Chapter 8 of the game is devoid of playfulness; it's all evil.
Something was definitely not right; Rei Furuya felt like something was wrong with his brain.
Late at night, Mingming was so sleepy while patrolling the dormitory that he felt like he was sleepwalking, but he couldn't fall asleep no matter what he did after lying in bed.
The quiet environment and the night, which amplified emotions, caused the emotions that Rei Furuya had managed to suppress to surge back once again.
Unable to fall asleep again, Rei Furuya sat up, the blanket slipping off and loosely draped around his waist. He covered his face and let out a long, unintelligible howl: "Ah!"
It must be because what happened during the day was too embarrassing!
What was he thinking? Why did he insist on going to the bathhouse like he was possessed?!
The alarm clock hands were still ticking away beside him, and even after silently counting to three hundred in his mind, Furuya Rei remained as awake as if he'd drunk a cup of black coffee. He finally realized:
He even indulged himself during his precious rest time at the police academy—
He has insomnia!
Realizing this, Furuya Rei gave up resisting and lay back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling with unfocused eyes, intending to slowly deduce his psychological journey through the series of dementias he had experienced that day.
"Zero, are you... acting a little strange?"
The words of his childhood friend played on repeat in his mind during the day, but the accompanying picture changed from Morofushi Kagemitsu's hesitant face to a steamy bathhouse.
Through a thin mist, Kitagawa Ryusei stood not far away, carefully drying his hair, his T-shirt sliding down to the other side as he raised his hand.
Details I had seen but hadn't had time to notice before suddenly surfaced, the most striking of which was the water droplet on Kitagawa Ryusei's bangs.
The hair dripped down onto the back of her fair hand, then along her wrist and forearm.
Rei Furuya quickly looked away.
What exactly is wrong?
Rei Furuya raised his hand, looked at the back of his wheat-colored hand in the moonlight, and then gazed at the moon peeking out through his fingers.
He asked himself.
If he were the one embarrassing himself in front of Matsuda Jinpei today, would he have reacted this strongly?
Rei Furuya spent two seconds thinking about the question before quickly arriving at a negative answer.
—If that curly-haired bastard dares to laugh at him, Rei Furuya will dare to knock out his newly filled tooth again.
Then... why couldn't he be so open and honest with Kitagawa Ryusei?
Answer: I don't know.
Rei Furuya rolled over, shifting to a side-lying position, his cheek pressed against the pillow, his gray-purple eyes blinking twice in the darkness.
So the problem was actually with Kitagawa Ryusei?
*
Before finding the answer completely, Rei Furuya began to consciously avoid Ruki Kitagawa.
This includes, but is not limited to, queuing at window A for meals while he queues at window B; giving up the seat next to Hiro to sit next to Matsuda Jin; and always being at the forefront during training, pushing the pace of the entire class faster and faster...
It wasn't until a completely bewildered Morofushi Kagemitsu forcibly pulled him back, his face full of worry and confusion, that he asked, "Zero, what's wrong with you today?"
Yesterday it was just that something was off, but today every move he makes is even more puzzling.
However, Furuya Rei was completely oblivious, casting questioning glances at the people around him and repeating Morofushi Kagemitsu's words: "What's wrong with me?"
Meanwhile, Date Wataru, using the same scrutiny he used to observe a suspect's footprints, stared at him quietly: "That's strange!"
The four people standing behind him nodded in unison in agreement.
"Is it hard to check the dorms at night? Did you get confused from being punished by the instructors?" Kitagawa Ryusei boldly speculated, but after observing Morofushi Kagemitsu, who was also being punished, and then looking at him, he rejected this conjecture in his heart.
It's possible that the other person didn't get enough rest, but they don't seem to have suffered a blow; rather, they seem to be feeling guilty.
So he asked, "Did you break the rules again last night?"
Furuya Rei's half-moon-shaped eyes widened instantly, and he exclaimed, forgetting all about maintaining distance, "How is that possible!"
He's just been punished; he doesn't have the guts to break the law!
In his eagerness to clarify, he appeared overly agitated, which made him seem somewhat suspicious and drew the attention of other students on the playground.
However, Kenji Hagiwara stroked his chin and said, "I don't think so either. Furuya is too upright; he's unlikely to break the rules without someone egging him on."
Matsuda Jinpei, who instigated the fight on the very first day, was rather blunt: "Did you take the wrong medicine? Did you break up with your boyfriend?"
Upon hearing this, Rei Furuya's forehead veins throbbed uncontrollably, and he gritted his teeth: "Get out of here, you bastard!"
As everyone's speculations grew increasingly outrageous, Morofushi Kagemitsu seemed to remember something, his gaze thoughtfully falling on his childhood friend's eyes, which had started to dodge after only a few words.
"Alright, why are you all staring at me?" Finally unable to bear the gazes that seemed to want to dissect him on the spot, Furuya Rei's back stiffened instinctively, and he changed the subject: "If we don't hurry to the training gym, we'll be late!"
It turns out that when you deliberately try to avoid someone, that person's presence actually becomes stronger.
His every move will be magnified and analyzed infinitely in your mind. If you want to avoid him, you must first know what he is doing and what he is going to do.
