【Jiu Ci】It's all true love, don't compare

The venue for the anniversary meeting is the sky garden on the top floor of the company.

When Shuten entered the venue, Abe Seimei had just finished his speech, raised his head, saw the two people at the door, and blinked helplessly.

"It's not good to be late on purpose."

He walked through the crowd with his usual decent smile and came to Shuten.

"There's a traffic jam in the evening rush hour, and it's not for us to hear, so what's the matter." Jiu Tun said lightly.

"That's not the way to say it. You are all part of the company, and this new project is related to you. You should at least act it out. Why don't you give me face?" Abe Seimei said, walking past from time to time The people around him nodded their heads.

"Oh? Then tell me, is there anything we should have heard or not?"

"……No."

Abe Seimei turned his head, with a soft and innocent smile on his face.

"...It's time for you to receive the investors."

Jiu Tun showed a look of no surprise, and opened his mouth to push people away.Abe Seimei smiled and shook his head, raised his wine glass, turned around to greet others.

"You don't seem to like him very much."

Ibaraki, who had been keeping quiet all this time, spoke with a firm tone.

"...It is right to be vigilant against this kind of good old man."

Shuten shrugged, but did not answer his question directly.

Izuku smiled and looked around.He wore a white shirt with a plaid suit vest and trousers of the same fabric. The tie was neatly tied, and the clothes were tailored to fit the wide shoulders and narrow waist. A small ankle was exposed between the trousers and the lace-up shoes ——Before going out, he even sprayed mosquito repellent water on it—the whole body exuded the lively vigor of young people.Shuten himself is the usual standard for business occasions, a low-key and simple black shirt and suit pants, with only a pair of delicate cufflinks as a foil.

"Hey, you two have such a style, if you don't know, you might think that you just came out of which show."

Qing Xingdeng walked over with a wine glass in his hand, his long hair was pulled up high, and he was wearing a blue fishtail skirt, with layers of satin skirts rippling with faint phosphorescence, his two long legs were hidden in it, making people dizzy as he walked.

"...Are you qualified to talk about others?"

Jiu Tun glanced at her heels that were seven or eight centimeters wide.

Qing Xingdeng smiled disapprovingly: "It's rare to have such a serious event, of course we can't waste the opportunity." She took Ibaraki's arm, "Aren't you going to say hello to your colleagues?"

"Then I went first?"

Ibaraki looked at Jiu Tun inquisitively, and Jiu Tun waved his hand, watching him walk away with Qing Xingdeng, the woman turned around and began to scold him, "I'm not coming to call you, are you going to follow others to the pile of writers", Ibaraki turned his head away impatiently and refused to listen.Jiu Tun laughed, and turned to look for his colleagues. In the crowd, he saw Arakawa in blue and Yan Mo in a white skirt chatting beside the pillar, so he walked over.

"Oh, Mr. Shutendouji, have you finally remembered your colleagues?" Yan Mo still had a mysterious smile, "Has your child been abducted?"

"Leave with the editor," Jiu Tun took a glass of wine and held it in his hand, "Why, are you interested in him? Aren't you afraid that your little secretary will be jealous?"

"Don't make such a rude joke! It's too disrespectful to Lord Yan Mo."

The judge just came back with some snacks, and said with a straight face.Shuten looked at his full white suit and twitched his mouth.

"Why is your little secretary still the same, with no sense of humor?"

"Now I'm an official copyright agent, it's better to be serious," Arakawa said with a smile, "Yan Mo's works are as long as he is, and there are many things to take care of in the future."

"Hehe, where is it? Jiu Tun and the others are the focus of care now," Yan Mo shook his glass unhurriedly, "The investor has a few consultants, and the cooperation intention is probably okay. What do you think?"

"I don't think much about it, I haven't written a word, and I will talk about it when the big tengu officially talks to me."

"You can hold your breath." Arakawa and Yan Mo looked at each other, "Just watch, maybe you can meet someone you know later."

"Who?"

Jiu Tun asked.

"You'll know when the time comes." Arakawa blinked.

"Ibaraki-sensei, long time no see."

Huaniaojuan was standing by the long table, smiling at him when he saw him approaching, the red dress that should have a distinctive presence looked very soft on her body.

"Teacher doesn't come to the company recently!" Butterfly sprang out from the side, grabbed Ibaraki's arm and laughed, "Why don't you come to play with us!"

