After thinking for a moment, Matsuda Jinpei lowered his head, took out his phone, started playing a match-three game.
*
Fifteen minutes had passed since the food arrived, Matsuda Jinpei had successfully cleared seven levels. As for Kisaragi Chiyo, she still failed to find any common ground with the yellow and white Shiba Inu; the little dog acted very reserved and aloof. Despite having a goofy, smiling face, the dog showed not a hint of warmth or interest toward the stranger, Kisaragi Chiyo.
Instead, it bared its teeth at Kisaragi Chiyo and let out a low, warning growl.
As always, he was just as unpopular with the other puppies.
Rejected, Kisaragi Chiyo could only regretfully withdraw her gaze, but as soon as she turned her head, she saw Hara Kenji staring at her with burning eyes, his face full of silent accusation and condemnation.
It was as if he were saying, "Even with me, you actually want to go look at another dog."
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
Matsuda Jinpei let out a muffled laugh, he quickly lowered his head to take a sip of the Oden broth, fearing that the two would let their battle spill over onto him.
The most classic ingredients in Oden are daikon radish and eggs, but Matsuda also has a preference for the fish cakes and crunchy chicken meatballs inside.
Then there was Kisaragi Chiyo beside him, who seemed intent on seeing her love for tofu through to the very end. With a casual glance, Matsuda saw fried tofu, vegetable tofu balls, grilled tofu, triangular thick fried tofu.
She had ordered almost every type of tofu available in the Oden.
"Do you like all kinds of tofu?" Matsuda Jinpei asked, barely suppressing a click of his tongue.
No." Kisaragi Chiyo shook her head while biting into a piece of deep-fried tofu soaked in broth, "I don't like things like Tamago Tofu and Stinky Tofu.
Just like how you won't like Matcha Curry.
What are you talking about?" Matsuda Jinpei raised his eyebrows, looking at Kisaragi Chiyo with an expression as if he had seen a ghost. "How can a creation that combines matcha and curry even exist in this world?
"This is heresy," Matsuda said in a serious tone.
"That is prejudice." Kisaragi Chiyo began enjoying her Tempura Don without even looking up.
The crispy, thin batter coated the large shrimp, as the aroma of deep-frying and the sweetness of the shrimp hit the taste buds at the same moment.
The fried fish was still juicy, the fried eggplant had a soft texture, the fried egg was actually in a runny state. As the golden yolk flowed out, mixing with the steaming hot rice, one bite was enough to understand the immense sense of satisfaction that high-calorie fried food brings to the human body.
The three of them ate at a moderate pace, after the last bite of Oden, which had a slight spiciness from white pepper, was swallowed, breakfast came to an end.
"This is the route we'll be taking next." Kisaragi Chiyo spread the map she had prepared earlier on the table, pointed to the location of the inn where they were currently staying, then pointed to the destination marked in red.
First, we need to take a bus here with the mountaineering team.
There is a forest here, professional guides will lead us through it. There is a small town on this side of the forest where we can restock if needed.
"As for what follows, it will be mountaineering." Kisaragi Chiyo made a sweeping motion with her hand, pointing to another route beside the safe route marked on the map.
From this point on, we will split from the mountaineering team." Kisaragi Chiyo lowered her eyes, staring at the route marked with blue lines on the map, paused, "And when we reach here.. just before we arrive at the destination, you wait for me here.
The location where the three would split up was specially marked with a red circle.
This was also something that had been agreed upon before setting off.
And there was a reason why Kisaragi Chiyo did not let Matsuda Jinpei and Hara Kenji follow.
The body of the Evil Spirit is infectious; while he was using the Evil Spirit as a test subject, he forcibly merged his own blood into its body.
The body of the Evil Spirit that Matsuda Jinpei possessed had undergone purification by Hozuki later on. However, to be safe and to prevent Matsuda from being contaminated and controlled into turning against them, Matsuda Jinpei had to minimize direct contact with [] as much as possible.
And Hara
Since he was able to evade the pursuit of the Hell Assistant Official, he must certainly possess something special in his hands.
Hozuki suspected it had something to do with a mirror named [Nozomi].
