Chapter 20 Running away? What's this? Sleeping with someone and then running away?!
It's about 460 kilometers from Tokyo to Higashiyama Ward in Kyoto. If they set off now, they could reach their destination late at night.
Newly graduated guys have no shortage of motivation to just pack up and go.
After finalizing the plan, Kenji Hagiwara immediately rented a seven-seater car and announced that he would let Ruki Kitagawa, who had never experienced his driving skills before, experience the best travel route.
He was getting really bored with police academy life where he couldn't drive.
Kitagawa Ryusei, who had witnessed from afar the other side throwing the kidnappers' car off course: "..."
Yeah, it's okay. He has special abilities, so don't panic.
Furuya Rei chuckled, realizing he could now read Hagiwara's micro-expressions: "Don't worry, Hagiwara's driving skills are a bit arrogant, but still quite safe."
"I wasn't nervous," Kitagawa Ryusei defended himself.
Raising her hand to brush the spiky strands of hair from his head, Furuya Rei's lips tightened into a serious expression: "I didn't say you were nervous."
Kitagawa Ryusei: ...
Thanks to Kenji Hagiwara's driving style of using the accelerator like a foot pedal, they arrived in Kyoto not too late.
Everyone can get some sleep at the hotel tonight.
"There are only four double rooms left. Jinhei and I will share one." Kenji Hagiwara waved four room cards in his hand: "Morofushi, class monitor, here are your room cards."
Goodnight everyone.
With a young couple present, everyone unanimously assumed that Rei Furuya and Ruki Kitagawa would be a couple.
In fact, apart from that night at the hospital, the two had never shared a bed with each other again: "..."
Well, we're all adults now. While we wouldn't be coy at the crucial moment, we'd still feel a little embarrassed.
Be open and honest, like the valley zero. You must be open and honest.
He patted his cheeks and muttered to himself, then followed Kitagawa Ryusei, who was walking ahead with the room key.
As soon as he entered the room, the usually carefree Furuya was grabbed by the button on his shirt and staggered forward.
He almost knocked Kitagawa Ryusei down.
A soft click.
He looked down at the sound and glanced at his coat.
As expected, the button on her chest was cut off, leaving only a bare hole.
A question mark slowly appeared above the head of the descent zero.
Kitagawa Ryusei released him.
Hold a round object between your index and middle fingers and wiggle it from side to side.
Seeing that the person was still in a daze, he paused, then slowly narrowed his eyes: "Ah... so you weren't planning to give it to me?"
Having never experienced this kind of fun between student couples before, Kitagawa Ryusei, after learning the meaning of the second button, thought it was childish but still naturally gave it to him.
But it seems that Furuya-kun has forgotten about this.
So Kitagawa Ryusei had no choice but to take matters into his own hands and "rob" it openly.
Faced with the young man whose aura had inexplicably surged, Furuya Rei's survival instinct kicked in, and he frantically shook his head: "How is this possible!"
I remembered it before, but a series of things got in the way and I forgot!
And Ryusei, how could you make such a scary expression with such an innocent face?!
You received a satisfactory answer.
Kitagawa Ryusei carefully placed the spoils he had "forcibly taken" into his wallet, and only put down the scissors after twirling them beautifully in his hand.
His gaze instantly softened like ice melting in early spring, and his tone warmed: "You scared me to death, I thought you didn't want to."
As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows, still sporting that obedient expression.
Having narrowly escaped disaster, Furuya Rei was no longer embarrassed or ashamed; all he wanted to do was grab his shoulders, shake him, and shout.
This script is wrong!
It wasn't until he looked up and met a mocking gaze that he realized the person in front of him was doing it on purpose.
"Ryu, Ichi! You're something else!"
However, Kitagawa Ryusei was prepared. He slipped into the bathroom, only peeking out half his head through the crack in the door: "I want to take a shower first, is that alright, Mr. Zero?"
Jianggu Ling: "..."
The sudden shout startled Furuya Rei, and the chance to refuse vanished in an instant.
When he came to his senses, he looked up and saw his dark, ruddy face reflected in the glass door of the bathroom.
What a sly fellow!
Raising his hand to cover his face, Rei Furuya's gray-purple eyes peeked out from between his fingers, his gaze almost burning a hole in the bathroom door.
Not obedient at all. He thought angrily to himself—how come it took him so long to see his true colors!
