Being able to subdue Vermouth was half due to her own true skill, the other half was due to Vermouth's underestimation and her own luck.
However, this was not without its benefits.
For example, capturing Vermouth would, without a doubt, increase their leverage.
Furthermore, Vermouth's appearance allowed Shiratori Midori to see Gin.
"Since I woke up, you haven't come to see me again." Shiratori Midori sat on the hospital bed, playing with the handgun in her hands, leaning her weight against the Wall.
"Nana comes by every day," Gin pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone.
Of course I know Nana comes by every day," Midori said with a helpless tone. "I see his every day.
After a pause, as if to ease the atmosphere between the two, or perhaps just to relieve her own inner tension, Shiratori Midori's gaze drifted, "Nana is doing well. She.. she has grown up, become beautiful, and.. has matured a lot.."
She told me many things, every little detail of what has happened over these years, some 'unsettling' things about her recent life—she even told me about her Boyfriend, she said she hopes I can meet Yaji one day.
She mentioned some of her friends, like Kindaichi—she seems to be a detective? But Nana is also a detective now, she seems to be doing quite well. However, she didn't tell me much about the organization—I guess she doesn't want me to get involved.
After speaking almost incoherently, Midori took a deep breath to calm her emotions.
You taught her well.
She stared at Gin, speaking each word clearly and deliberately.
"I didn't teach her anything," Gin said, shaking her head, her eyes heavy.
He stood by the window, silhouetted against the light, his expression momentarily indistinguishable.
Midori lowered her head unconsciously, her Thumb and Index finger rubbing together slightly, her Lips moving slightly as she murmured, "No—"
The brown-haired girl raised her eyes, the corners of her lips curling slightly upward, said softly, "I can see that you have taught her very well."
“You're drifting." After talking about a series of things regarding her sister, Shiratori Midori's restless heart finally calmed down, she began to shift the topic to "serious business."
Zhenjun—
Midori's green eyes were clear yet perceptive: "Don't give me excuses like being 'too busy' or 'afraid of bringing threats to me.' We both know they are just excuses."
If Gin really wanted to come, no matter how busy he was, he would definitely find a way.
The unconscious Vermouth was simply left lying on the hospital bed; neither Gin nor Shiratori Midori spared a single glance for this beautiful woman.
Midori tapped the body of the handgun with her Finger from time to time, stating with certainty:
“You are avoiding me.”
Her expression was serious and her tone was certain, her clear green eyes, which usually held a faint smile, were filled with decisiveness.
There was nothing that could not be admitted.
So Gin closed her eyes and said, as if with a sigh, "Correct."
She opened her eyes again, hands in her pockets, meeting the eyes of the same color as her own: "You are still.. just as sharp."
“No.” Shiratori Midori sighed and shook her head. “I just know you too well.”
She gave a bitter smile. "Even if it was you as a youth, it was still you."
She knew him too well.
It wasn't because she was sensitive, it wasn't because she could see through people's hearts, it wasn't because she and Gin had known each other since they were young.
Rather, it was because, for a very long time, she had been watching him.
When a person who can perceive with their heart and analyze with their intellect spends all their time and energy watching and accompanying another person, she will inevitably come to understand that person.
It's not that I didn't want to see you." After a moment of silence, Gin spoke first: "I just—
I know." Shiratori Midori replied calmly, "You just don't know what kind of attitude to take toward me.
After all, they were fellow youths, so Shiratori Midori would not think so lowly of herself as to believe she held no weight in Gin's heart.
Similarly, she also knew there was a term called "homesickness-induced trepidation."
It is only human nature.
It's just that some things really should be discussed clearly.
Otherwise, it would only become a knot in both of their hearts.
She sighed, her expression listless, looking like a wilted eggplant. "You.. you.."
The girl, who just a moment ago had been full of momentum, now seemed to have suddenly lost the ability to speak, not knowing what to say, even more so, not knowing how to begin.
