Of course, I'm here to see you~" Seeing through the Silver-haired youth's vigilance, Vermouth's smile remained unchanged. "Speaking of which, I've been quite busy today. Rum brought a little white-haired girl over and asked me to arrange her training. She said if her performance is good, she'll give her the codename 'Curacao' in a few years. On the way to the training room with that girl, I ran into a young man named Uozuka Saburo; he looked well-built, after a few words with him, I thought he seemed a bit simple-minded.
The two of them, who had already read through *Detective Conan* over and over again, could not help but show a hint of something unusual upon hearing that familiar name.
Fortunately, Midori was standing behind Gin, Vermouth did not pay much attention to her. Furthermore, Gin concealed her unusual reaction so quickly that Vermouth merely thought he was uninterested in her words, failing to notice anything at all.
She continued, "Afterward, I made a special trip to the medical ward, but the doctors there said you left yesterday morning.. So I thought you would be undergoing rehabilitation training today."
A flash of surprise crossed Gin's face.
Vermouth holds a high position within the Black Organization. If it were the me from the book, she might have come to see me in her spare time, but now..
Something is definitely up.
Seeing you like this now, I feel much more at ease." Vermouth idly twirled her blonde hair with her right hand. "After all, you have a new Mission in two months; you can't afford to not recover properly.
A new mission?" Gin repeated her words. "What is it?
On the surface, it's to go to Nara to discuss a business deal with Takao Kenjin," Vermouth paused, "but in reality, the goal is to steal a piece of intelligence.
Takao Kenjin..
The Silver-haired youth thought about his profile before asking hesitantly, "Why me?"
Logically speaking, given the nature of this Mission, it shouldn't be the responsibility of a newcomer like him.
On one hand, it's because you achieved great merit in that last firefight," Vermouth said, her tone suddenly carrying a hint of a mocking smile, "and on the other hand..
Gin had a bad premonition.
There was a hint of mischief in Vermouth's eyes—
—It's because Takao Kenjin likes European-style handsome youths, so going there will make it easier to lower his guard.
“!!”
..
Like a sudden clap of thunder, Shiratori Midori felt as if she had been struck by an explosion, leaving her gasping for breath.
After a long while, she finally came to her senses, only to realize with shock that Vermouth had already left..
She was so startled that she hadn't even realized when Vermouth had left!
But that was no longer the point..
The point is—
Shiratori Midori turned her head toward her partner in jerky, mechanical motions, like a robot that had run out of wind-up tension.
The Silver-haired youth kept his head lowered, so Midori could not see his expression.
"Gin.. Gin.." she called out her companion's codename cautiously, "Are you.." Are you alright?
Before she could even finish his sentence, the Silver-haired youth had already lifted his head.
Shiratori Midori: "—!!"
The Silver-haired youth's handsome features were contorted like a demon, his usual calm and rationality long gone. A cold sneer played on his lips, his fingers gripped the edge tightly, his knuckles turning pale. His green eyes seemed to burn with flames, exuding a hint of killing intent.
Midori was forced back a step by his killing intent, remaining as silent as a chicken.
Gin spoke, enunciating every word: "I have already made my decision. Do you have anything you want to say?"
Shiratori Midori shook her head frantically, "No, no, absolutely not!"
Damn it, not only do I have to be the scapegoat, but I also have to sell my looks. Whoever wants to stay in this crappy organization can have it!
I'm resigning!!
..
Shiratori Midori: Zhen.. I don't have any objections, Zhenjun, but can you please rein in your killing intent? Also, flames are literally erupting from your back! It's not an illusion, they're real flames!
Author's Note:
----------------------
(1) This introduction for this little guy is from Baidu.
(2) From a roast by a certain Bilibili uploader
Chapter 3: Chapter 3 He Sincerely Hoped That At This Moment He Was Just A..
Even at only nineteen years old, Gin was not an impulsive person—it is true, if it were merely a matter of selling his looks, it would not be enough to make him make such a choice.
The real reason was the two names Vermouth had mentioned during a casual conversation before.
Uozuka Saburo and Curacao.
The former also has a more familiar moniker: Vodka.
One of the Black Organization's Four Musketeers—no, one of the criminal quartet, Gin's future subordinate.
The appearance of these two individuals added weight to the "credible" side of the scale as the Silver-haired youth evaluated the veracity of the "spoilers," causing Gin, who had been hesitating between two choices, to lean more toward one side.
