"Shall we run?" His low voice lingered in Gin's ear, accompanied by warm breath. Gin slightly raised an eyebrow, glancing at the onlookers who were either excited or curious.
He still did not refuse.
—Even though, in his eyes, running through the streets of New York in the middle of the night was truly foolish.
It's probably.. the effect of the alcohol.
..
They spent a long time shopping on the streets of New York—more accurately, on the streets of Brooklyn.
Relatively speaking, the security in New York is quite good compared to other cities—but that is only relative.
Along the way, the two encountered some thugs attempting to rob them. However, facing them was an FBI elite agent on one side and a top killer from the Black Organization on the other.. It was truly hard to say which one was the unluckier one.
The two walked aimlessly, occasionally chatting, though most of the time it was Akai Shuichi doing the talking.. though Gin would respond as well. Their conversation topics ranged from one extreme to the other, sometimes they would even bicker.
Perhaps it was because they were facing each other with their true identities, or perhaps it was simply because they no longer had to be so cautious about avoiding exposure; having shed the disguise of 'Rye', Akai Shuichi's words had become much sharper, he offered rebuttals more frequently.
Gin was not displeased by this.
On the contrary.. he was actually quite happy—even if he didn't show much.
Most of the time, the two of them were simply silent.
They walked silently down the street, walking through one street after another in silence, without the slightest hint of impatience.
In a unique way of companionship.
However, at a certain moment, as if by prior agreement, the two of them stopped in their tracks at the same time.
It is time to say goodbye.
They thought it at the same time.
Or perhaps.. even a farewell is unnecessary.
The silence at this moment felt particularly awkward.
Akai Shuichi broke the silence.
He stared at Gin for three seconds, his handsome face showing a hint of struggle, before appearing to make up his mind, he took something out from his coat pocket.
“It's for you.”
Gin raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw the silver ornament in the other man's palm.
..
It was a pendant similar to a keychain, with a silver bullet prominently featured at its center.
Silver Bullet.
An image.. with unknown.. meanings.
Gin silently watched the silver bullet-shaped ornament in the other man's hand; under the moonlight, the silver ornament shimmered with a faint luster, as if moonlight was flowing over it like silver threads.
So Gin lifted his gaze toward Akai Shuichi, catching a hint of a smirk in the other man's eyes.
“Your nickname.. is 'Silver Bullet', isn't it?" Although it was phrased as a question, Gin said it in a low, steady voice, making it sound like a simple statement.
"Is this a provocation?" he asked with a half-smile, his green eyes like ice and jade, shimmering with a clear light that held the essence of the moonlight.
"No," Akai Shuichi denied, a faint smile tugging at his lips, his handsome face softening slightly.
"You can take it as a declaration of war." He stared intently at Gin, so intensely that for a brief moment, Gin thought he saw a jaguar licking its paws.
The Leopard's smile widened, his Green eyes shimmering under the streetlights.
It could also be considered a confession.
Even though he was clearly speaking words of tender affection, Akai Shuichi's expression was aggressive; his gaze was like a sharp blade, his entire being was as if he were on a battlefield—a battlefield where losing was not an option.
Life is not a battlefield.
However, Gin loves the battlefield.
So Gin gave a sneer and accepted it.
It was as if he had accepted a challenge written with brushstrokes that could sweep through armies and power that could pierce through jade.
In the next second, he turned around, avoiding the expression on his Nemesis's face.
Tsk.. I've never seen a Leopard smile so foolishly.
—It's probably.. the effect of the alcohol.
Gin thought.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Well, the interlude has now concluded.
There will be about two or three side stories afterward.
Regarding the side stories, I would like to consult everyone for their opinions.
Because I cut some parts of the outline, the originally planned Black Fox Dungeon has been canceled. Some content in this section is related to the main plot of this work. If I put this part of the main plot into Volume 3 later.. it will either be because the length is too long, or the plot moves too quickly, making the amount of information difficult to understand..
So I want to use the side story format to "spoil" a portion through a POV perspective; that way, even if the amount of information is quite large later on, everyone should still be able to understand it.
The side story should be two out of three among Heine, Brandy, B. W's Master.. Does anyone have any thoughts?
