Chapter 39 Unlucky Ray: He's Cursed!
The night wind stirred up waves on the sea, one after another crashing against the shore. A tall figure stood under the moon, gazing silently at the distorted reflection of the moon in the sea.
Chizuru parked her car on the shore and walked towards the person step by step. Even before she could exchange more than a few words, she could already feel the sense of rejection in her heart.
Aside from dealing with the organization and targeting Gin, the only time Takanashi Chinatsu did anything serious within the organization was by keeping a close eye on Rai, preparing to expose his ugly face in front of Akemi.
She's incredibly lucky; once she decides to do something, the whole world will go along with it.
Then one day, by a twist of fate, Chinatsu Takanashi stumbled upon the connection between Rye and the FBI.
That damn wild man!
During her escape, Chinatsu Takanashi felt an intense urge to tear the other person to pieces, but she ultimately managed to restrain herself.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The FBI could certainly be an asset in her destroying the organization. The most crucial element is Minmei.
She targeted Lei Yi because she felt sorry for Mingmei, always feeling that Mingmei had entrusted herself to the wrong person, and that this bastard had only gotten to his position by taking advantage of Mingmei.
There are already few girls in the organization, and Mingmei is a unique person who refuses to associate with the organization. How could her boyfriend join the organization!
Good news, Rye is an FBI agent, not some evil Raven.
Bad news: If Lei is exposed, Minmei is doomed!
So even when Ray led the FBI to hunt her down, and Takanashi Chinatsu escaped in disgrace, she still didn't report him, and didn't even continue to sabotage him in secret.
The only thing keeping the two parties together seems to be Akemi.
They tacitly avoided each other, only occasionally meeting at Mingmei's place; otherwise, they never saw each other at all.
But Chika Takanashi knew that as long as she extended the invitation, Rae would have no choice but to come.
Seeing that figure from afar, Chika Takanashi's expression remained indifferent; Rae had indeed come to keep his appointment.
"Shuichi Akai, aren't you afraid of dying coming here all alone?" Chinatsu Takanashi quietly approached him from behind and poked his back with two fingers as if they were a gun.
Shuichi Akai chuckled lightly, turning around without the slightest hint of tension. He grabbed two of Chika Takanashi's fingers and said casually, "I wouldn't have died otherwise, but if you call out my real name a few more times, I'm afraid you'll kill me."
"Let go of me!" Takanashi Chinatsu suddenly pulled her hand back.
Shuichi Akai did not stop her, but instead looked at her with great interest.
Takanashi Chinatsu was a little annoyed. Shuichi Akai wasn't fun anymore. She still preferred to see his suddenly changed expression last time, to see him chasing after her with a livid face but unable to catch up, and to see the restrained and worried look in his eyes when he saw Akemi.
How could Shuichi Akai be so happy? Shouldn't he have come over worriedly, knelt in front of her, and cried out, "Lady Black Cherry, please let me go?"
"You know my identity but didn't report me, which clearly means you want something from me. Tell me." Shuichi Akai had a cigarette in his mouth and took out a lighter to indicate whether the other party minded.
"Do as you please." Takanashi Chinatsu didn't snatch the cigarette from Gin's mouth like she would. "Smoke, smoke, smoke yourself to death, you'll get lung cancer sooner or later!"
With a "click," Akai Hideaki lit a small red flame, which flickered in the twilight.
"I didn't expose you because of Akemi. She's such a good person, but she's had bad luck with men. She shouldn't be dragged down by you." Takanashi Chinatsu stated her position to prevent Akai Shuichi from getting too smug.
Akai Shuichi nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
“But as her sister becomes more and more important to the organization, even if your identity is exposed, as long as Shiho and I protect her, Akemi will be safe.” Takanashi Chinatsu stared intently into Akai Shuichi’s eyes.
Those were green eyes, just like hers, just like Gin's. The emerald green bloomed in his pupils, as if welcoming the whole spring, far surpassing even the lush green willow branches.
The green hills and clear waters are breathtakingly beautiful.
