Chapter 16 : Chapter 16

Chapter 16

【AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA】

【Help meeeeeeeeeee】

【So handsome, so handsome, aaaaaaaaaa】

【Mama’s Jun has grown up, sob sob sob】

【Jun-baby, my motherly love is turning into something improper! Husband, aaaaaaaaaa】

【Husband, I love you!!!】

【Whose husband is this handsome? Mine!】

【Wife, my destined wife】

【Huff huff huff huff】

【Seriously, he is too handsome, too handsome】

The high-rise building, all of its concrete already reduced to grains of sand, revealed the layers of steel rebar within it beneath the sunlight. Some furniture slid down along with the flowing sand, while some pieces were caught by the rebar and left hanging in midair.

It was an incomparably spectacular sight. The rebar reflecting the sunlight drew everyone’s gaze.

“BOOM—”

That was the sound of a bomb exploding. The building, whose rebar structure had already been exposed, suffered a second blow.

Destroyed lengths of rebar fell straight toward the people below together with the furniture. Yet no one’s gaze turned toward the imminent danger. Everyone was looking at the sand sphere slowly descending.

Ah, it’s Hagi and the others. The instant Matsuda Jinpei saw that sand sphere, he realized it. He turned to look at Kiyohara Jun, the one who had caused this phenomenon that no one could understand, and found that the white-haired boy was raising his eyes toward something.

What was it? Matsuda Jinpei watched the boy slowly lift both hands.

The sun disappeared.

No, the sun had not disappeared. A layer of sand had appeared above their heads, blocking all the falling debris.

While everyone’s attention was on the sand sphere, Kiyohara Jun moved away the layer of sand supporting the debris.

The sun returned, but no one noticed. Their gazes were all fixed on the boy who had caused all of this.

It was a phenomenon ordinary people could not understand. More or less, fear appeared in the eyes of the police present.

Yet despite having caused such a phenomenon, the white-haired boy’s expression remained calm, as though, to him, this was nothing more than something done in passing.

Was this something a human being could accomplish?

No, rather, was this something a human being could do?

At that moment, the sand sphere descended to the ground. After it scattered, it revealed Hagiwara Kenji and the other members of the Explosives Disposal Squad, all of them looking completely bewildered.

Matsuda Jinpei was the first to return to his senses. He gave Kiyohara Jun a long, deep look, then strode toward Hagiwara Kenji, who was still dazed, and punched him in the face.

“You bastard!” One punch was not enough to vent Matsuda Jinpei’s extreme fury, so he punched him again and snarled, “That is what you get for not wearing your protective suit!”

After being struck twice in a row and staggering from the blows, Hagiwara Kenji hissed in pain. Looking at the enraged Matsuda Jinpei, he did not dare say anything in his own defense. After all, if that incomprehensible phenomenon had not occurred just now, he would already have been blown to pieces by the bomb.

After Kiyohara Jun finished all of this, he raised his eyes toward Matsuda Jinpei, who was angrily beating Hagiwara Kenji. He had just opened his mouth when, because of the sand dust in the air, he sneezed expressionlessly.

All of his handsomeness from a moment ago was destroyed by that sneeze.

【Hahahahahahahahahahahaha】

【Kiyohara Jun, as expected of you】

【I deflated. Why did Jun have to sneeze at a time like this? Aaaaaaaa】

【He could not stay handsome for even three seconds. Too real, hahahahahaha】

【So silly, seriously so silly. I am really starting to wonder whether Jun is actually part of the Scriptwriter Group】

【He really is pretty silly, hahahahaha. But sneezing is only human】

【Sneezing is only human. What a forced explanation】

【So what if the Scriptwriter Group sneezes? Is the Scriptwriter Group not allowed to sneeze? (impotent rage)】

【Hahahahahaha, Jun really is part of the Scriptwriter Group. He is just a little silly sometimes】

【As long as I do not look, Jun did not sneeze (self-hypnosis)】

Expressionless, Kiyohara Jun ignored the bullet comments wailing just because he had sneezed. He did not intend to say anything more either, and decided to slip away before those police reacted.

He had just saved the friend of that police officer who had caused his trip to the police station. Even that extremely troublesome police officer would not repay kindness with enmity, right?

But, no matter how one put it, he had destroyed a building. Thinking this, Kiyohara Jun decided to run.

“Cough, cough, cough. Jinpei-chan.” Hagiwara Kenji, whose powers of observation were astonishing, noticed Kiyohara Jun preparing to slip away. He raised his hands in surrender and said helplessly, “If you keep hitting me, my savior is going to run off.”

