"Yes, actually, I don't know much either." Takao Haruki's Finger lightly tapped the tabletop, a look of recollection crossing his face. Based on those few simple contacts, the person behind the scenes was quite vigilant; he indeed didn't know much, otherwise, whether he could have escaped unscathed would be a question. However—
“I accidentally learned the name of one of the Persons in charge.”
He paused, a mixture of gravity and excitement swirling in his gaze, causing his eyes to shimmer with a faint light.
“B. W.”
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Author's Note: Chapter 15 Revised.. It's not actually that much, I just added a plot where a bowtie is torn off 233333
..
Thanks to Meow Unspeakable Little Angel for the landmine, love you, mwah~
Chapter 46 Chapter 44 Just as I thought of him, he appeared..
On the small wooden dining table sat three or four plates of exquisite and delicate refreshments. The white porcelain plates were coated with a fine glaze, occasionally adorned with faint, subtle patterns in various styles. Some were as elegant as red plum blossoms, some as fresh as birds flying over budding grass, some as cute as dolphins playing in the water, others as romantic as cherry blossoms in full bloom.
The refreshments were equally diverse and beautiful.
Transparent jelly wrapped around fresh cream and bright red strawberries, revealing a sweet, soft pink hue; the strawberry daifuku was plump and round, neither deflated nor dry, looking adorable and chubby. The matcha mochi was a vibrant emerald green, not from artificial coloring but a natural, translucent green, cut into various sizes and arranged on a white porcelain plate like moist jade pieces resting on a white jade tray. Several colorful skewers of tri-colored dango were neatly lined up, alternating between pink, white, green in an orderly fashion; even the casually placed matcha cookies were crafted into romantic, beautiful floral shapes.
—Setting aside the enjoyment of taste, the visual experience alone is top-tier.
This shop is famous for its exquisite craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail, its prices are notoriously high; it truly embodies the saying from the ancient Eastern land across the sea: "you get what you pay for."
Of course, the focus is the Matcha.
With high-quality Matcha powder and a complete set of fine tea utensils, customers in the shop can choose to prepare the tea themselves or have the staff assist them. Takao Haruki seemed to know a thing or two about the tea ceremony—Gin wasn't sure if he truly understood it or if he had just looked it up on Google and was reciting what he had learned, but he appeared to have the hang of it, leaving no room for criticism.
A slender hand lifted the Shaker, revealing a small section of a slightly curved wrist. As the dark green Matcha powder was brewed, it released a dreamlike mist of steam and a light tea aroma. The tea maker's movements did not strictly follow every rule, yet they possessed a unique elegance.
Amidst the thin mist formed by the steam, Gin's green eyes were deep and heavy.
After a long silence, he spoke first, his tone as cold as ever. Resting one hand on the table, he tilted his head, his Green eyes glancing sideways at Takao Haruki. "What else do you know?"
In just a few short minutes, Takao Haruki had already explained the cause and effect clearly. Neither Takao nor Gin were the types to beat around the bush, besides, even though their meeting was secretive, there was no telling what accidents might occur. Rather than being evasive, it was better to quickly reach a consensus and avoid wasting each other's time.
The Hell Puppeteer possessed incredibly strong mental fortitude; despite encountering an incident that might have given an ordinary person PTSD, he still maintained clear logic. As he spoke, his words were concise and sharp, yet the plot flowed smoothly and clearly with precise details, leaving no key points out. For certain things that were difficult to say aloud, he used subtle hints that both of them understood perfectly.
However, even though he wished he could just spill everything he knew all at once—after all, this was considered an internal matter of the Black Organization, he had been feeling quite irritated by being pursued lately—Takao Haruki simply didn't know that much. Within just a few minutes, he had laid out everything that needed to be said.
That's about all I know," the Youth said quite candidly. "I don't know much; they seem to be very cautious.
Gin did not pick up on his words. The Silver-haired youth pondered for a few seconds before looking up and saying piercingly, "You're in trouble now."
A declarative statement.
Takao Haruki was not surprised that Gin could deduce this. He nodded. "Yes, I need to find a place to hide for a few days."
After all, they were partners—and a rare, reliable kind at that. Seeing as the intelligence he had provided was quite helpful, Gin asked, "Do you need my help?"
“Ah..” The Hell Puppeteer let out an ambiguous, soft sigh and then laughed, his eyes crinkling slightly with an unreadable expression. "No need, I already have a way."
