14 | Jinjiang Exclusive · 14
A jumble of sounds.
The gentle breeze whispers past my ears, yet leaves a clamorous sound in my heart, stirring up ripples.
The moonlight reflected on the rushing river. Yomi Lai followed behind Kenji Hagiwara, munching on a bear-shaped biscuit. She wasn't hungry; she just wanted something to eat to mask the restlessness deep within her chest.
After stuffing a small bear-shaped biscuit about the length of a finger into his mouth, Lai Chuan Huang Quan jogged a couple of steps to catch up with Hagiwara Kenji.
She glanced sideways at the man beside her.
Kenji Hagiwara stood with one hand in his pocket, a faint smile playing on his lips. He gazed ahead, his droopy, puppy-dog eyes gleaming in the streetlights, like fine wine exuding an intoxicating aroma. Hagiwara was always cheerful, but Yomi Laichuan inexplicably felt that he seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood at this moment.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan could vaguely guess what made Hagiwara Kenji happy, but she was afraid that she was just overthinking things. She kept grumbling to herself as she munched on a cookie, but suddenly met Hagiwara Kenji's smiling gaze.
"Hmm!"
Her wide, almond-shaped eyes were filled with panic as Raikawa Yomi froze, still holding the cookie in her mouth. With half a bear-shaped cookie in her mouth, her ear tips turned red again under Hagiwara Kenji's gaze.
"What are you looking at me for, you idiot! Watch where you're going!"
Kenji Hagiwara chuckled, his eyes crinkling, and turned his attention back to the way home. Yomi Laichuan also looked down at his feet, staring at Kenji Hagiwara's long shadow cast by the streetlights, and said nothing more.
The scene from a few minutes ago kept replaying in her mind. That "second-year graduate student" felt like a shameful memory, burning Lai Chuan Huang Quan's cheeks. She kicked at the pebbles at her feet, suddenly regretting her earlier change of address.
A young girl's heart is like surging waves, but the next second, Lai Chuan Huang Quan suddenly heard a murmur in her ear. It sounded like many people were whispering to her, but the sound was blocked by a glass door, making it hard for her to hear clearly.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan raised her hand to cover her left ear, but the sound, like a glacier exploding, showed no signs of weakening and continued to ring. It was as if... the sound was coming from her head.
The bear-shaped biscuit slipped from my hand, the hexagonal cardboard box fell to the ground and bounced up again, and the chocolate-filled biscuit rolled out of its foil wrapper and onto the floor.
"Soft bread?"
Kenji Hagiwara stopped and looked back at Yomi Yorikawa, his usually smiling face now filled with worry. He was carrying a bag full of snacks meant to bribe Yomi Yorikawa.
"Hmm..."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan didn't reply; she simply covered her ears and slowly squatted down.
Before her were countless swaying faces of Kenji Hagiwara, and Yomi Raikawa looked like a drunkard who had drunk too much. Her vision blurred for a moment, but quickly cleared again. The faint, noisy, and distant sounds around her also subsided along with the scene before her, leaving only Kenji Hagiwara's anxious calls.
"Soft bread! Feed me soft bread!"
Kenji Hagiwara squatted down in front of Yomi Laichuan, holding her shoulders. His brows were furrowed, and the snack bag was left at his feet.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's lips were a little dry. She looked up at the man in front of her, swallowed, and whispered, "...Master's student."
Are you alright? Where does it hurt?
Kenji Hagiwara brushed aside Yomi's bangs with his fingers and placed the back of his hand on Yomi's forehead.
"You don't seem to have a fever... Soft bread, shall I take you to the hospital?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan blinked twice, her azure eyes regaining their liveliness from their initial confusion. She squatted on the ground, hugging her knees, her throat dry and tight as she swallowed, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan lowered her eyebrows, looking like a pitiful little dog that had been kicked. She gazed at the man in front of her with concern on his face and whispered his name: "Second Year of Graduate School".
"Um?"
"I want to drink yogurt..."
"……ha?"
Kenji Hagiwara froze. He squatted down in front of Yomi Raikawa, staring at her for a few seconds with an incredulous expression: "Are you really alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
He pursed his lips, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, staring at the pitiful woman before him for a long time. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and flicked Yomi Laichuan's forehead hard with his index finger. The crisp sound was exceptionally clear in the silent night, like flicking a ripe watermelon.
Kenji Hagiwara was a little angry, but also a little relieved.
"Ouch! You damn officer, what are you doing?!"
“I’m punishing you,” Kenji Hagiwara frowned, baring his teeth in a forced angry smile. “Who told you to scare me?”
Despite saying that, he still skillfully rummaged through the plastic bag and pulled out a bottle of yogurt, tossing it into Lai Chuan Huang Quan's arms. Then, he picked up a bag full of snacks, squatted down with his back to Lai Chuan Huang Quan, and said, "Come on up."
