Holy Father-Style Tool-Person - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Matsuda Jinpei stared with a sour face at the youth beside him who was buried in scrubbing the floor tiles.

After a day of classes, the six of them had to start their cleaning duties again. Having been punished with a week of cleaning the public bathhouse and locker rooms, the group gathered here once more.

…This guy! Why is he being so serious! Clearly, the others weren’t putting in nearly as much effort.

Thinking this, the movements of Matsuda Jinpei’s hands grew faster.

Five minutes later—”Working this hard, aren’t you tired!?” Matsuda Jinpei protested. “No! Ceasefire!”

To make the work easier, Hiiragi Eiji had rolled up his sleeves and pant legs. Unlike Matsuda Jinpei, whose skin was a healthy honey-tan, Eiji was so pale he didn’t look like a police academy student who spent a lot of time exposed to the sun.

Even more inconsistent with his status as a police student was his skeletal frame, which appeared particularly thin even among men.

When he raised his head to look at Matsuda Jinpei, his refined facial features carried a look of bewilderment.

“Ceasefire? When did we start a war?”

Matsuda Jinpei: “…”

Having unknowingly shut Matsuda Jinpei’s mouth, Hiiragi Eiji continued to ponder Furuya Rei’s affection.

Actually, there was a period of time when Furuya Rei’s affection for him had reached the maximum value.

The drop to 99 points happened right after he and Matsuda Jinpei became complete best friends.

Why? Could he not maintain 100 points with Rei just because he became good friends with Jinpei?

Could it be that for Furuya Rei, there is a quota for 100-point affection? Because of Jinpei’s addition, his ranking as a best friend in Furuya Rei’s heart slipped down one spot?

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made to Hiiragi Eiji.

…So that’s how it is.

He couldn’t help but look up at Matsuda Jinpei.

The black-haired curly youth narrowed his eyes. “…Why are you looking at me like that?”

Hiiragi Eiji shook his head. He suddenly felt a sense of relief.

That’s right! He wasn’t here to snatch the position of Furuya Rei’s best friend from others; he was here to join them!

Thus, Hiiragi Eiji’s floor-scrubbing became even more vigorous.

Just as Matsuda Jinpei wanted to ask more, Hagiwara Kenji said helplessly: “Honestly, you clearly just want to chat with Little Eiji, right? You need to be more frank sometimes, Little Jinpei.”

“What nonsense! I’m just annoyed because he always looks so serious!”

“He’s flustered, he’s flustered.” Hagiwara Kenji stepped forward and slung an arm around the youth’s Hiiragi Eiji’s shoulder, leading him away from Matsuda Jinpei. “Let’s go, Little Eiji. Stay away from this abnormal guy. Come, you clean over here.”

“Hey! Who said you could enslave him! You guys, do your work seriously! Don’t tell me you’re planning to let him handle the whole bathhouse by himself?” Exasperated, Matsuda Jinpei pointed his brush at the remaining people one by one.

The others exchanged knowing glances, occasionally letting out muffled laughs they couldn’t hold back, only to return to serious expressions whenever Matsuda Jinpei tried to see exactly who dared to mock him.

“Speaking of which, we have a mixer tomorrow. There are quite a lot of people this time. Besides girls from our school, there are also some from the nearby university. Everyone, don’t be late,” Hagiwara Kenji said solemnly. “Jinpei, especially you. Don’t go soaking in the repair room and miss it again.”

“…Ha?! I don’t even want to go!” Matsuda Jinpei said almost through gritted teeth. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?!”

Knowing full well that he currently

“Oh—”

Hagiwara Kenji purposefully dragged out the tone, then shifted the topic. “Why don’t you want to go? Have you lost interest in girls? Don’t worry, I don’t mind that sort of thing~”

It was as if Matsuda Jinpei had been grabbed by the throat; his breath hitched. He subconsciously looked at Hiiragi Eiji standing behind Kenji, only to find the other looking at him with a face full of curiosity.

…Suddenly, I’m even angrier!

