The Gods Are Fighting Over Me - Chapter 8

Lin Jianyue didn’t know how much damage her words “ex-husband” had done. She clutched her handbag, tilting her head as she seriously wondered why her friend had scheduled the second companion for the evening.

Nighttime, a strange man, a foreign city. And a date.

No matter how you combined these four words, it didn’t feel right. It subtly hinted at danger. The initial excitement she had felt when she first saw Kenji Hagiwara slowly receded, replaced by the unease of being alone with a strange man.

She instinctively took half a step back, her heel grinding against the small stones on the pavement with a soft crunch.

His purple eyes narrowed, reflecting Lin Jianyue’s defensive stance. Kenji Hagiwara’s lips parted, and he called her name softly, “Jianyue-chan.”

The streetlights and moonlight cast a halo on his face, a face that could attract anyone. He was frowning slightly, looking at her pitifully, but in his eyes was an indescribable, twisted resentment.

His fingers, like a device with aging springs, twitched slightly by his side, caught in a struggle between restraint and impulse.

Desire crashed against him, urging him to quickly pull Lin Jianyue into his arms and gently caress her cheek with his fingertips. But reason held back the urge, ordering him to stay put.

Kenji Hagiwara’s eyes quickly scanned her from head to toe, his eyebrows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

There were faint dark circles under Lin Jianyue’s eyes, as if she had been pulling just as many all-nighters as Rei Furuya. Her slender body now looked as thin as a piece of paper that a strong wind could blow away.

She hadn’t been doing well in the six months since she had been gone.

Kenji’s gaze went past her and landed on the “ex-husband,” who was on the phone behind her. A cold glint flashed in his eyes before he looked back at her face.

He tried to figure out what was on her mind, lowering his voice with a hint of a pleading tone. “Jianyue-chan, it’s been a long time.”

The end of his words was sticky and sweet, wrapped in unsaid longing.

Kenji Hagiwara stared at Lin Jianyue without blinking, taking in every detail of her appearance. The slight trembling of his eyelashes added a touch of vulnerability to his otherwise mature demeanor.

The affection in his eyes was as thick as unmelting syrup, a raging wave hidden beneath a calm surface. It left Lin Jianyue stunned.

Love can be acted out, and so can pain.

But the emotions in Kenji Hagiwara’s eyes were too real, too overwhelming. They were enough to be a stone thrown into a peaceful lake, creating a small ripple in Lin Jianyue’s quiet world.

Lin Jianyue stared blankly into Kenji Hagiwara’s eyes, not even realizing that the distance between them was slowly closing because of his intentional movements.

One step.

Two steps.

Kenji was like a mesmerizing fox demon, his beautiful purple eyes pulling all of Lin Jianyue’s attention like a magnet, dragging her down.

“Jianyue-chan.” The name rolled off his tongue, sickeningly intimate. His fingers slowly reached for hers. Just thinking about the moment they would touch made Kenji’s pinky tremble.

“Jianyue!” The “man” who had been on the phone with the client finally finished his call. “He” rushed over in a few steps, stepping between them. “He” raised an arm to block Kenji’s attempt to get closer, shielding Lin Jianyue behind him.

The thick atmosphere popped like a bubble. Lin Jianyue subconsciously took the “man’s” arm, her eyes darting between the two of them. She asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

The “man” glared at Kenji Hagiwara warily, the deliberately deep male voice not wavering at all. “Your friend only hired me for one companion. I don’t know where this guy came from.”

“Huh?!”

The way Lin Jianyue looked at Kenji Hagiwara changed instantly. Layers of caution were hidden behind her tightly knitted eyebrows.

“Jianyue, let’s go!” The “man” shot Kenji a fierce look and pulled her by the forearm in the opposite direction.

The “man’s” movements, as he” shielded Lin Jianyue and walked away, were reflected in Kenji Hagiwara’s eyes, stimulating his nerves. A voice kept echoing in his ear, like a demon whispering: Don’t let them leave. Stop her.

In the next moment, the “man’s” force was suddenly removed, and “his” palm felt empty.

It might have been a police fighting technique or a unique combat skill of the Mobile Unit. By the time the two of them realized what was happening, Lin Jianyue was no longer in the “man’s” arms, but in Kenji Hagiwara’s embrace.

Kenji Hagiwara was much taller than Lin Jianyue, or rather, he was taller than most Japanese people. He stood behind her, one hand on her waist, and the other lightly on the forearm the “man” had just held, as if to use his body heat to erase the “man’s” touch.

Kenji bent down. His messy, long hair fell near Lin Jianyue’s ear, creating a faint tickle. His head was lowered, but his purple eyes looked up, a cold, emotionless gaze on the “man,” a clear warning.

Being suddenly pulled into an embrace made Lin Jianyue’s body tense up. Goosebumps erupted from where he touched her, spreading out like waves.

She wanted to push him away and tell him to get lost, but she just froze. Her body recognized the person behind her before her mind did.

The scent of men’s cologne enveloped her, weaving a fine net that wrapped around her.

The top notes of bergamot mixed with sweet orange flashed by, quickly replaced by the woody scent of eucalyptus, which was deep and clear. Unlike the character perfumes released by Shogakukan, the scent on Kenji Hagiwara was a higher-end, more lingering fragrance.

Lin Jianyue remembered this scent.

She had rested her head on his chest countless times, wrapped in his body heat and presence, breathing in his warm breath.

