Chapter 43: Their choice.
Although some of the explanations were provided, many mysteries remained. However, Morofushi Hiromitsu did not pursue the matter further.
Even if they act as if they are very familiar with each other, in reality, they have only known each other for a maximum of three days, including today.
Morofushi Hiromitsu is a rather slow-to-warm-up person. In a sense, he is not as easy to get along with as Furuya Rei. Well, you can also understand it as "getting along" literally.
Moreover, having stayed overnight at someone else's house after only knowing each other for a few days is indeed moving too fast.
Hagiwara Kenji noticed this and subtly used his silliness to bring the two new friends into the atmosphere.
That being said... it doesn't mean he really wanted to get himself into trouble!
"I was out all day, and then I even made a recording call. My phone lasting this long is amazing! I just forgot to charge it—"
"But your sister doesn't know." Matsuda Jinpei said coolly from the side.
"Speaking of which, what are your plans now, Sora'aki-chan?"
Sitting on the bed, Morofushi Sora'aki glanced at him: "Hmm?"
"So this is Hiromitsu-chan's explanation?" Hagiwara Kenji said, "It's one thing if we don't ask, but you do have a connection with them, right? What if his brother asks about it...?"
"Why do I need to explain?" Morofushi Sora'aki said, "Just like what Tomori Hajime said, I just suddenly wanted to go back to Nagano, so I went back."
"..." Hagiwara Kenji: "Don't try to learn everything!"
Matsuda Jinpei: "You really need to change your habit of copying whatever you see or hear."
Morofushi Sora'aki: "...Is that so?"
Morofushi Sora'aki sat cross-legged against the wall, looking down at his two friends who were sleeping on the floor: "But I'm a little confused about what's good and what's bad."
"...In short, don't learn from Hagi?" Matsuda Jinpei gave an example.
"What do you mean! Well, I should also say don't study with Jinpei-chan!"
After watching the two of them finish arguing, Hagiwara Kenji tidied his messy hair, thought for a moment, and said, "Well, how should I put it, you did a good job now?"
This is probably related to his older brother being a police officer; at least that chuunibyou brother even explained his actions when playing with guns in the arcade.
The only thing to be careful about is social interaction. Having figured this out, Hagiwara Kenji said, "You don't have to be too deliberate. You just need to remember that when you're joking, it's only okay if the person being joked with also finds it funny."
"Just like our usual interactions, we rarely get angry. When we do get angry, we apologize... Thinking about it that way, Sora'aki-chan, you do a great job in that respect!"
Morofushi Sora'aki nodded thoughtfully.
"But I have a question—well, this is the last time!" Hagiwara Kenji asked, tilting his head back, "Can't you really explain your family situation to us?"
"Regarding this matter." Morofushi Sora'aki tilted his head, "I clearly told you about it a long time ago."
Hagiwara Kenji was clearly taken aback.
Because Morofushi Sora'aki's room was simply not big enough for five teenagers who were still growing, and also to allow Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei to relax a bit, they split up three into two groups, letting the other two squeeze into the living room.
Morofushi Sora'aki couldn't even spare a spare blanket. In response, Morofushi Sora'aki said, "I had prepared for you, but I didn't expect four people to come at once."
"Yes, thank you." Matsuda Jinpei replied with a perfunctory expression of gratitude.
Fortunately, the weather is still quite hot, so I'm not afraid of catching a cold.
"Speaking of which... do we still have to go to school tomorrow?" Hagiwara Kenji asked the most important question.
"...Other people's family matters don't seem to affect our classes?"
"...It seems so?"
"Hiromitsu can just ask for leave, since it's related to him... Um, what about Furuya?"
"So, can I expect to see Furuya getting up early in the morning and rushing to school?"
"Why?" Morofushi Sora'aki asked, "Rei... why can't Furuya take leave together? Isn't he Morofushi Hiromitsu's childhood friend?" They're practically family.
"Um?"
"Ah..."
"Too?"
"After all, it's childhood friendship…" Hagiwara Kenji suddenly realized, "Wait a minute, isn't this the kind of term used for childhood friends?!"
"Is it not allowed?"
"It's not impossible..."
The topic had once again been steered off course. Sitting in the living room, neither of them were asleep, Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei exchanged glances. Furuya Rei paused for a second before speaking, "Shouldn't we remind them that this house has terrible soundproofing?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu thought for a moment and said, "I think I'll pass. It feels a bit awkward."
Furuya Rei: But I feel that not saying it would only make things more awkward.
After pondering for a moment, Morofushi Hiromitsu asked, "So, Matsuda just called me 'Danna'? Did it have any special meaning?"
Furuya Rei: So you were thinking about this problem all this time?!
One night passed without dreams. Besides the carefree Morofushi Sora'aki, there were also Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji, who had already stayed up all night, and Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei, who also didn't sleep well.
Yesterday, all the necessary statements and testimonies were taken, and there was no longer anything to do with Morofushi Sora'aki. Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei got up early to go home and get their school bags. When they opened their room door, they saw Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei, who were already up.
"You guys woke up so early?" Matsuda Jinpei casually took some bread from the refrigerator and handed it to them. "Have something?"
"Ah, thank you." After taking it, Morofushi Hiromitsu said, "I contacted my brother. He's on his way from Nagano now. I'm planning to pick him up."
"Two hours?" Matsuda Jinpei nodded. "No need to wait for Raki to get up, he's sleeping in."
Morofushi Hiromitsu hesitated for a moment: "By the way, my brother wants to thank you. Are you free this afternoon?"
