Gin could almost imagine the expression on that woman's face as she idly played with his hair, his eyes half-closed while watching the show. He placed the glass teapot on the coffee table, gripped the handle of his teacup with his right hand, leaned back against the sofa. "I've dealt with his once before; there's no need to find someone new. It's less trouble."
Lies flowed from his mouth effortlessly, yet they were presented with such logic and conviction that they perfectly suited his persona.
In truth, Gin felt a rare moment of pity for that group of unfortunate Undercover agents for three seconds, intending to lend them a hand.
Scotland and Bourbon at least knew each other's backgrounds, so staying together would save them a lot of trouble.
He truly could not bear to see this mutual harm among the Undercover agents; just how deep was this grudge?
Under the setting sun, Vermouth's light chuckle seemed to carry a hint of laziness. Gin tilted his head back to take a sip of black tea; the drink, still retaining its warmth, released the rich and mellow, unique fragrance of tea leaves. As the light faded, it created a drowsy illusion.
The Owl was kept in a cage; it seemed tired as well, flapping its wings sporadically before quietly finding a place to rest.
Gin dismissed Vermouth with a few words; he stared blankly for a moment, then closed his eyes.
His breathing became long and gentle.
..
Rye's arrival occurred on a sunny afternoon. Gin was sitting in the agreed-upon cafe drinking tea, the sunlight scattering across the youth's silver hair, as his green eyes cast a casual glance over, carrying an indistinct sense of urgency and impatience.
Akai Shuichi understood.
He took a few steps forward and, with great self-awareness, pulled out the chair opposite Gin and sat down—don't expect him to ask you to sit.
Akai Shuichi wore a simple T-shirt and jacket, with black trousers hugging his long legs, the unchanging knit cap still on his head. His features were cold and his temperament steady, while the guitar case slung over his shoulder gave him the relaxed, casual air of a street performer.
The silver-haired youth gave him a quick glance as a greeting, then slightly lifted his chin to indicate with his eyes, "Order something."
Akai Shuichi followed his gaze to a thin menu resting not far away. Its plain blue cover was exquisitely designed. As he opened the menu, he found that the prices of the food and drinks inside were equally "exquisite."
Akai Shuichi scanned the menu. The shop owner was clever—so clever that he had no idea what many of the dish names referred to—so he simply declined: "I won't bother."
Gin seemed to read his mind, tilting his head slightly, his silver bangs just barely covering his eyes. "Just order whatever you like."
"Just something casual?" Akai raised his eyes, a hint of slight confusion appearing in his dark green eyes.
It's not like I'm the one paying, anyway.
And then, he received an answer that was only natural.
Akai Shuichi: ……
There were only the two of them here; if he didn't pay, who else could it be?
He rarely felt so speechless, but facing his future boss, he had no choice but to endure it.
Anyway, he could afford it—the undercover agent comforted himself silently in his heart.
However, it didn't take long before Gin called over the Waiter and ordered a massive amount of food again, without a hint of hesitation—he truly didn't need to worry about the cost.
This time, Akai couldn't help himself. It wasn't that he was stingy with money; it was just that he didn't have much cash on him since he had stepped out temporarily. This big shot clearly had a personality that would drive you to your death—was he actually expecting him to stay behind and wash dishes to pay off the debt?
"Can you even finish all that?" The black-haired youth's eyes showed a hint of helplessness, he couldn't help but snap back.
“You don't need to pay for it either.” After saying this, Gin gave a knowing look toward a man's figure in the distance, while the man responded with a smile on his face but an expression of utter frustration in his heart.
Akai followed his gaze with suspicion, but he didn't notice anything unusual.
He roughly understood that this was someone Gin knew, perhaps even a high-level member of the Black Organization, but clearly, the other party had no intention of explaining. Since he was a newcomer, it would be awkward for him to ask.
Having realized this, he looked at the man's expression, which clearly showed he didn't care about spending (someone else's) money, then calmly began to order, selecting one of every item on the menu with a name he couldn't understand.
Regarding his behavior of "spending someone else's money to satisfy his own curiosity," Gin expressed great appreciation. Green eyes cast a soft, fleeting glance at him, the silver-haired youth leaned back in his chair and took out his phone.
The other party clearly had no intention of paying him any mind. Akai was content to remain leisurely, quietly pulling out the magazine beside him to read. However, since this meeting was clearly regarding a mission, the Black-haired agent remained alert, prepared for any sudden attack that might come from Gin at any moment.
The scene from last time left a deep impression on him.
Come to think of it, their few meetings seem to have left a deep impression on him.. I just wonder if this person remembers.
The silver-haired youth casually browsed his recent emails on his phone, his mind wandering back to what had happened before.
Rye's reassignment meant he no longer had to deal with Bourbon, giving him room to maneuver; as for Bourbon, Rye's departure was a good thing for him as well, at least within the squad consisting only of him and Scotland, certain things became much more convenient.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't want to continue investigating—some people are just not meant to get along.
However, since Rye had been transferred under Gin, much of the intelligence was no longer easy to obtain; coupled with Rye's change in position, gathering information was no longer entirely above board.
Moreover—
"I heard that when you and Bourbon and the others were on a mission, you ran into a bit of a hiccup?" Gin lowered his phone with a casual air, a hint of mockery hidden within his green eyes.
Here it comes.
Akai Shuichi thought calmly.
[Moreover, whether it's Bourbon or Rye, they have likely both wondered about Gin's true intentions in suddenly calling for people, haven't they?]
Was it a coincidence, or had he also heard some rumors, prompting him to test the waters personally?
The number of undercover agents who have died at the hands of the Silver-haired youth over these years is certainly not small.
