Chapter 63
The conversation between Shigetsu Tsujimoto and the boss is still going on.
Although the conversation between the two became a little unfriendly due to some unpleasant things, Shigeto Tsujimoto still maintained a calm attitude.
He still wants to continue exploring his past, and so far, the boss's attitude is very clear.
He was willing to tell him these things, not because of so-called trust, but more of a test.
The boss was also very satisfied with Shigetsu Tsujimoto's performance.
At least he confirmed that Shigeto Tsujimoto was indeed gradually recovering his memory, but he was a little wary of his attitude towards him.
The silver-haired young man rested his fingers on the glass, his eyes casually looking into the corner.
He was thinking about what to say next.
"Don't be nervous, it's okay."
Realizing that the other party was beginning to feel uneasy, the boss quickly spoke to comfort him,
"I just want to confirm your current condition, which will facilitate our future cooperation."
"cooperate?"
Shigetsu Tsujimoto found this somewhat amusing.
"So you let me regain my memory just to further exploit me?"
"I'm not trying to exploit you. I just hope we can go back to our previous equal friendship." The boss said gently.
"Why do you think I would agree?" Tsujimoto sneered.
"You don't have any leverage over me, and what can I give you? I can't give you anything."
"Oh? Even that child remains indifferent to you?" said the BOSS with a smile.
"That child?" Tsujimoto Shigetsu was stunned for a moment.
"What are you talking about?"
"The one who has always been with you is also your clone child." The boss continued.
"You should also know that your brother, Yuma Tsujimoto, cannot live longer, right?"
“…”
Shigeto Tsujimoto fell silent.
He actually knew it a long time ago.
After the destruction caused by the experiment, I am afraid that my life span from now on is only five years.
It's just that the two of them usually keep silent about this matter.
"You care about him very much. To you, he is your only relative." The boss said patiently.
"I admit that I was wrong not to tell you about him at that time. But we did achieve remarkable research results, didn't we? If you are willing to continue working for us, we will also help Yushin Tsujimoto cure the sequelae of his experiment."
…
Regarding Yuma Tsujimoto, it is indeed a very complicated experience.
Although Shigeto Tsujimoto has always regarded Yuma Tsujimoto as his own brother, in reality the relationship between them is more complicated than that of brothers.
They first met in BOSS's laboratory.
After being forcibly taken back to the Black Organization by the boss, Shigetto Tsujimoto no longer thought about escaping. He knew very clearly that he could not escape from the boss, but the reason he chose to leave was not for his own safety.
He just hoped that the others would have time to leave quickly, after all, he was the man's main target.
But surprisingly, the BOSS did not express dissatisfaction with him.
"I know you don't want me to do that kind of thing, involving others." The boss said to him condescendingly.
"I will not kill you, nor will I hurt you. But you must join the Black Organization - you have no other choice."
But what can he do in the Black Organization? Although he is good at fighting and has a lot of experience in managing the organization, and even became a so-called high-level cadre right after he arrived, he has never had the so-called freedom.
The boss's attitude towards him has always been subtle. He seems to trust him very much, but he never lets him participate in crucial matters.
He is still obsessed with his research on immortality and has restarted the Pandora Project, hoping that Shigetto Tsujimoto can participate.
As a member of the original Pandora Project, he is probably the person who knows the most about this mission.
Shigeto Tsujimoto agreed.
He had no other choice, and this was not the first time he had compromised.
He even thought that it wouldn't be strange for men nowadays to be used as drug test subjects, although he did not do so.
"Becoming a test subject is not a good choice. And it will most likely make your body increasingly fragile and your life short. In short, I will not let you become a test subject, Sai Ren."
The man had made such a promise to him, and although Tsujimoto Shigetsu found it a little funny, he didn't say anything else.
Rather, ever since the man changed, he has never completely placed his trust in the other person again.
What the man said and did were not what he expected to see. After becoming the boss of the Black Organization, he seemed to be devoured by the soul named Karasuma Renya and could never go back.
