"Ah.. this.. that.." Hara Kenji acted as if he had suddenly forgotten how to speak, becoming stammering and hesitant.
"It's nothing, really." Matsuda Jinpei met Kisaragi Chiyo's gaze quite calmly, his teal eyes revealing nothing that needed to be hidden.
Hara Kenji and I are both very curious about what that man controlling the yokai actually said to make you so angry.
Even though you intentionally let me hear the gunshots to stop you," Matsuda Jinpei stared intensely at Kisaragi Chiyo's face, "you really were angry, weren't you? Just as you said, that thought of wanting to kill the opponent in that instant was real.
So, does that have something to do with Kisaragi Chiyo's past?
Matsuda Jinpei recalled what Furuya Rei had once said—that he couldn't find any information regarding Kisaragi Chiyo's origins. She was like someone who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere; the financial support she received from the Mechano Family at the age of sixteen allowed her to complete her studies. As for anything prior to that, it was a complete blank, leaving no trail to follow.
Although Matsuda Jinpei wasn't particularly curious about others, when a clue that could potentially solve the mystery was placed right before him, he couldn't help but feel tempted.
To him, Kisaragi Chiyo was like catnip and a ball of yarn all at once; Matsuda Jinpei found it difficult to resist the temptation to get to know her more deeply.
"I see." Kisaragi Chiyo let out a soft hum and nodded slowly. Under the expectant gazes of the cat and the dog, she explained nothing, merely revealing a mysterious smile.
One day, you will find out.
It was like that again, an answer that felt like bait tossed out on purpose.
Alright." Hara Kenji was not discouraged; he simply pressed his cheek against Kisaragi Chiyo's face and said with squinted eyes, "I'll be looking forward to it.
"After all this buildup.." Kisaragi Chiyo did not forget the original question; he was not the type of person who could have his attention easily diverted.
You two should tell me exactly what you've done to betray me.
Ahem.. it's not that serious." Hara Kenji let out a few dry laughs. "You know, to save someone, the two of us unrelated civilians were discovered by the police from Gunma.
“The person who found us was a fierce-looking man with an X-shaped scar over his right eye,” Matsuda Jinpei pursed his lips, his expression looking somewhat unnatural. “Although we managed to explain the situation clearly after some trouble, we borrowed your..”
"Mine?" Kisaragi Chiyo was somewhat confused.
Just like that.. asking the usual questions, like why you came to Gunma, whether you two know each other, your names, so on," Hara Kenji explained in a lighthearted tone. "The names Little Jinpei and I registered were both fake names we made up on the spot, the reason we came to Gunma was..
"Become what?" Kisaragi Chiyo suddenly felt that something was wrong.
It's just that your reputation might become a bit strange, Chiyo-chan.
"Strange?" Kisaragi Chiyo slowly narrowed her eyes.
Of course, I didn't tell that policeman Chiyo-chan's name. I only told him that the reason I came to Gunma was to have a secret tryst with someone else..
Alright.." Kisaragi Chiyo raised her hand to rub her brow and sighed. "It doesn't make any difference to me, anyway, that you said that.
"But since I was being questioned separately, that's what I said." Matsuda Jinpei lowered his head, finding the patterns on the room's floor quite interesting.
Hearing this, Kisaragi Chiyo slowly formed a question mark in her mind: "?"
Wait," Kisaragi Chiyo felt her mind getting a bit muddled, "then how did you answer when the police asked if you knew each other?
I said we were internet friends," Matsuda Jinpei said, casting a dark look at Hara Kenji, "but that guy Hagi said the reason we know each other is because we're seeing the same person.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thanks to all the little angels for your support, mwah 0330
Chapter 67
Even though she realized that Matsuda and that policeman, Hara Kenji, had no idea what her name was, Kisaragi Chiyo still felt a subtle sense of being persecuted in some unknown corner of the world.
And so, as punishment, Hara Kenji, the culprit, was banned from eating any sweets for half a month. Similarly, Matsuda Jinpei was deprived of the right to enjoy today's dessert, the caramel custard.
“Chiyo-chan actually just wanted to eat three servings by herself!” Hara Kenji looked pitifully at Kisaragi Chiyo; in front of him sat a large bowl of udon in clear broth, while Matsuda Jinpei had received a bland version of curry rice with very little oil and salt.
“Can this even be called curry?” Matsuda Jinpei narrowed his eyes, looking with suspicion at the boiled vegetables on the plate that were only drizzled with a bit of curry sauce, let out an incredulous sound: “Aside from this pitiful amount of curry sauce, this is nothing more than boiled potatoes and chicken breast!”
There were even carrots in there, which he didn't like!