Gin raised an eyebrow slightly, finding it somewhat interesting; this method would allow him to shake off the investigators for a short time while appearing perfectly reasonable, preventing any further suspicion. He felt a flicker of curiosity toward this approach: "Oh?"
"My game with a certain Detective Little Brother hasn't ended yet~" the person opposite him said with a smile.
Gin fell silent for a moment as a speculation flashed through his mind. However, the thought was so unconventional that his green eyes flickered with an indescribable expression. He spoke with a hint of difficulty, "You're not thinking of going to prison to lie low, are you?"
"That's right." Takao Haruki nodded casually.
Well, he was someone who had traveled through the Metis. Bongwei anyway.
The Miko, sitting quietly to the side like a wallflower, was as still as a chicken. Although she was quite bold and had spent some time as a Subordinate to the Hell Puppeteer, facing something like this..
Sorry, the main drive's computational load is too high; it has crashed.
Gin frowned slightly, but on second thought, he felt it was understandable; after all, even if the other party intended to cause trouble in prison, it would still take some time, with this buffer, Takao Haruki would likely have a way to escape.
He smoothed the furrow between his brows and nodded in agreement: "This method is not bad—"
Before the last syllable had even faded, a thought flashed through Gin's mind, causing the Silver-haired youth to slightly widen his phoenix eyes.
Being this close, if Takao Haruki couldn't see Gin's abnormality, then he would need to get a new pair of glasses: "What's wrong?"
His tone clearly held more curiosity than concern; given the level of the man before him, ordinary matters would hardly pose a problem.
Gin snapped out of his thoughts, his green eyes turning toward Takao Haruki, scanning him up and down. This scrutinizing gaze, like a merchant appraising goods, sent a chill down the Hell Puppeteer's spine. "You shouldn't mind—"
The Silver-haired youth spoke leisurely, picking up the tea, which had lost some of its heat and had cooled slightly, with one hand. "Is one more spectator too many?"
There was a hint of playfulness in his phoenix-shaped eyes.
Takao Haruki was well aware of his subtle sarcasm, but he showed no sign of being offended. Instead, he looked at him with a half-smile, his eyes slightly upturned, his gaze acting like a hook that perfectly caught the edge of the iceberg: "My Pleasure."
The two exceptionally handsome youths gazed at each other, their eyes intertwining with both clear implications and subtle probing. If one were to say their confrontation was too sharp and piercing, or their gazes too lingering and tender, it would be more accurate to say that a rare, unspoken understanding was evident at a single glance.
Shimabukuro Kimie looked at Gin, then at Takao Haruki, his gaze filled with astonishment and confusion.
..
Nani's detective career hasn't been exactly smooth sailing, but it hasn't faced many major setbacks either.
It was just that this girl lacked experience and fame, without a unique Shinigami constitution, she mostly took cases involving infidelity or finding pets, rarely encountering any truly serious cases.
This is actually quite normal—it is the Shinigami Elementary Student and his Companions who are not normal—but considering Nana's situation, if she encounters something brutal in the future, the outcome will probably not be ideal.
Gin decided to let this girl level up.
Previously, because of Takao Haruki, he had also taken the opportunity to look into Kindaichi, only to discover with surprise that his overlap with that incredibly lazily-named Eternal elementary student was far too high.
But the ages didn't match, so it didn't seem to be a mistake from Kudo Yukiko or Kudo Yusaku's youth.
Perhaps there really is such a thing as inherited detective genes; Kinda Ichichi's deductive reasoning abilities are quite formidable, even surpassing the logical rigor of Conan, who is almost a victim of paranoia.
Gin blinked.
Since Takao Haruki intended to cause trouble, she might as well let Nana join in on the fun. If a resonance could occur between detectives leading to an acquaintance, then having more contact with this older version of the high school detective (god) would count as a level-up for him.
If they could become friends, the effect would naturally be even better.
Even if they couldn't, participating in the duel between Kinda Ichichi and Hell Puppeteer—that's right, even if there were a motive, Gin didn't believe Takao Haruki would take it easy, so it would be a good chance to broaden one's horizons.
Well, since Takao Haruki is already prepared to cause some trouble anyway, why not just make use of him? It would be a waste to let such a good opportunity slip away.
He moved his finger to send a text message to someone in a certain part of Tokyo, then slid his fingertip down to open a New Mission from the Black Organization.
Tsk—it's a trip to Italy.
Who should I take along?
..
Over there, in an ordinary apartment in Tokyo, sunlight streamed through the window into the living room, making it bright and airy even though only a single incandescent bulb was turned on.
