Chapter 152

Two years later—

Happy New Year everyone!

Bo Yezaki entered the safe house in Scotland and Bourbon with a lively air: "What are your plans for the New Year?"

"...What does it have to do with you how we live?" Amuro Tooru, who had already been given the code name "Bourbon," questioned, arms crossed.

Bo Yezaki said matter-of-factly, "You are the first class I've ever taught, so it's different. Is it wrong for me to care about the two of you?"

Bourbon: "...What do you mean by 'glossed over'..."

He was just an interviewer who came to take a look, and he gave a very unfriendly evaluation like "not recommended for admission." Now he has the nerve to act like a high school homeroom teacher and show concern for them!

"Alright, alright," Scotland intervened to mediate. "Potnis meant well; he must have just come back from the Middle East, right?"

Bo Ye Zaiji complained, "That's right, I didn't rest for a single day and came straight here, and this is how you treat me, Bourbon! You really don't appreciate my kindness!"

Bo Yezaki also understands that his ability to act arrogantly in the brewery is due to his friends in the Middle East. Therefore, he usually asks people from his organization who go to the Middle East to bring back some gifts to maintain his presence. He also occasionally calls to keep in touch. However, he can't just not meet with them, so he still took some time to go to the Middle East this year.

The organization's boss was certainly not happy to see him having such a good relationship with his Middle Eastern buddies.

The organization's progress in the Middle East hasn't been good. The only smooth sailing they've seen is thanks to Alex Wine. They had hoped that once Alex Wine's influence waned, they could gain more say. But everyone they've encountered has been comparing their new leader to Alex Wine, concluding that they're inferior. No matter how much they offer concessions, it's useless; any further concessions would just mean they'd lose money...

After years of hard work, they've actually elevated Aleix to a divine status!

Even if Usakabe Saiki found out, he'd have to complain: "How could they possibly want to compete with their deceased 'white moonlight'?!"

System: [But death is death, and they'll be forgotten eventually. Those who are alive should try their best...]

This is a business, not a romantic relationship. The person across from you is looking down on you with a scrutinizing attitude. Trying to imitate them blindly won't work; no matter how hard you try, it's useless. Anyone who's seen Yali Wine can easily tell whether someone genuinely wants mutual benefit or just wants to take advantage.

Bo Yezhai: [What these old friends say most often is, 'People like your father are so rare.' If they're so rare, how could they be easily replaced?]

[...That's a bit outrageous.]

Based on current intelligence, he seems to be an idealist. I think it's probably impossible to find someone similar in the organization... You should urge the undercover system again. When is it finally going to be finished? Don't wait until three years later, then another three years. Why is it so difficult to get some information from it?

In short, seeing the organization's setbacks in the Middle East, the Boss hoped that Usakabe would reduce contact with that region and ideally distance himself from the organization as soon as possible.

As a result, Bo Yezaki not only used the organization's transport lines to bring gifts to the Middle East, but also called everyone in advance to say that he had asked someone from the organization to send such and such, and that if they tried to cheat or shirk their responsibilities, they should tell him, after all, he was only nominally his superior and was still very young, and they might look down on him...

He's been using so many eye drops, it's really making his friends feel sorry for him.

Of course, the organization didn't know what Bo Yezaki usually talked about with the Middle Eastern partners, but they could sense that the Middle Eastern partners were still very satisfied with Bo Yezaki and treated him with great kindness. Even though they only saw each other once a year, they treated him as if he were their own nephew or niece.

Moreover, we rarely see each other. This year, Usoppei finally returned to the Middle East, which surprised and delighted everyone, who felt valued!

He also advised Usakabe Saiki that since he was living a good life as an ordinary person in Japan, he shouldn't come to places like this and should just make phone calls occasionally.

The organization's head in the Middle East had been busy for several years, but his treatment was not as good as that of Usakata Saiki, who only occasionally made a phone call. He was furious.

What does "familiarity breeds contempt" mean?

The items were mainly gifts from Usakata Saiki, and they were things you would usually get from lucky bags. Most of them had attributes, such as a fountain pen that makes you feel clear-headed, or a cushion that makes you feel cozy.

Who usually gives these big shots these everyday items? Don't they just give them the most high-end and expensive things?

So the big shots actually really appreciate the little trinkets that Bo Ye Zhai Ji gives them, finding them to have a touch of everyday life. And Bo Ye Zhai Ji doesn't just give these kinds of things; he also gives them some very valuable ones. They feel that Bo Ye Zhai Ji truly treats them like elders and cares about their lives more than others.

Especially these added attributes, they feel great using them, so they are more willing to use them often and place them where they can see them. Then they will often think of Usui Saiki, and when they think about how convenient the things are for them, they are even more moved, feeling that Usui Saiki must have put a lot of effort into choosing the most suitable gift for them.

He also advised Bo Yezhaiji, "Since you're unwilling to get involved in these things now and refuse to take kickbacks from smuggling, since it's not considered profitable, don't give those expensive gifts! The sentiment is enough!"

Someone in the organization thought they knew how to do it, so they followed Usakata Saiki's example and sent some everyday items along with expensive gifts. As a result, the big shots were indifferent and secretly criticized them for giving gifts without thinking, saying that the items were not convenient to use.

The guys at the Alex Restaurant are the best! They always give gifts that really touch their hearts!

The person in charge of the organization: ? ? ?