In fact, nothing inappropriate happened until I fell asleep.
The daytime graduation ceremony and the six-hour drive were too exhausting. By the time Rei Furuya finished showering and came out, Ruki Kitagawa was already asleep.
The person on the bed obediently curled up inside, leaving most of the bed empty. When they felt the blanket being pulled back, they only opened one eye halfway and then quickly closed it again.
...Looking at it this way, he's actually quite well-behaved. Furuya Rei immediately betrayed the person he was half an hour ago.
He turned off the bedside lamp, lay down, and put one hand on the waist of the person next to him.
"good evening."
*
Sanjusangendo Temple, also known as Rengeō-in Temple, is one of the most awe-inspiring Buddhist temples in Kyoto.
The wooden corridor is divided into thirty-three sections by beams and pillars, hence the name.
The main hall houses 1,001 statues of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin, with the only seated Guanyin statue being designated a National Treasure of Japan.
Just standing here is enough to calm any restless mind.
There weren't many people outside, but young people dressed in traditional kimonos were taking photos in the courtyard.
The pine and cypress pavilion stands beside the pond, and the flowerbeds along the stone path are blooming with seasonal flowers. Not far away, a row of wind chimes and windmills hang from the vermilion corridor, making a tinkling sound.
"The reason for using the number 33 is said to be twofold: first, because Guanyin uses 33 faces to save all sentient beings; and second, because it originates from the Thirty-Three Heavens in Buddhism."
The fellow travelers chatted animatedly, explaining to their companions, while the police academy students, who knew little about the matter, also listened attentively.
Only Kitagawa Ryusei's brow twitched as he listened, and he lowered his voice with a hint of helplessness to remind them, "Just listen to these words, don't actually believe them."
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads to look at him, puzzled.
He had no choice but to explain: "The Thousand-Armed Guanyin originates from Mahayana Buddhism and belongs to the Buddhist Bodhisattva system, while the Thirty-Three Heavens, as the abode of Indra, belongs to the Dharma Protector system."
Unlike the former's compassion, the latter often symbolizes power and protection.
Being in a temple, everyone lowered their voices to show respect. Matsuda Jinpei asked in surprise, "You know a lot about Buddhism."
It doesn't look like it.
Rei Furuya also remembered that Ryusei Kitagawa had asked him before whether he believed in gods.
Kitagawa Ryusei shook his head: "I just happen to know a little about it."
"The Thirty-Three Heavens are also called the Trayastrimsa Heaven. In Buddhism, it belongs to the second heaven of the Desire Realm. It is located on Mount Sumeru and is one of the only two 'earth-dwelling heavens' in the heavenly realm. What is interesting is that the gods of the Desire Realm are actually like mortals. They have physical forms and do not reject material and spiritual pleasures. They are also indulging in desires."
After hearing his explanation, the others looked on with curiosity: "Ryusei, are you really not religious?"
"Really!" Kitagawa Ryusei exclaimed, both amused and exasperated. "Why would I lie to you?"
Compared to these guys who have an extra faith in the cherry blossom badge, his faith is clearly more singular.
"Aren't you going to ask for amulets?" he reminded them at the right moment, "If you don't line up now, you might miss it."
Although I'm not religious, I absolutely have to bring one of these amulets back with me!
Upon hearing this, everyone was startled and immediately rushed to join the queue.
Kitagawa Ryusei wasn't interested in the amulet, but he did draw a fortune stick along the way.
“Ah… it’s Daikichi.” Furuya Rei came closer and peeked out from behind him, his fluffy golden head looking from a distance as if it were resting on Kitagawa Ryusei’s shoulder.
"Ryusei's luck is really—" He was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
The lucky charm with the inscription "Great Fortune" was placed on the blond youth's forehead by its owner.
Rei Furuya blinked, clearly not understanding what he meant.
"Here you go, good luck." Kitagawa Ryusei released his fingers from Kitagawa's forehead, looking pleased with his good fortune.
His eyes sparkled with light.
Rei Furuya reached out and caught the fortune slip that fell from his forehead. Thinking about what he was about to do, he remained silent for a moment but couldn't help himself.
He opened his arms and hugged the young man tightly, holding him close in his embrace.
"Thanks."
"Cough cough!" Kenji Hagiwara and the others finally got their amulets, and when they turned around, they were faced with this scene. They coughed loudly.
