As the liquor name surfaced, those hazy memories from the past flashed through his mind one by one.
Gin's memory had always been excellent.
The black Porsche came to a steady stop at the entrance of the Western Restaurant.
It was a high-end restaurant; while it couldn't compare to certain long-established luxury establishments, it possessed a unique charm. The interior of the Western Restaurant was magnificently decorated, with various colorful flowers blooming in the corners, competing in beauty. The arrangement of the tables was well-structured, the materials used for the decor were simple yet slightly antique and elegant, fully justifying its price.
The sign in front of the door featured the words "Ti Nesi Menya Reka" outlined in elegant, stylish calligraphy—
It was a Russian song.
Gin frowned slightly; after finding the key to unlock the gates of memory, he recalled even more details.
—The black-haired woman bowed to him, his every movement as perfect as a robot following a pre-set program. A perfectly timed smile played on his lips, yet his eyes held no hint of mirth.
—It was very fake.
—And she did not care whether it was "fake," or whether her "fakeness" would be seen through.
Gin threw himself onto the Sofa; the leather-made Sofa was not particularly soft, its surface emitted a slight scent of leather, much like an oiled carriage, which was somewhat distracting.
But this did not disturb Gin.
Inside the private room, a young man and woman sat facing each other, with various delicacies laid out on the glass round table.
And their conversation.
Is this restaurant a Russian restaurant?
—No, but its owner is Russian.
At that time, he had been somewhat aware, but if he hadn't been so captivated by the news of "Bourbon"..
— "You mentioned 'Bourbon' in your email before; what did you mean by that?"
And that person mentioned later, someone buried in the past, who compelled him to devote his entire heart and soul to resolving the problems of that time.
— "It seems Bourbon is investigating something."
His position is closely related to Intelligence, so I didn't think much of it at first. However, his target is quite special.
——“He is investigating someone from six or seven years ago.”
He should have realized it, but unfortunately, the matter was far too ordinary, like an anonymous photo in a long memory album; if not for a song today, he would never have remembered it at all.
Not to mention.. at that time, there were even more important matters that occupied his entire mind.
Perhaps that was why Madra could say so reassuringly that its owner was Russian.
In the Living room, melodies from a foreign land continued to echo smoothly, the Music being intoxicating.
Gin closed his eyes, doing his utmost to scavenge for every possible detail.
After that meeting with Madra, he had brought Rye to this shop.. At that time..
At that time..
Gin clenched his fist suddenly.
At that time, Nana was also there.
After that murder case, in order to divert Amuro Tooru's attention away from Nana—and because he had changed his approach to his "disposal" of him after he saved Nana—Gin had abruptly called out, "Long time no see."
Plus, the speeding caused by the fear that something might happen to Nana..
Taken alone, it was nothing, but when combined.. it was no wonder someone went looking for trouble with Nana a few days later.
But.. is it really Brandy?
Or, is it just B. W.?
Are these two.. actually the same person?
In the end, this crucial question still had no conclusion.
One puzzle was solved, but many more puzzles were waiting for you. For a moment, Gin almost had the urge to curse.
Shaking her head vigorously, he cast aside those chaotic impulses and began to reorganize the clues he currently possessed.
This job should clearly be handled by those detectives!
..
First and most importantly, of course, is whether Nana has been exposed.
Similarly, exposure can be divided into two situations: the relationship between Shiratori Nana and Gin, more importantly, Shiratori Nana's true identity.
Under this crisis, all other matters must take a backseat. Amuro Tooru, Sheila, the others are all adults, they are all playing the game of undercover agents so joyfully that Gin doesn't need to worry about them at all.
Nana is still so small (?); not only is his physical strength poor (??), his skills are terrible (??), but even his intelligence seems somewhat lacking (??). Facing B. W, Brandy, if Gin doesn't look out for him, he will probably be eaten until not even a single bone remains within a few days.
Setting aside that series of evaluations that would leave Nana crying in a bathroom, let me ask one thing: is Nana not an adult?
Unfortunately, Gin did not care about these trivial details or insignificant mistakes.
Nana had only been attacked once, the person who targeted her was killed by Gin—killed beyond any doubt—and according to feedback from Kimie and the others, they had not encountered a second attack.
The person sent to Nana's side—without even saying what they were meant to do—has not returned, yet the Mastermind remains so composed..
Either the person who ordered his Subordinate to cause trouble for Nana was not Brandy; or, Brandy didn't send anyone to "deal with" Nana at all—at most, it was just surveillance or gathering Intelligence.
Malibu was merely acting on his own initiative.
In this way, at most they only suspect their relationship with Nana; Nana's true identity itself has not been exposed—otherwise, the aftermath of this matter would never have been so calm.
And if the person who ordered his Subordinate to cause trouble for Nana was not Brandy.. they must have been watching Gin for a long time.
And if they had truly been watching him for a long time—Gin couldn't help but feel a bit nauseated—and also knew Nana's true identity.. they would never fail to exploit it.
