Inviting guests and hairy [bug catching]
The dimly lit arcade was filled with various types of arcade games, including two claw machines.
Tsurumi River ran wild from the moment he entered, and was someone that Dazai Osamu and Nakahara Chuuya could easily kill if they weren't careful.
Immersed in various arcade games, Tsurumi Nagare was having a blast. Although he was a gaming black hole, only winning about one out of ten games, it didn't stop him from inserting coins.
It only took Chuuya Nakahara five minutes to go from initial shock and questioning whether the game machine had adjusted the win rate to complete understanding with a numb expression.
The ochre-haired boy with azure eyes glanced at Dazai Osamu, gesturing with his eyes to Tsurumi Kawakami, who always gets back up from where he fell.
Chuuya Nakahara: "He hasn't played games before, has he?"
At least he had never seen anyone who could restart a simple match-3 game five times and still not be able to beat it.
Amidst his busy schedule, Dazai Osamu spared a glance at the enthusiastic Tsurumi Nagare, then withdrew his gaze and continued working, controlling his game character to defeat the enemy.
Holding the game tokens he had won, he looked for his next target: "Idiot, does he look like someone who's played before?"
Seeing his practiced manner, Chuuya narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a displeased expression, "Huh? You didn't even think of bringing him along?"
Dazai Osamu turned around and looked at him with a strange expression, as if he were looking at some kind of magical creature: "What nonsense are you talking about? Why did I bring him here?"
Chuuya Nakahara: "Aren't you friends?"
Osamu Dazai: "Is this how friends should be?"
The black-haired boy with hawk-like eyes asked seriously, a hint of doubt clearly showing in his eyes as he looked at him with puzzlement.
Chuuya Nakahara: "Of course, friends are people you hang out with."
Seeing that he was very angry, Dazai Osamu shrugged indifferently and walked to a game machine to insert coins.
Tsurumi Kawaru lost all his game tokens again. He looked at the game machine reluctantly, then ran up to Nakahara Chuuya and asked him for more tokens.
"Could you give me a few more? I'll treat you next time."
Chuuya Nakahara grabbed a handful of game tokens from his pocket and gave them to him, then led Tsurumi Ryu to a Ong-Bak arcade machine, where they inserted a few tokens.
"This is a lot of fun, let me show you how to play it."
Tsurumi Kawaru humbly accepted the instruction, standing next to Nakahara Chuuya and watching him operate the game. The sounds of the game characters performing actions were mixed with the background music, creating a very exciting atmosphere.
As the game ended, Tsurumi Kawakami clapped his hands enthusiastically, looking at Nakahara Chuuya with an admiring gaze, while staring at the large word "Victory" on the game console screen.
"Zhongye is amazing, he won in no time."
"It's nothing, this game is very simple. Come on, I'll teach you." Chuuya's ears turned slightly red as he accepted his admiration, feeling a little smug.
They played games until 11 PM, and by the time they finished, all three of them were hungry. Stepping out of the arcade, the sunlight outside was slightly dazzling.
Chuuya narrowed his eyes, turned to look at them, and said coolly with one hand in his pocket, "I'll treat you to dinner."
Tsurumi Kawakami's eyes lit up, and rubbing his rumbling stomach, he exclaimed excitedly, "Really? Chuuya, you're so kind!"
Dazai Osamu, who was lagging behind the other two, strolled over. When he heard Tsurumi Kawaru's words, his lips twitched, and he looked at Nakahara Chuuya with a hint of pity.
Tsurumi Kawakami sent a message to Mori Ougai, informing him that the three of them had arrived at a ramen shop near Raihachi Street.
Chuuya Nakahara seemed to be a frequent visitor. As soon as they entered, he led them to a seat by the window and ordered three bowls of tonkotsu ramen from the owner in a practiced tone.
Tsurumi Kawakami put down his cup, glanced hesitantly at the departing owner, and asked Chuuya in a low voice, "Just three servings?"
Chuuya looked at him in confusion: "Yeah, there are three of us."
Tsurumi Kawaru hesitated for a moment, then smiled shyly at him and said, "I have a big appetite, one bowl might not be enough to fill me up."
Chuuya Nakahara widened his eyes slightly, looking at him with some surprise, before saying generously, "It's okay, you can always ask for more if you're still hungry. Their tonkotsu ramen is delicious, and the portion is actually quite generous."
Dazai Osamu, who was sitting next to Tsurumi Kawakami, chuckled upon hearing this. When he saw the two of them turn to look at him, he covered his mouth and waved his hand.
Chuuya Nakahara frowned, glanced at him, and then looked away.
A short while later, three bowls of ramen were served.
Tsurumi Kawaru picked up his chopsticks, looking rather impatient. The portion of ramen was just as Nakahara Chuuya had described, with a milky white broth and an enticing aroma. It was piled high with bean sprouts and scallions, next to a soft-boiled egg, along with a few pieces of seaweed and slices of meat.
"How does it taste? Not bad, right?" Chuuya Nakahara raised an eyebrow, a hint of smugness in his eyes, and asked Tsurumi Ryuu, who was engrossed in eating.
Tsurumi slurped up the chewy ramen, nodding like a chick pecking at rice: "It's delicious."
Even Dazai Osamu, unusually stingy with praise, offered a single word of commendation.
