The agreed-upon Location was chosen by Takao Haruki; it was clear that the Hell Puppeteer has good taste.
Gin took a small sip of black coffee, praising it silently in his heart, before turning his gaze toward Takao Haruki.
Would you say that you've—" Takao Haruki scanned Gin up and down, then tilted his head slightly, asking with interest, "left the Black Organization?
“Yes,” Gin replied simply, then raised an eyebrow at the look of surprise that momentarily flashed across Takao Haruki's face, saying somewhat impatiently, “What’s with that expression?”
A bit surprised," Hell Puppeteer said candidly. "After all—
After all, you have been working in this kind of environment for so many years.
However, he wisely chose to swallow the second half of the sentence and did not continue.
Although Takao Haruki did not finish his sentence, Gin still understood his unspoken meaning, leaving him momentarily speechless.
He paused, his cold green eyes shifting slightly as he changed the subject: "Why have you come to the UK again?"
The man opposite tilted his head slightly, correcting Gin: "I was born in London, UK."
This High-IQ criminal looked at the scenery outside through the Glass, a faint, ambiguous smile appearing in his eyes: "It seems like not much has changed here."
After letting out an ambiguous exclamation, Takao Haruki turned his head to look at Gin, a mysterious smile playing on his lips: "Have you been to London before?"
I have." Gin glanced at Takao Haruki, then lowered his head to take a sip of black coffee. "During a vacation, once.
A rich aroma blended within the bitter liquid, blooming quietly upon the tip of his tongue to create a one-of-a-kind taste.
The taste of the black coffee stirred up distant memories from long ago, causing the silver-haired youth to momentarily daze.
"Coming to the UK for a vacation?" Takao Haruki stirred his Cappuccino, the brown liquid's latte art being ruined by his movement, but the man still seemed to be in high spirits.
For a moment, he almost seemed somewhat childish.
This childishness did not last long.
Takao Haruki looked up at Gin, his tone still carrying a hint of leisure and curiosity: "Did you just happen to be passing by, or did you come here on purpose?"
It was both a chance encounter and a deliberate visit.
Gin thought.
At that time, when Nani was still a young girl, she gave him an owl.
The little girl blinked her eyes and smiled at Gin in an attempt to please him, her voice sweet and soft; however, the owl by her side had an eerie cry and looked quite unruly, flapping its wings.
Nana said that he chose to buy the Owl because it reminded him of the Harry Potter book series.
At that time, Gin remained noncommittal about it.
However, one time, after he had shot and killed a defector from the Organization Europe Department and finally had some time to rest, as if possessed by some inexplicable impulse, Gin bought a plane ticket and came to the UK.
Perhaps.. every child who has read "Harry Potter" has a dream about Hogwarts?
Gin paused for a few seconds by one of the merchandise shops, then turned and left.
However, there was no need to tell the man in front of him about these matters.
Gin slightly lowered his green eyes, only giving a simple reply: "Both."
Perhaps because of the black coffee, his voice seemed to carry a faint bitterness of coffee, his mellow voice and cold tone drifting through the air, mingling with the aroma of coffee on the wind.
"How many days did you stay in London?" Takao Haruki seemed to take an unparalleled interest in this question. He set down the coffee in his hands, a hint of undisguised curiosity in his eyes.
Gin frowned.
Takao Haruki seems a bit strange today.
However, this was not a secret, nor was it an unanswerable question, so after a brief moment of thought, Gin gave an answer: "About.. a week?"
This was already something from years ago. Although he had come to the UK several times since then due to the Organization, none of those trips could be considered a 'vacation.'
Gin's memory was not poor, but it had not yet reached the level of being photographic. As he searched through those past events in his distant memories—those that had not yet been eroded by Time—there were always parts that appeared blurred.
But Takao Haruki clearly did not dwell on it—to be precise, he had no desire to insist on obtaining a definitive answer.
The Hell Puppeteer blinked, his eyes appearing clear and bright under the light: "Have you ever watched a football match?"
The Silver-haired man finally showed a hint of impatience.
He frowned. "What exactly do you want to say?"
"What I want to say is—" Takao Haruki leaned back, his gaze calmly staring at Gin.
She leaned her back against the Chair by the wooden table, her Hands folded casually on the table, looking as relaxed as if he were reading a masterpiece on a warm, sunny afternoon.
"Do you want to go watch a match?" The man stated his Target.
Gin: "……"
Gin: "??"
Seeing the rare hint of confusion on the Silver-haired man's face opposite him, Takao Haruki couldn't help but chuckle softly.
I happened to get two tickets," he tried to persuade Gin. "Anyway, you don't have much going on right now—you might as well go since you're just idling around.
..
Anyway, you don't have much going on right now—you might as well do something since you're free.
Takao Haruki successfully persuaded Gin.
It was exactly as he said; ever since leaving the Black Organization, Gin's daily life had suddenly become much easier—although evading the organization's pursuit remained the top priority, for now, it seemed Rum and the others wouldn't track him all the way to the UK so quickly.
As for the power of the UK Branch.. without special instructions from the high-level members, they would at most conduct routine investigations here in the UK, without making too much of a fuss.
And facing this level of "routine investigation"—to be honest, Gin could handle it.
And so, Gin had plenty of time to rest.
—At least, that was true until he found a new employer.
