He would just watch them struggle while he coasted along.
Hmm.. He had carried the Banner against the Organization for so long; what was wrong with taking it easy for a moment?
As for his contribution—
Given Gin's position, he naturally understands the Black Organization, not to mention the intelligence he can gather while investigating Nana's death; when the time comes, he can simply leak some bits and pieces of it.
It was very easy.
For now, of course, the former two are more important; I'll wait until the main storyline in the Plot begins before I start cooperating seriously with the System Mission~
—That's just how willful she is.
..
Although progress was slow, Gin had always been very patient regarding Shiratori Midori's affairs.
He still managed to find some clues.
All signs indicated that the Black Organization only began its vague surveillance of her after Shiratori Midori had made contact with Miyano Shiho.
Miyano Shiho.. what does she have to do with it?
Gin couldn't immediately think of when the girl had first come into contact with him, it took him a long while of contemplation before he could dig out the relevant fragments from his memory.
It was because Shiratori Midori had become curious after seeing the Spoilers; as it happened, during that period, the Organization was planning to cultivate Miyano Shiho, so he went to observe the childhood version of Miyano Shiho—"Haibara Ai."
The Silver-haired youth's mouth twitched; even though he knew he shouldn't, he still felt a sense of resentment toward Miyano.
He could never get over what happened to Shiratori..
However, this was all that had been discovered so far; the clues were far too scarce, making it difficult even for Gin to make any further judgments.
He thought for a moment and decided to approach it from two aspects for the time being.
Sherry herself, the Miyano couple.
Since the vague surveillance only began after contacting Miyano Shiho, Sherry might become a breakthrough in the absence of clues. Although Gin felt that Miyano Shiho might not necessarily know anything, perhaps some useful information could be obtained?
As for the Miyano couple—
Miyano Shiho was far too young back then and had not shown anything particularly special; rather than it being because of Miyano Shiho, it was more because of the "thing" behind her.
So, besides being related to the Miyano couple, what else was there?
Gin sighed, threw himself heavily into the sofa, covered his eyes with his hands.
Pale light filtered through the gaps between his fingers, the Silver-haired youth's brow was tightly furrowed. His long, slender fingers trembled slightly, betraying the agitation within his heart.
The clues were sparse and progress had stalled; he felt as if he were trapped in place, unable to find his way.
Over all these years, such situations have been few and far between, yet, the person involved this time happens to be the one he cares about most.
He was not without a sense of frustration.
..
Rumors about Gin and Sherry have begun to circulate within the Black Organization.
The origin, naturally, was Gin's special attention toward Sherry.
It is worth mentioning that since neither of the two parties involved possessed an approachable personality, they did not find out about the matter until after the rumors had already been circulating for a while.
I've always wondered, are the people in the Black Organization really that idle?
They give out nicknames, spread rumors, gossip from time to time, always have such wild imaginations.
Why don't you all just become screenwriters instead?
Sherry.. I just want to conduct my research in peace. Why is it so difficult?
Gin.. Sorry, I'm not a loli con.
Gin chose Miyano Shiho as a breakthrough, but he wasn't foolish enough to ask directly about matters concerning the Black Organization's research—even though he was a High-level member, the Executive Department and the Research Department were separate entities; it was fine for him to occasionally show interest in the research progress, but to constantly pry..
It's not like he wants to change careers!
Moreover, it wouldn't be good if things were linked back to the events of five years ago.
After all, even though five years have passed and it generally wouldn't arouse much suspicion, acting too out of character could still potentially lead to old matters being brought up again.
In this situation, as Feiwen said, "falling for" Sherry would actually be a good reason.
But—that's right, there is a but. It's not that he is a loli con.
Although he indeed did not discriminate between genders and was quite open-minded about such things, when it came to Sherry, who was only fourteen..
Sorry, may I ask if she has developed yet?
That being said, Japan is quite open regarding "sexuality"—if we are speaking candidly, considering both Gin and Miyano are mixed-race—and Europe is the same.
Falling in love at thirteen or fourteen is a bit early, but it's not impossible.
However, the protagonists of the Feiwen have all expressed their refusal regarding this.
Of course, he had already come up with an excuse for why he was paying attention to Sherry.
He just hadn't expected that the first person to come inquiring for information would actually be Vermouth.
