Chapter 67: I'm very curious.
Hagiwara Kenmi is 25 years old this year. When she was 22, she also chose the profession of police officer to accompany her friend. As a woman, in the Japanese society, she has to work harder than men to get the job she wants.
Fortunately, both she and her friend were exceptionally outstanding, and their grades were so good that it would be a waste to send them to the class. Therefore, they were selected ahead of schedule to join the explosive-disposal group.
Of course, their status as women led to some initial disdain, and even with their abilities, it was difficult to entrust them with the responsibility of leading a team from the outset.
In my first year on the job, an extremely serious incident occurred: two criminals threatened the police with 1 billion yen and planted two bombs in two different buildings.
Because of their gender, the two were not assigned to this mission, which resulted in a mishap.
Fortunately, everyone was lucky. Although the team closest to the bomb was seriously injured, they spent some time putting on the complicated bomb suits, so they were a little late in getting up there.
Just as they reached the top of the stairs, the bomb exploded. The person wearing the bomb suit, standing at the front, instantly turned his back to shield his colleague from the most powerful blast. Because of the bomb suit, although he also received the impact of the explosion, the damage he suffered was not as severe as expected.
The team members he protected, having been cushioned by him, also escaped with their lives.
However, the long recovery period created a gap in the bomb disposal team, and the work of defusing bombs was not something that could be done by just anyone without proper training. At this point, the differences between men and women could not be taken into account, and Hagiwara Kenmi and Matsuda Jinko were also assigned to fieldwork.
After performing this task several times, most of their colleagues acknowledged the two women's abilities. In this society, women are naturally not as physically strong as men, a fact that needs no denial—but in the minds of most people, women are also considered more meticulous and conscientious than men.
Meticulousness and attentiveness are absolute advantages in bomb disposal. After all, bomb disposal isn't about strength or physical prowess. The only challenge is wearing a bomb suit weighing tens of kilograms, which requires exceptional physical strength. Women are not as good as men in this regard, but they can catch up through training.
From this perspective, the two women are actually more suited to this job.
In short, after proving their abilities, Hagiwara Kenmi and Matsuda Jinko became the twin goddesses of the explosive-disposal group and received strong adoration.
Matsuda Jinko has a rather arrogant personality and a sharp tongue, but once you look at her face, no one would think there's anything wrong with her arrogance and sharp tongue.
Some people even awakened certain special attributes as a result, which greatly puzzled Matsuda Jinko.
As for Hagiwara Kenmi... there's not even a need for further description. She became the goddess of the Metropolitan Police Department. It was hard for anyone, male or female, not to like her. She was practically a heartthrob.
However, Hagiwara Kenmi keeps her distance from most people. She may be closer to women, but when communicating with men, she will never be alone with them and will always make sure that there are other people around.
No matter how gentle and considerate she is, she will never cause misunderstandings, and when she receives a confession, she will express her rejection in a subtle and unembarrassing way.
These two women are, in a sense, used to being secretly photographed, but today there was a special situation.
This time, the person being photographed had a slightly familiar face.
At least normally, when Matsuda Jinko was photographed without her consent, she would cross her arms, raise her chin, and coldly order the photographer to delete the photos. But this time, her attitude wasn't as forceful.
"Ah... in a way, it's also because Sora'aki-chan had a good attitude." Hagiwara Kenmi took a spoonful of cake and said with a smile, "At least some people in the past would deny it~ It's rare to see someone like you who apologizes immediately."
"That sounds tough." said Morofushi Sora'aki.
"I'm alright~ It's just that I get impatient a little lately." Hagiwara Kenmi sighed. "But taking photos without permission is a really bad thing, so please don't do it again~"
Having received a lesson from the policewoman, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Morofushi Sora'aki nodded obediently: "I'm sorry."
This time, he didn't even try to find other excuses; he simply apologized.
Throughout his upbringing, he was taught to be gentle with women. This was the principle he was taught by both his parents and his brother.
And putting everything else aside, those two faces alone made him feel an irresistible urge to get closer to them.
Therefore, his closeness to his friends, coupled with the education he received about being gentle with women, has resulted in Morofushi Sora'aki appearing unusually well-behaved.
Both of his friends in the Good Friends World and Furuya Rei in the Home world would deny that he was the same Morofushi Sora'aki.
Hagiwara Kenmi couldn't help but exclaim, "So cute, so cute~ Does Sora'aki-chan have an older or younger sister? In my impression, boys who are gentle to ladies are usually influenced by the female members of their families."
Morofushi Sora'aki initially wanted to deny it, but then he thought of Morofushi Hiromitsu from this world (his exact name was probably changed, but Morofushi Sora'aki didn't know, so he could only refer to him as such for now), and hesitated: "...No?"
