Chapter 45 Not Yet

The news that the "demon" Fyodor was imprisoned in the underground prison of the port mafia spread like wildfire, and the phone in the Moriou leader's office was flooded with calls.

There are cooperative organizations, colleagues who have been deceived by the Rat of the Dead House, and even several well-known foreign supernatural organizations and supernatural spy departments have extended their tentacles intentionally or unintentionally.

While Morio reluctantly gave up the time to go shopping and change clothes with Alice to deal with various forces, Kono Seira, who personally put Fyodor in prison, was leisurely drinking tea and eating snacks with Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

To be precise, only Kono Seiyoshi was relaxing.

Akutagawa still had a look of deep resentment on his face, as if he mistook the creamy chocolate mousse on the table for the face of a devil. If the snacks could talk, they would probably be frightened to tears on the spot by Akutagawa's sinister gaze.

When Kono Seira picked up the third piece of mousse, Akutagawa finally gave up on killing the innocent dessert with his eyes and said sullenly: "The mission failed. I made a wrong judgment."

His dark eyes stared at the golden eyes of the person opposite him, and his tone was more like a mandatory request than a subordinate's tone to his superior: "According to the regulations, please punish me."

Why.

Gong Ye Shengliang's heart skipped a beat, and he felt that the cake in his hand no longer smelled good.

When everyone was concerned about the demon in jail, only Akutagawa was still thinking about the unfinished task, just like another model worker of the port mafia, a bit stubborn.

"Fyodor is more dangerous, so capturing him is a higher priority, and this is a reasonable choice."

Although he knew that the other party would not listen, Kono Seira still praised him habitually: "You have done a great job, Akutagawa."

Akutagawa's reaction was slightly different from what he expected.

After hearing his boast, Akutagawa did not remain indifferent as usual. He clenched his drooping hands, and for the first time, intense emotions appeared in his cold black pupils. "If that's the case, then why do you stop me from catching the demon myself?"

Kono Seiryoshi: “…”

He couldn't respond to that.

If the answer was wrong, Akutagawa would definitely think that he was being treated as a weakling again, and would go back and frantically accept all kinds of difficult missions, regardless of his own safety, to prove that he was not a weak person.

As a boss, he would be happy to see such a motivated subordinate, but instead of being happy, Kono Seiryoshi felt helpless.

Ordinary instructions didn't work for Akutagawa, so he decided to try a new approach.

Kono Seiryoshi lowered his eyes and looked away, restraining his expression. He glanced at Akutagawa calmly and said, "Have you seen the means of containing the demons?"

Akutagawa was startled, frowning, "...locked up in a completely closed room, no one is allowed to visit or torture. People who deliver food and other necessities must wear full body protection, cannot look at each other or communicate, and the time between entering and leaving must not exceed two minutes each time."

These operations are less like holding captives and more like handling a highly contagious virus that needs to be fed.

The Port Mafia never had such complicated regulations for handling hostages, with the exception of demons. When Kono Seiryoshi made these requests, he did not avoid Fyodor and even symbolically asked for his opinion.

The black-haired, purple-eyed Russian in handcuffs smiled, his eyes revealing a bit of false melancholy: "It's a bit lonely to spend a long time alone, Mujun."

In the short time since he was taken back to the Port Mafia from the armory, his address changed from the polite "Kunino-kun" to the more intimate "Mutsu-kun".

Gong Ye Shengliang did not appreciate it, pointing to the surveillance camera in the corner above his head and said with a smile: "If you feel bored, you can talk to it. Don't worry, it won't take any inconvenient photos, and only I can see it."

"Hey, does this mean that Mutsu-kun has been staring at me?"

"Yeah, so be quiet, Mouse-kun."

Akutagawa Ryunosuke automatically ignored the conversation between the two men with guns and sticks, frowning and thinking carefully about the reason.

The demon Fyodor is like a virus, and his every smile can easily deceive people.

And... facing such a demon, Mutsumu Kimino smiled, stretched out his hand and locked him in jail.

Akutagawa's expression remained indifferent, but the violent and violent anger in his body had disappeared a lot, and was replaced by a calm murderous intent against the demon.

While maintaining an unfathomable look, Seiryoshi Kono kept glancing at the other person out of the corner of his eye. After noticing the subtle changes in Akutagawa's expression, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter what Akutagawa thinks, just put the blame on Fyodor!

After saying goodbye to Akutagawa, Seira Kono called out the system and walked slowly towards the leader's room.

He wasn't lying when he said he would keep an eye on Fyodor. It was unclear whether the latter was really free or wanted to annoy him on purpose, and he would talk to the surveillance camera whenever he had nothing to do.

Sometimes there are only lip movements without any sound, sometimes they simply create their own language system, and sometimes they do nothing but smile at the monitor.

When he was not working, Gongye Shengliang would take a look from time to time. When he had a mission, he would assign the system to keep an eye on him. Before going to bed, he would review it himself.

By the way, he found that Fyodor's code words were more effective in hypnosis when played in reverse.

Kono Seiryoshi asked casually, "How is Fyodor doing?"

