Chapter 35: The Winery Scene My Great Rift Valley
“…” The rapid breathing gradually calmed down.
Veins bulged on the back of his hands gripping the steering wheel, his eyes, which had been open for so long, felt a stinging pain from the dryness, wanting to burst into natural tears. The sky-high flames from the explosion a moment ago were almost engraved in his eyes, unforgettable.
The shock caused by the explosion seemed to shake his lungs, and at that moment, Rei Fūtani almost lost all perception of the outside world.
Apartment building.
bomb.
Hagiwara.
explode.
A few simple words put together form a blank.
He thought about the words that appeared in his mind over and over again like a possessed person, and in the end it turned into a confused chaos.
His pupils trembled slightly unconsciously, fine beads of cold sweat oozed from his forehead and temples, and his dark skin faintly revealed a gray and decadent look.
Rei Furuya had always known.
From the moment you become a police officer, you have taken on the risk of losing your life in the line of duty at any time.
Especially during his time undercover in the organization, whether it was being injured while performing a mission in order to gain the organization's trust, or the worst-case scenario: his identity being exposed to the organization's members, Furuya Rei had imagined similar situations and was willing to accept them calmly.
But Rei Furuya never thought that the person who died in the line of duty would be Kenji Hagiwara.
What?
Are you kidding me?
The knuckles and bloodless areas of his hands, tightly gripping the steering wheel, were so tense they were about to tear, as if he was completely unaware of the stinging pain in his hands. His pupils were dilated, staring unfocused at the front where an explosion had occurred not long ago.
Why was Hagiwara the one who died?
It was obvious that the jobs he, Matsuda, and the squad leader held would not involve the existence of the organization, nor would they require them to risk exposing their identities and go undercover in a criminal group.
Although they will frequently come into contact with bombs, which is dangerous, with Hagiwara and Matsuda's abilities, it is basically impossible for any accidents to occur in bomb disposal.
The stable life during the same period was almost the only comfort he and Hiro could find in the organization.
It won't make his mind and eyes filled with calculation and killing, and it won't make him... be like a real criminal, indifferent to the weight of life.
Then, the apartment where Kenji Hagiwara was located exploded before his eyes.
Fūya Rei suppressed his breath and took a short breath.
If he had arrived a few minutes earlier, even if it was just after the target was captured, he could have made some adjustments and made the detonator 'fail' without anyone noticing.
Neither...
It happened suddenly, and I couldn't handle the overload of emotions. My brain was still confused and out of control. What followed was uncontrollable regret and sharp, aching pain in my heart.
Fūya Rei gritted his teeth, restarted the car, and drove towards the red dot on the tracker that was stagnant.
The car speed gradually increased and there was no sign of stopping.
He no longer had the energy to think about whether he would be suspected if he went over there so recklessly.
The only thought in his mind now was to go to the scene, to the building where Hagiwara died, to gather up his bombed body, and to see with his own eyes that he was properly buried.
Fūya Rei tried to pull the corners of his mouth, trying to reveal a cold smile.
But failed.
The mask that belonged to intelligence agent 'Bourbon' seemed to have left him, and the muscles on his face seemed to be frozen, and he could no longer force out his usual mocking sneer.
Ha, I guess we won’t be able to find any complete wreckage—just like that guy said.
No remains were found.
When he thought of this word, Amuro Toru's heart suddenly contracted for no reason.
My heart felt numb as if it were struck by an electric current, and sticky emotions were growing beneath the shadows cast by my eyelashes.
The dazzling scene of the explosion in front of his eyes switched back and forth with a face that looked at him with slightly curved eyes and a smile.
“Eh…that.”
When he asked about the content of this mission, she spoke in a drawn-out tone, her long light-blonde hair hanging down due to the posture of supporting her face, and her eyes, reflecting green in the light, were obviously in a trance, looking out the window without focus.
He seemed to be lost in thought, his voice was hesitant and anyone could hear it, and he blinked a little too frequently... Was he feeling embarrassed?