“[Bō]?” Kisaragi Chiyo's hanging hand twitched subconsciously as she thought of the bronze mirror called [Saku] in Matsuda Jinpei's hands.
“I've only heard that story before.”
A pitch-black bronze mirror with beautiful patterns; the person who enshrined it back then was able to escape the chaos of war and find refuge in a secluded paradise.
"So, why must the mirror be destroyed?" The mission Kisaragi Chiyo received was to smash the mirror; only then, after the mirror barrier created by [Wang] disappeared, could Hozuki and the others approach this place.
Because the black mirror wards off evil spirits.
"You are the legal authorities." Kisaragi Chiyo also hadn't expected Hozuki to give such an answer.
Can the police just barge into a resident's home without a search warrant?" Hozuki gave him a flat, emotionless glance. With his hands tucked into the sleeves of his kimono, he added coldly, "Besides, that mirror refused to let us in, so we have no choice but to break it.
I'm leaving this mission to you." Hozuki raised his hand and patted Kisaragi Chiyo's shoulder. "Don't let me down, Kisaragi.
Of course, if you complete it, Hell will give you a bonus based on your performance.
"After all, we aren't some kind of exploitative company." For some reason, Hozuki emphasized this once again.
-----------------------
Author's Note: I originally wanted to write about a small number of people, scattered about.
Then upon closer inspection, they were scattered in bits and pieces, suddenly it turned into a crime scene (wipes sweat)
Thank you for the support, my little angels! Mwah! 030
Chapter 144
Although it had snowed heavily last night, the number of tourists preparing to set off with the mountaineering team early the next morning was not small; including Kisaragi Chiyo's group of three, the mountaineering team consisted of twelve people in total.
And that was only one of them.
"It's not entirely for mountain climbing, actually." The leader of the climbing team followed by Kisaragi Chiyo and the others was a middle-aged man in his forties whose face appeared somewhat weathered.
According to him, he had been in this line of work for over twenty years. He had learned the trade from his father when he was young, once he got married, he began leading expeditions on his own. In all those years, he had never had a single mishap.
"A large number of people come specifically to see the Frost Forest." The guide held an unlidded thermos, with white, hazy mist continuously curling up from the mouth of the cup.
Frost Forest is a popular winter tourist attraction in the area, although it cannot be seen every year; frost only forms when specific climatic conditions are met.
And last night's heavy snow caused the temperature to drop low enough that, combined with the necessary humidity, the frost forest appeared.
Therefore, a large portion of the people following the mountaineering team had only signed up last night.
Climbing snowy mountains requires sufficiently professional equipment, but to simply pass through the Frost Forest, all one needs is a professional guide.
A professional guide is essential for foreign tourists; otherwise, in a Snow Country covered in white like this, there is still a high probability of getting lost in the icy forests without being familiar with the routes and directions.
Before setting off, the group leader took a headcount once more. After confirming that everyone was present, he raised a small red flag and requested that everyone board the bus in order.
Because of the distance, it would take about twenty minutes to walk from the inn to the Frost Forest they were heading to. Walking there on foot would be quite exhausting.
For those preparing to climb the mountain, it was an unnecessary waste of energy.
The bus that Kisaragi Chiyo and the others were on was not full, so the three of them chose the last row of connected seats and squeezed together.
Hara Kenji seemed to have some anticipation for the upcoming itinerary; he chose a window seat in the middle, pressed his face against the window, looked around left and right at the scenery outside.
As the bus prepared to depart, he suddenly slapped his forehead, looking somewhat annoyed with himself.
Wait, I forgot that I have something to tell you all.
"What is it?" Hara Kenji's words caused Kisaragi Chiyo, who had been planning to close her eyes for a quick nap, to snap her eyes open instantly.
Matsuda Jinpei also silently put back the phone he had just taken out and turned his head to look at Hara Kenji.
"It's nothing important." Hara Kenji scratched his face sheepishly, made some room, pointed a finger toward a certain spot outside the car window.
“That was the surprise I originally planned to prepare for you all.”
Kisaragi Chiyo craned her neck to look in the direction Hara Kenji was pointing, only to find three chubby snow rabbits huddled together, squeezed into a tree branch beside the inn.
