Chapter 91, Twentieth Round (10)

I don't need to worry about this. Gin won't fail in this operation, even if the opponent is the Yamaguchi-gumi.

But you must be careful of Bourbon. He's the organization's most perceptive intelligence officer. You absolutely cannot reveal the slightest flaw in front of him.

After reading the email, Rena Mizunashi immediately deleted it.

She put away her phone, checked the time and it was almost time, so she sat down at the vanity to prepare, reaching up to tie her loose black hair into a high ponytail at the back of her head.

Rena Mizunashi is currently known to the public as a television news anchor.

But she secretly has two other identities.

Kir, a newly codenamed executive member of the Black Organization.

Hondo Emi, a CIA undercover investigator, is essentially an infiltrator sent into the organization.

Her father, Ethan Bendo, is also a CIA undercover agent, now using the alias Takahiko Ito. He is a mid-level member of the organization, the kind of person who has some abilities but not enough to earn a codename.

This is because her father is a very cautious person who makes extensive preparations for almost everything and generally only does things that he is fully prepared for and confident in.

It was this cautious nature, which led him to extinguish every spark of danger, that allowed him to remain an undercover agent within the organization for thirteen years, even though it prevented him from obtaining a codename.

In a few more days, this year will be over, and it will be fourteen years.

This is an astonishing amount of time spent undercover.

It can be said that, apart from the core intelligence that only codenamed members could access, Ethan Bendo had a clear understanding of the organization's lower and middle levels.

After applying her lipstick, Rena Mizunashi calmly looked at herself in the mirror.

Even such a father would be extremely wary of the codenamed member named Bourbon.

For them, who were undercover agents, Bourbon was probably even more terrifying than Gin.

This mission was her first time meeting Bourbon and her first time working with him, so she absolutely couldn't reveal any flaws in front of him.

After all, if she were exposed, it would also implicate her father, who was also an undercover agent.

She hadn't expected her father to be involved in this mission as well. Although it was a violent action team dealing with the Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters, unlike their team that gathered intelligence and important information, Rena Mizunashi couldn't help but worry.

Unlike her, her father, despite being an undercover agent for so many years, never received a code name.

Regardless of ability or seniority, members without code names are merely pawns that can be discarded at will by the organization.

Therefore, after obtaining the code name, Rena Mizunashi proposed a plan to have her father withdraw from the undercover operation, so that she, who already had the code name, could continue to carry out her father's mission.

After all, Ethan Bendon had been undercover for too long, and had not obtained a codename or core intelligence of the organization. The CIA felt it was time to send him back for inspection and replace him with someone else.

This plan was, of course, rejected.

Their original plan was to have Rena Mizunashi withdraw from the undercover operation, right after they introduced the new contact to Ethan Hondou.

Ethan Bendo didn't want his daughter to get deeply involved in such a dark organization. He could work hard to get a codename, so he negotiated to let Rena Mizunashi leave the organization.

As a result, Rena Mizunashi was forced to join the action group in the previous years, and was also stimulated by the Whiskey Trio, who had only entered the organization a year earlier but had already obtained codenames and were highly valued by the higher-ups. She worked hard to train and learn more skills, and with each mission being a perfect success, she had unknowingly caught the eye of the organization's higher-ups.

Rena Mizunashi initially planned to follow her father's experience and advice, taking the same cautious path. However, the Bourbon and Ray incident was too well-known within the organization. And then there was Scotland. Rena Mizunashi didn't think Scotland was as easily manipulated as rumored; it was hard to say which of the three was more dangerous.

They're all around the same age and joined the organization around the same time. They can do it, so why can't she?

Those three new senior colleagues put a lot of pressure on her and motivated her to work even harder.

However, she was conflicted because she was an undercover agent and should keep a low profile. Those three high-profile newcomers were definitely not undercover agents. They were completely different and incomparable. She only needed to work hard in secret and there was no need for her to stand out.

As a result, Rena Mizunashi was not given a chance to decide. Because of Sakura's previous trouble and the performance of those three people, the organization's higher-ups paid close attention to the large number of new members who had joined in recent years. Many suspected undercover members and useless members died, and many excellent members were also selected.

At that time, Rena Mizunashi only had three choices: either become a useless person rejected by the organization and be used as cannon fodder, or work hard to train and prove her value to get noticed by the organization's higher-ups, or simply give up being an undercover agent.

