Chapter 56 Are you the one who wants to wield the hoe, Matsuda? ...
It wasn't his imagination; someone was following him, and their skills were quite good.
Upon realizing he was being followed, Rei Furuya briefly informed Ikuya Nekono and then continued walking as if nothing had happened.
He didn't turn around, nor did he change his walking pace; he simply used the glass windows of the shops on both sides to quickly observe what was behind him.
The crowd behind him was bustling and there was nothing unusual.
Rei Furuya had no doubt about his judgment. His counter-tracking skills were excellent, which could only mean that the tracker had also undergone tracking training.
At least the other party deliberately used techniques to conceal their figure, and did so quite well, which made a hint of curiosity flash in Furuya Rei's eyes.
He was just an ordinary police academy student, and he hadn't been involved in any disputes or discovered any earth-shattering secrets. Who would be so bored as to follow him?
He already had a vague answer in his heart.
And he would soon be able to confirm the answer, because the fork in the road leading to the bar was just ahead.
Rei Furuya's lips curled into a challenging smile as he abruptly turned right at the fork in the road. He quickly pressed his body against the wall, holding his breath.
Sure enough, a moment later, the follower followed without hesitation.
Upon entering the fork in the road, the person hesitated briefly, slightly taken aback by the sudden loss of their target.
Now!
In the instant the opponent was stunned, Furuya Rei darted out like a cheetah, his movements as fast as lightning.
With his signature curly hair and unruly demeanor, even though it was just a brief glance, Rei Furuya recognized who was following him.
Matsuda Jinpei.
But this did not make Furuya Rei stop; instead, it made his movements even more aggressive.
For some reason, after learning that the person following him was Matsuda Jinpei, with whom he had initially met through a misunderstanding, he felt even less apprehensive.
My fist started itching reflexively. (Image)
Furuya Rei moved with lightning speed, his right hand clamping down precisely on Matsuda Jinpei's wrist like an iron clamp, while simultaneously extending his leg like a whip to sweep towards Matsuda Jinpei's lower body.
"Ugh!" Matsuda Jinpei groaned.
However, his reaction was equally astonishingly fast.
Caught off guard by having his wrist grabbed, Matsuda Jinpei did not forcefully break free. Instead, he used Furuya Rei's strength to his side to deflect the force, easily leaping to avoid the sweeping kick, and cleverly twisting his wrist in an attempt to counterattack.
"Tsk, have we been found out?"
Matsuda Jinpei's tone held little annoyance at being exposed; instead, it carried a hint of smug excitement. He didn't stop, but instead threw a short, powerful straight punch. He was now filled with fighting spirit.
"Hmph, I noticed that a long time ago. You still need to practice your skills."
Rei Furuya nimbly dodged the punch, his voice calm, but his movements were anything but slow. This was a contest he had initiated, and Furuya's fighting spirit was only growing stronger. He showed no sign of stopping.
They exchanged a few quick blows, their fists and feet clashing with dull thuds. Matsuda Jinpei's punches were fierce, carrying a high explosive power similar to boxing. Furuya Rei's technique, on the other hand, was comprehensive and precise, each movement aimed at efficiently defeating his opponent. They tacitly refrained from using overly lethal moves, yet their gazes were still filled with the palpable tension of a contest.
That's right, the reason why Furuya Rei didn't reply to Nekono Ikuya for so long was because he accidentally got carried away with Matsuda Jinpei's fight, and the two of them unintentionally prolonged the battle.
Offense and defense alternated rapidly at the narrow fork in the road, neither Furuya Rei nor Matsuda Jinpei gaining an advantage amidst the flurry of punches and kicks. Seeing that a victor was unlikely to emerge anytime soon, Furuya Rei, remembering his appointment that day, seized an opportunity to disengage from the fight.
With a "whoosh," he blocked the attack and retreated.
Furuya Rei was slightly out of breath. After standing still, he quickly smoothed out his hair and clothes, which were disheveled from the battle.
"Tell me, Matsuda, why are you following me so suspiciously?" He asked, a mix of doubt and relief.
Thankfully, when Matsuda Jinpei and he were fighting, they both tacitly avoided looking at each other's faces; otherwise, he didn't want to imagine how ridiculous he would look when he met Nekono Ikuya later. Furuya Rei certainly didn't want to appear battle-damaged to gain pity!
Matsuda Jinpei also stopped.
He rubbed his wrist, which was sore from being gripped, and instead of the embarrassment of being caught stalking someone, he put on his signature slightly unruly smile.
"Tsk, they're really vigilant. It's nothing, I'm just curious what our model student is doing off-campus on the weekend instead of staying at the police academy to study."
Matsuda Jinpei's left eye screamed "rare," his right eye "strange." And between his brows was a deep curiosity.
Upon hearing this, Furuya Rei said: ...
Sure enough, the urge to investigate anything unusual is a common psychological phenomenon among most police officers and police academy students. Did Matsuda not think he was constantly engrossed in studying? Stereotypes are a killer.
He said helplessly, "Matsuda, you didn't think I was studying alone at the police academy on weekends when I wasn't with you guys, did you? No, I was out having fun outside of school."
It was precisely because he wanted to make sure he had enough time to meet with Nekono Ikuya on the weekends that he diligently filled his schedule from Monday to Friday.
"Huh?" Matsuda Jinpei was stunned. Furuya Rei's behavior on school days had indeed led him to misunderstand. Rei actually went out to play every weekend? He was quite surprised.
Furuya Rei glanced at the time, not wanting to linger with Matsuda Jinpei any longer, so he simply turned around, waved casually, and said as he walked away:
"I'm going to the bar across the street for a drink now, Matsuda. You can come along if you're interested. Well, as long as you don't mind me abandoning you anytime."