"The project is too busy." Ibaraki was pulled to bend down by the little former assistant who turned out to be a shoujo manga artist.

"You're so busy, you make it sound like you weren't busy before. Everyone doesn't know your workload? How does it feel to work with an idol, Ibaraki-kun?"

Qing Xingdeng said coolly at the side.

"Very good, as expected of my favorite writer, you don't know, the teacher knows everything, he is handsome, his job is reliable, his cooking is delicious..." Ibaraki's chatterbox suddenly opened up, "... How about it, he has too many advantages, I can still talk about it for three days and three nights!...Why are you looking at me like this?"

"Because you can't be saved."

Qing Xingdeng shook his head and turned to get the cake.

"It's hopeless, what I'm talking about is objective facts! If you had cooperated with him, you would have been fascinated by him!" Ibaraki still wanted to argue, and Qing Xingdeng covered his ears with one hand and pretended not to hear.

"That's great. It must be very happy to be his girlfriend."

Butterfly sighed.

"Teacher doesn't have a girlfriend yet." Ibaraki retorted quickly.

"But according to what you said, there should be many girls who like him, right? After all, Teacher Lie Yan can be regarded as a golden bachelor with both fame and fortune," Hua Niaojuan asked curiously, "I don't have a date, could it be because I have someone I like? Are you still together?"

Ibaraki was taken aback by her question, and when he wanted to refute, he felt that he lacked confidence.After all, he and Jiuten are just ordinary friends, and it is impossible to say that there are no other women in the life of the other party. Out of respect, he does not want to inquire too much about Jiuten's private affairs, and Jiuten never talks about it to him, so when he thinks about it, this The possibility is not impossible.

He was caught off guard by the fact that he didn't know Shuten-douji well enough.

"Knowing how to cook is already great, I don't even have the patience to cook by myself," Butterfly Jing was looking at his waist in distress, completely unaware of the subtle atmosphere, "Recently, I was rushing to draft and always eating takeaway, feeling fat Quite a few..."

"Really?" Ibaraki came back to his senses, bent down, held the girl's leg with one hand and hugged her, weighed her for a moment, "I think it's okay, I'm not fat."

"It's Teacher, you are too strong!" Butterfly Jing pressed the skirt of the tutu skirt with her small hand, "Put me down quickly, there are so many people watching here!"

"You two have such a good relationship." Huaniaojuu laughed beside him.

"I've been his assistant since the teacher's second comic, and I was still in school at that time! The teacher took good care of me, like an older brother!" Butterfly got off his arm and straightened her skirt with a smile.

"I can't even reach the cabinet. I thought she was stunted at the time. I wanted to take care of her. Who knows that she hasn't grown in size for so many years... Oh, why did you hit me? Am I not your favorite teacher?"

"Good fight," Qing Xingdeng pointed from the side, "Next time we hit here, it will be painless and painless."

Huaniaojuan just smiled with his mouth covered, and several female authors came to join them, making this corner extremely lively.

Shuten turned his eyes away from Ibaraki who was surrounded by a group of girls, and continued to wander around the venue, stopping to chat with acquaintances from time to time.The reception was a company event in name, but in fact many partners were invited to attend the meeting. The management and marketing department were busy with socializing, and the authors had nothing to do except drink and chat together, so Jiu Tun was very interested Get up.

The garden on the top of the building is not too big, but the layout is very emotional, the green plants are just right, there is a wooden pavilion in the northwest corner, and the top is covered with vines, it is a good time for flowering, and a string of white flowers hang down , Exuding a strong aroma, Jiu Tun walked over, intending to stay away from the crowd and rest here for a while.

Apparently he wasn't the only one who had such an idea. There was already a woman sitting in the pavilion, looking down at her mobile phone. When she felt someone approaching, she raised her head and met his eyes.

"Red leaves?"

Jiu Tun was slightly surprised, but soon came back to his senses, knowing that she was the "acquaintance" that Arakawa said.

"Long time no see." Hongye greeted Luoluo generously.

"I see," Jiu Tun understood, "Is your company planning to discuss cooperation?"

"Yes."

Hongye put the phone back in her handbag. She wore a black tube top dress, showing her round shoulders. Her long straight hair just covered her back.Looking at her now, probably no one would have imagined that this woman used to dye her hair and smoke, get seven pierced ears, and dance shuffling in ripped jeans.