When he became a member of the Black Organization, he was given the code name [Gin]. Just like when he was in the medical factory, everyone respected him. Perhaps because of the boss's different attitude towards him, Shigetto Tsujimoto also received a lot of attention.
He and everyone else were conducting drug research in the research department, and Tsujimoto Shigetsu also clearly learned a piece of news from some of the processes -
There are definitely more than just the two children he saw that day as experimental subjects in this world.
It is impossible for the man to display all the experimental subjects in the room. He must have hidden other experimental subjects, and the child is likely to be suffering extremely painful torture.
But nominally it was Organization X that conducted this experiment, and he was ordered to be the leader of Organization X, so he was naturally qualified to meet the experimental subject.
But he couldn't do anything.
The man seemed to give up hiding the secret from him. He noticed the change in Tsujimoto's attitude towards him, and the two of them gradually became silent and no longer communicated.
"Can I see the child?"
Shigeto Tsujimoto asked this question but received no response.
"No, Mr. Tsujimoto——"
His supervisor said cautiously,
"The boss said that you are the only one who cannot go to see him. Sorry, although we don't really want to hide it from you, but..."
"I see."
Shigetsu Tsujimoto sighed, but in the end he said nothing.
"If you don't want to, forget it."
The main reason you don't dare let them meet is because you're afraid that he'll become soft-hearted, right?
Shigetsu Tsujimoto thought it was ridiculous. If the other party no longer considered him a friend, why did they force him to join the Black Organization? Were they afraid that he would tell others about this, and they still needed him to continue working for them? ?
But if the other party still regards him as a friend, he will no longer continue to do things that he clearly does not want to see, such as human experiments, or forcing him to become the leader of Organization X and forcing him to support his career.
This is not how friends get along.
In other words, that man was no longer the man he first knew.
Even though he knew this clearly, Shigetto Tsujimoto could not make any changes. As a [Gin], he had a high position in the organization, he had a lot of command power, and even a large salary, but this did not make him happy.
But the child he adopted was doing quite well.
The child named Kurosawa Jin may have been abandoned by his family, or he may have left his family due to some accident. In short, he never talked about his past, but he also never showed any weakness.
He became a member of the Black Organization, working his way up from the bottom, and was rarely seen.
This was probably the way he chose to live, and Shigetto Tsujimoto had no objection.
Some people are born to live in the dark, which is not a bad thing, but a way of life. Tsujimoto Shigeto will not deny this way, although he will not agree with it either.
As for the BOSS...
After noticing Tsujimoto Shigeto's usual obedience, he gradually became more reassured about him and even transferred more power to him.
Is this a gesture of goodwill?
Shigeto Tsujimoto remained silent and ultimately said nothing.
But he had been doubting what happened for too long. He didn't know why the boss came after him, and except for those he had protected, almost no one knew that he had gone to Italy.
Could it be that those people betrayed me?
No...it shouldn't be like this.
But the truth is often more cruel than imagined.
When Shigetsu Tsujimoto was sorting out the employee files one time, he unexpectedly found several familiar faces. These old faces were originally employees he had worked for in Organization X. They all vowed to hide and never return to Organization X again.
But they came back.
"The main reason is that the boss really gave a lot of money!"
One of the old employees replied very dissatisfiedly,
"We have to live and make money too!! Just because you don't want to make money yourself doesn't mean you can stop us from doing anything, right?"
"Sheren, although I'm sorry, we really didn't mean it. After all, you also know the consequences of going against the boss, right?"
"It might be a good thing for you if we betray you. Think about it, where can you go even if you leave? We can't survive in Organization X without you."
"Sheren, even if it's for us, wouldn't it be good for you to stay?"
…
Yeah, what can he stop?
He just gave them money to leave, and they had their own choice.
Shigetsu Tsujimoto never forced them, and he ultimately chose to tolerate their whereabouts.