'It's actually for my own reasons'
At the time, he was confused by the answer "It's a friend" that was barely thought out, and thought that the other party was worried that the criminal would target Hagiwara and Matsuda and wanted to eliminate the hidden danger in advance...
Disguised as harmless, he behaved so horribly towards his so-called 'friend'...
squeak--
There was a sharp and piercing brake sound, and the tires scraped against the road.
Fūya Rei slammed on the brakes, and he leaned forward uncontrollably and fell back into his seat.
He actually thought about...
ha.
…
A phone call called them downstairs, and the entire team gathered below the apartment to watch the grand 'fireworks' that almost became their burial place.
Their captain, Hagiwara, was called aside and was apologizing profusely to Matsuda and a girl he had never met before.
Team members: Watch...
Unfortunately, they were too far away. If they wanted to get closer to listen secretly, Matsuda would glare at them fiercely.
All that could be seen was a tall young man with medium-length hair who bent down slightly without airs, raised his two hands in a good-natured manner, and smiled apologetically with half-curved eyes.
Kenji Hagiwara lowered his eyebrows and slightly suppressed his eyes, which were often curved into a smile, trying to calm the emotions of the two people in front of him.
Facing the complaints and accusations that were filled with concern, he patiently responded: "Yes, yes."
"This won't happen again, I promise." He pressed his palms together in a gesture of weakness and pleading, while opening one eye and winking at Jinpei Matsuda standing in front of him. "Jinpei-chan, you can vouch for me."
"Huh?" Matsuda Jinpei made an unpleasant tongue-twisting sound. "I don't want it."
Kenji Hagiwara asked for help from his classmates, but was ruthlessly rejected.
Matsuda Jinpei showed no mercy and said mercilessly: "It's time for you to learn a lesson, Hagi."
"This is all my salary for this month. You two gentlemen must accept it and please forgive the mistakes I made." Hagiwara Kenji held the wallet in both hands and handed it respectfully to the two people in front of him, as if he was a useless office worker who was being blackmailed by a bad guy.
Fushimi Kyoji looked at Matsuda Jinpei, who was unmoved one second and rubbing his hands with a grimace the next, and then looked at Hagiwara Kenji, who had an exaggerated expression of pain on his face.
It turns out that the subsequent plot was foreshadowed when the two people first met!
As expected, Officer Hagiwara, you really don't like wearing explosion-proof clothing.
"*Code Mission ② [The Incompetent's Outrage] Completed! Code wine names, fixed favorability +10×2, and detailed rewards available by clicking on the details..."
"*[Codename] has been obtained. You will not obtain it again after completing subsequent missions. The mission difficulty will be reduced accordingly. You can re-accept missions ①[Eternal Life], ③[Rising Star of Mystery] from the game panel after the cooldown period..."
Great!
Hmm... and the favorability rating, is it +10 for Officer Hagiwara and +10 for Officer Matsuda respectively?
Ever since I turned off the favorability reminder, I haven't seemed to pay attention to the favorability of the conquerable characters towards the player.
The player clicks on the favorability column in interpersonal relationships.
[Open]
The next second, the player shut down again.
Is it an illusion?
Fushimi Kyoji's serious face.
It seems like I saw a favorability level that turned from red to black!
It is located at the lowest part, but the color is so eye-catching that it will be noticed at first sight.
Wow……
After reopening, the player stared blankly at the blindingly red favorability bar and the name on top of it:
——[Toru Amuro]
This is...this is!
The player tactically retreats.
The Great Rift Valley of East Africa!
Fushimi Kyoji thought that since the favorability had reached such a negative level, it wouldn't be surprising even if he killed the other person.
“…”
It's indeed a love game that will never end!
Despite such a low favorability, Bourbon was still very easy to talk to and didn't shoot her directly.
"Ha, since you sincerely want to ask for my forgiveness..." Matsuda Jinpei loosened his arms around his chest and said in a very reluctant tone, while pulling out the wallet from Hagiwara Kenji's hand, "Then I will accept it reluctantly."
Before Matsuda Jinpei could finish his words, a blinding flash of light came on with a click.