In just a few days, Furuya Rei discovered many small details about Kitagawa Ryusei that he had usually overlooked.
For example, although Kitagawa Ryusei's overall grades were only in the upper-middle range of his class, 80% of that was due to his poor performance in theoretical courses such as police administration and police organization.
On the contrary, his scores in physical fitness and tactics, weapons handling, and criminal investigation were all outstanding, as if he had mastered them from a young age.
In cultural courses, Kitagawa Ryusei has a very high level of English.
This person even has a dabbling in Italian, Russian, and Spanish, with Italian being his forte.
He seemed to have even studied calligraphy, as his handwriting was vigorous and elegant.
However, when asked about these things, Kitagawa Ryusei avoided eye contact: "My family used to run a business, so I learned a little bit by following the adults around."
Before he could ask any more questions, Furuya Rei suddenly remembered his plan to stay away from the other person, and in that moment of distraction, Kitagawa Ryusei was called away by someone else.
"Zero?"
It wasn't until his childhood friend woke him up that Rei Furuya realized he had been staring blankly at Ruki Kitagawa's profile.
He fell into self-doubt once again: "What have I been doing...?"
...
As police academy life went by, few people knew about Furuya Rei's troubles. Everyone had their own worries, more or less.
After finishing a day's work, Rei Furuya hadn't even had a chance to rest when he heard a knock on his dormitory door.
"Knock knock knock".
The three sounds are very regular, and the rhythm is like that of a serpent.
"Hiro? Is there something you need?" he asked, pushing open the door.
One of the windows in the corridor was open, and a cool breeze was blowing through.
Morofushi Kagemitsu and Hagiwara Kenji stood side by side, their faces grim and their expressions solemn: "There's something we'd like to ask you for help with..."
Without a word, Furuya Rei went back inside, grabbed his phone, put on his coat, and closed the door behind him as he came out: "What's wrong? Is it urgent?"
Seeing his alarmed expression, Morofushi Kagemitsu suddenly felt a little embarrassed: "Um... it's really nothing serious."
"It's Xiao Liusheng! He's won three rounds already! Only the class monitor is still struggling. We need someone who can beat him!"
Kenji Hagiwara replied without any hesitation.
"ha?"
After roughly understanding the situation, Furuya Rei asked incredulously, "So you guys kept losing at the simulation game, and you came to me for backup late at night?!"
He protested, "You didn't even call me!"
"We just saw that you looked like you desperately needed to catch up on sleep lately, and you went straight back to the dorm after training, so we thought we'd let you get some rest."
Kenji Hagiwara, seemingly unaffected by his gaze, patted Rei Furuya on the shoulder as if entrusting him with a heavy responsibility: "But right now, we urgently need you, the top student at the police academy, to step forward and defeat the darkness!"
Rei Furuya: ...Has things gotten this serious?
This is actually a card game that police academy students often play, simulating a game between police and criminals, where resources are allocated and conditions are met by drawing cards.
A victory is achieved when either the police successfully subdue the perpetrator or the perpetrator successfully escapes.
No wonder they dug Furuya Rei out of the dormitory overnight; Kitagawa Ryusei had truly gone mad with killing.
Morofushi Kagemitsu half-jokingly pushed the person into the room and said, "It's mainly because the Ryusei Bureau's thugs are winning every time. If this continues, I'm afraid my faith will be wiped out by the 'evil forces' before it even leaves the school."
The atmosphere in the room was tense, with a small folding table covered with cards.
Matsuda and the class monitor had solemn expressions, and the way they looked at the card in Date Wataru's hand was very similar to how they had stared at the test papers earlier that day.
In stark contrast to the two was Kitagawa Ryusei. He sat calmly at the other end, a long black coat casually draped over his shoulders, his limbs relaxed, his expression leisurely and unhurried.
Offering him a glass of red wine or champagne would be even more fitting, Furuya Rei thought to himself without any particular reason.
Upon noticing the newcomers, Kitagawa Ryusei initially kept his eyes straight ahead, gently tapping a card on the table between two fingers. Date Wataru's gaze became even more serious before he turned his head, glancing at them from the corner of his eye, his tone dismissive: "Has the last hope arrived?"
Rei Furuya: ...He must have opened the door wrong!
Otherwise, why does this scene look more and more like a gambling thug setting a trap for a poor student?
After being pushed onto the game table, Furuya Rei quickly found his place: yet another sucker pushed into the abyss by his wayward classmates.
He struggled to maintain his composure: "So many of you are bullying him alone?" And you haven't even won once.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone turned to look at him, their gazes unwavering.
Morobuchi Kagemitsu: "It's him."
Kenji Hagiwara: "Alone."
Matsuda Jinpei: "They're bullying us!"
Still persevering, Date Wataru's eyes shone brightly, like a dragon warrior carrying a longsword: "I haven't lost yet! Don't give up so soon, everyone!"
Jianggu Ling: "..."
Matsuda Jinpei, who had been on-site the whole time, gave a brief introduction to the current game situation.
