Chapter 30: As Handsome as His Smile
When the ramen bowl hit bottom, Gojo Satoru set down his chopsticks with satisfaction, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin from the table. Akai Shuichi finished his meal at the exact same time, stacking his bowl and chopsticks neatly.
"Let's go. Time for a change of location."
Gojo Satoru stood up and walked toward the exit of the shop.
Akai Shuichi followed in silence, warning bells ringing faintly in his mind.
"A change of location... does he mean the venue for the test?"
Recalling the other man's unnecessary addition earlier, his thoughts started drifting out of control.
Did the Organization really have some tradition where you had to strip your pants to prove your loyalty?
Unspeakable scenes popped up in Akai Shuichi's mind.
Like him wearing some bizarre outfit while putting on a fake smile at a mysterious club, while Caesar held a wine glass off to the side, nodding with satisfaction: "Not bad, now this is the talent the Organization needs."
No, no matter how he thought about it, that was way too absurd.
"...Akai Shuichi, pull yourself together."
He pinched himself hard in his mind.
Pushing open the shop door, a cool breeze hit his face, forcing those bizarre fantasies back down into the deep recesses of his mind.
"Whatever, no matter what the test is, I'll just deal with it as it comes."
Crossing the crowded sidewalk, Gojo Satoru stopped beside a white sedan parked along the curb.
Akai Shuichi's gaze swept over the frame, which looked unusually familiar, and his brows twitched slightly.
When he saw the woman standing by the car clearly, the subtle sense of familiarity found its answer instantly.
Miyano Akemi.
She wore a simple business suit, her long hair falling over her shoulders. Seeing the two approach, she bowed slightly right away.
"Mr. Eshima."
Gojo Satoru nodded casually as a response.
Miyano Akemi shifted her gaze to Akai Shuichi behind him, a clear flash of surprise crossing her face. Confusion, apology, and a mix of emotions washed across her delicate features.
"You're... the gentleman I bumped into last time?"
Akai Shuichi nodded slightly: "That's me."
Miyano Akemi certainly remembered this man.
After that accident, Caesar sent her away, leaving her with no chance to learn what happened next. She had assumed that chance encounter was over and done with, only to receive a sudden message from Caesar today, asking her to drive over and pick someone up. And that person... turned out to be the victim.
"Are you feeling alright now?" she asked hurriedly, her tone filled with genuine concern: "I left the hospital in a rush last time and left you entirely to Mr. Eshima's care. I felt terrible about it... I'm truly very sorry!"
"It's fine, I've already recovered."
Since he had given up the option of using her feelings, Akai Shuichi's attitude remained polite and distant, keeping a natural boundary for a stranger. "I wasn't paying attention while walking in the first place, so please don't mind it."
"How could I not? It was clearly my—"
"Miss Akemi, time to head out." Gojo Satoru gave them no chance for further pleasantries, pulling open the back car door without holding back, saying: "I sent you the location earlier, you saw it, right?"
"Yes."
Miyano Akemi nodded quickly, turning around to get into the driver's seat.
In truth, rather than seeing this unknown gentleman again, the fact that Caesar reached out to her on his own initiative surprised her even more.
What felt especially unbelievable was that he let her learn the fake name "Eshima Aoi."
"What does this count as... trust? Or do I have something this gentleman values?"
Rather than believing in such a vague possibility, she preferred to think he just needed a convenient driver on short notice.
After all, based on the bits and pieces of rumors she had gathered, Caesar seemed much lower-profile than other codenamed members, rarely meddling in management affairs.
Still... she had just hit someone not too long ago. Was it really fine to let her drive?
Gojo Satoru didn't notice her lack of confidence, gesturing for Akai Shuichi to get into the back seat with him.
The truth wasn't far off from Miyano Akemi's guess.
It wasn't that Gojo Satoru lacked a driver's license, but having a license and being a good driver were two entirely different things.
Perhaps because he played too many video games, every time he grabbed a steering wheel, he couldn't resist pulling off a lightning drift. He even wanted to see if he could fly over a bridge like in racing games and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun.
After one physical flip of a car, he never touched a steering wheel again.
Anyway, plenty of people were happy to drive for him.
During his time in Mexico, Sake was his dedicated driver. Later in the US, Pinga took over.
As for Tokyo... it really was a bit inconvenient.
Gojo Satoru didn't actually need a driver.
When handling Organization business normally, he solved it directly with teleportation—finding an empty corner, popping over to the destination in a flash, fast, convenient, and traffic-free.
The Gojo family servants were on call anytime, but he didn't want them getting mixed up with the Organization.
At least on the surface, "Head of the Gojo Clan" and "Caesar" were two completely different identities, and mixing them together invited trouble easily.
The main point was that today's situation was special.
He couldn't just drag Shuichi along for a teleportation, right? He had no intention of exposing his abilities this early.
So, picking and choosing, Gojo Satoru reached out to Miyano Akemi, who had served as his temp driver once before.
Even outside of missions, peripheral members had to obey most orders from codenamed members. That was an unwritten rule in the Organization, and Miyano Akemi really couldn't refuse.
Still, making this girl—who got nervous every time she saw him—drive all the time wasn't a long-term solution in Gojo Satoru's mind.
"As expected, I still need to find a dedicated driver inside the Organization."
The car drove smoothly onto the road, yet the interior stayed quiet enough to hear the soft hum of the air conditioner vent.
"..."
Akai Shuichi looked out the window casually, but in reality, he quietly memorized every landmark and turn along the way, planning to log the complete driving route into his database later.
