Chapter 116 The Law That Dates Will Always Be Seen...
Through the bright glass window, Kazami Yuya could clearly see Furuya Rei sitting in the cat café with a handsome, black-haired young man. A lazy cat was lying on the young man's lap, while Mr. Furuya... Mr. Furuya turned his head to the side, a distinct blush rising around his ear.
He! He was actually shy!
Kazami Yuya: "..."
Kazami Yuya subconsciously adjusted his glasses and took another closer look. Yes, it was indeed his boss's face.
His superior was an undercover agent sent by the Public Security Bureau to infiltrate the organization, but he was also the leader of Team Zero. He had not only tasks assigned by the organization, but also a lot of work for the Public Security Bureau.
To avoid accidentally exposing his undercover identity, his superiors would often disguise themselves when entering and leaving the Metropolitan Police Department. However, as Rei Furuya's liaison and direct subordinate, Yuya Kazami naturally had Rei Furuya's trust and had certainly seen Rei Furuya's true face.
And now, Mr. Furuya, who is usually serious and sharp, and who would coldly question him about how he worked as a policeman when he made a mistake, and who was sometimes terrifyingly strict, is sitting in a cat-filled café, chatting happily with the handsome young man across from him.
Key point—the kind of happy, romantic conversation that's filled with pink bubbles!
Kazami Yuya: "..."
Is this what Mr. Furuya meant by having important business to attend to today?
Kazami Yuya was so shocked that he froze on the spot.
Haro glanced at its owner, who was surrounded by cats inside the glass window, then looked up at the petrified Kazami Yuya and let out a soft "woof".
The dog asks: Should we go inside and find our owner?
Although a smart dog doesn't understand what an undercover agent is, it knows that it shouldn't rush up and disturb its owner's work in many situations.
Then let's ask the temporary zookeeper, Kazama!
Of course, he shouldn't disturb him! Whether it's a real date or an undercover mission, he'd better not interfere, lest he endanger Mr. Furuya.
Kazami Yuya suddenly snapped out of his daze, gently tugged at the leash, and Haro obediently stood up, no longer squatting.
The man and the dog exchanged a knowing glance, then quietly left the place of trouble.
Only Furuya Rei, who seemed to sense something, looked up and gazed out the window.
Just now... he seemed to have seen Kazama and Haro?
How did they end up here? (A big question from Kofuyu.jpg)
Leaving the cozy little world filled with the purring of cats, the sunlight now carries the clear, warm glow unique to early summer. The sycamore leaves lining the road are turning a vibrant green, and the air is filled with the scent of burgeoning plants, mixed with the faint fragrance of gardenias wafting from some unknown courtyard.
“Next,” Rei Furuya said, holding Ikuya Nekono’s hand with a childlike mystery in his smile, “I’ll take you to a place where you can create some memories with your own hands.”
"Well, or rather, it's something that naturally evokes our memories."
He tilted his head slightly, leaned closer with a mischievous smile, and his purplish-gray eyes were exceptionally bright: "Yu Mi, do you want to guess where it is?"
Nekono Ikuya cooperated by pretending to be deep in thought, her gaze falling on his smiling eyes, in which her own image was clearly reflected. He thought about it seriously for a moment, but ultimately shook his head, a helpless yet indulgent smile spreading across his emerald green cat eyes.
“I can’t guess. Because—” He gripped Furuya Rei’s fingers tightly in return, his voice soft and tender, yet heavy with the weight of the past, “because we have just too many memories.”
There are so many wonderful memories, like beautiful stained glass under the sunlight, each piece sparkling with a unique light.
Asking him to pick out a single piece from these equally unique memories at this moment, Nekono Ikuya's eyes crinkled: "Eh, that's asking too much of a question."
Upon hearing this, Rei Furuya's smile widened. He loved hearing Ikuya Nekono say things like that, and he cherished the countless precious memories they shared.
“Then let’s not guess,” Furuya Rei said lightly, leading him forward. “I’ll just take you to see it directly.”
They turned into a quiet alleyway covered with greenery, flanked by old walls covered with vines and charming little shops. At the end of the alley was a handicraft workshop with wind chimes hanging at the door and various ceramic works displayed in the shop window.
"Hey, look at this." Before even entering the door, Nekono Ikuya's eyes were drawn to a ceramic piece in the shop window.
It was a uniquely shaped ceramic cup, which someone had made into the shape of a cat yawning with its eyes squinting.
Although this cat cup is essentially just ceramic, the maker's skill is so superb that the cat's lazy expression is sculpted to perfection.
Nekono Ikuya pointed at the cup and exclaimed in surprise, "Doesn't it look like that orange cat that rubbed against your pants leg at the cat cafe just now?"
This place isn't too far from the cat cafe we just visited. Could this cup be modeled after that orange cat?
“It really does look alike,” Rei Furuya said with a smile as he peered through the window. “But the real orange cat looks much fatter than this ceramic one. The owner said it’s on a diet, and I saw it eat the cat treats that customers offered without any hesitation.”
Has it gotten fat? Upon closer inspection, Nekono Ikumi did indeed find that the real cat was a bit fatter than the ceramic cat, even though the ceramic cat was still a round cup.
...As expected of an orange cat, it's so sturdy.
"A cat should enjoy life to the fullest while it lasts," Nekono Ikuya joked.
