Nana looked up at her, feeling an indistinct, inexplicable sense of bewilderment.
..
Inside the empty villa, Heine stood on the balcony, looking up at the gloomy sky with a frown, remaining silent.
A creepy chirping came from behind him. This sequence of bird cries, sounding almost like howling ghosts, actually brought the man back to his senses. This Mafia heir, an Organization Cadre of the Black Organization and a romantic wanderer among the flowers, raised an eyebrow and smiled, immediately turning his gaze toward the bird behind him.
It was not a gentle bird, but a fierce, predatory owl; to put it more simply, it was an Owl.
A flapping Owl.
A vein pulsed on Heine's forehead, his Blue eyes, which were usually as gentle as a spring breeze—especially in front of the girl—showed a hint of slight displeasure, but—
Considering this Owl was being boarded at his house by Gin, he could only endure it for the time being.
Perhaps because it lost the care of its Master—even if this Master himself was no one to be served—the Owl seemed very much out of its element.
However, it truly lived up to its reputation as Gin's pet; even the way it expressed its discomfort was quite extraordinary. Rather than showing common signs of lethargy or refusing food and water, it became increasingly restless and its aggression doubled.
It looks like a real troublemaker.
Heine..
According to Gin, this Owl was a gift from his Sister.
Although I don't know when the lonely—no, the solitary Gin acquired a sister, but facing the silver-haired man's ice-cold green eyes—
Okay, I wouldn't dare say it, I wouldn't dare ask.
The Owl seemed tired from flying and landed steadily on the balcony railing after a few flaps of its wings. It was also a clever animal, knowing where it could and could not go.
Due to the previous commotion, the Owl's downy feathers drifted to the ground; as the wind blew from outside, several soft feathers drifted away in beautiful arcs toward the sky.
The Carnivorous bird let out another cry, attempting to attract Heine's attention.
The blonde-haired man stared at this overly intelligent bird and let out a soft sigh.
He took a step forward and reached out to gently stroke the feathers on the Owl's back. The force he applied was not great, yet he could still clearly feel the bird's stiff back.
Heine reached out his hand, raised an index finger, slowly tapped the Owl's head, immediately hearing a dissatisfied cry from the bird.
No conscience," he chuckled, scolding her. "You're not even going to acknowledge who's been taking care of you these past few days?
Pausing, the man's blue eyes darkened slightly, before he let out a sigh. "But.. perhaps it is because you are too conscientious."
It's just that, your Master's return is also unknown.
Speaking of which, Gin.
Leaving this Owl that you have always kept by your side with me.. just what exactly are you trying to face?
Or perhaps—
What exactly are you trying to face all by yourself?
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Author's Note: Thanks to.. Guxing.. Little Angel for the landmine, love you, mwah~
Chapter 153 Chapter 137 This man is crazy
The villa was silent.
Although it was located in a sparsely populated mountainous area, the construction of the Villa was not perfunctory; the decoration style was simple yet elegant and tasteful. While there was not much Furniture, it had everything it needed.
It was much better than the Apartment Miyano Akemi originally lived in—and he didn't even have to pay Rent.
After a brief moment of surprise, the three people finally entered the house and took their seats, however, the atmosphere was not as harmonious as one might imagine.
Gin naturally would not speak; he sat casually on the Sofa, accepting Amuro Tooru's uncertain gaze while calmly scanning his surroundings.
After all, it had been a long time since he had come here.
The Blonde-haired youth was sitting on a sofa not far from Gin, holding a cup of hot tea and questioning his life.
Miyano Akemi was Professor Elena's eldest daughter. His death had caused Amuro Tooru a great deal of resentment for a long time, but no matter how much resentment he felt, he had to force himself to suppress it. After all, he was no longer that unrestrained youth.
At this moment, when the deceased reappears before one's eyes, it is impossible not to be surprised.
Moreover—
Amuro Tooru, who realized upon second thought that Gin must have played a major role in this, eyed the Silver-haired man with suspicion.
Although he already knew that Gin's "loyalty" to the Black Organization was highly questionable, this blatant violation of a mission still took him by surprise.
In contrast, Miyano Akemi was by far the calmest person.
After receiving confirmation from Gin, the long-haired woman finally lowered his guard against Bourbon and let the two of them in.