Takanashi Chinatsu suddenly had an inopportune thought: Could it be that she and Rai were related by blood?
Dame!
They only have the same eyes. Lei is not Gin. If you are related to him by blood, you might as well die!
"I let you go, shouldn't you express your gratitude first?"
Lei looked at her, his gaze focused, the green in his eyes growing even more intense at that moment.
“Of course, my dear princess, I owe you my life.” Lei’s gentle voice echoed in the night.
Chinatsu Takanashi was even angrier. Besides the fact that Rai had joined the organization, this was also one of the reasons why she disliked Rai.
He has such a sweet tongue, he can spout slutty remarks without batting an eye, and he even looks at dogs with such affection in his eyes. No matter how you look at him, he's a total scumbag.
Her dear friend was completely fooled by this showy guy's sweet words!
"Lei, be normal!" Takanashi Chinatsu glared at him.
Ray raised his hands in surrender, the cigarette dangling from his mouth not hindering his performance at all: "Alright, alright, whatever you say. Takanashi, what brings you here today? You can't possibly be suddenly thinking of exposing my identity, can you?"
As he spoke, he gave a wicked smirk.
The longer it dragged on, the less worried Ray became.
Although his identity has been exposed, it would be troublesome if Takanashi Chinatsu didn't report it for so long and the organization found out. He believed that she wouldn't go looking for trouble.
As for other things, as long as Chinatsu Takanashi is willing to protect him, he'll do whatever she asks.
"Have you heard that I'm currently assembling a team?"
Lei was slightly taken aback, his eyes darkened, and his tone was one of surprise: "You want to recruit me?"
"Is that not allowed? Do you think I'm just playing around, having a three-minute burst of enthusiasm, and then I'll abandon you all?" Takanashi Chinatsu was a little angry. Of course, she knew how the people in the organization talked about her. No one thought she could do anything big. They just felt that she was playing house and at most leading a group of "Beagles" to play pranks.
How dare an undercover agent like Ray think of her like that?
"No, you're amazing, I've always known that."
Lai's serious answer caught Takanashi Chinatsu off guard, and she even felt a little embarrassed.
"You're lucky. You succeed no matter what you want to do, just like how you easily stumbled upon my communication with the FBI." Ray's eyes were full of admiration; he genuinely thought Takanashi Chinatsu was very capable.
Her abilities go far beyond that.
"You were only wearing roller skates, but we couldn't catch you no matter what we did. Our men even shot at you, remember?"
"Your marksmanship is terrible!" Takanashi Chinatsu completely disregarded her, failing to hit her with a single shot.
"So later I shot you too."
Takanashi Chika glared at him suddenly. Oh, so Rai actually shot at her back then! She thought Rai didn't have the heart to do it because she was close to Akemi.
He really is a scumbag; he shows no mercy whatsoever.
Lai didn't feel guilty about Takanashi Chika's stare; instead, he stared at her even more intently, as if he were examining some rare and precious object.
His shot was aimed at the opponent's leg. With his skill level, even from that distance on a moving vehicle, he shouldn't have missed. But the bullet missed.
At that moment, Chinatsu Takanashi's roller skates hit a pebble, which subtly changed the position of her legs, and a bullet narrowly grazed between her legs.
It was around that time that Lei first took seriously the organization's rumors about Takanashi Chinatsu's incredible luck.
This was so shocking that he would never have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.
Afterwards, the car suffered a tire blowout and engine failure. Despite only wearing roller skates, Takanashi Chinatsu managed to escape the FBI's pursuit, which can only be described as a miracle.
"Can you tell me what you want to do?" Ray took the cigarette from his mouth, held it between his fingers, and asked curiously.
"I want to defeat Rum!" Chinatsu Takanashi raised her fist, her spirit soaring.
She was lying, of course. Her target wasn't just Rum; she just didn't fully trust Rye yet.
Because there were frequent conflicts between Takanashi Chinatsu and Rum, Lei didn't suspect anything and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll join."
"So readily agreed?"
"Why don't you just give me a straight answer? Do you expect me to use my secrets to threaten me? I don't have a masochistic streak, so I'd rather just agree." Ray shrugged, his face full of honesty.
