".." Matsuda Jinpei sometimes truly suspected that Hara could read minds; this suspicion had arisen a long time ago, back when they were still middle school students.
"I am not," Matsuda Jinpei replied in a slightly serious tone.
"You're lying." Hara Kenji gave a light snort. He placed the spaghetti in front of Matsuda Jinpei and Kisaragi Chiyo, while simultaneously pointing out a small habit his friend had since they were children.
"When you lie, Little Jinpei, the corners of your mouth always subconsciously tighten into a straight line." Hara pointed to his own lip, appearing somewhat proud of his keen observation skills.
“Because Matsuda is not very good at lying, is that it?” After checking the information, Kisaragi Chiyo propped her head up with her palm and looked over with a sense of amusement.
"What an honest little child." The young man let out a sigh that was completely inconsistent with his age.
“But considering Chiyo-chan's age, you should be younger than all of us, shouldn't you?” Hearing Kisaragi Chiyo's words, Hara Kenji rolled his eyes and looked toward the young man who was currently twirling pasta with a silver fork.
"Even so.." Kisaragi Chiyo took a large bite of the rolled pasta, the sweet and sour taste of the tomatoes and the smoky aroma of the bacon instantly capturing his taste buds. The young man's originally nonchalant gaze instantly lit up.
“Delicious..” Kisaragi Chiyo mumbled through a mouthful of food, praising the meal, "As expected of Hara."
"I'm glad you like it." Hara Kenji's eyes crinkled, a faint smile appearing in his dark purple eyes. He gazed softly at the young man's slightly puffed cheeks, his heart softening completely.
I also made crème brûlée as dessert.
When the topic of crème brûlée was mentioned, Matsuda Jinpei's eyes lit up as well.
"However," Hara Kenji said, wiping his hands on his apron before sitting down with his own portion of dinner, bringing up the topic that Kisaragi Chiyo had left unfinished earlier.
What was it you wanted to say before, Chiyo-chan?
Are you still dwelling on that?" Kisaragi Chiyo used a napkin to wipe the sauce from the corner of her mouth and continued, "Even though you and Matsuda were indeed born two years before me.. but once a person dies, their soul stops, so to be precise, I am several years older than both of you.
“Ah.. so that's how it is.” Hara Kenji nodded in sudden realization. He twirled a mouthful of noodles with his fork and asked Kisaragi Chiyo in a casual tone, "Then the next time we're in bed.. will we need to call you 'big brother' instead?"
“..”
Cough.. cough..
Regarding the shocking outburst from Hara Kenji, Kisaragi Chiyo's reaction was actually quite calm; from his expression, it could be seen that the young man seemed to be seriously contemplating the suggestion proposed by Hara.
Instead, Matsuda Jinpei, who was sitting to the side, began coughing continuously after hearing those words, having choked on his saliva. He covered his mouth with his hand, his ears and cheeks turning bright red; it was unclear whether this reaction was due to Hara's words or simply because he had choked.
“.. What on earth are you talking about?” Matsuda Jinpei coughed for a while before he finally recovered. He looked at Hara Kenji, who was sitting opposite him, with an indescribable expression, while simultaneously casting a quick glance at Kisaragi Chiyo.
This time, just like the scenario Matsuda had imagined before, their eyes met.
Matsuda Jinpei: ".."
Another bout of coughing, which seemed to be masking something, rang out, but Matsuda Jinpei insisted it was because of the chili peppers added to his pasta.
Fine," Hara Kenji sighed, "as long as you're happy, Little Jinpei.. but getting so worked up over a mere nickname, Matsuda, you're still a bit too innocent.
"Don't think that everyone has the same terrible thoughts as you." Matsuda Jinpei wiped his mouth, glaring fiercely at Hara Kenji.
But the glared-at Hara Kenji simply shrugged, revealing an innocent and candid expression.
So.." Hara Kenji trailed off, looking at Matsuda Jinpei with a smile in his eyes, lightly tapping the air with his fork, "Little Jinpei was just.. imagining some kind of scene in his head, wasn't he?
"I did not." Facing Hara Kenji's pointed accusation, Matsuda Jinpei denied it quickly.
Look at you, Little Jinpei." Hara Kenji pointed to the corner of his own mouth. "You're lying again.
Matsuda Jinpei: ".."
