Chapter 27: Inviting an Undercover to Watch an Undercover Movie
On a Saturday afternoon, Shibuya's streets buzzed with flowing crowds.
Akai Shuichi wore a dark knit cap and a brownish-tan jacket, standing under a street tree near a movie theater, quietly observing his surroundings.
Two weeks had passed since the car accident, and his injuries were basically healed.
Out of caution, he had spent an extra three days doing rehabilitation training—from basic physical fitness to hand-to-hand combat skills, and from quick-draw practice to tactical movement. Only after confirming his physical state was fully restored did he dial the phone number left behind by Caesar, preparing to face the upcoming unknown "test."
Today was the exact day they agreed to meet.
What caught him off guard was the meeting place suggested by the other party—a large cinema located in a bustling commercial district.
This was a far cry from the drop-off scene Akai Shuichi had pictured.
The surrounding area was packed with laughing teenagers, couples talking sweet nothings, and ordinary families out with kids. There were no hidden corners, no controllable enclosed spaces, only the most everyday weekend entertainment scenes.
Why pick a location like this?
Densely populated and covered in security cameras, it was clearly not a fit place for an "evaluation." Unless... the test content was related to the movie theater itself? Or maybe Caesar simply wanted to know if he could blend into a crowd smoothly?
Akai Shuichi adjusted his standing posture slightly, keeping his expression calm, making sure the weapon hidden under his jacket was in a handier spot.
He hadn't avoided considering another possibility—like taking advantage of being alone with Caesar to apply directly for FBI backup and attempt an arrest on this high-ranking executive. But that thought barely surfaced before his reason shut it down completely.
That was pure wishful thinking.
Setting aside Caesar's unfathomably deep special ability for a second, just the fact that he dared to set up a meeting in such an open place meant he had definitely prepared thoroughly. Acting recklessly would only lead to pointless casualties.
While he was lost in thought, a tall figure cut through the crowd and walked toward him.
"Yo, looks like you've recovered pretty well, Moroboshi-kun."
Gojo Satoru was still wearing that black shirt today, but the white bandages over his eyes were swapped for a pure black blindfold. He combed his hair back completely, showing off his well-defined facial structure. An outfit of pure black and white created a strange sense of contradiction—looking casual and unruly, yet leaving zero room for disrespect.
The moment passing pedestrians caught sight of him, their gazes drifted away beyond control, stepping past in a hurry, as if instinctively sensing an existence not meant to be stared at directly.
Akai Shuichi's face showed no odd reaction, offering a slight nod to the newcomer: "Good afternoon, Mr. Eshima."
Gojo Satoru's gaze lingered on his knit cap for a second, mulling it over in his head.
"Long hair or short hair, this guy really is obsessed with wearing hats... Don't tell me he uses a hat to cover it up just because he's too lazy to wash his hair?"
Akai Shuichi didn't notice his mischievous thoughts, instead taking the initiative to steer the topic onto the right track, looking every bit like a newcomer eager to land a job opportunity: "So, may I ask what the 'test' you mentioned actually is..."
"Don't worry about that just yet." Gojo Satoru tilted his head, raising a hand to point at the giant electronic display above the theater entrance: "Which movie do you want to watch?"
Akai Shuichi froze for a second.
Watch a movie? Two guys? Right now?
If he remembered correctly, he came here for a job interview, not a date, right? "What's wrong? Any problem?"
That completely natural tone made Akai Shuichi look like he was making a fuss over nothing instead.
"Does Caesar have other intentions? Or is this part of the test itself?"
He quickly suppressed the doubts in his heart, bringing his expression back to a quiet pool of water.
"Nothing I particularly want to watch..." Akai Shuichi shook his head, replying in a steady voice: "You can decide, sir."
"Great then." Gojo Satoru set the decision with a cheerful clap of his hands: "Let's head inside first."
Saying that, he tucked his hands into his pockets and turned to walk toward the theater.
