Chapter 42: A look of pity.
"Excuse me, I didn't hear you clearly. Could you please repeat it?"
"...We have caught the murderer who killed your parents."
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence fell over both ends of the phone call. Hagiwara Kenji didn't know how to start the conversation, while Morofushi Hiromitsu's brain seemed to freeze, unable to process what was happening.
If I remember correctly, they had only been apart for one night, right? For Hagiwara Kenji, skipping just one night, his friend said he was going to take a break from school.
For Morofushi Hiromitsu, skipping one night meant that the real culprit who had troubled him for over ten years had finally been caught...?
Wait a minute? Something's not right!! It's like bending down to pick up a pen in math class, only to look up and find the blackboard has gone from 1+1 to quantum mechanics!!
Even Hagiwara Kenji couldn't bear the awkwardness. He said, "Because it's getting late, the police should contact you tomorrow during the day... I remember you have an older brother, right? So they should contact your brother first..."
"Although you can get information from the police... well, if Hiromitsu-chan wants to know in advance, or is curious about the details, are you going to come to Sora'aki-chan's house tonight?"
Morofushi Sora'aki looked at him: "Go to my house?"
Hagiwara Kenji didn't cover his phone; instead, he asked, "Is it not allowed?"
"…I want to go home and sleep." Morofushi Sora'aki replied.
This matter is too complicated to explain. Morofushi Sora'aki could also tell that if they went to his house tonight, they would definitely stay overnight, and then he would not be able to go home (referring to the other world).
But upon hearing Morofushi Sora'aki's words, both Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji revealed what could only be described as a terrifying smile. Matsuda Jinpei immediately said, "Let's go to the Morofushi—I mean, the Raki house tonight!"
They hadn't slept all night, and after finally getting some sleep, they were woken up again. How could they possibly let Morofushi Sora'aki get a good night's sleep?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Hagiwara Kenji wholeheartedly agreed: "Anyway, let's meet at Sora'aki-chan's house!"
Then, Hagiwara Kenji hung up the phone.
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "..."
Morofushi Hiromitsu called back.
Hagiwara Kenji: "What's wrong, Hiromitsu-chan? If there's a problem, let's talk about it in person."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "...Have you forgotten something?"
Hagiwara Kenji: "Hmm?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu took a deep breath, once again wondering if the other person was playing a trick on him: "Sora'aki's address?"
Hagiwara Kenji: "..."
Hagiwara Kenji: "Haha, sorry, I'll send it to you right now!"
The house that the system arranged for Morofushi Sora'aki wasn't big. It was more than enough for Morofushi Sora'aki to live in by himself, but it became a bit crowded when five high school students of the same age squeezed in.
Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei had already eaten dinner, but the other three hadn't eaten anything because they had spent the whole afternoon at the police station.
They even skipped breakfast because they were too sleepy in the morning, and then skipped lunch because of Morofushi Sora'aki—as a result, they only realized they were hungry after leaving the police station.
So it seems quite normal that when Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei pressed the doorbell of Morofushi Sora'aki's house without suspicion, and the room was opened, they could smell the aroma of food in the entrance hall.
Hagiwara Kenji, who opened the door, still had yellow mustard sauce on his lips: "Ah, you're here?"
"Have you had dinner yet? Sora'aki-chan is treating!" When they entered the living room, they found the table piled high with food.
Some items were desserts, while others were pizzas and fried chicken burgers, but there weren't many main meals.
Matsuda Jinpei ate so much that crumbs fell all over his collar and his face—in Hagiwara Kenji's words, it was a waste of his handsome face.
Matsuda Jinpei looked up and said, "Oh, you've arrived."
After saying that, he continued to munch on his hamburger.
Morofushi Sora'aki was a little better, eating more quietly, but he also had ketchup on the corners of his mouth without even realizing it.
Both Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei fell silent.
So these three naive guys caught the murderer? That doesn't seem likely.
Hagiwara Kenji coughed lightly: "Mainly because we've been starving all day... They're not usually like this!"
Furuya Rei: "...Before you say that, wipe the yellow mustard off your face."
Hagiwara Kenji immediately grabbed a tissue and wiped his face, then, as if nothing had happened, repeated, "They're not usually like this!"
Matsuda Jinpei sneered: "Only you care about things like image."
"These two aren't girls who like you, is it really necessary for you?"
Hagiwara Kenji fell silent. He was convinced and immediately rushed to the low table: "That's my favorite fried chicken! Leave it for me!!"
Matsuda Jinpei waved the fried chicken in his hand, a mischievous grin on his face, then took a bite and mumbled, "It's mine!"
Hagiwara Kenji immediately let out a wail, rushing forward and shaking Matsuda Jinpei's shoulders with both hands: "You spit it out—! We agreed on two pairs each!!"
Matsuda Jinpei was a little taken aback, but he still puffed out his cheeks and said, "Nobody told you, first come, first served!"
Morofushi Sora'aki, munching on fries, commented, "Childish."
The atmosphere between the three was so natural that Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei even felt that their presence was a bit superfluous.
