A tall man wearing a pink apron brought out the food with a "ta-da!" like a happy large dog; Hara Chihaya tried to get up to help, but was pressed back into her chair.
"You've worked hard all day, Sister; let me do it instead." He looked at her with a smile, his head lowered, his purple eyes as warm and bright as ever.
"Then I'll leave it to you." Hara Chihaya didn't actually know what she was saying herself; why was she using such polite words? She just stared blankly at her younger brother, her gaze tinged with a hint of greed; she rarely reminisced about the past these days. Although she had never forgotten, it was still inevitable that she would subconsciously avoid touching that scabbed-over wound.
But even now, Hara Chihaya thought to herself, she still found it impossible to forget even a single thing. Even though she hadn't touched those photos for over half a year, as long as she wanted to, she could always easily recall the other person's voice and appearance, as clear as if it were yesterday.
"I don't remember you being able to cook so much food?" Hara Chihaya looked at the overly lavish dinner on the dining table, then looked up at the younger brother sitting opposite her with a cautious expression, suddenly finding it somewhat amusing.
She remembered how in the past, whenever Hara Kenji accidentally did something to make her angry, he would always make this same expression, his watery eyes full of guilt, just like a pitiful little puppy.
Hara Kenji scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. He was still thinking about how to tell his sister about his situation. After agonizing over it for half a month, he finally received a suggestion from his superior, Hozuki: a Dream Message.
Delivering a Dream Message is actually a technical skill; entering a human's Dreamscape isn't particularly difficult. The real challenge lies in ensuring that humans can clearly remember everything that happened within the dream after they wake up, rather than dismissing the vague dream as a mere sign of poor sleep and forgetting it immediately upon waking.
To ensure that the Dream Message could proceed smoothly, Hara Kenji had practiced his Dream Message techniques for several months. Only after he was finally able to construct a complete, clear, realistic Dreamscape for others did he dare to approach Hara Chihaya.
A few months is neither too long nor too short. But it was enough time for Hara Kenji to arrange for those police ghosts who had died in the line of duty alongside him to go toward reincarnation, as well as for two of them who wished to stay behind, to cast aside their studies in the ocean of learning to prepare for the exams.
*
“Go ahead.” Hara Chihaya took a bite of the croquette; the scalding juice along with the aroma of butter and beef hit her taste buds, bringing a sense of fullness and satisfaction to her brain.
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
Hara Chihaya was familiar with every little movement of her younger brother. Even though she knew this was a Dreamscape, she still decided to listen to her brother's troubles in her capacity as a proper older sister.. even if these troubles might all stem from her own imagination.
A future where Hara Kenji was still alive..
..
"Was it being scolded by a supervisor? Or having another argument with Matsuda Jinpei? Or having a full attendance bonus docked? Or failing to buy a new model?" All of this was Hara Chihaya's imagination, speculating on the possible life troubles Hara Kenji might encounter.
Could it be.." Hara Chihaya picked up a piece of sweet, soft pumpkin and popped it into her mouth, the food's comforting taste bringing her a sense of pleasure, "that you've had a heartbreak?
"No.. it's not that." Being stared at by his sister, Hara Kenji's face flushed with a bit of embarrassment, but as she threw out one question after another, his previous nervousness faded, as if it were just casual chatter at the dining table.
"I'm in love," Hara Kenji said, gathering his courage.
"Oh." Hara Chihaya didn't find it particularly surprising; her younger brother was an adult now, so being in love was nothing out of the ordinary.
Did you have a fight with your lover? Is that why you came to your sister for comfort?
"No.." Hara Kenji discovered with a hint of sadness that his sister showed not the slightest surprise at his appearance in the Dreamscape; her attitude was so familiar, it was as if she had never lost a loved one.
That was exactly what made him so sad. After he died in the line of duty, his sister and his family had imagined many times what a future where he was still alive would have been like.
"And?" Hara Chihaya bit her chopsticks, her eyes narrowing slightly.
My lover is the same sex.
This statement from Hara Kenji did indeed bring a small amount of surprise to Hara Chihaya, but it lasted only a few seconds before she quickly regained her previous calm expression.
"So?" Hara Chihaya accepted the fact that her brother's partner in the Dreamscape was of the same sex with great optimism; as long as they loved each other and were mutually in love, there was nothing wrong with it.
We're already planning on getting married.
“Isn't this a good thing?” Hara Chihaya looked at him with a smile in her eyes. “Do you have pre-marital anxiety or something?”
