25 | Exclusive from Jinjiang Literature City · 25
Even childhood friends can harbor murderous intent.
The bar manager looked displeased when he saw Kenji Hagiwara swagger in.
He walked up to the doorman with a long face, intending to berate him and demand to know why he had let a policeman in. But when he saw Matsuda Jinpei following behind Hagiwara Kenji, the manager fell silent.
—Could this curly-haired man be a high-ranking official?
—This organization is amazing; their business has even expanded to the point where they're starting to collaborate with the Metropolitan Police Department.
So the bar manager, who was about to reprimand him, patted the doorman on the shoulder, giving him absolute affirmation.
With the sense of crisis relieved, gossiping becomes the primary emotional need.
If they remembered correctly, the little girl with the horn-shaped haircut next to the corrupt cop was Midorikawa Hikaru's girlfriend. They still vividly remembered the time when the corrupt cop suddenly appeared and dragged the little girl away while Midorikawa Hikaru was being called away.
When Hikaru Midorikawa came out from backstage and learned that his girlfriend had been taken away by a policeman, his expression was priceless.
After just a few days apart, this girl actually brought some random guy to his door to provoke her husband!?
Wow, that's exciting.
In the dim light, Lai Chuan Huang Quan pointed to the snacks page of the menu: "Two servings of wasabi squid tentacles, one fruit platter, and this, this, and this."
If it weren't for the two burly men flanking Lai Chuan Huang Quan ordering quite a few drinks, the bartender would have really wondered if she was treating the bar like a restaurant.
Kenji Hagiwara took a sip of his drink and smiled at Yomi Raikawa: "Softie, you'd better make sure you explain things clearly to Midorikawa later."
"Okay."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan sat between the two with her head down, munching on sweet and crunchy squid tentacles, guiltily averting her gaze.
To her right, Matsuda Jinpei, who had already learned the whole story of Morofushi Kagemitsu from Hagiwara, raised an eyebrow and gave a sarcastic smile: "Hmph, scumbag woman."
Yomi glared at Matsuda Jinpei, but didn't retort—this time she couldn't think of a rebuttal for a long time. But Yomi was still angry, so she snorted and moved away from Matsuda as if avoiding a virus, widening the distance between them.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's disgusted expression seemed to say that the person sitting to her right was not Matsuda Jinpei, the super handsome guy who had been approached by talent scouts countless times, but a dirty thing that would have its limbs amputated if touched.
Matsuda Jinpei: ...?
His expression suddenly turned fierce.
Knowing she was in the wrong but secretly resentful, Yorikawa Yomi pouted and silently moved closer to Hagiwara once more.
But clearly, the onlookers hiding in the shadows didn't see it that way. They couldn't hear the three's hushed conversation, and could only barely make out their movements and expressions.
—Oh my god! No wonder he's a high-ranking official! One look from him and that woman was terrified!
—This is the power of the organization's leader!
Kenji Hagiwara rubbed Yomi Raikawa's head and said with a smile, "Jinpei, don't scare the soft-faced girl. She suffered a lot of grievances today."
Although he was the one who caused Lai Chuan Huang Quan to suffer injustice, he has already begun to reflect on his actions.
Matsuda Jinpei rolled his eyes: "You're just going to protect her."
Upon seeing this, the bartenders and manager immediately turned to look at Hikaru Midorikawa on the stage.
Midorikawa Mitsumasa hummed the last chorus, his fingers plucking the strings, his feigned rapture in his cat-like eyes fixed on Raikawa Yomi. Suspicion and scrutiny welled in his purple eyes, and his attention was now fixed on the three of them.
—Oh! I noticed! My girlfriend is being intimate with another man!
During the intermission, when Morofushi Kagemitsu put down his guitar and stood in front of Raikawa Yomi, everyone else held their breath and stared wide-eyed, afraid of missing any exciting moments.
Zhu Fujingguang frowned, his expression serious: "What is your relationship?"
—Here it comes! The interrogation of the cheating girlfriend!
—But the other side is corrupt police, and they have a high-ranking member of the organization backing them up. Midorikawa is probably going to suffer a setback this time.
However, before Lai Chuan Huang Quan could adjust his mindset and prepare to tell Morofushi Hiromitsu the breakup message, Hagiwara Kenji threw a wad of cash in front of Morofushi Hiromitsu with a "I'm the coolest" expression: "You two broke up, this is your breakup fee."
Holy crap!? That's exciting!!
The intense gazes gathering around them were so intense that it was impossible for Kenji Hagiwara and his friends to ignore them.
The bar, which should have been filled with whispers, was eerily quiet, with only soft music playing from the speakers swirling around the eaves. Behind the bar, the bartender jingled his cocktail shaker, a standard service smile on his face, but his ears were perked up in Morofushi Kagemitsu's direction, his gossipy heart stirring with anticipation.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan didn't speak. She sat next to Hagiwara Kenji with a blank expression, her mind completely unresponsive.
