I suggest you don't," Matsuda Jinpei said with a smirk and a cold laugh. "If you still want to step foot in this house.
Hara Kenji fell silent again.
Well, actually, his words just now were merely talk. If he were truly told to leave and never return, he would probably really throw caution to the wind and pester Kisaragi Chiyo relentlessly.
However, this was a last resort.
He still wanted to show his mature and steady side.
You could just go all out right now." Matsuda Jinpei shot him a sidelong glance. "It's not like it matters after this anyway.
".." Hearing Matsuda Jinpei's words, he slowly raised his hand and covered his face.
"Never mind." His voice sounded somewhat weak.
*
Kisaragi Chiyo didn't pay any mind to the change in Hara Kenji's attitude; he continued with his own business as usual, even pretending not to notice the hesitant, lingering glances the other occasionally cast his way.
This should have been a considerate gesture, but for some reason, Hara Kenji became even more uneasy.
"Are you angry?" Matsuda Jinpei watched Kisaragi Chiyo sitting in her favorite chair with thick, soft cushions; although a book lay spread across her lap, the page that had been opened had not been turned for half an hour.
In the bedroom tonight, there were only Matsuda Jinpei and Kisaragi Chiyo.
Because after finishing dinner, Hara Kenji had taken the initiative to suggest moving to the guest room to sleep.
He spoke as if he had been sleeping in the hallway until now.
Upon hearing this, Kisaragi Chiyo gave a soft "oh." He slowly lifted his eyelids, his misty gray eyes gazing at the Evil Spirit standing in the distance.
“Sure.” A faint smile appeared on Kisaragi Chiyo's face. Just when Hara Kenji thought he might say something more, Kisaragi picked up a half-read book and became completely immersed in it without another word.
Matsuda Jinpei didn't know if Kisaragi noticed, but he hadn't missed the extremely disappointed expression that appeared on Hara Kenji's face after Kisaragi Chiyo lowered her head to focus on her book.
Although it only lasted for a brief moment before being quickly masked by the other, Matsuda Jinpei couldn't help but feel that an invisible dark cloud seemed to be hovering above Hara Kenji's head.
Both of them were such a handful; Matsuda Jinpei sighed silently, having never been this worried before.
"Angry?" Kisaragi Chiyo lifted her head with a smile, as if she had heard something amusing, tilting her face up to look into Matsuda Jinpei's beautiful teal eyes.
“I'm not angry.”
Really?
"Really." Kisaragi Chiyo replied good-naturedly.
Fine." Matsuda Jinpei fell silent for a moment, then spoke as if nothing were wrong, "Then why did you deliberately ignore Hara?
"Was I being intentional?" Kisaragi Chiyo blinked.
"You didn't?" Matsuda Jinpei stared down at her.
“..”
"Fine, I admit it." Kisaragi Chiyo closed the open book and set it aside.
I am indeed a little bit angry.
"But I can understand." Kisaragi Chiyo was always skilled at regulating her own emotions.
So I can wait, wait for the time it takes for Hara to adapt.
After all.. he will choose, can only choose, us." Kisaragi Chiyo looked at Matsuda Jinpei with a somewhat cunning gaze, her tone meaningful. "Besides, don't you think a conflicted and troubled Hara is quite interesting too?
Then you'd better be careful," Matsuda Jinpei reminded him nonchalantly. "He's the type who will demand double the interest once he realizes what's happened.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for the support from all the little angels, mwah 0330
Chapter 90
Hara Kenji had insomnia.
He lay in the soft bedding, which carried the scent of the sun, stared blankly at the intricate patterns on the ceiling in the darkness. With his sensitive hearing as an Evil Spirit, he could vaguely hear the sound of conversation coming from the bedroom next door.
"What are they talking about?" Hara Kenji turned over, facing the wall.
"Is it something about me.. or something else?" Hara Kenji turned over again, this time facing the window.
I can't hear anything, I can't sleep at all.. Little Jinpei and Kisaragi have such a good relationship.
Hara blinked his somewhat dry eyes. He slowly closed his eyes in an attempt to clear his mind, but for some reason, as soon as he closed them, Kisaragi Chiyo's face and voice would automatically surface in his mind.
Simply haunting! And in ultra-clear 8K, too!
Hara Kenji sat up abruptly from the bed, his long, seaweed-like hair cascading down his back. He lowered his eyes, obscure emotions swirling within his dark purple depths, like a silent undercurrent flowing through the night.
Hara Kenji got out of bed and pushed open the glass door to walk onto the guest room's small balcony. Since there was only a wall between them, the distance between the two balconies was not far.
Warm light filtered through from the balcony on the other side, but because of the heavy curtains, the interior was impossible to see. However, the voice alone was much clearer than it had been inside the room.
"Do you know?" Matsuda Jinpei's voice, carrying a faint smile, drifted through the night wind.
Hara Kenji was actually still hesitating; he knew that what he was doing right now was called eavesdropping. Even if he hadn't pressed his ear against the wall, or climbed over the balcony to peer through the gaps in the curtains.. regardless, what he should be doing right now was closing the balcony door, returning to his own room, lying peacefully in his bed, then pulling up the covers to sleep.
That was how he should have done it, but when Hara Kenji wanted to turn back, his feet felt as if they had taken root, leaving him unable to move.
"What?" Kisaragi Chiyo's tone was very calm, very ordinary.
Hara Kenji could almost imagine the way the young man's eyebrows rose from under his lashes as he spoke.
When those misty gray pupils look your way, they always give you the sensation of being watched and being taken seriously.
