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

When Jiu Tun opened his eyes, it was already daylight.

He turned off the alarm clock, lay on the bed for a while, and then turned over after fully awake, washed, made breakfast, and carried out his daily routine step by step until he changed his clothes and was ready to go out.

He paused in front of the mirror for a moment, and looked at his face carefully: the man's face was sharp and angular, and he still looked handsome. Although he had been engaged in high-intensity brain work for a long time, thanks to his good living habits, the hairline didn't seem to have much slack. He has moved, and his figure has been maintained very well, no different from when he was in college.It's just that the expression on the eyebrows is no longer youthful anyway.

He tossed a mint into his mouth and straightened his shirt collar casually.Wearing formal clothes in summer is really tormenting, but today is the day to formally start negotiations on the film and television adaptation of novels. As the original author, you have to show a serious attitude.

There was still a while before he planned to go out, so he sat back on the sofa and turned on his phone to read the news.There have been a lot of things going on recently, the editor boss friend kept looking for him one after another, the chat box marked with Ibaraki's name has fallen to the bottom, and it is about to be squeezed out of the screen.

Shuten looked at the name and felt something stuffed in his throat.

It has been more than a week since the reception.When Jiu Tun came home that night, he took a shower first, and after calming down a bit, he realized that their behavior just now could be regarded as a quarrel. From a point of view, Ibaraki did not do anything wrong. It is obviously natural to care about a friend's love life, but he was driven by his own dark emotions to lose his temper with Ibaraki - although he did not yell, he did not yell. It is naive enough to leave the other party and walk away without grace.He rubbed his hair, couldn't help but wonder if Ibaraki would be angry with him in turn, and felt that anger is normal, anyone who puts out good intentions but is treated like this has the right to be angry, if not, then he is not Stupid is too well-cultivated.

After much deliberation, Shuten decided to apologize to Ibaraki.He picked up the phone, and was shocked to find that there was an unread message from Ibaraki on it, so he had to throw away the mental construction he had made and opened the message.

"I'm so sorry my friend, I don't know why you're angry, but I have absolutely no intention of interfering in your life, it's just out of concern. I apologize if this made you feel bad... Either way, you are me valued friend."

Jiu Tun stood there holding the phone, not even noticing that the towel had fallen off.The anger that had been suppressed by the cold water resurfaced again, but this time it had nowhere to go, it only slowly expanded in his heart, bringing an unspeakable sense of suffocation.

It was too calm, that guy's tone was too calm and sincere, making it difficult for people to figure out which of the two of them was the one who did the wrong thing.Shuten doesn't know whether Ibaraki is stupid or well-bred, or maybe neither, but he just pays too much attention to Shuten, to the point that even if there is an inexplicable conflict, he is willing to bow his head and take the blame.Jiu Tun knew it very well in his heart, and because of this, his anger swelled up - friend, friend again, he couldn't stop being annoyed when he saw this word now.Are friends such an important thing?That guy is obviously such a self-centered guy, just to take care of his friend's emotions, is he willing to give up his position and take a step back rationally?At this time, he became more considerate, like a calm adult, as if Jiu Tun took the opportunity to go down this level, they can still pretend that nothing happened, and continue to be friends as before...

But this is not right.

Even if the beneficiary is himself, Shuten wants to tell him that he doesn't need to bow his head and apologize.Originally, Ibaraki did nothing wrong, but the darkness in Shuten's heart made him temporarily lose his mind, and he began to make troubles like a brat, and Ibaraki didn't have to tolerate him at all—it's better to say that Ibaraki was also angry with him, he would instead Feel better, instead of being like now, full of disgust for his irrational behavior, but can't help feeling annoyed - Ibaraki doesn't know anything, and he doesn't have to bear anything.He won't understand that the longing in Shuten's heart is the culprit that keeps him from keeping calm, he just needs to continue like this, and focus on Shuten-douji as a friend, idol, life mentor, or something else--it's not Jiuten anyway The only one who wanted to - and stood there wondering if he had done something wrong to annoy his friend.They seem to be in the same field, but in fact there is always an invisible barrier between them.