Kenji Hagiwara not only arbitrarily dragged Hiromitsu Morofushi and Soft Bread into his script of "stealing what others love and forcibly taking what they want," but he also had to play the role of being affectionate with Soft Bread in front of Hiromitsu Morofushi.
Even knowing that the relationship between Soft Bread and Jingguang is fake, the emotionally intelligent Kenji Hagiwara can't help but assert his ownership when facing the person he likes.
Moreover, he thoroughly enjoyed this role-playing game and had a lot of fun.
“Soft bread,” Kenji Hagiwara deliberately used a toothpick to pick up a peeled piece of apple and fed it to Yomi Raikawa’s mouth: “Here, ah~”
With his brain completely activated, Raikawa Yomi glanced at Hagiwara and silently opened his mouth to eat the fruit he was fed.
The first time he was fed soft bread, Kenji Hagiwara rested his chin on his hand, unable to suppress the smile on his face. But he didn't forget to turn back and raise an eyebrow at Kagemitsu Morofushi, his face full of provocation.
Zhu Fujingguang: ...
Stop it, that's enough. How long are you going to keep this up?
Zhu Fujing had a row of ellipses hanging from his head. His constantly twitching lips seemed to indicate anger, but he was actually speechless. However, he had no choice but to play along.
So Morofushi Kagemitsu frowned, his fist clenched so tightly at his side that it trembled slightly, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged out. He looked exactly like a tragic man whose love had been stolen away and who had no choice but to endure it.
Matsuda Jinpei glanced at Morofushi Kagemitsu through his sunglasses. When he saw Kagemitsu's fist with its veins bulging, Matsuda Jinpei finally couldn't hold back and forced a laugh out loud.
Matsuda Jinpei's shoulders trembled uncontrollably; he wanted to laugh but dared not. Yet, he couldn't suppress his laughter. Torn between these two emotions, Matsuda Jinpei ultimately just leaned lazily back on the sofa, a half-smile playing on his lips, a subtle expression on his face.
—A pleasure-seeking criminal!? A high-ranking official is a pleasure-seeking criminal!
Matsuda Jinpei's upturned lip suggested he was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle before him. Combined with his naturally brooding aura, it was hard not to associate him with a "pleasure criminal."
For some reason, the same image simultaneously flashed through the minds of several low-level members of the bar who were watching the drama unfold:
Matsuda Jinpei, dressed in a black suit and wearing black sunglasses, had blood still clinging to his face. He trampled his already severely injured target under his feet, grinding him mercilessly, a wild and gleeful smile on his face: "I'll make sure you die a little slower."
—I wonder who's stronger, this man or Gin.
“Alright, you’ve got what I wanted to say. I have other more important things to do.” As he said this, Kenji Hagiwara glanced back at Yomi Raikawa, but his tone suddenly softened: “Soft Bread, let’s go back.”
Having said that, he ignored the spendthrift Morofushi Kagemitsu, took Yomi Raikawa's hand, and strode away from the bar. Matsuda Jinpei glanced at Morofushi Kagemitsu, tilted his head back, downed the beer on the table in one gulp, and then slowly left with his hands in his pockets.
The three left one after another, leaving only Morofushi Kagemitsu standing alone in front of the empty table, sighing as he faced the table full of empty sake bottles.
He loosened his fist, which he had been clenching tightly, lowered his gaze, and sighed deeply, his eyes filled with disappointment.
“Hey Midorikawa,” a colleague who had been happily watching the drama unfold finally dared to approach after Matsuda Jinpei left, “You’ve been cheated on, haven’t you?”
The newcomer put his arm around Midorikawa Hikaru's shoulder: "But there's nothing we can do about it. Who told them to be corrupt cops and high-ranking officials?"
Morobuchi Kagemitsu: ...?
What did you just say they were?
At that moment, Morofushi Kagemitsu almost lost control of his expression.
The visitor noticed Morofushi Kagemitsu's stiffness but misunderstood the reason for it. The man said gloatingly, "Oh dear, it must be very painful to watch your beloved be taken away by another man. But what can we do when we're just low-level guys?"
But Morofushi Kagemitsu just kept staring at the bar exit, even though the three figures had already disappeared into the darkness.
He said earnestly, word by word, "No, I will definitely get them back."
Only by using this as an excuse could he legitimately contact Hagiwara and the others.
Under the ink-black night sky, Kenji Hagiwara got into the driver's seat but didn't start the car immediately. He rolled down the window, rested his chin on his hand, and gazed at the moon in the sky.
The moonlight tonight is truly beautiful.
The soft warmth still lingered in his palm; the girl's hands were softer than he had imagined. Unlike him, whose fingertips were covered in calluses.
Kenji Hagiwara didn't dare turn around, only glancing furtively at the rearview mirror. The girl he admired was sitting in the back seat, humming a song and fiddling with her phone.
