The little gray pigeon's cocky expression only lasted for a few seconds before it put it away, thinking that it had not been exposed and that its actions were flawless.
[Kudo Shinichi Chicken]: I see
[Kudo Shinichi Chicken]: By the way, Mr. Hojo, you live alone, so you must be careful. There was a robber recently. The family living in No. 6 was slashed by the robber, and the robber has not yet been brought to justice.
Shinichi shook his head and gave serious instructions to the puppy Boss.
[N]: Thank you, Kudo-kun. I will pay attention.
Hojo Natsuki smelled the scent of FLAG.
Obviously, he or Shinichi will encounter a robber, and then an interactive plot will take place. If the victim is Shinichi, then great, the reliable puppy Boss will come forward to help, firmly establish the character of a kind and enthusiastic good neighbor, deceive the little pigeon's trust, and kill two birds with one stone.
His hunch was correct. When he came online again, a notification popped up.
System: [[Robber Lizard] pried open your door! ]
System: [[Robber Lizard] is getting closer and closer to you! 25m, 15m, 10m...]
System: [Be careful! [Robber Lizard] is coming! ]
A green lizard, with a triangular pocket cloth covering its face, gestured with a knife in its hand, and said viciously to the puppy Boss: [Hand over all the valuables in the house! ]
Hojo Natsuki stood still, waiting for the battle system to be triggered, and was even a little amused.
[Robber Lizard] Seeing that the white puppy was not buying it, he showed a cold dagger with two blades. Unfortunately, Hojo Natsuki was not scared. Not to mention that he was a funny lizard at the moment, even if the robber stood in front of him, he had the confidence to kill him back - if he couldn't restrain the top killer, he couldn't deal with a bluffing petty thief
[Robber Lizard] laughed loudly: Hehehehehe!! Let me be frank with you. If you don’t want to die miserably at home, just cooperate with me and I can spare your life!
The puppy Boss wagged his tail and didn't worry about his life.
Hojo Natsuki took a sip of iced Americano and thought to himself, "So much nonsense."
[Robber Lizard] suddenly raised his voice: You don’t believe it? !
[Robber Lizard]: My dagger is covered with poison!
As it said this, it extended its long tongue and licked the dagger, with a spooky special effect burning behind it.
Then, with a thud, he fell to the ground at the speed of light and died.
System: [[Robber Lizard] is poisoned! ]
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
Is this considered a scam? The battle system wasn't even triggered
His first reaction was to contact his men to collect the body of the lizard. However, he remembered that the current setting of the puppy Boss (headless version) was a harmless citizen. He flipped through the puppy's information panel and found that it had a clean identity. Its parents died early, but left behind a generous inheritance. The elementary schools, junior high schools, and universities it attended were all well documented, and its resume was flawless. Obviously, the world's will helped give the green light.
As a result, Hojo Natsuki dialed 110 with confidence and went to the police station as a victim to cooperate with the investigation.
On his way back, a kind police officer named Mumu gave him a ride home, and they were met by Kudo Shinichi.
[Kudo Shinichi Chicken]: Mr. Hojo, have you gone to the police station
Hojo Natsuki recounted exactly what had happened, and Shinichi was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out. Of course, the policemen in the police station didn't believe it at first, but he showed them the surveillance footage of the living room, which was irrefutable evidence. The policemen were stunned, and they couldn't imagine how such a stupid criminal could become the murderer of serial robberies.
[Kudo Shinichi Chicken]: I see, it's really unexpected, but you did a good thing. By the way, I heard that there is a robber who robs people on the street recently, and his targets are mostly young men and women...
Hojo Natsuki: “?”
No way, again
Two days later, as there was no babysitter at home, the puppy Boss went out alone to take out the garbage and was robbed again.
[Robber Walrus]: Hand over all the money you have! !
Hojo Natsuki remained calm, waiting for the battle system to appear
.
[Robber Walrus]: You hear me! Hurry up! Otherwise I'm going to do it!