“If cats eat too much salt, they lose their fur easily.” Kisaragi Chiyo cast a light, glancing look at Matsuda Jinpei, as her gaze landed on the carrot pieces pushed to the side, she added unhurriedly, “Besides, the vitamins in carrots are good for a cat's eyesight.”
“I told you, I'm not a cat,” Matsuda Jinpei emphasized once more, staring warily at the carrot chunks on the plate, the dark pupils in his teal eyes slowly dilating and contracting. Finally, under Hara Kenji's cheers and Kisaragi Chiyo's encouraging gaze, Matsuda Jinpei reluctantly picked up a piece of carrot and stuffed it into his mouth.
The unexpectedly soft texture was mixed with an extremely faint sweetness, like eating a piece of stewed, tender wood; after eating a few pieces, Matsuda Jinpei refused to continue eating.
However, the rice, boiled chicken breast, special curry sauce were eaten completely clean.
"That's understandable." Hara Kenji chewed on the bamboo shoot from the udon set; the bright green scallions served as a garnish, floating atop the light soy-colored broth and thick white noodles, making the dish look incredibly appetizing.
But similarly, Hara Kenji's clear udon was an upgraded, bland version with very little oil or salt; aside from a hint of soy sauce flavor, it could only rely on the natural taste of the ingredients for seasoning.
“After all, Little Jinpei has always loved eating curry.” After saying this with a smile, Hara Kenji froze himself, blinking blankly as if wondering why he had used the word "always."
It was as if, although past memories were lost, the subconscious reactions were still etched into the brain's subconscious.
"Itadakimasu." As if she hadn't noticed Hara Kenji's unusual reaction at all, Kisaragi Chiyo lowered her eyes, lifted her spoon, gently set it down.
The amber caramel layer on top of the pale yellow pudding made a faint clicking sound as it was cracked.
*
Aside from the first and last days, this trip to the Gunma hot springs was actually quite pleasant.
Because on the first day, every single thing seemed to drain his physical strength; and on the last day, Kisaragi Chiyo was making a final struggle before the deadline approached.
Even though when he had a chance encounter with Amuro Tooru the day before, the other man had curiously asked about his creative progress. Upon learning that Kisaragi Chiyo had not written a single word and planned to leave everything until the final day before the deadline, that handsome and considerate Detective Amuro had nodded with a smile to show his understanding.
With her support, Kisaragi Chiyo procrastinated even more shamelessly.
As a result, on the last day of his vacation, the slacker novelist, who had been planning to spend the entire day leisurely doing nothing, received a death call from his editor early in the morning.
"Oboshima-sensei," the editor's gentle, clear voice sounded like a greeting from a distant heaven, or perhaps a greeting from hell.
Please allow me to ask quite impertinently, how is the progress on your manuscript for this issue?
“..” Kisaragi Chiyo fell silent for a moment, he moved the phone a little further from his ear.
"Don't worry, I'm writing it now, I'll be finished very soon," Kisaragi Chiyo replied without even a hint of embarrassment.
After he finished saying this, Matsuda Jinpei, who was sitting in a chair nearby flipping through the books Kisaragi Chiyo had brought, let out a muffled snort.
When the curly-haired man looked up, his eyebrows rose simultaneously. With an expression as if he had seen something interesting, a smile played on his lips, he gave him a teasing wink.
“Really?” the editor's slightly distorted voice came from the other end. “In that case, I suppose I’ll be able to see Oboshima-sensei's new story tonight, right?”
That is truly wonderful. I have always been looking forward to seeing what kind of marvelous incidents the detectives, the Ghost Vigilante, the newly appearing Great Yokai under Oboshima-sensei's pen will encounter.
The editor's expectant tone was laced with a mocking laughter that made Kisaragi Chiyo's non-existent conscience ache.
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
Oh my, oh my." Hara Kenji cupped his cheeks with both hands, tilting his head as he made sounds of amusement, "Chiyo-chan, what should we do about this?
Oboshima-sensei." Hara Kenji curved his eyes, smiling as he mimicked the way the editor addressed him. "But the manuscript our Oboshima-sensei brought is still in the suitcase, without a single word having been touched.
Shut up." Kisaragi Chiyo shot Hara Kenji a look and lowered her voice to threaten him, "If you don't want to sleep under the bed tonight.
"Fine." Hara Kenji made a zipping motion over his mouth with his hand, because he truly did not like sleeping under the bed.
He really couldn't understand where Kisaragi Chiyo got such a stereotype from; not all ghosts actually like hiding under beds or in cabinets.
“Oboshima-sensei?” Perhaps because he hadn't received an answer from Kisaragi Chiyo for quite a while, the editor called out again, “Are you still listening?”
