“I'm going to send your photo to Furuya Rei and have him come wake up the sleeping beauty himself.”
As soon as the words were spoken, Morofushi Hiromitsu, who had been unconscious, snapped his eyes open. Following that was an unceremonious, heavy punch swung straight at Matsuda Shun's face.
The punch was caught firmly.
A face that should not be here, belonging to a friend who had already died in an explosion, was clearly reflected in his eyes. That arrogant and conceited smile and tone were so familiar that they filled Morofushi Hiromitsu with rage.
"Who on earth are you?" Anger flickered in those upturned blue cat-like eyes as he threw punch after punch without hesitation, but every single strike was intercepted by his opponent.
"Who do you think I am?" Matsuda Jinpei tilted his head, his eyebrows arching slightly, a hint of amusement dancing in his teal eyes. Even though he clearly realized Morofushi Hiromitsu was angry about something, he still unceremoniously added fuel to the fire.
"Keidan-na" was equally nonchalant, with a slight upward inflection, so damningly familiar.
"Don't call me that." Morofushi Hiromitsu's voice was cold. He didn't deny the title; in his view, since the other party had already tracked down Zero, knowing his name wasn't unexpected.
Or.. it was because they had investigated him first, then caused Zero's identity to be exposed as well.
As soon as he considered this possibility, Morofushi Hiromitsu's gaze grew increasingly sharp, his movements became somewhat ruthless. This was no longer something that could be resolved simply by him committing suicide to prevent the information from leaking.
Since that was the case.. the very second the thought surfaced in his mind, Morofushi Hiromitsu had already made his decision. Taking advantage of the gap in the opponent's defense, he pulled out another small handgun hidden at his waist.
It was a small handgun; although its firing power was not as great as a revolver's, the distance was close enough for Morofushi Hiromitsu to deal with the trouble.
The bullet shot from the chamber, slicing through the air, heading straight for the center of the forehead.
But just when the bullet was still a few centimeters away from its target, the dark shadow beneath the opponent's feet seemed to suddenly come to life; it detached from the ground, transforming into a mass of ink that extended through the air, swallowing the bullet.
“!”
Morofushi Hiromitsu's pupils suddenly contracted; he remembered what he had seen before he passed out—a pitch-black monster, like a vast net, swallowing him whole.
"Um, you saw that too, didn't you?" Until another unfamiliar voice sounded from the side, cold sweat broke out on Morofushi Hiromitsu's back. He turned his head in disbelief toward the young man who had stood in the corner of the room at some unknown time.
“Dealing with you would be effortless for us."
The raven-haired young man looked at him with a cold expression, long silver earrings hanging from both sides of his cheeks. Dressed in a large black haori, he almost seemed to merge with the shadows in the corner. The skin exposed on his face had the pale quality of someone rarely seeing sunlight, his slightly long bangs covered his right eye, leaving only a single, cold, misty-gray eye visible as he stared intently at him.
Morofushi Hiromitsu couldn't help but shudder; from the very first moment he saw the other man, an uncontrollable surge of fear rose within his heart, as if he had seen something terrifying, something his brain simply could not comprehend.
But this strange sensation only flashed through his mind briefly; the next second, when he looked closer, the young man was nothing more than an ordinary young man.
But exactly when had the other person stood there? Or rather, had they been there from the very beginning?
Morofushi Hiromitsu remembered the two different voices he had heard indistinctly while he was unconscious; although he showed nothing on the surface, his internal vigilance grew even stronger.
Who on earth are you people?" Morofushi Hiromitsu asked, his voice dry. His gaze swept over Kisaragi Chiyo before settling once more on Matsuda Jinpei's face. "Why.. why did you save me?
“Although I might not be able to convince you,” the young man standing in the corner spoke, pointing at Matsuda Jinpei, “but that is indeed the Matsuda Jinpei you know.”
"I don't understand what you mean." Morofushi Hiromitsu's hand had never let go of the trigger.
"Do you have any evidence to prove what you're saying?" Morofushi Hiromitsu looked at the young man who had fallen silent because of his words, unconsciously pursed his lips.
As for proof.." Kisaragi Chiyo looked toward Matsuda. "Then let Matsuda tell us something that only the two of you would know.
A secret is indeed the best way to prove one's identity.
But the secrets between him and Morofushi Hiromitsu.. Matsuda Jinpei froze for a moment, then wore a troubled expression.
This question stumped him. What secrets could he and Morofushi Hiromitsu possibly have? Even if they whispered something privately, they wouldn't be able to hide it from those three guys in the end.
