The Gods Are Fighting Over Me - Chapter 24

After a three or four-minute walk from the subway station, the grand outline of the police headquarters gradually appeared through the shadows of the trees.

Lin Jianyue took out a small mirror from her bag, carefully examined the makeup on her face, and then stepped out of the shade.

The afternoon sun was slightly harsh, with a unique summer heat. The cicadas’ chirping rolled into a ball of white noise in her ears, as if they were trying to bake her skin and eardrums.

Lin Jianyue had asked Jinpei Matsuda about it, and they would both get off work at six in the evening.

When she arrived at the police headquarters, it was five minutes to six. Lin Jianyue hesitated at the entrance for two seconds, finally deciding to just wait there.

She took out a little doll of Jinpei Matsuda in a black suit, an officially licensed product, from her bag. She held up her phone, looking for the right angle, and took a selfie in front of the large police headquarters sign.

The young police officer on duty seemed to be used to this. He just casually glanced at Lin Jianyue, then looked away, continuing to maintain his standard posture.

Before she went abroad for her studies, Lin Jianyue had a photo of the police headquarters tucked in her notebook. Next to it, she had written “Must Visit” in blue highlighter, and she had even planned what clothes to wear.

But when she actually got to Japan, the pressures of school and life came down on her like a mountain. The address and transportation routes she had saved in her phone’s memo were buried under countless to-do lists. Lin Jianyue had only passed by twice, looking at the building from a distance across a wide road.

Now, she was holding her phone, adjusting the angle toward the police headquarters sign, when a familiar figure suddenly walked into the front camera.

Kenji Hagiwara walked out of the main entrance of the police headquarters.

He had his suit jacket draped over his arm. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his forearms, revealing the muscles that hid his explosive strength. He had a hint of post-work fatigue on his face, but a warm, infectious smile still graced his lips.

Lin Jianyue’s heart swelled with joy. Just as she was about to turn and call out to him, several female police officers suddenly appeared in the camera. They were laughing and surrounding Kenji Hagiwara, chattering nonstop. He was slightly turned to the side, listening intently, nodding in response from time to time.

The smile on Lin Jianyue’s face quietly faded, but her eyes met Jinpei Matsuda, who appeared in the camera right after.

He gestured with his chin to say hello, then took a long stride toward her.

Without a word, Jinpei Matsuda took the doll from Lin Jianyue’s hand. It looked like him. He squeezed the doll’s face hard. “Is this for me?”

Lin Jianyue blinked, thinking it wasn’t a bad idea, so she nodded. “Yeah, it’s for you. As far as I know, it should be the only one in the world right now.”

“Oh?” Jinpei Matsuda drew out the sound with interest. He flipped the doll over and looked at it, then suddenly asked, “Can I cut off the tag?”

Lin Jianyue instinctively blurted out, “No, if you cut the tag, it won’t be worth anything. It’ll lose a lot of its value if you sell it secondhand.”

Jinpei Matsuda looked at her, a hint of subtle teasing in his eyes. “Is it appropriate for you to talk about selling my doll for money right in front of me?”

Lin Jianyue was at a loss for words. She lowered her voice guiltily. “I bought too much merchandise. It was a reflex.”

Jinpei Matsuda let out a low chuckle. He held up the doll, took the phone from Lin Jianyue’s hand with his other hand, and got ready to take a picture. “Come on.”

Lin Jianyue was stunned for a moment, then quickly put on a bright smile, her eyes curving into crescents. At first glance, they really looked like a couple.

The flash went off. In the picture, Kenji Hagiwara, who had appeared behind them at some point, had his cheeks puffed out, like an angry hamster.

“Little Jinpei is so mean, taking a picture with Jianyue-chan behind my back.”

“That’s because a certain someone is too popular and got surrounded by girls before he even stepped out of the police headquarters.”

Kenji Hagiwara pushed his way in without a care and snatched Lin Jianyue’s phone. “Jianyue-chan, let’s take one too!”

