Sorry for the late bonus. Yesterday was busy with meetings. Enjoy!
----
Fine rain dampened their clothes beneath the decaying nightscape.
Thunder rumbled repeatedly while violet lightning tore across the sky like venomous serpents. The rain gradually intensified, washing over everything.
Vermouth clutched her wound and looked toward Ritsu, dissatisfaction and even a trace of complaint in her voice.
"You took your sweet time getting here."
Shinichi cautiously held Ran close, unsure what to do.
The Silver-Haired Murderer and the unidentified white-haired man clearly knew each other. Judging from their conversation… the white-haired man was an accomplice who had come to assist the murderer's escape.
"Should I kill them?"
Unlike Onizawa's indifferent yet emotionally expressive voice, Augier's tone resembled a venomous snake baring its fangs. Dark, low, and slow, carrying an overwhelming pressure that sent chills down one's spine.
Like a grim reaper emerging from a valley of despair.
Emotionless.
Without the slightest fluctuation.
For some reason, Shinichi secretly let out a sigh of relief.
The person before him wasn't Onizawa-sensei. Both the voice and appearance were different. More importantly, the cross-shaped scar beneath the left eye didn't look like makeup at all. It was real.
As long as it wasn't his teacher, then his small faith in him remained intact.
Shinichi picked up the unconscious Ran in his arms. He was gambling that this man wouldn't hurt them.
If he truly intended to kill them, there had been no reason for him to help support Ran earlier.
The corner of his eye caught the black gun muzzle aimed at his back. Slightly curling his lips upward, Shinichi warned,
"I'd advise you not to shoot. Since you're injured, that means your pursuers are nearby too. And your gun doesn't even have a suppressor attached, the consequences would be obvious."
"It's just that… I don't have time to arrest you people right now."
As he slowly walked downstairs, Shinichi said in a low voice, "I'll let you go this time. But if I run into you again, things won't end so easily."
"I'll gather all your crimes and evidence. I refuse to believe I can't drag all of you down into hell."
A trace of surprise flashed through Ritsu's eyes. He made no move for a long while, silently turning toward Vermouth instead, waiting to see what she intended to do.
The moment he caught the same expression appearing on the disguised face before him, he understood.
Shinichi and Ran's lives… had been spared.
Pulling his right hand from his pocket, Ritsu produced a pale pink women's handkerchief as though performing a magic trick.
"Never thought you'd slip up too. Your fingerprints are on this, right?"
Vermouth tucked her gun into her jacket pocket and tore away the human-skin mask, revealing her exquisite features beneath. Flicking back her long pale golden curls, she replied meaningfully,
"Augier, don't tell me you were here from the very beginning?"
Ritsu simply shrugged without answering.
Placing the handkerchief back where it belonged, he stepped onto the stairs and turned his back toward her, slightly bending his knees.
A bitter smile unconsciously formed in his heart.
Who would've thought that one day he would calmly expose his back to someone who had once been his enemy?
"My injury is in my abdomen."
"So?"
Vermouth gave a soft snort and climbed onto his back. "There was a perfect demonstration just now. Why didn't you learn from it?"
"Vermouth, you're already past the age of being princess-carried—gh!"
Ritsu never expected her to suddenly bite into the side of his neck. The pain nearly made him lose his grip.
"Don't casually bring up a woman's age. No woman likes hearing that. Consider this a little punishment."
"…"
"So how exactly do you plan on getting out of here? The FBI's little kittens have this place surrounded."
"Relax. They stopped caring about this area a long time ago. They've already gone chasing dead rat."
Ritsu had already set up a diversion.
By now, the FBI was probably expanding their search around the abandoned factory ten kilometers away. By the time they discovered the Silver-Haired Murderer's corpse, he would've already evacuated with Vermouth.
----
At the same time, inside the abandoned factory over ten kilometers away.
