Short Story "Light and Shadow"

5,

A year ago, there was an explosion that shocked the whole country at the World Trade Center in the center of the city.A strong gun was placed on the fifth floor of the building, which almost caused the destruction of the entire building; during the evacuation of personnel, a vicious stampede occurred, causing 30 serious injuries and deaths.

In the only surveillance video kept at that time, it was found that the suspect was an adult man wearing a peaked cap and mirrors, with tattoos engraved on his arms.The three suspects locked in the incident were eventually released due to insufficient evidence.One of the suspects was seriously injured and was confirmed dead on the way to the hospital.

Ryosuke did not witness the whole process of the explosion.

In his only memory, he was woken up by the piercing siren sound in the middle of the night: the light of police lights flickered outside the window, and the red flames of the building in the distance seemed to burn through half the sky.He walked from his home to a nearby hospital in the middle of the night.The wailing was mixed with the honking of fire trucks.He walked slowly, the smell of disinfectant and blood mixed together, it was extremely sticky.

"Why did you suddenly check the list of the school's faculty and staff?" Fujiichi lay on the sofa, holding the list in his hand, "Didn't you suspect that Hanekawa's stalking was related to the bombing?"

Within two days, Ryosuke consulted a large amount of information about the bombing a year ago.After Tengyi returned home, his condition improved a lot. Apart from being lethargic for a whole day, there seemed to be no major problems.For the first time, Ryosuke moved the mirror to his side so that the other party could move freely.

"Fujiichi, you should bless me that I have nothing to do with the bombing. It's just that there are some things in Mr. Hanekawa's harassing letter that I am very concerned about." Ryosuke said calmly.

But an ordinary stalker is instantly replaced by a murderous terrorist, and no one will be able to guard against it.Tengyi once woke up at night and saw the other party sitting on the sofa and pressing his temple hard.Teng Yi could feel that this person was more lonely than anyone else.His calm and everything about him comes from fear.Do your best because of fear, and try to escape because of fear.

"It's okay." When Ryosuke turned his head, Fujiichi was looking at him quietly.The other party raised the list in his hand and said with a smile. "I will accompany you."

Liang Jie suddenly lowered his head and fell silent for a moment, then raised his hand and tapped the glass lightly, with a crisp sound on the surface.

"Thank you."

……

In the college two weeks later, there were people coming and going for visits from other schools and activities on campus.

Most of them had happy smiles on their faces.

After all, today is the annual college open day, and a large number of people poured into the school, making it very lively.

When Hanekawa walked through the classroom with a pile of books in his arms, he looked up and saw a boy sitting quietly not far away.A text message flashed on the phone.She opened it and took a look, then walked away quickly.

"Today is really a day suitable for crime." Tengyi looked at the crowd coming and going outside the window, the library seemed a little deserted today.Ryosuke was the only one in the huge space.His desk was covered with lists and some maps marked with red pen.

And in front of him was a laptop.

As if in a trance, he played a video on the computer repeatedly.The sound of the mouse beeping.There is no sound.In the picture are people fleeing in panic, thick smoke is rising from one side of the building, fear appears on everyone's face, like a silent film.

"Ah! I'm so busy." The door was pushed open, and someone could be seen walking in through the reflection of the window.Ryosuke stopped what he was doing.

"Hey, Ryosuke-kun, are you being lazy here? People in your class seem to be looking for you."

It was a nice male voice, Ryosuke raised his head and nodded to the visitor: "Well, isn't Matsumoto-sensei also lazy? I have encountered some things recently and I am too tired." Gently sorting out the materials on his hands, he changed The most skilled smile on weekdays. "Teacher, please don't tell them I'm here, please."

"You." The other party rubbed his head and sat beside him naturally. "What's the matter, I have troubles at such a young age, let's talk about it. The teacher will help you."

"Hmm..." Ryosuke frowned. "Actually, it happened to us, Teacher Yu Chuan. She recently received a follow-up letter. I checked it casually. I thought it was just a prank, but I didn't expect it to become more and more complicated."

