Chapter 89 The Result: They Caught Furuya

The cat, using the pseudonym Samuel, was slowly and leisurely stirring the coffee in its cup with a silver spoon, its movements as languid as if it were passing the time.

By this time, a year and a half had passed since he was sniped in the United States, and all the aftermath of the sniping incident had subsided.

The organization's attention was completely diverted from Nekono Ikuya, which was the perfect time for Nekono Ikuya to act, as her lover and childhood friend had gone missing while she was undercover, and she was bored and had developed a strong desire to explore the organization.

He followed hidden clues from the Americas to Europe, discovering traces of organized crime in many countries: arms dealing in Italy, pharmaceutical research in Germany, money laundering in Britain…

France, in particular, has a deeply entrenched network of corruption, which, beneath its glamorous facade, weaves a luxurious yet dangerous web centered on art smuggling and intelligence gathering on political figures.

Some time ago, the organization's influence in France suffered a major blow due to its involvement in a political struggle and failed bets. The person in charge was assassinated by far-left figures, and his death was very sudden.

Amid the chaos, some artworks containing vital intelligence, originally intended for smuggling to other countries, entered Parisian auction houses and were bought and collected by unsuspecting art enthusiasts, mixed in with other auction items.

The original regional leader died suddenly, and even the organization did not know which artwork contained the real intelligence. They could only rely on the few words the deceased leader had spoken before his death to speculate that the intelligence was most likely hidden in an expensive painting.

There are three most likely paintings, which were bought by three different collectors, including Samuel, the genius painter who has recently become popular in France and is highly sought after in the Parisian art world.

Nekono Ikuya sat in a corner of an open-air café on the banks of the Seine, quietly watching the flowing water beside her, and took a sip of coffee.

The bait had been cast, and the fish would eventually bite, so he wasn't anxious.

He just didn't know... He lowered his eyes to hide his thoughts, wondering how the organization would approach him.

Nekono Ikuya was very curious.

"Crack—"

The young artist who conquered the Parisian art scene quietly sipped coffee on the banks of the Seine, the evening breeze ruffling his thick, long, black curly hair and brushing against his slender fingers holding the coffee cup.

The misty fog blurred his features for a moment, and his azure eyes withdrew from the river, a faint melancholy, like moonlight, seeming to flit beneath his lowered eyelashes.

When people actually see him, all the descriptions of his talent and charm have a real basis, and they will find that the rumors are not even a tenth of the truth.

He sat amidst the hustle and bustle and romance of Paris, becoming the most vivid stroke in this painting.

This scene naturally attracted the attention of a tourist who was admiring the scenery of Paris. He seemed to be unconsciously drawn by the artist's tranquil and melancholic temperament, and almost instinctively turned his camera away from the view of the Seine River.

His wheat-colored fingers instinctively pressed the shutter.

"Crack—"

The camera shutter wasn't very loud, but the painter's senses were very sharp.

Those deep blue eyes, always reminiscent of the Aegean Sea, looked over.

The painter possessed a delicate mixed-race face, as beautiful as a finely sculpted classical sculpture, and his eyes were deeper than others', naturally imbuing his gaze with a touch of infatuation and affection.

The coincidence of fate is that this tourist also has a striking and unforgettable appearance.

His light golden hair was bathed in a soft glow by the sunlight in the riverside breeze, and his wheat-colored skin radiated vibrant energy. What was particularly striking were his purplish-grey eyes, which were slightly widened as the painter gazed upon them, but he did not look away.

The moment their eyes met, both the painter and the tourist seemed to pause in surprise.

Then their eyes met as if by fate, each reflecting the other's image, creating a mysterious attraction.

A beautiful encounter, truly befitting the romantic city of Paris.

Shuichi Akai, who had just stepped off the plane and was on his way to the organization's safe house in Paris, happened to see this scene and was moved by it.

Although Shuichi Akai is heterosexual, he spent much of his childhood in the UK, a country known for its corruption, and later lived in the US, a country that is tolerant not only of sexual orientation but also of gender, so he is not surprised by other sexual orientations.

Having dated two beautiful girlfriends, he wasn't completely clueless about romance, and naturally noticed the ambiguous atmosphere that was building between the painter and the traveler as they looked at each other.

Both the painter and the traveler were strikingly handsome, and the composition of their gaze against the romantic backdrop of Paris was truly beautiful.

Shuichi Akai glanced at them a couple more times with an eye for pure aesthetic appreciation, then continued walking calmly with unhurried steps.

Before leaving, he also heard the sound of their encounter carried by the evening breeze.

The traveler, both sincere and embarrassed, said, "I'm so sorry, sir! I... I just thought the lighting and composition were absolutely perfect. And your melancholic air... I was captivated by your melancholic and charming aura, and I couldn't help myself... It was really not my intention to offend you, I'll delete the photo right away!"

The painter didn't mind: "Please wait a moment, can I see it? Can I see the moment you captured?"

"Of course, my name is Amuro Tooru."

"Hello, Mr. Amuro, my name is Samuel. Your photos are really good. If you like them, please don't delete them. Just keep them... You must have a talent for photography."

