Time seems to have been exceptionally kind to this woman; Vermouth looks exactly the same now as she did ten years ago when Gin had just joined the Liquor Group.
If you were to take two photos, one from ten years ago and one from now, to compare them, I think there wouldn't be any difference other than the difference in pixel count and image quality..
Well, if changes in popular makeup and hairstyles count as differences, then the differences are quite significant.
You have to realize, in this day and age, how fierce the competition is!
Even a great beauty can easily be washed away by the tides of the era if she does not learn how to change herself!
Unless you are so beautiful that words fail you, one can only admire you in silence.
However, Gin was very skeptical as to whether such a person even existed in this world.
（..）
Regarding Vermouth's age, it seems to be a mystery, which in turn has sparked many speculations among the Liquor Group staff.
There are also speculations regarding why Vermouth's appearance never changes.
As for the various speculations of others, Gin was indifferent.
Modern technology is so advanced; it's not easy to maintain one's appearance, but isn't it even easier to age more slowly?" Gin's expression made it impossible to tell if he was joking. "Just look at today's female stars and you'll know.
Besides, Vermouth is a movie star too, so it's even more normal, isn't it?
And—
Rather than caring about this, you'd be better off spending more time on serious matters." — said the Liquor Group top elite with a cold face, who, instead of doing anything serious, was busy gossiping with everyone: "And isn't it fine like this? Do they have to watch people grow old and lose their beauty? At this stage, they are still pleasing to the eye, it's no loss to you.
Everyone: You make a very good point.
Vermouth: Who are you calling old and withered?!
The matter of age had come to a conclusion, but the mystery surrounding Vermouth—not the "mystery" of being charming, but the "mystery" of her enigmatic nature—did not lie solely in her age.
Her behavior and actions, including her identity, are also quite mysterious at times.
This woman is an actress; perhaps because she gets too immersed in her roles, she even specifically learned disguise techniques, possessing a thousand faces and handling a thousand different appearances with ease.
Everyone at the Liquor Group was quite carefree, not finding anything wrong with this skill that rivaled the mysterious disguise arts of the East; they had always quietly admired the various beauties that Vermouth transformed into.
Until one day, it was unclear whether Vermouth had simply grown bored of it or if she wanted to challenge herself with something more difficult.
—This guy used a Disguise to become an incredibly ugly, middle-aged greasy man.
Everyone: …………
For a moment, everyone felt like their eyes were being burned. Even the cafeteria lady couldn't bear to look, she sped up the serving process, hoping to get him out of there as quickly as possible.
The Blonde-haired woman seemed to find everyone's expressions amusing, or perhaps it was because the cafeteria lady gave her extra large and cost-effective portions to get her to leave quickly—even though she didn't eat much to maintain her figure. Thus, for over half a month, she had been appearing every day with all sorts of strange and hideous faces to disgust everyone, claiming it was to help improve their tolerance.
This tolerance.. Heh.
Everyone turned their heads and walked away, never looking back.
Everyone understood a truth from then on: beautiful things are even more distinct—as seen in Vermouth's passionate performances during the first half of the month; and ugly things each have their own characteristics—as seen in the annoyance caused by Vermouth's success during the second half of the month.
It goes without saying, humans are indeed visual creatures." Vermouth spoke with a cold, noble elegance. "Hmph, men.
"Aren't you?" Cavendish countered.
"Of course not," Vermouth said with a firm expression.
I see.." Cavendish pondered, pausing for a moment before saying earnestly, "Why don't you draw a portrait of your look from a few days ago for Gin?
.." Vermouth struggled to refuse, "There's no need for that, is there?
Just put it on, then we'll see if you treat him any differently than usual.
"Gin won't agree to it," Vermouth said in a last-ditch effort.
Gin, who had become the center of attention, blinked, a flicker of interest passing through his green eyes, but he maintained a calm expression. "It's fine."
Why must you be so narrow-minded?!
"Hmph, woman," Cavendish retorted, throwing her own words back at her.
..
While there were many ordinary faces, there were also some interesting people.
Besides Vermouth, there are other very intriguing people.
Take Cavendish, for example.
Aside from working diligently for the Liquor Group—if one ignores her occasional antics, slacking off, stealing liquor for herself to take unauthorized breaks—Vermouth also has a side job as a famous actress.
Ah, given her Disguise skills, she could easily work as a makeup artist.
Because of this, Gin sometimes wondered why she continued to work for the Liquor Group.
Cavendish was the same.
