·103｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·103
Please hug me.
Half an hour later, the bomber was transferred to the First Investigation Division.
When he was handed over to Inspector Megure, the bomber's gaunt face was covered in snot and tears. He kept his head down the whole time, his eyes unfocused, as if his soul had been crushed.
Inspector Megure realized something, but he only gave Kazami Yuya a meaningful look and said nothing.
During the subsequent interrogation, the bomber remained uncooperative and silent throughout. He cried horribly, his back hunched, with snot running down his face.
"Nakata!" Inspector Megure slammed his fist on the interrogation table like an enraged lion. "We've already collected your fingerprints from the bomb! We've also found the blueprints in your room! Stop resisting!"
But the bomber surnamed Nakata simply looked up, glanced slowly at Inspector Megure with his unfocused eyes, and then lowered his gaze again.
"Knock knock".
There was a knock on the interrogation room door. Inspector Megure gestured for Inspector Shiratori to get up and open the door, only to find Yuya Kazami standing in the doorway with a little girl they had seen a few times before.
Kazami Yuya: "Excuse me for bothering you. Well, I heard that Nakata is not very cooperative, so I brought our professional interrogation expert with me."
Inspector Megure frowned, but then thought that the Public Security Bureau was indeed better at extracting information than the First Investigation Division, so he nodded and allowed Kazami Yuya and the woman behind him to enter.
Officer Shiratori, who had opened the door for them, closed it behind him. He was just about to observe how the interrogation experts from the Ministry of Public Security interrogated people when he saw Lai Chuan Huang Quan coldly walk up to the bomber and grab his hair.
Shiratori: ...?
He turned his head subtly to look at Inspector Megure, only to see the veteran Inspector Megure, who had worked in the Metropolitan Police Department for over ten years, squeezing his eyebrows into a comical shape and looking at him with suspicion.
As they stared at each other, both Shiratori and Megure could see the fear and confusion in each other's wide eyes. They both glanced at Kazami Yuuya standing to the side, but the man who had been on top of them simply pushed up his glasses and turned his head away to avoid their gaze.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan grabbed the bomber's hair, forcing him to look up at her. She grinned forcefully, but her beautiful face appeared like a ghost from the underworld to the bomber.
Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and clear: "Are you planning to tell me yourself, or should I help you remember?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the bomber, who had been grabbed, began to tremble violently. He trembled more and more violently, and even his jaw began to click and clack.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you myself!"
Hearing this, Raikawa Yomi nodded in satisfaction, loosening her long, disheveled hair. She took a few steps back and sat down in the spot where Officer Shiratori had been sitting: "Speak."
"Okay, okay..."
The bomber swallowed hard, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. After a few deep breaths, he slowly recounted the events surrounding the bomb threat four years prior, detailing all the cases since.
As he slowly recounted his story, the expressions on the faces of those present grew increasingly grave. Inspector Megure was furious: "What a joke!? To retaliate against the police for such a reason?!"
"What's wrong with the police upholding justice?!"
"You bastard!"
Inspector Megure gritted his teeth, his face flushed red. If he weren't an active-duty police officer, he probably would have already pounced on the bomber and given him a good beating.
Beside him, Lai Chuan Huang Quan looked down at his phone, whose screen had lit up because of a text message he had received.
"I've come to pick you up!"
It was a message from Kenji Hagiwara, who added a cute emoji at the end.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan glanced at the bomb suspect who had already begun to answer honestly, then stood up and left the First Investigation Division to wait for someone at the entrance of the Metropolitan Police Department lobby.
She stood with her hands behind her back at the entrance of the Metropolitan Police Department, kicking the pebbles at her feet and glancing at the intersection every now and then.
A familiar male figure appeared from the direction of the parking lot. He was wearing a handsome suit, and his long hair was slightly disheveled from running around.
As soon as Lai Chuan Huang Quan saw him, he pouted and his brows furrowed.
Kenji Hagiwara smiled gently: "Soft bread, I'm here—" to pick you up.
Before she could finish speaking, the little girl, who had been able to keep her emotions in check until just now, suddenly burst into tears. Large tears rolled down her face, and she cried until her face turned red, like a wronged little puppy.
"Huh? Hey hey!"
Kenji Hagiwara, who is praised for being able to "handle any situation with ease," panicked for the first time and was at a loss for what to do before calming down again.
He pulled Lai Chuan Huang Quan into his arms and kept wiping away his tears with a handkerchief: "Be good, be good, don't cry."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan pouted as Hagiwara Kenji pulled her into his arms and rubbed her shoulders, her shoulders heaving with each sob. She clutched at Hagiwara Kenji's collar and unceremoniously wiped her tears on the white shirt on his chest.
Kenji Hagiwara held Yomi Rikawa tightly, trying to soothe her with his warm embrace and the strength of his hold: "Shall we go home?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan nestled in Hagiwara Kenji's arms and nodded, silently agreeing.