Hagiwara Kenji couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He patted Matsuda Jinpei’s shoulder and said, “Alright, I’m done teasing you. You’re still such a childish brat.”

Ignoring Matsuda Jinpei’s rebuttal, Hagiwara Kenji looked at Furuya Rei, who was the second most serious about cleaning, and couldn’t help asking: “Zero, we’ve attended several mixers together, but I’ve never heard what type of girl you like. So, what type is it exactly?”

Zhufu Jingguang looked at Furuya Rei with hesitation, unable to stop his gaze from circling twice between Furuya Rei and the clueless Hiiragi Eiji.

Others might not see it, but as someone who grew up with Zero, he had always had a faint feeling that Zero’s feelings toward Eiji were subtly different from how he felt about others.

Just now, when he heard the commotion from Jinpei’s side, even the strength he used to scrub the floor increased.

…Sure enough, the tiles on Zero’s side are much cleaner than on mine.

Just as he was about to smooth things over and skip the topic for Furuya Rei, Furuya Rei spoke up after a long silence.

He calmly recounted his childhood experiences—how he was ostracized because his hair color was different from others, and how he met the woman who gave him comfort during his childhood.

“…At that time, it was Miss Elena who kept encouraging me and supporting me, so—”

At this point, Furuya Rei awkwardly turned his head. He uncontrollably wanted to see Hiiragi Eiji’s reaction.

Then he saw that among the five, only Eiji looked completely dazed.

The others let out a series of long, meaningful books. Zhufu Jingguang looked thoughtfully at Matsuda Jinpei, while Hiiragi Eiji was completely detached from the group.

Noticing everyone’s “if you know, you know” expressions, Eiji couldn’t help but ask a simple-minded question: “What are you all booing for?”

The other five: “…”

After a long while, Furuya Rei painfully covered his face. “That’s why I said, when talking about this kind of topic, can we please not involve Ei!”

After reacting for two seconds, Hiiragi Eiji finally understood, and the brush in his hand dropped to the floor.

With a crisp clack, Furuya Rei felt his heart skip a heavy beat.

Then, he saw Hiiragi Eiji look at him with an unbelievable expression.

…What on earth was he expecting!

Taking a deep breath, Furuya Rei pretended nothing had happened and said: “…Hey! Why are you looking at me with that expression, as if I’m not a normal person!”

Hiiragi Eiji: “…” But you clearly aren’t!

Usually, in such a situation, at the age of an elementary schooler meeting a woman whose child is as old as he is, one should treat that woman as another mother, right?!

Seeing Furuya Rei’s expression grow darker and darker, Hiiragi Eiji immediately adopted a serious face. He reached out to pat Furuya Rei’s shoulder and encouraged him: “This shows that you, Zero, are a guy who can discover the charm of women of all age groups!”

Seeing that Furuya Rei’s face did not improve, Hiiragi Eiji tried even harder, praising him sincerely: “Thinking about it that way, you’re really great!”

“Hahahaha!” A burst of laughter that almost took the roof off the bathroom echoed through the space.

After Zhufu Jingguang stuttered through his own ideal type, everyone finally turned their eyes toward Hiiragi Eiji, who was working the most diligently.

Even at a time like this, he showed no sign of slacking off.

Regarding an ideal type, he hadn’t really thought about it. But if it was the type of person he admired most, Hiiragi Eiji had an answer instantly.

“…Probably the type who, even if they are deep in darkness, will strive to use their own light to warmly illuminate others?” As he spoke, Hiiragi Eiji couldn’t help but recall that person in his memory.

A head of dazzling golden hair, excessively positive, and excessively passionate—someone who couldn’t help but tell their dreams to everyone around them. He wondered if that person had realized his wish now that he was dead.

“Eh…? To actually like that type.” Hagiwara Kenji subtly nudged the dazed Matsuda Jinpei with his elbow. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a girl of that type.”

Hiiragi Eiji paused, then began to smile. “Mm, because he is a boy.”

Everyone: “…Oh.”

One second later.

“EH?!”