It's okay, cats are cute even when they're chubby!
Pushing open the door, a cool breeze greets you, carrying the scent of earth.
"Are you Mr. Amuro and Mr. Nekono, who made the appointment?" A sweet-looking young girl greeted them with a friendly smile.
“Yes.” Rei Furuya nodded. “Just take us in directly.”
He chose a spot further inside and declined the shop owner's helpful advice.
Rei Furuya and Ikuya Nekono had both studied pottery before, and they had tried so many things out of curiosity when they were young.
As your fingers touch the moist, soft clay, distant memories gradually resurface.
Rei Furuya nudged Ikuya Nekono with his elbow, a mischievous glint in his eyes: "Do you remember my first ceramic piece?"
Nekono Ikuya immediately remembered something, and a smile spread across his emerald eyes: "Of course I remember! Someone was so determined to make a perfect cat statue for Tayuki, but the finished product was..." He deliberately dragged out the words.
All I can say is that Ta Xue turned and left as soon as she saw it, even wagging her tail high, clearly showing her disdain.
"And you ended up getting as fat as a little pig!" Furuya Rei chimed in, laughing first, his purplish-gray eyes curving into a joyful arc. "And he even got a scratch from the Snowwalker himself."
The way the dog retracted its nails and only extended its paw pads to scratch showed how much the little girl, Furuya, was pampered by the snow.
"Because it thinks you've made it look ugly," Nekono Ikumi teased.
Ta Xue is a cat with a very high aesthetic sense, and she cannot accept that the kitten Ling directly points to a ceramic cat with a round body and short legs that are almost invisible and says it is it.
However, Ta Xue reluctantly accepted the chubby ceramic cat in the end, and even put it in its special room for collecting treasures, although Ta Xue always seemed disgusted when it came to this ceramic cat while taking stock of its treasures.
"Then today I'm going to avenge myself!" Furuya Rei rolled up his sleeves, revealing his smooth forearms, eager to try. "This time I'm going to make a magnificent statue for Lord Fuyuki!"
"Oh, then you'll have to work harder." Nekono Ikumi just smiled. "Tatsubaki's standards are very high now, and your cub protection period has already passed."
"Tsk, the pressure has suddenly increased." Rei Furuya said this, but the fighting spirit in his eyes intensified.
The clay shifted between his fingers as Rei Furuya's fingers traced lines, and a gracefully seated cat gradually took shape, with Ikuya Nekono assisting him from the side.
While their hands kept moving, the two whispered memories of the past in a volume only they could hear.
Sunlight streamed through the workshop windows, falling on their coordinated hands and smiling faces, a quiet warmth flowing gently in their whispered conversations.
Finally, they carefully handed their new work to the shop to be fired, and arranged to pick it up another day. Only then did the two of them leave the pottery studio with lingering enjoyment.
The setting sun painted the sky a warm orange hue. They walked side by side on the gradually cooling street, sharing a box of takoyaki they had just bought. The atmosphere was relaxed and cozy.
Just then, a tall woman with dark brown curly hair, wearing a beige trench coat, walked towards us. She had an ordinary appearance but an outstanding temperament.
In the fleeting moment as they passed each other, Nekono Ikumi's gaze swept over her face with utter naturalness, his emerald eyes narrowing slightly before returning to normal.
No one noticed his extremely brief gaze.
They passed each other by.
The woman with dark brown curly hair took a few steps before naturally turning her head to look back.
She saw the blond, dark-skinned man turning his head to talk to his black-haired, blue-eyed companion, his expression relaxed and carefree.
It seems Bourbon is very dedicated to his mission, which is good. Even better is that Bourbon is away from Angel.
But! Vermouth's expression froze slightly. Could someone tell her why Bourbon was approaching Nekono Ikuya?
Vermouth, who had just guessed that Cool Guy wasn't dead and whose appearance made her suspect Conan Edogawa, fell silent.
Nekono Ikuya remained silent, clicking his tongue softly, a faint hint of melancholy settling over his handsome features.
"What's wrong?" Furuya Rei keenly noticed the subtle change in his emotions and immediately asked in a low voice with concern. His purplish-gray eyes were focused on him, not missing a single detail.
Nekono Ikuya looked up and met his worried gaze, and the little bit of gloom that had been there before suddenly dissipated. He blinked his emerald green eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved back into a slightly sly smile, his tone regaining its usual ease: "It's nothing."
"I just found all the strangers I met today quite interesting." Nekono Ikuya's cat-like eyes were innocent, making him curious about who else he would meet next.
An interesting passerby? Furuya Rei recalled the strange gaze in the park that morning, the figure that resembled Kazami and Haro seen outside the cat cafe, and how the person that had prompted Nekono Ikuya's reflections must have been the unknown person he had just met...
So it seems that what he noticed before wasn't an illusion.
He suddenly remembered his classmate from police academy, whom he would always bump into on their dates with Nekono Ikuya…
Is this some kind of unwritten rule that dates are bound to be seen? (Furuya speechless.jpg)
Rei Furuya thought for a moment and then said, "But nothing should interrupt our date, right?"
“Of course,” Nekono Ikuya replied with a smile, putting the brief interlude behind her. “Where to next? I’m a little hungry.”
"Don't worry, the restaurant reservation is already made, and I guarantee it will suit your taste."
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