Chapter 64 Honeymoon Period 3
The last phone call with my friend was completely cut off due to the explosion.
Jinpei Matsuda stared in shock at the flames blazing from the high-rise building. Shattered glass had just rained down from the explosion, and he was lucky enough to escape injury as he stood nearby. The fire on that floor showed no signs of abating.
Judging from the scale he observed from a distance, Hagiwara Kenji, who was quite close to the source of the explosion and was assigned to the explosive ordnance disposal team and was officially carrying out his first mission as a bomb disposal operator today, had no chance of survival.
Perhaps it was because the incident happened too suddenly, or perhaps it was because he had seen too many different kinds of souls over the years, and his sense of the reality of death had become dull. Matsuda Jinpei's first reaction was not to feel grief for his best friend's death, but to worry about what to do with his best friend's wedding ceremony in two weeks, and how Kurosaki and the girl who is now Utaki Hagiwara would react after hearing the bad news.
He didn't think that the savior who had participated in two battles to save the world would feel sad. After all, she was not an ordinary human being. To her, death was just another way of existence.
His friends will continue to live as spirits, go to Soul Society, or find a way to stay in the real world, so they can meet whenever they want, and it may even be easier than it is now.
But...she'll definitely be super angry.
After all, the replies to the wedding invitations have been received and sorted. You can't wait until the guests arrive to tell them that the wedding has turned into a funeral, right?
"This is too bad..."
Imagining that scene, even he, who was not involved, couldn't help but get a headache.
So, shouldn't he call Kurosaki Utsuki as soon as possible to inform her and let her make arrangements in advance?
While he was still hesitating, Hagiwara Kenji, with half a chain on his chest, had already arrived in front of him. He looked no different from when he was alive, with no scars left on his soul from the explosion.
"Xiao Zhenping," the new ghost said with a wry smile, feeling genuinely guilty for not being able to defuse the bomb. "Sorry, I messed up."
Matsuda Jinpei frowned. "It's not your fault. Who knew the timer would suddenly activate? Even though the ransom has already been paid."
There was chaos all around at that moment, and no one would notice that he was talking to the "air".
It was at this moment that he suddenly saw the souls of other colleagues who had died in the line of duty.
They probably left the place of death together with Kenji Hagiwara. Some of them had not yet realized that they were dead, but the half chain of cause and effect hanging in front of their chests meant that their voices would never be heard by their colleagues again.
Their lives as "human beings" have come to an end, and their ties with the real world are about to be severed. What awaits them next is a long new life as a "whole", with almost permanent farewell to their relatives and friends in this world.
He suddenly began to feel angry and sad, for the cruel and shameless prisoners, for his colleagues who died in the line of duty, and for himself who was powerless.
The voice of a friend came to my ears again: "Xiao Zhenping, can you help me contact Ge Xi? I am in this state now and can't make a phone call."
But the person who was about to call to report it, driven by emotion, subconsciously refused and said, "Why don't you go and tell her yourself? I'll drive you there. There's no need to say anything. The situation is obvious at a glance."
Only after he finished speaking did he realize that he was venting his emotions. Just as he was thinking of apologizing, he saw his friend in front of him shook his head: "I'm afraid not."
...What's wrong?
"Jinpei-chan should have noticed it," Hagiwara Kenji explained, "Ever since the end of her senior year, when Utsuki-chan woke up, she hasn't fought as a Shinigami again, nor has she reacted to wandering ghosts."
Matsuda Jinpei's breathing stagnated: "Could it be that——"
"Yes," Hagiwara Kenji confirmed, "Utahiki-chan has long since lost her spiritual power."
It's not because of a missing soul or something like that. According to Urahara Kisuke, it's more likely due to her subconscious self-protection - in the brutal wars that followed, she gradually discovered that she didn't like fighting as much as she thought, and she hated being injured and bleeding, and she had a strong desire to complete her life as a human being.
After a while, Jinpei Matsuda took out his cell phone with a serious face.