Hagiwara Kenmi: Ah, I hesitated.
Matsuda Jinko: He hesitated.
The reason they spent so much time here instead of letting Morofushi Sora'aki delete the photos and leave was because Morofushi Sora'aki had a face similar to their friend's.
Back in police academy, one of their classmates suffered from psychological trauma due to an experience in her childhood. When they were solving this case, they learned about the other person's family situation.
Her parents were murdered when she was seven. She has a very accomplished older sister and grew up in the home of relatives. She has no other brothers; the family structure is that simple.
Perhaps it's because relatives look alike; if that's all, then it's fine.
Unfortunately, this classmate disappeared after graduation. They bumped into her relative and couldn't help but want to ask more questions. However, worried about affecting her work, they didn't dare ask directly, only hinting at their questions indirectly.
The two women exchanged a glance, and Hagiwara Kenmi changed the subject, smiling as she said, "Why use a question?"
Looking at Hagiwara's beautiful droopy eyes, Morofushi Sora'aki considered the question for a moment, then replied, "I don't know if it counts."
At this moment, Matsuda Jinko interjected: "What do you mean by not knowing whether it counts or not? If it exists, it exists; if it doesn't, it doesn't."
Morofushi Sora'aki thought back carefully. He seemed to have discussed this issue only with his good friend, Hagiwara Kenji from the other world, but he hadn't gone into such detail then. If the other person were Hagiwara's counterpart, they would probably give a similar answer, right?
"There was no direct contact. She didn't know I existed, and I didn't know her before and had never seen her." Morofushi Sora'aki asked doubtfully, "Does that count?"
Matsuda Jinko: ...Hmm?
Hagiwara Kenmi: ...This seems to be getting a little complicated?
"Hmm... are you related by blood?" Hagiwara Kenmi asked.
Although they are not from the same world, they are indeed related by blood, and Morofushi Sora'aki nodded.
Matsuda Jinko: Ah.
Hagiwara Kenmi: ...Um.
Hagiwara Kenmi tried to get more information: "Since you are related by blood, um... was it because you were separated in childhood? Or did something happen?"
If you think about it carefully, the young man in front of you, Morofushi Sora'aki, looks to be only 17 or 18 years old, while Keiko was 7 years old when she was adopted after her family was murdered. Their ages seem to match up.
Morofushi Sora'aki shook his head: "There was no relationship from the very beginning."
"If we have to explain it, then we're not from the same world, and we have a blood relationship that even our parents don't know about."
At first, Little Stone would send him to another world when no one was around, but after the incident in the Beastified World, it seemed that even superpowers beyond common sense were acceptable. This time, the photo was shown to the two people in front of them, along with lines from another world—how should I put it, it feels like the protective charm has evolved a bit? It feels like the restrictions are getting fewer and fewer.
No, to be precise, the power of the stone slab was indeed immense, while the Little Stone in his hand was merely a remnant; it was less of an evolution and more of a "recovery."
Hagiwara Kenmi: "Hmm, that sounds a bit strange, but I think I understand it a little?"
She said uncertainly, "If I had to make an analogy, it's like a mother who doesn't know she's pregnant with twins, is given anesthesia and falls into a deep sleep during childbirth, and one of the babies is taken away, and the two babies don't know each other, not even their parents?"
Morofushi Sora'aki: "..."
Matsuda Jinko looked at him with disgust: "What kind of melodramatic drama have you been watching now?"
Hagiwara Kenmi said with a big smile, "It's the latest 'Twin Sisters' Revenge Story'~ The female protagonist is really amazing, playing two sisters with such different personalities, you can't even tell they're the same person!"
"Haha, don't look at me like that, I was just joking." Hagiwara Kenmi cupped her face and said, "Don't be so humorless~"
"I understand the general idea—how should I put it, blood ties are not necessarily absolute," Hagiwara Kenmi said. "As long as it's not a crime or an accidental disappearance, then as long as you are happy enough now and feel there is no need to contact your blood relatives, it's perfectly fine."
"In my opinion, the connection between people is never based on blood ties, but on how they get along." She smiled and said, "Even if you are related by blood, if you have never communicated or met, then you are just strangers who are related by blood."
"Of course, out of curiosity or for some other reason, as long as neither party has any negative feelings, it can be quite interesting to interact with each other." Hagiwara Kenmi pointed out incisively: "Once curiosity arises, there is absolutely no need to deliberately avoid it."
"For example, I'm really curious about the two kids in Sora'aki-chan's photos right now," Hagiwara Kenmi said meaningfully. "If I have the chance, I'd like to meet them too~"