8:21 PM, an open-air parking lot in 2-chome, Beika Town.
Inside the car, Ritsu was sending emails to Rei. Since both of them were members of the organization, exchanging information was much more convenient. Of course, they addressed each other using either code names or aliases.
[Bourbon: About what time will you be back? Should I prepare a late-night snack?]
[Macallan: I already ate at the lab. I'll probably be back at the apartment in about two hours.]
[Bourbon: Got it. Then I only need to prepare food for two.]
[Macallan: Two? Who else is at home?]
[Bourbon: That guy Rye is here… you know how he always wants something to snack on when he drinks. What a hassle. (¬`‸´¬)]
Ritsu noticed the emoticon at the end, it really suited Rei's style. That little downward-pointing triangle mouth looked just like a sulking cat. Come to think of it, his personality was sometimes quite similar to Jinpei, occasionally not very honest with himself.
He clearly didn't hate Akai that much, yet he always put on a hostile front. Speaking of which, how did the conflict between those two even start?
Could it be that his first love's eldest daughter was taken away by a cunning "older man," which made him hostile?
Hard to understand. When it comes to matters of emotion, Ritsu's IQ seemed to drop dramatically.
Hearing the sound of a car engine nearby, he quickly finished typing a message that read "Hang in there" and sent it, then stuffed his phone into his pocket. Rolling down the window, he looked toward Hiro sitting in the driver's seat.
Since the operation in the United States, the two hadn't truly met face-to-face. Just like usual, they wore earpieces and pretended to be strangers, departing from different directions.
One walked left, the other right, meeting again at a predetermined spot.
"You haven't been injured lately, right?"
Hiro's gentle voice came through the earpiece, lifting Ritsu's mood. He kicked aside a small pebble in front of him and replied in a low voice, "No, I haven't."
"Did you find something during your mission in Kyoto? You called me out so urgently, there must be important information, right?"
"Of course. The less often we meet, the safer it is. If there's nothing important, I wouldn't contact you out of the blue, you know that."
Hearing that made Hiro feel a bit down. He understood that reducing contact between an undercover agent and their handler ensured safety, but somehow, hearing it out loud gave it a different tone like Ritsu was drifting further and further away, to the point of not wanting to see him.
Pushing aside those sentimental thoughts, he asked, "So what's the intel?"
"This time, the organization assigned me and Rye to Kyoto Pharmaceuticals to steal confidential data on a longevity drug research project. But during the mission, I discovered the missing portion of the APTX 4869 data."
"You mean… there's someone from the organization inside Kyoto Pharmaceuticals?"
Ritsu instinctively shook his head, then remembered the other couldn't see him. He explained, "No. My guess is that a mysterious individual is trying to create APTX 4869 behind the organization's back."
Hiro scratched the back of his head and gave a wry smile. "That's troublesome. The organization is already difficult enough to deal with, and now there's someone else with an unknown background and unknown motives. So you want me to investigate this mysterious person's identity?"
"Not exactly. I'll handle this investigation myself."
Ritsu already had a direction in mind. If someone could help former organization researchers escape from the lab, then that mysterious person must be connected to the organization and able to move freely in and out of the facility.
Letting Hiro investigate would be both difficult and dangerous. He didn't want him taking that risk, so he planned to personally look into the hidden investor behind Kyoto Pharmaceuticals.
"I actually called you out today to ask about something else. How's your investigation into Vermouth going?"
"Honestly, it's been frustrating. Her background is so clean it's hard to believe she's even a codename member of the organization."
"Oh? Tell me more."
Recalling the information he had gathered, Hiro said slowly, "She has a mother named Sharon Vineyard. As for her father, his identity and background are completely hidden, there's not even a name to be found. He's been confirmed dead."
"Is Sharon Vineyard still alive?"
"She is, but she's no longer active on screen. You could say she's semi-retired."
"What else? Her background can't be that clean, right?"
Hiro sighed helplessly. "But that's the problem, there's nothing else. The only other information is gossip, like how the mother and daughter are so estranged they haven't seen each other in ten years."
Not exactly useful information. It seemed he'd have to find a way to approach that big star himself.
As he watched Hiro walking toward him, their meeting time was just about up. It was time to prepare to—
The phone in his pocket suddenly rang, cutting off his train of thought.
He had set it to silent mode, so if it still made a sound, it meant it was a special ringtone for a specific number.
It was Gin.
"…."
Ritsu signaled to Hiro to step back, then answered the call. A low voice came through, tinged with dissatisfaction.
"Macallan, why did you take longer than usual to answer?"
"My apologies. I had my phone on silent."
Gin didn't press the issue and went straight to the point. "There's a mission in the United States that requires your assistance. The person you'll be working with is in Room 1909 of the Manhattan International Hotel. She'll brief you on the details."
"Understood."
"Mm."
The call ended quickly. Ritsu let out a small sigh of relief. Being interrupted by Gin at a time like this made him worry that his meeting with Hiro might be exposed but fortunately, it was just to inform him of tomorrow's mission.
They were about to leave when a sudden loud explosion startled them both.
BOOM!!!
A massive blast. Ritsu watched as a large hole was blown into the wall of the building in front of him. Thick black smoke poured out and it looked like someone was inside?
As a police officer, Hiro couldn't ignore it. He was about to climb over the iron gate when a middle-aged man in a tattered white lab coat walked out of the smoke. At the same time, a second-floor window of the neighboring house opened, and a young voice shouted angrily.
"Professor Agasa, what are you doing?! Stop messing with your junk inventions in the middle of the night!!!"
"…."
Hiro stopped climbing the gate and quietly moved aside to watch. It seemed the man, who looked to be around fifty, didn't need his help after all.
Meanwhile, Ritsu pulled out a mask to cover his face. After all, he instantly recognized the middle schooler in blue pajamas shouting angrily.
ShinichiKudo, the boy who kept proclaiming he would become a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.
'So he lives here, huh. Pretty well-off, too.'
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