However, these tolerances eventually became shackles that bound him.
"I see."
Shigeto Tsujimoto said nothing more. He just turned and left, a shadow falling on his shoulders and gradually sinking.
With that man's ability, as long as he throws out some bait, he can find those [companions] who once stood by Shigeto Tsujimoto's side. He can get the news about Shigeto Tsujimoto for sure, as if Shigeto Tsujimoto had always been by his side.
As for Shigeto Tsujimoto, there were no secrets from the beginning.
Shigetsu Tsujimoto knew exactly what they were thinking.
They did have deep feelings for Shigeto Tsujimoto, but this relationship was based on money from the beginning, and they never had true friends.
Or rather, they were just the friends he thought they were.
But it doesn't matter.
Even if he left the Black Organization, where could he go?
As long as the boss is alive, he will never have the so-called freedom.
The BOSS's eyes will always be on him, and no matter where he goes, he cannot break free from the shackles.
As expected, he still can't go anywhere...
…
But such days did not last too long.
When a person has a clear goal, Shigetto Tsujimoto will always have the motivation to live.
For example - meeting the subject again.
The experimental subject seemed to have had his DNA taken from his own body for replication. Shigeto Tsujimoto had only heard about him from other people, and he didn't even know where the child was.
He wanted to see the child.
Living in a laboratory for a long time, he couldn't even see the sun. Although he had the ability to think and five senses, he could never live like a normal person.
There are always some people like this in this world, and their fate is even more tragic than his.
Taking out the key that he had stolen with great difficulty, Shigeto Tsujimoto opened the door of the laboratory.
It was 12 o'clock in the morning, and no one would go back to the basement at this time. He gave the deputy minister a lot of wine and took the key from his waist while he was drunk.
When the door was opened, a long and narrow corridor could be seen.
At the end of the corridor is an even more inconspicuous door.
“Crack.”
The key finally opened the door, and a faint light fell into the room.
The silver-haired child was curled up on the narrow laboratory bed, half curled up, and only moved slightly when he heard the sound.
With only a little light from the door, he could clearly see the pair of blue eyes that were very similar to his own, as well as a hint of confusion in the pupils.
Shigetsu Tsujimoto's fingers holding the flashlight suddenly tightened.
His heart was beating wildly and he wanted to say something for a moment, but in the end, he couldn't say anything.
This child must be the test subject that the boss told me about.
I didn't expect he was such a young child... and judging from his appearance, he seemed to have gone through a lot of hardships, as if he would break if just a slight pinch.
"Who are you?"
The child spoke first. He looked at Tsujimoto Shigetsu quietly, without any fear, but also without any other ups and downs.
It's like the emotion has been stripped away, or it's completely gone.
That was the first time Shigeto Tsujimoto met Yuuma.
Trapped in a small laboratory, the fragile glass products are also his closest family members.
…
"That's about it, anyway."
Yuma Tsujimoto took a sip of water and continued,
"I'm not actually Sheren's brother, but I am definitely a part of him. However, for some reason Sheren's appearance doesn't change, so he will always maintain the velvety appearance of a 20-something."
"X Organization's test subject? This..."
"That's definitely not the memory I want to recall." Yuma Tsujimoto's fingers tightened slightly, and a bit of darkness appeared in his eyes.
"But one must learn to face the facts that one is reluctant to face. My health has been very bad, which may be related to the experiment at that time."
“…”
"I'm fine now, don't worry." Tsujimoto Yuma shrugged.
"But I won't live for many more years, right? According to what Shigetto and I calculated before, I may only have five years to live. For a test subject, it's already a great achievement to live this long... Hey!? What's that look in your eyes?? There's nothing to be sad about, right?"
…
Is it possible that your reaction is actually wrong?
"Feel sorry."
Zhu Fu Jingguang shook his head and held his hand tightly.
“I just didn’t think of it.”