"Huh?" The other party was Ryosuke's physical education teacher. With a row of white teeth and tanned skin, it always made people feel healthy. "It sounds bad." The other party showed the same gentle smile as before. "So Ryosuke, did you find anything?"

"I found some." He calmly opened the video on the computer, watching the terrified crowd inside for a moment. "Two days ago, I checked the time when Mr. Cha Yuchuan was followed, and found that it was very similar to the time of the recent bombing. It was like every time Mr. Yuchuan was given a warning, the explosion started. I was very concerned, so I specifically asked Mr. Hanekawa, and the other party told me very cooperatively."

"You obviously almost scared the other party to tears, okay?" Youxi looked at the other party with her head propped up in the glass window.

Liang Jie also supported his face, and pointed to the map on the table with a pen: "Teacher, look, this is the map that the gangster sent her three months ago. It marked the places where explosions occurred in recent months. Since then After that, the murderer would take photos of the crime scene and send them to Mr. Hanekawa every time. The picture was really bloody.

I wanted to come to Mr. Hanekawa, a female teacher, and her husband was working in another place, and she was threatened by the other party: If I tell the police the photo, his husband will be blown up.Behavior like this..."

Ryosuke turned his eyes and looked at Matsumoto: "It's really bad. Teacher, what do you think?"

"Yes." The other party still smiled gently. If he hadn't looked at Ryosuke with dark eyes, he might have thought it was a warm picture.

"And..." Ryosuke circled the map with a pen. "The other party will send the photo to the mailbox of the faculty and staff every time. To be honest, this kind of intentional behavior of causing persecution and panic is actually to a large extent to satisfy the other party's spiritual needs. Then he must want the first time. Seeing Mr. Hanekawa's frightened expression when he received the letter for a moment, then he must be able to ensure that he is always by Mr. Hanekawa's side.

So I checked the list of newly promoted faculty and staff in the school in recent months.Surprisingly, there is a name on it, which is exactly the same as the name of one of the suspects in the bombing that year.What's more, that name is exactly the same as your teacher's. "

"... Huh." The other party sighed, "What else?"

"Anything else? Hehe, the gangster marked 11 explosion locations on the map. One of them is the school." Ryosuke shrugged and looked out the window. "I heard that this school festival, the student union will hold a large stage in the square. Considering this, I think they should hold a treasure hunting competition."

"Indeed, look, there are so many people. Whether it is a competition or a big show, there are enough audiences." The other party straightened his clothes and stood up. "But sometimes what you see in front of you may not be real. The most important thing for children is to protect themselves."

"Protecting children is what the police should do." Ryosuke raised his hand and gestured out of the window.

Matsumoto smiled and reached out to pat Ryosuke on the shoulder. "But Ryosuke-kun, sometimes the police are not omnipotent."

The body suddenly felt a tingling pain, but the limbs were weak and about to fall down.Ryosuke only felt cold sweats all over his body. He wanted to get up and do something, but he could only watch Matsumoto walk towards the door step by step.Before leaving, the other party looked back at him. "Ryosuke, don't trust the police too much, those people are sometimes stupider than anyone else."

As soon as his feet were weak, he fell on the table in an instant.Matsumoto really disappeared from sight, and the phone on the table rang.

It's Mr. Hanekawa.

"Ryosuke...that person sent me two photos...the voice on the other end of the phone was trembling. "It's □□...that person seemed to be pretending to be □□ in the school auditorium.The time on the photo is only 15 minutes away! "

6,

Like a steaming asphalt road in summer, Ryosuke felt that he was standing in an empty building.Surrounded by the cries of people fleeing in a hurry.In his dazed consciousness, there was a force pinching his neck and making him unable to breathe.He propped himself up and walked towards the broadcasting room step by step.

"Did you have a nightmare?" A voice sounded in his mind in a daze, and he gritted his teeth and leaned on the handrail of the stairs, gasping for breath.Forcing myself to open my eyes, my mind was buzzing.

What is that sound?

Yes, he remembered that it was a night when he and Asakawa Fujiichi were alone.

In the middle of the night, the piercing siren sounded continuously, and when he was woken up and opened the window, the lights of the police car dazzled his eyes, and the red flames of the building in the distance seemed to burn through half the sky.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He was awakened by a strange dream that day, and met Asakawa Toichi's face.