The car slowly drove into the apartment parking lot. Lai Chuan Huang Quan sat in the passenger seat, tears streaming down her face, occasionally letting out a sob. Hagiwara Kenji barely had time to unbuckle his seatbelt before she jumped out of the car and rushed towards the apartment without looking back.
"Wait a minute!" Kenji Hagiwara quickly got out of the car and strode after him.
He followed half a step behind Lai Chuan Huang Quan, softened his voice, and said slowly in a tone so gentle it could ripple the moonlight reflection in the river, "Softie, don't be angry anymore, okay?"
Although Yomi Laichuan was crying, he keenly sensed that her true emotions were anger, resentment, and fear.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan pouted: "Hmph!"
She turned her head to the side, refusing to look at Kenji Hagiwara or pay him any attention.
"Soft bread~"
Kenji Hagiwara has a sweet voice with a soft, coquettish tone.
But Lai Chuan Huang Quan was determined to ignore everyone. When he returned to his apartment, he took off his shoes and crawled into bed, wrapping himself up like a silkworm.
Kenji Hagiwara sat on the edge of the bed, smiling helplessly. He poked the little crybaby inside, who had stopped crying, with his finger through the cotton wadding: "Softie, pay attention to me."
But the person wrapped in the cotton was like a lifeless fish, completely still, too lazy to even twist or turn.
"Soft bread~"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan still ignored everyone.
Seeing this, Kenji Hagiwara sighed and said earnestly, "I promise you, I will never abandon you again."
Only then did Lai Chuan Huang Quan stir, her head popping out from under the covers. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, her almond-shaped eyes filled with grievance and pitifulness.
In the reflection of the sky-blue iris, Kenji Hagiwara's face was visible. Yomi Raikawa asked in a hoarse voice, "You swear?"
Kenji Hagiwara smiled faintly, bent down and kissed Yomi Raikawa on the forehead: "I swear."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan lowered her gaze, not looking at Hagiwara Kenji. She knew that Hagiwara Kenji was not to blame for the death in the first timeline, and she also understood that being a "police officer" was always a high-risk profession, and no one knew whether an accident or tomorrow would come first.
Unless he resigns from his police post.
But Kenji Hagiwara couldn't possibly quit his job; he loved it. Although he kept saying, "Civil servants won't lose their jobs," he truly loved being a "police officer," an indispensable piece among the five exceptionally talented cherry blossoms.
Seeing that Yomi Laichuan did not answer for a long time, Kenji Hagiwara called her name again. Meeting Yomi Laichuan's wet gaze, he pulled her into his arms through the blankets: "I will always be with you."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan was silent for a moment, then twisted his body and poked his entire face out from under the covers: "Second year of graduate school..."
My heart pounded, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, a sharp, clenching pain in my chest muscles. The bright world was shrouded in clouds and rain; I couldn't see the warm sunlight as I looked up. A suffocating atmosphere, like dark clouds pressing down on a city, made me feel as if the air was being sucked from my lungs.
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and hugged the person in his arms tightly: "What's wrong?"
Tears welled up again in Lai Chuan Huang Quan's red and swollen eyes as she tried to suppress her emotions, but the tears still rolled down her cheeks.
"Hey? Don't cry, don't cry. I know I was wrong, I'll never do it again. I'll always carry Soft Bread on my back, and we'll never be apart."
Pale words could not comfort Yomi Yorikawa; they both knew that matters of life and death were not something that Kenji Hagiwara could decide alone. Just as justice requires many to light the flame, it cannot be extinguished by one person alone.
If there is a next time, Kenji Hagiwara will definitely put his own safety after justice.
This is one of the sources of his charm.
Yomi Lai leaned against Kenji Hagiwara, tears streaming down her face and onto his neck. Her eyes stung and felt heavy, her eyelids, heavy from crying, making it hard for her to open them. She snuggled closer to him and slowly closed her eyes.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan spoke with a heavy nasal tone, the ending of his voice low, full of grievance: "Second year of graduate school."
"Um?"
"I like you."
Upon hearing this, a smile spread across Kenji Hagiwara's lips. He pulled Yomi Yorikawa even tighter, pressing her against his burning chest.
Kenji Hagiwara said softly, "Yes, I love you."
He then kissed Lai Chuan Huang Quan's forehead again: "Sleep well, good afternoon."
After a good cry, the suppressed emotions are released, and one becomes exhausted. Lai Chuan Huang Quan nestled obediently in Hagiwara Kenji's arms and fell asleep within minutes.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's nose was red, and due to nasal congestion, she had to breathe through her mouth. In just half an hour, a few drops of clear saliva appeared on her lips.
Kenji Hagiwara smiled, his eyes fixed on the person in his arms. He quietly moved his arm, which had become numb from being pressed down, and gently pulled the crumpled blanket covering Yomi Raikawa off her and spread it out. Then, he held Yomi Raikawa in his arms and fell asleep with her.
