"You didn't call me here just to familiarize me with the Organization's new safe house, did you?"
Ritsu skillfully lit a cigarette and looked toward Gin as he said slowly, "I came all the way here from Tokyo, and I rushed over right after work."
"Heh."
With only a single glance from those dark green eyes, Gin exposed Ritsu's lie.
"You didn't come straight here. You went back to your apartment first and even took a shower. I can still smell your body wash... milk-scented."
"..."
What was with everyone suddenly deciding not to act human anymore? Even Gin was starting to behave like a dog.
And why would he use his brain for something this pointless? Completely incomprehensible.
Ritsu brushed aside his bangs and touched the cross-shaped scar on his face before changing the subject.
"So it obviously wasn't your assignment. The Boss intentionally skipped over me and had you tell me instead?"
"Augier, you really are as smart as ever."
"You've always liked smart people, haven't you?"
Gin snorted softly without answering. Beside him, Vodka immediately understood the meaning behind that single sound. He quickly pulled an envelope from inside his jacket and handed it to Ritsu.
Taking it with his right hand, Ritsu opened the envelope directly. After reading the contents, his eyelid twitched slightly, and he asked helplessly,
"Since when did the Boss become this childish? Actually believing in fairy tales about mermaids?"
"When people get old, they start believing fairy tales exist. Maybe you'll become like that someday too."
Hearing Gin's words, Ritsu merely lowered his head and smiled faintly without responding.
After a long silence, it was Vodka who finally broke it. "The Boss also told us to bring that woman along."
"That woman? Vermouth?"
"No." Gin crushed his cigarette into the cup and said in a deep voice, "Sherry."
"Mermaids symbolize immortality, so the Boss has started getting interested in life-extending drugs again."
Recalling the stories he had read about mermaids, Ritsu laughed lightly.
"I thought the Boss wanted us to capture a mermaid alive and bring it back to Tottori Prefecture to make sumo hotpot."
The words "Tottori Prefecture" were spoken so casually, though fortunately the three people here all knew that secret.
Vodka chuckled. "Augier, you've really become more humorous after coming back to Japan."
"Living alone over there was boring, so I practiced stand-up comedy in front of a mirror to make time pass faster."
Ritsu subtly glanced toward the two people who had just entered before asking, "Speaking of which, still no movement over there?"
"No. But I think there will be soon enough. Ambition is something people can't suppress forever."
"True. Once someone develops a rebellious mindset, it's hard to correct them. Like those bratty kids shaped by bad environments. If they aren't disciplined properly before adolescence, they turn into wild dogs that bite people."
Gin stood up and tightened his trench coat.
"When the weather cools down, I'll take you there myself. Until then, the Boss won't assign many missions to you. All you need to do is secure your footing in your current position. The Organization doesn't trust that person."
"I understand that naturally. Though honestly, I've always wondered... why didn't you place me inside the National Police Agency back then?"
As if recalling something amusing, Gin narrowed his dark green eyes.
"The Boss doesn't enjoy games with a one-hundred-percent win rate. Isn't it more interesting when there's a little unpredictability? Like the rat that escaped a year ago."
'What a twisted sense of humor.'
Still, there were advantages to it.
Once humans grew comfortable in a safe environment, they became complacent. Without absolute control, they were forced to stay vigilant at all times. That way, they wouldn't become flowers raised inside a greenhouse.
Looking at the remaining code-name members inside the safe house, Vodka waved his massive hand boldly.
"Time to wrap it up! The welcome party's over!"
"Welcome party?"
Vodka grinned at Ritsu and explained,
"Yeah. Aniki organized this welcome party today. We just never found the right chance before, so it got delayed until now."
The Organization actually had "humanized" events like this now?
At this rate, maybe one day they'd even go out for group dinners. A bunch of people dressed in black crowding into a restaurant would probably scare the owner half to death.
"Thanks, Gin."
Climbing back onto his motorcycle and putting on his helmet, Ritsu noticed Rena getting into Irish's car. It seemed the two of them were operating together now.
His "death" really had changed quite a few things.
For example, Rena and Irish, who originally should've been under his command, had formed a team and worked missions together.
Irish hadn't even greeted him today.
Was he dissatisfied with upper management? Angry that the Organization's executives had failed to save him? Even though he hadn't actually died?
Only Irish himself knew the answer.
Suppressing those wandering thoughts, Ritsu started the motorcycle and sped away, uncertain whether he'd even be able to sleep well tonight.
----
Thursday, July 22nd.
Sunlight, white sand, and the ocean formed the perfect image of a summer vacation.
The Izu beach was exceptionally quiet on a non-holiday weekday. The only person there was a white-haired young man lazily sitting on the steps while drinking coconut water.
Though admittedly, his outfit didn't really match the beach atmosphere.
A black high-neck T-shirt layered beneath a white button-up shirt, paired with fairly casual white shorts.
Ritsu narrowed his eyes at the distant coastline. Had he known this would happen, he never would've come to a place like this. Unfortunately, he had to follow through on the lie he had previously told.
One day earlier, inside the Third Division office of the First Investigation Division.
As Ritsu was preparing to get off work and enjoy a two-day break, Hayasaka handed him a pair of tickets for a two-person Izu vacation package.
Why was it for two people? Because Ritsu had once lied to Hayasaka and claimed he had a girlfriend.
"Since you finally have time off, why not take your girlfriend to Izu for a couple of days, Inspector Onizawa?"
Since she had specifically gone out of her way to give him the tickets, he had no choice but to accept them.
He truly hadn't expected Hayasaka to worry so much about his nonexistent girlfriend. Before leaving work, she had even lectured him about the kinds of behavior women disliked.
In short, he had somehow ended up attending an unexpected course titled,
"How Straight Men Should Properly Handle Relationships."
"...This place is seriously boring and quiet."
"Summer vacations should absolutely be spent at the beach if you want to enjoy them properly!!"
"Hm?"
Before Ritsu could even finish his muttering, he heard a rather familiar voice. Adjusting his sunglasses, he looked toward the source of the voice and spotted the second daughter of the Suzuki Financial Group, Suzuki Sonoko, wearing a green swimsuit.
"Seriously though, with two charming girls like us here, why is the only guy on this beach already taken? What the heck?"
Sonoko sighed dramatically. "This is just tragic."
"What do you mean 'already taken'? Don't say weird things."
Blushing slightly, Ran looked out toward the endless ocean and smiled.
"But isn't it obvious there's nobody else around? This is the private beach of your family's villa after all!"
'The private beach of your family's villa. So this was actually the Suzuki family's private beach?'
Poverty truly limited his imagination.
It wasn't that Ritsu lacked money, it was just that he currently couldn't use it. Back then, he had avoided using his assets out of fear the Organization might trace his true identity.
Now, however... Ritsu was officially declared dead to the outside world.
A "dead man" couldn't exactly spend money openly.
'Wait a second. If those two were here... didn't that mean that guy was here too?'