Akai Shuichi kept a polite, cautious distance, slowly following behind Gojo Satoru.
However, the white-haired man walking ahead seemed to find the pace a bit too slow, adding a casual line without even turning his head: "Walking so slow... are you waiting for me to hold your arm or something?"
Right at that moment, a pair of fashionably dressed high school girls passed by them arm in arm, giggling.
Akai Shuichi couldn't control himself from imagining the bizarre scene of Caesar holding his arm as they walked into the theater, shivering on the spot, and quickly picked up his pace to keep up.
...
Inside the movie hall, the lighting was bright, and the humming of the popcorn machine mixed with the chatter of the crowd, weaving a noisy and lively background noise.
Gojo Satoru stood in front of the movie schedule board, looking at the movies screening today with great interest.
His gaze swept over brightly colored romance films, exaggerated comedies, and blood-splattered horror movies... finally stopping on a promotional poster for an American crime movie.
In the center of the poster was the silhouette of a man standing in the rain with his back to the camera, with bold English letters below reading SHADOW AGENT.
The corner of Gojo Satoru's lips curved up slightly, pulling into a mischievous arc.
"Let's go with this one."
The moment his words fell, Akai Shuichi's eyes moved quickly to the plot summary beside the poster.
[A narcotics detective infiltrates a drug cartel, struggling on the line between loyalty and sin. To gain the drug lord's trust, he is forced to make irreversible choices... In the end, justice is served, but the cost goes far beyond imagination.]
Undercover theme?
Those words pierced Akai Shuichi's mind like ice picks, making his thoughts churn uncontrollably.
Was it a coincidence? Or a deliberate choice?
If it was the latter, what was Caesar hinting at? Or did he want to take this chance to observe his reaction?
[Ding! Impression value from plot character Akai Shuichi increases by 300 points!]
Gojo Satoru didn't even need to turn his head to know Shuichi had to be looking calm on the surface while wildly overthinking inside right now.
He picked this movie purely because it was fun—getting to watch an undercover movie together with a real undercover agent was a rare chance.
As for Akai Shuichi's twisted guesses in his head right now, that served as extra entertainment. Well, as for checking the movie genres showing recently in advance and specifically picking out this SHADOW AGENT... he totally didn't do that, of course. (Yeah right)
Gojo Satoru bought two tickets, went to the counter to buy two large tubs of golden, crispy popcorn, and shoved one tub into Akai Shuichi's arms.
"Here, this is the standard gear for watching a movie."
Akai Shuichi took the tub of popcorn, feeling like it burned his hands way more than holding a loaded sniper rifle.
Stepping into the brightly lit screening room, nearly eighty percent of the seats were taken. While not packed to the brim, it wasn't short on people either. Probably because people in this era still kept a layer of unfiltered hype toward American imported films, always feeling like works from across the ocean carried a certain halo.
Gojo Satoru picked seats by the aisle, making it easy for his long legs to cross comfortably.
He leaned back casually into his chair, letting out a silent sigh of emotion.
Ever since taking over the Gojo family, it really had been a long time since he sat in a cinema like a normal viewer, waiting for a movie to start.
"Taking it in like this once in a while isn't bad at all~"
Compared to his almost lazy, casual posture, Akai Shuichi sat up quite straight in the neighboring seat.
However, right behind them sat that exact pair of high school girls who were holding hands earlier. Akai Shuichi could clearly hear their chatter, which they thought was kept low, yet landed word for word in his ears.
"Wow, those two older guys in front, did they come to watch a movie together?"
"Yeah, I noticed them earlier... looks like it's just the two of them, huh?"
"The long-haired one is so handsome! The white-haired guy in black next to him has such a scary presence... though he's super handsome too. By the way, do you think they could be..."
"A couple? Totally possible~"
Akai Shuichi: "..." Help.
Is it too late to donate his ears to someone who actually needs them?