Yokohama.
Dazai Osamu, who was ruthlessly kicked out of the door by Hojo Natsuki, kicked the pebbles on the road with his feet, with a blank look on his face, and no one knew what he was thinking.
There is also a discrimination chain between villas. Single-family houses look down on duplex houses, duplex houses look down on townhouses, and the side houses of townhouses look down on the middle houses... The villa area where the Hojo cadres live is a gathering place for wealthy people in Yokohama. There is no doubt that every house is a single-family house with exquisite garden landscapes. Each house is far away from each other, for fear that the neighbors will disturb their rest.
Dazai suddenly turned around, looked up and walked back.
It's about time. Xia Shujun should have shifted his attention to other places. Now I can take advantage of the situation (?) to sneak in and have a meal before leaving.
The patrolling property security guard saw Dazai Osamu and thought that he looked like a very unfamiliar man with tattered clothes, water dripping from the hem of his windbreaker (note: he had just failed in suicide attempt), and he did not look like a serious person. He hesitated whether to ask him a few questions. But when he looked again, he found that his attitude was quite natural, as if he was the owner of the property.
The security guard didn't want to risk offending the rich man by asking him questions, so he drove away in his patrol car.
As a result, Dazai Osamu was able to successfully sneak into the Hojo residence again.
This was of course a tacit consent. Given the skills of the security guards around this person, if the other party intentionally blocked him, Dazai would have no chance to break in.
There is a holographic game cabin in the living room. It looks like an eggshell, smooth and high-end, and is covered with metal of unknown material.
Dazai Osamu walked around the holographic game cabin and found the power button.
"The power is on." He looked at the power strip on the ground and the green status icon marked "on" on the switch.
So, Dazai Osamu naturally thought that "Natsuki-kun is playing games in there", and he decisively decided to harass him and see what the other party was playing, so he pressed the power button of the game cabin.
The Eggshell peeled open a U-shaped door and showed him the interior of the cabin.
The brand new interior is full of technology and shows no signs of use.
—It has probably not been used yet, so don’t touch it.
Dazai Osamu pressed the open button again, allowing the U-shaped door to close tightly.
Dazai was a little puzzled and thought: "But where did he go?"
Can you resist trying out this brand new, cool gaming cabin and just put it in your living room to play
At this time, Hojo Natsuki placed his hand on Kurosawa Jin's palm and stepped over the puddle; this was actually a rather redundant action, and if the opponent did not extend his hand, he could have jumped over by himself.
Their hands separated as soon as they touched, but Hojo Natsuki felt awkward for a while.
It's so weird, why should you treat a straight man with the same attitude of caring for a little girl
Although he felt awkward, his wild thoughts continued.
Walking side by side with Kurosawa, he found that the other was much taller than him, which made him feel a slight sense of crisis (and jealousy). He looked at him several times through the cover of sunglasses, reducing one centimeter each time he looked, one centimeter each time he looked, one centimeter, one centimeter, one centimeter... "Well, actually we are about the same height." - Relying on some spiritual victory methods, he successfully comforted himself.
Kurosawa Jin opened the door for him and Hojo Natsuki got in. Sitting in the driver's seat was a big guy wearing sunglasses.
It was the driver Xiao Fu.
Vodka didn't recognize Boss at first glance.
After all, the boss had been wearing a sad frog headgear, which covered his hair and neck, and it was hard to tell whether he was a human or an animal. The young man who got on the bus was wearing a baseball cap, and his face was mostly blocked by sunglasses. His chin was pointed, like a male celebrity who was afraid of being discovered. No matter what, he could not be connected with the neurotic frog head.
Vodka's IQ would occasionally be online. From getting off the car to pick up the person to opening the door for him, he looked at the big brother's actions and attitude and guessed the identity of the person: "This must be the boss. If not, I will change my name to Little Bird Vodka from now on."
Then, Hojo Natsuki heard the big guy respectfully called out to him: "Boss."
He nodded in response, his gesture cold.
