Chapter 66: Why hesitate?
After Amuro Touko or Furuya Rei left, Morofushi Sora'aki remained standing in the same spot without moving.
He was holding a can of cola in his hand. Water droplets that had condensed on the surface of the can due to the temperature difference gathered together and slid down before dripping onto the ground.
He'd been tricked into revealing information. Morofushi Sora'aki took a sip of his cola. If Nozaki existed in this world, he figured the other guy's lolicon tendencies would be undeniable.
Morofushi Sora'aki drank the rest of the cola in one gulp. The bubbles brought a strange stinging and irritating sensation as they passed through his throat. A dozen seconds later, Morofushi Sora'aki burped.
Savoring the taste of cola in his mouth, Morofushi Sora'aki threw the can into the trash can, but a strange intuition made him suddenly stop and look in one direction.
This time, Morofushi Sora'aki didn't feel any prying eyes; it was just a strange intuition.
Moreover, this feeling wasn't new—it had occurred once before in the Good Friends World, right when he first met Morofushi Hiromitsu.
Having vaguely realized the answer, Morofushi Sora'aki thought carefully for two seconds and finally decided to stand still.
After all, whether it's a good friend or a complete stranger, no matter how the world changes, the older brother always has the same face, but this time it's the older sister!
Morofushi Sora'aki admitted that he had a great deal of curiosity about this, but as the other person was about to get close, the request his brother had made earlier suddenly flashed through his mind.
Because of work, even if he ran into his brother, he had to pretend he didn't know him and couldn't greet him. Rei-nii, Rei-nee... well, anyway, it was her. She didn't seem to have the same aura as the Furuya Rei that Morofushi Sora'aki remembered. Although she hid it well, Morofushi Sora'aki could vaguely sense something was amiss.
So, the brothers and sisters in this world... no, wait.
Morofushi Sora'aki pressed his temples; he had even forgotten how to address him.
"...My brother will find this troublesome." Morofushi Sora'aki muttered to himself, and finally chose to leave in the opposite direction.
However, not far from him, a woman with shoulder-length short hair and wearing a blue hoodie showed a slightly hesitant expression at this moment.
Was it her imagination? She felt like she had just seen...
The woman narrowed her upturned, cat-like eyes; a sniper's eyes are rarely off-target. But just as she was about to follow, her phone vibrated in her pocket.
She stopped, took out her phone and glanced at the familiar code on it. When she looked up again, the vague sensation she had just felt had vanished.
"Never mind, let's go back." The black-haired, cat-eyed woman said softly, and then headed back the way she came.
After leaving this place, Morofushi Sora'aki didn't know where to go. He only came to his senses when he was already standing at the door of his home address.
Morofushi Sora'aki hesitated for two seconds, looked at the "Yamamoto" sign on the door, and took a step back.
Forget it, I'll just go buy a cake instead.
However, accidents often happen at this time. Just as Morofushi Sora'aki had chosen a dessert shop with a decent reputation online, bought the cake, paid the bill, and was about to find a seat with the cake, his eyes met those of two ladies walking in side by side at the door.
One of them had long, slightly messy curly hair, and her blue eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, only barely visible from the side. She wore no makeup and was dressed in neutral sportswear. Her aura was sharp and arrogant, making her seem unapproachable.
Her expression clearly showed impatience, and it was obvious that he had been forcibly dragged out the door.
As for the other woman with long, straight hair, she was currently holding her hand, with a smile on her face that was somewhere between ingratiating and coquettish. Judging from her lip movements, she seemed to be saying something like, "It's a rare day off, wouldn't it be nice to go out and have afternoon tea with me to relax?"
Morofushi Sora'aki: "..."
Morofushi Sora'aki: "..."
Morofushi Sora'aki instinctively took out his phone, opened the camera, and without hesitation, pressed the shutter button on the two ladies currently standing at the counter.
In Japan, mobile phones are set to not be silenced to prevent being photographed without permission. Even before the shutter sound was heard, the woman with purple eyes had already glanced over out of the corner of her eye.
Morofushi Sora'aki looked at the photos on his phone, then looked up at the two women whose gazes were fixed on him, and fell silent.
Ah, seeing these two people, I subconsciously thought I could use them to mock my two friends, and my body completely out of control made me take a picture of this evidence.
Should I apologize at a time like this? Morofushi Sora'aki thought.
The two people who were being secretly photographed walked over with drinks and cake, and without hesitation approached Morofushi Sora'aki: "Hello, may I sit here?"
"Tsk, was that you just now?" the one with long curly hair said in an annoyed tone.
"Sorry, I took the photos without your permission." Morofushi Sora'aki apologized obediently, and took out his phone, looking up to say, "Do you need me to delete them?"
Matsuda was clearly taken aback when the other party apologized so easily: "...Huh?"
