Rye—Shuichi Akai was truly very useful.
Although he wasn't Rye yet, judging by his current efficiency and frequency in completing missions, he would likely receive a codename within a year.
Morofushi Akihiko, who had already experienced obtaining a codename once, made this judgment.
As for why he knew about Shuichi Akai's mission frequency and workload, it was because he had recently been partnered with Shuichi Akai.
They both happened to be snipers, and given Soshiki's preference for having two members work together, it wasn't strange for them to continue partnering up after having already collaborated before.
Additionally, the circumstances under which Shuichi Akai—or rather, Moroboshi Dai, as he should be called now—joined Soshiki were somewhat ambiguous, so he was under considerable suspicion. Others might not be able to keep him under surveillance, but Scotch certainly had no problem with it.
"Counting it this way, I'm basically working two jobs now," Morofushi Akihiko murmured thoughtfully to himself.
Not only did he have to do the work, but he also had to keep an eye on Shuichi Akai.
Shuichi Akai glanced at Morofushi Akihiko, who was carrying a body and cleaning up the crime scene, thought for half a second, then stepped forward to lend a hand. "Actually, you don't have to do this," he said.
Knowing that Shuichi Akai had misunderstood, Morofushi Akihiko simply smiled and skillfully tidied up the aftermath, ensuring that even Gin wouldn't be able to tell someone had just died here.
Morofushi Akihiko removed his cleaning gloves, sniffed the lingering rubber smell that was hard to eliminate, and washed his hands again.
He dried his hands with a paper towel, walked out of the restroom, and said to Shuichi Akai, who was leaning against the wall waiting for him outside, "The mission is over. We're free to do as we please now."
Shuichi Akai nodded without saying anything more and immediately left the spot.
Although they were now half-partners, the two didn't live together, and Morofushi Akihiko fully respected Shuichi Akai's independence.
Similarly, Shuichi Akai never questioned his actions either.
Compared to dealing with others, during this time partnering with Shuichi Akai, Morofushi Akihiko felt a bit like he was returning to the past.
Back then, Shuichi Akai had already received the codename Rye and occasionally clashed with Bourbon. The two disliked each other—or rather, Bourbon disliked Rye unilaterally.
Thinking of this, Morofushi Akihiko's expression softened considerably.
He was well aware that his current mental state wasn't exactly positive, but it was still within a manageable range for him.
He was no stranger to this kind of pressure.
Ever since his parents were murdered in front of him during his childhood, when his parents told him to hide in a small, dark cabinet, when he covered his mouth, afraid of being discovered by the murderer with a knife outside the closet—
A heavy, bloody shadow from that time had always weighed on his shoulders.
He didn't want to leave Nagano. He didn't want to leave his brother.
He wanted to selfishly cling to his brother and cry, say he wanted his parents, say he didn't want to go to Tokyo.
He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to go to his relatives' house in Tokyo. It was terrifying. He had nightmares every day. He wanted to be with his brother.
But he couldn't.
He couldn't say it out loud.
It would trouble his brother. It would trouble his relatives.
Unable to speak, unable to remember who the murderer was, even his memories became chaotic and blurred.
Holding his uncle's hand in Tokyo, he watched his brother bow to their uncle, saying, "Please take care of Akihiko, Uncle and Aunt."
Because he had nightmares every day, he eventually developed a high fever one day when he could no longer endure it. During that period, his repeated illnesses forced his uncle and aunt to leave one person at home to care for him.
Ah… causing trouble again.
So at that moment, he learned to endure.
He couldn’t trouble his uncle and aunt, so he learned to cook, began taking on household chores, and restrained himself from calling his brother too often.
Whether it was nightmares or illness, even if he was struggling in a nightmare just a moment ago, the next second he could put on a smile as if nothing had happened.
So this level of pressure was still within Morofushi Akihiko’s ability to accept.
Morofushi Akihiko let out a long sigh, easing his suddenly heavy mood.
Just then, a group of children shorter than his waist came running toward him, chasing each other.
The child at the back wore a monster mask on his face and shouted loudly, "I’m going to catch you!"
But perhaps the mask blocked his vision—before he could finish speaking, he tripped over a stone underfoot. He gasped in surprise, the oversized mask slipping from his face as he stumbled forward, about to fall to the ground.
The children ahead instinctively stopped and turned back with panicked expressions. Just as the boy was about to hit the ground, a strong arm steadied him.
"Be careful," Morofushi Akihiko helped the boy stand upright.
Seeing the boy still dazed, Morofushi Akihiko crouched down to pick up the monster mask for him, his tone softening further as he spoke to the child. "This is yours, right?"
They were now in front of a convenience store, where two colorful ribbons fluttered in the wind at the entrance.
Shuichi Akai, carrying a bag of freshly bought yakisuma bread and coffee, paused, slightly surprised to run into the other person here.
But the surprise wasn’t overwhelming.
Due to their mission, they weren’t in Tokyo. This place was remote—so remote that this was the only store nearby. It was only natural for the other person to pass by.
