Hearing this, Furuya Rei showed a look of utter incomprehension.
He had never pondered this question, just as deep-sea fish had never thought of touching the sun. Because their scales were born to withstand the water pressure. From the day he resolved to walk this path, "protecting others" had been carved into his instincts as a creed, while the concept of "being protected" simply did not exist within his framework of logic.
Furuya Rei's brow furrowed slightly as he delivered his reply.
"Since I chose to put on this uniform, I've never thought about needing anyone to protect me. This profession itself was born to protect others. That's only natural, isn't it?"
Beside him, Matsuda Jinpei rarely agreed with his viewpoint: "Exactly. If we're police officers and still need others to protect us, wouldn't we just be useless, tax-leeching thieves?—Though it's true there are plenty of those thieves around at the moment."
Satoru Gojo opened his hand, letting the crushed petal flutter down. "In other words, you believe that the police don't need protection?"
"Correct." Furuya Rei added, "Of course, I don't advocate for senseless sacrifice."
"Hmm."
The black-haired youth propped up his chin with one hand, a movement that gave him a touch of playfulness.
"Furuya-kun, in my eyes, no one has a mandatory obligation to help others, and at the same time, no one doesn't need protection... except me." Facing their skeptical expressions, he took it completely for granted: "Because only by being strong enough do you not need protection."
"Huh?"
Matsuda Jinpei's lip twitched slightly, ultimately squeezing out only a dry retort. "Hisano Nozomi, you bastard... haven't you graduated from your Chunibyo phase yet?"
Furuya Rei shook his head. "Can't be helped, he's still a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth after all."
Hey, hey, a man remains a youth until he dies, that's an absolute truth!
Complaining silently in his head—since his mental age was actually that of an older man—Satoru Gojo shrugged. "The main point isn't that. What I mean is... based on what I just witnessed from my observation, you two are still a long way off from the level of not needing protection."
"Wh-What do you mean?!"
A playful smile curled up the corner of Gojo's mouth. "Exactly what it means literally."
Faced with this kind of face-to-face mockery out of nowhere, Matsuda Jinpei bellowed like he had stepped on a toad: "Are you saying our strength isn't even worth a glance in your eyes?!"
Although Hisano's indiscriminate attack during his speech earlier had left him with the impression of being "exceptionally arrogant," he had only treated it as a joke and hadn't taken it to heart. But right now, the other party's defiant attitude genuinely infuriated him.
Perhaps this was the difference between "collective reprimand" and "being singled out."
Furuya Rei was equally unconvinced. In his fight with Matsuda Jinpei just now, every punch had connected solidly. Though it wasn't a life-or-death duel, it could be considered giving their all.
"Hisano-kun, although you got a perfect score on the comprehensive test, that doesn't necessarily mean you're much better than me." His tone carried a dangerous edge. "You shouldn't speak so boastfully, you know?"
As if facing a child's unreasonable throwing of a tantrum, Satoru Gojo let out a soft snort and didn't answer. He flipped his body on the high branch, looking as though he were about to plummet down immediately, headfirst.
Matsuda Jinpei was startled and reached his hands out. "Wait! Even if you want to prove yourself, you don't have to go that far!"
However, contrary to the horrifying scene he had imagined, the youth's toes hooked onto the branch, swinging his body backward. He effortlessly hung upside down from the tree branch, his slightly long hair draping down less than ten centimeters away from Matsuda's nose.
"Matsuda-kun... right?" Gojo hung upside down in front of him, saying with a beaming smile, "Were you worried about me falling just now? That's really quite cute."
"Huh? Don't use that kind of word to describe me!"
[Ding! Impression points from plot character Jinpei Matsuda +200!]
The handsome curly-haired man retreated reflexively, cursing himself internally. Thinking about it, since this guy could climb up the tree soundlessly, how could he possibly not know how to get down?
Beside him, Furuya Rei had anticipated this and let out a silent sigh.
