Chapter 15: His voice was low and his tone gentle, yet it was unmistakable..
The back-and-forth probing finally came to an end. Gin and Tennessee stood up, exchanging final pleasantries with the mission target—
Then, they each returned to their own homes.
After seeing off the mission target, Tennessee also left quickly. This senior seemed to have already started a family, with a wife and daughter, appeared to have a happy household.
This was not a common sight within the Black Organization.
Seeing a hint of happiness appearing on his senior's face, the single dog felt..
The single boy—Abu—was indeed staying at the Bar, just like the Gin [male] youth.
The night was already deep, but the Bar remained open for business. After a round of meetings that had left him feeling quite impatient, hearing the laughter of men and women within the Bar and watching the revelry on the stage, Gin also felt the urge to stay for another drink.
He ordered a Bourbon on the rocks.
The Silver-haired youth had no particular preference for spirits or fruit wines; to him, spirits were satisfying to drink, while fruit wines were sweet and made it harder to get drunk, each having its own merits.
However, when out in public, if there were no women present—and sometimes even if there were—the people would mostly be drinking hard liquor.
When it comes to spirits, besides his preference for gin due to his own codename, Gin favors whiskey and brandy, followed by Vodka.
And among whiskies, his favorite is Bourbon.
This Bar is a good choice; considering Gin's experience with bartending for a period of time, the selection of liquor here is quite comprehensive, the choice of ice is also very sophisticated.
Several pieces of hard ice bobbed within the amber liquid. This specially carved ice was more resistant to melting than ordinary ice, better highlighting the liquor's texture; amidst the chill, the Bourbon's characteristic richness and smoothness emerged.
The Silver-haired youth had ordered a drink earlier and had been sipping it idly during the tedious negotiations; this was his second glass.
It was late at night, although there were still many customers in the Bar, not many new people were coming in. Gin was able to claim a small empty table all to himself.
However, this situation did not last for long.
The Silver-haired youth was exceptionally good-looking; although his temperament was somewhat cold, he was still striking enough that people approached him to flirt after only a short while.
Gin did not refuse, merely responding to the advances with lukewarm indifference, his cold attitude leaving the interlocutors feeling rebuffed. The person approaching was not particularly fixated on him; seeing Gin's perfunctory attitude, they simply moved on to find a new target.
After driving those two away, as time passed, the Silver-haired youth had finished most of his drink, the music from the bar band had come to an end, giving way to a change of performers.
The Silver-haired youth did not pay any mind to this change; he glanced at the remaining liquor in his glass and estimated how long he had been sitting here.
His hotel was not far from here; he wouldn't need to take a taxi after leaving the Bar, he could just walk there.
As for the USA being unsafe at night..
To be honest, if they actually ran into a bad person, it was hard to say who would be the one in danger.
While he was lost in thought, Gin sensed someone approaching.
Since they were in a bar and the newcomer showed no hostility, the Silver-haired youth paid them little attention.
He thought to himself that this should be the third one.
As expected—
"May I sit here?" a male—and a young male—voice sounded by his side.
"This is the third time I've heard that sentence," Gin said without looking up.
.." Stunned into silence, the newcomer paused for a moment, but quickly composed himself before speaking, "So, were the first two approved?
"Oh?" The Silver-haired youth let out an ambiguous syllable, expressing his confusion at the question.
If the first two are agreed upon, then I should be able to sit down as well," the newcomer explained, his voice carrying the faint confidence characteristic of a youth. "If the first two are not agreed upon, then I want to see if I can become the first.
Gin felt a flicker of interest at those words, he finally turned his head to look at the newcomer.
"Ah.." the Silver-haired youth thought to himself, though his expression remained unchanged.
A youth in his early twenties, with short black hair, wearing a dark knit cap.
The newcomer seemed to be the boy playing accordion who had been observing their table earlier.
Because he had been a distance away before, I hadn't seen him clearly. This boy's bangs were slightly curly, his facial features were distinctly Asian. His skin was a wheat color, his demeanor was more composed than his peers, yet his eyes and brows still carried a touch of youthful immaturity and adolescent arrogance.
And a pair of green eyes.
He was still wearing his uniform from the bar band's performance; the somewhat stiff uniform suited his physique well, he wore a bowtie at the collar. Gin discreetly sized him up, focusing his gaze on his hands and his build.
The Black-haired boy tried his best to appear composed, but Gin still keenly perceived a hint of tension and probing hidden within him—hidden well, but not perfectly.
“Asian?” Gin asked.
“I can speak Japanese,” the youth replied.
What a coincidence.. the Silver-haired youth thought.
Sit.
Gin said, using Japanese.
..
I've noticed you before.