Chuuya Nakahara snorted, but the smug look on his face quickly vanished as he looked at the ever-growing pile of bowls beside Tsurumi Kawa. His expression was one of utter astonishment as he stared back and forth at Tsurumi Kawa's bowl of noodles, unable to believe where all that ramen had gone.
Dazai Osamu was already used to this. He rested his elbow on the table, propped his chin on his hand, and glanced at him with a smile. "Oh, you probably didn't bring enough money, did you?"
Chuuya glared at him fiercely and said menacingly, "Who said that!"
He pulled out his wallet and slammed it on the table, then turned to Tsurumi Kawakami and said, "Kawakami, eat as much as you want, I have enough money to pay."
Tsurumi looked at Chuuya with a touched expression and raised his hand to ask the owner for another bowl of ramen.
When they came out of the ramen shop, Chuuya Nakahara's wallet was completely empty. He walked behind the two of them, clutching his flat wallet, somewhat questioning his life choices after just paying the bill.
Tsurumi Kawaru returned to Raiba Street with a lazy and satisfied expression, and waved goodbye happily to Nakahara Chuuya before parting ways.
"The ramen was delicious," the black-haired, golden-eyed boy said to Dazai Osamu, savoring the taste.
"Next time you want to eat here, you can ask Mr. Mori to order for you, or you can ask Chuuya to treat you again," Dazai Osamu said with a chuckle, determined not to be taken advantage of.
Tsurumi Kawakami didn't catch the implication in Dazai's words. He nodded thoughtfully and said happily, "Yes! Chuuya invited me this time, I'll invite him back next time!"
His piggy bank was already half full, which was more than enough to cover Chuuya's expenses for playing games and eating at the arcade.
As the two walked toward the clinic, talking, Tsurumi Kawaru saw a calico cat perched on the low wall. His eyes lit up and he took a few steps toward it, meowing softly.
"Dazai, there's a cat here." Tsurumi Kawaru called out softly, afraid of startling the cat.
Dazai Osamu wasn't particularly interested in furry things, only glancing at them. When he saw that it was a rather rare calico cat, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
“Mr. Mori won’t let you raise it.” He didn’t approach, but stood there with his arms crossed, watching him slowly walk closer.
Tsurumi Kawaru stood under the low wall, raised his arm, and carefully approached with his palm facing up. His eyes were bright, and his dazzling golden pupils were like amber under the sunlight, clear and transparent.
Seeing that the cat did not run away or resist, Tsurumi Kawaru carefully picked it up from the wall.
“I didn’t say I wanted to keep it, I just saw it and thought the kitten was cute.” As he spoke, he lifted the calico cat and handed it to Dazai Osamu.
Dazai Osamu took a step back in disgust. "You really do attract furry people."
Tsurumi Kawakami hugged the cat and scratched its chin with his hand, "Because they are all cute."
Dazai Osamu scoffed at this and strode towards the clinic, leaving him behind.
-
Tsurumi Kawaru, holding the cat, pushed open the glass door and said, "Dr. Mori, we're back!"
Upon entering and seeing the stranger sitting on the sofa, she immediately lowered her voice.
He sat down on the other side of the sofa, holding the cat, and looked at the long-haired young man opposite him with a hint of curiosity in his clear golden eyes. Despite the weather, the young man seemed to be afraid of the cold and was wearing a black coat.
"In that case, I'll take my leave." Rando glanced indifferently at Tsurumi Kawa, then stood up and nodded slightly to Mori Ōgai.
Mori Ōgai also got up and saw him out.
Tsurumi Kawakami, holding a cat, followed beside him. Seeing the man leave, he asked curiously, "Dr. Mori, was he also here to buy information?"
He still remembered the silver-haired man in samurai attire he had met last time; the man had come to buy information.
Mori Ougai paused, smiled but didn't answer the question. Instead, he noticed the cat in Mori Ougai's arms and asked, "This kind of calico cat is quite rare."
This color pattern reminded Mori Ougai of someone's yin-yang hair color.
Tsurumi Kawa's attention was diverted, and he held up the cat to show it to her, saying happily, "Really? I've seen it around here many times before, but it always ran away before I could get close. This time, the cat didn't run away."
Upon hearing his words, Mori Ougai's gaze toward the calico cat suddenly became unfathomable, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes, as he reached out to touch the calico cat.
The calico cat lay nestled in Tsurumi Kawaru's arms, letting him pet and stroke it.
Mori Ougai stroked its fur, wondering if he was overthinking things.
Just then, Dazai Osamu walked over and, seeing them petting the cat, looked at them with some disdain for the flying cat hair. "Mr. Mori, you like cats too?"
When Mori Ōgai saw him coming, he suddenly remembered something, "Did Dazai touch this cat?"
Tsurumi Kawakami sneezed, shook his head upon hearing this, and said, "Dazai doesn't like cats."
"Is that so?" Mori Ougai glanced at the cat, then turned and beckoned Dazai Osamu over.
Tsurumi Kawakami sat on the sofa, holding a cat, looking at Dazai Osamu who was walking over with some confusion.
Suddenly, the cat in his arms kicked its hind legs and jumped off, leaping onto the medicine cabinet and arching its back to hiss at them.
Standing next to the sofa, Osamu Dazai shrugged and spread his hands innocently, saying, "I didn't do anything."
Mori Ougai squinted and stared at the wild-looking calico cat on the cabinet for a while before telling Dazai to open the door and let the cat out.
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