That.." Matsuda Jinpei cleared his throat, his eyes blinking rapidly. "I just remembered something.. It's not exactly a secret, but the only people who can definitely know are the five of us.
Upon hearing this, Morofushi Hiromitsu also blinked slowly, mimicking Matsuda Jinpei. He naturally knew who the five people mentioned by the other were, but two of them were already dead.
But as luck would have it, the person standing before his eyes at this very moment was one of those two.
A month ago, the police officer who died in the line of duty during an explosion, Matsuda Jinpei.
Morofushi Hiromitsu remained silent, staring into Matsuda Jinpei's eyes, waiting for him to say the thing that could prove his identity.
"I.. asked you to buy a DVD before, Morofushi.." As Matsuda Jinpei spoke of this matter, his expression appeared somewhat guilty.
The name of the DVD is.. Steamy Hot Spring Travel Secrets~
Morofushi Hiromitsu: ".."
The content of the DVD is..
Alright." Morofushi Hiromitsu reached out with an indescribable expression to stop Matsuda Jinpei's words. "Don't keep going. I believe you are the real Matsuda.
After all, besides them, there probably wouldn't be anyone else who knew about such a thing. It's not like the other person was lying under the bed eavesdropping on their conversation, right?
Morofushi Hiromitsu tried very hard to keep a straight face, but after a moment of effort, he still couldn't hold it. Looking at his friend's familiar face, he let out a softened smile.
“Matsuda.” Morofushi Hiromitsu put away his gun and reached out a hand toward Matsuda Jinpei, a soft smile shimmering in the depths of his eyes.
“Welcome back.”
No matter what, whether you are a human or a demon, welcome back, my dear friend.
-----------------------
Author's Note: *The plot where Matsuda asks Morofushi to go buy a DVD comes from the game, specifically the chain on the disc. Thanks to all the little angels for your support, mwah 030
Chapter 104
As the night grew deeper, Morofushi Hiromitsu emerged from the bathroom wearing a fresh set of clean clothes, his hair half-dry and his body still radiating warm steam.
This was a safe house that even Furuya Rei was unaware of, the only relatively stable haven Morofushi Hiromitsu had left.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Morofushi Hiromitsu nodded apologetically toward the two people curled up on the sofa. Because his clothes were covered in a significant amount of dust and carried a distinct scent of gunpowder, he had to go wash up first before coming back to discuss the next steps with them.
Morofushi." Matsuda Jinpei looked at Morofushi Hiromitsu, who had sat down on the sofa opposite them, asked with some concern, "Is this safehouse secure? Do you want to..
Even though Morofushi Hiromitsu had survived the life-threatening ordeal on the rooftop, it did not mean he was safe now. Between the Organization's pursuit, the possibility of a mole on their side, the fact that Furuya Rei would likely face them alone to avoid being a burden, he would certainly not reach out.
It was a situation of almost complete isolation; it was hard for Matsuda Jinpei not to feel worried about the plan Morofushi Hiromitsu was taking upon himself.
It's not that bad." Morofushi Hiromitsu smiled, his tone light. He winked at Matsuda and said softly in comfort, "At least, thanks to you all, I'm still alive, aren't I?
“Even if you say that.." Kisaragi Chiyo was not deceived by the lightness the other man displayed; he calmly pointed out the plan the other had not yet given up on: "But if you are pushed to that point, you will ultimately choose to pave the way for Furuya Rei with your own death, won't you?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu's desire to live was real, but his determination to face death was equally steadfast.
Before this, he would have cherished his own life more than anyone else. But once he found himself in a prisoner's dilemma like the one on the rooftop, the opponent would choose to aim a gun at him without hesitation, all to protect the information and another undercover agent.
Morofushi Hiromitsu was gentle enough, but he was also clear-headed enough. He was clear-headed enough to place his own life on the lighter end of the scales in order to protect things of much greater weight.
After listening to Kisaragi Chiyo's words, Morofushi Hiromitsu let out a smile. He was wearing a simple white crew-neck short-sleeved shirt without any patterns or text, he carried a faint scent of body wash. His soft black hair fell over his forehead, making him look completely harmless.
“You'll help me, right?” Morofushi Hiromitsu blinked, his upturned blue cat-like eyes shimmering with a faint smile. He gazed intently at the two people on the sofa opposite him, speaking in a slightly submissive tone, “I'm counting on you, Kisaragi-kun, Matsuda.”
Kisaragi Chiyo fell silent for a moment. He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly, masking the emotions within his misty gray eyes. His gloved fingertips rubbed together against his knees, after a moment of contemplation, he gave a slow nod.
