The Gods Are Fighting Over Me - Chapter 5

Kenji Hagiwara met with the sketch artist from the Public Security Bureau.

He expected it to take a while, but the artist captured Lin Jianyue’s features in just a few strokes. The entire process only took five minutes, and the artist didn’t even need to make any corrections.

Kenji looked at the finished drawing in awe. “That fast?”

The artist paused as he packed his charcoal pencils. “It’s all thanks to Officer Hagiwara’s accurate description.”

He put all his tools into a pencil case. “Usually, witnesses say ‘I think’ or ‘I guess’ and can’t describe the target accurately. They need to come back and make changes after I finish the sketch. But you… You remembered even the number of her eyelashes.”

Kenji smiled, not continuing the conversation.

In the past six months that Lin Jianyue had been gone from his dreams, he had re-imagined her face in his mind countless times. With thousands of rehearsals, how could he possibly make a mistake?

The artist didn’t mind Kenji’s silence. He turned to pull the sketch from the board, but Kenji suddenly reached out and held it down, stopping him.

As the higher-ranking officer, Kenji rarely showed such a cautious side, but when he met the artist’s confused gaze, he did, though it might have been intentional. “I have an unreasonable request.”

“Officer Hagiwara, you’re too kind. Please, just tell me what I can do to help.”

“Could you give me this drawing?”

The artist looked troubled. “That… I’m aafraid that’s against the rules…”

Kenji’s tone was gentle, but his eyes held an unwavering persistence and a hint of pleading. “The Public Security Bureau only needs a digital copy for their records. I’ll lock this drawing in a drawer in my room. No one will ever find out. Please, can you make an exception?”

He knew about the unique nature of the Public Security Bureau and its authority. He was testing the man’s boundaries to gauge the seriousness of the situation, and at the same time, to try and get something for himself.

An invisible pressure radiated out. The artist shrank back, trying to pull the drawing from Kenji’s grasp. He struggled secretly, but seeing that Kenji wasn’t letting go, he gave up.

 He stammered for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence.

Just as he was at a loss, Kenji’s phone rang. Rei Furuya’s voice came through the speaker. “Don’t make it difficult for him. I had Kazami give him the highest confidentiality order. He can’t give you the drawing.”

“Oh, okay…” Kenji loosened his grip a little.

Taking advantage of Kenji’s momentary release, the artist frantically yanked the drawing from the board, rolled it up haphazardly, and scurried out the door as if Kenji might change his mind.

Kenji didn’t chase him. He looked around, bent down, and searched the room. Half a minute later, he found a miniature camera tucked under the desk.

He held the camera and deliberately drew out the end of his words. “That’s not fair, Furuya-kun. You’re spying on me? You really don’t trust me, do you?”

Rei’s voice was a bit higher than usual, sounding like he was used to his friend’s tricks. “Don’t start. This was secretly installed to catch the mole in the Public Security Bureau.”

Kenji chuckled, carefully putting the camera back where it was. After closing the soundproof door, he finally voiced the growing unease and confusion in his heart. “Do you know where Jianyue-chan is?”

“I only know she’s in Tokyo. But I’m certain that her world is merging with yours. And—” A car horn blared on the other end of the line, and Rei’s words cut off, his tone becoming urgent. “Something’s come up. I’ll call you back.”

Then he hung up.

Kenji listened to the sudden dial tone, feeling an inexplicable sense of loneliness. He opened the window, and the cool morning breeze rushed in, ruffling his dark hair.

He gazed at the distant skyline, his eyes drifting without a place to land. The buildings were jumbled together, and people were moving everywhere. Maybe Lin Jianyue was in some corner he couldn’t see, going about her busy day.

When he returned to the Security Department, the police station had already been open for an hour. Kenji Hagiwara’s subordinates were gathered in the public office area of Mobile Unit 1, listening to Tanaka’s nonsense.

Tanaka said confidently, “I’m not bragging. She definitely likes me!”

Someone jeered. “Give me a break, Tanaka. You didn’t even get her contact information. How can you be so sure she likes you?”

Tanaka tried to argue. “It’s true! She really likes me! You should’ve seen how seriously and affectionately she was looking at me!”