Matsuda Jinpei fell into a state of silent withdrawal. He chose to bury his head in his food, thinking that he would eat Hara Kenji's portion of crème brûlée as well in a moment.
*
"Alright, stop teasing Matsuda." Watching Matsuda finish his pasta and crème brûlée in a state of social withdrawal, before heading to the kitchen to wash the dishes in an equally withdrawn manner.
Kisaragi Chiyo ultimately couldn't help herself and gave Hara Kenji's shin a gentle kick under the table.
"How could this be called teasing?" Hara Kenji rested his chin in both hands, his dark purple eyes curving slightly as he looked at Kisaragi Chiyo with a smile.
"Don't you think so, Kisaragi-san?" The Evil Spirit's voice carried its characteristic upward inflection, laced with a certain seductive ambiguity and intimacy.
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
"What's wrong, Kisaragi-san?" Hara tilted his head, looking at the young man who had suddenly fallen silent in the seat of honor, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, casting a small, blurred patch of light gray shadow upon his pale face.
"Do you not like that name?" Hara Kenji appeared indifferent on the surface, but beneath the table, his tentacles twisted together in a slightly aggrieved tangle.
Chiyo-chan hadn't kissed him since she woke up; even though the two of them had shared sweet moments in the Dreamscape, the Dreamscape and reality were still different, Chiyo-chan hadn't thought about kissing him after she woke up..
Just as Hara Kenji was about to wallow in his frustration alone, Kisaragi Chiyo suddenly stood up, the chair making a harsh, grating noise against the floor as it moved.
The young man walked to Hara Kenji's side. He looked down at the Evil Spirit sitting in the chair, his misty gray eyes lowered, scanning the Evil Spirit's pale and handsome face with an emotionless gaze.
"Do you feel like biting people now?" the young man asked out of the blue.
“What..” Hara Kenji tilted his head up, blinking in confusion.
"I read this sentence in a book once." Kisaragi Chiyo's gaze swept across his eyes and then settled on the Evil Spirit's pale, thin lips. He slowly leaned down, the distance between them gradually closing.
“What kind of words?” Hara Kenji asked reflexively.
When a puppy doesn't get enough attention, it expresses its anxiety, jealousy, longing by biting people.
Kisaragi Chiyo's hand rested gently on Hara Kenji's shoulder, as he tried to soothe and please him, drawing on the experience gained from observing the interactions between the two.
This kiss continued until the air in the young man's mouth had been completely scavenged.
Hara Kenji reluctantly separated from the young man, his gaze following the young man's every movement, uncontrollably lingering on his partner's soft, flushed lips.
"Wait a moment.." Hara Kenji licked his lips, looking at Kisaragi Chiyo with burning eyes, attempting to extend an invitation of intimacy to his lover.
"Want to give it a try?" Hara Kenji admitted that what Matsuda Jinpei had just said was right.
His mind was filled with many unspeakable and terrible thoughts about the young man.
Uncontrollable, unstoppable, once satisfied, he would greedily crave even more, no matter what, it was never enough.
Even after recovering his memories, Hara Kenji remained unchanged; he was still that same wicked Evil Spirit who wanted to swallow the youth whole, crushing every bone and sucking every drop of blood dry.
However, when that appetite was suppressed and could not be satisfied, it was transformed into another, even more intense emotion.
"No thanks." Kisaragi Chiyo rejected him without the slightest hesitation.
He didn't pay any attention to the naked gaze Hara Kenji cast upon him, the young man spoke a sentence in a very calm tone.
You have more important things to do right now.
Kisaragi Chiyo curled her lips, revealing a sly expression: "What you need to do now is go and seek some experience from Senior Matsuda, so you can strive to pass the Hell Assistant Official exam as soon as possible."
Hara Kenji: ".. Ah"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for the support, my little angels! Mwah! 030
Chapter 127
Hara Kenji's brain momentarily froze upon hearing Kisaragi Chiyo's words; he had already forgotten the last time he had prepared for an exam. At the very least, he thought the phrase "preparing for exams" should be a distant concept from him, or rather, completely irrelevant.
After all, he was dead.. He had already become a ghost.. So, even as a ghost, he still had to take exams? And would he still have to continue working after that?
It is truly a terrifying thing.
Hara Kenji wondered if Hell had a system like attendance tracking. If it did, Little Jinpei's perfect attendance award would have flown away long ago.
