After seeing Vermouth off, Gin remained in the Bar.
Speaking of which, he actually had not had much to do lately; he had put off his investigation for the time being, was currently simply enjoying a moment of indulgence.
Yesterday's Case gave him quite a few "surprises."
Besides Nana's self-defense skills, which still required training—and by the way, he had sent Nana an SMS with a "kind" reminder afterward—what he cared about slightly was his attitude toward Bourbon.
Aside from that, what he cared about a little more—
It sounds a bit strange to say, but..
Well, besides that, what concerned him slightly was the relationship between the killer and the accomplice.
Ta.. wait, what was that person's name again..
Forget it, I'll just use their genders; anyway, no one will care.
At first, he thought the relationship between the man and the woman was merely a matter of mutual exploitation—the woman coveting the man's youth, the man coveting the woman's wealth; so much so that even their subsequent conspiracy to murder was driven solely by self-interest and mutual gain.
But the subsequent developments between the two seemed to indicate that their relationship was not as he had thought.
That woman was merely using her, while she.. seemed unexpectedly foolish, unable to see through it at all.
And what he craved was not her wealth, but.. love?
To the point that he even believed afterward that she had killed her husband just to be with him, even going so far as to attempt to take the blame for her.
Gin would normally have dismissed it.. but for some reason, he felt a sense of.. subtlety in his heart?
What is love? He never understood it, nor did he ever want to.
Because there was no need, because it was too much trouble, because he was certain he would never fall in love with anyone—he doubted he would even feel much like liking them.
There are not many people in the Black Organization whom he identifies with, among those people, very few are capable of "loving."
—At the very least, he wouldn't go around "loving" others.
—Instead of wasting time on that, one might as well love themselves more.
Gin did not deign to understand it.
However, some of the things Shiratori had said once, along with the words he had gradually been telling himself through Dan Nani's mouth over these years, echoed in his ears, seemed to echo in his heart as well.
It actually caused a tiny crack to appear in the walls of his heart.
It actually caused him to unconsciously think about something he wasn't interested in, something he didn't even believe he would be interested in.
His green eyes darkened.
What is love?
The enraged man lunged forward in a single stride, throwing a punch toward Nana, the wind from his fist rushing toward Nana's face.
—His previous stupidity could only be described as his own low intelligence being played for a fool, but to pull such a stunt after the dust has settled, when it clearly won't change anything—he can only be blamed for his clouded judgment.
It was stupidity, making one lose their reason and composure, making one become so ugly.
Gin lowered his eyes, a slight, mocking curve appearing at the corners of them.
Love is not a good thing, it is far too much trouble.
He reached a conclusion.
Of course, 'love' does not only refer to 'Love'.
However—
Gin curled his lip. Although he felt a certain (perhaps more than a certain) amount of disdain, it didn't seem like he was defining "love" in a way as wretched as his definition of "love."
So, what on earth is Midori thinking?
Gin speculated boredomly and raised his hand to take a sip of his liquor.
However, the moment he lifted his eyes, a somewhat familiar figure came into view.
..
Scotland entered the bar three days after his last mission.
This mission was not one he was leading; he only needed to wait four or five hundred yards away to provide sniper support.
But the moment he pulled the trigger, the gentle-natured Public Security undercover man couldn't help but lower his eyes.
That person.. he is someone he knows.
The Sniper Bullet travels incredibly fast, so fast that one cannot react at all.
However, in this brief moment, time seemed to stretch exceptionally long, so long that he could see the bullet tearing through the air—perhaps it was merely his imagination.
He watched helplessly as the bullet pierced his former classmate's head; at the moment the blood splattered, a bone-chilling coldness seemed to spread from the depths of his heart, extending to his every limb.
He could imagine what the life of an Undercover would be like, he had prepared himself mentally, but now that the moment had truly arrived, he realized that such "preparation" was never enough.
He refused Furuya's greetings and visits, struggling to adjust his mindset so as not to reveal any obvious flaws.
Three days later, his mood was finally no longer as gloomy as before.
But he still couldn't help but let out a sigh in his heart: this road was too long and too dark, making the walk seem exceptionally difficult.