"We.. are indeed here because of that." Even if Morofushi didn't speak first, they intended to see this good deed through to the end.
"Then.." The smile on Morofushi Hiromitsu's lips deepened, he leaned forward slightly, a look of perfectly measured curiosity appearing on his face.
“When exactly are you from in the future?”
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
Kisaragi Chiyo turned her head to look at Matsuda Jinpei, but he repeatedly waved his hands, indicating that he had not yet mentioned this matter to Morofushi.
"You guessed it?" It was something somewhat unexpected, yet seemingly within his expectations.
Kisaragi Chiyo had known from the very beginning that her Editor Morofushi was a clever character; he had provided her with immense help throughout the publication and serialization process of her novels.
Therefore, Kisaragi Chiyo had a fairly good impression of Morofushi Hiromitsu. At the very least, because the two of them worked so well together, since Kisaragi Chiyo had no intention of changing editors, Kisaragi Chiyo was quite enthusiastic about the idea of saving Morofushi Hiromitsu.
Moreover, he felt that this matter of changing one's fate by reversing the timeline might serve as material for a new round of writing in his novel.
With the editor alive, he had new material for his novels; it was a win-win situation! He could go back to being a hands-off boss!
"It's quite obvious, I suppose." Morofushi Hiromitsu looked up at Matsuda Jinpei, who had already begun to space out in boredom.
"Attitude, tone, the choice of words when speaking." Morofushi Hiromitsu casually gave a few examples.
There was also one more thing he didn't say: there was an unusual atmosphere lingering between Matsuda and the young man, which always made Morofushi Hiromitsu feel like he stood out quite a bit when he was by their side.
To put it bluntly, he was just a third wheel.
He never expected that his fellow academy classmate, who had never been in a relationship during his lifetime, would succeed after death.
"We don't know much about that side of you." Since Morofushi Hiromitsu had already guessed it, Kisaragi Chiyo had no intention of hiding anything, so he concisely and clearly explained what he knew about the future to him.
Some details that Kisaragi Chiyo was unaware of were also supplemented by Matsuda Jinpei.
It was also at this moment that Morofushi Hiromitsu unearthed an incident from a forgotten corner of his memory.
"You appeared at that station before?" His upturned cat-like eyes suddenly widened. Morofushi Hiromitsu recalled Furuya Rei once complaining to him about a young man who claimed to be a member of the Matsuda family but for whom no information could be found at all, that in order to clear this up, Furuya Rei had even launched a night raid on the apartment building where Matsuda Jinpei lived.
Then, as expected, the two of them had a fight.
Yes." Kisaragi Chiyo nodded. "We have no way to directly lock onto the exact timeline; we can only open blind boxes at random.
Morofushi Hiromitsu did not express any opinion regarding Kisaragi Chiyo's statement; in truth, he did not know what words to say right now to express his gratitude.
Although he was currently maintaining such a calm demeanor through his acting as an undercover agent, only Morofushi Hiromitsu himself knew that he had been piecing his shattered worldview back together, time and time again.
What supernatural station, encountering myself turned into a demon, traveling from the future, my deceased comrade turning into a ghost to save me..
After the shock of the previous events, when Morofushi Hiromitsu later heard that Furuya Rei had also become a ghost and that the three of them were living happily together, he merely let out a smile and nodded slowly, indicating that he understood.
Monogamy.. that's quite reasonable.. Not!
Upon hearing Kisaragi Chiyo's remarks about family, Morofushi Hiromitsu's smiling mask finally began to slowly crack.
"Do you need me to help you send word to Furuya?" Matsuda Jinpei's rare moment of conscience reminded him of Furuya Rei, who was likely spinning in circles with anxiety over the exposure of Morofushi's identity.
"If it's not too much trouble." Morofushi Hiromitsu indeed wanted to have a proper talk with Furuya Rei about the current situation and the subsequent plans, but he then considered another matter.
By the way, Matsuda, now that you have a physical form.. will you be caught on surveillance?
While Matsuda Jinpei is much more convenient to appear as than him, the Organization's vigilance and suspicion toward Furuya Rei are currently at a peak. Furthermore, with Gin watching closely, finding a suitable opportunity to pass on information will likely not be that easy.
But then Morofushi Hiromitsu remembered Matsuda Jinpei's miraculous shadow ability, his worries were instantly eased. Leaving it to Matsuda.. it should be fine, right?
"Don't worry, I can even go to him openly," Matsuda Jinpei said, his gaze shifting suspiciously for a moment.
Beside them, Kisaragi Chiyo seemed to have guessed something, her eyes curving as she let out a soft chuckle.