The greasy kitchen space was cramped, filled with the smell of fish and disinfectant. Kanjuro threw the bruised and bloodied Kanenori Wakita (Rum) onto the cold floor, which was stained with fish scales and water, as if he were throwing out trash.
Rum curled his fat body, the sharp pain in his abdomen and the wounds on his face making him gasp for air. He struggled to lift his head, his lone eye filled with pain, anger, and an irrepressible fear deep down. His gaze first bypassed Kanjuro and fixed glare on Vermouth, who had followed them in.
"Vermouth!!" Rum's voice was distorted by pain and anger, coming out as a hoarse roar. "You... you traitor! You actually... actually led this demon here?! Do you have any idea what you've done?! You're destroying the Organization!!"
He was shaking with rage, seemingly trying to use his former majesty to intimidate her, but coupled with his current pathetic state, his rebuke seemed pale and ridiculous.
Facing Rum's angry rebuke, a trace of complexity flashed across Vermouth's face, but it was quickly replaced by cold reality and her fear of Kanjuro. She merely glanced at Rum indifferently without answering, instead turning slightly to the side, her posture clearly indicating who she now obeyed.
Seeing Vermouth's reaction, the last shred of hope in Rum's heart was completely shattered. He snapped his gaze back to Kanjuro, his single eye staring intently at Kanjuro's handsome yet expressionless face, as if trying to carve it into the depths of his soul.
Looking into Kanjuro's bottomless eyes—eyes that viewed him like an ant—and feeling the suffocating, immense pressure that shrouded the surroundings even without physical force, a terrifying rumor that he and the highest levels of the Organization had deliberately suppressed and kept secret suddenly emerged from the depths of his memory like a demon breaking its chains!
The absolute power that crushed the police and forced the state apparatus to yield... the mysterious and eerie existence with eternal youth... the style of acting recklessly and treating rules as nothing... all the clues and characteristics perfectly overlapped with the image of the young man before him at this moment!
Rum's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks due to extreme horror, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably as if he had seen the most terrifying sight in the world. He extended a trembling finger, pointing at Kanjuro, his voice filled with disbelief and bone-deep fear as he shrieked sharply:
"It's... it's you?! That... that 'Kanjuro' who left all of Tokyo helpless?!"
"The 'monster' that even 'That Person' specifically ordered... that we must absolutely never provoke?!"
He finally recognized Kanjuro's identity! That name circulated within the highest levels of the Organization, regarded as a synonym for taboo and disaster!
The Organization's second-in-command, the mysterious Rum, now stood before Kanjuro like an ordinary old man who had seen his natural predator, so terrified he was nearly collapsing. He finally understood why Gin had betrayed them, why Vermouth had surrendered, and why the Miyano sisters could be "resurrected" and appear here!
It was all because the person standing before him was a true "Demon God" whom even the Organization found troublesome and didn't dare to easily make an enemy of!
Looking at Rum's fat face distorted by extreme fear, a hint of something resembling "satisfaction" finally appeared on Kanjuro's face. He slowly crouched down, meeting Rum's terrified single eye at eye level, his tone carrying a hint of lazy confirmation:
"Oh? It seems your Organization isn't entirely composed of idiots."
"Since you know who I am..."
Kanjuro's voice suddenly turned cold, like a Siberian cold front.
"Then, can we have a proper talk now?"
"About Miyano Elena, about the role you played in all this, and... what kind of way you want to choose to extend your life?"
His words were like an invitation from the Grim Reaper placed before Rum. Under the dual crushing force of absolute power and the fear of his identity being exposed, Rum's psychological defenses were collapsing at an unprecedented speed. The anger and arrogance in his single eye had vanished, replaced only by the most primitive fear and compromise driven by the instinct to survive.
In the back kitchen, the air was as thick as congealed blood. Rum (Kanenori Wakita) sat slumped on the cold, damp floor, his obese body trembling slightly from fear and pain. Kanjuro's condescending gaze was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, leaving him without the slightest thought of resistance or concealment.