As for the annoyance of having his charms used against him, it was merely a catalyst.
That's right, it was exactly like that.
“..”
Shiratori Midori looked cautiously at her companion's gloomy expression, her left index finger and thumb rubbing together unconsciously in silence.
Regardless of what role this "accident" played in Gin's decision-making process, the Silver-haired youth's reasoning was certainly sufficient—at least enough to successfully persuade him.
Thus, Shiratori Midori happily agreed with her companion's decision.
Shiratori Midori: What can I do if I disagree? Just look at the state Zhenjun is in right now QAQ
With the unanimous consent of the two binders, they successfully selected the option [Destroy the Black Organization].
Then, under their gaze, the translucent line of text in mid-air emitted a faint silver light, soft and magnificent, like the pure white celestial robes of a goddess or the silver radiance cast by the moonlight, silently revealing a touch of supernatural mystery.
The silver light flickered for about a minute, as it pulsed on and off, the two watching it couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation in their hearts.
Would there be some kind of prompt?
After all, this so-called System was an existence capable of pulling them back from the brink of death after severe injuries.
So, perhaps this Mission might offer them some help?
Under their expectant gazes, the silver light grew increasingly bright, shifting from its original softness to a dazzling brilliance, intensifying layer by layer until it became almost blinding.
At the same time, the translucent characters gradually faded, quietly vanishing.
At the very moment the text vanished, a brilliant silver light erupted.
The youth and the girl opened their eyes wide with curiosity.
As the characters vanished completely, the silver light finally faded as well, then..
Nothing happened.
Silver-haired youth: ………………
Brown-haired girl: ………………
This is a total scam!
Seriously, if you're not going to give me anything, why act so mysterious?!
Are you just showing off?!
The two youths both felt a simultaneous sense of being played.
The brown-haired girl gritted her teeth in frustration, her green eyes filled with conflict and dissatisfaction, a faint flush colored her fair cheeks—though it was certainly not from shyness. He desperately tried to contact the System, but no matter how hard she struggled, she could not sense its presence.
It was as if it had never existed at all.
The Silver-haired youth looked at his companion's futile efforts speechlessly, rubbing his forehead with his left hand. Thinking of how the System usually showed no reaction other than providing spoilers and displaying that System Mission, a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.
He had a feeling that he had just escaped one foreseeable pit, only to seemingly be about to fall into another.
It couldn't be that unlucky, could it?
Gin narrowed his eyes, a bead of cold sweat hanging from his forehead.
..
Even though he had already decided to resign, the Black Organization was not a place one could enter or leave at will.
Given the Liquor Group's black-hearted nature, until it is destroyed, he will have to continue working honestly as the Liquor Group's newly brewed and currently brewing spirits.
In other words..
Shiratori Midori looked at the Silver-haired youth with some concern, unconsciously taking a step toward him, her green eyes filled with conflict: "Are you alright?"
The Silver-haired youth had a cold expression, his voice carrying a heavy sense of danger, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed. "I've spent two months recovering from everything that went wrong with me."
He closed his eyes and stretched his limbs, seemingly able to feel the blood flowing through his veins and his bones moving with his actions. "Although I haven't fully recovered, there are basically no problems. Barring any accidents, my combat effectiveness is at ninety percent of normal, I can maintain a normal state when necessary—however, it won't last for long, there will be adverse effects afterward."
An organized and methodical analysis.
That's not what I asked..
Shiratori Midori complained silently in her heart, but—
"That's good then." She forced a stiff smile, her pale lips betraying her inner thoughts.
But she didn't have the courage to say the truth..
..
To be fair, Vermouth's words—"Takao Kenjin likes European-style handsome boys; you should go, as it will be easier to lower his guard"—did make a certain amount of sense.
Gin indeed could be considered a European-style handsome youth.
He was not purely Japanese, but rather of mixed European descent.
This made his skin fairer than that of the average Japanese person.
The traces of his future personality were already visible in him now; his teal eyes held a hint of coldness, when he wasn't smiling, he appeared somewhat distant and indifferent.
Although Gin's expression often carried a hint of coldness, his momentum when taking action was so intense that most people wouldn't pay much attention to his looks, if one looked closely at his features, they would find that his appearance could be fully described as "handsome."