The metal USB that Takao Haruki gave him.
Logically speaking, after obtaining what he wanted, Gin should have confirmed the information inside as soon as possible to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. But when he actually held that information in his hands, the Silver-haired man suddenly realized that he actually had no desire to open it.
Just as he had stated before, Gin and Akai Shuichi were once enemies, so he needed an extra card in his hand that he could control.
However, now, he and Akai Shuichi are no longer enemies; in fact, Akai Shuichi had once helped him.. Even if Gin is not the type of person to be bribed with small favors, at least..
The Silver-haired man turned his palm and placed the USB he was holding into his coat pocket with his right hand.
At least.. these things are no longer that important now.
The Sun had completely set, the World, having lost its Sunlight, had become entirely Dark, leaving only a Crescent moon in the sky emitting a cold, increasingly brilliant Moonlight.
The Moon hung lazily in the pitch-black sky, seemingly nonchalantly casting a thin layer of silver gauze, silently enveloping all things in the world, falling upon the Silver-haired man standing before the window.
If nothing else, in London, hotels and inns are never in short supply.
Gin stood quietly by the window of his single room in the Hotel, his eyes lowered as he gazed at everything on the ground.
His room was on the sixteenth floor, the layout of the Hotel was exceptionally spacious, so the sixteenth floor was quite a distance from the Ground. Looking down from above, everything on the Road became much smaller.
With the view now wide open, it was hard to say whether his mood would become more expansive or even more lost.
However, for Gin, this was not a topic worth dwelling on.
A few seconds later, the Silver-haired man took a step back, closed the window and pulled the Curtain, then turned and walked out the door.
Aside from anything else, Gin is actually quite curious now.
Takao Haruki.. just what kind of suspense is he trying to build?
..
The Silver-haired man has always had a decisive and cold personality; when he wants to do something, his speed and efficiency are top-notch.
And once Gin finally resolved to uncover the Truth of a matter, he also had the confidence to achieve his Target.
—Even if his opponent was Takao Haruki.
Takao Haruki was certainly no simple character. Once Gin's scrutiny of him shifted from casual interest to a determined pursuit, this sharp-witted genius immediately noticed the change in the Silver-haired man's attitude.
However, Hell Puppeteer seemed to have no intention of beating around the bush with Gin; he simply gave a slight smile and then said very candidly, "I am acting on behalf of a client."
Gin: Huh?
This answer clearly caught Gin by surprise, to the point that the Silver-haired man froze for two seconds before realizing the meaning behind Takao Haruki's words.
It was just—
On someone's mission?
Commissioned by whom? And what was the commission?
Gin stood with his hands in his pockets, staring fixedly at the seemingly frail man before him.
When he was still in the Black Organization, Gin often wore a black trench coat. He would wear black clothes and black trousers, topped with a black hat. This all-black outfit was indeed very intimidating, combined with Gin's own aura, it added a layer of unapproachable coldness.
The Silver-haired man didn't care much about his clothing; as long as this outfit was comfortable, he saw no need to change. Thus, year after year, day after day, this ensemble became Gin's signature look.
But not anymore.
When he was still in the Black Organization, he would naturally want to dress this way. However, at this moment, Gin has already left the Black Organization, wearing something so obvious.. would clearly make him a Target.
Since he had already changed his appearance through Disguise, Gin naturally wouldn't mind changing his clothing as well.
At this moment, he was still wearing a coat, but it was a khaki-colored trench coat of soft texture. Although the weather was chilly right now, the Silver-haired youth was not wearing much more than the trench coat besides a knit sweater.
The cream-colored knit sweater paired with the khaki trench coat created a soft palette, lending a faint touch of gentleness to Gin's cold features.
The collar of the trench coat was high, accentuating his slender neck; as he lowered his gaze slightly, he exuded an air of near-frosty arrogance.
Gin lowered his gaze slightly, his cold green eyes appearing to reflect a pool of cool spring water, though it was only cold—it had not frozen into ice.
He looked at Takao Haruki with a scrutinizing gaze, without saying a word.
The smile that had been hanging on Takao Haruki's face slowly faded under that substantial, oppressive gaze, eventually turning into a trace of helplessness at the corners of his lips.
Actually, it's really nothing." Takao Haruki blinked, his gaze drifting toward the distance. "He is just worried about you.
After a pause, Hell Puppeteer spread his hands and tilted his head with a smile, a smile that carried a hint of innocence: "And I just think it's fun."
..
She?