At this time, a truck appears on the far left of the screen.
[Press and hold to accelerate the [dump truck]]
[>>>>>>>>]
The cursor flickered, guiding the player to press and hold the screen. Hojo Natsuki pressed it casually, and two seconds later, a dump truck suddenly rushed over like a rocket, knocking the walrus into the sky. The walrus fell to the ground, rolled around for a few times, and was half dead.
Boss the puppy was imprisoned for the second time in a week.
This time, the surveillance cameras on the street recorded everything clearly, and it was the drunk driver of the dump truck who was fully responsible.
When it came back, it was another kind police officer who drove it home.
Kudo Shinichi, who is about to go out to eat at Mao Lilan's house: [? ]
[Kudo Shinichi Chicken]: Mr. Hojo, did you go to the police station again
[N]: It’s like this…
[Kudo Shinichi Chicken]: I see, it's really unexpected, but I accidentally escaped a disaster, and the criminal was caught. By the way, recently there is a flasher, obscene criminal who eats both meat and vegetables...
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
Is Shinichiji the NPC who issues missions to punish evildoers? Will it ever end? That's enough, don't go too far!!
Not long after, the puppy Boss encountered a perverted criminal again and the criminal was seriously injured.
Boss the puppy was imprisoned three times in ten days. When he was returning in a police car, he was once again spotted by Shinichi who was thinking about the case in the yard...
A pigeon and a dog looked at each other in silence.
[Kudo Shinichi Chicken]: This time, it’s… again
[N]: Here’s what happened…
[Kudo Shinichi Chicken]：…
[Kudo Shinichi Chicken]: This may be a kind of talent. Did Mr. Hojo run into criminals so easily in the past
[N]: …
Hojo Natsuki wanted to beg it to stop talking. The little pigeon said that everything a chicken said would come true. He didn't want to be forced to pop up a [Warning! ] reminder every time he went online and was pulled into [Simulated Business], so he remained silent, fearing that Shinichi Chicken would remind her again.
Shinichiji obviously understood his silence as a reluctance to answer, and consoled him: [He always turns danger into safety, and he can also help the police station catch criminals, Brother Hojo is amazing! ... He is a bit like the god of death, oh no, anyway, it is similar to the setting of the protagonist of an anime? Hahaha, I'm kidding. ]
Hojo Natsuki was shocked: "???"
What? What is the cocky little pigeon talking about? Isn't it obvious that its chicken beak is the source of all evil? !
He almost suspected that this new chicken had a chicken plague buff. Wherever its claws touched, the plague god descended and cases occurred one after another. If it became a detective, it could probably share the title of "homicide detective" with Ayatsuji Yukito.
Fortunately, this time, Xinyiji only expressed his condolences and did not set any more flags. In the following week, he did not encounter any criminals.
System: [Dear Boss of the Frog Organization, dear Director of the University of Tokyo, [President of the University of Tokyo] has sent you an [invitation letter]! Do you want to accept the invitation? [Y/N]]
That is required!
Hojo Natsuki decisively [Yes].
System: [You have accepted the appointment. ]
System: [You can bring 2 companions. ]
He had not originally planned to bring anyone. He only wanted the principal to take the puppy Boss to visit the school, make promises, and lick the generous school director. However, he thought that Kurosawa Jin was also a student of the University of Tokyo... This might be a good opportunity to break the ice.
Hojo Natsuki hesitated for a moment and poked the frog.
[Natsuki]: Do you want to go to the University of Tokyo with me
[Natsuki]：I haven’t been back to watch it for a long time.
[Gin]：.
[Gin]：When
[Natsuki]：Tomorrow afternoon
[Gin]: Got it
Qinwa didn't ask where to meet, probably because he was sure that he would suddenly appear in the car like he did before.
Qinwa knew nothing about the dog Boss secretly moving into the new house in Beika Town.
The best proof is that it didn't come to catch the dog at all, otherwise, given its character, it would definitely...