When Matsuda Jinpei looked back, Kiyohara Jun had indeed already fled, just as Hagiwara Kenji had said. He glared fiercely at Hagiwara Kenji, threw down a harsh “Just you wait,” and strode toward Kiyohara Jun.

Thus Kiyohara Jun, who had not been running for very long, was easily caught by Matsuda Jinpei, who was taller than him and had longer legs. Matsuda grabbed him by the collar.

Only with great effort did Kiyohara Jun suppress his body’s instinctive reaction; he had nearly assaulted a police officer. Expressionless, he let Matsuda Jinpei hold him by the collar and turn him in a circle in midair, changing him from facing away from Matsuda Jinpei to facing Matsuda Jinpei.

He really is like a cat. As Matsuda Jinpei held Kiyohara Jun up and turned him around in midair, that thought suddenly crossed his mind. But it vanished in a flash, and Matsuda Jinpei quickly pressed it down into the depths of his heart.

【I saw it too】

【This is just a big cat carrying a kitten by the scruff!】

【It also looks like a cat owner lifting up a cat that did something bad!】

【Damn it, the catification never ends】

【What is wrong with catification? Cats are super cute】

Who are you calling a cat?!

Kiyohara Jun glared fiercely at the bullet comments that were recklessly calling him a cat. In Matsuda Jinpei’s eyes, however, it looked as though Kiyohara Jun had looked at him coldly after being lifted up.

Matsuda Jinpei smiled and did not take Kiyohara Jun’s glance to heart. He set Kiyohara Jun, who seemed as light as a cat to him, down on the ground, then said with a grin, “I have not even thanked our savior yet. Why is our savior trying to run?”

After Kiyohara Jun became Hagiwara Kenji’s savior, Matsuda Jinpei’s attitude toward Kiyohara Jun underwent a complete change.

This was not only because Kiyohara Jun had saved Hagiwara Kenji, but also because Matsuda Jinpei had seen the “good” side of Kiyohara Jun’s personality.

Matsuda Jinpei realized that Kiyohara Jun was not the kind of person he had imagined.

Thinking of this, Matsuda Jinpei irritably rubbed the hair at the back of his head. Then he turned his head aside and muttered, “I’m sorry.”

Kiyohara Jun froze for a moment, then let out an “Ah.”

He had not expected Matsuda Jinpei to apologize.

When Matsuda Jinpei was at the police academy, he had once heard of the existence of ability users. There was even a specialized ability-user unit within the military police. But he had not expected that he would truly encounter an ability user today.

An ability of this level, if used by the mafia… Matsuda Jinpei’s Adam’s apple bobbed. That would be no laughing matter.

Then he thought again of Kiyohara Jun’s actions today, saving people. Matsuda Jinpei wondered whether Kiyohara Jun, who would expose his ability in front of the police just to save others, was truly suited to the work of the mafia.

Matsuda Jinpei had just been about to say something to Kiyohara Jun when Hagiwara Kenji followed over.

“Thank you very much!” Hagiwara Kenji, his face bruised and swollen, bowed to Kiyohara Jun. His tone was full of sincerity. “If not for you, I would probably have been blown to pieces.”

Matsuda Jinpei chose to bow along with Hagiwara Kenji, and the group of police officers whom Kiyohara Jun had saved also bowed to Kiyohara Jun together with Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji.

Kiyohara Jun fell silent.

After bowing, Matsuda Jinpei still wanted to say something, but when he raised his head, he saw Kiyohara Jun’s eyes.

After seeing those eyes, Matsuda Jinpei swallowed the words he had wanted to say.

This was not the right time. Matsuda Jinpei understood that.

He did not say anything more. He merely returned to his usual careless, easygoing manner and grinned at Kiyohara Jun. “Go on, leave quickly. If those higher-ups arrive, you will not be able to get away so easily.”

“Even if it was to save people, an entire building was still destroyed. Not to mention your identity.” Matsuda Jinpei put one hand in his pocket and waved breezily at Kiyohara Jun. “We will not mention you. Go.”

“See you next time…” Matsuda Jinpei mumbled the rest of his words indistinctly.

Then Kiyohara Jun turned and left without another word.

Matsuda Jinpei watched the black-clad boy walk away with his back to him. The evening wind stirred the boy’s black coat and short white hair. Against the contrast of the setting sun not far away, the boy looked incomparably small.

For some reason, a thought suddenly appeared in Matsuda Jinpei’s mind.

Had he missed something?

At that very moment, Kiyohara Jun, who had turned to leave, sneezed again.

Kiyohara Jun: …?