After saying that, he ignored Matsuda Jinpei and focused on replying to Nekono Ikuya.
A bar?! Matsuda Jinpei was shocked for the second time, his eyes widening slightly.
It's not that they can't go to bars. These police academy students entered the academy after graduating from university, and they're already old enough to go to bars.
But what about the brightly lit, noisy bar and the meticulous Furuya on ordinary days?
Forgive Matsuda Jinpei's surprise; the word "bar" had nothing to do with the serious impression Furuya Rei had left on him, and he almost thought he had misheard.
But no, Matsuda Jinpei watched as Furuya Rei headed towards the bar without the slightest hesitation. Matsuda Jinpei completely forgot his initial purpose for buying the socket wrench and, as if possessed, followed Furuya Rei.
Today was a day that completely shattered Furuya Rei's image in his mind. Seeing the serious, carefree Furuya at the bar, Matsuda Jinpei felt he had to look at himself in a completely different light.
Matsuda Jinpei: Curiosity up up↑.
...
Nekono Ikuya is dressed very cool today.
He wore a black motorcycle leather jacket and black contact lenses; his eyebrows were sharp, and his eyes were as black as ink.
His neat, wolf-tail-style black hair stood out, with the sideburns trimmed extremely short, clearly outlining his sharp jawline. Only the back of his head was left long, combed into an unruly wolf tail, hanging freely down his neck. A few strands of hair that weren't restrained added a touch of arrogance and wildness to his appearance.
A small silver stud earring was embedded in his right earlobe, the only adornment on his body. The stud's design was minimalist, a simple Z-shaped logo. Yet, like a lone star in the cold night, it flickered faintly among his slightly moving hair. Each glimmer under the light carried a chilling sharpness.
It speaks volumes without making a fuss.
Just like Nekono Ikuya today, the way she sits there is a cool and aloof sight.
Nekono Ikuya sat alone in a corner, her posture relaxed but not lazy, exuding a restrained dynamism, as if she could unleash amazing power at any moment, radiating an aura that kept strangers at bay.
A vacuum circle with a radius of three meters automatically appeared around him. Everyone was intimidated by his aura and tacitly refrained from disturbing him, but there were still quite a few people around who were secretly watching him.
This was the scene that greeted Reiji Furuya as he entered. He quickly spotted Ikuya Nekono after a quick glance around.
The entire process took less than ten seconds.
Although Nekono Ikuya was sitting in the most secluded corner, no one's position felt more like the very center. Some people are born with a gravitational pull, drawing all surrounding gazes and thoughts to him.
Furuya Rei remained silent. Why would he need to specifically search for Nekono Ikuya and play some kind of riddle game with him? Couldn't he tell what Nekono Ikuya was disguised as and where he was as soon as he entered the room?
Wow, Yuya really went all out this time.
However, Nekono Ikuya didn't deliberately go easy on her, but he didn't intentionally make it more difficult either. He simply used normal acting methods, neither trying to attract attention nor deliberately concealing his figure.
His location was secluded, and the lighting inside the venue was dim. Although there was a certain vacuum around him, he shouldn't have been so easily noticed by someone who had just entered.
The evidence is that Matsuda Jinpei, who entered at the same time as Furuya Rei, was quite a while later. It wasn't until he noticed Furuya Rei suddenly stop and look in one direction for quite a while that he followed his gaze and spotted Nekono Ikuya.
Then, in the dim light and soothing music, Matsuda Jinpei noticed the unique charm of the young man with the wolf tail sitting alone in a corner.
Matsuda Jinpei glanced at Nekono Ikuya, then couldn't help but look at him again. In that instant, he suddenly thought the wolf tail hairstyle was cool and began to consider whether he should try it himself in the future.
I don't know if active-duty police officers can wear earrings, so I won't try earrings. How about sunglasses instead? Sunglasses seem like a good option if you want to look cool.
The first encounter with the killer threw Matsuda Jinpei into a state of confusion, and his mind began to wander into strange, random thoughts.
However, Matsuda Jinpei quickly recovered and did not forget how short the time interval was between Furuya Rei entering the room and stopping to stare at the wolf-tailed youth.
"Furuya, do you know him?" Matsuda Jinpei raised his chin and pointed at the wolf-tailed youth who was quite a distance away from them, asking Furuya Rei directly.
He secretly thought that if Furuya Rei knew this wolf-tailed youth, he would like to ask Furuya Rei to introduce them. If Furuya Rei didn't know the other person, he would have to do it himself.
I think I understand now what Hagi meant when he said, "I knew we would become good friends as soon as I saw Kojinpei's face." He also has a strong desire to befriend the Wolf Tail youth.
Matsuda Jinpei thought that if Hagiwara Kenji were here, Hagiwara Kenji would probably have already rushed over. He always liked to make friends with good-looking people, like himself.
Huh? Furuya Rei suddenly became alert.
Why did he have this ominous feeling that someone was about to steal his partner? He silently glanced at Matsuda Jinpei, whose thick eyebrows and large eyes seemed to say, "Are you the one who wants to wield the hoe, Matsuda?"
Matsuda Jinpei said sincerely, "The moment I saw him, I felt that he was right up my alley, and I wanted to be friends with him."
Furuya Rei probably thinks so too, which is why his eyes are fixed on the wolf-tailed youth.
Rei Furuya was also very sincere: "He has good taste, let's go together. I also think he's my type, so I'm going to go and date him."
Matsuda Jinpei: ...
Matsuda Jinpei: ? ? ?
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