"In the convenience store robbery, Kitagawa currently has two robbers and twenty hostages, including the elderly, women, and children, and he has essentially taken control of the entire convenience store..."
"The squad leader knows that there is only one person, one baton, and one vehicle... Now that the police's identity has been exposed, they are being targeted by the criminals. Fortunately, the police have high initial combat strength and can withstand beatings."
"The odds aren't high," Kenji Hagiwara said, quickly getting into the zone and stroking his chin. "Although I don't know what other tricks Ryusei is up to, class president, you still have a chance!"
“...Is that so?” Although he didn’t quite believe it verbally, Date Wataru’s eyes narrowed, and he firmly pressed the card onto the table:
"Natural disaster or man-made calamity—the convenience store suddenly lost power, and one of the kidnappers needs to leave for five minutes to check the situation!"
Everyone here is a professional; you can automatically fill in the blanks in your mind about how the case will unfold without needing any explanation.
—With one of the kidnappers gone, the police will certainly seize the opportunity to counterattack. The next step is simply to maintain control through force and ensure the safety of the hostages.—
“Kidnapper #3 has arrived, and the shop assistant is also one of my people.” Kitagawa Ryusei’s words shattered the hopes in the eyes of the others.
Matsuda Jinpei stared in disbelief: "How many men do you actually have?!"
"Guess." Kitagawa Ryusei said mysteriously, giving everyone a wink.
There's no playfulness, just pure evil.
Is there really no way to turn things around...? Ida Wataru gritted his teeth and slammed his last card on the table:
"Weapon - a knife."
Even if he gets injured, he will bring the criminals to justice!
Having dealt with too many police officers, Kitagawa Ryusei easily saw through the other party's thoughts and sighed, "Squad leader, what you're doing is likely to provoke the kidnappers."
"Kidnappers number 4 and 5 appeared, bringing a van to pick up their three accomplices."
He flipped over all the cards in his hand, thought for a moment, and still didn't let the kidnappers attack the hostages and police: "In the face of human wave tactics, force is actually very difficult to play a role."
Everyone fell silent.
The outcome was already clear. Date Wataru let out a sigh of relief, looked at the cards on the table, and prepared to concede: "I..."
Before he could finish speaking, a wheat-colored hand reached out from the side.
Rei Furuya picked up a card from the table that Wataru Date had forgotten about from the very beginning.
"Then what if we use even more people to counter a human wave tactic?"
Rei Furuya chuckled softly: "Everything the police are doing is stalling for time. He notified his colleagues from the very beginning."
As he spoke, he held up the card in his hand, revealing the card: Cellphone Number 2.
Holding the card between two fingers, the blond youth's smile gradually became confident: "We've caught them all, Kitagawa-kun."
“Wow…it really is,” the unexpected turn of events left Kitagawa Ryusei momentarily stunned. Inappropriately, he looked at Furuya Rei’s blond hair under the lamplight and said from the bottom of his heart, “Furuya-kun is so handsome.”
This time, it was Furuya Rei who was caught off guard, and his face turned completely red in an instant, but fortunately no one noticed.
He glanced at Kitagawa Ryusei, whose light brown eyes appeared even more pure and sincere under the light. He didn't think he had said anything outrageous.
"Yay!" Matsuda Jinpei cheered from the side.
Morofushi Kagemitsu was still thinking: "Seeking help to buy time is indeed the best course of action when the enemy's situation is unclear."
Kenji Hagiwara's attention wandered: "Quick, quick, truth or dare! Class president, you have to avenge us!"
"What truth or dare? Is there a penalty for failing?" Furuya Rei asked, pulling himself back to reality.
Seeing that Date Wataru was still lost in thought, Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled and replied, "That's right, Hagiwara and I chose truth or dare, while Matsuda will attend a mixer before next week."
At the game table, Kitagawa Ryusei, true to his word, said, "I choose truth."
The adventures here are boring; they're far too simple compared to the ones he played in the port Mafia, like "climbing down from the 50th floor," "freediving for 30 minutes," or "catching a bird flying 100 meters in the air."
He waited a while, but didn't hear Date Wataru speak, so he wondered, "Squad leader?"
Others also cast worried glances upon hearing the sound.
"Sorry!" Date Wataru snapped out of his thoughts and smiled, "I'm not very good at asking questions. How about we give this opportunity to Morofushi?"
"I have no objection," Kitagawa Ryusei said indifferently.
Zhu Fujingguang's smile deepened: "I couldn't ask for more."
Kenji Hagiwara was eager to seize the opportunity, but was easily suppressed by Jinpei Matsuda.
"Although Master Jing seems gentle, he's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve," said the intuitive curly-haired man.
Just a table away, Kitagawa Ryusei heard everything clearly.
Wait... no way.
Rei Furuya finally calmed the heat off his face and watched from the side. Although his face remained calm, his eyes were a little bigger than usual.
Zhu Fujingguang could see it clearly.
His gaze slowly shifted from his childhood friend to the young man. Morofushi Kagemitsu maintained his friendly smile, but his expression made Kitagawa Ryusei unconsciously swallow, as if he sensed danger and every cell in his body was on high alert.
"My question is—Ryusei, what is your ideal type?"
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