She stammered, the word "you" hovering repeatedly on her pale lips, her brow furrowed deeply, yet she simply could not find the words to continue.
I know everything.
This time, Gin spoke first.
His features were calm and his tone peaceful; his low voice carried no coldness, but instead held an inexplicable sense of security.
Midori suddenly looked up.
In those green eyes, there seemed to be an extremely complex emotion.
“I know everything,” Gin said, ignoring his gaze, as his fingers moved slightly. “I know you like me.”
He said it.
..
The brown-haired girl leaned against the Wall with her eyes closed, her chest heaving violently. It was as if she had given up on something, or perhaps she had decided something, as she spoke in a strained voice:
Really.
She opened her eyes, her green eyes shimmering like ripples on water.
But her Voice had already returned to a state of calm, as calm as a pool of dead water: "How can you say that you like me so casually?"
Midori stiffly curled her lip corner: "At least give a girl some face!"
Gin has never cared about other people's feelings.
However, the girl before him was Shiratori Midori—so, it was a little different after all.
“You said it yourself,” Gin slowly repeated the girl's words from a few minutes ago. “It is better to make certain things clear.”
I know what you want to say.
The Brown-haired girl seemed to have regained her composure, she silently unfastened the first button of her top.
Ten years of sleeping had left the girl's figure looking exceptionally gaunt; her protruding collarbones were beautifully shaped, yet they possessed an added, jarring sense of frailty.
And her once fair skin was now tinged with a paleness that was difficult to bear.
Midori reached into her open collar and pulled something out.
A necklace.
A necklace, inlaid with a brilliant green diamond.
This was, without a doubt, an exquisitely beautiful necklace.
The jewelry of the accessories emitted a soft, gentle glow, the main diamond was especially dazzling and eye-catching, refracting a brilliant, radiant light under the light. The moment it hung before the girl's chest, it seemed to wash her in a layer of magnificent beauty.
The green diamond reflected in the girl's eyes, filling her green eyes with radiance and shimmering stars.
It really is a perfect fit.
“It was about a week ago,” Shiratori Midori narrated in a low voice, her handgun resting silently on her knee, her gaze soft and inclusive. “Nana gave me this Necklace and told me it was a gift from you.”
By the way, she also said a few other things—but I think you should already know what she said.
Midori smiled with pursed lips: "At that time.. I already understood."
Gin looked at her in silence.
In the distant past, in a time that had never been forgotten, Shiratori Midori had said something with absolute certainty.
Nana remembers those words.
Just as she had said while chatting with Shuichi Akai at a banquet once: "My Sister once told me that if she were giving a gift, any style of Jewelry would do for an Ordinary person, but for someone important—"
“If it is Family or a Friend, she will give a Necklace; if it is a Lover or Partner, she will give a Ring.”
Gin remembered those words as well.
It is a very beautiful Necklace.
This was her promise, her tenderness—
It was also his subtle refusal.
The Necklace on Shiratori Midori's chest shimmered in her hands.
So—" she said with a light laugh, "the moment I saw the Necklace, I understood.
I never doubted that I hold a place in your heart.
I have never doubted that you care about me deeply.
But at that moment, I finally understood.
To you, this bond is not Love.
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Author's Note: (1) Chapter 140 Original Text
Next chapter: Gin and Midori's confrontation (?) After that, they can finally reunite!
Thank you to all the Little Angels who gave me霸王票 or poured Nutrient solution between 2019-11-26 16:59:00 and 2019-11-27 18:03:52~
Thanks to the Little Angels who provided Nutrient solution: Meimeimei 24 bottles; Zuokan Xianting Hua Luo 20 bottles; He Lizeyan Suole 19 bottles; 22538773 10 bottles;
Thank you very much for everyone's support, I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 210: Chapter 191 Go and be who you wanted to be back then, when you wanted me to..
A profound silence.
An indescribable atmosphere permeated the air. It was as if it were awkward, yet not quite awkward; as if it were sorrowful, yet difficult to fully define as sorrow.