Chapter 19
Honestly, Asuka Kazuya sometimes didn’t understand what he was doing himself. He had been working for the Special Abilities Division for as long as he could remember, and this “justice,” over time, inexplicably became his reason for living.
—What was the point?
When ten-year-old Asuka Kazuya asked Kindled Taneda, the man simply put down the file in his hand and told him that since he was still a child, it was better not to think too much.
Asuka Kazuya blinked, this was the second time he had heard something like “you’re also important” from someone other than Sakaguchi Ango.
After all, everyone around him knew he couldn’t die, so the missions Asuka Kazuya undertook in his teens were much more terrifying than those of an adult. He had been on real battlefields and witnessed many people’s breakdowns, but just as he didn’t understand why the soldiers revived by “Thou Shalt Not Die” felt despair, Asuka Kazuya still didn’t understand his purpose in life.
[“What if one day you discover that your entire life is a lie?”]
In a daze, Asuka Kazuya recalled Dazai Osamu’s words in the dungeon.
The young man’s eyes curved, his tone laced with obvious malice.
[“Kazuya-kun, will you also break down like those soldiers?”]
This was a question Asuka Kazuya couldn’t answer.
Because he didn’t know who was lying, and he didn’t know who he could talk to about this.
Sakaguchi Ango, the only person he could completely trust, had disappeared. To avoid thinking about these things, Asuka Kazuya would torment others to clear his mind when he was bored.
He lay in the hospital bed, staring at the slowly disappearing liquid in the IV drip, and couldn’t help but sigh.
“What are you sighing about?”
Matsuda Jinpei, who was peeling an apple beside him, was speechless. He had just woken up and received the news that Asuka had been poisoned and hospitalized, and was even called to the crime scene to look at the dismantled bombs.
Asuka Kazuya’s explanation was “lucky, just happened to cut the right wire,” but Matsuda Jinpei always felt there was a third person at the scene.
“You’re even bolder than when we were in school.” Thinking of this, Matsuda Jinpei said expressionlessly, “Are you lawless just because you have good luck? If you weren’t a patient, I’d beat you up right now.”
Asuka Kazuya was silent, turning to look at Hagiwara Kenji, who had put down the fruit basket: “Can police officers just beat people up?”
Hagiwara Kenji couldn’t help but laugh, which further worsened Matsuda Jinpei’s already bad mood.
“Jinpei-chan is just saying that,” Hagiwara Kenji comforted him. “You’re a bit too scary, after all.”
Asuka Kazuya pondered whether this was a compliment or an insult.
“I don’t understand,” staring at the ceiling, Asuka Kazuya suddenly said, “Hagiwara-kun, why did you become a police officer?”
Rye had said before that he joined the organization because he could get what he wanted. What about the police?
Not just Hagiwara Kenji, what was Bourbon’s reason for agreeing to go undercover in the organization?
Becoming an undercover agent meant completely abandoning the past, there were countless unlucky people who would never see their family and friends again in this lifetime.
Were there really selfless people in this world?
Sensing Asuka Kazuya’s confusion, Hagiwara Kenji blinked. Although he also wanted to ask why he brought this up, he still answered his question properly.
“At first, it was just a job,” Hagiwara Kenji said, smiling. It wasn’t a mocking smile, but rather a gentle one that showed he was listening attentively. “After a while, you’ll find it very rewarding. Besides, all my friends are here.”
“Friends?” Asuka Kazuya repeated.
“Yeah,” Hagiwara Kenji said innocently. “Like Kato-kun, aren’t we friends too? I didn’t charge you tuition for teaching you how to swim.”
Asuka Kazuya: “…”
So that’s it.
Asuka Kazuya thought.
In the eyes of normal people, if you could play together, you were considered friends. Then according to this, were he and Bourbon also friends?
Asuka Kazuya seemed to understand, not correcting Hagiwara Kenji, just nodding solemnly.
“I see,” he said. “Thank you, I’ll wish you well.”
This sentence sounded a bit strange, but Hagiwara Kenji didn’t know he was an ability user, so he didn’t take it to heart.
Matsuda Jinpei, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes, dissatisfied with this situation.
“How come you can act like a normal person around Hagi?”
Asuka Kazuya perked up, pulling a long face: “Reflect on yourself and I’ll tell you.”
Matsuda Jinpei: “…”
Half a minute later, Superintendent Adachi, who came to visit his injured subordinate, felt a gust of wind before he even entered the door.
Asuka Kazuya, who was “supposedly dying,” was holding his IV drip and running, with Matsuda Jinpei chasing after him, yelling, “Get back here!”
Hagiwara Kenji laughed helplessly in the corridor, greeting him politely when he saw him.
Superintendent Adachi was silent.
As the doctor yelled, “Don’t run in the corridor!” someone chased after Matsuda Jinpei, shouting, “Both of you get back here!”
Asuka Kazuya found this scene somewhat familiar, subconsciously pulling Matsuda Jinpei.
