Chapter 67
After listening to the researcher's report on the progress of drug research, which only lasted one-third of an hour, Kono Seiji's mind was forced to be filled with all kinds of obscure and difficult-to-understand pharmaceutical terms. After listening to it, he had only one feeling - it's too complicated, so he should leave it to Shirley.
After he got in the car, he was still thinking about what kind of magical effect "inducing programmed cell death and enhancing the activity of telomerase" was. He was too focused and Scotland called him several times before he came back to reality.
They had stayed in the institute for too long, and when they came out, it was already dusk, and the air was a little chilly. The car, which had just been turned off, still had some air conditioning left, and the windows were tightly closed to lock in the residual heat, so the temperature was just right.
Scotland was not impatient with his distraction. The black-haired young man fastened his seat belt properly and turned halfway to the side. His eyes were clear and seemed to be somewhat gentle in the sunset.
Kono Seiryoshi's raised gaze missed his and after a slight pause, it fell on the latter's hand that was on the buckle.
He pressed down with his index finger, flattened his ring finger, and slightly lifted his thumb—the insignificant little habit of Scotch whisky and the familiar features made him feel dazed for a moment.
It was as if there were no three years of missed opportunities and gaps. When they were still in the police academy, they traveled together and Morofu Jingguang whispered to him whether he should open the car window a little wider.
"Are we going back to base, or where?"
But the reality is that Scotch Whisky turned his gaze away and asked him in a flat tone about his next destination.
Scotland is not a country, and holy wine is not a country.
At this moment, Gongye Shengliang's uneasy heart suddenly got a result and the dust settled.
As long as they maintain this lukewarm relationship between superiors and subordinates, he can ignore the irreconcilable rift between the undercover agent and the organization members and pretend to be unaware of it.
If it cannot be maintained, it would be nice to go separate ways early and pursue our respective missions.
"Not going back to the base." Gongye Shengliang lowered his eyes and sent a location to Scotland.
"Go home."
--
The car stopped a few hundred meters away from the apartment buildings. After a while, it turned around and left without getting closer.
This is a safe and flawless choice, which is in line with Morofuku Jingguang's style.
After confirming this scene through the window, Kono Seiryoshi closed the curtains and took off his gas mask.
Fortunately, he was not greeted by a haunted house. This house seemed to have been cleaned regularly, and the furniture was complete, not even dust had fallen.
He opened the remaining windows for ventilation and decided to take this opportunity to have dinner nearby.
Kono Seiji threw away his gas mask, took out a brand new coat with a label on it from the closet, and took out a duckbill cap and the mask he was wearing from the drawer at the entrance - after changing his clothes, only a pair of dark red eyes were exposed, and the disguise was passable.
He left through a secluded path behind the apartment, taking the long route on purpose. He broke into a sweat and secretly laughed at himself for being too suspicious - Tokyo is so big, how could he be so unlucky to run into an acquaintance!
Kono Seiryoshi suddenly figured it out, walked into a cafe with his chest puffed out and his head raised (actually he didn't), and ordered a signature pasta and freshly squeezed orange juice.
The waitress looked very young, but she had a lot of experience in dealing with customers. Seeing that he was covered up very carefully, she did not treat him as a suspicious person. Instead, she enthusiastically recommended a seat near the corner to him.
Kono Seiyoshi did not take off his mask and hat, and while waiting for his meal, he slowly flipped through the organization's intranet messages with his chin in his hand. Shengjiu had high authority, and he could even check the personal information and mission records of the code-named members.
He went straight to the point, and the first thing that caught his eye was Gin, the undisputed top killer of the organization. His resume was filled with blood, and he hadn't even finished reading it when he slid to the bottom. Kono Seiryoshi slid back to the top, memorizing every word.
Gin has a bad temper and treats him so badly. In order to avoid being shot dead before completing the mission, he has to find out Gin's background first.
The intelligence was mixed with various codes and keys. Gongye Shengliang deciphered some of them. Just as he was about to take a break, he suddenly felt something rubbing against his feet.
Press down lightly and not too hard, rubbing back and forth between the trousers and the hems.
Gongye Shengliang's heart was suddenly shocked.
He remained calm and took a sip of the juice. When he was about to put the juice down, he quietly glanced down.
The next moment, he was staring into a pair of sapphire eyes.
Kono Seiryoshi: “…”
The uninvited guest meowed at him.
A snow-white cat suddenly appeared under his desk and was staring at him.
As the man and the cat looked at each other in bewilderment, the waitress exclaimed, "Hana-chan!" She trotted over and apologized to Kono Seiryoshi shyly. When she wanted to pick up the cat from under the table, she thought of something and quickly withdrew her hand. She skillfully tried to coax the cat with words, "This will cause trouble to the guests, Hana-chan, come over here quickly."
But the effect was not good. The cat, who seemed to be a regular customer of the store, contrary to its usual behavior, did not listen to her. It stretched, made a light purring sound, and lowered its head to rub against her again.
The white cat has shiny and neat fur, and its eyes are big and round, with a clear blue color. There is a plaque on its neck, and the coin-sized plaque is shining with gold. "Hana" is engraved on the front, which should be its name.
Hana, Hana, flower.
Unbelievable thoughts swirled in his mind. He hesitated for a while, finally biting his lip and hesitantly reaching out his hand. The voice coming from behind the mask seemed to be vague, "...Hanako."
The cat sniffed his gloves and twitched its whiskers, but seemed not very interested. It turned its head and circled around his neck twice, the tip of its tail wagging slightly.
The last time Kono Seira saw Hanako, she was still a tiny cat. Although cats with white fur and blue eyes are very common, it did not affect his ability to identify the cat in front of him.