Who is this
Frog driver
, wearing sunglasses, should be Fu Gua, right
Apart from its square sunglasses, the Transformed Frog has no easily recognizable features. It looks like a piece of slime, which can be rounded or flattened, and is quite versatile. Usually, it follows behind the Frog as a green slime frog; when it is driving, it will turn into a key and get into the car lock.
Kurosawa: "Where to?"
The car didn't move.
Hojo Natsuki, who was looking out the window: "... ?"
Why don't you leave after listening to it
After five or six seconds, he realized belatedly that this question was actually being asked to him
"Well... go..." Hojo Natsuki started.
Going to a toy factory
It is 18:36 in the game. Most of the factory employees work from 9 am to 6 pm and have already gone home. In the past, I would have probably only encountered designers and engineers working overtime, as well as the security team.
Hojo Natsuki thought it would be nice to meet Akai Yuyu and Rei.
The hard-working undercover agents must look very industrious and brave in their anthropomorphic form, and at first glance they are honest people who are easy to deceive people's trust, right
He was particularly curious about Akai Yuyu's appearance. His appearance in fish-man state was so hard to describe, like a monster that had intruded from the set of Stranger Things. If he had a human face, he certainly wouldn't be that good-looking.
However, when Hojo Natsuki opened his mobile phone and checked the employee status of the toy factory, he found that all the traitors were absent.
[Akai Yuyu] [Field work] - [Task ing]
[Zero Meow] [Field work] - [Task ing]
[Jingwang][Working in the field]-[Recording of Tokyo's Got Talent]
They only work part-time in the toy factory, and their main job is to complete the orders given by their superiors in the organization. The priority of these two aspects of work is self-evident.
Without traitors to bully, the fun is half gone.
Hojo Natsuki was looking through the employee list, feeling a little confused. So, which employee should he meet
Rumquat? Leave it alone. Vermouthquat? Not in Japan…
—Then it’s decided to be you, Shirley!
His beloved growing SSR, the cute and obedient little daughter. After seeing the Qin frog, of course he also has to visit Shirley Qua!
"Go find Shirley." said Hojo Natsuki.
After he finished speaking, there was an awkward silence in the car for a few seconds.
wrong.
Not good.
It seemed that he had never told Qin Wa about Shirley before, and his son didn't know that he had an illegitimate daughter outside.
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
It's broken.
Vodka certainly didn't know where Shirley lived, so he asked carefully, "Excuse me, are you going to the Second Research Institute?"
"Forget it, I won't go." Hojo Natsuki changed his words naturally, racking his brains to think of the next goal, "—"
When he looked up, he saw Kurosawa Jin staring at the rearview mirror thoughtfully, the sharpness in his green eyes was reflected clearly by the mirror; the silver-haired killer withdrew his gaze, and the look in his eyes just now seemed to flash like a bunch of cold fire, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
I was so scared that I forgot the words.
Kurosawa Jin took out his cell phone, pressed a few buttons, and then gave Vodka an address.
That is the neighborhood where the Miyano family lives.
Although the other party was so considerate and even handed her a pillow when she was sleepy, Hojo Natsuki was not moved at all and did not dare to move.
He was nervous for a while, then he consoled himself: "No, it's not right. Although there is no security around me, I obviously can't beat him, but this is a game. Besides, even if the frog turns into a human, he is still my good son."
—I felt much better immediately.
It takes about twenty minutes to drive from the coffee shop to the Miyano family's residence. Hojo Natsuki curiously observed the street scene outside the window, and such a short time passed by unknowingly.
Kurosawa Jin held an umbrella and walked him downstairs.
"How long will it take?" he asked.
Hojo Natsuki said uncertainly: "No more than half an hour?"
Kurosawa Jin nodded: "Got it."
Xia Shu: “…
Well, will you come upstairs with me?"
"go by yourself."
The other party refused quickly.
Hojo Natsuki had to wait for the elevator alone. Before walking into the elevator door, he turned his head and secretly glanced at Kurosawa Jin, but he didn't expect that the other party was also staring at him, and their eyes met; he quickly turned his head back, feeling a little embarrassed, and his shoulders couldn't help but tense up.