Jinpei Matsuda stood behind them with his arms crossed, looking at Kenji Hagiwara like he was an idiot. But considering the mission, he still took a long stride to the other side of Lin Jianyue.

The three of them were crammed into the camera. The picture was a bit messy, but it had an indescribable liveliness to it.

However, just as the shutter clicked, Kenji Hagiwara suddenly bent down and gave Lin Jianyue a peck on the cheek.

In the frozen image, Lin Jianyue’s eyes were wide, like a startled rabbit, clearly shocked by the sudden attack. Jinpei Matsuda had the corners of his mouth turned down. His eyes were wide with shock, with a hint of disgust, and a look of being speechless toward his childhood friend.

Only Kenji Hagiwara, with his eyebrows curved and a sweet smile, was as happy as a cat that had successfully stolen a fish. The joy in his eyes was as thick as honey.

“Hagi, if you do that again, I’m going to punch you,” Jinpei Matsuda said, breaking the silence first.

“Little Jinpei is just jealous. I kissed his girlfriend.”

Jinpei Matsuda rolled his eyes. “Just shut up.”

The two of them were arguing behind her. Lin Jianyue stared at the crowded photo, and a feeling she couldn’t quite place welled up in her heart.

She had loved Kenji Hagiwara for so many years and had always hoped that one day she would be able to take a picture in front of the police headquarters with a Kenji Hagiwara doll.

But all the dolls she had secretly collected had either been destroyed or thrown away by her father. The only one that had survived was the lone Jinpei Matsuda doll that she had bought as a set with the Kenji Hagiwara one. She had kept it at the bottom of a box and had never taken it out.

It seemed like people who liked anime and manga had a strange habit. When they went to take pictures at anime pilgrimage sites, if they didn’t have some related merchandise, it felt like something was missing.

Lin Jianyue had planned to visit the police headquarters for Kenji Hagiwara.

She had passed by the police headquarters before. She had looked at the majestic building from across the busy street. The building she had seen countless times in the anime was right in front of her, but she felt empty inside.

She had lost the Kenji Hagiwara doll and had regretted it for a long time. But now, she was actually crammed into a picture with Kenji Hagiwara in front of the stone monument that said “Police Headquarters” in big letters.

“What are you thinking about?” Kenji Hagiwara’s voice came from next to her, with a hint of curiosity.

Lin Jianyue looked up at him, her eyes still a little dazed. “I just think it’s… amazing. I can actually take a picture here with you.”

As soon as she said that, Jinpei Matsuda, who was next to her, lazily raised an eyebrow, as if he was silently asking, “Aren’t we friends?”

Lin Jianyue immediately added, “And of course, Jinpei. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Jinpei Matsuda was finally satisfied and looked away.

Kenji Hagiwara turned to Jinpei Matsuda, his tone a bit sly. “Little Jinpei, did you already know that Jianyue-chan was coming to pick me up from work today?”

Jinpei Matsuda scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself. She came to have dinner with us. Picking you up was just a side trip.”

Kenji Hagiwara was like a clingy golden retriever. He walked around Lin Jianyue. His eyes were sparkling. “Jianyue-chan came to pick me up from work. I’m so happy. Little Jinpei has a day off tomorrow. Can you also come and pick me up? Can we go on a secret date?”

As he was talking, there was a light clattering sound nearby. They all looked in the direction of the sound. It was Yumi and Tanaka.

One was about to go inside, and the other was about to go outside, but they were both frozen in place, their eyes wide open.

But the difference was, the corners of Yumi’s mouth couldn’t stop turning up. Her face was filled with the excitement of a person about to get some good gossip. Tanaka’s face, however, was pale, as if he had been hit by something. He looked like he was about to fall apart.

Lin Jianyue felt uncomfortable with the way the two of them were looking at her. She quietly hid behind Kenji Hagiwara. Jinpei Matsuda clicked his tongue and glared at the two of them impatiently. “What are you looking at?”