Before closing his eyes, Kenji Hagiwara couldn't help but gently rub his nose against Yomi Rikawa's face: "What an idiot."
Good afternoon, soft bread.
...
Falling asleep while preoccupied with worries can cause the brain to be in a highly active state, with too many active brain tissues, leading to recurring nightmares.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan nestled in Hagiwara Kenji's arms, dreaming of him being killed by a suddenly bouncing bomb, and of Matsuda Jinpei shattering in mid-air like fireworks. She whimpered and murmured anxiously, her muscles twitching occasionally from the images in her dreams.
"No...you can't go there...you'll die..."
"Kenji!...don't...die..."
"Array..."
The man holding her had already woken up when Lai Chuan Huang Quan first began to convulse and struggle due to the nightmare. Holding Lai Chuan Huang Quan, he saw that her reaction was becoming more and more intense and finally couldn't help but say, "Soft bread, wake up!"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan suddenly opened her eyes, panting heavily, and looked up at the man in front of her with a worried expression: "Second year of graduate school..."
My back was soaked with cold sweat, my eyes were still sore, and my temples were throbbing with pain.
“It’s alright,” Kenji Hagiwara hugged Yomi Rikawa tightly. “I’m right here, in your arms. You saved me, you’ve already saved me.”
Yomi Lai, however, seemed oblivious, staring intently at Kenji Hagiwara, unwilling to even blink. It was as if, in the extremely brief instant she blinked, Kenji Hagiwara would vanish into thin air.
A sense of panic was clearly conveyed to him through his eyes, which reflected Kenji Hagiwara's image. Kenji Hagiwara smiled and exhaled a breath of stale air, then took Yomi Raikawa's hand and placed it on his chest.
"Huang Quan," he called her name, "can you feel it? I'm still alive, right here."
The sound of his heartbeat traveled from the palm of his hand towards Lai Chuan Huang Quan. A strong, powerful heartbeat, like the beat of a drum.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's eyes welled up with tears as she snuggled closer to Hagiwara Kenji. She pressed her ear against Hagiwara Kenji's chest and hugged him tightly: "I love Kenji the most."
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and gently patted Yomi Raikawa's back repeatedly, as if comforting a child: "I love soft bread the most too."
The only sound in the quiet room was the hum of the air conditioner, as warm air was continuously drawn into the room. Lai Chuan Huang Quan pursed his dry lips: "Second year of graduate school, I'm thirsty."
"Let me get you some water."
Kenji Hagiwara got up, took a glass of water, and added a few grains of salt to it.
"Give."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan took a big gulp of the drink from the cup, frowning: "Ugh, it's salty."
"You've sweated a lot, so I added a little salt. If you don't want it, I'll pour you another cup."
After saying that, Kenji Hagiwara reached out to take the cup, but Yomi Raikawa dodged it.
She tilted her head back and swallowed all the salt water before looking at Kenji Hagiwara with her wet eyes.
"What's wrong?" Kenji Hagiwara took the empty cup and put it away before sitting down next to Yomi Laichuan with a smile. "I'll take you to eat lots of delicious meat, and then we'll go see a movie together, how about that?"
But Lai Chuan Huang Quan simply shook his head slowly and pursed his lower lip tightly.
"Then I'll ask for a day off, and we'll invite Jinpei along to go to Hokkaido?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan shook his head again.
Just as Kenji Hagiwara was pondering how to cheer Yomi Laichuan up without touching on her feelings, Yomi Laichuan sat up straight and looked at Kenji Hagiwara with her eyes, which had already subsided but still had a light cherry blossom hue.
"Kenji."
Like a gentle spring breeze whispering, she called his name in a soft voice.
"Um?"
Her eyes darted left and right, and Lai Chuan Huang Quan knelt on the bed, pressing her body against Hagiwara Kenji. She looked up, her shimmering almond-shaped eyes filled with longing and unease.
Her vocal cords vibrated, and her nasal tone, carrying a hint of grievance, swept across the room like a feather, stirring up a tingling sensation and evoking touching emotions.
"Second year of graduate school, give me a kiss."
With his Adam's apple bobbing, Kenji Hagiwara stared into Yomi Rikawa's eyes and slowly lowered his body.
Soft, calloused fingers gently caressed Kenji Hagiwara's broad back, inch by inch, igniting a raging fire.
"Second year of graduate school, hug me."
Let me feel your presence, your heartbeat. Let me feel you.
The thin air between them was slowly drawn away, and Adam's apple bobbed: "...Okay."
Kenji Hagiwara's phone, which had been lying to the side, lit up. It was a message from Mr. Raikawa.
Half an hour ago, Kenji Hagiwara expressed his desire to formally visit Mr. Raikawa in writing. His purpose was obvious; it was just a matter of whether Mr. Raikawa would agree. This reply, which neither Mr. Raikawa nor Kenji Hagiwara had time to respond to at the moment, was his answer.
[Author's Note]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