"It's not because of that.." Hara Kenji's head nearly dropped below the dining table under his sister's tolerant gaze.
Matsuda and I..
Your other half is Matsuda," Hara Chihaya's mind worked quickly, her eyes widening in shock at the information she had just captured, "My two younger brothers..
"Fine, as long as you're happy." Hara Chihaya spent another three seconds quickly accepting it.
"No, it's not Matsuda.." Hara Kenji's voice sounded somewhat weak under his sister's powerful capacity for acceptance, plus Hara Chihaya had discovered a problem; to be precise, Matsuda Jinpei could indeed be considered one of his other halves, which made his answer seem even more uncertain.
"Not Matsuda?" Hara Chihaya cast a skeptical look.
Not entirely.
What do you mean, "not entirely"? What kind of reasoning is that? Hara Chihaya felt her brow begin to throb. It seemed like the Dreamscape had started taking a strange turn the moment Hara Kenji mentioned he had a lover.
It's just.. the person Matsuda is in love with is the same person I am in love with.
Ah." Hara Chihaya let out a soft "ah" in realization. "So Matsuda is in a relationship too.
Wait," Hara Chihaya reacted, suddenly feeling that something was wrong. "What do you mean your lover is the same person as Matsuda's??
"Two-timing?" While being alert, Hara Chihaya also felt a sense of confusion. Was her brother really the type to be so easily deceived in a relationship, based on her impression of him?
"No." Hara Kenji's voice grew even weaker; he felt he had to finish this matter in one breath.
We are here voluntarily. I was the one who first clung to them, now the three of us are living together in perfect harmony and happiness.
Hara Chihaya: ".."
"Wake up, wake up." Hara Chihaya closed her eyes, constantly trying to hypnotize herself into waking up from this ridiculous Dreamscape.
This isn't a Dreamscape," Hara Kenji's voice drifted from beside her, "This is all real, sister. After I died, I never attained Buddhahood; instead, I became an Evil Spirit.
The sky in the Dreamscape darkened instantly, when Hara Chihaya opened her eyes again, she saw her younger brother, who had completely transformed.
Gloomy, deep, damp, cold..
A white mist drifted slowly around his feet, his pale skin showed no trace of color. His dark purple eyes gazed at her with a calm yet sorrowful expression, his long black hair fell from his shoulders.. he looked nothing like a human being.
"Kenji.." Hara Chihaya called out his name, her voice trembling.
"So, can you believe me now, sister?" Hara Kenji took a few steps forward. He didn't get too close; to a human, his coldness was dangerous.
"You." Hara Chihaya did not feel afraid; she just desperately wanted to know why her younger brother had become like this.
But in the end, the question only circled around in her mouth without being asked. Perhaps because she did not want to stir up those painful memories for him again, Hara Chihaya changed to a lighter topic.
"You just said that you and Matsuda's lover.." If it were true, Hara Chihaya didn't think this was a light topic; she spoke with difficulty, attempting to find a dignified way to describe the matter.
“Yes.” After confessing, Hara Kenji's attitude actually became quite composed, he admitted bluntly to Hara Chihaya, “There was no coercion, no threats; everything was voluntary. I love him, I am willing to accept this way of life, that is all.”
Hara Chihaya: ".."
She could hear the determination and stubbornness in Hara Kenji's words, she understood that from this moment on, no matter what she said next, Hara Kenji would not change his mind.
Forget it.. Hara Chihaya pinched the bridge of her nose and chose to accept it.
Otherwise? What else could she do? Her brother is dead; what's wrong with falling in love?
So, are you saying you're here to tell me that you, Matsuda, your mutual lover are planning to have a three-person wedding?
"Yes." Hara Kenji nodded.
“Where do you plan to hold it?” Hara Chihaya felt incredibly calm right now; she had even begun searching for suitable wedding planning companies in her mind.
Hell Assistant Official.
Hell..
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, sister." A brilliant smile spread across Hara Kenji's face, but paired with his current ghostly appearance, it felt somewhat eerie.
All three of us passed the civil service exam for Hell Assistant Official, Sister! You have someone looking out for you in the afterlife now!
".." Hara Chihaya didn't really want to comment on that sentence, for fear of crushing her brother's confidence, but she still caught a key issue.
“Did your lover die too?”
"No, he's still alive." After Hara Kenji said those words, he could clearly see his sister's expression turn unsightly in an instant.
"Hara." Generally, his sister rarely addressed him like that, since everyone in their family was named Hara.