Someone else asked, “Before all that, tell us what she’s like.”

Kenji had to cross the entire common area to get to his office. He had been promoted to police inspector, just two ranks below the Security Department Director.

Kenji was not interested in his subordinates’ conversation about a mixer, only catching snippets as he walked past.

He knew Yumi Miyamoto had gotten Tanaka to take his place at the mixer. Yumi was well-liked. Men and women alike were happy to be her friend, and her gossip always spread quickly through the lower ranks of the police department.

Just as Kenji put his hand on his office doorknob and was about to go in, Tanaka’s voice from a distance stopped him.

“She’s a super cute Chinese exchange student. I think she’s an art major. Her smile is so sweet! She’s so, so cute!”

A chorus of jeers rose from the group around Tanaka. They laughed and shoved him, saying he had fallen in love with her at first sight. Some also teased him, saying they never would have guessed that Tanaka was such a romantic.

Kenji suddenly regretted it. Maybe he should have gone to the mixer. What if the Chinese exchange student Tanaka was talking about was Lin Jianyue?

Lin Jianyue had told him she was preparing to go to Japan for her master’s degree.

What if it was her? What if his hesitation had made him miss his chance to meet her? He should have gone. Even with a one-in-a-million chance, he should have gone to check.

But Kenji felt relieved just as quickly, the corners of his lips curling into a silent, self-deprecating smile.

Why would I go to that stupid mixer?

If Lin Jianyue really was the exchange student Tanaka was talking about, what did that make him? An ex-boyfriend who was ignored?

And what if the Chinese exchange student wasn’t Lin Jianyue? If he went to the mixer and later met her, how would he explain his motivation?

“I was worried you’d be there, so I decided to go to the mixer to find you.”

Forget it. That would only make him look like a two-timing jerk.

Kenji opened his office door. Through the widening gap, you could vaguely see two blue folders on his desk waiting to be processed. Next to the folders was a small doll that looked like Kenji, with a black suit and sunglasses, no bigger than the palm of his hand.

According to Lin Jianyue, this thing was called a “NuNu,” a product from her world.

Kenji had no idea how it had appeared in his world.

The month before Lin Jianyue was about to disappear from his dreams, she had hooked his belt and tucked the doll that looked like him into a loop. “This is a gift for you.”

“It looks a lot like me. Did you make it yourself?”

“No, this is an official NuNu merchandise. I bought a whole bunch, enough to cover a whole bed.”

“NuNu?”

“It’s a plush doll.”

Kenji’s smile was soft. “You like it a lot, Jianyue-chan?”

Lin Jianyue tugged on his tie, signaling for him to bend down. Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Yes, I love it. I’ve fantasized countless times about you standing in front of me in a cool black suit. It must be incredibly charming.”

Then the dream ended.

That day, when Kenji opened his eyes, he could still feel the warmth of Lin Jianyue’s kiss on his cheek. He got up for a drink of water before going back to bed, but when he reached under his pillow, he felt a stuffed doll. It was the same one she had tucked into his belt loop.

That was the whole story of how the doll appeared in his world.

The memory ended.

Now, Kenji stared at the doll he cherished on his desk, suddenly remembering what Rei Furuya had said a few minutes ago.

“Her world is merging with yours.”

Kenji lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a light shadow on the purple irises that reflected the doll. He thought that their worlds must have started to merge the moment the NuNu appeared.

Kenji pushed his messy thoughts aside and went back to his office to handle some paperwork. When he looked up again, it was already time for the Mobile Unit’s training, and he had already missed most of it.

The Security Department was different from others; they had to stay in peak physical condition to be ready for any violent conflicts.

As the captain of Mobile Unit 1, Kenji could choose to either participate in the training or watch and supervise.

He picked up the neatly stacked training schedules from the various teams on his desk, flipped through them, and decided to go observe Tanaka’s Bomb Disposal Squad.

Training in the Security Department was not as strict as at the police academy. Kenji didn’t interfere too much with his team members’ idle chatter during training.

When he arrived, Tanaka had already finished his basic physical training and was waiting to defuse a bomb. The number of training bombs the police department could provide was limited, so they sometimes had to wait in line. Or they would split into different teams and rotate training on different days.