System: [[Kotowa] is wondering whether to pick you up at Beika-cho 2-chome 23]
Wait, it turns out it knows!
System: [[Qinwa] decided not to go, and will continue to pretend that it is not monitoring your movements, waiting for you to show up.]
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
Ah... this.
Universe frog sublimation.jpg
When operating the game on a mobile phone, due to the extremely simple game screen, Hojo Natsuki has no way of judging whether someone is following or monitoring him, and obtains information mainly through game characters and system reminders.
He had guessed that Kurosawa Jin would find him, and was prepared to find that one day, the cold-faced silver-haired Gua would suddenly appear in the living room, cross his legs and wait for Wang to come home, and then question Wang fiercely... Hojo Natsuki had even thought of how to refute him, telling him not to do this again, it was too disrespectful.
But Kurosawa Jin, who had dangerous thoughts and was extremely angry because of the Cold War, just observed from a distance and maintained an appropriate superficial social distance.
He was in mixed emotions and couldn't comment for a moment.
It is not surprising that Kurosawa did such a thing, but this is by no means a retreat or concession. It is a kind of hiding one's strength and biding one's time. Every step of seemingly concession by the opponent is to accumulate strength for the subsequent attack. Hojo Natsuki experienced it personally not long ago.
He had long known that Kurosawa Jin was this kind of person, and that he was born cold, suspicious, and had no empathy. Therefore, Hojo Natsuki did not feel angry or annoyed, but more helpless.
Forget it. Then, let’s just deal with it as it happens.
The next day in the game was just the time from lunch break to getting off work. Hojo Natsuki returned home and began to hesitate.
—Do you want to enter the game cabin
I was invited to visit the University of Tokyo as the boss of the Frog Organization. Just in case, I had to wear the sad frog headgear with maximum privacy buff. It was a different world where no one knew me. Hojo Natsuki was not averse to wearing the retarded frog head himself... Forget it, I'll just visit it on my mobile phone.
When you enter the game cabin in person, the default login location will be the last logout location. The operation on the mobile phone is much more flexible. You can log in anywhere you want, even on the pointed top of the Tokyo Tower.
The puppy Boss appeared in the back seat of the tricycle, sticking to the frog and looking around curiously.
In reality, it should be Hojo Natsuki himself sitting in the passenger seat, and Fu Gua would not be there.
The frog turned its head instantly and looked at it with its cold triangular eyes.
After a moment, Gua came to the conclusion that it was an eye X-ray.
[Gin]：…
[Gin]：####
There was a fire on Gua's head, and his face was stern, looking very unhappy.
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
Sure enough, Kurosawa Jin could really distinguish between his real self and the 'clone' he controlled online.
Since Gin didn't mention it, he played deaf and dumb and pretended not to notice.
Dog and Frog, led by the president of Tokyo University, a sea otter wearing round glasses, toured the school.
When the old principal saw the puppy Boss for the first time, even though he was well-informed, he showed a wonderful expression of "cosmic sea otter sublimation", and soon calmed down and respectfully called "Mr. N".
[Principal Sea Otter]: This is...
[Principal Sea Otter]: Our gymnasium...
Hojo Natsuki began to feel fortunate that he didn't have to go there himself. Listening to Principal Kaita's speech was just like a work social event. He was extremely sleepy, but he still had to force himself to stay awake to deal with it.
Why is it so frustrating to play games
[N]：Will I be able to attend the opening ceremony when the graduate school starts in two months
[President Haitao]: Of course, we welcome you very much. If you are willing, you can also give a speech and provide spiritual guidance to the new graduate students...
[N]：Okay.
[N]: I will.
Principal Sea Otter's smile froze on his face, and his eyes stopped at the Sad Frog Mask.
, said cautiously: [By then, I may need to pay more attention to my appearance... ]
[N]: Black windbreaker is not okay? Then I will change to a white one.
[Principal Sea Otter]: ... Well, it's not about the windbreaker...