Afterward, she seemed unable to endure the palpable awkwardness in the air, so she stood up and walked toward the Kitchen to pour tea for the Guests.
It didn't take long to boil the water, brewing the tea was just as quick.
No matter how reluctant he was, Miyano Akemi could only unhappily carry the two cups of brewed English breakfast back to the Living room, once again becoming the focus of their gaze.
Miyano Akemi: ……
Miyano Akemi: Please have mercy!
The gentle Woman did not end up making any rude gestures. He leaned down to place the teacups in front of the two, the scalding hot water transferring its heat through the glass walls, a sensation like burning against his fingertips.
Miyano Akemi placed the glass down steadily.
The moment the glass touched the coffee table, Gin heard a soft "clink," a sound that pulled him back from his thoughts.
The Silver-haired man looked up at the 'Waiter' he had put a great deal of effort into saving; her long hair fell naturally as she leaned down, obscuring half of the woman's delicate and gentle face.
To tell the truth, he had never previously thought that he would save Miyano Akemi.
..
To tell the truth, Gin had never once thought before that he would save Miyano Akemi.
Even if it was just an hour before he was about to act, he had not thought of it.
However, it was not that he did not have hesitations.
The reason for this hesitation contained no emotional factors and had nothing to do with his perception of the Black Organization—to be honest, even if he had considered resigning, he didn't hold much genuine negative emotion toward the organization—and it had even less to do with Akai Shuichi.
He hesitated, solely because Miyano Akemi was Miyano Shiho's sister.
He needs Miyano Shiho; more accurately, he needs Miyano Shiho's research capabilities.
But so what?
Even if he needs Miyano Shiho, it doesn't necessarily mean he must take Miyano Akemi's life.
After all, Miyano Shiho will have many people she cares about in the future.
Edogawa Conan, Professor Agasa, the three elementary students from the Detective Boys—they could all easily become Haibara Ai's Achilles' heel.
Blackmailing these people to make Haibara Ai work for him was much easier than rescuing Miyano Akemi from under the Black Organization's very nose.
Moreover, after discovering part of the Truth regarding Shiratori Midori's cause of Death, learning that his Death was related to the Miyano couple's research—
Gin hated the Miyano sisters.
He absolutely hated them.
Of course he knew he was venting anger, of course he knew this matter could not be blamed on the Miyano sisters; in fact, even the Miyano couple were not the Originator.
But then—
Why is he so rational?
Why shouldn't he be allowed to Venting anger?
If we are talking about innocence.. then weren't those researchers even more innocent back then? Those who died directly or indirectly due to the Miyano couple's research were also innocent, even—
Wasn't Shiratori Midori, who was blindly swept into all of this back then, unaware of everything, not the most innocent of all?
Since they are all "innocent" people, why is it that they have suffered all sorts of misfortunes, while you have not?
But in the end, he did not make a move.
..
Even Miyano Akemi himself does not quite understand to this day how he managed to snatch his life back from the barrel of Gin's handgun.
At that time, she didn't have the heart to think about so much; she only had one thought in her mind: to take her Sister and leave.
Leaving the Black Organization.
Akai Shuichi's arrival was a disaster, his defection brought even more trouble to Miyano Akemi, but even so, Akemi did not blame him.
It was not just because she loved that man, but because she understood deeply the sorrow of having different allegiances.
A person's life cannot consist of only Love.
Justice, loyalty, principles.. these things are all important—very important.
For Miyano Akemi, family ties were the same.
If she were forced to choose between her Sister and Akai Shuichi, no matter how many chances she was given, her choice would only be Miyano Shiho.
His little Shiho.. him.. Sister.
At that time, her heart and eyes were filled entirely with her sister; those blue eyes were filled with despair, yet it was not a despair for the impending death.
It was her sister.
If.. if I were to die.. then, what would happen to Shiho?
She must be in so much pain, right?
Will she do something foolish?
For a brief moment, Miyano Akemi even felt a hint of regret.
She had ultimately implicated her most beloved sister.
Ever since their Parents died, she and her Sister had relied on each other for survival, being the only remaining Family in each other's lives; they had spent so many years together.
He witnessed Shiho's radiant spirit passing various exams, witnessed Shiho's pride in overcoming one difficult problem after another, witnessed the joy she felt when seeing his during their few moments together.