And.. how many people want to see side stories of other types (such as personal side stories)? If it's appropriate, I can write some after the main story is finished..
..
Thank you to the Little Angels who voted for Overlord Tickets or poured Nutrient solution~
Little Angels who voted [Landmines]: Dibei Tiannan, 460600022 (1);
Thanks to the Little Angel who provided Nutrient solution:
Duan Hua 30 Glass bottles;
Thank you all so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 127: Decameron: Heine side story (Part 1) His Daughter is so..
The First Night
After hanging up the call with Gin, Heine stood on the bridge, gazing at the distant horizon where the sky met the sea. The deep blue sea surface reflected shimmering ripples, a breeze carrying the salty scent of seawater brushed against his face, messing up his hair.
His handsome looks drew the gazes of many enthusiastic girls; however, the man who was always skilled at flirting with girls had now fallen into an inexplicable silence.
After a long while, a short bird cry drifted from the distance. Heine raised his hand to brush aside his bangs and turned around.
He winked at the black-haired man standing a few steps away, a familiar curve forming at the corners of his mouth: "Long time no see, Ferrari."
Ferrari nodded to him in greeting and replied softly, "Long time no see, Philostratos."
It had indeed been a long time.
Since he left home, they had not seen each other for a very, very long time—so long that he had already forgotten the exact time. It had been so long that if it weren't for the brooch the man always wore, which had been a gift from his Father and one the man never left without, his first words would likely have been, "Who are you?"
How awkward would that be?
"It's not much better now," Heine thought.
She turned her head, observing this man of a similar age to herself with great interest and scrutiny. Time had left so many traces on them that Heine found it somewhat difficult to connect the person before him with the one who used to admonish him with wide eyes and a serious expression in his memory.
But it didn't matter; none of this was important.
Regardless of what their relationship actually was, all the other party cared about was Heine's identity, rather than the man himself.
After all, Ferrari is the most obedient guy by Father's side..
..
The First Story
When Heine was very young, he used to love climbing trees.
The adorable little boy wore simple denim clothes and clung to the tree trunk, struggling to scramble upward—climbing trees was quite a difficult challenge for a five or six-year-old child.
And when he ran out of strength and fell down, he would certainly not receive any comfort from his two adoptive mothers—especially not from Columba, who merely cupped his well-shaped jaw with her hand, smiling as she teased him for bringing it upon himself.
—In a tone that was not severe.
However, this was only if he didn't play too excessively; once he got his clothes and pants filthy, Heloise would absolutely drag him home with a cold face.
And then, a thorough scolding.
As for the effect.. it's a matter of personal opinion.
But to be fair, Heine's love for climbing trees wasn't just because it was fun.
There were plenty of fun things to do, from the various models brought by Columba to the spinning tops, cards, yo-yos bought by Heloise, as well as all sorts of strange specimens that always managed to make his companions envious.
Columba had plenty of money, so Heloise had plenty of money too.
Naturally, Heine also did not lack toys.
One important reason Heine liked climbing trees was simply that he could see more of the scenery from up there.
What he lacked was someone to play with him.
Later on, he had one more reason for his love of climbing trees.
Up in the tree, he could see Columba earlier, her sister, who was being led by the hand after school.
The Sister has two names. One is his Chinese name, which is a bit of a mouthful—given by Columba, is the real name recorded on all kinds of IDs; the other is also given by Columba, an Italian name used as a nickname.
Out of some sort of perverse sense of humor, after seriously choosing a Chinese name, Columba gave her daughter the Italian name Philomena, when she announced the name, she winked at Heine with a smile.
Heine, who had just finished reading The Decameron: …………
But the Boy was not very old at that time, the name Philomena was a bit long for her; as he called it, somehow, it turned into Aurora.
The goddess of dawn in Roman mythology.
The name, born from a series of coincidences, became her true nickname. Once that soft and tender little girl grew up, even her biological mother, Columba, could not help but sigh, "It seems the name Little Phi was chosen quite well."
When she smiled, her bright eyes were captivating and her lips were ruby-red; between her bright eyes and white teeth, a brilliance bloomed, as if the light of the entire world shimmered within her eyes.