Chapter 507

When Vermouth was summoned by Usui Saiki, she had no idea what was about to happen.

Although it was said that I was inviting her to eat sushi, it certainly wasn't about actually eating sushi. Didn't I also say that I needed her help? The focus should be on the help.

So Vermouth quickly finished her task and rushed to Tokyo to arrange a meeting with Usui Saiki.

If it were anyone else, such as Bourbon, Vermouth would try to probe their true intentions indirectly. But with Usui Saiki, Vermouth abandoned that routine and asked directly.

"You didn't really invite me here to eat sushi, did you? It's come to this point, aren't you going to tell me your real purpose?"

Usoppō Saiki's response was mysterious: "You'll know when you get there!"

Vermouth began to seriously consider whether Usui Saiki had discovered some shady business and was planning to take her there to join in some unknown fun.

Luckily, she disguised herself...

Vermouth's doubts reached their peak when she found the scenery outside the car increasingly familiar, and she recognized the shops on the street.

etc? !

Isn't this the street where Ran Mouri and Shinichi Kudo live now?

Did Usaku Saiki bring her here to see Ran Mouri and Shinichi Kudo?

Why so suddenly?

Vermouth quickly recalled the information about Usui Saiki's connection to the Kudo and Mori families.

Hmm... When she took Usaku Saiki to England, Usaku Saiki met the Kudo couple and learned that Shinichi Kudo shrunk because of a mysterious black-clad organization, but he didn't seem to connect it to his own organization. He even asked her to help investigate as well.

Later on the mysterious train, Usuiba Saiki seemed to know nothing. When asked what she was doing on the train and why she was wary of Kudo Yukiko, she gave an excuse that she was afraid Kudo Yukiko would see through her disguise. Usuiba Saiki didn't react much, probably because she was unaware of the organization's messy affairs with the Kudo family.

But now...

Thinking about it carefully, the fact that Bourbon worked downstairs from Kogoro Mouri's house seems rather suspicious. If Saiki Usaba were willing to use his brain, he might have been able to guess that the organization the Kudo couple were talking about was their own organization...

Vermouth suspects that Usui Saiki has already figured out the truth and brought her here today to confront him—her previous pretense of not knowing what organization the Kudo couple were talking about might have been a way of muddying things up.

However, she dared to fool Bo Yezhaiji like that, so of course she wasn't completely unprepared. Don't be too nervous, relax...

Besides, Usaku Saiki's attitude towards the Kudo family is very different, full of favoritism! If this is reported to the organization, she may be punished. Do you think Usaku Saiki will get away with it?

Surely Usaku Saiki's reasons can't be higher than hers, right?

Vermouth comforted herself while also feeling fortunate that she had introduced Usuiba Saiki to the Kudo family early on, cultivating a good relationship beforehand. Otherwise, if Usuiba Saiki discovered Shinichi had shrunk, he might have taken it as a joke and sent the information to the organization's members, attracting the organization's attention...

Amid Vermouth's tension, the taxi pulled up in front of the Mori Detective Agency.

Vermouth's mood grew heavier, feeling a little guilty, as she had even paid the fare herself.

Taxi fares in Japan are quite high, but that's not a problem for Vermouth. She takes taxis abroad too, and the fares are even higher. Besides, she's trying to appease Usui Saiki right now, and since she's considered Usui Saiki's elder, it's only right that she pays.

After the taxi drove away, Vermouth stood still and asked in a low voice, "Are you still not going to tell me why you called me here?"

Bo Yezaki nodded: "I told you, you'll find out when you go in!"

Vermouth walked a few steps forward, her face calm but her mind preoccupied.

"Where are you going?" Usakabe asked suspiciously. "I know you care about Shinichi, but he hasn't gotten out of school yet."

Vermouth turned her head and saw that Usui Saiki wasn't planning to go upstairs to the Mouri Detective Agency on the second floor, but instead pointed to a sushi restaurant.

"Have you forgotten? I came to invite you to eat sushi."

Vermouth: "..."

Sorry, I actually forgot!

After realizing the route was off, my mind raced, and I inadvertently forgot the initial intelligence, thinking it was just an excuse...

Sigh, things related to Shinichi and Ran have had a huge impact on her.

But we can't let our guard down. What if Usui Saiki just wants to take her to eat sushi first, and then go find Shinichi and Ran afterward? Or what if he's calculated that Shinichi and Ran will come to this sushi restaurant...?

Based on the experiences of Vodka, Gin, and Shuichi Akai, Vermouth created a model of Saiki Usaba's behavior patterns. She recorded Saiki Usaba's actions today and simulated them, reminding herself to always be vigilant, as Saiki Usaba's purpose is usually not revealed at the beginning.

However, Vermouth soon realized that she might have been underthinking things about Usui Saiki before, but today she might have been overthinking them.

That guy wearing an eye patch, a waiter's uniform, and with buck teeth showing—isn't that Rum?!

Why is Rum working as a waiter at a sushi restaurant?! There wasn't a single word about it!