[N]: Do you think my headgear is ugly
[Principal Sea Otter]:…
[Principal Sea Otter]: ...How could that be
Seeing that the old sea otter looked like he wanted to cry but had no tears, Hojo Natsuki felt relieved and turned the topic to the silent frog.
[N]：Actually, he is also a student at Tokyo University.
Principal Haitao glanced at the cold-faced man in the black windbreaker, and a drop of cold sweat dripped down his head: [Ah... Really... Haha, it turns out that you are an alumnus. Which class are you from? ]
[Gin]： … …
The frog drooped its eyes, looking annoyed and neither angry nor irritable. It looked like it wanted to shoot the old thing, knock the puppy unconscious and carry it away.
Principal Sea Otter was obedient and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
[N]：Undergraduate students enrolled in BC12
Hojo Natsuki's idea began to stir again. He really wanted to let Kotowa go to graduate school.
But he also promised it that after getting the degree certificate, he would no longer ask the other party to continue further studies.
He thought of a more roundabout way.
[N]: How about this, you let him become a graduate student...
Principal Haitao breathed a sigh of relief: [Is he admitted as a graduate student? Okay, is he also enrolling this year? ]
[N]：Be a postgraduate tutor
Principal Sea Otter was so shocked that his open mouth had not yet completely closed, as if it was glued together, and remained half-open. After a long while, he slowly uttered the next sentence.
[Principal Sea Otter]: You really love to joke around.
Hojo Natsuki: “?”
[N]: Is it not possible
Under the threat of the frog's death gaze, Principal Sea Otter was sweating profusely: [This is not appropriate. Our graduate advisors are all... ]
[N]: He only needs to take care of the graduate students sent to the school by our group.
[Principal Sea Otter]:…
[Principal Sea Otter]: Ahem, if this is what you want, I will try my best to coordinate.
The frog listened all the way, and the flames behind it grew stronger and stronger, as if they could ignite the ground under its claws, but it never offended the puppy Boss in front of outsiders. It was angry but said nothing.
Hojo Natsuki declined Principal Kaita's invitation to dinner and left leisurely with Gua.
After getting on the car, Gua, who had remained silent all the time, finally spoke.
[Gin]：For such boring things, find someone else
[Natsuki]: I can be happy just by spending a little bit, so there is no point in being bored!
[Gin]: Go away.
[Natsuki]: You are the mentor, Bourbon and Scotland, they have to look at your face
[Gin]：That’s what I wanted.
That’s right.
[Natsuki]：I can get an extra salary just for being a nominal employee
[Gin]: Go away.
[Natsuki]: You are my mentor, and you can also gain my admiration. I envy people with high academic qualifications the most.
[Gin]: Go away.
—TopKiller remains as unresponsive as ever.
Hojo Natsuki was at a loss for words. He held his chin in his hand and organized a sanctimonious excuse in his mind.
As he was thinking, he began to slack off, ate some snacks, made some coffee, and tidied up the messy desk. When he walked back in his slippers, ten minutes in reality equaled half an hour in the game, and the puppy Boss had followed Gua back to its home.
Hojo Natsuki: “…”
Help, how come Gin picked me up again
Since he was already here, he just went with the flow, controlling the dog to walk around and patrol the house. It was not much different from before, and the pink hairband in front of the bathroom mirror was still there...
Hojo Natsuki's eyes froze.
There is a book on the living room storage rack.
Book with red cover.
Many, many times before, every night before going to bed, Qinwa would lie on the bed, fascinated by this book with a red cover and no content at all, nodding his head until he made a sound, then he would glare at him impatiently.
The other party once told him that it was "The Count of Monte Cristo", but Hojo Natsuki always felt that it was most likely not the one, and when he asked again later, the other party was too lazy to answer.
So, what is this book about that made him read it again and again for so long
I really want to know.
I really want to know.
Hojo Natsuki was in a dilemma.
Within a few minutes, curiosity quickly overcame the awkward feeling that had lingered in him for many days. He rushed down the stairs at the speed of light, stood in front of the game cabin in the living room again, took a deep breath, sat in, and put on the helmet.