"Have you ever heard that saying?" Matsuda Jinpei's voice rang out along with the sound of his footsteps.
Hara Kenji listened intently. He guessed that Kisaragi Chiyo must be sitting there in that soft chair reading a book, just as usual. Meanwhile, Matsuda Jinpei was walking toward the young man from the other side, tracing the expression on the young man's face with his eyes from a condescending angle.
“Oh?” A slightly curled inflection at the end of the sentence, he spoke slowly and clearly, “What kind of words? Let me hear them.”
"Eye contact is a spiritual kiss between humans, without the ***." *The last two words were intentionally lowered in volume, carrying a unique sense of tenderness.
Hara Kenji had never imagined there would be a day when Matsuda Jinpei would say sweet words in such a manner.
A scene of the two staring into each other's eyes uncontrollably surfaced in Kenji's mind.
Warm light filled the entire room, after those words were spoken, an ambiguous atmosphere gradually spread, possessing a scorching heat similar to the red candle tears left behind by a lit candle..
In the brief silence, Hara Kenji heard the slight, grating sound of a chair scraping against the floor.
No one spoke, but the heavy breathing and the subtle sound of clothes rubbing against each other said everything.
Fine, Hara Kenji clicked his tongue.
He really should go to bed.
..
But he couldn't sleep at all!!
Hara Kenji rolled around on the bed clutching his quilt; the more he thought back to everything he had just overheard, the angrier he felt. Although he didn't know exactly what he was angry about, he just felt enveloped by a massive sense of grievance and loss.
He buried his face in the quilt, feeling incredibly depressed. There was no familiar scent in the room, everything had become somewhat strange; a powerful sense of loss made it impossible for him to fall asleep.
“Seriously, clearly..” Hara Kenji covered his eyes with his arms, his long black hair scattered carelessly. His chest did not rise or fall; he lay there quietly, like a corpse, until dawn.
*
By the time Kisaragi Chiyo went downstairs, breakfast was almost ready. Matsuda Jinpei sat in his seat, frowning as he looked at the newspaper in his hands, wearing a complex expression of deep resentment.
"What's wrong?" Kisaragi Chiyo cast a glance over, somewhat curious as to what kind of news could make Matsuda Jinpei's expression twist like that.
It's nothing.." Matsuda Jinpei slowly placed the newspaper on the table and said in a very calm tone, "I was just looking at the statistics for the number of homicides that occurred in Beika last month.
"How many?" Kisaragi Chiyo pulled out a chair and sat down, asking casually.
One hundred and fifty in total.
“?”
Kisaragi Chiyo slightly doubted if his hearing had failed him during the night, he turned his head to look at Matsuda Jinpei to confirm once more, "Did I mishear just now?"
".." Matsuda Jinpei knew this number was somewhat outrageous, but the data compiled by the media in the newspapers was exactly like that.
".. Alright then." Kisaragi Chiyo finally understood why some people said that Tokyo was a great place for detective employment. Based on the frequency of murder cases, the people of Tokyo certainly did need more detectives.
"Good morning, you two." Hara Kenji placed a cup of coffee on the table, interrupting the eye contact between Kisaragi Chiyo and Matsuda Jinpei.
He lowered his eyes, a gentle smile playing on his lips, looked toward Kisaragi Chiyo with his dark purple eyes, appearing completely composed and unaffected by emotion.
“What would you like to drink this morning? How about an oat milk latte?”
Kisaragi Chiyo lifted her eyes, staring into the other's eyes for a moment before slowly nodding, "That sounds good, thank you."
Hara Kenji smiled and said nothing.
Only after the other person turned and left for the kitchen did Kisaragi Chiyo grab Matsuda Jinpei's arm, signaling him to lean his head over.
"What's wrong?" Matsuda Jinpei leaned his head over, looking somewhat confused.
I say," Kisaragi Chiyo asked in a low voice, pointing to the area just below her eyes, "do creatures like Evil Spirits get dark circles under their eyes too?
Perhaps?" Matsuda Jinpei said hesitantly. "After all, that guy can turn into a dog, but if he stays in human form without resting, wouldn't he feel sleepy too?
"That makes sense." Kisaragi Chiyo was convinced.
After Matsuda Jinpei sat back down once he had let go, Hara Kenji had already brought him an oat milk latte from the kitchen, along with today's delicious breakfast of egg and ham toast.
Kisaragi Chiyo stared deeply at the piece of toast in front of her; in terms of appearance and aroma, it was no different from what Hara used to make, with the softness of the egg and the toasted fragrance of the bread being just as perfect as always.
Aside from Hara Kenji, who had always insisted on drawing heart patterns on it with ketchup, this time the pattern had been changed to a little bear.
"How long do you think this situation with Hara will last?" Taking advantage of the moment when Hara turned back toward the kitchen, Kisaragi Chiyo whispered to Matsuda Jinpei once again.
At least a week," Matsuda Jinpei replied indistinctly, biting into a piece of crispy sausage cut into the shape of an octopus. "If you ask me, this guy is just acting spoiled.
Don't let his current display of awakened conscience fool you; his ability to accept things is much faster than mine.
After all, that guy was capable of bluntly asking Date Wataru if he liked Furuya Rei, then cheerfully stating that he was the type who didn't mind that kind of relationship.
That's why he said that his current awkwardness, sense of shame, slight intention to keep his distance were all just ways of acting spoiled toward Kisaragi Chiyo.
Perhaps once the young man coos a few words of comfort, he won't be able to resist pressing his fluffy self against her.