"Matsuda.. Kisaragi, what are you two talking about??" Morofushi Hiromitsu's voice also couldn't help but tremble. His mind was racing, yet he refused to admit whether the suspicions in his heart were indeed as Matsuda Jinpei had said.
"I think I understand now." Matsuda Jinpei flashed a smile, a smile of absolute certainty.
Back at the hotel, the words Furuya Rei had said to him were something he hadn't been able to understand at the time.
"Since Editor Morofushi exists." Kisaragi Chiyo put down the newspaper in his hands and folded them neatly; he didn't seem to care at all about what Morofushi Hiromitsu had said—that if he failed to find the correct timeline in time, he would be erased from time.
Then that means we must inevitably travel to the past timeline.
.." Morofushi Hiromitsu wore an incredulous expression. "Do you even know what you're saying? You shouldn't..
Enough." Matsuda Jinpei interrupted Morofushi Hiromitsu's speech. "That is our business, Keidan.
Morofushi Hiromitsu could no longer remember how long it had been since he last heard that title.
"After all, I have no intention of changing editors just yet." Kisaragi Chiyo was not worried; since Editor Morofushi existed in their timeline, it meant they would surely succeed.
"Then, should I perhaps introduce myself in advance?" Kisaragi Chiyo reached out her hand toward Morofushi Hiromitsu.
Hello, I am Kisaragi Chiyo, my pen name is Oboro Asagiri.
It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I look forward to our acquaintance.
“..” Morofushi Hiromitsu looked at the expressions on the two of them, knowing he could not change their minds. Although he was unwilling to let Kisaragi Chiyo and Matsuda Jinpei take risks for him, Morofushi Hiromitsu had to admit that he was feeling a sense of anticipation regarding what the two of them had said.
Could he really.. could he really survive?
If it's possible, what's the harm in just giving it a try?
Kisaragi Chiyo shrugged her shoulders from the side, indicating that since they were already here, they had nothing to lose by taking this job.
"Then I'll leave it to you." Morofushi Hiromitsu curved his eyes into a smile, just as he used to.
I'm counting on you to go save that version of me.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels for your support, mwah
Chapter 99
As for how to leave the station, Morofushi Hiromitsu, who had long since explored and become familiar with everything here, quickly came up with a plan.
Although there were a few minor mishaps along the way, the three of them turned the station upside down, Kisaragi Chiyo and Matsuda Jinpei still managed to make it out successfully.
As for that barrier at the station exit that prohibited ghosts from leaving, it was passed through without any hindrance after Matsuda cheated his way into becoming a cat.
As for the look of shock on Morofushi Hiromitsu's face after witnessing that sudden "cat-transformation" trick, Matsuda Jinpei's performance of feeling ashamed in front of his friend while desperately trying to maintain his composure, Kisaragi Chiyo felt like she could laugh about it for at least a week.
I'm finally out.
Following the flash of intense, blinding white light, Matsuda Jinpei had never felt the air and sky outside so fresh and familiar.
He crouched on Kisaragi Chiyo's shoulder, his long cat tail swishing behind him, as his round, teal eyes scanned the surroundings alertly, quickly recognizing where they were.
"I remember the Metropolitan Police Department Police Academy is just two streets away from here." Matsuda Jinpei subconsciously began to lick his paws, but after two licks, he suddenly realized that he wasn't a real cat.
So he lowered his paws with a serious expression once again, taking the opportunity to steal a glance at Kisaragi Chiyo to see if she had noticed his little movement just now.
Matsuda Jinpei had emphasized several times that he was not a real cat, even though he would groom himself and Hara Kenji, even though he liked high places, liked catnip, had a certain interest in cat toys.. but he truly was not a cat.
So when Matsuda Jinpei stole a glance over, Kisaragi Chiyo had already averted her gaze a step ahead, pretending to be completely unaware of everything that had just happened.
"We should probably find out what timeline we're in first," Kisaragi Chiyo said in a calm voice.
Because it was a critical time, he was also working hard to control his intense urge to pet the cat.
After everything that had happened, he really wanted to pet a cat to calm down, but the composed Matsuda Jinmi likely wouldn't agree to Kisaragi Chiyo acting recklessly at a time like this.
"Alright." Matsuda Jinpei did not reject Kisaragi Chiyo's suggestion; he crouched on her shoulder, looking left and right to observe everything along the roadside.
"A newspaper, please." Kisaragi Chiyo did not choose to ask a passerby, but instead bought a newspaper directly from a roadside bookstore.