This woman had always identified herself with mysticism, was never stingy with a few jokes or teasing, her status was sufficiently high.
It was just that—for such a rumor that seemed plausible on the surface but was actually completely groundless, she had actually asked about it so "quickly"?
Gin looked thoughtful.
One is the Black Organization's top Assassin, the other is a rising researcher with immense potential.." The Blonde-haired woman raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Both are quite eye-catching identities; no wonder this rumor spread so quickly.
Gin gave her a cold look.
The Blonde-haired woman was not in disguise today. Although her celebrity-like face was eye-catching, she didn't need to worry about that in a bar operated within the Black Organization.
The woman's appearance didn't seem to have changed much. Five years—perhaps even more than five years since he first met Vermouth—had passed, yet she remained just as exquisite and charming as she was back then.
Perhaps time has been exceptionally kind to her.
Or perhaps, life has been exceptionally cruel to her.
Vermouth wore a thin knitted shirt that accentuated his graceful curves; over it, she wore a beige coat, left unbuttoned at the top and only fastened with the first button at his waist, with only a leather belt fastened, perfectly outlining the woman's slender waist; leather fitted pants complemented his long legs, on his feet was a pair of ankle boots.
Charm and heroism were perfectly combined in this woman.
Even Gin, who couldn't stand Vermouth, had to admit that this woman was indeed beautiful.
However, the Silver-haired youth merely appraised the woman's attire with an appreciative gaze, then took a sip of liquor; as the glass swayed, the ice cubes clinked against the sides, producing a pleasant sound.
"Rumors aren't necessarily true," Gin replied indifferently.
"So it's a lie, then?" Vermouth tilted his head, a smile tracing his red lips.
Gin's gaze fell upon the wine glass.
He had originally intended to clarify things and, in the process, offer the excuse he had fabricated to dispel any unnecessary curiosity, suspicion.
Now, he had changed his mind.
"What do you think?" Gin asked in return.
Not hearing the expected negative response, a flicker of surprise flashed through Vermouth's eyes.
Then, Gin keenly noticed a subtle hint of irritation in the Blonde-haired woman's expression.
As expected.
He thought to himself.
However, this was enough for a probe.
She did not want to actually substantiate the rumor that he was "interested in Sherry."
“It was just curiosity born of boredom at first. After all, being granted a codename at such a young age—even for the daughter of the Miyano couple, it was far too soon.” Gin slowly toyed with the buttons on her cuff, her emerald-like eyes gaining a strange, shallow sheen under the light.
Later, I felt that her personality was quite novel, perhaps because she was still so young.
So—" Vermouth rested his chin on his hand. "You're just a little interested.
Something like that.
The Woman chuckled and tilted her head, a shimmer dancing in her eyes: "Is that so~"
She blinked her eyes and straightened her posture.
Vermouth changed the subject: "There are a few good newcomers who joined this year; you might even find them interesting."
“Good newcomers?” Gin raised his eyebrows. “I haven't heard of any new members receiving codenames lately.”
They haven't even received a codename yet—
"Not even a codename yet—" The Silver-haired youth showed clear disdain on his face.
Vermouth interrupted him, "Although I haven't obtained a codename yet, it won't be long now."
Gin looked at her with a faint, knowing smile.
The Blonde-haired woman stroked the ends of her hair, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took on a reflective expression. "There were two people you seemed to have met before, named Amuro Tooru and Takahashi Su. Was it in the hallway?"
“..”
One blonde, one black-haired," Vermouth attempted to provide more details to help the Silver-haired youth recall, "It was the day you went to pick up Korn; we ran into each other in the hallway, but you seemed to be in quite a hurry.
.. I don't remember.
However, details were of no use; Gin stated quite candidly that he had forgotten everything completely.
Vermouth was speechless for a moment, then casually shifted the topic to someone else: "There is also another person who has something to do with the Sherry you've been 'intimate' with lately."
After Gin denied the rumors, Vermouth was able to joke around quite openly.
Gin offered no comment on this.
She's Sherry's boyfriend. What was her name.. Moroboshi Dai?" Vermouth recalled for a moment, "I shouldn't be mistaken, right?
No, you are wrong.
That guy isn't called Moroboshi Dai; he is called Akai Shuichi.
The names of the first two people were likely fake as well.
How carefree are you? You said three people, all three are insiders?