Even though it is close at hand, it is impossible to reach out and touch it.

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Ibaraki had one leg hanging on the arm of the sofa, lying facelessly playing with his mobile phone, while Ushi was sorting out the manuscript beside him, frowning from time to time.

"Teacher...you forgot to fill in your lines again." The girl took out a sheet from a stack of papers, held it up directly above him and shook it a few times, "Why did you miss so many, why didn't you sleep in the draft?"

"...Little girl, don't worry about adults' troubles. Don't you also have a script? Fill it out for me."

Ibaraki turned over and continued playing, Chou Shi gave him a gloomy look, and went to the table with the manuscript in his arms.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the assistant turning on the computer, and stopped paying attention to the movements here, so Ibaraki turned off the game, hesitated for a while, and poked his finger on the clean icon without any unread reminders.

Of course, the push will not be broken for no reason, and so is the network signal, so it is only natural that no new messages have been received.

Ibaraki stared at the chat box, tried to open it several times but gave up.

The manuscript for the current issue has been completed ahead of schedule, and the next chapter has not yet started to be written, so he has no work excuses to talk to Jiu Tun.What's more, he was not sure whether Jiu Tun still had any emotions for him: they hadn't seen each other for a week, and Jiu Tun didn't take the initiative to find him. He only said that a new project had started to be put on the table, so he was in the company recently.Ibaraki didn't want to think about the authenticity of this statement, but felt that he couldn't see Shuten, couldn't see that familiar face, and every cold character was disturbing.

The dispute on the day of the reception ended in reconciliation, although Ibaraki didn't figure out why Jiu Tun was angry at the end, whether it was the embarrassment that his mind was pierced, or the relationship was not going well that upset him... these are not important, because Jiu Tun Tun obviously didn't intend to tell him the real reason. Since that's the case, he didn't need to ask any more. Anyway, it was just a small friction. It's not normal for people to get along with each other without friction at all, so he After thinking about it, he still chose what he thought was a mature enough way to deal with it: take a step back and expose this matter.

Ibaraki is actually not good at dealing with this kind of delicate interpersonal relationship. He has been alone so far, and he can count the people who can be called friends on one hand. Going up and down, what he pursues is the improvement of his own ability, and other things are useless to him.What's more, from the cognition of the first 20 years of life, making friends is really troublesome. If you always end up on a different path, it is better not to waste time from the beginning.Shuten-douji is the only exception. Although Ibaraki couldn't help but want to get close to that man, he didn't expect to become close friends with him at first. Shuten's response was completely unexpected. He was pleasantly surprised, and as time went by, he got closer and closer to the other party, and this joy gradually turned into fear: he saw a more real Shuten, and found that his feelings about Shuten changed, and when he touched Shuten, A corner of Jiu Tun's world, and knew that he could not go there, so in the end he found that he was probably no different from other people around Shu Tun.Once you realize this, the hole in your chest becomes unfillable.

People’s hearts are always greedy. At the beginning, it was just a look, a little smile, a few polite conversations, and then they worked together. When they were tired, they put down the manuscript in their hands and went to eat supper side by side.I don't know when, Ibaraki has been squeezed into Shuten's life, and was soothed by the response given by the other party, and almost forgot the feeling of being alone.He has obtained a lot, but still feels dissatisfied, maybe he will never be satisfied with that man.what else can we do?That person is older than him, has traveled a longer distance, has seen a wider world, and has intersected with various people in places he didn't know, so he has become strong, calm, and mature. He fell in love with this kind of Shuten, but now he finds that this is also what prevents him from moving forward: no matter how hard he tries, he can't catch up with Shuten.That person already had something he cared about in his heart, he was not reconciled, but he was helpless.

Ibaraki lowered his arms, adjusted his posture and continued to sink into the sofa, staring at the lights on the ceiling in a daze.