Whenever a Hojo cadre goes out, he is always accompanied by several security guards. These highly paid people with special abilities are dedicated to their duties and always stay by his side, paying attention to his movements, fearing that something might happen to him.
He had gotten used to it, but once the 'security guard' was replaced by Kurosawa Jin, he felt an indescribable awkwardness.
Maybe it's the frog turning into a living person, but I haven't seen it well enough yet.
“Ding—Dong—”
The elevator door opened.
There was one household per floor, and the door of the Miyano family had been opened a crack in advance. He had sent a message to Shirley before coming.
There were rustling sounds of footsteps coming from inside the door.
"Is it the Boss?"
It's a girl's voice.
The brown-haired girl walked to the door and poked her head out.
She was probably about twelve or thirteen years old, her face still childish, but with a hint of girlish immaturity.
Shirley raised her gray-blue eyes, blinked when she saw him, and smiled happily: "—You're here!"
Hojo Natsuki: “!”
My daughter is so good!
The nervousness he felt in front of Kurosawa suddenly dissipated.
Shirley poured him some tea. She was obviously not the talkative type, but she took the initiative to tell him about her recent situation, her recent situation at the University of Tokyo, and that she would be going abroad to study soon. She was quite hesitant about choosing a school and wanted to hear his opinion.
"Or Caltech." Hojo Natsuki said tolerantly, "It's OK. Choose the one you like."
Shirley nodded: "Yeah, I also like Caltech."
Hojo Natsuki looked at her and felt that Shirley's human form (?) was quite consistent with the image in the game, a shy genius girl who was smart, calm, and also had a childish side.
He asked, "Where are your parents?"
"At the research institute," Shirley said. "My sister is out for something. … She has no contact with that person."
"That person" refers to Dai Moroboshi.
At the beginning, when Dai Moroboshi tried to get into the organization by pretending to be Miyano Akemi's boyfriend and using Akemi's relationship, Hojo Natsuki did not interfere with their relationship and asked her to introduce Dai Moroboshi to join. Then he lightly reminded her, "Don't trust him too much"... This move seemed to have inadvertently cut the red thread between Yu Yu and Akemi.
Ming Meigua regards Yu Yu as a bad guy who is eyeing him covetously, and ignores the other party's kindness. Their relationship is no more than friendship.
As a result, Hojo Natsuki gained a [weak restraint] on [Miyano Akemi]. The description is similar to Matsuda Maki and Hagiwara Maji, which is probably "increased loyalty, will not backstab you, will not hurt you for no reason".
Shirley Qua doesn't like Akai Yu Yu. Although she has never spoken to Yu Yu and has only seen him from afar a few times while sitting in the car, she has a natural aversion to this bad Yu Yu and always feels that he is not a good person.
In addition, she is a little afraid of Qinwa and would secretly hint to Xia Shu to be careful of this Top Killer.
I have to say, Shirley Gua is quite good at judging people.
Except for Ming Meigua, the rest of the family are taciturn scientific researchers. They spend much more time in the laboratory of the research institute than at home. However, the decoration and furnishings of the living room are full of the feeling of "home" and are very warm.
In the transparent cabinet, there are various figures, small ornaments, and... a sad frog head mask with tears.
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
This is a gift from him.
Because Qinwa didn't want to wear father-son outfits (head covers) with him, he gave Shirley a tearful frog head when he visited her at home last time.
[N]：Do you like it
At that time, the Miyano family gathered in the living room, and the Miyano couple and Ming
Mei Gua was silent.
Shirley didn't respond for several seconds, which made Hojo Natsuki suspect that the game interface was stuck.
However, Shirley Gua quickly reacted, thanked him, and promised earnestly: "Thank you, Boss. I will keep it carefully."
Shirley Gua kept her promise and placed the tearful frog head in a transparent cabinet in the living room so that guests who came to visit could see it at a glance.
