·86｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·86
He always realized it too late.
The southeast monsoon, carrying the moisture of the ocean, blew towards Kanagawa. The green light at the intersection turned on, and Kenji Hagiwara led Yomi Yorikawa across the pedestrian crossing.
He was dressed casually, with a baseball cap perched askew on his head, covering his long, flowing hair. His sporty and handsome appearance exuded sunshine and energy, yet also carried a touch of bad boy swagger, drawing the attention of passersby.
The seventeenth time she noticed someone secretly turning their head to look at Kenji Hagiwara, Yomi Lai took his arm, puffed out her chest, and happily curved her mouth into a horizontal line.[3] She raised the corners of her mouth, like a show-off who had won the national championship and deliberately held up the trophy and walked around, as if afraid that others would not see the certificate she was holding.
Kenji Hagiwara glanced at his girlfriend, who was beaming with pride, out of the corner of his eye, and suppressed a smile. His girlfriend was truly outstanding and adorable.
However, Kenji Hagiwara wasn't without his own worries; he didn't know how to bring Yomi Raikawa home. Given Yomi Raikawa's personality, she would most likely run away when she was shy.
Moreover, now that she has the ability to turn into a puppy, Kenji Hagiwara has to plan carefully to prevent Yomi Raikawa from turning into a puppy and running away because she is too shy.
"Second-year graduate student, where are we going now?"
Kenji Hagiwara took out his phone and glanced at the time: "Let's go to the hotel to drop off our luggage, and then go have lunch."
He was thinking that Hagiwara Chisato should be arriving soon when a car horn suddenly sounded behind him.
The driver honked the horn softly, not too loudly to disturb the neighbors, but enough to attract Kenji Hagiwara's attention. He bent down and looked into the passenger seat as the car slowed down. A woman with long, light brown to almost blonde hair rested one hand on the steering wheel, smiling and winking at him: "Yo Kenji, long time no see."
"Hey, sis."
Kenji Hagiwara smiled and casually opened the back door: "Soft van, get in."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan was taken aback for a moment, then obediently climbed into the back seat. Hagiwara Kenji followed closely behind and got into the back seat as well, then closed the car door behind him.
In the driver's seat, Hagiwara Chisato leaned halfway over the back of the seat with one hand on his arm, saying, "Girlfriend? She's cute."
Two days ago, Chisato Hagiwara knew that Kenji would be bringing his girlfriend home today. Moreover, her "coincidental" appearance at this time was also deliberately arranged by Kenji.
Early this morning, Kenji Hagiwara, who was already on the bullet train, even used the excuse of going to the toilet to sneak into the train's restroom to call home, telling them to be natural and not to scare Yomi Laichuan.
Upon receiving the call, Hagiwara Chisato picked at her ear with her little finger, utterly disgusted: "Seriously, you've been nagging about this at least five times already. You stinky second-year graduate student, do you really think we're that unreliable?"
So before the Hagiwara family could even see Yoruichi's true face, they realized one thing—the second year of graduate school was completely doomed because of this girl.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan sat awkwardly in the back seat, cherry blossoms spreading little by little from the tips of her ears until they were completely red. She stared with her round almond eyes and said obediently, "Hello, sister."
Kenji Hagiwara dropped his backpack and blocked the seat before taking Yomi Raikawa's hand and saying with a smile, "Oh right, my girlfriend. Her name is Yomi Raikawa, and she's... two years younger than me. She's a cute and smart girl."
When asked about age, Kenji Hagiwara paused. The timeline of his current world seemed to flow differently from that of Yomi's world, and he wasn't sure how old Yomi was. But based on his memories of the past and Yomi's unconscious body, she should be two years old.
With a bright smile, Kenji Hagiwara continued, "Your job is to save Kenji Hagiwara."
Yomi Lai was taken aback, looking at Kenji Hagiwara with an incredulous expression: "Huh?"
What kind of weird way of introducing herself is this? Isn't it practically telling people she's unemployed?
With slender fingers turning the steering wheel, the white car slowly drove towards home. Hagiwara Chisato raised an eyebrow and glanced at the rearview mirror: "Really? That must be tough. My little brother is both mischievous and resourceful."
She turned to look at the road ahead and continued, "It's a very respectable profession."
Despite what appeared to be a playful joke, Hagiwara Chisato spoke slowly, each word uttered with seriousness. A hint of a smile played in her eyes, her lingering tone swirling on her tongue, both cool and gentle, concealing her gratitude for Yomi Yorikawa within her simple words.
Upon hearing this, Yomi Laichuan's eyes widened in surprise and delight. Chisato-neechan is truly a mature and glamorous woman whose charm is in no way inferior to Kenji Hagiwara's.
Half an hour later, Yomi Laichuan realized that the Hagiwara family were all extremely charming people, both in appearance and personality.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan, who was tricked into going home in a daze, met Hagiwara Kenji's parents, exchanged contact information with them in a confused state, and was eventually invited to stay for dinner, almost a repeat of the first time around.
The only difference was that Yomi Laichuan was happily eating from a bowl piled high with food, her cheeks bulging out. Her eyes sparkled as she kept praising Mrs. Hagiwara's cooking skills.
Yomi Yorikawa ate with great relish, and Lady Hagiwara watched with delight. Seeing the carefully prepared dinner being enjoyed so heartily, Lady Hagiwara beamed with joy, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.
Before leaving, Lady Hagiwara held Yomi Yorikawa's hand tightly, reluctantly urging her to come often.
As dusk painted half the clouds red, Kenji Hagiwara arrived at Japan's largest Chinatown with Yomi Raikawa, where Jinpei Matsuda was already waiting at the entrance. He had left the group earlier that morning when the three arrived in Kanagawa, going home alone.