"What?" A hint of confusion appeared at the perfect moment on the Black-haired youth's calm face, as if he truly did not understand Gin's intention.
Your guitar case is quite nice." Gin slightly narrowed his phoenix eyes and then gazed at him, appearing somewhat playful, or perhaps it was just an illusion, his gaze heavy with implication: "By the station, it seems to have attracted something.
“There are always interludes; after all, things can't always go smoothly.” Akai Shuichi put down the magazine in his hands, which featured some heart-pounding new car models, but the Black-haired youth didn't spare them even a glance: “It hasn't affected anything, has it?”
Green eyes shimmered with confidence, reflecting the slight curve of the Silver-haired youth's lips.
“Some people don't think so.” Gin gave an ambiguous smile. He reached out to pick up his teacup, but he didn't drink; he merely stroked the side of the cup quietly, raising an eyebrow as he looked directly into Akai's eyes with deep meaning. "Whisky is good, but the different types seem somewhat contradictory, always trying to find flaws in one another."
“Like Bourbon. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?” Gin crossed his arms and leaned back against his chair. He glanced at Akai Shuichi, his green eyes narrowing slightly, before decisively uttering the certain words: “You do know.”
He lowered his hands and used his left hand to refill his teacup from the teapot on the table. His tone was casual, yet it carried an inexplicable, profound depth: "Keeping certain things close to you can only bring disaster."
What needs to be dealt with must be dealt with.
You're overthinking it." Akai Shuichi's heart sank, but he showed nothing on his face. In a spot where Gin couldn't see, his hands were already clenched into tight fists. "There is nothing.
Is that so?" The silver-haired youth raised an eyebrow slightly, then suddenly changed the subject under Akai's increasingly calm gaze: "Prepare for your upcoming mission. I want to see you in Training Room 3 in three days at noon.
"??" Akai froze for a moment before quickly reacting. He suppressed the confusion in his heart and asked another question, "A mission? But I don't even know.." The details of the mission?
Gin's fingers twitched, interrupting him. "I've sent it to you."
"!" When? Such a question flashed through the Black-haired agent's mind, then he suddenly realized, remembering the way the Silver-haired youth had been fiddling with his phone just now.
He looked up to see that Gin had already stood up, the hem of his black trench coat showing slight creases; Akai frowned slightly and spoke, "The things you ordered.."
No need, I've already finished drinking." After leaving these words, Gin suddenly lowered his gaze to look at him, a hint of a smile hidden within his jade-like eyes: "By the way, next time don't forget to tell me exactly what was ordered.
The youth turned and left, his movements as decisive and clean as his usual conduct.
Akai glanced at the already empty teapot and understood.
He watched the Silver-haired youth's back in silence, secretly remaining vigilant regarding their previous conversation, though Gin's words had also served as a warning to him.
Akai moved his fingers, wanting to reach for a cigarette, but he stopped himself, remembering he was in a cafe. He frowned slightly, his dark green eyes deep and inscrutable.
It was time to make a move, he thought.
However—
"You really know how to cause trouble.." The Black-haired agent thought back to the way the two had ordered earlier and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
His dark green eyes held a deep sense of helplessness, yet he felt no dissatisfaction.
-----------------------
Please provide the Chinese paragraph you would like me to translate.
In fact, his simple move of transferring Rye was a triple strike. First, by transferring him to Gin's subordinates, much intelligence would become harder to obtain, with the change in position, the collection of intelligence would no longer be so legitimate. Second, since Bourbon and Scotland were teaming up, it was easier for family members to know each other's business, at the same time, Bourbon's targeting of Rye shifted from a combination of "official business" (since teaming up with someone from the Black Organization was inconvenient, so he wanted to get rid of or kill Rye) and "personal matters" (due to their incompatibility) into purely "personal matters," thereby reducing the intensity. Third, it made Bourbon believe he might have to investigate personally, causing him to exercise more restraint to avoid being implicated.
Please provide the Chinese paragraph you would like me to translate.
Someone's viewpoint: It's useful—to help out; once the help is given, they stop caring. If it's not handled well, it's because your ability is insufficient, whether you live or die has nothing to do with me.
As for the useless ones, who are you?
(2) It seems Lingmei and Sera went to the UK a few years before the original plot began, now they've finally crossed paths!
..
Speaking of which, it's not just the organization full of undercover agents that is riddled with flaws; the Red side is also full of them.
The fact that undercover agents have been exposed also proves how well Truth is Truth has hidden!
Looking at the entire series, the Red side has caused almost no actual damage to the Black Organization.. To be honest, they haven't even killed as many of their own people as the Organization has!
Gin: When it comes to contributions, I'm the real Silver Bullet!
..
Yesterday, I almost lost my backlog of drafts; it was like a bolt from the blue! There were even my current foreshadowing in the document! Without it, I wouldn't know how to lay out the plot lines..
Fortunately, I found them.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
..
Don't worry about washing dishes; you'll have plenty of them to wash in the future.
Akai (glances at Gin, looking thoughtful): I see..
Gin: I don't need to.
Author (dry laugh): *Ahem*, I am referring to the act of faking death and then impersonating Shuichi Akai in the original work.
Akai (blinking): Oh~
..
Thanks to Mo Mingqi Meow Unspeakable Little Angel for the landmine, love you mwah~
Thanks to Meow Unspeakable Little Angel's landmine, love you mwah~
Thanks to Kay Little Angel's landmines, love you mwah~
Chapter 40 Chapter 38 There was also a hidden, mocking "Boss..
Seeing Akai Shuichi again would have to wait until three days later.