However, seeing this scene, Morofushi Hiromitsu's chaotic thoughts and emotions throughout the journey actually eased somewhat.
The topic they were about to discuss was far too serious, but amidst the aroma of food and the chaos filling the living room, it somehow seemed less serious.
Hagiwara Kenji still took the initiative to explain, and the details will not be discussed for the time being, but the name Yuri did indeed trigger a memory in Morofushi Hiromitsu.
"...There was a girl named Yuri."
These were things he hadn't mentioned to anyone else, which added another layer of credibility to Hagiwara Kenji's explanation.
When he heard that Tomori Hajime had been following him for so many years, Morofushi Hiromitsu felt a chill run down his spine and goosebumps rose on his skin.
In response, Matsuda Jinpei commented: "It's one thing for Morofushi, Hiromitsu to be concerned, since they have their own worries, but Furuya, you're hopeless! You haven't noticed anything wrong after all these years!"
Morofushi Sora'aki nodded to the side: "Rei, Furuya is so useless."
Furuya Rei: "..."
Before the contraction reached zero, the veins on his forehead were practically bulging out.
Hagiwara Kenji chuckled from the side, "Why don't you two switch? Jinpei-chan isn't used to calling him Hiromitsu, and Sora'aki-chan, why did you change your address from Rei to Furuya?"
Morofushi Sora'aki, who is used to calling Rei "Rei-nii", said, "We're not close enough to call each other by name yet, but Rei is easier to call than Furuya."
"But it's easier to call you 'Kenji' than 'Hagiwara', isn't it? Aren't we close enough that we can call each other by name?" Hagiwara Kenji gave a pitiful look.
Morofushi Sora'aki thought for a moment: "But I also call Jinpei-chan, Matsuda."
"Is it really necessary to care about such a trivial matter?" Matsuda Jinpei retorted. "I remember you also complained when I called you Hagi?"
"Because I call you by your first names, but you both call me by your last name—it sounds too formal! It doesn't feel like we're childhood friends at all!"
"This guy is such a pain." Matsuda Jinpei had this expression on his face.
Morofushi Sora'aki said to this, "You just said it directly, Jinpei-chan."
"You two are doing this on purpose, aren't you?!" Hagiwara Kenji shouted.
After they made that silly remark, Morofushi Hiromitsu finally explained on behalf of his childhood friend, "The criminals were just too cunning."
"Zero and I have a pretty simple daily routine, and it's easy to find patterns. As long as we have a long-term job, we won't be able to notice any problems."
"Simply put, you two are just too oblivious." Matsuda Jinpei said. "Although Raki is usually quite slow-witted, he immediately noticed something was wrong when he was being followed today."
"Yes, it's because you guys are no good." Morofushi Sora'aki repeated from the side.
The smile on Morofushi Hiromitsu's face froze.
After thinking for a moment, Morofushi Hiromitsu asked the question that should have been asked as the first thing before entering the room.
"There's something I'm curious about." the cat-eyed boy said gently, "How did you know about my family situation?"
"If I remember correctly, I only mentioned that my parents passed away, not that they were murdered... right?"
Furuya Rei also spoke up: "Also, you called me last night and said that Sora'aki's mood wasn't quite right. What happened?"
Morofushi Sora'aki was surprised that such a thing had happened, and looked at Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei: "Hmm?"
Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji: "..."
I always feel that no matter how I explain it, it still seems very strange.
Hagiwara Kenji immediately grabbed a can of cola: "Ah, this cola is so delicious! You guys should have some!"
"Yes, there's still so much left. You should all eat more and not waste it!" Matsuda Jinpei said.
At that moment, the landline at Morofushi Sora'aki's house rang, which in a sense saved the two boys.
Morofushi Sora'aki wiped the oil stains off his hands and walked to the other side of the corridor to answer the phone.
The room became quieter without him realizing it. Hagiwara Kenji consciously observed the smile on Morofushi Hiromitsu's face and silently moved away from him.
I always felt that these smiling guys were pretty scary.
Matsuda Jinpei responded: Are you really not talking about yourself?
Hagiwara Kenji: I'm cheerful, lively, and handsome! I'm not scheming at all! At least Jinpei-chan, you've never been afraid of me, right?
Matsuda Jinpei: That's true.
Then Matsuda Jinpei complained: "Morofushi, this guy says you're scheming."
Hagiwara Kenji: "???"
Hagiwara Kenji: "——Matsuda?!!"
Morofushi Hiromitsu was taken aback, and his smile widened even further.
However, the ordeal on this side wasn't over yet, and a sea of fire was also coming from the other side. After hanging up the phone, Morofushi Sora'aki said to his two friends in the room, "Hagiwara, didn't you tell your family that you were going to stay at my house?"
Hagiwara Kenji's heart skipped a beat: "What?"
Morofushi Sora'aki replied, "Your sister said she couldn't get through to you on the phone and told you to wait until tomorrow."
Hagiwara Kenji: "..."
Hagiwara Kenji: "..."
Hagiwara Kenji: "So what was with those pitying looks you guys were giving me?! Take them off!!"