This bar was introduced by a colleague from the Organization when he had just split up from Furuya. Scotland was walking down the street to clear his head, carrying his guitar case—the kind that didn't have a sniper rifle inside—when he happened to glance up and saw it.
So he walked in.
The dark brown-haired man chose an inconspicuous corner to sit down. He glanced at the various liquor bottles displayed on the bar, which were diverse in both variety and brand; the two Bartenders behind the bar were making Cocktails, their skills skillful and their movements smooth, flowing like a video being filmed.
Scotland did not intend to choose a cocktail. He scanned the various brands, intending to select a rum that suited his taste, when the bartender approached him with a bottle of whisky.
"I don't need it yet," Scotland said, frowning slightly and explaining in a gentle tone.
The Bartender did not leave, but instead paused for a moment: "Sir, this bottle of liquor was offered to you by that gentleman over there."
Scotland was startled. He looked in the direction the Bartender was pointing and, from a distance, saw a patch of black that was hard to describe as familiar, yet was absolutely unforgettable.
Even in the neon-lit Bar, he stood out strikingly, apart from the crowd.
Gin.
He silently repeated the name in his heart.
The other man seemed to have seen him as well, merely tilting his head to conjure a smile of ambiguous meaning, his posture composed and possessing a hint of peculiar elegance.
Scotland glanced at the Whisky held in the Bartender's hand.
Scotch Whisky.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Amuro hopes that Nana won't attract Gin's attention because of him; to this, Nana says..
Gin stated that he was simply being fickle (strike that) because he thought the food Bourbon made was quite good; to this, Vermouth replied, "Oh" (indifferent face jpg).
..
Shiratori Midori's death actually brought about some changes in Gin, but it didn't happen all at once; some changes were quite direct, like when around chapter twenty, during his more lethargic period, he mentioned that he occasionally found himself thinking about certain things; others were more subtle, acting less like a change and more like a seed planted in his heart, whether that seed would live or die was up to fate.
What a pity..
Gin thought about Love for the first time and concluded that the thing was too much trouble and would lower one's IQ. He also wondered if Shiratori Midori felt the same way.
Regarding this, Shiratori Midori expressed..
..
Bourbon's exclusive session was preceded by Scotland's appearance, who was also treated to a glass of Scotch Whisky.
By the way, he also treated Vermouth to his glass.
..
I've been quite busy these past few days.. I felt it wouldn't be right to release it when I had only written half of it, but since the word count was stuck in the middle, I decided to write a bit more QAQ.
There should be another side story coming up as compensation.. a non-canon side story.
Companions who do not want to read the extra chapter, please wait for tomorrow's update..
Love you all, mwah~
..
Thanks to Liunian Yijiu Little Angel's landmine, love you mwah~
Thanks to Ying Rushi Little Angel for the landmine, love you mwah~
Thanks to Genma Tea Little Angel's grenade, love you mwah~
Chapter 58 Non-canonical Side Story: Raising a Cat (Part 1)
On a certain day in a certain month of a certain year, Brandy, an elite core member of the Liquor Group, brought home a child.
The child was about ten years old, with a pair of bright green dead fish eyes (strike through), a pair of cold green eyes, skin as white as a snowball, flowing silver hair.
He looked very young, yet one could already vaguely discern his handsome features and his cold temperament.
The Silver-haired child stood among a group of kidnapped children, making the others look like absolute nothingness by comparison; he made himself appear like the proud white swan among a flock of squawking ugly ducklings.
A true, white swan.
No explanation.
“Where did you kidnap such an outstanding child from?” The Blonde-haired woman had expressive eyes that became particularly charming when she smiled, her radiant blonde hair falling against her fair skin, exuding a sense of luminous beauty.
She looked at Brandy with a half-smile, then glanced at the little child.
The child did not speak, upholding the fine virtue of silence is golden, his emerald-like eyes clear and calm, possessing a composure at such a young age that seemed to view the world's fleeting nature with indifference.
Brandy replied indifferently, "I picked him up on the road."
Vermouth was very curious: "How did he agree to come with you?"
The youth gave Vermouth a look of disdain—he did not show it overtly, but his hollow gaze clearly expressed his contempt, or at least, that was how Vermouth perceived it.
Coercion and bribery.
He left behind these few words.