"This timeline is.." Matsuda Jinpei and Kisaragi Chiyo checked the time and reports in the newspaper together. As expected, they had arrived seven years in the past.
"It's actually this time." Matsuda Jinpei felt a complex mix of emotions, because at this time, he had only been in the police academy for a short while, Hara Kenji was still alive.
"Hurry up," a familiar voice called out from behind.
Kisaragi Chiyo turned around, opening a newspaper to shield his eyes, while he and Matsuda Jinpei cautiously poked their heads out to steal a glance at the curly-haired young man dozens of meters away, who had his back to them.
At this time, Matsuda Jinpei carried a visible sense of greenness. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and holding a three-color ice cream cone, he stood sideways and shouted toward the convenience store, "Hurry up! Didn't we agree to go see the new models?"
"Coming, I'm coming!" As Matsuda Jinpei's voice fell, Hara Kenji appeared with a lighthearted voice. His eyes curved into crescents, with his hair tied in a small bun at the back of his head, he swayed slightly with every step he took.
The tall young man with purple eyes flashed a brilliant smile, his eyes holding a brightness more intense than the sun, his tone carrying its characteristic upward inflection.
Today was a holiday for the Police Academy, Hara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei had planned to go browsing at a model shop.
Sorry, sorry." Hara Kenji looked at his friend with his hands clasped together. "I lost track of time while chatting with Akita just now.
“You bastard..” Matsuda Jinpei wanted to say a few more words, but as soon as he saw the pleading expression on Hara's face, the emotion that hadn't even been quite anger to begin with vanished instantly.
"I forgive you." Matsuda Jinpei licked the ice cream in his hand, feeling that for the sake of the other person treating him to food today, he might as well be generous and forgive his childhood friend.
"Little Jinpei is the best!" Hara Kenji gave a small cheer. He and Matsuda Jinpei walked side by side, occasionally turning their heads to say something to each other, they quickly departed from Kisaragi Chiyo's sight.
"Should we follow them?" Kisaragi Chiyo whispered into the ear of the cat on her shoulder, her gaze never leaving the two of them. Watching their young and vigorous faces, an indescribable emotion stirred deep within her heart.
Matsuda Jinmi was hesitating, but in the time it took him to hesitate, Kisaragi Chiyo had already made the choice for him.
*
"Wait, we can't hide here, there are surveillance cameras." While directing Kisaragi Chiyo, who had no experience in stalking, Matsuda Jinmi kept a constant watch on the movements of the two people not far ahead to prevent being discovered.
"So what should we do next?" Kisaragi Chiyo peeked her face out from the corner of the wall, her misty gray eyes watching the two people ahead of them, who had stopped in their tracks after being drawn by something.
“No.. Kisaragi, leave this place first.” Matsuda Jinmi knew himself, he knew Hara Kenji. So, after the two people ahead had lingered in place for a while, he immediately realized that he and Hara had already sensed that someone was following them.
“Why are we leaving?” Kisaragi Chiyo asked the cat perched on his shoulder while evacuating along the escape route provided by Matsuda Jinpei.
"Don't you want to save Hara?" Kisaragi Chiyo had previously looked through Hara Kenji's files, so she naturally knew that he had died in the line of duty during a mission not long after graduation.
If it were possible to tell him about the things that would happen in the future beforehand, perhaps it could prevent..
“Our situation is different from Morofushi's." Matsuda Jinmi knew very well that although seeing the past Hara Kenji still caused him to experience a moment of subconscious daze, he understood one thing.
If we had the chance, then what you would have encountered should have been Schr"odinger's Cat and Schr"odinger's Dog.
Instead of Hara, who has already become an Evil Spirit.
"But if we don't give it a try," Kisaragi Chiyo said, still somewhat unwilling to give up.
Then how are you going to make the past me and Hara believe you?" Matsuda Jinmi continued, "When leaving the station, Morofushi should have made it very clear to you: two identical people cannot exist in the same timeline. You won't be able to convince them simply by mentioning my existence.
"If you just go up to them and say that Hara will die soon, you might just get beaten up by me instead." Matsuda Jinmi understood his past self's temperament very well, but if he didn't let Kisaragi try, the other party would never give up easily.
“How about we try a different method? You aren't suited to stay in this timeline for too long anyway.”
".." Kisaragi Chiyo fell silent. Although she had been chatting with Matsuda Jinmi, she didn't dare to slow down her pace of escape even for a single step.