"Huh?"
"It's Officer Hagiwara's exclusive mount, only available this time," Hagiwara Kenji's cheerful voice rang out. "I'm counting down from five, if you don't get on, I'm going to run away~ 5, 4, 3..."
"Hey! Don't count so fast, wait a minute!"
Holding a bottle of yogurt with a straw in one hand, Raikawa Yomi practically scrambled onto Hagiwara Kenji's back. With one arm around Hagiwara Kenji's neck, she straddled him, saying, "Hmph, you bastard officer, you're done for! I'm going to crush you!"
"Yes, yes, hold on tight."
With his arm hooked around Raikawa Yomi's thigh, Hagiwara Kenji deliberately made a "heave-ho" sound as he stood up, forcefully bouncing Raikawa Yomi upwards on his back.
"Let's go!" With that, he started running in the quiet alleyway.
The wind was cold as it brushed against my face, but the air that entered my nostrils had a sweet taste, like freshly baked red bean bread coated with honey.
After carrying her all the way home, Kenji Hagiwara placed Yomi Laichuan on the bed and then raised his hand again to check her temperature: "Are you really alright?"
"I already told you I'm fine."
“Alright,” Kenji Hagiwara said with a smile, withdrawing his hand. “Softie, call me if you’re not feeling well.”
Lai Chuan Huang Quan sucked on the empty yogurt bottle with a loud slurping sound: "Don't worry, I'm super healthy, I won't get sick."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan wasn't lying. As an employee of the Time and Space Administration, her body was different from that of ordinary humans. They couldn't be infected by viruses or bacteria, nor were they likely to develop illnesses due to their own health conditions. Throughout history, most of the deceased employees of the Administration had died from external threats; none had ever died of their own illness.
But Kenji Hagiwara knew nothing about these details. He simply raised an eyebrow, took out his phone, and waved it twice in front of Yomi Laichuan: "You didn't delete my number, did you? Call me anytime if you need anything."
"Okay, I know, you're so long-winded, second-year graduate student."
Kenji Hagiwara simply sighed, losing interest in continuing his banter with Yomi Raikawa. He gazed into Yomi Raikawa's eyes and earnestly instructed her, "Softie, someone has planted a listening device on you. This means you've been targeted by bad guys lurking in the shadows. I know you possess some strange skills, but you still need to be careful."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan lowered her gaze and remained silent. Most of her previous missions involved taking revenge on scumbags or helping unfortunate girls find meaning and happiness in life; the only mission she ever carried out to save the world was one she almost botched.
While there have been relief missions before, the targets have mostly been ordinary people. This is the first time we've provided relief to police officers and public security personnel.
She sat quietly on the edge of the bed watching Kenji Hagiwara inspect the room, like a clueless idiot who needed to be taken care of.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan thought that she was probably the only idiot.
"I'll be quite busy tomorrow, so I probably won't be able to invite you to dinner. Remember to take care of your own dinner."
After putting the last bottle of yogurt in the bag into the refrigerator, Kenji Hagiwara stood up to go back to his dorm. As he walked past his bed, Yomi Raikawa grabbed his wrist.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan lowered her head and didn't speak. She bit her lower lip and hesitated for a long time, her inner world in turmoil.
"I..." She uttered only one syllable before closing her lips and swallowing hard the saliva that had gathered at the back of her tongue. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued, "Didn't we agree that once I got my documents replaced, I'd move out and find a place? I've had my documents back for several days now, um..."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's gaze wandered, and she hunched her shoulders, stammering for a long time.
"I... I wonder if I can continue to live here?" Lai Chuan Huang Quan asked somewhat embarrassedly. After making this request, she quickly added, "I will pay you rent at market price! Of course, if it's inconvenient for you, um... I will move out tomorrow."
After saying these words, Yomi Laichuan silently withdrew her hand from Hagiwara Kenji's wrist. She lowered her head, her hands hanging down on her lap, trying to appear more natural, but she was so nervous that even her breathing became soft and slow.
The few seconds of silence that Hagiwara Kenji lingered felt like an eternity to Raikawa Yomi. She was on pins and needles, yet she didn't want Hagiwara Kenji to see her embarrassment.
Every second stretched out endlessly. Lai Chuan Huang Quan kept her head down, but her eyes darted around furtively. She wanted to look up and observe Hagiwara Kenji's expression, but conflictedly, she didn't dare to meet his gaze.
Just as Raikawa Yomi was fidgeting, his lips pursed tightly, on the verge of bursting with emotion, Hagiwara Kenji suddenly laughed. His light laughter carried a hint of helplessness and indulgence as he said, "Alright, you can stay here with me from now on."
[Author's Note]
Second year of graduate school: Soft bread, you may be targeted by bad people, so you must be vigilant.
Amuro, the Bad Guy, Toru: ? ? ?
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