After a while, the cell phone resting on his stomach vibrated. He thought it might be a spam message, so he didn't move. He only heard Chou Shi, who was concentrating on editing the manuscript at the table, let out a soft "Huh".

"What's wrong?" he asked lazily.

"It's nothing, the final script has been sent, remember to read it."

"Oh... huh?"

Ibaraki grabbed his phone, and sure enough, he saw a new email.He hesitated for a few seconds before opening the file.This is the last part of the script. So far, the plot framework of the manga has been sorted out, and the details need to be adjusted when the painting starts.Shuten has always been very efficient and it was a pleasure to work with him.

Shuten... what are you doing now?

Ibaraki looked at it, and was a little distracted again.His fingers moved up unconsciously, his eyes swept across the familiar plots, and finally stopped near the end. On the eve of the war, the ghost king and the ghost general drank at the place they frequented. That was the last time, and then the ghost king broke the wine Zhan, as if to cut off the fetters and leave alone.He knew what would happen next. He had seen this ending many times, but for some reason he felt at a loss.

Shuten sent a message at this time.

"Look at the script, is there any problem?"

"...Are you outside?"

"Yes, there is a meeting in the afternoon, and I will go back in the evening."

"Then I'll go find you in the evening and meet you"

"……it is good."

Ibaraki stared at the dialog box for a moment, then closed it.

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Summer evenings always came very late, when Jiu Tun opened the door, the orange-red light of the setting sun was passing through the window, dyeing the whole room in the same color, giving him the illusion of a fire burning all over him.

He turned on the air conditioner, took a shower, changed his clothes and rested for a while before sending a message to Ibaraki.Not long after there was a knock on the door, he walked over to open the door, Ibaraki still stood outside the door like that, with a normal look, even though they hadn't seen each other for a week or so.

Jiu Tun regained his composure and turned sideways to let him in.

"Are there many questions?"

"No, I just wanted to come to you," Ibaraki said calmly, "Can't you?"

He was so straightforward that Jiu Tun was stunned.

"No, how come."

Ibaraki smiled at him, walked into the house, Jiu Tun closed the door, and followed him, thinking about the way he laughed just now, only to realize that they hadn't seen each other for a while.

"Actually, there are still a few questions." Ibaraki sat down and said to him, "You...your ending is open-ended, and in the end it ended directly with a legend, and many places were not explained in detail. I have always been curious, let Luo Did the ghost of Shengmen escape to fit the legend?"

"Correct."

"However, according to the character of the ghost of Rashomon, I always feel that he should fight to the last moment and live and die with Dajiangshan. Why did the ghost king drive him away? He has no home to return to. His brothers and friends are all on this mountain. Fighting to defend his homeland, where can he go alone?"

"Well, in fact, you can see from the front that this battle is bound to be lost, and both of them know it well," Jiu Tun said, "under such circumstances, unnecessary sacrifices are meaningless, so the Ghost King I have kept a little selfishness, and hope that no matter what, the friend who has accompanied him the longest and is most loyal to him can survive, so he will do such a move."

"If you lose your goal and direction, is it meaningless to live?" Ibaraki asked seriously, "If it were me, I probably wouldn't want to live alone with this kind of memory."

"Then what do you think is the meaning of this battle? Ordinary people on Dajiangshan are just a matter of life and death, and they have to do this. The character of Rashomon's ghost has a different position from other people. He follows The ghost king came here because of his strength and was recognized by the ethnic group. The knot that tied him to this place is the ghost king himself. The king has the responsibility to advance and retreat with his people, but behind the responsibility, as a friend, he is of course still I hope the ghost of Rashomon can survive and find his own way, instead of following in his footsteps in the end."

Izuku rolled his eyes.

"What about the ghost of Rashomon?"

