Hagiwara Is Still Pretending to Be Human Today

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On the seventh day after Hagiwara died, he came home to Matsuda.

He stumbled when he walked, didn't know how to use chopsticks, and had even forgotten his favorite car brand. He'd forgotten Matsuda, too.

To help her amnesiac husband return to normal, Matsuda taught him to walk and talk, and to fill his eyes with love for her again.

After they'd gone over everything about how they first met and fell in love, Hagiwara held her close and kept kissing her. Matsuda thought that even if his recovery was only temporary, she would accept it.

But the peace was shattered by an unwelcome visitor:

Their former classmate, the top student at the police academy, looked at him with pity and said he was mentally ill.

A cat-eyed friend who had been missing for a long time held his hand and said he had been deceived by an impostor.

Even the detective division's squad leader told him in a heavy voice, “Matsuda, Hagiwara is dead. He died on November 7.”

Matsuda looked at the wary faces of everyone gathered in the room and suddenly smiled.

He turned to Hagiwara, who was clutching his hand, and asked softly, “They all say you've bewitched me. Then tell me, who are you? And what are you?”

*

His name was Hagiwara.

Matsuda told him that was his name.

After being led into Matsuda's home, he learned to walk and talk under Matsuda's guidance, and how to fit into the household.

He thought Matsuda was the best human being. Matsuda gave him a home, named him, prepared two of everything, and had even taken a photograph with him at some point.

But the secret behind the locked door was bound to be discovered. Looking at the names and photos on the marriage certificate, he realized that his human already had another human, and that human was named Hagiwara.

To keep Matsuda by his side, he chose to imitate that Hagiwara.

He didn't know what love was. He only knew that the more closely he imitated Hagiwara, the gentler Matsuda became. Matsuda would hold him, sneak kisses onto his cheek in the middle of the night, and look at him with those blue-green eyes.

The feeling was strange and warm. It made him want more. He wanted those eyes to keep looking at him, and only at him.

So when those friends urged Matsuda to seek treatment, and Matsuda turned to look at him

“Little Jinpei.”

He smiled and called Matsuda's name, using the tone Matsuda had taught him. With that man's lips and that man's voice, he said each word clearly:

“I'm your husband, your lover. There's no doubt about it.”

It doesn't matter who I am.

It's enough that you're mine.

Blurb and plot notes recorded on March 11, 2026.

[Reading guide]

① Based on the original canon, with an impostor-search AU added. It's a two-person story without much of a conventional plot: a brooding impostor Hagi who thinks he isn't the real Hagi x a widower Mats who has “delusions” and has been “bewitched.” The author writes sweet HE stories, so jump in without worry. It's pure romance.

② Same-sex marriage is legal in this AU. There are nonhuman elements, and later scenes include a tentacle husband acting up at the grave. This is a passion project based entirely on the author's tastes, so beware of out-of-character portrayals. The first 60,000 words are free, so try the style before continuing. Don't complain about my warnings! 😨

If you don't like it, you can stop reading whenever you want. Please don't force yourself to finish and then come back to yell at me.

Also, I don't accept any kind of writing advice. You don't need to tell me if you're dropping the story or anything else. Whatever happens, I only care whether I'm having fun writing about my favorite pairing.

③ Since Hagi is an impostor, his movements are awkward and he has no common sense at first, so he can seem pretty bizarre. He gets better later. The story is full of dark humor and is a “blow up the mirror, then get back together” kind of story (?!)

④ Hagi/Matsu is not reversible, and no one may break them up.

Blurb for the next story

Hikaru Yagami, who has a villain's character setting, is bound to a justice System.

His mission is to build up the good guys and destroy the organization. If the suspicion score in the comments gets too high, he'll turn into an immortal idiot.

To avoid losing his mind, Hikaru spends every day exploiting System bugs and coasting along. Then, on top of Tokyo Tower, the night wind stirs the silver hair of an organization hitman, who sneers that Hikaru is a pretentious dog

Hikaru suddenly regrets slacking off :)

He starts investigating the man's background and volunteers to join the team taking down the organization. At the same time, he conceals his identity and tangles with the hitman in a passionate love-hate affair, using his heat to crack that cold, stern expression and leaving a thousand questions to haunt the man's endless nights

“Who are you, really?”

“I'm the only one who can stand by your side. Also... I hope you won't use this kind of thing to figure out who I am.”

As he spoke, he reached out and patted the hitman's lower abdomen. The sound of palm against skin mingled with the sloshing of water. The hitman's face darkened at once, while in the darkness, Hikaru chuckled alone:

“Until next time, my dear executioner.”

[When the time is right, I'll tear away the world's mask, forge the perfect chains for that crescent moon, and pull the battered moon into my arms.]

[And what could make a better prison than myself?]

*

Gin Kurozawa didn't realize what he'd gotten himself into at first.

Not until the poison seeped into his surroundings and his powerless body opened its eyes amid the noise of the victory party. There he met the smiling red eyes of a young police inspector, and the silver-haired man finally understood:

He was already trapped in a cage.

[Reading guide]

① The male lead is the pursuer. He's dark and unhinged, an absolute pervert, but on the good guys' side. Gin is a gorgeous, widowed Gin who switches from the good side to the gray side. ⚠️Canon character deaths ahead!!!

② The male lead has an alternate account, but they're not separate personalities. He'll save the police academy group, but only to piss Gin off. ( )

③ There are at least ten endings. The main story is the true ending, followed by HE/BE/CE and so on. Each ending's starting point will be marked to make them easier to follow and understand.

Theme: True love transcends life and death