Wearing a dark red suit with a white shirt underneath, and after neatly tying his gray-blue tie, Ritsu stepped out of the bathroom with his disguised face.
When Vermouth noticed his tie was already done, she said with a hint of regret, "Oh my, I was hoping I could tie your tie for you."
'This woman's brain structure was definitely abnormal. Why did she enjoy teasing people with words so much? No, she didn't just tease verbally, she followed it up with actual actions too.'
"That won't be necessary."
"But we're supposed to be playing a couple. Have you thought of a fake name for yourself?"
"Kitamura Koji. How does that sound?"
Vermouth paused slightly upon hearing the name, but quickly hid the flicker of surprise in her eyes and replied calmly, "That's a nice name. How did you come up with it?"
"It's the name of a villain from a manga I read. He also has naturally curly hair, so it came to mind."
It seemed she might have been overly sensitive about the name "Koji." To be safe, Vermouth took out her phone and searched it. Sure enough, it matched a criminal investigation manga where Kitamura Koji was indeed a villainous murderer.
"Well then, Mr. Koji, I'll leave the driving to you."
"Of course, Chris."
The two quickly slipped into their roles and walked out of the hotel. Seeing the flashy white Porsche Boxster parked outside, it was clear, wealthy movie star indeed. Even a casual ride like this wasn't cheap.
The private party hosted by Director Sakemaki was being held at a suburban mansion in Chicago. Without traffic, the drive would take about six hours, a considerable distance.
Long hours of driving inevitably brought fatigue, but the soft music playing in the car helped soothe the nerves.
Six hours and nine minutes later, they finally arrived at the luxurious mansion in the Chicago suburbs. Parking nearby, Ritsu noticed what looked like a miniature luxury car exhibition. Ferraris, Maseratis, even Aston Martins lined up to show off.
As expected of a gathering of wealthy celebrities. Ironically, Vermouth's car was one of the more low-key ones here… damn rich people.
After working as an errand boy for the organization for so long, Ritsu, who technically had a bank account with a thirteen-digit balance, found himself criticizing the rich. Though, to be fair, that account wasn't something he could actually use.
Stuffing the car keys into his pocket, he strode toward the mansion without a second thought, completely ignoring Vermouth, who couldn't take large steps in her high heels.
"Macallan."
"Hm?"
He turned around to see Vermouth standing still with her arms crossed, staring at him.
"What is it?"
"Have you ever been in love?"
A 22-year-old lifelong single like Ritsu wasn't particularly eager to answer that.
Tilting his head slightly, he replied, "Is it a problem if I haven't? Are you that interested in other people's love lives?"
Vermouth immediately understood why he came off as such a straight-laced, oblivious man. Walking up beside him, she naturally hooked her arm around his and smiled. "Since you haven't, I'll teach you how to treat your girlfriend."
"?!"
Ritsu froze on the spot. He had never had such close physical contact with a woman before, he could even feel something soft brushing against his arm.
"Loosen up a bit."
"But this is how couples act." Vermouth rested her head directly on his shoulder. "Let's go. If we don't act convincingly, we won't be able to carry out the mission."
"…Alright."
Ritsu felt conflicted. Now he understood why Gin had no interest in taking over this mission. But was this really okay? After all, his boss was her ex… this felt oddly like stepping on his boss's territory.
The doorman was visibly surprised to see Chris Vineyard arrive with a male companion. After all, she had always attended these parties alone. This was the first time she brought a date.
If any reporters were present, this would definitely make tomorrow's entertainment headlines.
"Miss Vineyard, welcome. Please have your companion sign the guest book."
Ritsu nodded politely, picked up the pen, and smoothly wrote down "Kitamura Koji", a fake name he would only use for one day.
"Welcome to Director Sakemaki's party. Please, enjoy yourselves."
As they walked into the main hall, Ritsu carefully observed the surroundings. It was his habit to memorize every detail of a mission location to make future actions easier.
There was no set start time for the party, which showed just how easygoing Director Sakemaki was.
"Oh? Chris, and who is this gentleman?"
Holding a glass of red wine, Director Sakemaki wore a dark gray suit. His thinning hair revealed a shiny scalp, apparently even great directors had to deal with hair loss.
Ritsu gave a gentlemanly bow and smiled. "Director Sakemaki, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Chris's boyfriend, Kitamura Koji. It's an honor to attend your private party today, I'm fortunate to be here thanks to her."
Sakemaki signaled to his assistant, who quickly brought over two glasses of red wine and handed them to the pair. Looking at the wine, Ritsu couldn't help but worry if he'd get knocked out from just one glass.
"This is the first time Chris has brought a date. Are wedding bells in the near future?"
Vermouth feigned shyness and smiled. "You're joking, Director. Koji and I have only been together for less than half a year."
"You've only been dating six months and you're already bringing him to my private party? Don't be shy, Chris! Haha, come, let's have a drink!"
Ritsu raised his glass and downed the red wine in one go. Fortunately, wine etiquette only filled the glass about one-third full. If it had been filled to the brim, he might have collapsed on the spot.
Maybe it was time to improve his alcohol tolerance.
"I have to greet other guests. Make yourselves at home."
"Thank you, Director."
Vermouth then led Ritsu around the venue, socializing with various guests. Music producers, screenwriters, and actors she had worked with before. In short, people far removed from Ritsu's usual life.
After making a brief impression on the crowd, Ritsu received Vermouth's signal and began observing their target for the night, Jeff Messina.
His slightly long blond hair was slicked back with what seemed like an excessive amount of pomade, giving it an overly greasy look. His facial features were nearly buried under layers of fat and the black sunglasses on his large face looked oddly small, almost comical.
He was certainly easy to recognize. The photo Vermouth had shown him must have been edited, the real person was at least a full size larger.
If someone stabbed him, would he bleed… or would it just be fat?
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