Chapter 59

Knocked down by a can of fruit beer with a low alcohol content, Gongye Shengliang didn't know how long he slept. When he woke up, he found himself curled up quietly in his sleeping bag.

The light shone through the tent. He rubbed his eyes and took out the watch next to the sleeping bag - it was five o'clock in the morning, leaving enough time to wait for sunrise.

The six of them shared two tents. According to the pre-arranged list, the people sleeping next to him should be Furuya Rei and Morobushi Kagemitsu. The narrow space was too dark, and Kono Seiryo could only see the outlines of the other two people, who should still be asleep. He left the tent quietly, making sure not to wake up the others.

Breathing in the still chilly early morning air refreshes one's spirits.

The sun has not yet risen, but the east is already dim. In the morning and evening, the mountains and forests seen from above are shrouded in mist and connected into a mountain haze. From time to time, the crisp sound of birds flies by, and the sleeping mountains gradually wake up from their deep sleep.

Hanako was sleeping in the pet tent. From outside the transparent cover, one could see that she was sleeping with her arms and legs spread out like a cat cookie. It seemed that she had enjoyed her evening walk with Jinpei Matsuda yesterday.

After a quick wash, Kono Seiryoshi took out bread, lettuce and ham from his backpack and prepared to make a few sandwiches for breakfast.

Among the remaining people, Matsuda Jinpei woke up the earliest. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked out of the tent. He yawned loudly. His naturally curly black hair was messily puffed up and was randomly brushed back by his owner, revealing his broad forehead.

He was not fully awake yet, and almost by instinct he moved to the side of the only two people on the empty mountain top. He buried his head in the neck of the latter and hummed indistinctly from his nose. It was unclear whether he was happy or unhappy.

When Kono Seiryoshi was attacked from behind by a large unknown creature, the burden on his shoulders suddenly became heavy, and he felt like a koala mother carrying a sweet burden.

"There's still half an hour until sunrise. If you feel sleepy, you can lie down for a while."

He used one of his hands to stroke the curly hair that Matsuda Jinpei had passed to him, and he felt that the touch was just as good as Hanako's. Under normal circumstances, Matsuda Jinpei would definitely not allow anyone to pat his head.

"I'm not going to sleep anymore." Matsuda Jinpei didn't even open his eyes. His voice was slightly hoarse than when he was awake. When he spoke, his breath fell on a small patch of exposed skin on the side of his neck, and his curly hair swayed slightly as if it was looking for a suitable position, which made Kono Seiryoshi feel itchy and he shrank back reflexively.

Matsuda Jinpei yawned again, and this time his black pupils were a little clearer: "The time I usually get up for morning exercises is not much different from this time."

It is now probably an hour earlier than the police academy's stipulated wake-up time, but several of the people present are tough guys. Some even feel that the training at the police academy is not intense enough, so they get up early for morning exercises.

Of course, Kono Seiryoshi is not among the ruthless people. He is already overwhelmed by the martial arts classes such as arrest techniques and judo every day. If he trains more without permission, he will easily end up in the infirmary.

So he was different from Matsuda Jinpei. The reason he woke up so early was because of the wrong can of pineapple beer last night... If you go to bed early, you will wake up early...

Thinking of this, Gongye Shengliang felt a little embarrassed.

He hardly drinks and his alcohol tolerance is not very good, but he really didn't know that a can of pineapple beer could defeat him!

From then on, there was another piece of humiliating black history added to my memory.

Kono Seira was in an awkward mood and said embarrassedly: "Sorry, I accidentally fell asleep yesterday...Did you play any games afterwards?" He remembered that Hagiwara had suggested playing cards all night long, but was rejected.

Matsuda Jinpei stood up straight and stopped leaning on him. Instead, he leaned on him and let his hand, which was on Kono Seiryoshi's shoulder, hang down casually.

After hearing this question, the black-haired young man remembered something and stretched his body uncomfortably. He denied it, "I didn't do anything. I just rested in the tent for a while while Hagi and the others were telling stories by the campfire."

Kouno Seiryoshi: “?”

Your reaction is very suspicious, Xiao Zhenping. I haven't asked you yet, why don't you confess?

He did not hide his suspicious look, but Matsuda Jinpei suddenly calmed down, smiling without any guilt, "I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, you can go ask them when they wake up."

He was indeed staying in a tent, Matsuda Jinpei thought calmly. Even though it was not the one he lived in, a tent was still a tent, and there was nothing wrong with that statement.

Last night, he came back excitedly with Hanako, who had softened her attitude, hoping to find someone to share cat training tips with. He searched the campsite but found nothing. It was the kind-hearted (?) Furuya Rei who told him that the person he was looking for was sleeping in the tent.

Images of elementary school girls quarreling and throwing tantrums suddenly popped up in his mind, such as "We agreed to hang out together, but you secretly played with others behind my back", "It would be fine if it was anyone else, but it had to be that blonde bastard", "I don't care but you have to give me an explanation today". With a sullen face, Jinpei Matsuda opened the zipper of the tent, holding a graffiti pen in his hand, ready to show off his skills.

However, after only ten seconds in there, he experienced the fastest defeat in his life.

Still defeated without a fight.

No one cared about the graffiti that fell on the moisture-proof mat. Matsuda Jinpei's hand was still on the waterproof fabric of the tent, and he looked away in a somewhat wolfish manner.