The light ball answered immediately: [I said good morning to the surveillance camera an hour ago, and now I am reading the only fairy tale book I can read for the twenty-first time.]

No matter how many times he read fairy tales praising love and hope, he could not cleanse the devil's mind. According to custom, in another hour he would have to output his opinion on "what true salvation is" to the monitor.

Kono Seiryoshi raised his hand and knocked on the door of the leader's office.

The black-haired leader, who was crying and begging Alice to play the dress-up game together again next time, froze in place in embarrassment.

On the contrary, the blonde Lolita, who was originally sulking, suddenly brightened up her eyes and flew to the side of Kouno Seiryoshi like a happy little butterfly.

"Mu, are you here to play with me? Let's leave Rintaro behind and go eat snacks on Central Street together, okay?"

Gong Ye Shengliang, who had just eaten three pieces of mousse, was not hungry. He touched Alice's head and said, "Not today, maybe next time."

Unlike her willful and naive appearance when facing Mori Ougai, Alice is always very sensible when talking to him. At this time, she showed a slightly aggrieved look, walked silently back to a corner of the leader's room, and played on the sandbox alone.

While the two of them were chatting, Mori Ogai returned to being a capable and wise leader, resting his chin lightly on the back of his hand, revealing a somewhat painful yet helpless smile: "Kunino-kun, you really brought me a big trouble."

"Really?" Kono Seira looked at him with a slightly puzzled tone, "But why do I feel that Mr. Mori seems very happy?"

Mori Ouwai nodded slightly, as if agreeing with him. "It's troublesome, but it's also a rare opportunity. You're doing the right thing."

"Then I hope you can seize this opportunity." Gong Ye Shengliang said politely, and before waiting for the other party to respond, his voice suddenly became lighter, "Mr. Mori, I want to take a vacation."

Mori Ogai, who was about to open his mouth to draw a cake, said: "......?"

--

Kanagawa, Hakone.

When the hydrangeas bloom, the moonlight filters into the house, adding a hint of haziness to the hot spring mist.

The famous hot spring resort, which is always crowded with tourists all year round, was booked out tonight, and it was especially quiet. It was so quiet that one could clearly hear the rustling of insects in the distance.

Nakahara Chuuya stood in the corridor, and took off his hat and choker when he changed into a light yukata. His slightly long ochre hair was tied up loosely, and the weight made it look softer and more casual than usual.

But... in stark contrast to his casual attire, his expression was solemn, as if he was not looking at hydrangeas but enemies invading his territory. He only paid attention when someone passed by him, and nodded nonchalantly to his subordinates who bowed their heads in greeting.

The subordinates thought that Mr. Model Worker Chuuya was unhappy because he couldn't work today, so they didn't dare to look at him any longer and quickly moved away. Therefore, no one noticed the panic-stricken mood under the drab appearance of the ochre-haired cadre.

Take a vacation, soak in a hot spring... Nakahara Chuuya just came back from a business trip and encountered such good news.

Amid the cheers of his subordinates, Nakahara Chuuya was startled and quickly noticed something was wrong. He stopped one of them and asked, "Is this the leader's order?"

The man in the black suit who was caught by him nodded at first, then remembered something and shook his head frantically, and finally realized something was wrong and started nodding violently again.

Nakahara Chuuya was almost speechless watching his series of head movements. Just as he was about to ask in person, he suddenly heard the voice of the man in the black suit who was almost crying with joy: "It's Lord Kouno and the leader who applied for leave!"

The ochre-haired cadre was about to take a step forward but suddenly stopped.

Then, just as he was about to share his joy with his colleagues, the man in the black suit heard his boss stuttering, "Is that so?"

"Then... there's nothing we can do! I'll go with you!"

——Nakahara Chuuya covered his face.

He could feel his heartbeat quickening. This organ, beating uncontrollably, seemed to have a premonition of what was going to happen next. Tiny electric currents flowed through his bloodstream to every part of his body. The miraculous physiological reaction made him feel both dizzy and dry-mouthed.

"Chuya."

A voice called him from behind.

Nakahara Chuuya's wildly beating heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He subconsciously wanted to turn around, but he suppressed the impulse and deliberately slowed down his movements.

A few seconds seemed to stretch infinitely, the dim light from the deep corridor shone through, and the moon-white silhouette gradually became clearer.

“…”

Countless chaotic thoughts exploded in Nakahara Chuuya's mind like fireworks, and the first thought was to be thankful - the yukata fit well and he had not chosen the wrong one.

"I'm sorry, it took me a while to persuade Akutagawa to come over." Kono Seira was helpless and a little surprised. He didn't expect Akutagawa to hate water so much. However, after a lot of extreme pushing and pulling, he finally won the victory. Akutagawa agreed to come over later.

"Have you been waiting for a long time, Chuuya?" he asked after coming to his senses.

However, after waiting for a long time without any response, Gongye Sheng felt suspicious and approached the ochre-haired boy and waved his hand.

As soon as he waved his hand, it was grabbed by someone.