Just looking at her, Kenji Hagiwara couldn't help but soften his eyes and smile.
Matsuda Jinpei, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at Hagiwara and said indifferently, "I'm going out to buy a pack of cigarettes."
After saying that, he got out of the car and left without looking back.
Hagiwara Kenji: "!!!"
Kenji Hagiwara was somewhat surprised and delighted, never expecting that Jinpei Matsuda would one day be able to read the air.
His heart pounded in his throat, and the surrounding sounds gradually faded away, leaving only the thumping of his heart. Every sound that Lai Chuan Huang Quan made was amplified infinitely in his ears. Although Hagiwara Kenji was looking at the yellowish streetlights outside the window, his attention was completely drawn to the back seat.
He said in a hoarse voice, "Soft bread."
There was a barely perceptible tremor in his voice, lower and more serious than before.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan didn't look up; she continued fiddling with her phone: "Hmm?"
Kenji Hagiwara's Adam's apple bobbed, and his palms were already clammy with sweat. Even he felt nervous and uncertain at times like this. He almost held his breath. He swallowed hard and slowly asked, "What do you think of me?"
Only then did Lai Chuan Huang Quan finally turn her attention from her phone to Hagiwara Kenji, her large, almond-shaped eyes meeting Hagiwara Kenji's purple eyes.
The car was dark, and Kenji Hagiwara leaned out to the back seat. The orange streetlights cast a soft glow through his loose hair, and the hazy moonlight made his backlit silhouette gentle and alluring.
Those violet eyes were like those of a siren, enticing you to linger and draw closer until you were completely swallowed by the surging waves.
As the air gradually warmed, peach-colored flowers bloomed in abundance. Lai Chuan Huang Quan stared blankly at Hagiwara Kenji, forgetting to think.
“Soft bread,” Kenji Hagiwara said with a smile, “I want to know how you see me.”
"I……"
Her voice became hoarse, and just being looked at by Kenji Hagiwara made Raikawa Yomi feel inexplicably thirsty and want to drink water.
She swallowed hard, pursing her lips in hesitation.
"Soft bread".
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and called her name again.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan raised his hand to tidy up his slightly messy hair that was falling in front of his forehead and looked away.
The three simple words, "soft bread," inexplicably made Yomi Laichuan blush. How come she had never thought before that the way Kenji Hagiwara called her by her nickname... sounded particularly beautiful?
Lai Chuan Huang Quan kept smoothing the stray hairs at his temples, his cheeks slightly puffed out, but he dared not turn around and meet Hagiwara Kenji's gaze.
She answered in a low voice, barely audible to herself, "The police officer in my second year of graduate school is super nice. He's gentle, serious, and very tolerant of me. He's an incredibly outstanding person."
Yomi Laichuan spoke softer and softer, word by word, sentence by sentence. Kenji Hagiwara, however, gradually widened his smile, until even his eyes and brows radiated tenderness and doting affection.
“Soft bread,” Kenji Hagiwara said earnestly and sincerely, “then would you like me to be your… boyfriend?”
"Click—"
Before Kenji Hagiwara could finish speaking, Jinpei Matsuda, who had returned, suddenly opened the passenger door and got in.
Matsuda Jinpei slammed the car door shut and fastened his seatbelt. He tore open the transparent plastic packaging of an unopened pack of cigarettes, squeezed out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth. But considering that Raikawa Yomi didn't smoke, he put the cigarette back in the pack.
Hagihara Kenji: "..."
Hagiwara stared in disbelief as his childhood friend stuffed the cigarette case into his coat pocket, then fell silent.
So, after all that, you really just went to buy cigarettes?!
The romantic and ambiguous atmosphere was like a delicate glass artifact, but it was smashed to pieces by Matsuda Jinpei, a straightforward man.
But Matsuda Jinpei was completely unaware of what he had done. He turned to look at Hagiwara, frowning in confusion, and said, "Why are you looking at me? Let's go."
Hagihara Kenji: "…………"
Having lived together for over ten years, this was the first time Kenji Hagiwara had harbored murderous intent towards Jinpei Matsuda.
He raised his hand to rub his furrowed brow, sighed deeply, silently released the handbrake, shifted gears, and started the vehicle.
The scenery outside the car window kept rushing past, and the car was silent. It wasn't until the car came to a stop in front of the apartment building where Yomi Lai was staying that Kenji Hagiwara said in a muffled voice, "Soft Bread, let's expel Matsuda Jinpei from the Soft Bread Cult."
Matsuda Jinpei: ...?
You were the one who forcibly dragged me into the cult, and you're the one who wants to kick me out. What did I ever do to you? Why are you always targeting me?!
[Author's Note]
20:19 Correcting typos
Hagiwara: Let's break up :)
Matsuda:? ? ? ?
-
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
