What Akai Shuichi implied in his words was far more than just a so-called 'dinner party.'
What he was truly implying was not actually difficult to discover.
At least, Shiratori Midori understood.
She tilted her head, gazing at the man before her with careful and earnest attention, her gaze clear and bright, yet full of meaning.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment. The two engaged in a silent communication that only they could understand; though it was clearly their first meeting, there was an unexpected sense of rapport.
The Light in the Kitchen was soft yet not dazzling, the clear Glass windows allowed Sunlight to permeate this small space; the blower made a 'whooshing' sound, like some unsatisfactory Music; the air was a mixture of grease and the slight fishy scent of meat, which was then masked by a thick, sweet aroma of tomato.
A few minutes later—or perhaps ten minutes later—Shiratori laughed softly.
The girl's young face possessed a vibrant vitality, her aggressive green eyes softened into a pool of clear, turquoise ripples, while the curve of her lip corner formed a sincere smile, faintly revealing her white canines.
She looked beautiful when she smiled.
Akai Shuichi tilted his head slightly, sunlight shone through the window, illuminating the handsome and dashing face of the Black-haired man.
His green eyes shimmered.
Shiratori Midori raised her hand and lightly tapped the Stove.
"You're a heavy smoker." His gaze swept over Akai Shuichi's Left hand as she made the casual observation.
"Gin is too," Akai Shuichi replied indifferently.
But you don't smoke in front of me.
Gin is the same.
He gazed into the girl's slightly smiling eyes and answered softly, "I guess you don't like the smell of smoke."
“I don't like you either,” Shiratori Midori said bluntly. “However—"
From the very beginning when she first learned of that person's existence, she certainly instinctively disliked Akai Shuichi, but she had no intention of targeting him.
If she really wanted to target Akai Shuichi, she wouldn't have displayed her emotions so bluntly at the very beginning—this was undoubtedly a signal to make others on guard.
Expressing her "hostility" so bluntly, it's hard to say there wasn't an element of intent—deliberately showing her "stance" in order to test the other party's reaction.
Of course, it was more or less a bit willful.
Nonsense, I've already been forced to take several steps back; facing a 'love rival,' am I not allowed to have a bit of an attitude?
But then again..
She thought with a mix of joy and bitterness: That person.. seems not bad.
However," she said in a gentle, almost Shiran manner, "I can not hate you.
He could not hate Akai Shuichi.
Akai Shuichi raised an eyebrow and looked at Midori, as their eyes met, he seemed to understand Shiratori Midori's mood as if by intuition.
The Black-haired man paused, speaking each word with a heavy, silent tone:
I like him.
He stated a fact, yet it felt as if he were making a promise.
..
Nana looked at her smiling Sister for three seconds after turning her head to the left, then turned her head to the right to gaze at the calm Ace Agent for a while, feeling a sudden surge of awkwardness.
She silently lowered her head, focusing inward to minimize her presence.
Sitting to the side, Niwang Yaji also seemed to keenly sense the faint scent of gunpowder in the air—although he didn't know what had happened, still—
To be honest, based on her personal Experience, it wouldn't be strange no matter what happened to these people.
The Silver-haired youth lowered his head, beneath the dining table, he silently clasped hands with his Boyfriend, blinking his eyes the moment That person looked over, before pretending as if nothing had happened.
Having caught the flash of mischief in her boyfriend's eyes, Nana was slightly startled, but she also felt much more relaxed.
..
Speaking of which, the black-haired female detective comforted herself; even if there were some complicated, tangled web of love and hate—it was none of her business!
Thinking of this, the heavy stone in Nana's heart finally settled. In a good mood, she bit her chopsticks and then bravely broke the silence.
“Can we eat now?”
The steam from the Hotpot rose continuously into the air along with the aroma of the soup base, causing certain people's expressions to become obscure.
Gin tilted her head slightly, calmly continuing, "Let's eat."
Sheila clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
Her blue eyes shifted slightly, the IC. PO elite caught the upward curve of the smile on Shiratori Midori's lips; her previously slumped shoulders straightened halfway, her lips pressed into a thin line.
He averted his gaze reflexively, catching a glimpse of Akai Shuichi's composed demeanor out of the corner of his eye, curled his lip slightly.
'I feel like they've reached some kind of consensus.' Sheila muttered in her heart, glancing sideways at her Brother.
At this moment, she couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved.
Hmm.. at least Brother knows how to look out for himself.
..
Logically, the vegetables should have gone into the pot first—but the few people present clearly didn't care about such trivial details.
Forget the big men like Gin, Akai, Heine; even the exquisitely shaped and peerless beauty Sheila is a total carnivore.
Most of them are dangerous people who are more or less involved in "dangerous professions," and given the various life-and-death missions they undertake, replenishing necessary energy is a fundamental task. While enduring hunger and thirst is a necessary skill, being stingy with food is completely unnecessary.
