Akai Shuichi's reason told him that he should not have any more involvement with Gin, but—
Some things had already silently transcended reason, repeatedly dancing upon the edge of his bottom line.
But no matter what the final outcome may be, he could accept it calmly.
Whether it be a nemesis or anything else, he will ultimately have a place in Gin's life.
This is a entanglement unique to Silver Bullet and Organization's Top Killer.
..
Sheila was dumbfounded.
She had no interest in such philosophical topics.
I feel as if.. I have discovered something extraordinary.
—But she didn't want to know any of that!
It seemed Little Fairy had been tricked, so he silently covered his face. After a few seconds of silence, Sheila looked up again, his eyes shining brightly.
"So, do you hate him?" she asked the same question again.
This time, it was Gin's turn to be silent.
After the Silver-haired man remained silent for several seconds, a rare trace of confusion appeared between his brows:
I.. don't know.
This was his final reply.
Or perhaps, it was not the end.
Sheila tilted his head slightly, trying to clear his mind, before struggling to ask the next candidate: "Then what about Amuro Tooru?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sheila first gave himself a mental pat on the back for his courage, then took a sip of the already cold Milk to steady his nerves.
Amuro Tooru.. what is your take on him?
He.. is different from Akai Shuichi." Gin's eyes darkened. "Completely different.
“?” Sheila let out a slow question mark, then became excited again: "How is he different? You like him?"
No.
..
Gin gave a light laugh. "No."
"Regarding Amuro Tooru.. Amuro Tooru, huh.." Gin felt a slight hesitation, but in the end, he said:
Do you know? Sometimes.. I see him as another version of myself.
Another self, one who had once lost everything, suffered, struggled..
Gin did not know what he would look like in the eyes of others after Midori's death.
So he wanted to go and see.
He saw Nana who had lost his Family, he saw Kimie who had lost his faith, he also saw Furuya Rei who had lost his best Friend.
In the Sahara Desert, under a sky full of Stars, the moment he gazed into Furuya Rei's greyish-purple eyes, he suddenly felt something touch his heart.
It was a sense of similarity..
In his daze, he actually felt a strange sense of shared misery.
Toward Bourbon, he had always felt a sense similar to that of a "senior."
Whether it was their one-sided acquaintance, the combat training shortly after Bourbon joined the Black Organization, or even the promise to "train Bourbon in close-quarters combat" that was proposed later.
He always looked at this youth with an attitude that was.. one step ahead.
And so, at that moment—
She suddenly felt a sense of.. something akin to empathy.
"I care about him to some extent, but even I can't say for sure how much of it is for him, how much is for myself.." Gin stated slowly, then let out a silent sigh.
He saw his former self in Amuro Tooru.
And the help he had provided him, more or less, over these years, was half for Amuro Tooru, half for his former self—the one who was lost yet still desperately masking it.
If someone had been able to help him to some extent back then, would he have had it any easier?
If someone could help share his burden, would he feel a little more at ease?
So many years, the people around Gin have come and gone.
But he always seemed to be alone.
Facing all sorts of terrible teammates and god-tier opponents alone, navigating schemes alone, making decisions alone, observing the world with cold eyes alone.
One person lives, one person dies.
Ah.. perhaps an Owl will be added as well?
His experiences were not entirely the same as Amuro Tooru's.
Gin's past regrets could never be made whole by anyone.
However, a certain sense of predestined empathy made him feel that Amuro Tooru's path should be a bit smoother.
Although Gin has always prioritized reason over emotion, although this help was minimal, with some of it even dripping with blatant exploitation.
But it wasn't that.. there was never any sincerity.
When he casually warned Amuro Tooru not to overstep, when he lazily lifted his eyes to look at this youth, when he naturally brought up a liquor name, when he complained that Amuro Tooru's driving skills were too wild..
When he agreed to let Amuro Tooru treat his wound—
The person Gin was facing, the person in his eyes, was indeed Amuro Tooru.
A person's Emotion is often unconsciously generated through spending time together.
Perhaps it wasn't love, but it was certainly—
It wasn't that he didn't care.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Gin has two different views regarding Akai and Amuro Tooru.
The difference in emotion between Amuro and Akai and Gin is quite significant.
In fact, the connections Gin has with everyone are not all the same.
Actually, just as Akai wants to help Gin out, Gin also wants to help Amuro out.
They are playing different Dungeon walkthroughs.. so the difficulty is naturally different, the endings they achieve are different as well.
This is why Amuro Tooru met Midori from the very beginning; without that initial encounter, it would be hard to say that Amuro, who had always remained mysterious within the Black Organization, would have taken the initiative to approach Gin. Naturally, Gin would not have 'empathized' with him, Bourbon would not have paid attention to the affairs of Gin and Midori—even if he is currently unaware.
But Akai does not need to; he is quite proactive.
As you can see, Akai knew nothing about Midori's business at first, but now he has learned the general details, all of which he dug up himself.
Similarly, in the first volume, the first meeting between Qinchi and Midori occurred after Midori's death, whereas Gin and Tooru met before Midori's death.
..
To summarize
Shiratori Midori planted a seed in Gin's heart. His situation is quite complicated and can be discussed later, but to put it simply, she is his White Moonlight;
Nana made the seed sprout. There is no love between his and Gin; it is entirely based on family ties. Gin has a certain obsession with him (not love); he demands that Nana lives well (and then she was snatched away by the Fox next door).
Akai and Gin share similar natures, feeling a mutual respect and attraction for one another. Akai wants to give Gin a hand, Gin tacitly allows him to investigate his secrets. They even exchange gifts (including wounds, bullets, pendants), Gin himself maintains a very high level of rapport with Akai.
Gin saw his own shadow in Amuro; he was relatively more indulgent, their interactions were more genuine, over time, he had developed a certain level of care—a care for Amuro Tooru himself.
Heine, on the other hand, was quite mature; although he felt a sense of fondness after perceiving the danger, he exercised restraint and maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Borse's loyalty and admiration outweighed his love.
As for Vermouth, she is a companion to another person in the Dark, both living their own lives and meeting occasionally, both knowing full well that there is both true emotion and pretense, both understanding that for adults, it is simply a matter of getting what one needs.
Wait.
Looking at it this way.. Nana is indeed the most pure after all, wholeheartedly following the path of family affection and not participating in all this blood and carnage.
Those looking to buy in can keep at it.
ps: Gin and Midori doesn't count as a vote!
Chapter 167: Chapter 151: Care obtained through deception is truly..
Nana stared at the 'Boy' before him.
Perhaps she should not call the person before him, who was clearly small in stature, a Boy; after all, his true age might be much greater than his.
However, the person opposite looked clearly like a child, imitating every movement perfectly, with only the calm, indifferent cruelty on his face declaring a side of him that was unlike any child.
He smiled at Nana.
Nana's green eyes grew heavy.
This was Lai, whom she had come into contact with not long ago. At that time, Gin had warned Nana to be careful of that man.
But—
Nana felt a bit depressed.
Zhenjun, it's not that I wanted to contact her, he came to me on her own!
It was a strange coincidence.
The 'Seven Deadly Sins' murder case that Nana and his companions had been following had come to a silent end after the death of Mrs. Aida.
Because no new victims had appeared, the Police had tentatively identified Mrs. Aida as the Mastermind.
However—
Early this morning, just after finishing breakfast, Nana poured himself a glass of Milk. Just as he was preparing to enjoy his toast with fried eggs, the Phone in the house began to ring—ring, ring, ring—