Thinking of this, Gin suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Regardless of everything, the worst-case scenario—that the other party had already discovered Nana's true identity—had not occurred.
However, the little boy was not exactly safe either.
Gin felt quite helpless about this.
He suddenly began to seriously consider the feasibility of having Nana move near the Kudo residence.
After all.. no matter how you look at it, it's good to have a bit of a "protagonist" aura. When necessary, befriending a "protagonist" also helps in reducing the death coefficient.
However..
Thinking about the possibility of this girl encountering all sorts of accidents under the influence of the Shinigami Elementary Student.. Gin fell silent.
He also considered the possibility of Nana, being a detective as well, joining Conan to stir up trouble in various cases.. Gin rubbed her forehead.
More importantly, the high school student who is constantly involved in murder cases—or rather, the fake elementary student—and his obsession with the Black Organization, combined with the grievances between Nani and the organization.. Gin abandoned the thought.
Forget it. The Shinigami Elementary Student possesses various bug-like items and a god-tier skill involving a soccer ball that can kick an extraterrestrial back into the universe (?). In addition, he is blessed with a protagonist aura capable of stopping an out-of-control airplane. As for Nana, with his small arms and legs, being an Ordinary person so unlucky that he was nearly knocked deaf by a few slaps, he shouldn't go looking for trouble.
If things go wrong before he even gets started, once Shiratori Midori—sometime in the future—wakes up, won't she just faint from crying again?
As for others.. to be honest, he didn't feel at ease leaving Dan Nani with anyone.
Rubbing her slightly aching head, Gin decided to set this question aside for the time being, began to contemplate the second matter.
Regarding Sheila and Bourbon.
..
Nana's situation could be somewhat excused, but the attacks on Cavendish and Heine over the past few days were most likely targeting Bourbon and Sheila.
Ever since collaborating with Gin, Sheila's movements have become more frequent—and since she needs to keep it a secret from her Brother, the possibility of her exposing flaws has naturally increased.
Fortunately, this girl is not only beautiful, but his intellect is also top-notch; so far, she hasn't shown any obvious flaws (is using that term slightly off?), let alone left any evidence for someone to catch his in a mistake.
As for Bourbon—ahem, if he hadn't been causing trouble recently.. would Gin even bother talking to him?
Of course, if his troublemaking truly cost him everything, Gin wouldn't even bother talking to him; considering they were both in the same boat, offering him a little sympathy would be more than enough.
But then again—
Heh.. Unbiased, two undercovers.
By the way, why don't you target Kiel instead? He is a CIA elite, after all; does she really have that little presence?
Or have you all taken issue with the Asian undercover? Otherwise, why is Akai Shuichi not affected?
Wait!
They might not necessarily avoid targeting Akai Shuichi!
Thinking about the people who appeared in the Scotland incident, besides Scotland himself and Cavendish who was carrying out the mission, there were Sheila and Akai Shuichi, who were dragged into it by Gin.
In that case.. could the next Target be Akai Shuichi?
Similarly, if something had happened to the two people present at the time, it could have been called an accident—after all, whether it was Cavendish or Heine, both were High-level members who had been with the Black Organization for a long time. For these two bottles of liquor, whether it was internal discord within the Black Organization or making enemies on the outside, it was all commonplace.
But Akai Shuichi is different. All things considered, he has been with the Black Organization for less than three years. Although he attracts significant attention due to his formidable strength and high efficiency, he has yet to truly establish a firm foothold.
If something happens to Akai Shuichi—it wouldn't necessarily have to be his death.. The only commonality between the three of them is the Scotland incident.
By then, it will be difficult for Bourbon to clear his name.
Okay, he was already dark, both in terms of his identity and his skin color.
And besides.. Akai Shuichi was also there during the murder case at the Restaurant—thinking about it this way, the possibility of him getting into trouble is very high!
Gin fell into deep thought.
Regardless, even if Akai Shuichi remains in the Black Organization, while the possibility of him causing trouble is low, the possibility of him being targeted is not small. As the future Silver Bullet, he is also an important part of Gin's own plan; if he were to fall at this time, it would seem like a very poor trade-off.
And there was also the suspicion surrounding Bourbon—
Bourbon's suspicion was not that obvious when Heine—or rather, Sheila—met with trouble. But after Cavendish was sniped, those with intentions within the Black Organization already began to suspect Bourbon.
Gin had acted before, but he could not act over and over again; although Akai Shuichi and Amuro Tooru were both quite important, they were not worth Gin exposing himself for.
This way.. these two problems are quite a headache.
Speaking of which.. Gin suddenly felt a bit depressed: working hard for the Black Organization was one thing—after all, I receive a massive salary; but did Akai and the others give me even half a yen? Why do I have to worry about these Undercover guys?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Feeling that life was truly not worth it, Gin gave a cold sneer. He was just about to release these two and let them fend for themselves—after all, it was survival of the fittest!
However..
Speaking of which, the time when Akai Shuichi's identity should be exposed.. is it almost here?