To put it bluntly, those in their line of work—being physically strong doesn't necessarily guarantee survival, but those who are frail and weak usually die much faster.
Even Sheila, who looked delicate and lithe, possessed smooth muscles and a strong back, capable of lifting an adult at any moment.
Without strength and muscle, he probably wouldn't even be able to handle the recoil of firearms.
The only two excluded were Yaji and Nana. However, these two were also the first to pick up their chopsticks and start eating meat.
Most of the others were caught in the middle of the storm, embodying the phrase 'keeping a tight lip' to the fullest. Only the young couple, standing apart from it all, could eat their meal in peace, while simultaneously enjoying the drama.
The atmosphere was so bizarre, yet Gin, at the center of the storm, seemed completely oblivious.
He remained expressionless, his gaze fixed straight ahead, staring intently at the two Hotpot in front of him, as if he intended to share a lifelong bond with the food inside the pots, gazing at them until the end of time.
Midori gave him a sidelong glance, relying on their years of unspoken understanding, she easily perceived the near-self-deceiving struggle hidden beneath her friend's calm expression.
She paused, suppressing the words that were on the tip of her tongue, indulged Gin's self-deception.
How should I put it.. she never wanted to make things difficult for Gin.
Compared to Nana's bewildered expression, Shiratori Midori was much more aware of the reason why Gin had specifically brought her brother along.
—With Shiratori Nana, a half-outsider, present, even if they were pretending, they had to maintain a superficial harmony.
Of course, there was also the intention of considering her future brother-in-law (Shiratori Midori was very unhappy with this term).
However, this matter can be set aside temporarily.
Midori coughed lightly, after attracting the gaze of everyone at the crime scene, she calmly dropped a bombshell:
By the way—is today's gathering a celebration banquet, or a farewell dinner?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Midori's thoughts are actually very simple: As long as you are good to Gin, I will reluctantly accept you.
Akai's attitude toward Shiratori Midori was basically the same; since she was someone Gin valued, Akai was also willing to take care of her.
In a certain respect, they are both gentle people.
..
The Exam is finally over.. I can resume updates now!
This story is nearing its end. I have also started a new one about Gin (in my drafts), which I expect can follow this one directly once this story is finished.
Love you all~
Thanks to Jiye Qianchen Little Angel's mines, love you, mwah~
Thanks to Nai Xiemo Little Angel for the landmines, love you mwah~
Thank you to the Little Angels who provided Nutrient solution: Meow Unspeakable Little Angel 25 bottles; Nai Xiemo 21 bottles; Tian Xiaochen, Zuiyu Popao Dai, Jessie, Shulaia, Jinse Beiguo, Ye Shi 10 bottles; Peizhi Xiao 9 bottles; Muzi 5 bottles; Xianting Huaxie 4 bottles; Xiran Jimo 3 bottles; Weihuan Jihe YY 2 bottles; Yuanzhong Mengxian, Xueyue Zhilian 1 bottle;
Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard! Thank you to the Little Angels who gave me Overlord Votes or irrigated Nutrient solution between 2019-12-04 15:57:31 and 2020-01-09 04:22:52~
Thanks to the Little Angels who sent landmines: Jiye Qianchen, Nai Xiemo 1 each;
Thanks to the Little Angels who provided Nutrient solution: Meow Unspeakable Little Angel 25 bottles; Nai Xiemo 21 bottles; Jessie, Shulaia, Jinse Beiguo, Ye Shi, Tian Xiaochen, Zuiyu Popao Dai 10 bottles; Peizhi Xiao 9 bottles; Muzi 5 bottles; Xianting Huaxie 4 bottles; Xiran Jimo 3 bottles; Weihuan Jihe YY 2 bottles; Xueyue Zhilian, Yuanzhong Mengxian 1 bottle;
Thank you all so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 216: Chapter 197 He and Gin, neither of them said..
By the way—is this gathering today a celebration banquet, or a farewell dinner?
As soon as those words were spoken, Nana's expression froze instantly.
She frowned slightly, her mind a whirlwind of complex thoughts, surging and intertwining, yet she simply could not make sense of them.
The Black-haired female detective pursed her lips into a straight line and looked up at the others at the dining table. He saw that everyone except his looked composed; even if there was a hint of surprise, there was no sign of losing their composure.
However, the atmosphere among the several people remained tense.
The steaming aroma of Hotpot filled the air, faintly evoking a sense of peace and stability that, without one realizing, made one's thoughts feel somewhat weary.
The one who broke the silence was Gin.
The Silver-haired man raised her head, her chopsticks landing silently on her plate, which still had a few drops of Sauce on the white porcelain dish.
His voice was steady and cool, like a bottle of freshly opened aged wine: "All good things must come to an end."
This single sentence served as a summary of the purpose of this meal.
The man's green eyes held a glimmer that was almost gentle. He gave a light chuckle, resting his chin on one hand, looking Interested as he asked slowly, "Do you have any plans?"
Another bout of silence.