Vermouth's earlier wariness towards Usui had shifted entirely to Rum, and she felt deeply that being discovered by Usui working here was surely Rum's retribution.

Even if Rum, the second-in-command, was punished for the fake undercover list, he shouldn't have to work as a waiter. He should at least be the head chef, right?

So there's definitely something fishy going on!

Considering that the Mori family was the only one in the vicinity who had come into the organization's sights before because of Rena Mizunashi's incident, although they were temporarily cleared of suspicion at the time, Rum's appearance here probably means that he has not completely believed that it was all an FBI conspiracy at the time, and he also finds Bourbon's progress too slow, so he simply decided to do it himself. If he can seize some useful intelligence, he can return to the organization's central headquarters ahead of schedule.

This is troublesome.

Because she was so heavy-hearted, Vermouth couldn't even manage a smile.

What she didn't know was that Rum was even less able to laugh than she was.

Rum had initially thought that it was enough for Botness to come for sushi for two consecutive days, especially after bringing Botness yesterday. He even made Botness relay his conversation with Botness verbatim to confirm that although Botness recognized him, he didn't warn Botness and even made up some excuse like a misperception, so it seemed that Botness really didn't recognize him.

Unexpectedly, Potts was so persistent. He still didn't believe Bourbon's words and insisted on bringing Vermouth, the master of disguise, over!

Did he feel that his appearance was affecting his judgment, and asked Vermouth to check if he was disguised?

He does have some simple disguises, like his buck teeth are fake... but it's probably different from what Potts thought.

The good news is that Potts' suspicions are directed at the person he has met, and he probably hasn't considered the possibility that it's someone he's only known by phone.

The bad news is, he's unsure who's next after Vermouth helped cover it up... Is Potts planning to call everyone he knows in the organization?

He organizes team-building activities, and everyone else just watches the fun while he ends up serving them?!

Rum was mentally devastated, but he didn't really doubt that Potts already knew who he was.

The main problem is that Potts was too polite. He even apologized to him yesterday. If he really knew his identity, he would definitely take advantage of his poor performance on his mission and resign at will. He would also be more unscrupulous in ordering him to sit there and making no attempt to laugh at him. After all, if Potts really did that, he wouldn't be able to retaliate!

Damn it! He used to think he was a second-generation member of the organization because his elders worked hard. Other people's elders worked hard, so their children could also become second-generation members. It's because their elders were incompetent.

But now he feels that the credit for the hard work of the elders should be enjoyed by the useless younger generation!

"Your position determines your perspective"—that's a perfect description of Rum.

With a forced smile, Rum served the troublesome meal, deciding to find an opportunity to email Vermouth in the kitchen later, asking her to keep the secret as well.

After ordering and waiting for Rum to leave, Vermouth paused for a moment, then asked, "Can you tell me now? What did you call me here to help with?"

Identifying rum? She assumed that with Usoppō Saiki's ability to judge people, he should have already confirmed it...

Yes, she didn't recognize Morofushi Kagemitsu who was making sushi at the counter. After all, when a disguise reaches a certain level, it's not so easy to spot. She had lied to Usui Saiki before, saying she was afraid Kudo Yukiko would discover her disguise, but that was a lie.

Even if she were to find Kudo Yukiko in disguise, she would rely on other evidence, rather than looking for flaws in the disguise itself.

Morofushi Kagemitsu was also very nervous. Usaku Saiki brought Vermouth without telling him in advance... Well, he had a bit too high expectations of Usaku Saiki... But if he was discovered, Usaku Saiki, who helped him disguise himself as an undercover agent, would also be implicated.

He wavered between "Hasuba Saiki knows what's going on" and "Hasuba Saiki and Vermouth have reached some kind of agreement," and he also had some doubts about Hasuba Saiki's disguise skills—mainly doubts about whether he could fool Vermouth's eyes.

Usaku Saiki's suspicion level has increased dramatically again. Rum, Vermouth, and Morofushi Kagemitsu all have high weight, so he's really made a killing!

Especially Morofushi Kagemitsu, who had already stopped providing much suspicion points and mostly trust points, but not many, his sudden outburst today made him feel that suspicion points were like a sponge—you could always squeeze some out…

Faced with Vermouth's question, Usui smiled slightly and began, "It's like this..."

Vermouth nodded, indicating that she was listening.

She was probably asking about Rum... To be honest, she didn't really care. If Usakabe wanted to confirm, so be it... Compared to Rum, she felt that Usakabe was more worthy of her courtship.

Usaku Saiki seems quite shy.

“I gave him a tip yesterday, and he seemed very reluctant and insisted on refusing. Today I brought you here, and since you are a foreigner, he probably thinks I didn’t mean to hurt his pride... I just wanted you, as a foreign friend, to help me with this.”

Vermouth: "..."

Vermouth: "Huh?"

Another waiter passing by: "???"

—What has that buck-toothed newbie done to deserve this?! He's not happy about it!!! How can a customer be so considerate as to give a tip?!