After nearly three years of relentless work, almost to the point of exhaustion, Ethan Hondou suggested she leave the undercover operation. She hesitated for a long time before agreeing, after all, her father was indeed more capable than her, and she felt that her presence would only make him more worried and anxious, rather than help him.

Not long ago, she was given the codename Gil, which completely disrupted their original plans.

She broke out in a cold sweat after realizing what had happened, which meant she hadn't thought much about it. As a newly promoted outstanding member of the organization, she had been closely watched by the organization and had been subjected to countless surveillance, listening, location tracking, and mission probing. If she had made even the slightest mistake, the outcome could have been completely different.

Fortunately, she always listened to Whiskey's ramblings and consciously seized the time to hone her skills, carefully checking herself and her surroundings before doing anything important. After discovering strange tracking devices and listening devices on herself twice and noticing the unusual behavior of the people around her, she became even more vigilant. She hadn't met with her father, and the introduction of a new contact person had been delayed until now.

if……

Rena Mizunashi took a deep breath, picked up her briefcase, got up, and went out to begin her task for the day.

There are no "what ifs." There's no turning back now, and she absolutely will not let her mistake endanger her father.

Absolutely not.

If she works a little harder, her father can finish his undercover mission and go back to rest for a while.

She will continue the undercover mission.

*

"Time is almost up..." The tall, thin young man leaned close to the mirror to check his makeup one last time. Once he was sure everything was okay, he raised his hand to tidy up his long, golden hair that had fallen to his chest, and walked out with a perfect smile on his face.

It's almost time for Kiyoko Yamaguchi to come visit.

He deliberately set aside this time of free time to wait for the young lady of the Yamaguchi-gumi.

"Phoenix Senior".

"Mr. Phoenix".

Everyone he met along the way greeted him respectfully, and even the manager didn't say anything about his willfulness. The Cowherd Liu Yue, codenamed Phoenix, thoroughly enjoyed this treatment.

All of this was brought to him by Kiyoko Yamaguchi, so he absolutely had to hold onto that woman tightly.

With the troublesome people gone, he can definitely make more money off that woman; those damn gangsters are really rich.

With a perfectly composed smile, the Phoenix walked past the guests who wanted to call him out or those who were making sarcastic remarks about the stabbing incident, and naturally made his way to the highest, most luxurious booth at the back.

Kiyoko Yamaguchi doesn't like private rooms or noisy bars, so she usually chooses a booth somewhere in between.

Moreover, she has her own exclusive seat, a luxurious booth specially modified to her specifications, in the best viewing spot.

Even though he would hire other male escorts, he would almost always have Phoenix by his side, so when Phoenix sat in the seat that was reserved for Yamaguchi Kiyoko, no one stopped him.

Even though Kiyoko Yamaguchi hadn't arrived yet, the bugging device revealed that someone, Wataru Date, who was sitting in Kiyoko Yamaguchi's reserved seat, had sent a message to Kenji Hagiwara.

It's alright, the phoenix is ​​waiting for her.

After sending the message, Kenji Hagiwara turned around and smiled again, pouring a drink for the guest who was already a little too excited and wanted to hug him. He used the drink to distract her, and then casually glanced around the room.

He's been on duty for an hour and has already served three customers. The other two new employees are also serving customers. Why hasn't Kofuya come out even once?

Could it be...?

Kenji Hagiwara remembered Kiyoko Yamaguchi's information.

Kiyoko Yamaguchi, 28 years old this year, is the eldest daughter of the fifth head of the Yamaguchi-gumi. She was married but her husband died soon after, and she has no children.

Although she has the title of a young lady from a wealthy family and is quite capable, she doesn't delve into the organization's power and spends her days indulging in male beauty, with a particular fondness for handsome blond, baby-faced men.

In other words, neither tall, burly blond foreign men, nor baby-faced black-haired Asians, nor men who are too cute or not handsome enough, meet her requirements.

Such demanding requirements are only barely met by the phoenix who spends a lot of money every day to maintain his dyed blonde hair, thus becoming her most favored male escort.

However, there is now a naturally handsome guy here who perfectly meets her requirements, and given her status, she must have known about it long ago.

Furthermore, the reason why Kofuya, as a newcomer, is so highly regarded is probably not only because of his superior qualities, but also because of Kiyoko Yamaguchi's presence, which makes him more valued.

So, Phoenix must know that too, right?

Given the Phoenix's personality, ruthless and cold-blooded methods, and the power and intimidation he wields here, what would he do? To what extent would he dare to go?