"Right now, this very instant." Judging by her expression, his sister was definitely getting angry. While calmly analyzing the situation, Hara Kenji inconspicuously shrank into the corner.
Tell me everything, in detail, about how you and Matsuda met your mutual lover.
Hara Chihaya felt a familiar headache upon hearing this news, a sensation just like when Hara Kenji was in kindergarten and insisted on bringing home a stray puppy from the roadside, demanding that it be registered as Hara Chihaya's second younger brother.
Hara Chihaya thought with great worry, hoping that her brother hadn't done anything illegal, or anything that disregarded someone's wishes or forced others.
At the same time, she was also pondering a question: if three people get married, does Hell really not consider it bigamy?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for the support, my little angels. Mwah!
Chapter 157
Regardless, the wedding was held as scheduled. Hara Chihaya would probably never forget this scene, of course, she believed that Matsuda Taro, who was there as a member of the bride's family, would never forget it either.
*
After the wedding was held, the three newlyweds eloped together.
Oh, wait. It shouldn't be called eloping; to be more precise, they simply submitted their marriage leave applications directly to the Hell Assistant Official above them before Hozuki could find out. Then, during their own wedding banquet, while everyone else was immersed in joy, the three protagonists, with their luggage already packed, escaped under the cover of night to begin their honeymoon plan.
When Kisaragi Chiyo woke up the next day, she was already in a seaside hotel. As she sat up in bed, she could still feel the discomfort coming from certain parts of her body.
"Awake?" Hara Kenji had sat down beside him at some unknown point, his arms encircling the young man from behind. His fuzzy head rubbed against the other's cheek, a kiss landed upon his lips.
"You beast." Kisaragi Chiyo closed her eyes, curled up in his embrace, uttered two words in a hoarse voice.
"Me?" Hara Kenji blinked innocently. He let the young man lie flat across his thighs, while he himself gazed shamelessly at the masterpiece he and Matsuda had created last night.
Kisaragi Chiyo couldn't be bothered to play along with the Evil Spirit's performance; he lay lazily on top of the other, like a cat that refused to move after being fed.
He had oversimplified everything, thinking that he had already trained up a strong enough will through previous training. But clearly, he had underestimated the challenge; the teaching in the previous classroom was completely incomparable to this. Kisaragi Chiyo began to hate himself, wondering why he had so naively chosen the high-difficulty Hell Assistant Official mode on his very first try.
Every muscle in his body felt as if he had just run ten kilometers, every single one aching and sore.
He thought that he should be feeling hungry right now, considering it had been nearly ten hours since his last meal. However, Kisaragi Chiyo sadly discovered that, thanks to Matsuda Jinpei's ability to replenish spiritual power, he had received enough spiritual energy to compensate for it; that excessive, surplus spiritual energy was more than enough to fill his empty stomach in place of food.
So even after a night had passed, aside from physical exhaustion, Kisaragi Chiyo felt mentally full, like a bottle of water that would overflow with just a slight shake; the spiritual power within his body was just as abundant.
At this moment, with his spiritual power so abundant, he felt as if he could even take on someone in a duel alone. But unfortunately, the target was already as dead as can be, their soul completely erased, Kisaragi Chiyo thought gloatingly.
“Chiyo-chan.” A sticky voice drifted from his ear, as the Evil Spirit rubbed its nose against his lover's cheek in a pleasing manner, his soft kisses falling lightly and densely upon his lover's cheek.
He certainly knew everything that had happened last night; for the young man, it was likely no less than experiencing a tsunami firsthand that was enough to suffocate him. He understood his own loss of control, but the intense lust and love that dominated his brain left him no time to think; he only wanted to give everything of himself to his partner as much as possible. His love, his kisses, his soul.. everything he could offer, he presented it all before the other.
As uncontrollable physiological tears fell from the young man's reddened eyes, Hara Kenji felt his emotions become exceptionally excited and agitated. He longed to merge with Kisaragi Chiyo, for the two to embrace tightly like this, feeling each other. He was so consumed that while he kissed the young man's dazed eyes with tenderness, he also coaxed and reassured him over and over, seeking confirmation that the other held an equal or even greater love for him.
“Shut up.” Kisaragi Chiyo lifted his eyelids, his heterochromatic eyes narrowing slightly as he struggled to adjust to the sudden brightness of the environment.
“Where is Matsuda?” Using Hara's strength, Kisaragi Chiyo sat up from the bed, the quilt sliding off her body to reveal a pale, slightly thin physique covered in ambiguous marks.