19｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·19
Sending a little heart to the world's best police officer.
Kenji Hagiwara tilted his head and gave a bright smile, but the oppressive black atmosphere behind him was even thicker than ink.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan curled up into a ball, hugging her knees. She looked up at the man approaching step by step and said timidly, "Junior."
When Kenji Hagiwara stood in front of Yomi, his tall figure blocked most of the light, and Yomi's face was completely shrouded in shadow.
Kenji Hagiwara lowered his head and met Yomi Rikawa's gaze. A nameless anger was trapped in his chest, swirling around without finding an outlet.
He should have been furious and scolded Lai Chuan Huang Quan, telling her to learn her lesson. But when he met Lai Chuan Huang Quan's almond-shaped eyes, which were glistening with tears, the rebuke that was about to burst from his teeth quickly stopped on the tip of his tongue.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan tried to shrink himself into a small ball, his bright eyes filled with helplessness, just like a lost puppy waiting for its owner under a streetlamp until midnight.
When the owner finally appeared, before the little cutie could even wag its tail excitedly, it was scolded by its owner, leaving it so disappointed that even its tuft of hair flattened.
Kenji Hagiwara looked down at the woman in front of him, his thin lips pressed together, but he couldn't utter a single word of rebuke.
"Why…"
With a long sigh, Kenji Hagiwara unbuttoned his suit jacket, which he hadn't had time to change out of, and forced himself not to meet Yomi Rikawa's pitiful gaze.
He took off his coat and draped it over Lai Chuan and Huang Quan's shoulders: "Let's go, I'll take you to the hospital."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan carefully observed Hagiwara Kenji's emotions. Seeing that he was no longer so angry, she reached out and grabbed his shirt sleeve: "I'm not going to the hospital."
"Don't talk back," Kenji Hagiwara said, pinching Yomi Laichuan's cheek lightly, afraid of hurting her. "If you get hurt, you should go to the hospital obediently."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan wrapped his coat tighter around himself and muttered under his breath, "It's just a minor scratch."
Kenji Hagiwara raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"
"Anyway, I don't want to go to the hospital! This little injury will be fine in a bit!"
"Objection overruled!"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's eyes widened in surprise: "Eh~!?"
Kenji Hagiwara grabbed Yomi Laichuan's wrist and tried to pick her up: "Don't think I'll let you get away with this time. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."
"Ouch—it hurts!"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's exclamation was tinged with several tones. She puffed out her cheeks and looked down with her eyebrows full of grievance.
The pulling motion stopped. Hagiwara Kenji frowned, carefully observing the expression on Raikawa Yomi's face, and slowly released his grip. He put one hand on his hip and rubbed his temples, somewhat regretful. He blamed himself for being too hasty and not paying close attention to Raikawa Yomi's condition before intending to pick her up.
Suppressing his unease and restlessness, Kenji Hagiwara knelt down in front of Yomi Raikawa. He frowned and then smiled, "Sorry, sorry, I hurt you. Where does it hurt? Let me see."
"My ankle is still swollen."
"Which foot? Stick it out so I can see."
The phone, now illuminated by a flashlight, was shoved into Yomi Laichuan's hand by Kenji Hagiwara. Kenji Hagiwara then squatted down in front of her, holding her feet and examining them closely.
The dim ambient light wasn't enough for Kenji Hagiwara to see the injury on her ankle through the black stockings. After saying sorry, Kenji Hagiwara hooked his hand around Yomi Laichuan's instep and tore a hole in the stocking, tearing it upwards until half of her ankle was completely exposed.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's ankles were tinged with a light cherry red, and the smooth skin bulged out like an inflated balloon.
Actually, after Morofushi Kagemitsu applied ice to her ankle, the swelling had subsided considerably. However, Yomi Raikawa, carrying her high heels, hopped and skipped along, accidentally causing her already injured left foot to suffer another heavy blow.
Kenji Hagiwara's expression gradually darkened, and the smile he had managed to force disappeared once again.
“Soft bread,” he muttered, “you didn’t twist your ankle and keep walking around, did you?”
Lai Chuan Huang Quan glanced at Hagiwara Kenji's face but didn't dare to speak.
