"How long have they been in the Black Organization?" He had been too busy lately and was in a period of burnout; calculating it, it had been a long time since he had paid attention to such matters.
Probably.. less than six months.
It has already been that long.
Gin thought expressionlessly.
Everything that was meant to come has mostly arrived.
Future.. adversaries—
Judging by their situation, there's an eighty or ninety percent chance they'll get codenames, they might even deal with us in the future.
That prophecy was incredibly accurate.
The silver-haired youth complained silently in his heart; wouldn't he be dealing with him many more times in the future?
And—
So, I don't even need to go out of my way to ask, do I?
Anyway, you will come to me on your own.
Gin thought mockingly.
His gaze darkened, an unspeakable sense of disgust welled up from deep within his heart.
To the so-called Plot, also to the so-called Fate. (4)
..
A few days later, carrying a sense of inexplicable irritability, he met that certain person who had suffered a disastrous setback before.
"You're out?" Gin looked at the disheveled appearance of the youth before him, feeling in high spirits as he began to tease him.
You're out." Despite his disheveled appearance, the Youth's innate pride and composure remained unchanged. He made no comment regarding his brief time in prison, instead offering his thanks to Gin first: "Thank you. I will repay this favor in the future.
Don't mention it," Gin said, refusing to let him take credit. "Without me, you could have found a way yourself; it would have just been a bit more troublesome.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have the "value" required to make Gin lend him a hand.
After all, the fundamental reason Gin would lend a hand was because he intended to cooperate with him.
Takao Haruki naturally knew this, he remarked nonchalantly, "I understand, but one should still say the symbolic things."
Gin: ……
Since you know it's just a symbolic formality, there's no need to say it so blatantly!
He leaned back against the sofa, his gaze cast toward Takao Haruki.
From this angle, Gin's gaze carried a hint of condescension.
Takao was unconvinced and brewed some tea for himself.
Although the Black Organization has many missions, their quantity and quality are directly proportional to money; furthermore, since Gin has now risen to the position of a high-level member, his assets are certainly substantial.
His funds were also quite lavish.
The Silver-haired man was not someone who could endure hardship, he was even less likely to let himself suffer when he had the means; he never skimped where money needed to be spent, always choosing the most comfortable way to live.
He did not drink tea often, but he still kept some at home, the quality of the tea was quite high.
The "multi-talented" Takao-kun also knew a thing or two about brewing tea; his movements were smooth and graceful, his posture was pleasing to the eye. As the wisps of steam rose, the atmosphere between the two shifted from "discussing business" toward "casual chatter."
Pouring a cup of tea, Takao Haruki took a slow sip, the tension he had been suppressing these past few days eased significantly.
He didn't stand on ceremony, as there was no tea this good in prison.
Gin did not care about this behavior. He picked up the other cup of tea that Takao had poured for him and, rather than drinking it immediately, said with a hint of mockery, "How was the taste of prison?"
He didn't care in the slightest about poking at the other man's sore spot.
Takao Haruki was not an ordinary person either; although he cared about this matter, he did not dwell on it, instead, he fell in love at first sight with the detective who had sent him to prison.
Ahem, sorry, I used the wrong word.
Instead, he was quite interested in the Detective who had sent him to prison.
“That Detective Kinda Ichichi is quite impressive; I'd like to face him myself if I get the chance.”
"Courageous," Gin replied, his tone half-sincere and half-mocking.
Having an opponent isn't a bad thing at all." Takao Haruki replied with disagreement, "Otherwise, wouldn't it be too boring?
His words were still filled with slow-burning confidence and arrogance.
Gin raised an eyebrow, a hint of malicious amusement in his eyes: "Who was it that told me before to go enjoy his 'Magic Show'?"
Perhaps my taste is different from yours," the Silver-haired youth said with a lazy posture. "I can't quite appreciate this kind of 'performance' where one gets lost in their own act.
Takao Haruki..
Can you please stop bringing up my dark past! Wouldn't it be better to just let it quietly fade away with the wind?
Takao struggled to save face: "But the process was still exciting, wasn't it?"
That was true.
Takao Haruki's arrangement was quite brilliant, at least it had far more technical substance than some Shinigami Elementary Student's unsolved case.
Gin couldn't help but want to look into that Kinda Ichichi.