He swallowed hard, his saliva mixed with blood, his single eye flickering with the light of memory and lingering fear. In a raspy and weak voice, he began to recount the long-buried past:
"Miyano Elena... and her 'husband' Koji Miyano..." Rum's voice carried a complex emotion, part regret and part the coldness characteristic of an Organization member. "They were once the scientists the Organization valued most and placed the highest hopes in, especially in drug development and certain biochemical fields; their talent was extraordinary."
He paused, seemingly organizing his words or perhaps calming the waves brought on by mentioning this matter again.
"But... later we confirmed through extremely secret channels that the two of them, their true identities in private, were actually undercover agents the FBI had spent years of painstaking effort to plant within the Organization!"
This news was like a massive boulder thrown into a quiet lake!
"What?! FBI?!" Akemi Miyano cried out in shock, her face filled with disbelief. She had always thought her parents were just ordinary scientists working for the Organization!
Ai Haibara (Shiho Miyano) was also shaken to the core, her icy blue eyes filled with shock and bewilderment. FBI undercover agents? Her gentle and quiet mother in her memories, and that father with the blurred image, actually carried such identities?!
Vermouth stood to the side, a hint of surprise flashing through her amethyst-like eyes. Clearly, even she was not fully aware of this core secret.
Rum ignored their shock and continued with difficulty:
"Once an identity is exposed, there is only one outcome—cleaning house. This is the Organization's iron law." A trace of cruelty flashed in his single eye. "At the time, the task of dealing with them... fell to me."
He looked up at Kanjuro, a hint of helpless defense in his eyes: "I took men to their secret laboratory in the suburbs... when we moved, Koji Miyano tried to resist and was shot dead on the spot..." He spoke lightly, as if he were just talking about swatting a fly.
"But... Miyano Elena..." Rum's voice took on a hint of confusion and a faint, imperceptible sense of frustration. "That woman... it was as if she had foreknowledge of the danger! By the time we burst into the core laboratory where she was, it was already empty! All that was left were some half-destroyed data and a cleverly designed emergency escape tunnel we had never discovered!"
His tone became somewhat agitated, even a bit incredulous: "She just... disappeared! Like she vanished into thin air! We deployed a large number of people and practically turned that area upside down, but we couldn't find any trace of her! No body if she was dead, no person if she was alive!"
Rum spread his hands, a helpless and even somewhat aggrieved expression appearing on his face: "So, Mr. Kanjuro, I am telling the truth. Koji Miyano is indeed dead, killed by me. But Miyano Elena... I really don't know if she lived or died afterward, let alone where she escaped to. This matter became an unsolved case within the Organization and a stain on my mission record."
He carefully observed Kanjuro's expression and added, "Perhaps... the FBI used a higher level of power we weren't aware of to extract her? After all, to train an undercover agent of that caliber, their backing certainly wouldn't be simple."
The back kitchen fell into a dead silence.
Akemi Miyano and Ai Haibara digested this earth-shattering news—their parents weren't ordinary researchers, but FBI undercover agents; their 'father' Koji Miyano was confirmed killed; and their mother, Miyano Elena, had mysteriously vanished during the Organization's encirclement, her fate unknown!
This truth was far more complex, more cruel, and... more full of suspense than they had imagined.
Kanjuro listened quietly, his face devoid of expression, but within those deep eyes, dark whirlpools seemed to be swirling. He had originally thought he could get definite news of Miyano Elena's death or whereabouts directly from Rum, but he hadn't expected it to lead to an even greater mystery.
An FBI female undercover agent who could anticipate the danger and successfully escape an encirclement led personally by the Organization's second-in-command... it seemed the mother of his 'daughters' was by no means an ordinary person.
The corners of Kanjuro's mouth slowly curled into a deeper, more interested arc.
It seemed this tracking game had become more interesting. Rum (Kanenori Wakita) endured the sharp pain in his abdomen and the wounds on his face, looking up at Kanjuro imploringly with his bloodshot and terrified single eye. His obese body trembled slightly with fear; he no longer had any of the majesty of the Organization's second-in-command.
"Ye... Mr. Kanjuro... no, Lord Kanjuro!" Rum's voice carried a sob as he pleaded humbly, "I've told you everything I know! Miyano Elena's disappearance really has nothing to do with me! I beg you... I beg you to spare my life! I'm willing to be loyal to you, just like Gin and the others! I can do anything for you!"