This guy also has a profession that sounds high-class at first listen, but he has also embarked on the point of no return in selling liquor.
Regarding this, Cavendish felt pained—his performance was extremely affected, a poor review—and said, "Who told me to be so young and ignorant, sign a contract of servitude?"
Gin: ……
Cavendish received a cold look from the Liquor Group's outstanding talent.
He gave a dry laugh. "Alright, I'll tell you the truth."
Cavendish looked serious and solemn, then spoke:
Actually, our Liquor Group—has a background in pyramid schemes.
Gin: …………
Why hasn't the Liquor Group gone bankrupt yet?
..
Brandy is also one of the "interesting people."
However, he remained noncommittal regarding his opinion of Gin.
Once, an ignorant and innocent (?) Gin had shared his thoughts with Brandy, half out of boredom and half as a complaint, his silver ponytail swaying as it caught the light of the incandescent bulb.
Brandy stared at Gin silently for a while.
Then he said in disbelief, "How normal do you think you are?"
..
Let's continue talking about cats.
In the following days, Gin encountered another new cat.
A Golden-haired cat.
It had a pair of rather rare greyish-purple eyes, its light gold fur seemed to reflect the light under the sunlight, looking very striking.
To be fair, whether it was the golden-haired cat in front of him, the blue-eyed cat that brought dead rats, the beautiful Persian cat he had picked up from somewhere, or that formidable-looking black-haired green-eyed cat, none of them were lacking in appearance.
For some reason, they were wandering outside.
Perhaps it was for a dream?
Gin paused, following this inexplicable spark of inspiration to construct a whole narrative in his mind. It ranged from a decadent life of being spoon-fed since refusing to accept anything from others, to them gazing at the sky longing for freedom; from being abused by their owners to escaping their cages, scarred but brave; from making promises with a Wild cat friend to braving the ends of the earth for friendship; from falling in love at first sight with a Wild cat, to sneaking out in the middle of the night to run away from home for love..
His imagination was incredibly vivid, even weaving in a love story that transcended species.
After finishing those pleasant imaginings—a way to relieve stress from work being too tiring—even though he knew rationally that these weren't real, Gin couldn't help but feel a trace of genuine emotion. His gaze toward the Golden-haired cat softened slightly.
The Golden-haired cat's fur bristled slightly.
It shook its fur and then walked to Gin's side.
..
When it came back the next day, it brought along a dark tea-colored cat.
In comparison, the dark brown-haired cat was gentler; whereas the Golden-haired cat—
He looks gentle, but in reality, he possesses a combative and dangerous nature.
—Gin had seen it with his own eyes; the way this guy fought with the Wild cat was nothing to be trifled with.
Has it become the trend these days for cats to use their appearance to deceive the public?
Gin silently poured them a carton of milk that was about to expire.
To be honest, Gin truly had no desire to raise cats, nor would he—this was evident from this very moment. Back then, he had simply poured milk for the cats, until a little girl from the Liquor Group mentioned that cats shouldn't drink milk, as it might cause diarrhea or something similar.
However—
The cats he encounters always seem to be very tough; they are perfectly fine even after drinking expired Milk.
Occasionally, Gin would also engage in some self-reflection, especially after raising Shiratori Midori and Little British Shorthair.. but it didn't seem to do much good.
Sometimes he remembers to buy special milk powder—and that milk powder is for Little British Shorthair—but sometimes he forgets it entirely.
But it seems.. perhaps it is because Wild cat has strong adaptability? So far, nothing has happened.
—Then again, when he gets busy, he sometimes just eats whatever is available..
But this cat.. seemed a bit different from other easy-to-raise cats.
The dark brown-haired cat drank some milk, while the Golden-haired cat sniffed the scent of the milk, extended its pink tongue to lick it slightly, then looked up at Gin.
Of course, it ended up drinking it anyway.
However, the next time they met, the Golden-haired cat brought Gin a fish.
A heavy fish that looked as if it had died only recently.
The fish's translucent scales shimmered in the sunlight, looking exceptionally fresh, but unfortunately, the way it had been dropped on the ground by the Golden-haired cat gave it a somewhat undignified, unfinished look in death.
This fish looked quite good, the kind that could be sold in a wet market—considering that typical wild fish are small and bony, catching a fish of this size showed that the cat had put quite a bit of effort into it.
And the fact that it was willing to give this fish to Gin also showed that it quite liked him.
Gin: ……
Gin was not interested in such a gesture.
A Dead rat just arrived, now another Cat that brings fish?