This was unexpected for the latter.
Warmth from his wrist transmitted continuously, and Matsuda Jinpei heard Superintendent Adachi’s voice, “Stop him!”
The young man’s golden hair fluttered as he ran, a bright smile on his lips, looking full of life and energy.
[“He won’t die!”]
Matsuda Jinpei was stunned, recalling how they used to ignore the instructor’s words like this back in the police academy.
Hagiwara Kenji’s voice, trying to maintain order, mixed with Superintendent Adachi’s furious roar. Matsuda Jinpei turned around and gestured helplessly to his childhood friend.
What did it have to do with him?
Matsuda Jinpei thought.
Adachi wasn’t his boss, why should he listen to him?
After sending Asuka Kazuya to the hospital, Bourbon had actually been secretly observing his every move. He concluded that he didn’t intend to drag Matsuda and the others down, only appearing in Asuka Kazuya’s sight after confirming that the police had left the hospital.
“Tanaka Airi has been handed over to Public Security.”
“Public Security?” Asuka Kazuya looked up. “So she’s your subordinate?”
Bourbon didn’t deny it.
He walked closer, seeing that Calvados was writing a report on his computer.
This was rarer than the sun rising from the west. Asuka Kazuya didn’t insert any strange pictures, and even the formatting was perfect.
“What’s wrong?” Asuka Kazuya asked when Bourbon didn’t speak.
“Tanaka Airi hasn’t passed the critical period yet.” Bourbon said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to him. “Is there anything else I should know?”
Asuka Kazuya was surprised, repeatedly marveling at Bourbon’s deduction skills.
“It’s just a guess.”
He thought for a moment and said.
“There used to be an organization in Eastern Europe called Theos, meaning ‘god’ in Greek. But they didn’t use their faith in the right place. They’ve been declining ever since I eliminated their leader a few years ago.”
Bourbon frowned, noting down this information.
“Why do you think it’s related to them?”
Asuka Kazuya closed his laptop.
“Tanaka Airi was very young when she was taken away for training. The reason I was chosen back then was also my age.”
“They’re very wary of the police and have been focusing on ability research.”
Of course, the Special Abilities Division wasn’t the only one fighting against them.
Asuka Kazuya had merely made them leaderless. The one who really took action was the Vongola Guardian.
Hibari Kyoya, using his box weapon, single-handedly surrounded over a thousand mafia members, the reason being that they were gathering on Earth.
Asuka Kazuya curiously watched him fight from the side, only to be told he was in the way. Since he was still a kid, he was casually thrown to the pompadour guy next to him.
The pompadour guy, Kusakabe Tetsuya, with a blade of grass in his mouth, told him not to imitate things randomly, like first spitting out the flower he had in his mouth.
“So Tanaka Airi’s existence can’t be discovered by Gin,” Asuka Kazuya said, casually opening Vodka’s email. “They don’t know I’m from the Special Abilities Division, but since it happened before I joined the organization, it would be troublesome if Gin found out.”
So the question became, how should he write his report to make it sound reasonable?
Asuka Kazuya had no clue, planning to delay it as long as possible.
“So you haven’t told Gin about your injury?” Bourbon raised an eyebrow, understanding his implication.
“Big Brother can’t find me.” Asuka Kazuya smirked, a smug smile on his lips. “I removed the locator he installed on my phone and blocked his number.”
He was half-dead before, now he was completely dead.
Bourbon watched sympathetically as Asuka Kazuya’s phone rang. He answered Chianti’s call.
“Chianti!”
Asuka Kazuya was excited to see his good friend’s name.
“I’m in the hospital you mentioned, remember to bring me the snacks from the entrance!”
There was no immediate response from the phone. Asuka Kazuya waited for a moment, then asked again, puzzled, “Chianti?”
“What are you doing at the hospital?”
Chianti’s protesting voice could be heard in the background. Asuka Kazuya felt a chill down his spine, hearing Gin’s chilling question.
His mind raced, first thinking of a preemptive explanation like “how can a big man like you snatch Chianti’s phone, no face,” then a defiant “try and kill me” approach like “I just like hospitals, so what.”
Asuka Kazuya had a lot on his mind. Perhaps because he was silent for too long, Gin lost his patience, repeating in a dark tone: “Calvados, explain.”
Asuka Kazuya’s nonsense came readily.
“It’s like this, after Vodka reminded me last time, I realized I haven’t seen you for a long time, Big Brother.”
“…”
“Medical science has proven that when the human body experiences huge emotional fluctuations, it secretes adrenaline, causing capillaries to constrict, and then cardiac output decreases…”
“Speak normally.”
“Big Brother, do you know about broken heart syndrome?”
“…”
Gin didn’t speak. He didn’t even change his expression, but the phone screen cracked under Chianti’s gaze.
Then, Vodka, trembling beside him, received a death glare from Big Brother.
The aura around the Top Killer was frighteningly cold. He suddenly sneered.
“Vodka, go bring that little brat back.”
