I practiced as a monk alone in Japan.

Chapter 98 If Love
She felt a little tired today.

I don't know when it happened, but I couldn't control my weariness and closed my tender eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she heard the door close.

She lifted her eyelids and saw that she was covered with a school uniform jacket that didn't belong to her; it was too big and seemed to be the same height as that boy.

Her unfocused eyes gazed out the window.

Tsukino Gen was smiling at her. "Does my shoulder feel good?"

".What?"

She didn't know why.

A vague premonition made her heart beat erratically, and the strong scent of her coat filled her nostrils.

Gen Tsukino waved his hand, "Give me back my clothes next week, no need to wash them."

Done.

He walked into the old-looking apartment complex.

The girl, belatedly realizing what was happening, immediately pulled off the coat that wasn't hers. She then pointlessly straightened her clothes and hair.

In fact, Morita Kaoru really wanted to tell her.

It looks neater if it's not tidied up.
"Did I just fall asleep?"

Then I heard the girl's question.

Morita Kaoru nodded. "Yes, Miss, you slept for a while."

How did I fall asleep?

She bit her lower lip slightly, her eyes shimmering in the dim light, like a morning star about to fall.

Morita Kaoru hesitated for a moment, then answered in a low voice.

"You slept on his shoulder."

"."

Sleeping on his shoulder? How could anyone but herself do such a thing? It shows a complete lack of vigilance and a complete absence of boundaries.

This shouldn't be me. My vigilance is such that I'd be alert to anyone getting close. How could this be?
Her expression was already somewhat abnormal. "Then how did he do it?"

Why not push yourself away, why not wake yourself up?

Because he's enjoying it too?

"He has maintained this sitting posture since you fell asleep until just now."

Hearing this, a strange feeling welled up inside me, a feeling that was both warm and hard to accept.

He's trying to play some strange, inexplicably affectionate role, as if he doesn't want to reveal a side of himself beyond his cynicism. If that's the case, he should keep it well hidden, shouldn't he? He's not that kind of person.

then.

"But it seems he took a picture."

".Photograph?!"

"Ding dong~"

My phone vibrated; it was a private message from Self.

It was a photo sent by Tsukino Gen. It showed himself sleeping soundly on his shoulder, with his eyes closed, like Sleeping Beauty.

The photo does not show the boy's entire face, only his well-defined neck.

He slept like a child, finding the most satisfying safe haven, which made Asagiri Rin almost instantly lose her temper.

An unnamed fire burned all the way to his cheeks.

The worst part was the next sentence that bastard sent.

"Too bad, I didn't even drool."

".hateful!!"

The girl quickly slumped into the chair, whether from exhaustion or a feeling of weariness, it was hard to tell.

It's like everything you've painstakingly built up was ruined by a single careless mistake, causing all your efforts to go down the drain.

How awful! Absolutely awful! How could anyone be such a despicable bastard!

Morita Kaoru quietly watched the car. She had anticipated a similar situation, such as this girl suddenly showing a fierce expression on her way home, for some unknown reason.

It is also occasionally accompanied by short swear words.

However, she didn't understand why that coat remained in her hands, and was even eventually put back on her. She never thought of throwing it away.

Upon arriving at her doorstep, Morita Kaoru hesitated for a moment after getting out of the car before extending her hand to the young lady who seemed to have finally calmed down.

"What?"

Unexpectedly, the girl holding the coat instinctively pulled her hand back.

It's as if they're protecting something.

Morita Kaoru said softly, "Would you like me to carry it for you? Perhaps it's inconvenient for you to carry it inside, Miss."

"..." Asagiri Rin understood what the woman meant. Hmm. It was indeed inconvenient for her to take it in. But why did she subconsciously not want her to take it just now? It was an annoying feeling, like a childish possessiveness towards a fun toy.

"Thank you for your trouble. Just take it and wash it."

She handed over the school uniform jacket that didn't belong to her, and then, alone in the moonlight, her slender figure bathed in a clear and bright glow, she walked through the door.

Holding the coat, Morita Kaoru couldn't help but scratch the strands of hair on her head.

"Luckily I've never been in a relationship, otherwise I would definitely have become even dumber."

……

It's almost time to get off work.

Chinatsu Morita was working on the details of the case she was handling—the one involving the scumbag arrested yesterday for suspected human organ trafficking and human trafficking. The case wasn't complicated, given the solid evidence.

The problem is that there's no concrete evidence to follow this lead to the bigger fish. Even after interrogating that bastard and getting him to reveal everything he knows, all they get are a few meaningless code names. These code names have no distinguishing features, can be changed at any time, and even the meeting places and personnel they send are different each time they make a deal. In other words, it's impossible to grasp any pattern. Calling it part of the chain is just being a disposable pawn, a tail that a gecko discards itself.

This situation is quite normal, and Chinatsu Morita has no reason to find it unacceptable. After all, these criminals are becoming increasingly cunning, taking huge risks for huge profits, so naturally they will become more cautious and careful.

What Morita Chinatsu found unacceptable was the attitude of the so-called 'leaders.' They seemed accustomed to this situation and didn't even appear to be making any effort in this direction. It was as if everyone was telling her: That's enough, the investigation has already yielded significant results, everyone already knows you're a very capable police officer, what more do you want?
Chinatsu Morita felt that sometimes, these parasites rooted in the upper echelons who only suck blood were more despicable and caused more far-reaching harm than the criminals. But there was nothing she could do; she was just a police officer who was only slightly better off than those at the bottom, and her power was insufficient to change everything.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized how precious that boy was to her.