"Okay, I'll tell her what you want to say."
·
When Kurosaki Utsuki received the call, she had just finished class.
She originally wanted to rush to the cafeteria, finish her meal and then go home to take a nap, but her rhythm was disrupted by this sudden phone call.
Walking against the flow of people, Kurosaki Utsuki walked to the window at the end of the corridor and took out her cell phone.
When she saw the caller ID showed it was Matsuda Jinpei, she suddenly had a bad feeling. When she answered the call and heard the heavy voice on the other end, her heart sank completely.
"Just now... Hagi died in the line of duty."
It came without any preparation, as if she was suddenly hit with the bad news of a fully chanted Flying Dragon Strike Thief Thunder Cannon.
Kurosaki Utsuki was silent for a full minute before coming to her senses and speaking, "Where's the body?"
Martyred in the line of duty? How could he have died in the line of duty? He'd only been officially employed for two months, and he was only twenty-two years old! He was getting married in two weeks!
Matsuda Jinpei's voice was hesitant: "... probably can't find it."
The corners of her mouth twitched as Kurosaki Utsuki mentally reassured herself, "It's okay. We can save him even without a body. I'll just ask Mr. Urahara to prepare a fake body." She struggled to speak and asked, "...What exactly happened back then? How many people knew he was dead?"
However, the news from the other side was still irreversibly bad: "I'm afraid the entire Metropolitan Police Department has already known... There was a serious explosion just now. Hagi is not the only officer killed."
Okay.
Kurosaki Utsuki slapped her forehead with one hand in grief.
That means there is no hope at all.
This extremely bad news made her so angry that she wanted to stamp her feet, but the students coming and going in the corridor forced her to calm down. Suppressing her emotions, she replied with a "Got it" and then made arrangements: "Tell him to go to Mr. Urahara. I'll be there now."
"Okay...ah, Hagi said he's really sorry and hopes you won't be too angry about it."
ha?
Kurosaki Utsuki rolled her eyes speechlessly.
"Let's switch places. If I died, would he smile and say, 'I'm already dead, so let go of my obsession and become a Buddha soon'?"
She was so angry that she almost died!
·
After hanging up the phone, Kurosaki Utaha called Ishida Uryu.
He said without hesitation: "Can you cover for me in the evening?"
"It's rare that you'd actually find someone to cover for you." Despite this sentiment, Ishida Uryu showed no sign of refusing. He then asked with some concern, "What happened?"
"It's nothing serious." Kurosaki Utsuki sneered, the resentment in her voice frightening the students passing by her. "It's just that my newlywed husband just died in the line of duty."
So the next student who passed by her couldn't help but shudder.
Knowing that their wedding ceremony would be in two weeks, Ishida Uryu's voice grew serious: "Died in the line of duty? Is there any way to cover up this?"
Kurosaki Utsuki took a deep breath, looked at the gradually empty corridor, and complained in one breath: "It could have been possible. When I was in high school, I thought about what would happen if he accidentally died. Urahara-san's intelligence can easily solve most problems."
Then the topic changed: "--But the problem is that his death was not what I expected at all. It was not low-key at all! I can't just rush into the Metropolitan Police Department with a box of memory processing spray on my back and spray everyone I see like pesticide, right?"
What else could she do? She was also desperate!
Ishida Uryu was silent for a few seconds, then said, "...So what are you going to do next?"
So she didn't know what to do!
She also knew that Ishida Uryu was asking about the "future". Since Hagiwara Kenji's "death" was inevitable, after his soul went to Soul Society, would she still strive to be a human until the last moment of her life as originally planned?
Kurosaki Utahi bit her lip and said, "Who knows?"
That's not a decision that can be made in a short time.
After handing over the evening's work, Kurosaki Utsuki asked for leave from her afternoon class teacher. As she was about to leave school, she received a call from Hagiwara Chisu.
In fact, there was nothing much to say. The other party just asked her, "Have you heard?", and she replied, "Matsuda called me," and the two fell into silence.