But that could be discussed later; besides, if he really wants to go all out, he still has Takao Haruki ahead of him.
Seeing that this guy seemed very interested in that high school Detective, Gin thought there might be some good entertainment to watch in the future.
Of course, strictly speaking, these matters had little to do with him.
What truly concerns him is—
"Just don't forget what I told you before." The Silver-haired youth slowly poured himself a cup of tea.
Through the hazy mist, a pair of green eyes peeked from beneath the bangs of the Silver-haired youth, revealing a complex array of emotions.
Takao Haruki stared into his eyes for a few seconds, took off his decorative glasses, lightly tapped the frame with his left index finger.
He was very curious about this man.
He was truly curious.
However—
The Hell Puppeteer was brave enough to court death, but he didn't seek it out; he simply nodded with a smile and replied, "Of course."
Well.. there is plenty of time ahead.
He will always find an opportunity.
After all, when it comes to things like this, it's much more interesting to explore them yourself and dig up the secrets, don't you think?
-----------------------
Author's Note: (1) A conversation following the first encounter between Kinda Ichichi and Takao Haruki.
(2) Sister Bei cares about this matter for two reasons: first, because she has an old grudge against the Miyano couple, second, because she knows a thing or two about the ins and outs of the Shiratori incident. As a former fan of the couple, Sister Bei finds it difficult to remain calm.
(3) Scotland's alias is a pseudonym; his real name is Kagemitsu, but his surname hasn't been revealed yet, so I just made up a fake name.
(4) Gin dislikes the System, he is also indifferent to this predetermined future and Fate, yet he must rely on them to accomplish certain things, which makes him somewhat annoyed.
In addition, he had been feeling quite irritable lately due to the bottleneck he encountered while investigating the cause of Shiratori's death, making him particularly displeased with the arrival of these "rivals" and the Plot.
The one who entertained him was Takao Haruki.
..
Two-in-one! One chapter left
The last time they met, Akai had not yet joined the Black Organization, during that encounter in the hallway, Amuro had only just joined. Time has been passing slowly through these chapters; as of this chapter, more than half a year has passed since the beginning of the third volume.
After Akai Shuichi, Amuro Tooru also received the same treatment.
So far, it seems Takao Haruki receives the best treatment?
Chapter 26 Chapter 24 Vermouth's seductive voice rang out..
With Takao Haruki set free, Gin's life returned to its normal routine once again.
Days passed by at a leisurely pace, in the blink of an eye, another six months had gone by.
During this period, in addition to never neglecting his pursuit of missions, he also took some time to look into Kinda Ichichi.
That familiar combination truly piqued Gin's interest.
High school detective, childhood friend, obsession with deduction..
I say, why does this lineup look so familiar? Isn't this exactly the same setup as that Shinigami Elementary Student?
If he hadn't confirmed that the Kindaichi family had no relation to the Kudo family, Kudo Shinichi would still be attending his elementary school—having just entered junior high now—and he would most likely think that the Shinigami Elementary Student had taken medicine to grow up.
—Well, just kidding. After all, their appearances are quite different; besides growing up, they'd probably need plastic surgery to match.
By the way, Kinda Ichichi and Kudo Shinichi have two more similarities: they both have the character "ichi" in their names, their family members are all involved in professions related to detective work.
Kinda Ichichi's maternal grandfather is Kinda Kosuke, a famous detective in Japan—Gin had heard a bit about him.
He was not of the same caliber as the future "Sleeping Kogoro Mori."
Even Kudo Shinichi and Hattori Heiji would be considered mere juniors in his presence.
Although Gin took to the dark path of no return at a young age, assassins and detectives are not of the same profession—it is more like they are opposites—he still felt a measure of admiration for this man.
—He rarely truly admired anyone.
However, Kindaichi's affairs have nothing to do with him for the time being. He isn't as unlucky as Kudo Shinichi, who ran straight into the Black Organization and embarked on a fantastical journey of "growing big and shrinking small."
Given Kindaichi's current scope of business, he has no connection to Gin for the time being.
Besides, Takao Haruki, whom he cared for deeply, was also there.
However, sometimes, a thought would suddenly pop into Gin's mind—
Kudo Shinichi is the protagonist in Spoilers; so, with the same configuration, could Kindaichi Ichichi be the protagonist of some other story?