Yumi immediately smiled and waved her hand, then nimbly slipped into the police headquarters.

Tanaka, on the other hand, looked like all the strength had been drained from him. He didn’t even dare to look up. He almost tucked his tail between his legs and scurried away in a hurry.

Jinpei Matsuda stared at Tanaka’s fleeing figure for two seconds, then looked away with a hint of casual confusion. “Is that guy from your first mobile investigation team? What’s wrong with him?”

Kenji Hagiwara reached out and ruffled Lin Jianyue’s hair. His tone had a hint of deliberate showing off. “He was planning to hit on Jianyue-chan, and I caught him in the act. Even though I didn’t announce it to everyone and didn’t make things difficult for him, it seems like he couldn’t stand being here himself. I heard he’s writing an application to transfer to the bomb squad in your second mobile investigation team.”

He paused, then frowned helplessly. “But from the looks of it, he might cry and change his application to the third team tonight.”

Jinpei Matsuda indifferently lifted his eyelids, as if he wasn’t interested in this kind of gossip. He turned and walked toward the parking lot. “Hurry up and get the car. I’m starving.”

“That’s because you’re too lazy to drive your own car, Little Jinpei.”

“Stop talking.”

The three of them were bickering all the way to the parking lot.

In front of the white four-door car, Jinpei Matsuda unconsciously opened the passenger door, only to be met with Kenji Hagiwara’s pitiful and slightly accusing expression.

Jinpei Matsuda’s movements paused for a moment. He rolled his eyes, reached out, and grabbed the back of Lin Jianyue’s collar, who was about to get into the back seat. “You, go to the front.”

With that, he bent down and got into the back seat himself.

Lin Jianyue stood in front of the open passenger door. She was silent for two seconds as she looked at Kenji Hagiwara’s eyes, which had instantly lit up, then she obediently got in.

Kenji Hagiwara took Lin Jianyue to a restaurant they frequented and found a secluded corner to sit in.

After they ordered their food, the conversation somehow turned to the bombing incident from seven years ago.

Kenji Hagiwara took a sip of the canned iced beer, which had water droplets clinging to the outside. He said softly, “At that time, Little Jinpei and I promised each other on the phone that we would come here to eat once everything was over. If it weren’t for the information you gave us…”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone knew what the rest of it was.

Jinpei Matsuda propped his chin up and looked out the window. When he heard that, he finally turned to look at Lin Jianyue. His tone was flat. “According to what you said, I should have also died three years ago.”

He said it so casually, without any fear of death.

Lin Jianyue couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you scared?”

Jinpei Matsuda glanced at her. His tone didn’t change at all. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I’m not stupid enough to accept death with a smile, but when that day really comes, it seems like it’s not impossible to endure it.” As he said that, the corners of his mouth suddenly curved a little. Even though his eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, Lin Jianyue felt that there must be a bright light in them, like a spark exploding in the night.

Kenji Hagiwara lightly punched his arm. “What a silly thing to say. Little Jinpei, you have to live to be a hundred years old. If you die, I’ll be so sad I’ll cry.”

Jinpei Matsuda raised an eyebrow. “Same to you.”

Lin Jianyue didn’t like such heavy topics. She sucked on her straw and asked, “Then did you catch the bomber?”

Jinpei Matsuda shook his head. “No. We don’t even know what he looks like.”

“I know.” Lin Jianyue put down her cup and looked at the other two. “I can draw him.”

“Even though I can’t be like the protagonist of a novel and kick ass, I at least want to help with this.”

Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda both looked up at the same time. Their eyes instantly lit up. Kenji Hagiwara lowered his eyes, his gaze gentle. “That’s not true. You’ve already helped us so much, Jianyue-chan.”

“And there’s no way we’d let a civilian stand in front of the police,” Jinpei Matsuda said flatly.

Not to mention, the fact that you already know the cruel truth of the world merging and are still willing to stay in Japan is already braver than a lot of people.