"Just something that was forgotten. Now remembered," he said. "...Once upon a time, not a very good memory, I hope to forget it."

"Why did you forget." At that time, Teng Yi sat on the head of the bed, a little light hit his face, pale and transparent. "It's nice to have something to remember. Unlike me, who can't remember anything."

So, he couldn't help but ask. "But have you ever thought that after obtaining those memories, you might disappear."

"At least in this way, I can be sure why I exist and why I live." At that time, Asakawa Fujiichi looked at him and said seriously.

"I want to live, because only in this way, I have the right to love another person."

……

"Hey, you seem to be dying." The shattered mirror reflected a face exactly like himself.Life is passing by little by little, and he can even see beams of light shining from countless lights in front of him.

When forcing Yu Chuan to explain the whole story, Ryosuke never thought that he would be in such a mess.He had already called the police when he first lured Matsumoto to come.He never cared about other people's lives from the beginning to the end. In order to plan well, he didn't even tell Mr. Yuchuan that the stalker was Matsumoto Makoto.

Originally, he only intended to entice Matsumoto to confess his guilt, and he would just seize the right time to escape.

After all, catching criminals is what the police do.High school students can't save the world, at most they can save the eggs that are about to burn in the pan.

It was only at that moment that he called Hanekawa back and informed the other party that Matsumoto was really the bomber, while supporting his consciousness, he walked towards the broadcasting room, trying to tell the people in the auditorium to leave.

Then, the second the foot stepped on the last step.

What he saw was a row of lifted glass in the corridor.At that moment, red flames and thick smoke hit him.He heard a huge explosion, and the hot wind cut his cheek, making him numb with pain.

original……

There was not just one gun that was installed.

——So, don't you think that if a person decides to be a bad person in this life, he should stick to it?

——If you occasionally try to be a good person, you will be punished.

The twisted window frame hit him in the back.

The line of sight is the light of the sun reflected by the glass.Asakawa Ryosuke lost his strength all over his body, and he couldn't even feel much pain.

"Do you regret it?" Asakawa Fujiichi asked him.

His mouth was blocked by blood and he couldn't make a sound, he just looked at Teng and blinked.

"Hey, the glass is all inserted... You probably won't be able to hold on for long." The other party looked at him quietly.

"If... I die, what about you..."

He worked hard, and finally made a sound like a whetstone.

"It's nothing." Tengyi seemed to think seriously. "Probably no one to chat with me, no new drama to watch, no place to go, maybe I will accompany you to experience things like crematoriums, and watch your body return to nature...Maybe..."

The teasing voice gradually became smaller, and Liangjie saw the other party's eyes slightly closed, and some water flashed across them.Then murmured softly. "...May I not die..."

Perhaps it was the first time that Asakawa Fujiichi showed such an expression in front of him.He found it strange that the low temperature caused by blood loss made him afraid, but somehow his heart warmed up.What the future will look like, the brain can no longer think, and he suddenly wants to talk to the other party like this.

"You said..." He coughed out a mouthful of blood hoarsely, his lungs ached, "You said there would be a parallel world... And then, you are really my brother..."

Then, I can use you as the only connection I have to live without fear of being lost in this world.We are together from the beginning of life to the end of life.

"Then, I can live more confidently and boldly, and then take care of you...Maybe we have other friends..."

"A top student with a stinky mouth, a neighbor with an outrageous personality, or another troublemaker." Teng Yi smiled. "I think I should be a younger brother. Anyway, you said you want to take care of me."

"Okay." Ryosuke narrowed his eyes and smiled. "That's great..."

The sun shines on them through the blown-out window frame, softly casting a layer of warm color on them.

"Do you think I'll wait until they come to rescue me?" He slowly stretched out his hand and put it against the broken glass, stroking Fujiichi's cheek little by little.The other party's tears flowed down the corner of his eyes.

"It's okay, I'll be with you."

He closes his eyes.The fingertips seemed to touch the body temperature of the other party.Warm, soft, like the sun behind you.

——I want to live, because only in this way, I have the right to love another person.