To save his life, he unhesitatingly abandoned his loyalty to the Organization, only seeking to linger on under the demon before him.
Kanjuro looked down at him, his eyes devoid of any pity, containing only a cold indifference. He shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of boredom:
"Spare your life? Heh..." He gave a light laugh that made Rum feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. "You have no value to me. Your abilities, your status—in my eyes, they are no different from a stone by the roadside."
His words completely shattered Rum's last hope.
Then, Kanjuro made a move that caught everyone off guard. He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Ai Haibara (Shiho Miyano), who had been pale and wearing a complex expression since hearing the truth about her mother.
He reached out his hand toward Ai Haibara.
Gin understood immediately and without hesitation handed his Beretta, still smelling of gunpowder, into Kanjuro's hand.
Kanjuro held the cold weapon, but he didn't point the muzzle at anyone. Instead, he turned the gun around by the grip and walked step by step to stand before Ai Haibara.
Under Ai Haibara's bewildered, shocked, and even slightly fearful gaze, Kanjuro gently but firmly placed the heavy handgun into her hand.
Ai Haibara's small hand was icy cold, barely able to grip the frigid metal. She looked up, confusion in her eyes as she stared at Kanjuro.
Kanjuro met her bewildered gaze, his tone terrifyingly calm, as if stating the most natural fact:
"Here, take it."
His gaze swept over Rum, who was slumped on the ground, terrified out of his wits by the sudden change of events.
"This person, I leave him to you."
"After all, your adoptive father—Koji Miyano—died by his hand."
"Although he was only an adoptive father in name, still... there was the kindness of raising you, wasn't there?"
A faint, almost cruel curve appeared at the corner of Kanjuro's mouth. "And I know that in your heart... you have always yearned for revenge."
His words, like a demon's whisper, accurately pierced the darkest corner of Ai Haibara's heart—a place she herself dared not easily touch.
Akemi Miyano stood beside them, watching the scene with a complicated expression. She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, it turned into a silent sigh. She understood her younger sister, Shiho, and knew how much heavy pain and hatred she bore beneath her seemingly calm and rational exterior regarding the "deaths" of their parents (who she believed were their parents). This hatred had always been one of the driving forces that kept her alive in the Organization and later prompted her resolute defection.
Now, Kanjuro had personally handed the weapon of vengeance into her hands.
Vermouth, Gin, and the others watched silently, the atmosphere so heavy it felt palpable. They all understood that this was a "gift" from Kanjuro to Ai Haibara, and also a... test, or perhaps a ritual to pull her deeper into the darkness.
Ai Haibara lowered her head, looking at the heavy gun in her hand. The cold sensation spread from her palm throughout her body, causing her to tremble involuntarily. She hated the Organization, hated those who had stolen her peaceful life. Rum, a high-ranking member and one of the executioners, was a major target on her list of hatred.
But... killing someone with her own hands?
Her rationality screamed, telling her this was a crime, a complete descent into the abyss. But deep inside, the little girl who had lost her "father," been forced to separate from her sister, and lived in fear under the Organization's shadow for so many years, was screaming wildly, urging her to pull the trigger!
Rum watched the scene, so terrified he nearly lost control of his bladder. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he pleaded, "No... don't! Sherry... no, Miss Miyano! I beg you! I was just following orders back then! It was the Organization's command!!"
His wails echoed in the small back kitchen, further stimulating Ai Haibara's taut nerves.
Kanjuro stood quietly beside her, neither urging nor encouraging, simply acting like a patient spectator waiting for the protagonist to make the final choice. But his very presence was the greatest pressure and catalyst.
Ai Haibara's breathing quickened. Her icy blue eyes were filled with struggle, pain, hatred, and a trace of... desperation-driven madness. Her fingers gripping the gun were white-knuckled from the excessive force.
Finally, under Rum's desperate gaze, her sister's complex look, and Kanjuro's silent oppression—
Ai Haibara abruptly raised the hand holding the gun. The muzzle trembled, yet it was aimed resolutely at the obese figure on the ground.
In her eyes, tears mingled with determination.
"For... Dad..."
After a barely audible whisper—
"Bang!!"
The gunshot roared in the confined space of the back kitchen!
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