After a while, the person opposite her asked her, "What should we do about the wedding?", and she replied, "Just hold it as usual."
Hagiwara Chisuwa knew her peculiarity. The "psychic power" of the "Psychic Detective" was genuine, so he wasn't surprised by her decision, and his sadness was somewhat diluted.
"...That idiot, he just casually left his precious wife alone."
Although he and his parents could not see the deceased again, perhaps his wife still had a way to meet him.
Kurosaki Utaha responded angrily, "Yeah, what an idiot."
But, she had to avenge that fool.
·
The destination is Urahara Shoten.
When Kurosaki Utsuki arrived, the store manager was the only one in the store.
She walked into the store and gradually approached Urahara Kisuke, who was sitting at a low table at the end drinking tea, among the familiar shelves. Her hand subconsciously grasped the Quincy Cross hanging on his chest.
The "pseudo-hogyoku" that she had worn on her wrist along with the Quincy Cross was shattered in the battle with the Quincy. Although Urahara Kisuke later made a new one for her, this time it seemed that this item only had the property of stabilizing spiritual power, she no longer needed it.
...until just now.
"I want to regain my spiritual power." Kurosaki Utsuki said.
Urahara Kisuke didn't ask any more questions. He put down his teacup and stood up. As if he had guessed the reason for her sudden change of heart, he just agreed cooperatively: "Okay."
Not long after, when Jinpei Matsuda drove over with Kenji Hagiwara, the "spiritual sword" made by Kisuke Urahara was already stuck in Utahara Utsuki's chest.
It is a tool that can stimulate the power of the god of death by infusing it with spiritual energy. The maker injected about the amount of a red fire cannon into it.
If the recipient was someone else, the sword would need more spiritual power, but Kurosaki Utsuki still held Ichimaru Gin's "warehouse key" in her hand. As long as this little bit of spiritual power helped her rebuild the connection, she could quickly return to her previous state.
Sensing the arrival of a guest, Urahara Kisuke, who had already activated his spiritual power, quickly retracted his spiritual sword and revealed an unfathomable expression.
"Ms. Goshi's husband and friends arrived just in time."
Kurosaki Utsuki nodded slightly to him, and the aura around him began to change. "Please ask Mr. Urahara to bring them over so that they can also see how I have recovered."
·
Jinpei Matsuda fell into deep thought.
Jinpei Matsuda gave up thinking.
Perhaps he had never seen the world before, and he couldn't imagine how there could be such a large space under a small grocery store - nor could he imagine how powerful Kurosaki Utsuki was.
They are not in the same dimension as humans.
He stared blankly at the girl standing on the flat ground, drawing her bow and shooting arrows. It seemed random, but each arrow could accurately destroy a hilltop.
So, how should I say it?
Although I had seen her fighting Hollow from a distance a long time ago, but experiencing it up close like this, it still felt like watching a superhero movie with special effects added.
His friends beside him showed no sign of surprise, as if they were already used to it and had no idea what they had experienced before.
But both they and Urahara Kisuke were just standing not far from the entrance. No one said a word. They just watched Kurosaki Utsuki in front of them shooting arrows endlessly, until suddenly someone jumped down from the entrance of the training ground.
"You really don't feel sorry for people."
Along with the voice appeared Ichimaru Gin, whose spiritual power was almost drained by her.
Seeing him coming, Kurosaki Utsuki also stopped what she was doing, and looked at Urahara Kisuke who was watching her vent with a smile, and said with a refreshed look: "The driver was summoned successfully - by the way, I was careful to avoid your tree."
The "driver" shook his head in pain and stood aside.
Although he didn't think that Kurosaki Utsuki's original intention was to summon a driver, since someone had already come to help her, Matsuda Jinpei, whose worldview was shocked, decided to take his leave.
"Kurosaki, I'll just—"
"No."
"……goodbye."
He clearly did nothing wrong, why should he be implicated?
