Chapter 51: Xiao Ke Makes His Debut on a Rainy Night!

It wasn't that she hadn't considered that the organization might notice her, but Kitagawa Ryusei didn't take it to heart at all.

Everything is currently moving in a positive direction.

Although Rum still refused to speak, Kitagawa Ryusei wanted his life, and the intelligence was initially treated as a bonus.

It's better for Rum to be sensible to everyone, and it's no surprise that Kitagawa Ryusei kept his mouth shut.

In any case, we have exceeded our goals.

With the organization's second-in-command arrested, the intelligence network under his command has shrunk considerably.

Although Vermouth took over most of the work, Bourbon, who had just survived interrogation, also got a share, further elevating his status within the organization.

Morofushi Kagemitsu's injuries have mostly healed. Since he's under protection, he only needs to go to his new post assigned by the National Police Agency every day. His main job is to help the Zero Group investigate the undercover agents hidden within the Metropolitan Police Department. Occasionally, he goes upstairs to see Kitagawa Ryusei and flip through the "Black Organization Crime Records.zip" that the Special Investigation Team has collected and compiled over the years.

It could be said that they lived the ideal life of their childhood friend, who was busy working multiple jobs a day.

I heard from the Metropolitan Police Department that Matsuda and Hagiwara are going to be promoted.

In particular, Matsuda Jinpei, who had participated in police department missions, is said to be a potential superior to his childhood friend.

After receiving the news, Kenji Hagiwara cried all day, pretending to wipe away tears, and humming "rank can crush you," and from now on, he would be even less likely to dodge the "friendship-breaking punch."

Of course, there's also Date Wataru and Natalie; after discussing it, the young couple decided to settle in Tokyo in the future.

Miss Natalie has passed the teacher recruitment test at Teitan Elementary School, while the class monitor is busy with work and helping his girlfriend move.

Of course, he's still secretly preparing to propose.

Kitagawa Ryusei... Kitagawa Ryusei discovers that something is wrong with this world.

*

It was an ordinary workday, and some time had passed since the Rum incident.

Kitagawa Ryusei had an appointment to meet someone today. Before leaving home, she changed into a gray turtleneck sweater, put on the thick coat that had been hanging on the coat rack by the door yesterday, and put on her leather shoes to prepare to go.

As soon as the door opened, a wave of heat swept in, blowing the young man's bangs up for a long time without them falling down.

He raised his arm and pressed his hair down his forehead, staring blankly at the clear blue sky outside.

Everyone who sees this weather would say it's clear and sunny with a gentle spring breeze.

The cherry blossoms at the entrance are still in bud and look like they'll bloom at any moment.

The young man slowly lowered his head, making eye contact with the little Siamese boy who happened to look up.

They both saw an indelible layer of doubt in each other's eyes.

"I remember...it snowed yesterday."

"Meow."

Where's the snow?

Meow~

The streets were bustling with people, all dressed in seasonal clothing, and no one questioned the unusual weather.

But he clearly remembered that the cold winds of Lesser Siberia had just swept across the Sea of ​​Japan not long ago.

Having been in this world for so long, Kitagawa Ryusei felt out of place for the first time.

After quickly changing his clothes, the young policeman arrived at the meeting place before the agreed time.

However, he was still a step later than the person he was supposed to meet.

"It was impolite of me to keep the lady waiting," Kitagawa Ryusei said with a slightly apologetic expression as he sat down.

"So please don't refuse my offer to pay for this purchase."

The woman, who had been somewhat absent-minded, was startled by the sudden appearance of the person in front of her. When she looked up, her eyes were still wide with shock. It took her a while to force a smile: "No, you're not late. I'm the one who's early."

"I also need to thank you for your help some time ago, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get rid of those people's surveillance so quickly."

The girl looked a little tired, as if she hadn't rested well, but she still mustered her spirits to express her gratitude.

Kitagawa Ryusei came to see Miyano Akemi, whom he had met once before.

There was a moment of silence between them.

After a long silence, Miyano Akemi asked hesitantly, "Is... is Lord Moroboshi still safe?"

Immediately after Ray's defection, codenamed agents contacted her. Miyano Akemi still vividly remembers the feeling of her heart leaping into her throat at that moment.