I understand." Kisaragi Chiyo reached up to rub her brow and sighed, answering in a serious tone, "Tonight, I will send the digital version to you via computer.
Alright," the editor replied. "I'll be online.
*
After the document was successfully uploaded, Kisaragi Chiyo lay in a very peaceful posture, her hands folded over her abdomen and her eyes tightly closed. Her brow was relaxed, even her breathing carried a sense of relieved ease.
“You've really worked hard.” The other side of the bed sank slightly as a shadow approached, shielding Kisaragi Chiyo from the somewhat dazzling light.
"But you didn't have to rush so much, right, Chiyo-chan?" Hara Kenji twisted his body and leaned forward slightly, one hand propped against the edge of the bed. With a faint, lingering smile on his lips and his eyes cast slightly downward, he looked down at Kisaragi Chiyo with a scrutinizing gaze.
His gaze drifted gently down from her eyes, past her rosy lips, finally disappeared into the collar that only revealed half of her neck.
"There are still a few days left until the deadline, so there's no need to force yourself to write it immediately, is there?" Hara Kenji's voice was intentionally lowered, sounding soft and syrupy, much like the pitiful whimpering a puppy might make.
Kisaragi Chiyo felt the cool fingertips land gently on the center of her brow, then sweep across the bridge of her nose and her lips, before finally poking and prodding at her cheeks playfully.
“And I had clearly intended to procrastinate until the very end.” Hara Kenji leaned down, pinching the human's earlobe between two fingers and rubbing it with moderate pressure against his fingertips.
The fair earlobe slowly turned pink.
"Is that editor special to you as well?" Hara Kenji's gaze drifted nonchalantly toward a certain spot in the room, trying his best to make his tone sound casual and indifferent.
Kisaragi Chiyo opened her eyes. She had clearly felt the approach of an evil spirit before, but now, the other person had left her with nothing but the back of his head.
“More or less.” Kisaragi Chiyo waved away Hara Kenji's hand that was pinching his ear, entwined a strand of the other man's hair that lay scattered across the bed with his fingertips, then gave it a slight tug toward himself.
"So, how special is it?" The long-haired, dark-purple-eyed Evil Spirit suddenly snapped his head around, his gaze piercing. He leaned his body down, a cold, faint fragrance swirling around his nose, as the other person's breath enveloped him entirely.
Kisaragi Chiyo blinked slowly, dark waves surging and swelling within her eyes, appearing calm yet harboring a dangerous restraint.
“Why aren't you saying anything?” Hara Kenji murmured, brushing his nose against her cheek. He braced his hands on either side of her, forming an absolute perimeter against the bed, trapping her within his embrace in the exact same position as last night..
Hara Kenji thought, his gaze turning dark and profound. Having moved a step closer, it was truly difficult to ever return to their previous relationship.
But.. what are they now? Hara Kenji narrowed his eyes slightly.
“I was just thinking about how to tell you..” A look of hesitation appeared on Kisaragi Chiyo's face. He opened his mouth, appearing to ponder where to begin answering Hara Kenji's question.
But Hara Kenji's attention had already been temporarily diverted by something else. He stared at the human's soft lips, his throat bobbing, ultimately could no longer resist, leaning in to kiss him.
".. At least wait until I finish speaking." By the time Hara Kenji pulled away from his mouth, five minutes had already been wasted.
Kisaragi Chiyo panted lightly, complaining to the Evil Spirit who had tasted the sweetness of her essence, "Both you and Matsuda love using your teeth; is this a kiss or are you biting me.."
Before she could finish speaking, Hara Kenji launched another attack, completely sealing her lips, her indistinct words vanished between their pressed lips.
Sucking.. crushing, the air grew thin and feverish. Kisaragi Chiyo's hands, which had subconsciously gripped Hara Kenji's arms, gradually relaxed; she narrowed her eyes in pleasure, even tilting her head up blankly in a chasing motion when Hara Kenji's lips pulled away.
"Kisaragi." Hara Kenji cupped Kisaragi Chiyo's head with both hands, his eyes lowered as he looked at the raven-haired youth who was gazing up at him with a confused expression.
A layer of moist luster covered her rosy lips, her eyes were dazed and confused, as if silently questioning why he had suddenly stopped when she was feeling so good.
“This is good.” Hara Kenji gave a smile, his eyes curving as he looked upon his masterpiece—the marks and scent he had left on Kisaragi Chiyo.
With his thumb tip, which bore a thin callus, pressing against her lower lip and applying slight pressure, she would instinctively part her lips, offering him a warm invitation.
But not right now." Hara Kenji shook his head. "Chiyo-chan hasn't told me exactly how special that editor is to you.
Is it a special kind of connection, like with that friend of yours—the one you're always chatting with and who knows everything about you?