That's strange!
Chinatsu stared at him strangely, but still took out a watch, the same series as Bourbon and Scottish, except that the gemstones on it were green.
After explaining its purpose, Lei's eyebrows shot up sharply.
"Can you monitor the location at any time?"
"able."
"Then why should I wear it?" Lei casually tossed the watch back, saying matter-of-factly, "I'm an undercover agent. You already know my identity. Giving you my position is fine, but this is something the organization developed. Can you guarantee that others won't get my position?"
"I……"
“You can’t. So this thing is like a small bomb to me. Would you carry a bomb with you?” Ray took a step back, his resistance clear.
"Bourbon and Scotland are both wearing them, why aren't you cooperating!"
"Bourbon and Scotland aren't undercover agents. Just because they wear them doesn't mean I have to."
Chinatsuka Takanashi emphasized, "This is a symbol of our team's unity. If you don't wear it, you're not part of the group!"
Upon hearing this, Lei laughed mockingly.
"Why don't you go and ask around? Bourbon and I always argue when we meet. We never got along anyway." With his identity exposed, Lai was much more straightforward than the other two. Seeing that Takanashi Chika was still reluctant, he simply turned around and left.
"Hey, Ray!"
"Call me if you need anything." Lei didn't even turn around, just waved his hand with his back to her.
"Akai Shuichi——"
A blatant threat.
But this time, Shuichi Akai didn't even stop. He got into a black Chevrolet and drove off in a dashing manner.
asshole!
How could I have let her "good intentions" go to waste!
She cursed Shuichi Akai, wishing his car would get a flat tire before he could drive home!
Chinatsuka Takanashi gripped the watch on her wrist, silently cursing in her heart.
——
The car has a flat tire.
All four tires blew out.
This is simply unbelievable.
Before each trip, Ray would carefully check his Chevrolet, which had never made a mistake in 800 missions, but today... it had a flat tire?
A strange feeling, as if he were being repeatedly manipulated and toyed with by fate, washed over him, reminding him of the time he and the FBI had worked together to hunt down Chinatsu Takanashi.
...Could it be that it's been cursed?
Takanashi Chika is so lucky, it's not surprising that lucky kids can be cursed, right?
Lei choked up silently.
There was no village or shop in sight, and it was late at night. His safe house was still a long way off. Was he really going to walk all the way back like this?
What should I do with the car? It's broken down here; what if it disappears by tomorrow morning?
Lai looked around and reluctantly got back into the car. Although the flat tire was dangerous, he could still drive home if he drove slowly. He could just find a shop to change the tire tomorrow.
However……
It won't start.
It was perfectly fine when I parked, but now I can't start it no matter what I do.
That eerie feeling, as if I were being repeatedly manipulated and toyed with by fate, came back again.
“Fine.” Akai Shu shrugged, slung his guitar bag over his shoulder, and prepared to walk back to the safe house.
The little princess, who is protected by Lady Luck, is indeed not to be offended; even the slightest offense will bring endless trouble.
"Ring ring" "Ring ring"
The bicycle bell rang crisply.
Not far away, someone rode over on a bicycle. One end of the handlebars had a bell, and the other end had a powerful flashlight clipped to it. He rode freely even in the dark.
Seeing Lai standing there with his backpack, the young man on the bicycle seemed to think he was some kind of dangerous person, and pedaled so hard as he passed him that it was almost like sparks flying.
Seeing this, Lai smiled wryly, then looked at his own clothes—all black and carrying a strange bag—and realized he should indeed be careful, being alone in the middle of nowhere at night.
He hadn't walked far when he heard the "ding-a-ling" sound again; the young man had actually ridden back on his bicycle.
"Do you need help?" The young man stopped five steps away from Lai, staring at him warily.
"He's a kind-hearted yet highly vigilant young man," Ray smiled.
"Thanks, my car broke down, but there don't seem to be any repair shops nearby." Ray pointed to the Chevrolet next to him.
"So you drove here." The young man breathed a sigh of relief and then moved closer.