Kenji Hagiwara didn’t say the rest of his thoughts. He just smiled and looked at Lin Jianyue’s face.

The owner of the restaurant came over with their food. He was a slightly chubby middle-aged man. His apron had some oil stains on it, and his face was filled with a kind smile.

When he looked at Lin Jianyue, his eyes curved into slits. “Is this Officer Hagiwara’s girlfriend? I’ve heard so much about you. I finally get to meet you today. You really are a very cute girl.”

Kenji Hagiwara’s shoulder immediately leaned toward Lin Jianyue. The happiness on his face was almost overflowing, but he deliberately drew out his words. “Not yet. She’s not my girlfriend yet. Currently, we’re.”

“We’re very good friends!” Lin Jianyue suddenly interjected, afraid that he would say something cringeworthy like keep man again.

Kenji Hagiwara let out a low chuckle and didn’t argue.

The owner was clearly stunned for a moment. He gave Kenji Hagiwara a knowing look, then turned and went back to the kitchen.

After the owner left, Lin Jianyue took out her tablet from her bag and skillfully opened the drawing app.

Jinpei Matsuda swallowed the iced beer in his mouth and raised an eyebrow. “Do you have that tablet welded to your body?”

“Of course, I have to carry it with me at all times, Lin Jianyue said righteously. “Inspiration waits for no one.

Jinpei Matsuda was silent for two seconds. He thought of another workaholic who could work anywhere, and he said in a low voice, “You’d be a great friend with Tooru Amuro.”

When she heard that, Lin Jianyue’s pen paused. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she had a tangled look on her face, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

“What’s wrong?” Kenji Hagiwara leaned over and asked.

Lin Jianyue gestured for the other two to lean in closer and lowered her voice. “I’ve always been very curious.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve watched some fun shows about spies and undercover agents. They said that whether you’re an undercover agent or a spy, the first thing you need to be able to do is to blend in. You can’t have a face that stands out.”

She paused, then looked at the two of them. “Rei Furuya was the only blond person in your class… No, in the history of the Japanese police force. He’s also mixed-race with dark skin, and he was the police academy’s class representative. What were the higher-ups thinking, sending him to be an undercover agent?

“Even if the people from that class weren’t close to him, they should still remember his face, right? Weren’t they afraid that one day a police officer would recognize him on the street and point at him, saying, ‘Hey, isn’t that our class representative from the police academy?'”

Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda both fell into silence. They looked at each other, then slowly returned to their seats and began to eat their noodles with their heads down.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the slurping of noodles.

Lin Jianyue looked at the two of them who had suddenly gone silent. She tapped her stylus on the edge of the tablet twice. The question she wanted to ask swirled around in her mouth a few times before she swallowed it. She changed the subject to something more lighthearted. “Oh, by the way, do you guys have a spare phone number?”

She shook the tablet in her hand. “I want to register a new Twitter account. Since I’ve decided to make a living from drawing, I need a platform to display my work, but my old account was banned.”

Jinpei Matsuda took his phone out of the inner pocket of his suit. “I don’t use Twitter. I can give you my phone number.” He then proceeded to help her register on the spot.

Lin Jianyue’s eyes lit up. Her tone was cheerful. “Thank you, Little Jinpei. You’re so kind!”

The similar way she addressed him made Jinpei Matsuda’s fingers pause. He looked up and glanced at Lin Jianyue. His eyes had a hint of subtle complexity.

His lips moved. Jinpei Matsuda suppressed the urge to complain, lazily looked away, and continued to operate his phone with his head down.

Kenji Hagiwara, who was next to them, chewed a few bites of beef, then his eyes lit up as if he had just thought of something.

He smiled and leaned over, bumping Jinpei Matsuda with his elbow. His tone had a hint of deliberate mischief. “Little Jinpei, I want to take Jianyue-chan on a date this weekend. Can you take a day off and be our third wheel?”

Jinpei Matsuda didn’t even look up. He quickly tapped the last step on his phone screen and coldly spat out one word: “Get lost.”