His mind told him that he should go out and not disturb others to rest, but another voice in his heart told him to stay - he didn't have to do anything, just stay here quietly.

As for which one he chose...there's no need to say more.

The tent was not very soundproof. In the distance, one could hear the laughter of Kenji Hagiwara and Kou Date as they played rock-paper-scissors and drank. Closer still, one could hear the rustling sounds that were common in the forest just a step away.

The closer sound came from inside his chest, it was his heartbeat.

A sleeping bag constricts the whole body. It prevents you from stretching your legs or turning over. Overall, it is not very comfortable.

But the person inside was sleeping soundly, curled up quietly in a dark silkworm-shaped sleeping bag. The soft and fluffy cotton had a human outline, with only a small part of the face exposed, which was coated with velvety gold edges by the warm orange firelight.

...This guy, his nose is not even exposed, isn’t he afraid of feeling suffocated?

Elm…Evening…Energy·

Matsuda Jinpei convinced himself that he was doing a good deed. He held his breath, slowly leaned down, pinched the small zipper with two fingers, and pulled it flexibly -

The fingertips and nose tip separate as soon as they touch, as if it were an illusion.

His heart skipped a beat, and a trace of panic flashed across his eyes. He subconsciously raised his eyes to see the other party's reaction -

The curvature of the eyelashes remained the same, and the breathing rate remained unchanged.

Matsuda Jinpei: “…”

Very good, sleeping soundly, no response.

He sighed in his heart, and suddenly an idea came to him. He stared silently at the sleeping face of the person under him for a full minute, and took out his cell phone from his coat pocket.

The day before graduating from the police academy, 22-year-old Officer Matsuda found a secret photo album on his phone.

Thinking of this, the corners of Matsuda Jinpei's lips, which had just been pursed, showed signs of rising again, but he suppressed them with a loud cough.

Gongye Shengliang looked at his changing expressions in confusion, and when he was about to ask something, he heard other noises beside him.

"Good morning~"

Several people emerged from the tent one after another, and without exception, they were all yawning.

Seeing that even the squad leader and Fūya Rei, who always maintained strict self-discipline, had dark circles under their eyes, Kono Seira was very surprised: "Did everyone sleep so late last night? They all look so sleepy."

Hagiwara Kenji splashed cold water on his face to stay awake, and shuddered at the coolness. "Xiao Gongye, it's a pity that you weren't here last night. We talked about a lot of things, it was absolutely exciting!"

Gongye Shengliang was curious, blinked and asked: "What, what, can you still listen now?"

Morofushi Jingguang put down the towel and sighed helplessly as if he had a headache, "Yeah, ever since Hagiwara started talking about his experience of encountering ghosts when he was a child, the content has exploded."

“…”

"Excuse me."

Kono Seiryoshi's curiosity and smile disappeared together.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately he drank the wrong drink yesterday.

"But what Hagiwara said is really a bit scary," Date Kou rubbed his arms, "Did you really experience it yourself?"

"Well, this is all except for the artistic processing!"

"…You said something rubbish!"

"I say, isn't the time almost up?"

As if in response to their expectations, the long-awaited sunrise finally appeared.

Several people stopped talking and laughing at the same time, and looked at the rising sun between the mountains. The sun jumped out of the horizon, surrounded by bright clouds on all sides, and deeply reflected in everyone's eyes.

The first ray of morning light penetrates the haze and fog without being blinding, bringing with it indomitable courage and hope.

Ida Hang murmured, "It would be nice if I could still come here wearing a police badge after graduation."

Whether it is the uniforms worn by police academy students or the police handbooks issued after they officially join the police force, they all have the "Rising Sun Shadow" which is the symbol of this country's police force. The shape of the emblem is like a blooming cherry blossom.

Furiya Rei lowered his eyes and was silent for a moment, then smiled at his friends and suggested, "Let's take a photo."

"I'll go get the camera from my backpack." Morofushi Jingguang replied with a smile.

The equipment was in place, and three countdowns were given in unison, with the film capturing this moment.

Because of the backlight, the photo is not an ordinary group photo, but six black silhouettes with clear outlines, without facial features or expressions, silently conveying a deeper and more profound belief.

Cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, peach blossoms and plum blossoms come together, but each of them goes to an unknown future.

With honor and a sense of mission, we are determined to protect this country and the important people.

On the way back, Kono Seira called out to Furuya Rei.

"Have you solved yesterday's trouble?" he asked.

Although he had no recollection of what happened during the few minutes he was drunk and fell asleep, he still remembered the question.

"Well, I guess so." said the young man with light blond hair.

Rei Furutani, the overly serious first-place student in the police academy, has a strong sense of justice and mission. For the goal in his heart, he tries to restrain his sharp edge.

"That's good."

The person standing in front of him breathed a sigh of relief and narrowed his eyes. In the dim light of the morning, the color of his eyes was the same as the morning sun.

"If it's Zero, I'll definitely find the answer."

Fūya Rei looked at him for a long time, his eyes deep and serious, and the corners of his lips, which were originally pursed, slightly curled up.

For a long time afterwards, after abandoning his identity and name, leaving behind his memories and emotions, and walking on the edge of a knife in the endless darkness, Furutani Rei - or someone who no longer knows how to call himself, still doesn't know whether he has really done what he said.

He hid this scene in the deepest place, deliberately suppressing it and not daring to touch it.