The black-haired boy spoke, his voice carrying a slight raspy texture that made it sound somewhat low, yet it remained overall crisp, possessing the tone of a young man.
In this kind of setting—especially after the Black-haired boy had taken the initiative to share a table earlier—the words carried a hint of ambiguity, though the Black-haired boy's tone held no such intent.
As for whether it could be considered an ambiguous remark—
It all depends on how you interpret it.
And—
These words were spoken directly, yet skillfully.
Gin thought to himself.
He had been in a good mood these past few days. Although he had felt a bit frustrated just now due to a boring negotiation, he had managed to recover by now.
Moreover, he found this youth, who appeared suspicious and had boldly stepped forward to test him, somewhat interesting.
This feeling.. well, it was exactly the same as the last time he had accidentally encountered (unilaterally) Amuro Tooru.
Because of this feeling, Gin also had the patience to speak a few words to him, but he had no desire to indulge the Black-haired boy's probing and went straight to the point instead.
“Had you noticed me before, or had you noticed our entire table?”
Gin looked directly into the Black-haired boy's dark green eyes, his gaze devoid of any killing intent, yet incredibly sharp.
Straightforward.
And bone-chillingly cold.
The black-haired boy felt a chill in his heart, realizing that this youth, who looked to be about his own age, was no simple person. He maintained his composure, showing no flaws on his face: "You all are indeed quite conspicuous."
“People come and go in a bar, there are plenty of conspicuous guests. If the members of the bar band were to be this 'concerned' every time they met someone conspicuous.." Gin uttered the final few syllables without changing his expression: "Are your eyes doing alright?"
".." Knowing exactly where he had let his guard down, the Black-haired boy sighed inwardly at his own lack of experience, but—
"There aren't many guests as conspicuous as you all are, either," he said, tactfully attempting to avoid the subject.
"Not many people are as perceptive as you." The Silver-haired youth remained unmoved.
Gin spoke words of praise, but his expression was clearly one of mockery.
In the eyes of the Black-haired boy, it felt more like mockery of his own overconfidence.
The boy felt a surge of anger—even though he was far more composed than his peers, he was still a young man.
His anger did not consume his reason after all—it was just that, recalling the Silver-haired youth's straightforward attitude, he decided to speak plainly as well.
It was a risky move, but the youth was confident in his own abilities, secondly..
Perhaps doing so might even yield some information.
The man who came with you is carrying a gun.
"This is the USA." A country where it is legal to own firearms.
But ordinary people aren't like him," the Black-haired boy said with certainty, "He's carrying two guns—likely loaded, I'd guess—and two magazines as well. Rather than coming to the bar for a drink, it's more like he's staying constantly on guard, isn't it?
Gin did not respond to the Black-haired boy's probing gaze; instead, he shifted to a topic he was more interested in.
How did you find out?
When he came over, I saw the edges of the magazines in his pocket," the Black-haired boy said, looking Gin straight in the eye with an unyielding gaze and an aggressive tone. "That's why I noticed him, then.. although his waist was covered by his clothes, he looked like he was carrying a gun.
The Black-haired boy continued with his deduction, "Since he's carrying two magazines and two guns, I don't think his guns would be empty, right?"
As expected, sharp, with excellent observation skills as well.
Gin remarked, besides finding him interesting, Gin felt a sense of appreciation for the black-haired boy before him.
But, what was even more interesting was—
The vigilance of this mission target is truly.. wow.. it's a bit surprising.
The Silver-haired youth's gaze darkened slightly as he thought mockingly.
He felt annoyed by the "tail" the target had exposed due to their mistake, yet he relaxed slightly because the target's revealed flaws had indirectly lowered the difficulty of his Mission.
But since that's the case.. do we really need to talk for long?
Reviewing his mission in his mind, Gin felt that perhaps he could settle things quickly this time.
A decision had faintly formed in his mind, though he would still need to discuss the specific operations with his partner.
But for now—
The Silver-haired youth raised an eyebrow as he looked at the black-haired boy before him, then suddenly raised his hand.
The Black-haired boy had never let down his guard, seeing him make a move, he immediately struck to block.
His movements were fast and his strikes were efficient; he was clearly trained, his fundamentals were extremely solid.
However, his moves came as no surprise to Gin, who had been fully prepared.
When the Silver-haired youth had been observing him earlier, he noticed the calluses on his hands and his lean, well-defined physique. His body was long and streamlined, with well-proportioned and distinct musculature; he possessed muscle exactly where it was needed. Judging by his build and posture, he had clearly undergone a certain degree of training.
And when the two of them actually began to fight, although he had been mentally prepared, Gin felt that he had still somewhat underestimated him.