"You went out this morning just for this?" Kisaragi Chiyo thought. Early that morning, Hara Kenji had hurried downstairs to make three snow rabbits and place them on the tree, before hurrying back again. Just imagining that scene in her mind made her feel it was simply far too adorable.
Yes." Hara Kenji nodded, his fingers tapping on the car window as he introduced them to the two: "The one on the left is Little Jinpei, Chiyo-chan is in the middle, the one on the right is me!
"Don't they all look the same?" Kisaragi Chiyo smiled, her breath forming a layer of white mist on the window. She hurriedly wiped it away with her glove. Although she said they all looked the same, her eyes remained fixed on those three snow rabbits.
Matsuda Jinpei looked at those three snow rabbits and nodded with satisfaction. He mentioned that back in elementary school, Hara had been the champion of snow rabbit sculpting among his classmates for three consecutive years.
Making snow rabbits was actually not an easy task; snow is loose, it really takes a bit of effort to mold it into a shape.
Moreover, the competition's judging criteria required a strict review of various aspects, such as shape, size, the rabbit's eyes and ears; only a standard snow rabbit could become a well-deserved snow rabbit champion.
“Three years?” As the bus started moving, Kisaragi Chiyo reluctantly shifted his gaze away from the snow rabbit and looked at Matsuda Jinpei with curiosity. "Did a dark horse emerge in the fourth year of the competition?"
No." Matsuda Jinpei shook his head slightly in denial. "It's just because in the fourth year, I had already entered middle school.
“..”
Seeing Kisaragi Chiyo's dazed expression, Hara Kenji couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. He poked the youth's cheek through the scarf with his finger and said with a squint of his eyes, "After all, as middle school students, it wouldn't be very convenient for us to compete against a group of elementary schoolers, right?"
"And what about Chiyo-chan?" Hara Kenji naturally transitioned the topic to Kisaragi Chiyo.
The handsome long-haired man had a smile in his eyes, with tiny, shimmering fragments of sunlight dancing in his dark purple eyes. He looked down into the young man's eyes while reaching out to hook the young man's fingers.
What was Chiyo-chan like in high school?
"Haven't you already seen it?" During the Tsukiyoushoku incident.
"I mean, do you have any little secrets you can share with us?" Hara Kenji gave Kisaragi Chiyo a wink, his tone carrying a hint of natural intimacy.
Although Matsuda Jinpei didn't say anything, seeing how he leaned in slightly, he likely felt just as curious about the topic.
".." Kisaragi Chiyo fell silent. He hesitated for a moment, seemingly trying to find the right words, but ultimately, he could not resist the expectant gazes of the two, began to pick and choose a few interesting little things that had happened in his memory to recount.
"If only you had transferred here to Kanagawa back then." Even though they were just simple little things, the two of them listened with great interest.
After listening to the story, Hara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei realized that the private high school Kisaragi Chiyo had attended back then was only about a half-hour drive from Kanagawa.
"What a shame." Hara Kenji rubbed his chin and clicked his tongue, his expression looking somewhat regretful. However, he also knew that even if Kisaragi Chiyo had transferred to their school back then, considering her age at the time, she would have been nothing more than a first-year student.
For the two of them, who were already third-year students preparing for exams, there was a high probability that they wouldn't notice a junior who had transferred in midway through the year.
So, if only Chiyo-chan were our age," Hara Kenji began to make unreasonable demands, "then we would have known each other back in our first year!
Hara Kenji spoke in a lighthearted tone, but then he frowned and thought for a moment, feeling as though something wasn't quite right.
"Or are we the same age as Chiyo-chan?" The Evil Spirit tilted his head and blinked, seemingly waiting for the young man's answer.
“Hagi, look at you.” Matsuda Jinpei bypassed Kisaragi Chiyo, smiling as he reached out and forcefully pulled down the hat worn on top of Hara Kenji's head to cover his eyes.
You're already talking in your sleep while it's still light out.
"Go to sleep." Matsuda's strength was so great that the pinned Hara Kenji could only let out a grievance-filled whimper.