Kenji Hagiwara resisted the urge to stand up and go find Rei Furuya.

It's alright. With Kofuruya's strength, he wouldn't be harmed by someone like that. Perhaps this was part of his plan.

Or perhaps the manager was also aware of this, so he simply had Kofuya and Phoenix turn down other guests to wait for Yamaguchi Kiyoko's request?

Amidst Kenji Hagiwara's mental storm, Kiyoko Yamaguchi, dressed in a red dress, finally arrived.

"Peacock, peacock, your smile is so beautiful, may I touch your little braids?"

The guests, who were already getting a little drunk, reached out their hands, eager to make a move.

"Ah, it's time." Kenji Hagiwara pretended to glance at his watch, then smiled lightly and naturally, saying, "Megumi-chan, I really enjoyed chatting with you this time. I'm so lucky to have met such a cute and gentle girl like Megumi-chan on my first day at work. Thanks to Megumi-chan, I'm not nervous at all now. Well then, see you next time~"

The customer, dazed by the close-up wink, nodded frantically. Even when the next male escort spoke to her, she was still in a daze, thinking that next time she came, she must buy Peacock a gift and request him more often so that she could ask him out...

Kenji Hagiwara's next customer was right next to Kiyoko Yamaguchi's booth, which was obviously part of his plan to draw the attention of the customer at that spot and then immediately call him out.

This is super easy for Hagi-chan!

According to calculations, he arrived just in time to coincide with Kiyoko Yamaguchi's arrival, having just finished the previous round of gameplay.

Although the booth was a bit far away due to the renovation of Kiyoko Yamaguchi's booth, and the dim, flickering lights made it a little difficult to see, it wasn't a particularly big problem for Kenji Hagiwara's observation skills.

It's perfectly fine to multitask, chatting and drinking with guests while keeping an eye on what's happening over there.

"Kiyoko!" The phoenix with long, flowing golden hair called out Kiyoko Yamaguchi's name affectionately.

Even though it was already winter, Kiyoko Yamaguchi was still carrying a black folding fan.

She had long, smooth black hair and wore a red dress. After sitting down, she threw the white fur shawl on her shoulders aside, raised her hand, and slowly raised the folding fan to the phoenix's chin.

This action immediately interrupted the Phoenix's state and even the words he hadn't finished speaking, leaving him only able to maintain a basic smile and freeze, waiting for her signal.

"Where's the fox?" Kiyoko Yamaguchi looked down at the handsome young man whose eyes betrayed his undisguised fear. "Bring him here."

Phoenix: "...Okay, please wait a moment."

"Good girl." Kiyoko Yamaguchi smiled as she closed her cold metal folding fan.

The phoenix gave a gentle smile, then got up to go and call for help.

Despite having the most dazzling golden hair and exceptionally handsome features, the man turned around and immediately revealed an expression more terrifying than a demon.

Kenji Hagiwara put down his glass and continued chatting with the guests. His smile grew even wider as he followed the guests' smiles, but his heart was filled with even more worry.

Whether it's the Phoenix or Kiyoko Yamaguchi, they seem to be more dangerous than we imagined.

He doesn't need to worry about that. His task is simply to observe from the sidelines, chat with more people to gather information, and occasionally attach a listening device or transmitter.

After all, Kofuruya even said that once he finished investigating the Yamaguchi-gumi's intelligence and the information about the Kabukicho strongholds, he could send it to the Metropolitan Police Department under the identity of Sakura, so there was no need for them to risk going deeper.

But this also means that Kofuya will have to deal closely with the Yamaguchi-gumi.

If it weren't for the knowledge that an international criminal organization lurks in the shadows, to ordinary people, the Yamaguchi-gumi would be the most terrifying violent group in the entire country, one of the most historically significant and largest criminal organizations in East Asia and even the world, with activities and influence in Western Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia. Moreover, they have tens of thousands of members, have been established for a century, and are preparing to hold a centennial celebration this year.

Even if the Black Organization is incredibly powerful, sending just a few people would be dangerous, wouldn't it? And Kofuruya, as an intelligence agent, is infiltrating the enemy camp alone on the front lines, dealing with seemingly deeply hidden and dangerous individuals…

Even though Komobushi was disguised as a waiter and helping out, there's only so much a waiter can do. Is this really okay?

Kofuya said that his mission this time did not involve any dangerous organization members, and the four people who came were all undercover agents, and there was no organization monitoring or eavesdropping.

So, could he also get involved and lend a hand?