In his report, this person subtly complained that Usakabe Saiki had made things more difficult for him, but his superior scolded him for it.

—Bottes is so much younger than you, how did he know what to give?! You're so much older and you have absolutely no sense of propriety! You need to reflect on that!

When Vodka heard about this later, he felt a bit sorry for him: "Potnis has such a good eye, not just anyone can have that... It's perfectly normal for him to be able to tell what people need..."

The person in charge thought about it for a while. Since the things that Bo Ye Saiki asked him to send were all through the organization's channels, he simply inquired about what Bo Ye Saiki was going to send this time. Then, before Bo Ye Saiki's things arrived, he prepared something similar to send in advance, but with a higher brand and more expensive price.

But the big shots still looked down on what he gave them, treating Usoya Saiki's items like treasures. There was no way around it; Usoya Saiki's items had stat boosts, and it wasn't an illusion. They had personally experienced how useful Usoya Saiki was!

Some people even said, "So what if it's cheap? The right thing is the best. I've used so many expensive things, and the ones that the guy from the Alex Restaurant gave me are the best. He must have tried them all to know which one was suitable, and many of them are handmade. He made them himself! This kind of thoughtfulness is much better than just giving expensive things!"

In the end, the person in charge cried and shouted that he didn't want to work in the Middle East anymore.

—What the hell?! Potniss has turned a perfectly good business battle into a palace intrigue! The bigwigs only care about their beloved Alex and his adopted son!!!

He and his subordinates are all business elites, they're not good at this!

Let's change the boss! Once you change the boss, you'll realize it's not my skill level that's the problem, it's the Middle East region that's cursed!

So the current situation is that the Middle East smuggling routes and the organization are still cooperating well, but the places where the organization wants to develop independently are extremely difficult. Several years have passed and they are still unable to stand upright and still have to continue to support Hakuyoshi.

The same goes for Hakata. At first, they thought the Hakata port area was suitable, and the atmosphere there was conducive to the survival of illegal organizations. However, the forces there were really complicated. After two years of turmoil, while other forces were fighting, the organization lost a lot of people. The boss looked at the report and found that the Japanese government was actually planning to crack down on the chaos in Hakata... In the end, they decided to give up.

Rei Furuya, who didn't want the organization's smuggling route to land in Hakata, secretly reported the matter to the police, keeping his good deeds hidden.

In short, all of this has led to Usaku Saiki becoming increasingly arrogant over the years. He used to disappear for a week, but now he can disappear for months without making any contact. The person he sees most often is probably Miyano Akemi, who works as a housekeeper at his house. She can occasionally see him coming home when she is cleaning.

Gin was too lazy to urge him to submit the list of talents. As long as Usakabe Saiki didn't appear in front of him, he would just pretend that person didn't exist and let him receive a salary without working.

Bourbon and Scotland hadn't seen Usui Saiki for at least six months, but Usui Saiki's temper suddenly flared up, and there was no awkwardness at all. They immediately got into a bantering atmosphere, as if they really had a good relationship.

Usoppei clapped his hands: "Alright! You guys don't have any missions right now, right? Let's go on vacation and celebrate! What do you say?"

Bourbon retorted, "Didn't you already make that decision on your own...?"

Scotland didn't want to argue: "Bourbon, why don't you look it up and see where's a good place to go for fun right now... Can't your other friends come along with you?"

Usoya Saiki sighed, then sighed again.

Scotland was taken aback by his reaction: "Did you have a fight with your friend?"

Bourbon's scathing remark: "On the bright side, maybe his friends have cut ties with him."

It's really a good thing that I can get rid of Usaku Saiki's mental illness!

"No... It's just that I'm going to the Middle East, and it conflicts with my friend's plans," said Bo Yezaki sadly. "I don't know how to explain it yet, so I can only make up an excuse that I'm going back to my hometown to visit my ancestors' graves..."

Scotland:"……"

Bourbon: "...But you've never actually been there, have you? Do you even remember where the Alex wine is buried?"

Two years later, these two undercover agents hadn't worked for nothing. They finally found out that the undercover agent who had gone missing was none other than Alex, who had passed away many years ago.

However, neither of them was quite sure whether Bo Yezaki knew about this matter.

Seeing that the other party was unwilling to work for the organization and always said that he wanted to be an ordinary person, it seemed that he was aware of the situation and was on the side of justice.

Can……

Over the years, Bo Yezaki has never once visited Ariji's grave, making it truly difficult to understand his attitude towards Ariji.

Is it dissatisfaction? Could it be that he actually likes the organization and resents that being an undercover agent is holding him back?

Or perhaps he simply feels that death is death, and there's no point in looking at it? It's not that he'd think this way just because he's mentally ill; some philosophers share this view. It's a philosophy of life…

Whether Bo Yezaki knew the truth or not, and what his stance was, stumped these two undercover agents.

Especially last year, after going on a mission with three whiskies—Bourbon, Scotch, and Rye—Hakuba Saiki stopped contacting them much, leaving them no chance to test him.

This trip is fine, let's see if we can find out anything from this.

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Extra chapter tonight

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The current timeline is three years before the year Detective Conan began.

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Middle East Regional Manager: Business warfare has turned into palace intrigue; are Bo Yezhai and the bigwigs all crazy...?

Thin leaves can still continue to roam

If you get too many items to store at home, just give them away; you'll also gain favor points, so nothing goes to waste.