—Although that was seven or eight years ago.

"How does it feel to be in the film and television industry?"

"Not so much~ It's just a matter of spending more energy to get familiar with the status quo of the industry." Hongye casually lifted up her drooping black hair and threw it behind her shoulders. where."

"It's good to make enough money. It's more pleasant to live according to one's own desires than caring about others." Jiu Tun blinked, and Hong Ye was amused.

"Oh, it's not the same as before," she said meaningfully. "Are you still single?"

"Yes, how about you?"

"It's the same, but I already have someone I like."

"Oh? What kind of person?"

"Someone completely different from you—probably?"

Hongye's eyes swept towards the center of the venue, and then quickly retracted.

"That's great, I wish you success."

Jiu Tun replied.Hongye looked at him, pondered for a moment, and said:

"I always feel that you are not as cold as before."

"Yes, people always change, aren't you as crazy as before?"

"Hehe, probably," Hongye looked at her fingertips. The black nail polish was doped with golden particles, shining like stars, making her fingers whiter and whiter. "It's only at this time that I like others. Very hard work."

Jiu Tun was touched by this sentence.

"You are still young, what are you talking about, where is the red leaf I know?"

"I'm not young anymore, if I was young, I would have rushed to confess my love, now... there are too many things to worry about," Hongye waved her hand, "It's you, if you meet someone you like, you have to hold on to it... Um?"

Jiu Tun followed her gaze, and saw a white-haired head poking out from under the wisteria, it was Ibaraki.

"Why did you come here and stop playing with the girls?"

Jiu Tun asked.

"Ah... there are too many people over there. I came out to get some air. I saw you here. I wanted to come over and have a look. Did I bother you?"

"Nothing," Hongye smiled, "Shuten, why don't you introduce me?"

"Ibaraki Doji, painter, my friend," Shuten said succinctly, "Momiji, senior investment consultant, college classmate."

"Hey, hey, you're so cold," Hongye said dissatisfied, "You can be considered an old friend, right? Just a word of college classmate dismissed him?"

"...Okay, it's not my fault, I'll buy you a drink to make amends some other day?"

"Okay~ Then I want to drink the one brewed by the old man himself. I haven't drunk it for a long time."

"That's not okay. It's not like you don't know that the old man is abroad."

"Father and son—" Hong Ye shook her head and stood up, "—I'm going to find my colleagues, so I won't bother you anymore... You drunkard, please drink less, really," she pressed her wrist, and clasped her slender white hand In Shuten's hand, he pushed away his wine glass, turned his head and smiled at the expressionless Ibaraki, "See you later."

Ibaraki didn't move, seeing her walking away, he said to Shuten: "The big tengu is looking for you."

"...Okay." Jiu Tun took a few steps absently with his wine glass in his hand, and found that Ibaraki hadn't followed, and turned around and asked, "Why are you going?"

"I...I want to go back," Ibaraki looked a little unnatural, "It's too noisy here, and there's nothing to do."

"Oh, then wait for a while, let's go after talking with the big tengu."

Jiu Tun was planning to do this, so he didn't doubt his words at all, turned around and walked into the venue to find his editor, Liu Ibaraki stood alone in the same place, in this corner where the lively and joyful atmosphere could not be touched, with his head bowed, he did not know where he was. Think about something.

On the way back, Ibaraki didn't speak, his head leaned against the window glass, he was not sure if he was tired after drinking, so he didn't call him, just leaned on the back seat to read the materials.

The taxi stopped at the gate of the community.Ibaraki got out of the car, and followed Jiu Tun into the car sluggishly, his whole body showing a listless energy.

"Not full? Do you want to buy something to eat?"

Alcohol asked amusedly.

Ibaraki shook his head, hesitant to speak.

"What's wrong?" Jiu Tun asked.

"I... that is, the woman who chatted with you just now, is she also here to discuss the project?"

"Well, yes, the big tengu told me just now that Abe Seimei intends to make my novel into a film and television, but I don't know exactly what step to take." Jiu Tun casually copied his hand in his pants pocket, "She The current company is also a leader in the industry, and the possibility of cooperation is still relatively large.”

"Are you familiar? I mean when I was in college."

There was a hint of cautious inquiry in Ibaraki's voice, but Shuten didn't care.

"How should I put it, I have pursued her, but I haven't dated her."

Ibaraki's footsteps froze for a moment.

