoon tea."
Ye Yihe could understand Ayatsuji Yukito's feelings of having no one to chat with freely most of the time. It was probably similar to the loneliness of an elderly person at the top of a mountain, or an empty nester with no rivals in chess...?
“It’s easy to call Ranpo over; just tell him that the afternoon tea snacks are unlimited.”
On the surface, he's a renowned detective, but in reality, he's incredibly easy to fool.
"That suggestion sounds good,"
Meeting Ye Yihe, who spoke so pleasantly and tactfully, made Ayatsuji Yukito's expression even more relaxed.
"If those goldfish were half as smart as you, they could at least serve out two cups of tea prepared in the office."
Ye Yihe felt a little sorry for the agents who had to listen to Ayatsuji Yukito's sharp tongue every day.
Originally, the Special Abilities Department was supposed to assign a monitor to accompany him, someone who would be an elite selected from among the agents.
In reality, those agents barely lasted half a day before being overwhelmed by Ayatsuji Yukito's sharp tongue and running away in tears due to the psychological pressure.
So much so that he was able to avoid the people monitoring him from the outside and go out for a stroll at will.
"...So you snuck out of the office today."
Ye Yihe thought to himself, "No wonder I didn't see any police cars downstairs. Did you come here for a walk?"
"Pretty much. I had the taxi driver stop at the intersection ahead."
With a slight lift of his brow beneath the brim of his hat, Ayatsuji Yukito's lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile—if Commander Taneda saw that the dignified murder detective could be so understanding, he would probably drop his folding fan in surprise.
"Judging from your expression, you don't seem to intend to expose this base."
Ye Yihe: "Ah...indeed."
Enemies like Kyogoku Natsuhiko offer many chances to survive, but they are too cunning. It takes a collective effort from the top strategists to barely deliver a fatal blow to him.
He didn't even dare to imagine how this battle of wits would ultimately turn if another Kyogoku Natsuhiko, who knew the location of their small building, were to appear.
"Actually, someone from the Ministry of Justice asked me to contact you."
Ayatsuji Yukito's voice was languid, and his posture while sitting on the soft sofa was exceptionally comfortable, clearly indicating that he didn't take those words to heart at all.
"They said they wanted to ask you for more details about the Asukai and Kyogoku Natsuhiko incident. Hmph, I've already described it accurately and thoroughly enough in the incident report, but those government officials, who are no different from five-year-olds, are still arguing like they need a pacifier, wanting to hear your own explanation."
"...My own words?" Ye Yihe frowned.
"To be precise, this is a statement made by me, and by another personality within you."
Ayatsuji Yukito exhaled another puff of smoke—but this time, Ye Yihe firmly confiscated the pipe on the way.
"Smoking is not allowed here."
Having been holding it in for so long last time, Ye Yihe was finally able to put on a serious face and utter this reminder that had been lingering in his mind for a long time, now that he was on his own turf.
"Smoking is harmful to your health, Ayatsuji-sensei. You're a top-notch detective, you must understand this better than I do, right?"
"Cough cough," Ayatsuji Yukito choked on the smoke he hadn't fully exhaled. "Hmm, you're not wrong... that's true. I can't just make up some benefits of smoking..."
Listening to the renowned murder detective trying to find a reason to get his pipe back, Ye Yihe narrowed his eyes, "…………"
These brilliant, highly intelligent geniuses each have their own little quirks.
In contrast, Ranpo was the most well-behaved and obedient. He only liked to hear praise and eat snacks, and even his preferences were full of childish innocence.
“I wouldn’t mind making a trip to the Ministry of Justice,” Yeikh said. “Did you bring the blueprints for your new doll? I’d like to ask Ivan to help me make it.”
"Oh, I almost forgot about that."
Ayatsuji Yukito's eyes behind his brown-tinted sunglasses lit up slightly. He pulled out a carefully folded scroll from his pocket and gently handed it to Ye Yihe. "This is my treasure," he said.
He reminded him, "There aren't many masters who can make such exquisite dolls. I have high hopes for Lord Ivan's skills, which is why I brought out this treasured blueprint."
Ivan took the blueprints from Ye Yihe and glanced at them briefly. "There are no problems. Please give me one or two days to complete the project."
Although the most crucial piece of work, the doll costume, required extremely complex and detailed craftsmanship, the mimicry doll he created using his supernatural abilities could even replicate the clothes, so it wasn't a big problem.
Ye Yihe genuinely believes that if one day they become so poor they can't afford to eat, Ivan could make a fortune just by sculpting dolls... though he himself would probably be extremely unwilling...
"It will only take one to two days..."
Ayatsuji Yukito's eyes widened slightly, his attitude even more respectful than when he had treated Kyogoku Natsuhiko before his identity was revealed.
"This is truly amazing. You are indeed a master of handmade dolls."
If the farming commander could get this kind of attitude from him, he would probably sit up suddenly in the middle of the night in his dream and say, "[Really? Is he being sarcastic?]"
"After all, it's Ivan. He rarely makes dolls for others,"
Ye Yihe returned the pipe to Ayatsuji Yukito, and with his uninjured hand, he picked up the upgraded Guardian version of the Mini Ivan doll. "Shall we go over now?"
"Well, since you've decided to go, it wouldn't be bad to resolve this matter this morning."
Having finally reclaimed his original form, Ayatsuji Yukito narrowed his eyes, played with it between his fingertips for a moment, and still refrained from drawing it.
"If this drags on too long, who knows what else they might do. Not to mention that the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Home Affairs have never gotten along, especially when it comes to highly uncontrollable superhumans."
"I see,"
Ye Yihe recalled the Deputy Director Sakashita from the Ministry of Justice whom he had met before, who clearly didn't get along with Chief Taneda. "Will that Deputy Director Sakashita be here?"
After all, he came quite enthusiastically last time.
"That elite politician who's like a viper, you actually know him."
Ayatsuji Yukito raised an eyebrow. "Theoretically speaking, he won't be involved this time. He belongs to the judicial administration department, which is separate from the court's adjudication department. Some people have even privately complained that they're just 'administrators in judicial robes.'"
Seeing that Ye Yihe seemed to understand this part of the content but not quite, Ayatsuji Yukito pursed his lips, clearly wanting to take a puff of his cigarette but holding back.
“Foreigners might be confused when they hear this. Let me tell you about the utterly corrupt judicial bureaucrats in Japan.” — He then slowly held up two fingers.
"For newly appointed assistant judges, there are two paths to promotion: trial work. If they work diligently from the start of their term until retirement, except for the possibility of being promoted to judge after ten years, they will only be transferred to courts in different regions, with no major changes."
"Another path, one that only a lucky few judges and the truly elite can take, is to enter the judicial administration. Starting as a section chief, then becoming a director, chief of staff, president of the High Court, and finally president of the Supreme Court."
"Don't be fooled by the fact that the latter only has administrative functions such as personnel, promotion, budget, and regulation management. For judges who are engaged in trial work, they have a core power - [the power to command from above and obey from below].
"In other words, the Ministry of Justice's administrative agencies have the power to interpret laws and direct litigation in lower courts. They are the true 'judicial controllers' in name and in reality."
Judging from this, Deputy Director Sakashita's power is truly extraordinary... even though he's just a deputy director.
No wonder the head of the Special Abilities Department, Taneda, was so suppressed that he could barely say a few words.
"However, the situation with Asukai is already quite clear, and you won't be running into that guy today."
The slender pipe twirled between his fingers as Ayatsuji Yukito reassured Ye Yihe, "We're going to see an adjutant named Tonan, who's one rank below Sakashita."
"I'll talk to him then, you just stand next to me."
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