However, when Matsuda Jinpei turned around to leave and looked up at the twenty-meter-high ladder at the entrance, Kurosaki Utsuki's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Don't die."
He waved his hand and was about to speak when he heard the girl continue, "Tell the others not to die so easily."
Hearing this, Matsuda Jinpei had something to say: "As for Zero and Hiro, they suddenly lost contact after graduation."
Kurosaki Utsuki was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Did he join some secret department?"
"Who knows." He waved again, climbed up the ladder, and left the huge underground training ground.
Urahara Kisuke followed in the name of seeing off a guest, and suddenly there was only one person, one Grim Reaper, and one ghost left in the empty underground training ground.
Kurosaki Utsuki finally turned her gaze to Hagiwara Kenji, who had just been looking at her obediently from beginning to end, and glared angrily at the half-broken causal chain on his chest.
"Tell me, how did you die?"
The man on the other side patiently told her what he knew about the case, as well as what they had heard on the way: one of the criminals was found by the police when he tried to contact the police to explain how to stop the bomb, and was accidentally hit and killed by a car while fleeing in a hurry.
Very good, with the appearance of the souls of people related to the case, she can go back to her old job.
Then she called another person involved.
"Is that Detective Mori? Ah, it should be Detective Mori now. I'm Utsuki Kurosaki, do you remember me?"
Detective Kogoro Mouri of the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division, who was once the contact person for "JK Detective Kaki Hagiwara", resigned from his police job for some reason and became a private investigator two years after she stopped her detective work due to the loss of her spiritual power and her studies.
She thought back to the last time they'd met before the Battle of Seireitei. After she'd woken from her long coma, she'd emailed him, but it had been just a few polite words about how well she was doing.
The person on the other end was also surprised to hear her voice: "Hei Qi? It's been a while since we last contacted each other. You should have graduated from university by now."
"Not yet. I'm studying medicine and have two years to graduate. I plan to continue my studies after that." The pleasantries stopped there and Kurosaki Utsuki got straight to the point. "Regarding the bombing that happened not long ago, I'd like to be able to provide assistance."
She believed that the former detective on the other end of the phone would be more likely to learn the details of the case through his connections than Jinpei Matsuda, who had just joined the company and was in the explosive ordnance disposal team.
Maori Kogoro paused for a few seconds before asking, "It's obviously not an unsolved case?"
Kurosaki Utsuki's response was blunt: "If you delay this any longer, it might become an unsolved case."
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, probably because he was searching for relevant news reports. But soon, perhaps because he saw the name of the deceased detective and remembered the young photographer he had met seven years ago, Maori Kogoro's voice suddenly became serious.
"This case should now be handled by Section One. It involves colleagues who died in the line of duty, so the investigation will likely be quite large. I'll try to get the details from people I know." He agreed, then immediately warned her, "Don't be impulsive."
……well.
"If I were really impulsive, I wouldn't have chosen to call you, but would have rushed directly to the Metropolitan Police Department." Kurosaki Utsuki responded calmly.
"That's good—what are you looking into now?"
"Unfortunately, not." She glanced at Hagiwara Kenji and curled the corners of her lips downward again. "I want to know the exact place of death of the deceased prisoner and the route of his body after death."
The former criminal policeman who had dealt with her for two years and knew that she never took the usual approach in her investigations immediately agreed.
"Thank you. From now on, I will be responsible for finding his accomplices as soon as possible. From then on, I'll leave it to you and the police to handle everything else." She smiled as she spoke, her words full of sincerity. "Don't worry, I won't break any human laws."
Gin Ichimaru, who was watching the show from the side, uttered a single syllable expressing doubt.
Kurosaki Utsuki ignored him. After hanging up the phone, she took two steps towards Hagiwara Kenji. She originally wanted to angrily pull his chain of cause and effect, but as soon as she stretched out her hand, she hugged the other person's waist as if she was manipulated by someone. After pausing for a second, she couldn't help but bury her face in his arms.
"Idiot...how did you die..."
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