Nakahara Chuuya's Adam's apple slid slightly, and his voice was a few notes lower than usual when he spoke, repeating what he had just thought in his heart: "Yukata, it fits very well."

Kouno Seira was startled for a moment, then a smile flashed in his eyes under the moonlight, "Chuuya's is also very suitable."

The yukatas they wore were of the same style, differing only in color and pattern.

These two sets of yukata are made of expensive materials and exquisite workmanship. They fit well when worn. They must have been prepared long ago. Thinking of this, Gong Ye Shengliang looked at the person next to him curiously, "Does Chuu also like to take a hot spring bath? If I had known earlier, I would have come with you when I was free."

They were slowly walking towards the entrance of the hot spring. Nakahara Nakaya tilted his head uncomfortably and said, "I guess so... but you can come here often in the future."

Now it was Gongye Shengliang's turn to feel awkward. He pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Nakahara Chuuya was filled with a feeling of nervousness and anticipation, and did not notice anything unusual. When he stood in front of the hot spring entrance, he breathed a sigh of relief, calmed his heartbeat, and prepared to invite the other party to bathe in the hot spring with him.

Although the hot spring is right next to it, the sense of ceremony is still necessary.

Before Nakahara Chuuya could even open his mouth, he saw Kono Seiryoshi holding his towel and waving at him: "I'll go over first, see you later."

Chuuya: “……?”

Chuuya: “?!?!?!”

He hurriedly stopped her, his blue eyes widened with anxiety and confusion, "Aren't we... going to take a bath together?"

Kouno Seiryo immediately realized that the two of them were not thinking in the same way, and explained with a smile: "I went to the medicinal bath, and Chuuya's should be a normal hot spring."

Chuuya, who had no idea about medicinal baths, said: “…”

The originally excited blue eyes gradually lost their luster.

Just like that, the two of them were in different hot springs, less than a hundred meters apart, yet they seemed as far as a light year apart.

Zhong Yuanzhong didn't know who to be angry with. While soaking in the hot spring, he completely forgot what the proprietress at the front desk said when she was boasting about her homemade wine: "You will get drunk if you drink more than five cups." He held his breath and poured cup after cup of sake into his mouth.

…

After only 15 minutes, Gongye Shengliang left early. The herbal smell of the medicinal bath made him dizzy, and he took five showers to wash away the smell.

He should have gone straight back to his room, but after thinking it over, he turned back to the hot spring entrance.

His golden eyes slightly widened when he saw the figure leaning against the railing in front of the door, and he called out the other person's name uncertainly: "Chuuya?"

No response.

Did he get drunk? That shouldn't be the case. He's so weak that he's fine, so it's even more impossible for Chuuya to be like that.

Gong Ye Shengliang nervously went over to check, but as soon as he got close, he saw a pair of blue eyes suddenly opened.

He was met with sharp scrutiny and before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, Kono Seiryoshi froze in place.

He thought, Chuuya was absolutely, positively, 100% drunk.

A sober person would never do such a thing.

The other person's hand had grasped his neck at some point, and the rough fingertips gently rubbed the white gauze that was slightly moistened by water vapor, amplifying the neck pulse at the contact point.

The hand's movements seemed gentle, but only the person involved knew that with just a little more force, his neck would be broken without any resistance.

Even without using his special abilities, the huge gap in power between the two of them, which was usually hidden by Chuuya, was exposed in the simplest and most brutal way.

Any living thing will react to stress when its life is threatened. Gongye Shengliang felt that his brain had crashed when it should have been working the most, or perhaps this was the result of his brain trying its best to calculate.

——Can’t escape.

He could only remain calm and wait to put his hand down or sober up.

"...Why is there a bandage here?"

An unclear but obviously unhappy voice echoed in my ears.

Gongye Sheng let out a soft "ah" in his conscience.

In fact, he had asked this question when he had the bandage on. The excuse of "bandages look cool" that he used to make to other people was obviously not applicable here. Kono Seiryoshi had no choice but to say that he was bitten by an insect and needed to apply medicine.

It lasted for more than a year and no one mentioned it again. He almost forgot about it.

I didn't expect that I would still have this problem after getting drunk...

Kono Seiryoshi returned to his thoughts and lowered his voice to the drunken, auburn-haired boy who acted on instinct, "Chuuya, please let go first, I—"

The restraints around his neck suddenly loosened, and Chuuya, whose mind was not clear but whose hands were still steady, untied the bandage with one hand.

Seira Kono: "...!!!"

His heartbeat stopped for a moment in shock, and he didn't care about anything else and quickly reached out to cover his neck.

Then he was blocked halfway.

Nakahara Chuuya didn't use much strength at all. He just lightly retracted his fingers and Kono Seiryoshi's wrist was unable to move.

Still two.

A clear breath with a hint of alcohol came over me, and I lost strength not only in my wrists but also in other parts of my body.

Kono Seiryoshi could only stare at the night sky outside the corridor, feeling his neck completely exposed to the air.

The scorching breath suddenly suppressed, and the ink-lined Epiphyllum that had not seen the light for a long time trembled slightly along with its owner.

There was a buzz in his mind.

——was discovered.