Because of her younger sister, she had dealt with the organization's undercover assassins, and her fear of that silver-haired man was deeply ingrained in her bones.

Even though she knew that a police undercover agent had been discovered and successfully escaped not long ago, breaking Gin's absolute kill record, she was still worried for Dai Moroboshi.

She sincerely hoped that the person could escape alive.

During this time, Akemi Miyano was under close surveillance by members of the organization. Even when she met with her sister once a month, she was accompanied by someone and could not get any news from the outside world.

She never imagined that the police officer she had met once at the supermarket would be able to successfully evade the organization's surveillance and make contact with her.

Kitagawa Ryusei replied, "It's safe. I've already returned home." And because he went too far in his provocation, he also took Gin with him.

The undercover assassin, having caught a whiff of something, ran off to the United States, much to Furuya Rei's relief. As a result, the two have been meeting more frequently these past few days, thanks to the FBI.

The young policeman picked up his coffee cup and swallowed the rest of his words.

Hearing this, Akemi Miyano felt somewhat relieved.

She actually wanted to ask Kitagawa Ryusei what he meant by saying in the message Moroboshi Dai asked him to deliver that they were actually family, but she didn't want to bother this kind policeman too much right now.

Akemi Miyano asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you by asking me to come out today?"

But she couldn't think of anything she could do.

In fact, Kitagawa Ryusei did have some questions he wanted to ask.

Monitoring Akemi Miyano's movements and safety was a private deal between him and Shuichi Akai.

Since Kitagawa Ryusei learned from Furuya Rei that Akai Shuichi had entered the organization through a research group recommendation, he developed a strong interest in the FBI for the first time.

You should know that he had been researching this organization with the special investigation team for so long, and he had more or less obtained some information from the action group, intelligence group, and medical logistics group.

But there was one thing he couldn't understand—what was the goal of these people coming together?

Those at the bottom might have gone astray, been forced into it, or become bloodthirsty.

But since the organization's top members have come together to do so much, there must be a goal to drive them.

Even saving the world could convince Kitagawa Ryusei.

The Black Organization seems to revolve around one person, with its senior officers having no doubt about the BOSS's orders, and behind this BOSS stands the Karasuma Group.

He possessed unimaginable wealth and power, making him an extremely unshakeable figure throughout Japan. Kitagawa Ryusei couldn't imagine what else he wanted but couldn't obtain.

It wasn't until Kitagawa Ryusei discovered a department within the organization that neither Furuya Rei nor Morofushi Kagemitsu had ever been in contact with—the research group.

Even after taking over a small portion of Rum's subordinates and intelligence network, Rei Furuya was still unable to get involved in this area.

Whenever this is involved, even for a simple transaction, it must be handled by someone of Gin's caliber.

Unlike other codenamed members, the members of the research team did not seem to have identities like "Amuro Tooru" or "Vinyad" who could communicate with the outside world privately. Their personal information was kept airtight, making them stand out from the rest of the organization.

However, the most suspicious thing is the presence of a disciplined and strictly controlled department in a loose organization.

As part of the deal, Shuichi Akai briefly explained to Ruki Kitagawa how he had used his cousin Akemi Miyano.

To get to the bottom of this, the police officer must help Miyano Akemi escape the organization's surveillance, gain her trust, and establish contact.

It took Kitagawa Ryusei several months to make the round trip.

Thinking of this, Kitagawa Ryusei composed himself.

He didn't directly state his purpose, but instead took a document from his briefcase, placed it flat on the empty space on the table, and pushed it forward: "This is the 'cooperation plan' I applied for from above. Although the FBI certainly has a witness protection plan, if Ms. Miyano has no intention of going abroad, this will allow the police to provide you with protection."

"I can also guarantee that this information will be kept in paper form in the archives until the Black Organization is completely wiped out, and will not be leaked to the organization."

After saying that, he didn't explain further and handed the choice over to the other party.

The private room fell silent for a moment, with no one speaking, except for the ticking of the clock on the wall.

"..."

Akemi Miyano kept her head down, her gaze fixed on the title page of the document, making her expression unreadable.