Fushimi Kyoji put down his phone and waved it at the two of them: "I got it. Evidence of Officer Matsuda accepting bribes."
Matsuda Jinpei: ...
"Ah." Hagiwara Kenji suppressed his laughter and winked at the sullen-faced Yujinran, "You've been caught, Jinpei-chan."
The player held up his palm and said, "No, from now on, please call him the tainted policeman!"
Tsk.
What is going on?
Matsuda Jinpei put on a villainous look. He approached the player and put his arm around his neck. He clenched his fist and pressed it against the player's head without much effort. "Dirty police? Huh?"
The player tried to break free but failed.
He simply shouted to the bomb disposal officers who were looking over there: "There are police officers here who are threatening the safety of the people. Quickly, handcuff Officer Matsuda."
Police officers: Should they go or not? Captain Hagiwara is over there too!
There is a huge conflict between the natural fear of the boss and the sense of justice!
"……Um?"
Jinpei Matsuda frowned and reached out to the player's collar, which was turned up by his action.
From a hidden corner, a bug with a flashing red light was pulled out.
Tsk.
Matsuda Jinpei held the bug in front of Fushimi Kyoki and said, "Someone put this thing on you."
"It's a bug." Kenji Hagiwara moved closer and could easily identify it.
Fushimi Kyoji also lowered his head to look: "It's a bug."
"Tsk, how stupid! You didn't even realize you were being monitored for how long." Matsuda Jinpei impatiently withdrew his hand and scolded him in a bad tone.
She almost buried her face in his hands.
This was the scene that Rei Furuya saw when he arrived.
The thin air in my lungs seemed to be mixed with broken glass, and my breath was tainted with the smell of rust. The non-stop running made my heart beat rapidly, as if it was about to explode.
Supported by a will burning in his heart, Furuya Rei came to the apartment where an explosion had occurred not long ago. He should rush upstairs regardless of anything and collect the corpses of his colleagues as he had planned.
But as he walked around, his nostrils were filled with the mixed smell of saltpeter and sulfur. He caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the distance, and his feet seemed to have taken root, unable to move.
...Hagiwara?
Staring intently at the profile of the person who was squinting his eyes and watching the fight between the two people in front of him, Fūya Rei let out a short breath from his throat.
His anger, his sadness, his pain... all disappeared without a trace as if a bucket of water was poured over his head, leaving only confusion with no response.
The first person to notice the glaring gaze staring at them was Jinpei Matsuda.
It's not like he's never seen someone lose their composure before, but he's never been as distraught and helpless as he is now.
Jinpei Matsuda opened his mouth and looked at Furuya Rei who was standing frozen in place and was reluctant to move forward towards them. He wanted to say something to mock him, but everything was stuck in his throat and he couldn't say anything.
What...
Jinpei Matsuda scratched the curls on his head.
Make yourself so embarrassed.
Fushimi Kyoji turned around.
The teammates in the organization stared at Hagiwara Kenji for unknown reasons.
Not understanding why this plot occurred, the player raised his hand and greeted him: "Bourbon!"
"Bourbon?" Hagiwara Kenji repeated curiously.
Jinpei Matsuda thought of the bourbon he had drunk before, his face turned sour, and he raised the last part of his voice, sounding extremely provocative: "Huh? Bourbon? What a weird name."
The two people's consecutive interruptions gave Fūya Rei enough time to deal with his outburst of emotion.
He tried his best to calm down. He caught a glimpse of Lei approaching from a distance and explained without pausing, "Bourbon is our code name for each other in the band."
Hiro will be here soon.
Coincidentally, he was also carrying a bass bag.
Furuya Rei took a step closer.
"Amuro Toru, my name." He deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of 'I'.
The hand that was so cold that it had no temperature was finally pulled back to the world after a brief handshake with a colleague.
-----------------------
Author's comment: If the player's stats are not high enough during the codename assessment, they will be shown a scene where Yan Er is injured and hospitalized.
Good news, Touko's favorability is finally getting out of the negatives! Mingming is the only character whose favorability increases upon first meeting (chew chew chew)
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