July 28th, Monday.
At Washington Dulles International Airport, it was finally time to head back to Tokyo. In these short ten days, Ritsu had more or less figured out what kind of person Vermouth was. She was a mystic and exactly the type Gin hated the most.
She never spoke in full sentences, always leaving things half-said. Like a cunning old fox, she'd tease your curiosity but never let you get comfortable.
Sitting in the airport lounge, Ritsu found himself recalling what Vermouth had said to him before he left.
...
"You know Sherry, right?"
Hearing Vermouth mention Shiho surprised him a little. After all, there was quite an age gap and difference in status between them. But thinking about it, Shiho had spent six years in the U.S., it wasn't that strange for them to have met.
"Yeah. I worked with her on the development of APTX4869. Do you have a message for her?" Ritsu asked.
APTX4869.
At the mention of that drug name, the faint smile on Vermouth's lips faltered for a brief moment. But she quickly regained her composure and said casually,
"Just tell her… I'm looking forward to seeing the results of her research."
"That's all?"
"Yes. Our relationship is rather… special. Are you curious?"
Ritsu admitted honestly, "A little. I'm curious why a famous movie star would have any connection to a young genius scientist."
A connection? Vermouth had no desire to be associated with the Miyano family at all. She narrowed her eyes, smiling without answering. Crushing her cigarette, she spoke her signature line, "A secret makes a woman woman."
She walked over in her heels, brushing a crumb off his hair, then leaned in close to his ear, whispering teasingly,
"Secrets make women more beautiful, you know~ Handsome guy~"
"…"
Couldn't she just speak normally?
Then Vermouth pushed open her front door and added,
"Oh, right. When you see Gin, pass along a message for me. Ttell him… I miss the days of mixing martinis with him."
...
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ritsu, curled up on the sofa, took out his phone. He didn't know much about cocktails, so he instinctively looked up what "Martini" meant.
#What is a Martini?#
"A cocktail made from gin and dry vermouth… known as 'the finest masterpiece among cocktails', the king of cocktails."
After reading the search result aloud, Ritsu's expression turned strange. Somehow, after spending just ten days with Vermouth, his mind had been filled with all sorts of odd ideas. Seeing that description now gave him a rather questionable interpretation.
Could it be… that "mixing" didn't actually refer to making drinks?
Ahem. Thankfully, she was mainly active in the U.S., and he likely wouldn't have much contact with her. It really did prove that saying, "you become like the company you keep." Stay around Vermouth too long, and your way of thinking would definitely get warped.
Hearing the boarding announcement over the airport speakers, Ritsu stood up, pushed those thoughts aside, and headed toward the gate. After presenting his boarding pass and ID, he boarded the plane and began his journey back to Tokyo.
After nearly fourteen hours of flight, he arrived at Tokyo International Airport right at noon.
Standing up and collecting his bag, he stepped onto Tokyo soil once more, feeling a faint sense of emotion. When he came, there were two of them. Now, only one returned.
Thinking back to that moment, Ritsu couldn't quite put his feelings into words. He only remembered that when he killed Glenfiddich, his mind had been consumed solely by the urge to kill. But afterward, what rose in his stomach wasn't exhilaration, it was discomfort.
In the end, he wasn't one of them. And he would never find joy in crushing sin.
Pressing his lips together, Ritsu walked toward the arrivals area. If someone asked whether he regretted killing Glenfiddich, he thought the answer would be, "I don't know." Because even he couldn't say what choice he would make if given the chance again.
"Macallan!"
Seeing Vodka waving a pickup sign enthusiastically, Ritsu couldn't help but notice, after just a few days, he was still as unsteady as ever. Completely different from three years ago when he had first joined the organization. Back then, Vodka had carried himself with a cool, boss-like demeanor in front of subordinates.
Now, he looked more like a lovable fool.
"Vodka, didn't expect you to be the one picking me up."
"Heh, I came straight here after finishing my mission. Get in, the boss told me to take you to the lab, check on Sherry's progress."
"Mm."
Since leaving the research team, Ritsu only had one day each month to see Shiho, mainly to take her to meet her sister. When he had other matters to attend to, he would even ask Akai to handle it instead, which also helped improve the relationship between him and his future sister-in-law.
From Ritsu's perspective, their relationship seemed quite close. Akemi also seemed fond of Akai. Marriage wasn't out of the question, so helping a sister-con get used to a brother-in-law early on could be considered a good deed.
More importantly, although Ritsu hadn't fully sorted out his relationship with Akai, based on his gradually returning memories, identical habits, and an appearance that was about 80% similar, he had already accepted in his heart that Akai was his biological brother.
So he hoped his brother could find happiness, even within the organization.
Arriving at Meisen Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., the two headed toward Laboratory No. 5.
"Macallan, I'm gonna grab a smoke. I won't go in with you."
"Alright."
Vodka didn't like entering labs. There was too much he didn't understand. Besides, the Boss had forbidden both him and Gin from interfering with the development of APTX4869, so they strictly followed that rule.
After entering the password and scanning his palm, Ritsu opened the lab door. Inside, Shiho, who had been about to make herself a cup of coffee, turned her head. Upon recognizing him, she said calmly, "Well, this is rare."
Previously, he had always waited for her in the parking lot. It had been half a year since he last stepped into this place.
Only when he was with the Miyano sisters did Ritsu let his guard down slightly. In a more relaxed tone, he pointed at her mug and asked,
"Got one for me?"
"No."
There was a hint of complaint in Shiho's voice. During this time, she had no one to talk to. She only got to see her sister once a month. Since Ritsu left, her only companion had been the silent lab equipment.
Though she said "no," her actions betrayed her. She took out a black mug that hadn't been used in a long time, washed it, and made a special latte, adding extra creamer and sugar, knowing he didn't like bitter coffee.
"Thanks." Ritsu accepted the cup politely. "How's the research going? Any difficulties?"
"I'm still optimizing it. At least this direction is correct. Fixing the compound's flaws will take more time. It should reach the animal testing phase by the end of this year."
"So it'll still take about five years to complete APTX4869. After animal testing, there's still clinical human trials… safety has to be ensured."
Flipping through the documents, Ritsu confirmed there were no issues and prepared to include the progress in his next report. Come to think of it, he hadn't told Hiro about his condition yet, better not mention the part where he lost consciousness.
Given his personality, he'd only feel unnecessary guilt.
----
I update 5 chaps per day on p2reon and currently has 4 translation you can read. @Siamus404. The first 50 chapters will be free. Consider giving your support.
Bonus chapter @20 PS