He almost hugged Hanako and told her about the sadness and longing for her father and son, but he suppressed the impulse and asked the waitress with mixed feelings, "Is this the cat raised in the store?"
He didn't think Jinpei Matsuda would abandon the cat, but Hanako was in her rebellious period when he left, so there was a high possibility that the cat ran away from home on its own.
The waitress shook her head and said, "Hana-chan is a pet cat of a nearby resident. When I first started working here, it often came to take a walk. The neighbors are very familiar with it."
Kouno Seiryoshi was slightly startled. "Nearby...residents?"
Is it Jinpei Matsuda or Date Kou?
Perhaps because I mentioned something that interested the waitress, her eyes lit up and she started talking:
"He's a very handsome police officer! To be honest, I was surprised when I found out that Hana-chan's owner was him. After all, the police officer looked, well..." She was stuck, trying to find a non-offensive word, "... looked like a very aloof and unapproachable person!"
A customer called out from the other side of the restaurant, and the waiter had no choice but to stop talking and look up in response.
Kono Seiryoshi came back to his senses and was the first to smile: "You go ahead and do your work. Hana won't cause me any trouble."
The white cat yawned loudly, not knowing whether to agree or refute.
"Oh, thank you very much!"
After watching the waiter walk away briskly, Kono Seiryoshi stared at the cat licking its fur for a long time. Finally, he took a deep breath and took off his gloves.
His hands had not seen the light for a long time, nor had they been in close contact with living creatures for a long time, so the pale blue veins were clearly visible. After touching the soft and warm cat, he instinctively wanted to shake it off, but he froze for a moment, then moved slowly, caressing gently.
Hanako, Inspector Hanako.
It looks like he has grown up well, Gongye Shengliang thought to himself.
He had already made up his mind to draw a line between himself and his past self. The complicated emotions at the moment made him fall into memories, but they could not shake him.
During the brief time when Kimino Seiryoshi was immersed in his own thoughts, the wind chime at the door seemed to be intentionally controlled by someone. It only rang twice in a restrained manner and then returned to silence.
As soon as the curly-haired young man wearing sunglasses walked in, before he could say anything, the chef greeted him warmly and asked him skillfully, "Is dinner still the same as before? Can we take it away this time?"
Matsuda Jinpei hummed, and his eyes casually but purposefully swept across the store. Not seeing his cat in its usual position, he frowned slightly and turned to look at the waiter behind him: "Where are the flowers?"
Pet cats in cities are usually kept indoors, but his cat, like its owner, did not follow the beaten path and learned to open windows and escape from all gaps without any instruction. Matsuda Jinpei tried to discipline her several times, but it didn't work, and Hanako was very smart. She would go home on her own after escaping, so he just let her go.
"Hana-chan is at the table near the corner," the waitress pointed in the direction and added happily, "It seems that there is a customer that he likes very much here today."
"Thank you."
Matsuda Jinpei waved his hands and walked towards the corner.
However, after taking two steps, he saw something and suddenly stopped in the middle of the restaurant, his eyes narrowed slightly behind his sunglasses.
Kono Seiryoshi withdrew his hand reluctantly, and the white cat rubbed against his palm as he moved. As it moved, the nameplate on the collar also shook, and there seemed to be a few lines of words engraved on the back.
"What is this?"
He was a little confused and tilted his head to try to see what was written on it.
"This is the owner's contact information and address. I made this for fear that the pet would get lost."
Kono Seiryoshi: "So that's how it is! Thank you——"
Suddenly realizing something, he froze for three seconds, closed his mouth, and raised his head cautiously.
The black-haired police officer stood in front of the table with one hand in his pocket, looking down at him. His expression couldn't be seen because he was wearing sunglasses, but he didn't look in a good mood.
"My master is me. Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Kono Seiyoshi: I dare not move, I dare not ask.
He wished he could travel back ten minutes ago and wake up the mysteriously confident self standing at the door of the store. His heart twisted into the world-famous painting "The Scream": I promised not to run into anyone I know! Isn't this a complete mistake!!
There is no other choice but to use this trick——!
Kono Seiryoshi calmed down, shook his head, stood up, bowed to Matsuda Jinpei, and then - he ran away decisively!
You oil the road!!
The waitress who served him the pasta was surprised: "Hey, sir? You don't want your meal anymore?"
...How dare he eat under the nose of Matsuda Jinpei!
Gong Yesheng's conscience was beating wildly. He waved to the waiter, took out a few banknotes from his wallet, and without paying any attention to the amount, he hastily placed them on the table he passed by.
However, just when he was about to escape from this place of trouble, the door seemed to be against him and broke at that moment, and no matter how hard he pushed, he could not open it.
Kono Seiryoshi: God wants to kill me!
[System,] In the consciousness space, Gong Ye Shengliang shed tears, [Sorry, the mission seems to have failed.]
Light Ball: […Contractor, calm down. This door opens inwards.]
Kono Seiryoshi: ...?
As if responding to the system, the person who walked to his side silently moved his hand away from pushing the door, grasped the handle, and pulled it inward.
The wind chimes made a clear sound.
Kono Seiryoshi's whole body was stiff, and he was so embarrassed that he wanted to leave this beautiful world.
He held up the brim of his cap and mumbled a thank you.
There was no response, and just when Kono Seiryoshi decided to pretend nothing had happened and continue to run away, something was suddenly hung on his empty hand.
He was startled and looked down. It was a packed paper bag.
Matsuda Jinpei withdrew his hand and put it back in his pocket as if nothing had happened. His voice was very calm:
"You're welcome."
"A thank you gift for playing with the cat."