"You flatter me... Samuel, Samuel?! Are you the painter Samuel? Good heavens, I felt you looked very familiar, I never imagined it was you! I can't believe it! I love your 'Dawn and Mist' so much, it's my favorite painting, the brushstrokes and the handling of light and shadow are simply breathtaking! Please forgive my rudeness just now, I didn't expect to bother you in this way."

The painter's voice also held a hint of surprise: "Do you like my 'Dawn and Mist' the most? That's also my favorite painting! But it seems that everyone prefers my other painting, 'Girl in the Morning Light.' Although 'Girl in the Morning Light' is also very good, sometimes I still feel a little regretful."

"It's truly a blessing to meet a kindred spirit on the streets of Paris. Would you like to sit down and chat? Would I have the honor of inviting you for a cup of coffee?"

"This..." came the passenger's excited yet shy voice, "It's my honor."

The remaining sounds gradually became blurred as the distance increased.

Shuichi Akai raised an eyebrow slightly.

Unexpectedly, it was a meeting of kindred spirits? It wasn't just love at first sight, but a meeting of souls? France truly has traces of romance everywhere.

Upon landing, he witnessed a wonderful encounter, and Akai Shuichi was very satisfied with the gift France gave him.

...Although as an FBI agent infiltrating the Black Organization, he was destined not to reciprocate the same friendliness with France in order to infiltrate and investigate; it would most likely be bloodshed and crime.

Thinking about it this way, it really does feel a bit sinful, Shuichi Akai sighed, before disappearing into the darkness.

He didn't know that after he left, the interaction between the painter and the traveler was not as he had imagined.

Even unaware that important spectators were watching, Samuel and Amuro Tooru flawlessly performed their romantic encounter in front of everyone before slowly sitting down face to face.

Underneath Samuel's skin, Ikuya Nekono looked at Tooru Amuro: "..."

Rei Furuya, wearing Amuro's see-through skin, looked at Samuel: "..."

Those around them, drawn by their striking looks and charisma, also witnessed their beautiful "first meeting." They smiled knowingly, then looked away with either regret or encouragement, leaving the young couple, who were mutually attracted, alone.

This is Paris, where romantic encounters are not uncommon.

They thus had time to silently look at each other and sort out their thoughts.

The café is open-air, offering an unobstructed view of the surrounding environment and pedestrians, so Rei Furuya and Ikuya Nekono are not worried about being watched from the shadows.

Nekono Ikuya looked at Furuya Rei, who was not disguised.

Being in a good position, Rei Furuya naturally learned a thing or two from Ikuya Nekono, who had a master of disguise as his lover and was also an excellent learner.

He learned to disguise himself, though his skills weren't as good as Nekono Ikuya's, nor as good as the Thousand-Faced Witch in the organization, but they were enough to make it difficult for those who couldn't disguise themselves to see through his disguise.

Rei Furuya did not reveal this inexplicable skill's origin and the fearsome ability to the organization.

Unlike the Thousand-Faced Witch, he wasn't deeply trusted by the organization. Exposing his disguise skills would inevitably make the organization's higher-ups think that someone who could change his identity at any time would be difficult to track and control, which would be detrimental to gaining trust when he was undercover.

This skill from his lover helped him a lot. During his year undercover work, Furuya Rei, disguised, made contact with his undercover liaison quite easily.

What's Rei Furuya doing here? Isn't he an undercover agent?! Ikuya Nekono wondered.

He wasn't surprised when he heard the camera shutter click a few moments earlier. As a renowned artist in the Parisian art world, it was common for him to be photographed by reporters when he appeared on the street without any disguise—he intentionally used this method to let the organization know his whereabouts so that the organization could send people to approach him.

Moreover, given Samuel's good looks, it's perfectly normal for tourists and pedestrians to include him in their photos.

But when he looked up, he saw someone he hadn't seen in a long time—was it Zero?!

After a brief moment of surprise, the quick-thinking Nekono Ikuya intended to act naturally as if she had been unintentionally filmed by a stranger, in order to avoid causing trouble for her undercover lover.

Unexpectedly, Furuya Rei's gaze fixed on him; he had come to find him intentionally.

In a flash, Nekono Ikuya understood everything. The organization that Furuya Rei had infiltrated was the very organization he had been investigating. Nekono Ikuya's bait had caught his own fish!

Nekono Ikuya: "..."

How could this be?!

The plan changed, and the script was rewritten and started again.

Rei Furuya looked at Ikuya Nekono, who had disguised himself.

The organization's influence in France suffered a major blow a month ago, with key codenamed members either killed or wounded. For the lower-ranking members who had only recently risen to prominence in the organization but still needed to accumulate several more years of seniority and had not yet received a codename, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain one.

Rei Furuya followed Rum's path to France, assisting in the reconstruction of the organization's power there. The reconstruction process also provided him with an opportunity to clarify the organization's context and understand its structure.

I heard that in order to check and balance each other, Pisco and Gin each sent their favorite newcomers.

He was one of the first to arrive in France and has already begun a grueling investigation into the organization's lost intelligence.

But, looking at the photos, I didn't recognize him. But when I saw him in person, it was my long-lost lover—Yuya?!

Rei Furuya was overwhelmed with turmoil.