He made silent guesses about the destination, but noticed the white-haired man beside him looking down at his phone, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen at an angle he couldn't see.
Gojo Satoru was a man of action. Having just decided on getting a driver, he sent a message straight to Gin.
"Gin-chan, Gin-chan~ Are there any regular members in the Organization who are good at driving? Recommend one to me when you're free. I can use one when I go out sometimes."
A moment later, the phone vibrated.
"Understood."
The reply was short and businesslike.
Gojo Satoru stared at those words, the corners of his mouth curving into a mischievous arc as he typed back a cheeky line.
"Ehehe, how about giving me Vodka? It's not like you can't drive yourself."
This time the reply came even faster.
Just a single word.
"Get lost."
Gojo Satoru almost burst out laughing.
Today's mission: Annoy the distillery's model worker x1 (Completed).
Ah, total satisfaction.
He put his phone away happily, leaning back comfortably into his seat.
Akai Shuichi caught this scene out of the corner of his eye.
Though he felt quite curious about the message Caesar sent, leaning in intentionally to look at the screen had zero connection to being wise.
He could only pull his focus back to the window, continuing to record the driving route.
Meanwhile, Miyano Akemi in the driver's seat stole glances at the back seat through the rearview mirror.
Her gaze fell on the long-haired man staring out the window, radiating a melancholy vibe.
"Right... I heard Lord Caesar mention last time that he's a poor guy who suffered a cold-turkey breakup from his ex-boyfriend. He looks so distracted right now, he must still be taking it hard, right?"
She couldn't help sighing in her heart.
"Seriously, what kind of scumbag was his ex! Hurting a guy this handsome to this point... Sigh, if only this guy liked girls."
"Wait, why is he so close to Lord Caesar? Could he want to join the Organization too? To forget his past heartbreak? Or maybe he wants to cover up past memories with a new relationship..."
Miyano Akemi shook her head violently, clearing out those messy thoughts from her head. No, no, no, how could she let her mind wander like this!
It was all because she browsed too many web comics online out of curiosity recently, turning her own brain strange.
And so, even though three people sat inside the exact same car, their brainwaves were operating on entirely different frequencies.
Truly a happy ending, truly a happy ending indeed.
...
Half an hour later, the car pulled up before a tall building.
"Um... Mr. Eshima, we're here."
Miyano Akemi reminded him softly.
Akai Shuichi looked through the car window at the unremarkable building.
Around twenty stories tall, with a simple design and dull off-white walls, the entrance bore the sign "Karasuba Security Co., Ltd." It looked just like an ordinary security company building.
Crow feathers... a name that truly fit the Organization.
"Caesar brought a newcomer who hasn't officially joined over without caring at all, which means this probably isn't a key stronghold. It's likely a shell company running a legit business on the surface to launder money."
Gojo Satoru pushed open the car door, stepping his long legs outside.
Miyano Akemi reflexively unbuckled her seatbelt to see them off, but he raised a hand to gently stop her.
"Miss Akemi, thanks for your hard work this time too. Drive carefully on your way back."
"Ah, you're too polite... It's only what I should do."
Gojo Satoru turned slightly, his gaze lingering on her old white sedan for a moment.
A few faint scratches and smudges marked the body, with a minor dent on the door—clearly signs of daily wear and tear.
"Right—as a reward, I'll apply for a nice new car for you later. Might as well replace this old one."
"For a girl's car, having something clean and pretty saves a lot of worry, doesn't it?"
He lifted his chin, his soft lips curving slightly, looking unfairly handsome.
"Eh?"
Miyano Akemi froze.
Being called over by Caesar brought her nothing but nervousness and anxiety, so how could she have thought about a "reward"?
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something—"No need, it's fine, I really didn't do anything"—but her throat felt blocked by something, unable to squeeze out a single word.
Gojo Satoru smiled, leading Akai Shuichi toward the building entrance.
Before long, the two tall figures vanished one after the other behind the automatic doors.
Miyano Akemi sat in the driver's seat spacing out for a moment before restarting the car, her mind in a bit of a mess.
In the rearview mirror, that off-white building receded farther and farther, yet the figure of that white-haired man lingered in her mind.
"Have I... been misunderstanding Lord Caesar all along?"
She remembered what her sister said over the phone a few days ago. Shiho mentioned seeing Caesar at the lab again, but her tone wasn't pure fear, but carried a touch of complex confusion.
"Sis, I feel like... that man isn't as terrifying as you think."
At the time, she assumed her sister was just young and fooled by appearances.
Now though...
Was she getting fooled herself as well?
"No, calm down... He just dropped a polite line casually."
"He clearly looks so dangerous..."
Even now, remembering the first time she met Caesar, she still felt a reflex shudder in her heart.
That trembling feeling of being wiped out at any moment was carved deep into her bones.
"Still..."
Still, after all this time, he had never harmed them once, taking care of things for them instead.
Letting her meet Shiho, fixing Shiho's lab data errors, and now saying he'd swap her car for a new one...
"This person seems entirely different from everyone else in the Organization?"
Miyano Akemi couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it.
Either way, this wasn't something she should dig into.
As a peripheral member, doing her part was enough.
As for what kind of person Caesar actually was... who could tell for sure after just a few meetings?
Right then, the car slowed to a stop at a red light.
Staring at that circle of red glow, a thought popped out of nowhere without warning.
"I really want to see Lord Caesar's face—"
If he took off that blindfold...
What color would those hidden eyes be? What would they look like?
As she thought about it, her cheeks warmed up subtly beyond her control.
"Probably... as handsome as his smile, right?"