After a long while, she ran her fingers across the white paper in front of her and pursed her lips.

She knew this might be her closest chance to leaving the organization.

Akemi Miyano disliked that place. She was highly educated and knew perfectly well that what she was doing was aiding and abetting evil.

But before that, she had no courage to escape, because her only relative was still trapped here, and she had to survive.

But now that people are successfully leaving the organization one after another, Miyano Akemi has been given hope again.

...If the codenamed members can evade Gin's pursuit, then do she and Shiho also have a chance?

Moreover, the current collaborator program doesn't require her to be separated from her family...

"I..." Akemi Miyano's throat bobbed slightly as she made her decision: "Can I sign for someone else?"

"I can hide myself, but can my sister become my accomplice?"

Even though she knew the chances were slim, what if she really could leave with Shiho?

Akemi Miyano would try her best as long as there was even the slightest possibility.

Kitagawa Ryusei remained expressionless, did not ask her why, but replied, "Logically speaking, it shouldn't be possible."

The young man seemed to have anticipated this scene, and his micro-expressions even suggested that he was pleased with it.

When Miyano Akemi showed an expression of "I knew it," he changed the subject and took out another cooperation plan from his bag, placing it in front of the lady.

Kitagawa Ryusei crossed his arms on the table and said without changing his expression:

"However, I'm not a very reasonable cop."

"Before that, may I ask about your sister's identity and role in the organization? It doesn't need to be too detailed, just tell me what you're willing to tell me..."

...

They talked for a long time in the private room.

During the conversation, Kitagawa Ryusei showed great interest in the origins of the false identities of the organization's lower-level members, their daily tasks, and their interactions with codenamed members. He also asked in-depth questions about some of the more general points made by Miyano Akemi.

Having chosen to trust the policeman, Akemi Miyano did not hide anything and answered all the questions he knew in detail.

Both of them got what they wanted when they left.

Long after Miyano Akemi left, Kitagawa Ryusei, having sorted through the important information he had received that day, also got up and left.

It wasn't until he was pulled away from the intelligence gathering that he realized it was already completely dark outside.

It was sunny when I left home, but now it's raining.

Rainwater dripped from the eaves, pooling on the ground and gradually forming lines.

Kitagawa Ryusei bought an umbrella at a convenience store and walked home.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, blurring the road ahead, with only the headlights of passing cars visible on the side of the road.

It was as if someone had suffered a terrible misfortune, and the sky had specially provided a lyrical backdrop for them.

The young man's umbrella pierced the rain on the deserted bridge.

After he left, the rain gathered again.

A muffled rumble of thunder echoed across the sky.

"Huff, huff—"

Suddenly, a series of erratic gasps broke the silence of the sudden downpour.

The voice sounds like a child's.

Kitagawa Ryusei turned around and saw a blurry little figure running wildly across the bridge in the rain.

The child's clothes seemed to be in the way, and he stumbled forward every few steps, raising his sleeve to wipe the raindrops falling on his face.

The young man didn't move; he stood there and waited for the child to run up to him.

Little did they expect that the little guy wasn't looking where he was going at all, and just kept his head down, bumping straight into Kitagawa Ryusei's calf and falling backward, splashing water everywhere.

"ah!"

Before he could check where he had fallen, the boy looked up but couldn't see the face of the person under the umbrella; all he could see was a black trench coat.

Instead of standing up immediately, he quickly moved backward while still seated, using his hands to support himself on the ground, eager to avoid the adult in front of him.

More than the pain of falling, Kitagawa Ryusei felt fear.

He knelt down, supporting himself on his knees, tilting the umbrella over the boy's head, and reached out to help him up, his voice as gentle as possible: "Little friend, where do you live? Why are you still out so late? Where are your family?"

Perhaps the comforting words had an effect, because the little boy raised his hand again to wipe the rainwater that was obscuring his vision from his face.

Upon seeing each other's faces, the two were both taken aback.

Judging from his expression, the little boy looked like he was about to burst into tears.

"Ryusei-nii!"

I was still a little unsure, but when I heard this, I finally connected the little boy with the boy in my memory.

"...Shinichi Kudo?"