Even without saying a word, Kenji Hagiwara had already guessed what she was thinking. He flicked Yomi Laichuan's forehead before standing up: "I'll hold you gently, so hold on tight."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan embraced Hagiwara Kenji, leaning against him as he lifted her up. With just a slight tilt of her head, she could see Hagiwara Kenji's sculpted features and sharply defined jawline.
Yomi Laichuan helped Kenji Hagiwara up and called him softly, "Kenji."
"Um?"
Hagiwara glanced quickly at the person in his arms before turning his attention back to the path beneath his feet. He didn't want to hurt the little darling in his arms again.
"What's wrong?"
Lai Chuan Huang Quan: "I don't want to go to the hospital."
"The reason?" Kenji Hagiwara, already holding Yomi Rikawa, stood by the car door: "Soft van, open the back door."
He slowly placed Lai Chuan Huang Quan into the back seat, every movement filled with caution.
Kenji Hagiwara got into the driver's seat and said while fastening his seatbelt, "Even if you don't want to go to the hospital, you need to have a reason that can convince me."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's eyes darted back and forth. She was silent for a moment before speaking, "You know I'm from another world, and our bodies have strong self-healing abilities. This kind of minor injury will be completely healed by tomorrow. But if you take me to the hospital, wouldn't that expose us in no time?"
Upon hearing this, Kenji Hagiwara glanced at Yomi Laichuan through the rearview mirror and said, "Softie, you better not be lying to me."
"Ugh!" Lai Chuan Huang Quan puffed out his cheeks and said angrily, "You don't trust me, Kenji!"
“Trust,” Kenji Hagiwara said with a smile, his tone indifferent but clearly still angry: “In the end, some softie I trusted secretly sneaked into a bar behind my back, disappeared, and ended up getting injured.”
Lai Chuan Huang Quan deflated instantly like a punctured balloon: "I...I know I was wrong."
"It's good that you know you're wrong. For the next two days, Miss Soft Bread will stay home and reflect on her mistakes. She is not allowed to go out."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan glanced at Hagiwara Kenji in the rearview mirror. Hagiwara Kenji had a smile on his lips, but his face was icy. Lai Chuan Huang Quan pursed his lips, puffed out one cheek, and lowered his head without saying another word.
The two remained silent the entire way. By the time Yomi Laichuan was carried by Hagiwara to the soft and familiar double bed, dawn was already breaking.
Kenji Hagiwara squatted on the edge of the bed, gesturing for Yomi Laichuan to stretch out her legs: "Soft bread, let me see your feet again."
Knowing she had made a mistake, the usually boisterous Pomeranian became incredibly docile after being caught by Hagiwara. She obediently extended her sprained ankle and placed it in Hagiwara's palm.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan was naturally fair-skinned, and the bright light in the bedroom made her skin appear even more radiant, like milk. Her slender ankles looked as if they could break at any moment, and her palms, with her toes curled up, were only a centimeter or two longer than Hagiwara Kenji's hands.
She was such a tiny little girl, small from head to toe.
The swelling on Lai Chuan Huang Quan's ankle had indeed subsided considerably compared to before he got on the bus. Hagiwara Kenji secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then tensed up again.
The dim lighting created an ambiguous atmosphere, drawing them closer as they whispered. Now that it was bright and open again, their previously chaotic emotions were temporarily relieved.
The woman's foot, resting in his palm, had her toes curled up like a shy girl. Her fair legs hung down, and the black stockings, which were not prone to snagging, were torn in several places, revealing the girl's fair skin peeking out from the holes.
Kenji Hagiwara suddenly recalled the soft touch from his palm when he first examined Yomi Rikawa's ankle in the dark before bringing her back.
In order to see the injury on her ankle clearly, Kenji Hagiwara pressed his face almost three inches away from her ankle in the dark, and even the hot, moist breath he exhaled fell on Yomi Raikawa's instep.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan's foot landed on Hagiwara Kenji's palm. As she kept curling her toes, the smooth and soft touch of the nylon fibers tickled Hagiwara Kenji's palm with her movements.