Occasionally, Kenji Hagiwara’s scent would mix with the smell of sweat and a hint of musk. The man’s fragrance, warmed by his body, was more intense, like a glass of whiskey with ice—harsh yet alluring.

Now, Kenji Hagiwara was standing behind Lin Jianyue. His presence, his scent, and even the warmth of his palm on her forearm were so familiar that it made Lin Jianyue’s heart skip a beat.

The familiar scent closed in again. Kenji’s voice was close to her ear, soft and sweet as he called her name. “Jianyue-chan, why didn’t you come see me?”

The hand on her waist tightened slightly, but he held back from pulling her fully into his arms.

“You said you were going to check in at the police department. Why didn’t you come find me?”

 The words were caught in Lin Jianyue’s throat.

A vague theory exploded in her mind. The truth was like looking through frosted glass; the outline was right in front of her, but she couldn’t make it out.

The huge amount of information overloaded her thoughts. Her mind buzzed, like an old television with a broken signal, full of static.

“You, who are you and what do you want!?” The “man” who had been pushed aside finally panicked, the male voice he had maintained all day finally faltering and letting out a hint of a clear female voice.

On the screen of the phone in “his” hand, the numbers “110” were displayed. As soon as the situation changed, “he” would immediately press the green call button and call the police.

Kenji Hagiwara looked up, his gaze falling back on the “man.” He stared at “him” for a few seconds, then let out a low, self-deprecating laugh, so soft it could be carried away by the wind.

The elite police officer who was consistently praised by the police department for his “excellent insight” had only just realized that the “man” he had been so jealously watching was actually a woman. He really was, as Jinpei Matsuda had said, blind with love and lost his mind.

If the person dressed as a man in front of him was actually a woman, then… Lin Jianyue’s “ex-husband” comment must have been about him being a gigolo for some kind of role-playing service.

The heavy weight on his heart suddenly lifted, but another emotion slowly rose in his throat, making him feel sick.

A gigolo?

Ha.

The person in his arms suddenly moved, their shoulders trembling slightly.

Noticing that she had tensed up again, Kenji Hagiwara, with a speed that was the exact opposite of his excellent reflexes, slowly let go of Lin Jianyue’s waist.

“I think… I should be considered Jianyue-chan’s boyfriend.” Kenji answered the question of the “man” who was glaring at him, then put a hand on Lin Jianyue’s shoulder, helping her turn to face him.

Lin Jianyue was covered by Kenji Hagiwara’s shadow, but she kept her head down, refusing to look at him. Unlike Kenji, who had long accepted the manga setting, she seemed unable to process what was happening in front of her.

“Jianyue.”

Kenji called out to Lin Jianyue, his voice gentle and sweet.

Lin Jianyue’s eyelashes fluttered, but she didn’t respond.

“Jianyue.”

He said her name again, with a hint of coaxing.

It wasn’t until the third time he called her name, with a voice as sweet as honey, that she shakily looked up, looking at him through her anxiety.

Her red lips parted, and Lin Jianyue asked softly, “Kenji Hagiwara?”

A flicker of surprise flashed in Kenji Hagiwara’s eyes, bright as a star.

She finally realized who he was.

But it wasn’t enough.

Not nearly enough.

Kenji Hagiwara had imagined their first meeting in reality many times.

She might excitedly cover her mouth and let out a small shriek. She might stand there, stunned, her eyes wide, letting out an exaggerated “huh.” Or maybe she would be so scared she would turn and run, and it would take a long time for her to come around and cry tears of joy.

But she didn’t do any of that.

She just stared blankly at Kenji Hagiwara’s face, so close to her. Fear slowly started to well up in her clear eyes, which also held the fatigue of many late nights.

“…This has to be a joke,” Lin Jianyue muttered to herself.

A sudden, excited female shriek came from the diagonal direction. Lin Jianyue looked over. A huge LED screen was high in the night sky, showing a face Lin Jianyue was all too familiar with—Shinichi Kudo.

The high school detective, who hadn’t been shrunk by the drug yet, had a pretend-serious expression on his face, but he couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from turning up. Microphones with TV station logos were crammed in front of his face, and flashlights lit up like a sea of stars, crackling nonstop.

“It’s Shinichi Kudo!”

“Oh my god, he’s so hot!”

A few young women walked past Lin Jianyue. They were shrieking softly in excitement, talking about Shinichi Kudo’s intelligence and good looks.

Lin Jianyue stared at the distant LED screen, a sharp pain pulsing in her temples as if they were being pricked by needles.

She had been in Japan for almost six months and had never been able to find the Beika TV station on her television. But now, in the corner of the screen, those words were glaringly clear.

And Officer Megure, who had just flashed by in the shot.

And the body was covered by a white sheet, with thick, crimson bl00d stains on it.

A wave of absurdity washed over her.

It was as if she had walked into a massive play, or was the victim of some kind of Japanese prank show. But even the craziest Japanese variety show wouldn’t point the camera at a random person like her. Japanese law didn’t allow filming strangers without their permission.

So…

Everything happening in front of her was real, not a prank, and not a dream, was it?

The world seemed to be developing in a way that Lin Jianyue could not understand.

Her body started to shake. The suffocating feeling of being out of control crashed over her like a tsunami.

“Huh? This can’t be real.”

Lin Jianyue forced a smile, but her eyes were full of fear of her life spiraling out of control.

Plop.

A large teardrop fell to the ground, splashing like a flower, and making Kenji lose his composure again.