Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar suddenly came from the distant city center without any warning!

Immediately afterwards, a huge ball of fire, like a mushroom cloud, shot up into the sky, illuminating half the sky in blood-red!

Even from such a long distance, they could still clearly see...the flames shooting up into the sky, and the thick black smoke billowing up!

Tokyo...

Somewhere...

It exploded!!!

Nagasaki Suyo widened her eyes, looking at the horrific scene in front of her in disbelief...it was like the end of the world!

Just as her mind went blank due to extreme shock, a lazy and playful voice sounded softly in her ears:

"Ms. Nagasaki..."

Jiujo Liansi turned his head, and under the reflection of the blazing fire, his amber eyes seemed to be filled with thousands of sparks:

"'Fireworks'...are they pretty?"

Nagasaki Suyo stared blankly at the flames rising into the sky in the distance, then looked at the "monster" next to her... who had a faint smile on his face, as if he was just enjoying a... grand performance.

Suddenly, an indescribable... palpitation surged in her heart.

The girl nodded subconsciously and made a "hmm" sound in her throat.

Maybe it was because of what I just said, or maybe it was because of...something else.

Seeing the girl's reaction, it was Kujo Renji who froze.

Huh?

Why does the reaction feel wrong?

Kujo Renji, who originally wanted to take this opportunity to deepen the other party's "fear" of him, suddenly realized that his plan seemed to have a slight deviation.

.

PS: The update is a bit late. This chapter has 9,200 words, which can barely be considered the fifth update.

Chapter 123 Nagasaki Sushi's little face is red and warm

The fire in the distance still beats stubbornly in a corner of the city, like the last beat of a dying heart, adding a bit of strange grandeur to the quiet mountain top.

Nagasaki Suyo stared blankly at the blood-red color, and subconsciously glanced at the "Kujo Renji" next to her with the face of "Toyokawa Shoko".

The faint smile on his face, as if he knew everything and was enjoying everything, looked even more frightening against the backdrop of the firelight.

Then, she heard her own response that sounded like a dream.

"Ah."

A light, almost inaudible monosyllable.

The moment she spoke, Nagasaki Suyo felt as if ice water was poured over her head and she shuddered violently.

and many more.

Wait a moment.

What did I just say?

"Um"?

Is it a response to the question “Are the fireworks beautiful?”

Is it affirming the "spectacle" created by a catastrophic explosion?

Her brain, like a computer that was forcibly restarted, after a brief blank, began to frantically spew out all kinds of self-condemnation and excuses.

—No, that's not the case! How could I possibly think something like that was "beautiful"?!

That's an explosion! It's deadly! It's a crime! Even if I, Nagasaki Suyo, use every possible means, I'm not a sociopath, am I?!

——I was just... just stunned by that sudden, incomprehensible scene!

Yes, that's definitely the case! It's like seeing Godzilla land for the first time. That complex mixture of shock and fear is definitely not appreciation!

—And, he was asking about "fireworks." Fireworks, after all, are synonymous with splendor. I just... just followed his lead and responded with a... a literary rhetorical flourish! Yes, rhetoric! Just like those people in the late stages of chuunibyou would say, "Destruction is also a kind of aesthetic." I just accidentally put myself in that situation!

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her excuses were pale and powerless, and her cheeks became hot due to her inner embarrassment.

This feeling made her feel even more ashamed than when he threatened her with the collar before.

That time, at least she could attribute everything to being "forced", but this time, that damn "hmm" was a subconscious, almost instinctive reaction from her!

"Ah, that... I mean..."

Nagasaki Suyo hurriedly tried to make amends:

"I mean... this kind of... this kind of sudden incident is really... too shocking... right? Haha... ha..."

Her dry laughter sounded particularly abrupt on the silent mountaintop, like an untimely crow making the wrong cry at the wrong time and in the wrong place.

Every syllable revealed guilt and panic. Even she herself felt that this explanation was full of loopholes and made the truth more obvious.

Kujo Renji turned his head away and did not expose her lame lie.

"Really? I thought Miss Nagasaki had a unique appreciation for such 'grand' occasions."

He spoke slowly, his tone calm.

"Absolutely not!"

Nagasaki Suyo retorted almost immediately, her voice rising slightly with urgency.

"Oh?"

Jiujo Renji looked her up and down, and then, as if he had discovered some new world, he let out a soft "Ah" as if he had suddenly realized something.

"Speaking of..."

He paused:

"Ms. Nagasaki, have you ever considered... applying to a police academy or something after graduation?"

"what?"

Nagasaki Suyo was unable to react to his wild and imaginative thinking for a moment.

"Ah, that's not right."

He spoke in a long tone, emphasizing each word:

"——Ms. Nagasaki, you seem quite suitable for... the underworld."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Nagasaki Suyo felt like she couldn't catch her breath and was almost choked to death by her own saliva.