"I'm not stupid enough to walk to a place like this," Ray said with a wry smile.
The young man scratched his head, his smile slightly naive: "You're right. I'm Karasuno Goku, a tourist here, and I'm not sure where there are any car repair shops."
"Thank you for your concern, but it seems you can't help me."
Karasuno nods sheepishly and can only ride away, but he catches up with Rae a little while later.
“Sir, you’re going too slowly. I can take you to a place where you can hail a taxi.” Karasuno Yu braked beside Rai and braced the car with his foot.
Ray instinctively glanced at the back of the bicycle; the cold, metallic structure was blatantly rudimentary.
"Give me a ride?"
"Okay, get in the car." Karasuno no Goku nodded quickly.
"No need, I'll just..."
“I’m very strong, I can carry you!” Karasuno Goku raised a hand and gestured to the muscles on his arm.
Lai smiled wryly, looked around and saw that there was no one there. After thinking for a moment, he got into the car.
Karasuno Goku was said to be strong, but when he pedaled, he was already standing up and pedaling with all his might. When Laiyi looked at his standing back, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.
What a kind-hearted young man! If I weren't undercover, I would definitely befriend him.
"Where are you from, Karasuno-kun?"
“My home is in Nagano, but my ancestral home is in Osaka.”
It matches up.
Having gone undercover in Japan, Lai naturally understood the local customs and culture. In fact, Japanese people are generally introverted and have a strong sense of boundaries, while the people in Osaka are like outliers, all extroverted and enthusiastic.
Why did you decide to travel to Tokyo?
"Because of autographs!" Karasuno Goku was a little out of breath, but his voice was excited: "Do you know Kudo Yusaku? His new book was recently released in Tokyo, and he even held a signing event. The official signing is in a few days!"
"Does Karasuno-kun really like mystery novels?"
"Of course, I'm going to become a great detective!" Karasuno Goku said confidently.
Ray wasn't surprised. Detectives seemed to be a specialty of Japan. At least three out of ten young people wanted to become detectives, and six out of the other seven had some experience with detectives.
"Yusaku Kudo is amazing. He writes great novels and is also a very famous detective."
"So your dream is to become him?"
"No, my dream isn't to become him, my dream is to have him work for me!" Karasuno Goku raised his voice, his clear voice vibrating through the leaves in the night, carrying an exceptionally youthful and naive fantasy.
Lei chuckled. A writer as talented as Yusaku Kudo probably never needs to look for a job in his life.
"I'm so...so tired, sir, you're so heavy." Finally, after driving Lai to the side of the road, where they could hail a taxi, Karasuno stopped and complained breathlessly, but a smile gleamed in his eyes.
"Thank you, Karasuno-kun." Lei got out of the car. He had long arms and legs, and had been sitting in the back seat with his arms and legs tucked in, feeling cramped the whole way.
Karasuno Goku propped himself up on his legs and sat in the car for a long time without catching his breath, but his expression was full of satisfaction after helping others.
"You must think I'm dreaming if I want to recruit famous writers to work for me?"
Lei smiled but didn't say anything.
"Although I'm useless, I've never failed to accomplish anything I've ever wanted to do since I was a child," Karasuno Goku said confidently. "If you don't believe me, just wait and see. I will definitely recruit Kudo Yusaku and have him write a biography for my company!"
“That’s ambitious.” Lei smiled, not taking it seriously.
Seemingly sensing Lai's perfunctory attitude, Karasuno Goku pouted and rode away on his bicycle.
Lai didn't intend to keep him. Normally, after being helped, one would definitely want to make friends or treat someone to a meal, but since he was currently involved in the organization, not having any contact with Karasuno Goku was the greatest reward he could receive.
He waved to the roadside, hailed a taxi, and left.
Back home, Takanashi Chinatsu didn't rest immediately. Instead, she looked through the documents Gin had sent her and worked little by little with Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei to complete "Offering".
Besides rhinoceros horn incense, ghosts can also be fed by being offered food and receive tools belonging to spirits.