Because Matsuda Jinpei and Hara Kenji were pursuing from behind so closely—they truly were energetic young police academy students—Kisaragi Chiyo felt that if it weren't for Matsuda Jinmi's help, she would have been caught by the two of them in less than a minute.
I say.." Kisaragi Chiyo panted heavily, "Aside from tailing them, I haven't done anything else bad, have I? Is it really necessary to chase me so closely?
“Stalking is bad enough already.” Matsuda Jinmi's ears twitched, a warning to Kisaragi Chiyo not to go down the wrong path, as the other half of that path was a dead end.
"But I feel like I'm acting like some kind of heinous fugitive right now," Kisaragi Chiyo complained. He hadn't risked his life like this in a long time.
Matsuda Jinmi fell silent, because he realized that he seemed to have made a mistake.
If he had commanded Kisaragi Chiyo to find a place to hide from the very beginning, perhaps Matsuda Jinpei and Hara Kenji would have naturally given up after failing to find her.
Under his command now, his past self and Hara Kenji couldn't even touch Kisaragi Chiyo's sleeve; they could only watch Kisaragi Chiyo's retreating figure at every corner. How could this not stir up a sense of competitiveness in the two of them?
*
Damn it!" Matsuda Jinpei punched the wall hard. "That guy got away again.
Alright, Little Jinpei." Hara Kenji smiled as he handed a chilled drink to his childhood friend, "You must be thirsty after running for so long, right?
"The person following us is very familiar with this area." Matsuda Jinpei took a large gulp of the drink Hara handed him, only to have his expression contort a second later due to the strange taste.
"Hara," Matsuda Jinpei said, his hands crinkling the plastic bottle with a loud crunch.
This is a limited-edition flavor sports drink, you know.
"I got this specifically for Little Jinpei." Hara Kenji blinked innocently. If Matsuda Jinpei didn't know his childhood friend's true personality, he might have been deceived by that innocent look.
"Hmph." Matsuda Jinpei rolled his eyes grandly without any restraint.
"Actually, it's quite interesting, don't you think?" Hara Kenji felt no frustration about failing to catch the stalker. He could actually sense that there was no malice in the secretive, observing gaze.
I don't find being followed to be very interesting," Matsuda Jinpei said with a dissatisfied sound, nudging his childhood friend with his elbow. "You really should have some sense of crisis; maybe it's because you're constantly radiating charm that someone has taken a grudge against you.
"Hmm.. that could certainly be possible," Hara Kenji replied with a smile, his eyes curving.
Matsuda Jinpei could tell from his expression that Hara wasn't taking this matter to heart.
However, Matsuda Jinpei had no intention of saying anything more. He trusted his friend's abilities, but he had still developed a certain level of vigilance because of this matter. Consequently, he decided to pay more attention to the people around him lately to see if there were any suspicious individuals.
"Um.." A weak voice interrupted their conversation. Matsuda Jinpei turned around to find a short child, barely reaching his chest, who looked like he might only be a middle school student.
"Are you facing some kind of trouble?" Hara Kenji's gaze slowly fell upon the child. The twelve or thirteen-year-old looked somewhat reserved, appearing as if he had come specifically to find them.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Matsuda and Mr. Hara?" the junior high student asked in a small voice, as he pulled an unsigned letter from his pocket.
This.. someone asked me to deliver it to you.
Oh?" Hara Kenji narrowed his eyes, then suddenly flashed a friendly smile and asked in a gentle tone, "Do you remember what the person who asked you to deliver the letter to us looked like?
"He was a strange young man." The junior high student thought for a moment, but he didn't reveal too much to the two of them; after all, he had been paid to do the job.
So that's how it is." Without giving his friend a chance to speak, Hara took the letter from the junior high student's hands. "In that case, thank you very much.
After a few words, Hara waved to see him off as he left.
Why won't you let me ask again?" Matsuda Jinpei frowned, looking at Hara Kenji. "This letter was sent by that guy who was just following us, wasn't it?
"I'm curious too, but I can't exactly go scaring the little one." Hara Kenji smiled, preparing to open the letter, but at that moment, the rain suddenly began to fall from the sky.
The rain came suddenly and with great force. Even though Hara Kenji had intended to protect the letter, it was ultimately soaked through by the heavy downpour. The black ink on the paper bled into a smudge, making the writing completely illegible.
"What a shame." Hara Kenji shook his head with some regret, but he didn't dwell on the matter.