As the second largest city in the UK, Manchester holds an important status and extraordinary significance in the UK. It is not only a major center for the UK's finance, culture, other important sectors, but it is also one of the first cities in the world to undergo industrialization. (1)
In Manchester, prosperity is evident across various industrial sectors, including electronics, plastics, printing, oil refining, while simultaneously, it possesses a unique cultural background.
Football, without a doubt, is one of them.
The passion for football in European countries seems unimaginable, much like how American football is popular in every school and region in the USA.
For any important match, football fans often come out in droves, sometimes creating a spectacle where entire streets are emptied. It is not uncommon for tickets to be incredibly difficult to obtain.
Take a Manchester United match, for example.
Manchester United Football Club, abbreviated as "Man Utd" or "MUFC," is without a doubt one of the top football giants. Its fame is so great that even those who do not care much about football have heard of it.
It has a long history and has achieved many glorious honors. In the UK, even throughout the entire World, Manchester United has a massive number of fans.
Gin looked up at the sea of people before him, for a moment, besides feeling the profound charm of Manchester United, he was left with nothing but speechlessness.
He turned his head to look at Takao Haruki on his left, who was clearly leisurely; That person's face remained as calm and composed as ever, upon feeling Gin's gaze, he even had the leisure to offer the Silver-haired man a smile.
"What's wrong?" Takao Haruki asked.
Her voice was quickly drowned out by the clamor of the crowd, but Gin could read her lips, by combining them with the faint syllables reaching her ears, he could still understand what he was saying.
"Are you sure we're waiting here?" Gin asked, every word articulated clearly.
The Silver-haired man did not dislike such grand scenes, but he thoroughly disliked the feeling of being squeezed in a crowd!
From Gin's expression, Takao Haruki could roughly catch a glimpse of his not-so-pleasant mood, he calmly soothed him, "It will be over in a little while."
This match was being held at the Man Utd home stadium. The tickets Takao Haruki bought were for the neutral fans' stands. Although the fans' enthusiasm was undiminished, it appeared less frenzied here compared to the home and away supporters.
However, it was still a jubilant and boisterous ocean composed of crowds.
However, when the match began, the spectators' gazes finally turned toward the tennis court.
They cheered or raged along with the progress of the match, sometimes shouting loudly with faces flushed in excitement, at other times letting out bursts of jeers, their expressions cold and filled with annoyance.
Gin calmly watched the performance of the players from both sides. As the match progressed, he would occasionally frown slightly—the atmosphere of the game did indeed affect him, but not enough to cause him to lose his composure.
The incessant chatter and unharmonious shouting from around him merged into a single roar, pouring directly into Gin's ears. The Silver-haired man discreetly rubbed the base of his ear.
—He felt that his ears hurt terribly..
Takao Haruki was clearly not some fanatic football fan; sitting to the left of Gin, although his facial expressions fluctuated slightly and he would clap when a goal was scored on the tennis court, he was truly calm compared to the person beside him.
But overall, setting aside the overly noisy atmosphere, the experience of watching the match at the stadium was quite satisfying.
By the time the match ended and Gin left the football stadium following the crowd, any dissatisfaction with the noisy surroundings during the game had been overshadowed by the players' brilliant performance on the pitch.
Although Manchester United's performance this season hasn't seemed to satisfy the old fans, overall, their general level remains where it should be.
After leaving the tennis court, they strolled along the street. The volume of dispersing crowds was still quite considerable, causing significant traffic congestion, to the point that female traffic police were deployed to direct traffic on the road.
Takao Haruki turned his head to look at the traffic jam not far away, where vehicles of all colors formed a long dragon. In some places, roadblocks had even been set up, the speed at which the vehicles moved—yes, moved—was not even as fast as a pet cat or dog strolling; it was practically impossible to move at all.
The Hell Puppeteer raised his eyebrows slightly, his hands tucked into his pockets in a relaxed posture, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. "See, I told you—you shouldn't have driven at a time like this."
If they had driven, they would surely be among those "unable to move an inch" right now.
“……” Gin silently glanced at the heavy traffic, but then turned to look at Takao Haruki. "So much experience, have you been through this before?"
This statement was so piercingly accurate that even Takao Haruki could not help but freeze for a moment.
Not in the UK, at least," he paused, then spoke the truth, "However, I once watched an American football game in the USA.
—Everything was left unsaid.
Gin curled her lips slightly.
Pfft—
..
Football and Beer seem to be two things closely related.
In Manchester, there is never a shortage of bars; and bars themed around football are equally not uncommon.
Before coming here, Takao Haruki had already made certain preparations. At this moment, following the navigation on his mobile phone, the man arrived at a long-preselected bar with practiced ease and pulled Gin inside.
Although he was the one being "pulled," Gin did not show any signs of dissatisfaction—he had no particular feelings toward this seemingly lively Bar.
He didn't particularly like it, but he didn't hate it either.
This Bar features oysters as its signature product, offering over a dozen varieties with different flavors and levels of sweetness. In addition to the various intense-flavored cocktails, sweet and delicious Chocolate cake and Fruit pie, there are also seafood options such as Baked crab with cheese. (2)
Two platters of assorted oysters were placed before the two people, with oysters of different sizes arranged in order, crushed ice for the private room placed in the middle.