Matsuda Jinpei stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can: "You guys are so slow."
Kenji Hagiwara: "Sorry, sorry, something came up on the way and I was delayed."
Matsuda Jinpei lowered his gaze, his azure eyes looking at Raikawa Yomi through his sunglasses. To be precise, he looked at her wet lips where her lipstick had been smudged.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Let's go eat Chinese food. I've already made a reservation."
"A draw would be best!"
"Hmph, you only praise me when you're eating meat."
"No, Jinpei has always been very good."
Matsuda Jinpei smirked: "The best in the world?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan smiled and remained silent.
Matsuda Jinpei: "Hmm?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan said without changing his expression: "Excluding second-year graduate students, it's the best in the world."
Matsuda Jinpei smiled and raised an eyebrow, attempting to threaten, "Do you still want to eat roast duck?"
“Tch,” Lai Chuan Huang Quan pouted, glaring at her almond-shaped eyes with disdain: “Don’t be like that, Jinpei, you’re an active-duty police officer, be more mature, don’t act like a kid.”
"Huh?" Matsuda Jinpei squeezed out a single syllable filled with disbelief, and said sarcastically, "I just don't want to be called a kid by a child like you."
Kenji Hagiwara couldn't help but laugh and interject, "If that's the case, then I can—"
Veins bulged on his forehead, and Matsuda Jinpei quickly interrupted, "You can't either!"
Kenji Hagiwara shrugged: "Oh dear, that's a real shame."
"Honestly," Matsuda Jinpei said, walking briskly at the front of the group with his hands in his pockets, "they're all just trying to annoy people."
Behind him, his two annoying teammates, one big and one small, huddled together and started whispering to each other.
"Didn't they say that Jinpei has matured a lot in the three years I've been away? I haven't felt it at all."
"There's no way around it, Xiao Zhenping's starting point was lower than the average person. Others start from 0, but he started from -100. It's already quite impressive that he's developed to this point."
"That's true."
Matsuda Jinpei: ?
He gritted his teeth and glared at the two people behind him, his murderous intent almost tangible: "I can hear you."
The two people behind him laughed and shrugged, "We know, we just wanted you to hear us."
Matsuda Jinpei was almost laughing in anger. This friend was no good; he should be buried somewhere.
But after dinner, something even more infuriating happened. Lai Chuan Huang Quan patted his round belly and slumped in his seat with a satisfied look on his face: "Including the barbecue last time, I ate a total of fifty catties. Jin Ping still owes me four tons and nine hundred and fifty catties."
Matsuda Jinpei: ?
He frowned in disbelief: "When did I owe you five tons...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Matsuda Jinpei suddenly remembered the promise he made when he tricked Raikawa Yomi into calling him "Jinpei." He twitched his lips twice, put down his chopsticks, took two steps forward, grabbed Raikawa Yomi's face, and pinched her mouth into a goldfish shape: "You, are you playing word games with me? I said five meals, not five tons."
Yomi Laichuan frowned, grabbed Matsuda Jinpei's wrist, and struggled back twice, but couldn't break free from his grasp. Not only that, Matsuda Jinpei, probably used to squeezing Yomi like a puppy, subconsciously withdrew his fingers and pressed Yomi Laichuan's soft, bouncy cheek twice, as if kneading a soft stress-relieving toy.
Veins bulged on his forehead as Lai Chuan Huang Quan said angrily, "You're finished. This time, even ten packs of bear biscuits won't appease you."
Matsuda Jinpei chuckled, "I'll treat you to five more meals on top of the original five."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan: "..."
Matsuda Jinpei: "Deal?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan: "Hehe, deal~!"
Kenji Hagiwara, who had been sitting on the sidelines, finally couldn't help but speak up, interrupting their interaction. He picked up a piece of hot, sizzling braised pork: "Soft bread, here, ah~"
The aroma of meat wafted into her nostrils with her breath, making Lai Chuan Huang Quan's tongue tremble. Her eyes lit up, and she stopped paying attention to Matsuda Jinpei, who was pinching her face.
"Here it comes~"
She broke free from her restraints and excitedly wagged her tail, running to Kenji Hagiwara's side.
A pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes reflected the outline of the pork belly. Lai Chuan Huang Quan clenched his fists expectantly, his eyes sparkling like little stars. He looked just like a puppy sitting by the table waiting to be fed.
Come on, ah~
Ah~
Matsuda Jinpei glanced at Raikawa Yomi, who was sitting opposite him with her hands cupped around her face, beaming with joy, and returned to her seat with a snort.
With his neatly trimmed nails, he pried open the beer can's tab, ignoring the noisy commotion over there. He tilted his head back and downed half a can of ice-cold beer in one gulp, then stared thoughtfully at the oil-stained white porcelain bowl in front of him.
The soft touch still lingered on his fingertips, sending shivers down his spine.
His brows furrowed involuntarily, and he felt inexplicably irritable. He knew he should stay away, but his soul couldn't help but linger around her.
His fingers twitched, as if he was about to clench his fist and then relax.
Matsuda Jinpei took out sunglasses from his backpack and put them on, but his blue eyes, hidden by the darkness, unconsciously drifted toward Yomi Yorikawa.
There are some things he always realizes too late.
[Author's Note]
(Slaps chin) I feel like my recent writing hasn't been very good, but I don't know where the problem lies. If there's anything you think is wrong, please let me know. Even the earlier chapters will be revised as long as it doesn't affect the main storyline.
After all, everyone has paid for this service, so please feel free to raise any needs or opinions you may have, as long as they are reasonable. There's nothing I can't say. (However, due to the outline and my personal limitations, I may not be able to consider or implement all of them.)
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