"why?"

"Because it's not suitable," Jiu Tun said, "we were in the same major in college, she was very beautiful, right? But she is not just a vase, but she is very smart and has excellent professional knowledge, so I admire her very much. She was very beautiful when she was young. It’s very dazzling, not as watertight as it is now, but like a star, bright and lovely, fascinating, but when I pursued her, she just made up her mind to go abroad, and I went to another country later, objectively not suitable Once I developed a relationship, I didn’t continue to try.”

Ibaraki listened to Shuten praising that woman, with nostalgia for the past in his voice, and felt something heavy on his heart.

"I don't have a date, could it be because I have someone I like, but we haven't been together yet?"

That's it, that's it, he thought wildly: My friend likes this kind of woman, she is beautiful, elegant, generous, smart, and capable, she is similar to him.

...it's not like me at all.

"...What about now? Is she still single?"

It was only now that Shuten realized that something was wrong with Ibaraki's tone.

He turned to look at Ibaraki: "What do you want to say?"

"...If she is single, you will have a chance, isn't it great?" Ibaraki wanted to encourage Shuten, but he felt uncomfortable in his heart, and the words he said were hard, "She is so beautiful, and you are walking together again, together There must be a lot of languages, you seem to be a good match..."

Jiu Tun stopped suddenly, Ibaraki bumped into his shoulder unexpectedly, and staggered half a step back.He raised his head and met a pair of purple eyes that could not read emotion.

"It's a good match?"

Jiu Tun looked at him expressionlessly, and repeated again: "Do you think we are a good match?"

"That's right," Ibaraki didn't know which sentence he said wrong, and his heart became more and more bulging, and he forced himself to make up, "You are so good, of course you should have a good girlfriend, no woman can refuse you! She looks like I also care about you, so why not try again..."

"Why, the cooperation is not enough, and now you still want to intervene in my love life?"

Shuten interrupted him nonchalantly.

"I, I care about you!" Ibaraki could hardly speak, "Aren't we friends..."

"Thank you, but there's no need," Jiu Tun said coldly, "Take care of yourself, I am very happy to see you hanging out with the little girls, hurry up and chase whoever you like, don't let 'friend 'worry."

He turned around and entered the building without wanting to wait a second longer. Ibaraki stood at the door for a while before realizing it and chasing after him, but the elevator had already started to jump up with numbers.

1、2、3、4、5……

Standing there, staring at the string of numbers, he thought vaguely that this was the first time Shuten hadn't waited for him since he knew each other.Shuten must be mad at him, even though he doesn't know what he did wrong - he clearly said that because he cared about Shuten.He thought of the beautiful face of that woman named Hongye. She called his friend "drunkard" and asked him to drink less. Her attitude was intimate and casual. It was a tacit understanding unique to many years of acquaintance, and no one else could join in. He had never done this before. , he can only drink with Jiu Tun when he is interested-he once thought this was a close enough relationship.

I don't know whether it's envy or jealousy rising from his chest, making him dizzy: why not me, why can't I be the one closest to him?Immediately after another voice sounded: "Of course it can't be you. Before he met you, he had lived a third of his life. There are so many things you have never participated in. What position do you have to question?"Then the envy and jealousy were completely wiped out, leaving only pale and cold ashes of futility.

In vain, everything is in vain.

Jiu Tun stepped out of the elevator door irritably, walked a few steps, felt that the surrounding decorations were not quite right, and then looked back at the elevator room - the number marked on it was clearly the floor where Ibaraki lived.

He punched the wall with his fist and cursed.

Until he turned into the stairwell, that anger still haunted him.Friend, what a sincere word, his friend is really caring about him, caring about his work and life, while saying that no one can refuse him, and on the other hand, he looks worried that he will die alone - in the end he swallowed alcohol What's the use of being a good boy?The only person he wanted, who didn't understand anything at all.His patience, his restraint, his restlessness, his hesitation to speak...even his messy heartbeat itself, everything is just a meaningless solo.

That being the case, let's satisfy that guy, he thought, end it before nothing happens, stop the loss in time, they will still be friends, maybe they will go to the end of life together by fate, maybe they will run counter to each other from a certain day Walking away, these are not important, if Ibaraki Doji only wants these, then give him these.The extra part can only be solved by Shuten-douji himself.

After all, getting what you want is a part of life, and he understood this truth a long time ago.

tbc