In Japanese, the pronunciations for "he" and "he" are different.
Gin lowered her head and began to ponder.
Takao Haruki could still answer Gin's question in such a relaxed tone; he surely had no ill intentions.
In that case, then this "he" is quite intriguing.
From Takao Haruki's words and attitude, Gin can extract two pieces of information.
First, this woman is, after all, someone quite close to Gin.
Second, this woman has some connection with Takao Haruki, at the very least, she can "entrust" him with something.
Once these two ranges were established, the number of candidates immediately decreased significantly.
Gin does not have many women around him.
In fact, there weren't many people close to him, let alone women.
As for "care"..
Nana could be considered one, but she and Takao Haruki really had no connection—she did, however, have a good relationship with Kindaichi.
Then.. the person who meets both of those criteria.. there is almost only one.
Shimabukuro Kimie.
..
As soon as this girl's name appeared in Gin's mind, he had a sudden moment of realization.
Indeed, of the women around him, only Shimabukuro Kimie had once trained under Takao Haruki for a period of time.
It was only Shimabukuro Kimie; even though she did not know where Gin's target was, she knew the message that "Gin was going to see Takao Haruki."
The scene of Kimie's disguise for herself surfaced in her mind.
The black-haired woman's steady hands, the crimson at the corners of her eyes, her trembling chin, her pale lips, the deep bite marks left on her lips.
And the faint shimmer in his eyes, as well as that final smile—one that seemed relaxed, but was actually filled with worry.
Vaguely, Gin thought of the scene when he saw his on Mermaid Island.
Wen Xiao, the black-haired miko, with a gentle expression, handed him the blessed arrow in her hands; as she bowed deeply, her back formed a beautiful curve.
And later, Shimabukuro Kimie watched the raging flames, a complex expression appearing on her delicate face.
Later, she left Mermaid Island with him.
In the blink of an eye, time flies.. It turns out, so much time has already passed.
However, he still found it somewhat difficult to understand.
Even though he knew that the person who had approached Takao Haruki was Shimabukuro Kimie, this girl..
"What did Kimie ask of you?" He raised his eyes, asking the question that had been weighing on his mind.
..
Shimabukuro Kimie would obviously find it impossible to let Takao Haruki help Gin evade the Black Organization's pursuit; given what she knew about Gin, she would never act so unilaterally.
Even if she actually did it out of concern, Takao Haruki would not agree to it just because he "found it interesting."
Moreover, these past few days, the famous Hell Puppeteer has been wandering around aimlessly all day long.. No matter how you look at it, he doesn't seem to be on any serious mission.
It was no wonder Gin felt curious about this.
Takao Haruki showed no reaction to the name Gin mentioned—it was undoubtedly a form of tacit admission.
Similarly, Takao Haruki showed no surprise regarding Gin's guess about that person's identity.
After all, he had made the hints so obvious that Gin should have guessed it by now.
However, regarding the Silver-haired man's second question, his reaction was not quite so candid.
Takao Haruki gave a soft laugh.
The morning Sun is bright and warm, silently shining upon the World, casting warm light upon the mortal realm. The light falls upon the Earth, upon the eaves of rooftops, upon the vehicles speeding past, upon the rows of trees along the roadside.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting layered, mottled patterns of light and shadow; the contrast between light and dark was not very pronounced, yet it was clearly visible.
Thus, the Sunlight filtering through the gaps in the Leaves became even brighter.
This sliver of sunlight fell perfectly upon the smile on Takao Haruki's lips, making his smile appear gentle.
—Even the gentleness he displayed was very likely nothing more than an illusion.
Takao Haruki did not answer Gin's question; on the contrary, he asked Gin a question in return.
A question that seemed completely unrelated to what they had been discussing before.
He asked, "Have you felt relaxed these past few days?"
..
Have you felt relaxed these past few days?
If the answer to that question were no, then it would certainly be a lie.
To be fair, although Takao Haruki's attitude often left him feeling bewildered, Gin had indeed had a quite relaxing few days.
After no longer having to worry about the threats brought by the Black Organization, he felt as though he was enjoying a rare vacation.
Of course, this doesn't mean he never had any time off while with the Black Organization; in fact, after every series of missions, he would have a fairly long period to relax.
It was euphemistically called work-life balance.
However, the Time during his time in the Black Organization was different from his life now.
This difference is not reflected in his circumstances, nor in material things—if one were to speak truly, he even has to use a disguise now in order to evade the Black Organization.
This difference is likely reflected in his mood.