Indeed, he seemed to be the only key for her to bypass those complicated procedures and interpersonal relationships. Not only was he the only convenient way, but more importantly, after their last heart-to-heart talk, Chinatsu Morita became increasingly certain that he and she were the same kind of people.

They were simply at different stages of life, yet they were walking similar paths.

Okay, the preliminary case report is finished, and she doesn't plan to complete everything tonight. After all, once you've decided what to do, it's hard to suppress that eager feeling and not be able to settle down to do anything else. Even the animals in the zoo need to rest; is it too much to ask to relax a little?
Compared to this seemingly clean but actually smoky office, she wanted to see that boy immediately—at least he was handsome and clean-cut, and an irresistibly youthful younger man.

I packed my things neatly and quickly, then got up.

"Morita!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to me.

Chinatsu Morita looked over and said, "Ando-senpai."

Ando Shunichi, loosening his tie, stood in the doorway, looking at me with a smile. "Ready to leave work?"

"Yes, is Ando-senpai still busy?"

Shunichi Ando smiled and shook his head, his gaze lingering on the young and beautiful woman for a fleeting moment. He couldn't help but marvel at how this woman's presence had brightened up the otherwise dreary police station. She was truly a rare sight.

"I'm getting ready to leave work too."

"Oh, that's quite a coincidence."

Chinatsu Morita smiled politely, but her cold demeanor made the smile seem excessively polite.

However, after a moment's hesitation, Ando Shunichi couldn't help but ask, "Since we're leaving get off work together, how about we grab a drink?"

No one could dislike a woman as charming as Chinatsu Morita. As her senior who personally guided her to familiarize herself with everything here, Shunichi Ando naturally noticed her charm from the very beginning.

He didn't make it obvious, though. After all, there were plenty of ruthless people in the police station, and many had noticed Morita Chinatsu. He didn't want to be the one to stick his neck out, or become someone else's scapegoat. He preferred the philosophy of making a fortune quietly.

Anyway, the police profession is quite special, which doesn't give her many opportunities to meet other men or go on dates or blind dates. So taking things slowly doesn't seem wrong.

It's perfectly normal for a senior colleague to invite a hardworking junior colleague to dinner or drinks, right? She probably won't refuse.

After all, looking at the entire police station, he was relatively young and had a pleasing appearance.
"Excuse me, senior, I have an appointment today."

"Really? You made plans with a friend?"

Ando Shun was taken aback. The other party's refusal wasn't just an excuse; they directly told him they had plans? What did that mean? Had they discovered his feelings and were subtly hinting at it? Or was it simply because they were excited and looking forward to the date that they blurted it out without thinking?

He didn't know it; he just felt like what he was saying was a pre-programmed robot, and his brain was actually a little numb.

Chinatsu Morita gave a faint smile, which was noticeably more genuine than before. "I guess so. Okay, I'll be going now. Goodbye, senpai."

".goodbye."

Watching Chinatsu Morita walk briskly away from me, was it because she was off work and so relaxed and cheerful? Or was it because she was eager to see the person she wanted to see?

Perhaps I'm overthinking things. A woman like her has plenty of admirers.
At this time of day, the grilled fish restaurant, which wasn't very crowded, was filled with the aroma of food, and the faint sounds of boisterous laughter and clinking glasses could be heard.

For them, every night of unbridled enjoyment is special. But they also seem to be all the same.

The laughter of that moment, the emptiness upon waking the next day. It's always the same cycle, day after day.

But the woman, who had already changed her clothes, knew clearly that tonight was going to be special.

She pushed open the door and went inside.

In an instant, she naturally attracted countless eyes. Although many people were already quite drunk, they couldn't help but be amazed by the woman's appearance.

The refreshing sandals that revealed bright red toenails, paired with denim hot pants that showcased straight legs and a well-proportioned, healthy figure.

Her long, curly hair fell lazily over her shoulders and back, and the white shirt tucked into her hot pants created a beautiful curve at her chest, like a snow-white rainbow that one wanted to climb.

The young man standing not far away was immediately drawn to the scene, as if his very soul had been captivated.

He couldn't help but walk towards this charming and dazzling young woman with a confident and dashing smile.

"Miss, it may be a bit offensive, but I'd still like to ask if I could have a drink with you sometime? Just one."

The woman smiled, and he thought it was an opportunity.

"Excuse me, I have an appointment."

"Of course I know, but it doesn't matter. There are plenty of men in this world, and plenty of choices. Enriching your experiences is the only way to avoid wasting your life, don't you think?"

His smile grew even brighter, and his usual flirting lines always had a high success rate.

After all, a woman who seeks pleasure through drinking, no matter how beautiful she is, can be easily swayed by her motives.

But the woman smiled slightly and said, "But I think he's the most handsome man in this store."

"is it?"

The man glanced inside casually and soon spotted a boy sitting on the edge, calmly watching them.

indeed.

At first glance, you have to admit that he's almost too handsome, even unreal.

But he didn't want to admit defeat, so he smiled and said in a low voice.

"He's just a bit younger than you are. The more handsome a man is, the less romantic he is. Miss, you should understand that looks can't put food on the table. A wonderful night requires a resonance between your mind and soul. He looks too young; he's not right for you."

The woman laughed.

Like wildflowers in full bloom.

"No, it's really big."

"???"

……

(End of this chapter)