—You two better watch your behavior!
October marks the beginning of autumn, when both the temperature and sunlight remain within the range most suitable for human survival.
It won't be too hot to play in, and you don't have to worry about being restricted by thick clothes.
Having finally made it to Kyoto, everyone was determined to have a great time and visited all the famous nearby attractions.
Wataru Date and Kenji Hagiwara brought a lot of gifts; the former was for his girlfriend, while the latter, apart from the gifts for his family, gave the rest to his female friends.
Carrying large and small bags, I was so tired that even delicious food couldn't evoke any enthusiasm in me.
The sukiyaki was bubbling and emitting a delicious aroma, and Matsuda Jinpei was nodding his head back and forth, almost slamming the bowl down several times.
“Poor Sukiyaki-san, he hasn’t received any attention at all,” Morofushi Kagemitsu sighed, resting his chin on his hand.
Kenji Hagiwara poked at the crab mushrooms in his bowl with his chopsticks: "The taste is still pretty good, but I'm a bit too full from the snacks I had during the day."
As he spoke, he shifted his attention, grabbed his childhood friend's shoulder, shook him, and said with great emotion, "Jinpei! What's wrong, Jinpei!"
Matsuda Jinpei, who had almost fallen asleep, was suddenly jolted awake, veins throbbing on his forehead: "Hagi! Come closer, let's have a proper chat!"
Only the class monitor upheld the fine quality of not wasting food and consistently ate his dinner properly.
"Damn it! I absolutely will not accept raw eggs with sauce!" Kitagawa Ryusei stood firmly guarding his bowl, his expression defiant, not giving Furuya Rei any chance to take advantage.
To show his determination, he repeated, "Absolutely!"
Kitagawa Ryusei refuses to cook any raw egg dishes except for soft-boiled eggs!
Especially the devilish way of eating savory beef dipped in raw egg!
With a flick of his chopsticks, Furuya Rei had no choice but to put the beef in his mouth, looking puzzled: "Is it really that hard to accept?"
Then he watched as the reddish-brown-haired youth's gaze gradually lost focus, revealing his disdain, while he muttered to himself.
I leaned closer and listened, and it turned out to be: "Respect, understanding, everyone has their own preferences...wait, raw egg..."
Rei Furuya chuckled, speechless: "Is it really that exaggerated?"
Kitagawa Ryusei met his gaze silently.
Before long, Furuya Rei was defeated... well, it seems quite exaggerated.
Since they couldn't eat anymore, they simply ordered a dozen beers. You know, when you're drinking, there's no such thing as being full.
It's like having a different stomach for drinking and eating.
Rei Furuya had only gone out to answer a phone call, and when he came back, he saw Ruki Kitagawa drinking heavily and everyone else passed out.
The young man's eyes were clear, even brighter than usual. He slammed the empty can onto the table with a thud, then looked around at everyone: "Anyone else?"
Kenji Hagiwara, whose face was flushed from drinking too fast, covered his mouth and shook his head. He quickly grabbed his childhood friend around the waist, who was about to roll up his sleeves and get in his way, and shook his head to dissuade him with a slightly tearful voice: "You can't drink as much as Jinpei, you can't drink as much!"
He appears to be delirious.
Meeting the young man's gaze as he looked around, Date Kou raised his hands in surrender and withdrew from the battlefield: "I have to drive tomorrow."
Morofushi Kagemitsu was probably in the same camp as Kitagawa Ryusei, and he remained seated with an elegant smile, saying nothing.
Well... thankfully, he knew he shouldn't judge a book by its cover and questioned Ryusei's drinking capacity.
Hearing Furuya Rei push open the door, Kitagawa Ryusei immediately abandoned the battlefield and turned around, looking up at him.
He ignored the row of empty cans in front of him, pursed his lips pitifully, and began to twist the truth: "They filled me up..."
Everyone: Haha... Really?
Kitagawa Ryusei then extended his hands to the blond youth and said, "I'm drunk."
After a moment of eye contact, Furuya Rei's gaze softened. He pulled the young man up from the ground and echoed his words: "Yes, they went too far."
Everyone: ...So annoying, but we have to smile.
To avoid being blinded by the couple's displays of affection, the single people united in their indignation and pushed the two scheming individuals and the sleepy, innocent class monitor, who had been caught in the crossfire, out of the room.