If this scene were replaced with the style of the game, it would probably be a bit weird and a bit cute.
But now it’s in holographic state, and the sad frog with tears in its eyes is mixed in with a bunch of normal collectibles. It looks… really… really weird!!
Hojo Natsuki was in a state of confusion and said, "It's okay if you put the hood away."
"Ah?" Shirley followed his gaze and said, "Okay."
He asked, "Do you like it?"
Shirley looked away and said as if nothing had happened: "... I, I like it very much."
Hojo Natsuki suppressed his laughter: "..."
Since Shirley was alone at home and it was getting late, he sat there for more than ten minutes and then said goodbye in order to prevent the little girl from getting scared and having wild thoughts. Shirley didn't think too much about it, and even felt a little reluctant to leave, watching him walk to the elevator.
Shirley watched him walk into the elevator with a curious look in her eyes, as if she had seen something new - after all, before this, Boss always walked to the door and disappeared directly, and never walked up the stairs or took the elevator honestly.
Hojo Natsuki felt confused and looked back. The little girl waved at him and closed the door.
So he still has no clue.
“Ding—Dong—”
When the elevator door opened again, humidity hit me in the face.
When Hojo Natsuki raised his eyes, he saw Kurosawa Jin leaning against the door frame.
Whenever it rains, the sky darkens particularly quickly, as if a few drops of ink fell into a clean bowl of water, quickly dyeing the clear water a gray color; the sky, like brocade burned to ashes, casts a dim and gloomy shadow behind Kurosawa.
The sensor light at the entrance of the corridor lit up, and Kurosawa looked over silently. The shadow cast by his tall figure also extended straight towards him.
Hojo Natsuki straightened his back unconsciously, the relaxation just now disappeared, and his tone unconsciously became formal and polite.
"… Awaited."
Kurosawa looked him up and down, his eyelids drooping, and he looked lazy, but it made people inexplicably uneasy.
"Not long," he said.
The parking space was not far from here. It took two minutes of walking. No one spoke. There was only the sound of rain hitting the umbrella, dripping and irregular, like a prelude to some disturbing emotion.
Kurosawa stuffed the umbrella handle into his hand and sat in the driver's seat first.
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
He changed his mind, gritted his teeth, opened the passenger door and sat down.
Although according to their superior-subordinate relationship, there was nothing wrong with sitting in the back seat, but the oppressive feeling brought by this person made Xia Shu often feel that the other party was the boss who gave orders. He could not feel at ease to regard this man as a driver or a simple protector.
He blinked and asked in a natural tone, "Where's the vodka?"
"Rest." Kurosawa said nonchalantly.
Hojo Natsuki: “?”
Really? The driver still has time to go off work
Forget it, everyone has to go off work, there is nothing strange about it. Paper Frog is also protected by the labor law.
"I see." he replied.
Waiting for Kurosawa Jin to drive.
Then the car fell silent again.
Kurosawa Jin put his hands on the steering wheel, turned the car key, started the car, then turned to look at him.
Xia Shu's scalp tingled and he felt uncomfortable all over because of being stared at. He had to pretend that he didn't care about the other person and stared straight ahead.
There was no light on in the car and it was exceptionally quiet.
"You." Kurosawa uttered a syllable between his teeth.
Hojo Natsuki was confused: "... Me?"
Then, Kurosawa suddenly came over, holding up his deputy with one hand.
The driver's seat cushion, her eyes fixed on his face without blinking.
Hojo Natsuki: “!!!”
What are you doing!
What are you doing?! It's so weird! !
Don't be like this... uh... please!!
The social safety distance was suddenly broken. Hojo Natsuki could no longer pretend to be dead. He leaned back with his shoulders inward, like a striped puppy huddled in the corner of a rocking car.
Although he felt extremely uncomfortable inside, he tried his best to keep a calm expression on his face.
"Don't get so close." Hojo Natsuki took a breath and scolded calmly, "... Drive quickly."