Tanaka, still wearing his heavy protective suit and holding his shield, was still excitedly talking about the mixer with the people around him.

Kenji lowered his eyes, about to walk past them with no interest, when Tanaka’s voice stopped him.

“Her name is Lin Jianyue, Rin Mizuki. It’s a beautiful name.”

“When I get her to go out with me, I’ll bring her here to meet you guys.”

Lin Jianyue’s name was a powerful jolt of electricity that exploded in Kenji’s mind. His ears rang, and the world spun.

In an instant, a flurry of absurd thoughts grew like vines from his heart, wrapping tightly around him and making it hard to breathe.

Kenji wanted to rush over, grab Tanaka by the collar, and scold him for trying to steal someone else’s girlfriend and even thinking about trying to win her over.

To hell with love at first sight! I won’t allow it!

But then, Kenji deflated, like a balloon with a sudden needle prick.

He could feel it.

Lin Jianyue’s love for him was real and undeniable, but she had never seen him as someone she could marry, have children with, and spend the rest of her life with. Even when she had wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into his eyes to say she wanted to marry him.

If it weren’t for a certain kiss with her when his phone suddenly…

Otherwise, he never would have been so determined to cling to her, even if they could only meet in his dreams.

Tanaka, who had been talking animatedly, was the first to notice Kenji. He immediately stood up straight and bowed to him. “Captain Hagiwara!”

The previously relaxed bomb squad officers also quickly got to work, like employees who were caught slacking when the boss suddenly appeared.

“Relax, don’t be so tense,” Kenji said with a casual wave of his hand, his face looking terrifyingly dark.

He dragged a chair with a backrest from a corner and sat down in front of the bomb. “Just continue. Pretend I’m not here. Don’t mind me.”

The bomb squad members were silent for two seconds before they all lowered their heads. Are you kidding me? Kenji’s resentment was greater than a ghost’s right now, making it hard for them to breathe. It was impossible to pretend he wasn’t there.

But no one dared to question Kenji. They just kept their heads down, trying to block his view with their bodies as they shakily started to disassemble the training bomb.

For them, a group of guys who could only get an 80 on a test, being watched by a genius was incredibly stressful. And when that genius was also the boss who could decide their promotions, it was even more terrifying.

One of the officers in line to practice bomb disposal secretly glanced at Kenji’s expression out of the corner of his eye. His gaze met Kenji’s by chance, and he immediately looked down in a panic, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

Just yesterday, he had been bragging to a colleague from Unit 2 about what a good-natured boss he had. Unlike Officer Matsuda, who always had a scowl on his face and could crush people with his aura. But now, with Kenji sitting there with a dark expression, radiating negativity, the sense of oppression was even stronger.

In less than half a minute, the officers defusing the bomb under Kenji’s gaze were drenched in sweat, their shirts sticking to their backs.

Kenji sat backward in the chair, his chin resting on his hand, staring at the disassembled bomb, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

He was thinking about the mixer he had missed yesterday.

It’s okay, Kenji. He told himself.

Lin Jianyue just went to a mixer behind his back. It wasn’t like she was looking for a new boyfriend. Why should he be mad? Japanese mixers are different from Chinese ones. They’re not all for matchmaking; a lot of them are just for making friends.

Lin Jianyue had just arrived in Japan and didn’t know anyone. It was perfectly normal for her to make new friends at a mixer.

Kenji lowered his eyelids, trying to find excuses for Lin Jianyue. He was preoccupied with his thoughts, seeming completely lost in his own world, but he was still effortlessly taking in every step of his subordinates’ bomb defusal.

He suddenly spoke up, directing his words to the subordinate who was holding pliers to a blue wire. “Think before you cut. If this were a real bomb, you would have just blown us up.”

The police officer doing the practice run jumped in surprise and looked at Kenji like a startled chick.  I’m sorry, Inspector Hagiwara. I’ll be more careful.”

The officer’s timid appearance was particularly irritating today. Kenji sighed, no longer in the mood to stay.

He got up from the chair, deciding to go back and finish his paperwork. “Time’s up. You guys can go get some lunch. We’ll continue the training in the afternoon.” With that, he left without looking back.