The two returned to their room.
The moment the door closed, Rei Furuya turned around and saw the young man approaching him.
That face was so close, it smelled of alcohol, and it looked like it was about to kiss me.
Rei Furuya avoided eye contact, raised his hands, took a step back against the wall, and stared stiffly at the approaching person, swallowing with difficulty: "Aren't you going to take a shower first?"
Perhaps due to the influence of alcohol, Kitagawa Ryusei's eyes moved a little slower than usual. Upon hearing this, he said "Oh" and pushed away slightly.
Before Furuya Rei could even breathe a sigh of relief, he saw Kitagawa Ryusei's gaze gradually becoming more critical as he scanned him.
My gaze lingered on a certain spot for an unusually long time.
Before I stepped into the bathroom, I could still hear his confused voice: "...It shouldn't be, right?"
In that instant, blood rushed to his brain, and Rei Furuya was left with nothing but exclamation marks all over his head: !!
Is that what he meant...?
Kitagawa Ryusei picked up the prepared change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom.
Why take a bath? I'm not taking one!
This matter is very serious, and he felt it should be discussed and clarified immediately, without delay!
Rei Furuya reached out to stop the bathroom door from closing and barged in with a serious expression.
Where he couldn't see, a smile flickered in Kitagawa Ryusei's eyes.
So good.
...
The hotel bathroom is large enough for two people to stand comfortably.
The showerhead diligently sprayed hot water, creating a hazy, misty atmosphere in the space.
A pale white hand braced itself against the wall tiles, then slipped and fell due to the water vapor, before being pulled onto a dark-skinned shoulder.
The occasional sounds of overflowing water were mixed with the sound of running water, but were firmly locked by the bathroom door.
After an unknown amount of time, only a pair of legs emerged from the bathroom.
Wrapped tightly in a white yukata, Kitagawa Ryusei was carefully placed on the bed. Her exposed, pale skin was flushed, perhaps from being in the hot water for too long.
"Ryusei," Rei Furuya said, leaning against the person in front of him, his view of him from above was unobstructed. His gray-purple eyes were clear, his eyebrows curved, and his tone was sincere: "I prefer to sleep naked."
The young man didn't even bother to lift a finger; he just hummed twice and didn't understand what he meant.
The other person's dazed appearance made Furuya Rei chuckle softly, and he reached out to lift the other person's neck.
"Please open your eyes, Ryusei?"
When things calmed down, Kitagawa Ryusei realized with despair that dawn was breaking...
He fell into a deep sleep without any effort, and when he woke up, he was determined to have a good heart-to-heart talk with that overly energetic jerk, Kitagawa Ryusei thought.
He will never reflect on the fact that he provoked first.
When the sun was high in the sky, Kitagawa Ryusei was woken up by a knock on the door and almost couldn't get up.
"Kofiya, Rukio, have you seen Komorobuchi?" It was Kenji Hagiwara knocking on the door.
After waiting for a while and no one came to open the door, Kitagawa Ryusei sat up in bed and looked around before realizing that he was the only one in the room.
Zero is not included.
The curtains were carefully closed, preventing any glaring sunlight from entering.
Having had a nightmare about fighting a bear all night, Kitagawa Ryusei had noticeable dark circles under his eyes.
"Coming, coming," he muttered as he slipped on his slippers to open the door, pausing as he turned around.
He hadn't noticed it clearly before, and only now did he realize that someone's backpack was no longer in its original place.
The new toiletries had been opened and used, and only Kitagawa Ryusei's pair of hotel slippers remained.
The amulet and a pair of buttons that I placed by my bedside last night are now all gone, leaving only one.
There was a breakfast on the table, along with a label featuring a kneeling stick figure.
There was nothing else.
When the door to the room opened and he saw Kitagawa Ryusei, Hagiwara Kenji's words caught in his throat, neither coming out nor going out.
The crew neck T-shirt couldn't cover anything at all; the marks on her neck were clearly visible.
There was no one else in the room.
The brown-haired youth's expression was completely blank, devoid of any emotion.
Intuition told Kenji Hagiwara that it was best not to speak right now.
"Call up."
As expected, Kitagawa Ryusei spoke expressionlessly, each word distinct and clear, his teeth chattering.
What is this? Sleeping with someone and then running away?!
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