Akai personally led the search team through the factory grounds. Eventually, they found the Silver-Haired Murderer lying motionless on the second floor of the warehouse.
Bending down to pick up the handgun, Akai examined the scene.
There were no signs of struggle. At first glance, it was difficult not to conclude that the Silver-Haired Murderer had committed suicide.
No fingerprints.
No traces left behind.
Such familiar method… it was the Organization's handiwork.
What they excelled at most was erasing every clue and disguising scenes as suicides.
"So we got played?"
He truly hadn't expected this mission to include backup support.
A serious miscalculation.
----
Meanwhile, the culprit FBI searching is inside a luxury apartment building,
Ritsu finally carried the famous actress, who had buried her face against his back, into the safe house.
The moment he set her down onto the sofa, he suddenly blurted out a brutally straightforward comment,
"Vermouth, you should lose some weight."
"You really can't say anything pleasant today, huh? Augier, acting like that isn't cute at all."
Standing before the cabinet and rummaging through the medicines inside, Ritsu couldn't help admiring how thoroughly stocked Vermouth's safe house was.
After preparing anesthetics and the necessary medical supplies, he placed them onto a tray and handed it to her.
"Instead of wasting time talking nonsense, hurry up and treat your wound."
"You won't help me with it?"
Unable to stop himself, Ritsu rolled his eyes. This woman's lips had already gone pale from the pain, yet she still had the energy to tease him.
She was hopeless.
Too lazy to respond further, he walked over to the balcony, struck a match, and lit a cigarette.
Then, he entered an email address into his phone. He needed to report the mission's outcome to that person.
[Augier: The Silver-Haired Murderer has been confirmed dead. The target has also been eliminated by Vermouth. Sir, are there any further instructions?]
This wasn't an hour appropriate for disturbing the Boss's sleep.
[BOSS: Well done, my child. Were either of you injured?]
[Augier: Vermouth was wounded by the FBI during the mission, but it is not serious.]
[BOSS: Let her rest properly. You as well. As for the mission, I've already sent it to your email. A profitable deal has delivered itself to our doorstep. Good night, my child.]
[Augier: May you have pleasant dreams tonight, Sir.]
Ritsu brushed back the damp hair hanging over his forehead. Opening his inbox, he discovered the deal truly was enticing.
An explosives transaction worth more than triple the normal market price. And attached at the very end was a single sentence.
[Keep a close eye on him. Secure even greater profit.]
Extinguishing the cigarette in his hand, he returned indoors and discovered Vermouth had already redressed herself.
As expected of one of the Organization's elites. She was highly skilled at treating wounds too.
But perhaps that also meant… she had long grown accustomed to getting injured.
Ritsu had no interest in digging into Vermouth's past.
A mysterious woman who buried everything beneath layers of secrets wasn't someone worth questioning anyway. Doing so would only waste words.
"Judging from your expression, there's a new mission?"
"Yeah. A simple trade assignment."
Vermouth slowly crossed her left leg over her right. Slender fingers held a lady's cigarette as she smiled seductively.
"You saw Rye? Or rather, should I say the FBI's ace investigator now, Shuichi Akai?"
Minor facial changes could deceive many ordinary people, but they were difficult to hide from the Thousand-Faced Witch before him.
Ritsu had no intention of denying it. Pressing the cigarette butt firmly into the ashtray twice, he lifted his gaze and said,
"Yeah. Never expected him to cut off the long hair he used to wear like Gin."
"The failed operation a year ago dealt quite a blow to the FBI side. Maybe he got criticized and decided to cut it."
The reason for cutting his hair?
The crimson in Ritsu's eyes gradually faded, returning to their original icy blue. "Maybe. But I'm not interested in the truth."
The reason Akai cut his long hair, he already knew it perfectly well.
"Oh? Then what are you interested in?"
What he's interested in?
"Returning those three bullets…" His voice stretched lazily, the corners of his lips carrying an unreadable smile.
"To him."