Jinpei Matsuda, with his skillful hands, is carving the name "Kenji Hagiwara" on a piece of wood, while Chinatsu Takanashi is folding a paper car following a tutorial video.
So...so difficult!
Chizuru Takanashi folded half of it, then gave up, collapsing onto the sofa with utter despair.
"Let me do it." Matsuda Jinpei had already carved the memorial tablet and took over the remaining work from Takanashi Chinatsu.
"You can even fold origami? Matsuda-kun." Takanashi Chinatsu looked at Matsuda Jinpei in surprise.
Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't underestimate me."
Kenji Hagiwara immediately chimed in, "Me too, Chinatsu-chan, me too!"
"I'll fight you skillful hands!" Takanashi Chinatsu said, but her hands were scratching at Hagiwara Kenji, like cats fighting, scratching him incessantly.
Matsuda Jinpei glanced over and, although he could only see Takanashi Chinatsu scratching the air, he could still tell that the two of them were doing something childish again.
Chika Takanashi noticed this and immediately suggested, "How about we order some rhinoceros horn instead..."
“Stop, I can’t afford to burn that stuff.” Matsuda Jinpei immediately refused. Although he couldn’t see or touch it, just knowing that Hagi was by his side made Matsuda Jinpei’s heart inexplicably at ease.
Chinatsu Takanashi wanted to say it was free, but knowing Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji's personalities, she didn't say anything more and just went to bring over the fruit and incense.
After setting up the memorial tablet, a red candle was placed on each side, and three incense sticks were lit.
"Oh no, I forgot about the incense burner!" Takanashi Chinatsu slapped her forehead.
"Do you have any unused lunchboxes?" Matsuda Jinpei asked.
"Huh?" This was a surprised look on Kenji Hagiwara's face.
Takanashi Chinatsu immediately exclaimed with delight, "Yes, yes!"
Seeing that Takanashi Chinatsu had put millet in the lunchbox and then inserted incense sticks into it, Hagiwara Kenji covered his face and screamed.
"No!!"
Waaaaah, he doesn't want to get ahead by using an old lunchbox!
"Chinatsu-chan, this is so embarrassing." Kenji Hagiwara floated around the plastic lunchbox. Oh my god, if the other ghosts saw this, how would he ever face them again?
Chika couldn't help but chuckle.
Although Matsuda Jinpei couldn't hear Hagiwara Kenji's complaints, he guessed what they were and sneered, "What? You ate from a lunchbox when you were alive, but now that you're dead, you're complaining?"
"This isn't a meal, it's burning incense!" Kenji Hagiwara argued, insisting that incense should be burned in an incense burner.
"Eat it or not, those who die young have no right to be picky," Matsuda Jinpei declared decisively.
When Matsuda Jinpei mentioned "dying young" again, Hagiwara Kenji, though still feeling aggrieved, didn't dare say anything and went over to take a light puff of incense.
Wow, this is delicious!
He couldn't describe the aroma, but it was incredibly delicious and filling, so he would never have to go hungry again.
Kenji Hagiwara cheered up again and thanked Chinatsu Takanashi by circling around her.
Chizuru smiled and offered the fruit she had bought up.
Kenji Hagiwara took a sniff and exclaimed, "Wow, it's an orange! And an apple too!"
He could actually taste something in his mouth! Everything Gin sent was real. He could taste the food as soon as it was offered!
If food can do it, then paper cars...
Kenji Hagiwara stared intently at the paper car in Jinpei Matsuda's hand.
"A toy car," Takanashi Chika reminded her.
Matsuda Jinpei nodded, took a lighter and lit the paper offering, and a paper car instantly appeared in Hagiwara Kenji's hand.
Small and made of paper.
Hagihara Kenji:? ? ?
This isn't right! How come it's different from what Gin wrote?
Where is his big car? The big car that he can ride in and enjoy the freedom of high-speed driving—?
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Author's note: Poor second-year graduate student, another day without being able to drive fast.
Lei was so unlucky; his car had a flat tire and stalled. Luckily, he met a kind person... although meeting Karasuno Goku might not necessarily be a good thing.
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