"You mean a civil servant of Hell?" Hara Kenji blinked, recalling the black-clad man in a kimono they had seen on Route 51—the one with horns on his head, who was solemn and possessed a dangerous aura.
That Mr. Hozuki.." Hara Kenji quickly realized the hidden meaning in Kisaragi Chiyo's words, "You've decided to accept his job offer?
Everyone dies sooner or later," Kisaragi Chiyo said, shrugging her shoulders at him, "so you might as well start accruing seniority early.
Maybe if the three of them worked together, they could buy a house in Hell Assistant Official in less than three hundred years.
Is that what you think?" Hearing Kisaragi's words, Hara Kenji looked over with a suspicious expression, "Being so eager to work doesn't sound like something you would say.
“..” Kisaragi Chiyo fell silent for a moment, then tried to defend himself: “I think my work attitude is still quite positive.”
“Then, Oboshima-sensei,” Hara Kenji clenched his right hand into a fist, pretending to hand over a microphone, looking at Kisaragi Chiyo with a sincere and humble attitude. “Would you mind if I interviewed you on your views regarding the habit of never working on a deadline until the very last minute?”
This.." Kisaragi Chiyo averted her gaze and gave a light cough. With her eyes cast down, she replied in a rather calm and serious tone, "I think this matter needs to start with penguins, sea lions, the marine food chain. This requires some of the latest and most accurate relevant data, the granularity of all aspects must be aligned, otherwise, the subsequent detailed work will be difficult to carry out.. Therefore, I believe the United States must be held responsible for global warming.
Matsuda Jinpei: ".."
"What are you guys doing?" Matsuda Jinpei stood at the kitchen doorway, his hands dripping wet, looking at Hara Kenji and Kisaragi Chiyo with a bewildered expression.
"We are discussing Hara Kenji's preparation for the Hell Assistant Official exam." Kisaragi Chiyo casually brushed away the hand that Hara Kenji had extended toward her.
Am I the only one?" Hara Kenji tilted his head as he looked at the young man. "Isn't Chiyo-chan also planning to join the civil service together?
So, what happened to sharing joys and sorrows, facing hardships together, advancing or retreating as one?
Our department is different," Kisaragi Chiyo said with a smile. "Hell and the human world, and.. I'm Boss Recruitment.
It should be noted that Kisaragi Chiyo could now modestly say that she has people working under her.
Hara Kenji: ".."
Little Jinpei," Hara Kenji turned around and asked Matsuda Jinpei with great humility, "As someone who has been through Hell Assistant Official, do you have any experience you could share?
"Experience, huh?" Matsuda Jinpei looked at Hara Kenji with a disdainful expression, his gaze slowly settling on the other man's face.
Senior Matsuda, you're so kind." Hara Kenji understood instantly, his attitude attentive as he handed a clean towel to Matsuda. "Please, wipe your hands.
Matsuda Jinpei took the towel with satisfaction, after wiping the water from his hands, he pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Actually, it's not that hard to pass the exam to become an Hell Assistant Official." Although Matsuda Jinpei couldn't remember how he had passed the exam himself, since he had succeeded, there was no reason why Hara Kenji wouldn't be able to pass.
"If that's your plan, then it's the perfect chance to ask Hozuki about you and Kisaragi at the same time." As he spoke, Matsuda Jinpei leaned down and reached into the shadow beneath his feet, rummaging around before pulling out the Snapdragon potted plant that Hozuki had left behind.
*
The three of them sat around the dining table in a triangular formation, staring silently at the Snapdragon placed in the center of the table, which was plump, dull-eyed, swaying from side to side.
Both its eyes and mouth can move.." Hara Kenji stared unblinkingly at the strangely shaped potted plant, letting out a soft exclamation: "As expected of something from Hell Assistant Official.
After locking eyes with the Snapdragon, Kisaragi Chiyo silently shrank back a little.
"How do you use this thing?" Kisaragi Chiyo did not reach out to poke the Snapdragon; he still remembered the last time, when it had let out an "o-ga-o-ga" sound just from him poking it once.
At the very least, once his curiosity was satisfied, he had to be kinder to his ears.
"Let me check the manual first." Matsuda Jinpei pulled the manual that had been stuffed into a corner out from the shadows again. Although Hozuki had left this Snapdragon with him as a communication tool, aside from watering and fertilizing, Matsuda Jinpei had never formally studied the Snapdragon's telecommunication functions.