"Haha, don't be so fierce!" Not being rejected, Hagiwara pulled her friend down to sit: "So why did you suddenly take pictures of us just now?"
She cupped half her face in her hands and said in a teasing, narcissistic tone, "If you like older sisters, you're not old enough yet, little one."
"Of course, if you like Jinko-chan, I totally understand!" she said, giving a thumbs up.
"Hagi——!"
Hagiwara smiled and said, "If you want to take a photo together, just ask me and I won't refuse—since you already apologized, little brother, I'll forgive you."
"However, only one copy is available for me. Whether Jinko-chan forgives me or not is not up to me~"
"The photos are deleted, let bygones be bygones." Matsuda Jinko scratched her hair in frustration. "I shouldn't have gone out with you today."
"Oh dear, I already said it's a rare day off—"
As Morofushi Sora'aki watched the two ladies interacting naturally, he couldn't help but identify them with his two friends.
Then, Morofushi Sora'aki looked away, unable to bear watching any longer.
Oh no, I've projected two friends into the scene, and now it looks really weird.
Morofushi Sora'aki asked, "Can we take a picture later?"
"Hmm? I'm fine with it~" Hagiwara said with a smile, "But may I ask why?"
"...Because you look a lot like my friends, I wanted to take pictures to show them," Morofushi Sora'aki said honestly.
Hagiwara's curiosity was immediately piqued: "Eh? Really?"
"That's obviously an excuse," Matsuda Jinko said, arms crossed. "What a coincidence."
Morofushi Sora'aki was a little unhappy after being refuted, so he gestured to his phone and said, "You can see for yourself if you don't believe me."
Hagiwara asked again, "Is it really okay to watch?"
All the hidden spirits pointed their heads.
After obtaining permission, Hagiwara deleted the previous photo, scrolled back a few pictures, and then showed a slightly surprised expression, exclaiming, "Wow—"
Matsuda Jinko gave her a strange look, and then cast a glance as well, which made her pause for a moment.
Morofushi Sora'aki's phone has quite a few photos stored on it. Leaving aside the others for now, both Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji are quite good at taking action.
It's perfectly normal for Hagiwara Kenji to casually take his phone to take pictures or do other things. For example, to secretly keep some of Matsuda Jinpei's embarrassing past.
This is the simplest principle: don't put all your eggs in one basket. Once Jinpei-chan discovers this, these dark histories will definitely be destroyed.
Then they found a photo, and Hagiwara immediately burst out laughing: "Pfft, you guys are so funny, hahaha!"
In the photo, a curly-haired boy is fast asleep on a sofa, with a black circle drawn on his eyes and a turtle on his forehead. Meanwhile, Hagiwara Kenji is grinning mischievously and holding a calligraphy brush. Judging from the angle, it's clearly a selfie.
There are many similar photos, most of which are taken from a third-person perspective, appearing realistic and lively. Many of these photos are also blurry, clearly captured while in motion.
However, compared to Hagiwara Kenji, Matsuda Jinpei was clearly persecuted the most times in the photos.
Matsuda Jinko felt a strange sense of empathy, and a vein bulged on her forehead: "Why do I feel... this scene looks familiar?"
Hagiwara immediately replied, "No, I didn't do it! After all, how could I possibly lay a hand on your face... um! Absolutely not!"
"The more you emphasize it, the more guilty you seem, you bastard!"
Ah, their personalities are quite similar here, so there's definitely something wrong with Rei-nee over there; it's all an act. After all, no matter what, the personality differences wouldn't be this drastic.
After the commotion subsided, Hagiwara returned the phone to Morofushi Sora'aki. "Well, how should I put it? The resemblance is so striking, it makes me wonder if I have any younger brothers—can you tell me their names?"
Morofushi Sora'aki looked at her without saying a word.
"Ah, Kenmi-chan got rejected!" Hagiwara Kenmi sighed dramatically, resting her chin on her hand. "What a rare experience."
"In that case, would you be willing to tell me your name?" Hagiwara Kenmi asked, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
"Noza-…" Morofushi Sora'aki paused for a moment, met those drooping purple eyes, and changed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, saying instead, "Sora'aki."
"Sora'aki? Hmm, what a nice name~" Hagiwara Kenmi commented, then introduced herself with a smile: "I'm Hagiwara, Hagiwara Kenmi, hello there, Sora'aki-chan."
Meanwhile, at the safe house, Morofushi Hiroko received a strange question from her childhood friend: "Didn't we meet Rye's brother at the station? Scotch, do you have any brothers or anything like that?"
Scotch was a little puzzled by her friend's feigned ignorance. Just as she was about to answer, she remembered what had happened before she returned and suddenly fell silent for a few seconds: "...No, I don't think so? I don't think so."
Bourbon: ...Hmm? Why are you hesitating?