His Adam's apple bobbed back and forth, a fireball burning deep within his throat, making Hagiwara Kenji's mouth parched. He dared not look up, afraid that the moment he met Raikawa Yomi's gaze, he would be completely lost in the sky reflected in her eyes.
Suggesting a slowdown and a heavier feeling, Kenji Hagiwara carefully put down Yomi Laichuan's feet, turned his back, and took out his cup from the TV cabinet, starting to chug water down his throat.
He tilted his head back, making gulping noises as he swallowed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The cup slammed down on the table, and Kenji Hagiwara braced himself on the surface, staring intently at the floral-patterned tabletop.
"Are you alright, second-year graduate student?" The person behind him knew she had made a mistake, and because she felt guilty, she spoke in a soft voice, which only made Hagiwara's heart itch even more.
"I...I know I was wrong," Raikawa Yomi clutched the blanket beneath her, her head bowed, avoiding Hagiwara's gaze. She pouted and whispered, "It won't happen again, can you please not be angry..."
Kenji Hagiwara didn't turn around. He tensed every muscle, his heavy breathing as if he was trying his best to endure something.
After a long pause, he hooked his long fingers around the bow tie, tugged at it a couple of times to loosen it, and said, "Softie, you get some rest tonight. I'm going back to rest too, and I'll come find you again tomorrow at noon. During this time, you're not allowed to go out or wander around, understand?"
Looking at his fingers, Lai Chuan Huang Quan lowered his head and admitted his mistake with utmost meekness: "I understand."
She opened her lips as if to say something, but Kenji Hagiwara picked up the suit jacket he had thrown on the sofa and left without looking back, as if fleeing.
The usually gentle man slammed the door shut this time, not enough to wake the neighbors, but it was also out of character for his usual considerate manners.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan frowned and tilted his head, slowly squeezing out a question mark from the depths of his eyes.
The reason she slammed the door so hard must be because that bastard officer is still angry with her, just like when he slammed the car door when he came to pick her up.
Yes, that must be it!
Lai Chuan Huang Quan clenched her fist, deciding to find a way to properly appease Hagiwara Kenji tomorrow. She took off her tattered stockings, praised their quality, and then stripped naked and crawled into the soft quilt.
The dark room was filled only with steady breathing. Under the soft down comforter, Lai Chuan Huang Quan curled up like a butterfly about to emerge from its chrysalis, restlessly wriggling around in the blankets.
A few minutes later, she sat up abruptly, pulled her phone out from under her pillow, and hesitated, biting her nails. After a long standoff and struggle, she opened her email and sent a message to Kenji Hagiwara.
— "Thank you to the world's best graduate student police officer for taking me home. Sending you a little heart \\(≧ω≦)/"
After the message spun twice, it showed that it had been sent successfully. Lai Chuan Huang Quan closed her phone and curled up in bed. She covered her head with the pillow, as if that would cool down her burning face.
After remaining still in that position for a while, Lai Chuan Huang Quan felt a little regretful. Her uninjured foot kicked wildly on the bed before she rolled over and lay back on the bed.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan stared wide-eyed at the empty ceiling, her mind filled with a jumble of thoughts. After a long while, she covered her flushed face and wailed, "Waaah, I shouldn't have sent that text message, it's so embarrassing."
Outside the room, a man leaning against a metal railing, smoking, repeatedly read messages on his phone, a smile playing on his lips. He had only wanted to lean against the railing to get some fresh air and calm down, to cool down both his mind and body.
It was only a short ten or so words, yet Kenji Hagiwara read it over and over again.
He chuckled and said slowly, "What an idiot."
The syllables that pop out with the tip of the tongue are a subtle form of indulgence.
The wind ruffled Kenji Hagiwara's black hair. He stared at the text message on his phone, which he had read countless times, and chuckled as he murmured, "But it seems... I've become an idiot too."
[Author's Note]
Second year of graduate school: The soft bread is so small and cute, I want to pet it!
Soft bread: Is it possible that you're too tall?
Second year of graduate school: After all, he has the physique of a male model.
In one official photo, Jing Guang's legs look incredibly short next to the second-year graduate student; he also makes Ling Ling and Song Tiantian appear much shorter. This guy is a jerk who can outshine his fellow male gods of similar height!
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