She coughed violently, her cheeks flushing red.

—In...gangsters?!

Although I do have some interest in things like tracking, eavesdropping, and mind games... What does that have to do with the underworld?! It's... It's for self-protection! Protect yourself and the people who are important to you!

Besides, even if I do have some "talent," I'd use it for the right purpose! Like becoming a good private investigator? Or a security consultant? Worst case scenario, getting a civil service degree and joining a special department sounds a lot more respectable than being in the underworld, right?!

She was madly refuting in her heart, but on the surface, she could only stare at the "Toyokawa Shoko" in front of her with an angry look on her face who was smiling innocently.

"You...what nonsense are you talking about!"

"I just made a small and reasonable guess based on Ms. Nagasaki's 'heartfelt' reaction just now."

Nagasaki Suyo's chest was heaving with anger, but she couldn't find any powerful words to refute.

Because she knew that her reaction just now was indeed... very questionable.

The return journey began in a strange silence.

The mountain road is rugged and the night is getting darker.

The shock brought by the previous "fireworks" and the subsequent confrontation made Nagasaki Suyo's mood like an overturned palette, mixed with various emotions and in chaos.

On the one hand, she was angry at Kujo Renji's badness and shamelessness, but on the other hand, she had to admit that this guy's insight into human nature was terrifyingly accurate.

What made her even more upset was that deep down in her heart, there seemed to be some dark side hidden that even she herself was unwilling to face.

Just as she was daydreaming and feeling a little dizzy, tragedy happened.

"what!"

With a short cry of pain, Nagasaki Suyo felt a sharp pain in her right ankle, and her body tilted as she fell uncontrollably towards the nearby mountain wall.

It's over. This thought flashed through her mind. Getting hurt at this time is simply adding insult to injury.

However, the expected collision did not come. A hand, not strong but steady, caught her arm in time to stop her from falling.

It's Kujo Renji.

He had turned around at some point and stood in front of her. His amber eyes seemed somewhat deep in the dim light.

"Ms. Nagasaki, are you... planning to use a self-torture tactic to gain my sympathy?"

"Who...who wants your sympathy!"

Nagasaki Suyo gritted her teeth and tried to keep her balance, but the sharp pain in her ankle made her gasp.

Damn, it seems like it was twisted pretty badly.

"So, Miss Nagasaki is planning to rely on her own strong willpower to jump off this mountain on one foot?"

"I..."

Nagasaki Suyo was speechless. She tried to move her ankle, but the sharp pain caused a layer of cold sweat to instantly seep onto her forehead.

Not to mention jumping down the mountain on one foot, she now even has difficulty standing steadily.

Damn it! Why at this time? In front of this bastard!

She bit her lower lip, stubbornly refusing to ask for help. Self-esteem sometimes surfaces at inopportune moments.

Jiujo Renji looked at her, who was obviously grimacing in pain but still trying hard not to bow her head, and suddenly chuckled.

"Miss Accomplice, is this some kind of self-torture trick?"

Kujo Renji spoke slowly, and it was hard to tell whether his tone contained praise or sarcasm.

He released his hand that was holding Su Shi's arm, turned around in front of her, bent his knees slightly, and faced away from her.

"Come up." Two simple and clear words, leaving no room for negotiation.

Su Shi was stunned.

"What...what are you going to do?"

"What do you think?"

Kujo Renji's voice came from the front, with a hint of impatience.

Let her be carried down the mountain by this "monster" that occupied Xiangzi's body?

Nagasaki Suyo subconsciously felt a sense of resistance from the bottom of her heart.

"So, Miss Nagasaki, are you planning to wait here until daybreak and then have the rescue team come and carry you down? I wouldn't mind accompanying you, but I'm not sure if your delicate ankle can hold up until then."

Su Shi bit her lower lip, feeling torn between her conscience and her conscience.

Her mind told her that the wisest choice now was to accept the other party's "help." But emotionally, she could not accept this humiliating situation no matter what.

In the end, between dignity and pain, Nagasaki Suyo sadly discovered that the latter seemed more convincing.

She took a deep breath, as if she had made some important decision, and reached out her hand tremblingly, placing it on the shoulder of "Toyokawa Shoko".

When her body gently covered that back, an indescribable complex feeling instantly enveloped her.

The familiar smell of laundry detergent with a faint floral scent on Xiangzi's body was now mixed with an unfamiliar scent belonging to Kujo Renji.

It was Xiangzi's slender shoulders that supported her weight and helped her stand up steadily.

"Ms. Nagasaki, you should lose some weight."

Su Shi's face flushed red, and she wished she could find a hole to crawl into. This guy, even at this time, didn't forget to take advantage of her verbally!