Satoru Gojo flipped his body again, landing cleanly on the ground. He shoved his hands into his pockets and swaggered off, intending to leave. "Well then, I'll take my leave first. As for the entertainment segment just now, you two should continue—a victor hasn't been decided yet, has there?"
Dammit, this person was completely looking down on their battle where they had bet their respective beliefs...!
Furuya Rei's Adam's apple bobbed, swallowing down the surging bloodlust. "Wait a minute, Hisano."
His purple-grey eyes were exceptionally bright right now, like a falcon locking onto its prey. "Since you're so confident, how about a fight with me?"
Satoru Gojo, who had originally intended to quit while he was ahead, couldn't help but stop in his tracks. "Is this considered a challenge letter?" He said unhurriedly, "If you miss morning drills tomorrow, I won't be held responsible, Furuya-kun~"
"What, you don't dare?" Furuya Rei was intentionally provoking him. He hadn't personally witnessed the other's strength; those exaggerated descriptions were probably just hearsay from everyone.
"Not at all. However, you've already been injured, haven't you?" Gojo turned his head and said, "It feels a bit unfair like this..."
"How about this: you and Matsuda-kun go at me together. If you can touch the ribbon on my head, it counts as your win. How about it?"
Gin from the training camp days would call him an absolute expert at this. Back then, to touch the edge of Satoru Gojo's clothes, how many times had he swallowed his tears while scarfing down food in the cafeteria.
Matsuda Jinpei's teeth itched with rage. "The ribbon?! You bastard, you look down on people too much!"
Hearing this, Furuya Rei hesitated slightly. Although he indeed wasn't in his peak condition right now... wasn't a two-on-one a bit like bullying?
Matsuda Jinpei saw through his thoughts. Cracking his wrists with a succession of sharp pops, he sneered, "Since Hisano proactively brought it up, you blond bastard, don't be so pedantic at a time like this. The two of us will take him down a peg together!"
Furuya Rei, who had been at odds with Matsuda just a moment ago, felt a stir in his heart upon hearing this. This feeling of a rival suddenly turning into a teammate... wasn't bad at all.
"Alright, I understand." He nodded, exchanging a glance with精 Matsuda Jinpei, intending to launch an attack together. "Hisano-kun, you'd better be careful!"
Furuya Rei's fist cut through the air first, carrying the sound of rushing wind. He seemingly aimed for the other party's left side, but his true killing move was hidden within the trajectory of his right leg. Meanwhile, his fingertips reached accurately toward that fluttering ribbon.
The black-haired youth didn't seem to notice his feint, merely pinning the rushing Matsuda Jinpei to the ground.
However, in the next split second, Furuya Rei's pupils dilated rapidly. The opponent vanished at a speed indiscernible to the naked eye, a whisper brushing past his ear.
"Don't be in such a hurry."
Matsuda Jinpei seized the opportunity to stand up, his left hand forming a tiger claw shape as he clawed at Satoru Gojo's right shoulder, attempting to lock his movements. "Furuya, the left side!"
Almost simultaneously, Furuya Rei's whip kick swept toward Gojo's left knee. For a first-time collaboration, the movements of the two could be considered remarkably coordinated.
Unfortunate for them, they had run into an unreasonable cheater.
Anticipating their moves, Satoru Gojo dodged, a feather-light palm landing on Furuya Rei's shoulder, yet its power was not to be underestimated.
"Hiss—"
Furuya Rei stumbled back a few steps, his vision momentarily turning black.
Seeing him half-kneeling on the ground in pain, Matsuda Jinpei couldn't help but freeze for half a second. This half-second was more than enough for his arm to be twisted behind his back by Satoru Gojo, his expression twisting from the agony of near-dislocation.
Furuya Rei raised his head, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva. Just now, he had clearly calculated the trajectory of the attack, but he hadn't expected... the youth's figure when evading was more elusive than shifting sand in an hourglass.
The black-haired youth's red eyes swept over the cold sweat breaking out on the backs of their necks, his lips curling into a mocking arc.
"You're simply full of openings, you two."
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