[Do you want to start the game? [Y/N]]
[Yes]
Having had previous experiences, the dizziness of logging in this time was not as strong.
Hojo Natsuki closed his eyes and recovered after three seconds.
He took off his stupid sad frog mask and threw it on the sofa. The mask rolled around a few times and the sad frog's big eyes stared at the ceiling.
"Here I come!" he said to Kurosawa Jin.
Kurosawa raised his eyes, glanced at him lightly, and responded casually.
It was dusk, and the entire living room seemed to be immersed in a sea of orange light. He didn't seem to care about someone suddenly appearing, and his attention was returned to the work at hand, letting the warm light from the window outline the side lines of his face, his eyebrows were low and hidden, and his nose was high. The soft color tone could not reduce the aggressiveness of his appearance in the slightest.
Hojo Natsuki looked away as if nothing had happened, walked back to the storage rack, moved his fingers, pulled out the red book, and asked, "Can I take a look?"
Kurosawa Jin: “Oh.”
He asked, "Is this the book you used to read before bed?"
Kurosawa Jin: “Yeah.”
After receiving a positive answer, Hojo Natsuki was a little puzzled.
Did you read too slowly and finally finish it after several years? Or did you read it over and over again and get bored after a while
It was clearly placed at the bedside before, why was it suddenly moved to the living room
With such doubts, he did not open the book immediately, but first carefully observed the appearance of the book. He had never heard of the title of the book before, and it might be written by a writer who only existed in this world. The title was incomprehensible, and Hojo Natsuki guessed that it was an obscure stream of consciousness literature.
He turned his wrist and his gaze moved along with it.
Front, back, spine...
When he turned to the side of the book and saw the state of the pages, he was stunned.
When you buy a new book from a bookstore, because it has never been opened by anyone, the pages are flat and not deformed, and each page is tightly attached to each other, so it always appears to be slightly "deflated".
After reading for a long time, the gaps between the pages become wider, and the side looks less smooth, loose, and slightly bulging.
This bedtime book, which has been a favorite of Kurosawa Jin for several years, only the front 1/3 is loose when viewed from the side of the page, while the back 2/3 is extremely flat. Obviously, the owner has read the front third repeatedly and has never turned to the back half.
Hojo Natsuki tried to quickly flip the second half.
The pages of the book turned quickly, and a light breeze blew towards him, and he smelled a faint, new scent of ink.
The faint scent of ink brings back memories.
Xiaogua is lying on the bed reading a book seriously.
Kurosawa Jin extended his hand to him.
He remembered what he had said to the other party a few days ago.
[… We haven’t spoken in ten days, but in reality, it’s only been three days for me.]
How did Kurosawa Jin answer
— "I knew that a long time ago."
There is a traceable pattern of Hojo Natsuki's gaming time: when he gets home from get off work, before going to bed every night, and occasionally when he slacks off at work.
Such a long acquaintance is enough for an extremely sharp killer to capture the pattern.
He knew it a long time ago.
Hojo Natsuki stared at the book, unable to say a word. He thought: "I should have known that he has no reading habit at all. He..."
He disguised his indifference by flipping through books that were utterly boring to him.
He had already estimated from their time together when Natsuki would be online, so he would open the first page at the appropriate time, and would react to the sudden touch or message on his phone late at night by showing a little bit of being disturbed; if Natsuki didn't come, he would not pretend to continue reading.
As a result, the pages often stopped at 1/3 of the way through the book, and he never got to the second half.
From the first day they met, Kurosawa Jin's nature full of plunder and possession has never changed, but such a person will also hide his secret and subtle expectations in the pages of the book.
Like all hunters, the top predator also has moments of failure. His target is the moody player Hojo Natsuki. It is very common for him to suddenly not want to play, be too busy at work, or be attracted by other interesting things.
As a result, I often fail and gain nothing.
He has been waiting.
(End of this chapter)