Kurosawa Jin said nothing, staring at him with his green eyes, like a cat hiding in the grass observing its prey. His pupils almost turned into a vertical line, very focused and very cold.
"What's wrong?" Hojo Natsuki asked calmly.
The other person's lips were very light in color and slightly parted, as if he was about to answer.
At this distance, Hojo Natsuki could see every detail of his face, his nose and brow, his skin as pale as a vampire. Their breathing almost intertwined, and the temperature in the car gradually rose.
He held on to his seatbelt.
Kurosawa Jin looked at him slowly and carefully, from top to bottom. His gaze was like a snake's tongue, licking from cheekbone all the way down, wandering over the skin, causing a tingling itch in the places where it passed.
In a trance, I seemed to hear the hissing sound of a poisonous snake.
"You seem afraid of me."
The other party used an affirmative tone to state a seemingly ambiguous sentence; although the two were looking at each other at eye level, Kurosawa seemed to be looking down at him and asking: "—Why?"
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
It’s not that I’m afraid.
It's just... so weird.
I always feel like this person… I can’t put it into words.
His intuition told him not to get close to the other person, otherwise something bad might happen.
He quickly denied it: "Why would you think so? It's an illusion."
Kurosawa Jin said nothing, his eyes teasing, as if silently saying, "Really?"
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
There was another silence, with only the rustling sound of rain and very light breathing.
Time drags longer than breathing.
Kurosawa Jin didn't say anything, he was just waiting for him to speak.
What to say
Hojo Natsuki was a little desperate.
However, after getting over the initial shock and awkwardness, I became somewhat curious about NPC Kurosawa-kun, like a real player.
Like, what would his face feel like when touched
No! That's rude!
But once this idea came into my mind, it lingered in my mind like a spell.
Hojo Natsuki thought for two seconds, and in the tug-of-war between his straight male mentality and curiosity, his great spirit of seeking death finally prevailed.
This is not a stranger, it is his quail, the one he has raised for many years.
Although it's a bit weird to touch someone's face, but... But this is his quack.
So, he reached out very boldly and poked Kurosawa's face with his index finger.
Shocked.
—The touch is exactly the same as real human skin!
This game is so realistic in every aspect, so it's no wonder that his first reaction when he saw the Kurosawa formation was nervousness. After all, that was a real feeling of oppression.
After being poked in the face, Kurosawa Jin paused for half a second, raised his hand and pulled the seat belt on the passenger side. With a "click", he buckled it for him, then stood up and went back.
It was as if this person came over specifically just to help him fasten his seat belt.
Then, Kurosawa Jin started to reverse.
Hojo Natsuki was confused: "???"
But his focus was not on this matter.
Hojo Natsuki: "... Wait, why aren't you wearing your seat belt yourself?"
Kurosawa: "Idiots need it more."
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
hateful!
It’s still that annoying bad guy!
He looked up and saw that it was 8 o'clock in the game. The corresponding real time on the game panel had already reached 10:35. It was almost time for him to take a shower and arrange tomorrow's work before going to bed.
"It's so late, I'm tired." Hojo Natsuki said, "I want to rest."
Then, he put his other hand into his pocket where Kurosawa Jin couldn't see him and selected the transparent clover icon in the upper left corner from a distance.
[exit the game]
[Do you want to log out? [Y/N]]
In fact, he wanted to play for a while longer, such as visiting the toy factory, but when he was with Kurosawa Jin, he always felt weird all over and wanted to get away from this feeling.
Toy factory, let’s talk about it in two days.
As Hojo Natsuki thought about it, he quickly selected [Yes].
[Loading… Loading… Loading…]
The loading time seems exceptionally long.
[Loading… Loading… Loading… Loading… Loading…]
A line of big red characters appeared on the screen: [Exit failed! ]
"… "
I have a bad feeling, but let's try again.
[Exit failed!]
Hojo Natsuki: “?”
what why
His eyes were wide, like a faded cartoon silhouette.
Hojo Natsuki: sluggish.jpg
(End of this chapter)