"I'm all set. I'll ask Raki about it for you later," Matsuda Jinpei yawned.
After finishing his work here, Matsuda Jinpei felt something was off. Only after watching Morofushi Hiromitsu and Furuya Rei leave did Matsuda Jinpei suddenly turn around: "Wait? This is your job, isn't it? Why am I the one explaining?!"
"Haha, Jinpei-chan has grown up so much, I'm so touched." Hagiwara Kenji leaned against the refrigerator with a smile, drinking some iced milk he had taken out to clear his head.
They often visited each other's homes and stayed overnight, and they were used to taking whatever was in the refrigerator—especially the pudding that was specially marked with a name, specifically labeled "Hagiwara Kenji".
Products labeled "Hagiwara Chihaya" are untouched. If someone accidentally eats something that belongs to someone else, they'll immediately buy the same product to apologize.
Morofushi Sora'aki's refrigerator was filled by the group of them together—they would even put things they dared not keep at home in Morofushi Sora'aki's place—so there was no need to worry about it.
After Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji went home, Morofushi Sora'aki also got up. He still looked sleepy and lazily greeted his two friends: "Good morning."
Throughout the entire day of classes, Morofushi Sora'aki barely listened to a single word; he deliberately avoided letting too much boring stuff enter his mind.
"But that's no excuse for sleeping all day! Do you know how scary the way your teacher looked at you today was?!"
Morofushi Sora'aki: "I was asleep, I don't know."
Hagiwara Kenji was speechless.
Matsuda Jinpei yawned, already used to this kind of everyday conversation: "Hiro asked if you have class this afternoon, his brother wants to see you."
"Isn't that a bit too direct?" Hagiwara Kenji retorted.
Morofushi Sora'aki thought for a moment and said, "I don't mind."
"Okay, Hagi, you contact them."
"...So in the end it's still my job?!"
The three people present were all highly efficient, and the other side was the same; they immediately confirmed their meeting time as soon as they agreed.
To make things easier for Morofushi Sora'aki, Morofushi Taka'aki arranged to meet at a café near Sora'aki's house. Since they were all minors, going to an izakaya (Japanese pub) was out of the question.
After the three people entered, Morofushi Taka'aki immediately stood up from his seat. When he saw Morofushi Sora'aki, Morofushi Taka'aki's reaction was not significant, probably because Morofushi Hiromitsu had told him beforehand, but a hint of surprise still flashed in his eyes.
However, that's not the point now. Morofushi Taka'aki bowed slightly to the three young men and said, "Excuse me, it should have been me who came to visit and express my gratitude, not you all."
"I am truly grateful to everyone for catching the real culprit."
"Uh, no need... it was just a small favor!" Hagiwara Kenji was also encountering someone who spoke in such a refined manner for the first time, and he hesitated for a moment before speaking, but he quickly adapted and explained, "It really was a coincidence. After all, the other party was the one who followed Sora'aki-chan first, which is why we were able to catch him... Oh, right, shouldn't we introduce ourselves first?"
After the two sides introduced themselves, they chatted about the topic of outer defense for a while, and Morofushi Taka'aki did not specifically ask about Morofushi Sora'aki's situation.
Throughout the entire process, Morofushi Sora'aki rested his chin on his hand, appearing quite casual and showing no signs of nervousness or panic. However, he took the initiative to speak when it came to handling the outer defense.
"I have a question." Morofushi Sora'aki looked at the two people sitting opposite him who bore some resemblance to him: "If we disregard the law, what kind of ending do you hope for Tomori Hajime? Do you hope he dies?"
Morofushi Sora'aki grasped the amulet he had taken off; even through the fabric, the sharp edges of the stone still felt rough to the touch.
This was a question that no one had considered, and it could even be considered impolite.
Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei clearly wanted to say something, but for some reason, neither of them spoke.
Morofushi Taka'aki was also taken aback, but he didn't give a perfunctory answer. He even thought about it seriously for a while before saying, "I'm sorry, I may not be able to give you an answer. Because I am a police officer, I cannot answer this question without considering the law."
This answer was a bit cunning, but anyone could see that it was indeed a very serious response from Morofushi Taka'aki.
Noticing that Morofushi Sora'aki's gaze had fallen on him, Morofushi Hiromitsu was silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile: "How should I put it... my parents' matter has always been my obsession?"
"But after the case was actually solved, after we found out who the murderer was... I can't describe my feelings right now?" Morofushi Hiromitsu answered honestly, "If there were no law, I would expect him to pay with his life in return, right? But that feeling is too light and fleeting, I can't grasp it... It doesn't feel real to me."
"So, I think this is the best possible ending." Morofushi Hiromitsu touched his cheek. "Isn't that a bit too hypocritical?"
"No, I think it's amazing," said Morofushi Sora'aki. "So, have you forgiven him?"
This time, both Morofushi Taka'aki and Morofushi Hiromitsu chose to deny it; they could never forgive the murderer who killed their parents.
Morofushi Sora'aki said, "That's why I said you're very powerful."
"Because, if it were me, I would never forgive him."
So-called forgiveness is nothing more than slowly "forgetting" the hatred of that time over time, but Morofushi Sora'aki could never forget that.
Morofushi Sora'aki gripped his protective charm tightly again and asked, "Then, if it happened again, and the case hadn't occurred yet, would you choose to kill the culprit beforehand?"
However, the moment he asked the question, Morofushi Sora'aki knew the answer; he knew the choices these two people would make.