"It's understandable," Jiu Tun patiently explained, "He has deep feelings for the King of Ghosts, some words can be conveyed even if he doesn't say them explicitly, and as long as he is still alive, it means that someone will remember his friends and remember the war He will be willing to survive even if he thinks about the companion who died in the battle.”

As his words fell to the ground, the room fell into silence, Ibaraki lowered his eyes, clasped his fingers intertwined, thinking about something, Shuten remained silent, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"It's really self-righteous," Ibaraki said after a long time, "If you don't say it, can you really convey it?"

"Who knows, no matter how close we are, there will always be something that cannot be conveyed," Jiu Tun said, "The ghost of Rashomon is a chaser, originally only acting for his own desires, but the king of ghosts let him It has changed, with a human heart, presumably such a him will also be willing to accept the wishes of his friends..."

"Does he want this?"

Izuku said suddenly.

"What?" Jiu swallowed and reacted.

"Ghost of Rashomon, does he want his own way? He is indeed a fighting maniac, but he follows the ghost king, not just chasing the strong, they support each other. I too... at the beginning because of your strength , I just chased you like that, but until today, you are already my important friend. You taught me a lot, and made me want to become stronger, and I can always stand in the same place as you, but I still do, Can't I get closer to you? Even if I only met at this time, can't I..."

Ibaraki stopped suddenly and stopped talking, probably because of clenching tightly, the knuckles of both hands on his knees were slightly white.

Jiu Tun was stunned.He was keenly aware of a trace of loss in Ibaraki's words, and he knew exactly where this loss came from.

Unlike Shuten, Ibaraki is too young, not entirely because of experience, but more because of his straightforward character. On the battlefield of life, the brush is his strength. As long as the work is completed well, other things are related to him. irrelevant.He and Jiu Tun are actually two completely different people, but they are attracted to each other as if irresistible, getting closer and closer.Shuten never imagined that when he was at a loss, Ibaraki was also confused by the same thing.

Does this mean something?is it possible……?

He didn't dare to think about it, but his heart beat faintly faster.

"...I'm sorry," he reached out and covered Ibaraki's hand, "I said it last time, but I'll repeat it seriously. I was in a bad mood that day, and it had nothing to do with you. As for you, Ibaraki-douji, you Already strong enough, I am very happy to complete this work with you. How to say... For me, you are also an important support, do you understand?"

"Then you're not angry anymore?" Ibaraki raised his eyes and looked at him.

"Of course! Tsk... You bastard, you can't be a little self-aware. Do you still have to say such things? Where is the usual thick-skinned?" Jiu Tun turned his face away uncomfortably.

"I'm just..." Ibaraki said softly, "...I just don't have much experience in being friends with others, I hope I can accompany you and be someone you trust, if I can't..."

"You are already," Jiu Tun interrupted him, "Do you think you can enter my uncle's house just by entering? You are the only one who runs here whenever you have something to do."

"Because I want to see you."

Ibaraki finally laughed, and at the same time the sun went down, the last ray of light slowly disappeared, and the room fell into darkness, even so, those golden eyes were still very warm, as if condensing the light of the setting sun.Jiu Tun looked at him, as if the accumulated boredom of these days was swept away at this moment, the longing in his heart surged up uncontrollably, he stretched out his arms, and hugged the person in front of him into his arms.

"... Jiu Tun?"

A muffled voice of doubt came from his shoulder.

"reconcile."

Shuten said these two words casually, and patted him on the back to cover up.

"……okay!"

The body in his arms relaxed, Ibaraki responded happily, hugged him back, and patted him imitatively.

It's just... stupid.

Jiu Tun thought in disgust, while tightening his arms, the guy's body was very hot, and there was a familiar smell coming from his body, the messy hair rubbed against his side face, it was a little itchy, but he didn't want to let go.Maybe that guy still doesn't know what this action means, but Shuten-douji at this moment is very clear: this is a rehearsal, making him confirm that he has finally captured what he wants, and will never let go. One day, this guy will also understand what he really thinks and stay here willingly.

- It's just a matter of time.

tbc