The Black-haired girl, who was busy talking to the Parrot, was wearing an oversized T-shirt printed with Doraemon and Kumamon, full of childlike charm. There was no one else in the Apartment; besides the girl's clear, laughing voice and the Parrot's unintelligible babbling, there was no other sound.
A familiar mobile phone notification suddenly rang out, its tinkling sounds echoing through the quiet Apartment, breaking the previous harmonious atmosphere with its bouncing syllables and unique melody.
The reason this ringtone was so familiar was not because Nana heard it often, but because it was so incredibly important to her that it was etched deeply into her heart; even though she didn't use it many times, it had become a conditioned reflex.
The Girl, who was barefoot to stay cool, subconsciously set down the bento in his hands, ignoring the disgruntled chirping of the Parakeet behind him, ran a few steps toward the source of the sound.
The mobile phone with a white back and a blue screen protector, featuring some white-haired person's specially chosen couple stickers on the back, was vibrating incessantly on the coffee table. The notification ringtone mixed with the buzzing of the mobile phone against the tabletop, creating a truly piercing sound.
Hmm.. it's quite effective at waking one up.
A cup of black coffee was forcefully poured into his mental world; he didn't experience any of its richness, only the intense bitterness of the liquid as it flowed over his taste buds.
So, as I said, she doesn't like drinking coffee.
She quickly opened her mobile phone and entered the SMS Page. The neat black characters came into view, which somewhat relieved the discomfort of the noise flowing into her ear canals and ravaging her cochleae.
The contextless sentence made her frown in confusion.
Without any context or explanation, it sounded more like a command than a statement. Nana tilted her head and decided to obey.
Hmm.. although she didn't know what she was going to do on the second floor of the Ida Commercial Building in five days.
Shopping?
The Parakeet behind her continued to let out dissatisfied cries, so Nana blinked and closed her mobile phone.
..
Setting aside whatever shock the innocent Nani girl felt, if we shift our gaze back to Gin, we can see that the Silver-haired youth is currently pushing someone away with a look of pure impatience, as they lean heavily against him.
Gin suppressed his irritation, but ultimately failed to hold it back, his green eyes seemingly harboring a toxic, emerald fire: "Are you looking to take a stroll down the Sanzu River? I wouldn't mind giving you a one-way ticket for free!"
His words were no less ruthless than the Beretta hidden within his black trench coat.
Heine shook his head with a grin, the cynicism in his blue eyes nearly overflowing, truly..
Deserving of a beating.
Gin drove an elbow into Heine's abdomen, causing the latter to stumble back several steps in pain, clutching his aching stomach with his left hand.
He certainly didn't use his full strength, but he couldn't be said to have held back either, especially since he had maliciously struck Heine's stomach; it was only due to Heine's good constitution that he didn't vomit on the spot.
Even so, his relatively empty stomach churned violently, as if someone were wildly tap-dancing on it in fifteen-centimeter high heels, a bit of acid began to rise in his mouth.
His reddish-brown hair hung limply, making him look somewhat pitiful.
Seeing such a pathetic sight, Gin's heart remained unmoved, delivering a perfect finishing blow with the words, "You brought this upon yourself."
At least we share the bond of having shared a bed once," Heine said weakly, slumped against the railing like a salted fish. He deliberately spoke with ambiguity, letting out unspeakable bubbles, yet his blue eyes—far more beautiful than a fish's eyes—were filled with a mischievous, uncontainable joy: "Don't be so heartless..
“..” Gin's lips twitched, his green eyes flashing with a cold light, as if he felt like hanging that useless man upside down from Tokyo Tower.
Or just throw him off.
In a foreign city, pedestrians passing by on the Pedestrian bridge cast ambiguous or curious glances at the two exceptionally conspicuous fellows. Even though Gin knew their gazes held no malice, he still felt extremely embarrassed.
If he was unhappy, he would make others even more unhappy.
Seeing that someone seemed to be getting serious, Heine stopped acting up and stood up straight and honest—if he were actually thrown down, even if he didn't die from the fall, he would probably truly become a dead salted fish if he landed in the vehicle's water current.
Italy is the homeland of this man, who seems to take playfulness as his life's motto. He volunteered for this mission and teamed up with Gin.
Borse, who should have come with Gin, was left behind in Japan. Gin simply had him temporarily partner up with Akai Shuichi to complete an intelligence retrieval mission.
To tell the truth, the reason Gin agreed to come to Italy with Heine, besides being pestered by this guy relentlessly, was also because he wanted to see what kind of schemes he was up to.