Shuichi Akai lowered his gaze slightly, watching Morofushi Akihiko crouch not far away, smiling and talking to the children, a faint scrutiny appearing in his expression.
He couldn’t understand "Kei Midorikawa" at all.
Midorikawa’s abilities were exceptionally outstanding—so outstanding that it was hard to comprehend why he had joined the Soshiki.
With Midorikawa’s skills, he would undoubtedly receive a Codename sooner or later.
But he didn’t seem like someone from the Soshiki at all—during their time working together, Shuichi Akai had seen him crouch down like this, gently comforting unfamiliar children, more than once.
Even if his hands were stained with blood just moments ago, or he had just disposed of a body, Midorikawa could still curve his eyes and show a gentle smile as if he were an ordinary person.
That wasn’t the main point, though. The most crucial thing was that, for some reason, Midorikawa always carried a strange sense of ease when facing him.
Just like now—even though he had clearly noticed him nearby, he showed no intention of putting up any disguise or guard.
"This monster mask looks quite exquisite," Morofushi Akihiko maintained his smile toward the child.
Easily placated by Morofushi Akihiko, a group of children gathered around him, chattering away.
“I bought this at the last festival!”
“I remember the general store over there had a similar style—”
“Do you like it, big brother? I can give it to you!” the little boy who had been helped up earlier immediately offered.
“Is that okay?” Morofushi Akihiko asked in surprise.
“It’s fine! Besides, there’s going to be another festival soon!”
“Are you going to attend, big brother? I can take you there!”
“That’s so sneaky—Rie!”
“I can take big brother there too!”
“My, how can I possibly refuse?” Morofushi Akihiko smiled even more gently. After a moment’s thought, he put on the menacing oni mask, covering his handsome and gentle face.
Suddenly.
“Wah—!”
The young man wearing the mask let out a shout and began waving his arms and pretending to be a monster to scare the children.
Several of the children immediately cried out, “Ah!” It was hard to tell how many were genuinely frightened and how many were just playing along with Morofushi Akihiko’s antics.
Morofushi Akihiko chuckled softly, his shoulders trembling slightly.
He removed the eerie mask, his smiling eyes curving. “But the other big brother over there is a bit timid. If I go back wearing this mask, he’ll have nightmares and won’t be able to sleep at night. So I can only thank you for your kindness, I’m really sorry.”
Shuichi Akai, who had merely been standing there without leaving: ?
“It’s okay!”
“Wow… really?”
“So the two big brothers are together…”
The children’s curious and concerned gazes fell on him, followed by soft exclamations.
Shuichi Akai faintly heard comments like “His hair is so long,” “So handsome,” and “He looks really fierce.”
He gave his partner, who was tarnishing his reputation, a somewhat speechless look.
The oni mask was still in Morofushi Akihiko’s hand, held beside his face.
The twilight glow cast down, and in the flickering light and shadow, his blue eyes reflected the bizarre oni mask, taking on an eerie, slit-pupiled appearance reminiscent of a feline.
Shuichi Akai frowned, hesitantly taking a step closer to get a better look. But Morofushi Akihiko, who was crouching, turned his head at the movement and looked up at him. His upturned eyes were as clear and gentle as ever, tinged with a hint of confusion.
Shuichi Akai stopped in his tracks, only now noticing the slit pupils in the eye sockets of the oni mask.
…So it was just an optical illusion.
Morofushi Akihiko had already returned the mask to the children, waving goodbye as he coaxed the reluctant group of kids away.
“It seems there’s a festival here soon. Should we stay and attend?” Morofushi Akihiko walked over to Shuichi Akai’s side with a smile, glancing at the bread and coffee he was carrying.
This was exactly why Shuichi Akai couldn’t quite understand his partner’s relaxed demeanor.
If he asked, Morofushi Akihiko would probably complain about his current identity. After all, no matter how many good deeds he did, in the eyes of the Soshiki, he was just pretending to be Gong'an. And no matter how much evil he committed, Gong'an would only think, “How hard his undercover work must be.”
Shuichi Akai shook his head, not bothering with any tact, and said bluntly, “No.”
The lingering twilight cast long shadows on the ground for them, while two colorful ribbons at the shop entrance drifted slowly in the air, their falling shadows just covering Morofushi Akihiko's silhouette.
The translucent shadows of the ribbons swayed behind Morofushi Akihiko like two tails, lively and agile.
"What a pity," Morofushi Akihiko said slowly.
Author's Note:
Yes, after the system encountered ghost Matsuda, our newly introduced character is the yōkai Akihiko!
However, this setting is only part of the background. Hiro himself doesn’t know about it yet, and there are no beast ears or tails. A hospital checkup would only show him as an ordinary person in good health. But it will give Hiro a certain enhancement in physical abilities (without this, this world would be too terrifying).
PS: The main story will not include any elements of beast ears or tails, so for now, it can be assumed that the world remains scientifically grounded. From others’ perspectives, no one will know about yōkai, let any supernatural factors.
Except for Koizumi Akako and Kuroba Kaito.jpg