As a test subject, Yuma Tsujimoto himself will not live for long, and Morofushi Kagemitsu begins to vaguely realize this.
During the time they were together, he could also feel that Yuma Tsujimoto's physical condition was getting worse, but at first he just thought it was because Yuma Tsujimoto was born with a weaker body. He didn't expect it was because of this...
"If you think about it carefully, there are probably many more people in this world who are more unfortunate than me. Some people may not even see the sun rise the next day."
Looking at the two people who fell into silence, Yuma Tsujimoto spoke slowly.
"Everyone will die eventually. Everyone is a grain of sand that gets hit in the hourglass. I just happen to be able to see the marks on the hourglass."
"I'm not really sad, I'm actually happy that I was able to live with my brother for five years."
Yuma Tsujimoto has never been afraid of death, from the beginning to the end.
Shigetsu had discussed this with him when he was a child. As for his life span, Shigetsu had told him from the beginning.
"You may not be able to live as long as normal people. I can tell you how long you will live. Of course, you can choose not to listen." The silver-haired man said solemnly.
"The choice is yours."
He chose to know the truth.
The phone rang in the silent room. Yuma Tsujimoto looked at the phone and quickly stood up.
"Gin and the others are here. We should go over and have a good talk."
·
Gin's mood was not actually very good.
Especially after being teased by Bermode, his mood became even worse.
It is impossible to say that he does not care about Tsujimoto Shigetsu. He just found that he was kept in the dark about too many things at the beginning, so he accepted the invitation of Grenz Wine.
The two had been at odds with each other for a long time, but they were able to reach a temporary reconciliation regarding the matter involving Tsujimoto.
“Blah——”
The sliding door was opened, and Yuma Tsujimoto's sight happened to fall on Gin, and the room, which was originally filled with warm light, instantly became cold.
Even the waiter beside him shuddered for some reason.
"I didn't expect that Gin, you weren't wearing your black windbreaker. What's wrong? Have you changed your personality?" Tsujimoto Yuma said contemptuously.
"Hmph, if you have something to say, just say it quickly." Gin lowered his hat, his face clearly showing displeasure.
"I didn't come here to waste my time with you, Gruntz."
"I'm not called that name anymore. You can call me Yuma Tsujimoto." Yuma Tsujimoto sat cross-legged in front of him, with his hands tucked into his sleeves.
"Gin, I believe that my brother must have caused you a lot of trouble some time ago. I hope you won't make the same mistake again."
Gin: “…”
This guy is here to cause trouble???
"So are you going to tell it or not?" Gin started to get a little irritable.
"Of course I have to say it." Yuma Tsujimoto tapped his fingers lightly on the table, with a teasing expression on his face.
"Although I don't like you, at least you are someone my brother cared about. If there is always a misunderstanding, and this misunderstanding is imposed on me, I can't bear such a weight."
"Were you responsible for the explosion of the underground auctioneer?" Gin looked at him coldly.
"I did it." Yuma Tsujimoto said happily.
"Don't you know exactly what you did to me? Is it okay for me to take a little revenge? Besides, you are still alive now."
"Grenz, I advise you not to be so arrogant."
"That depends on your attitude, Mr. Gin."
…
"Is this really okay?"
Listening to the heated argument in the room, Fūya Ling was still a little worried.
No matter what, repeatedly provoking Gin's anger is a bit too scary. Moreover, every point he said was on the other person's anger value, which was obviously intentional.
"I don't think it's a big problem." Zhu Fu Jingguang said seriously.
"Although the two of them have been challenging each other's bottom line, in fact, neither of them has lost their mind."
"After all, you know that what Yuma Tsujimoto wants to see most is Gin losing control and shooting him, so that he can kill Gin legitimately."
...Is that so?!
"And Gin obviously knew what Yuuma Tsujimoto wanted to do, so he kept suppressing his anger and dealing with him - is that right?"
Shuichi Akai appeared outside the door at some point. The two of them looked at him silently, and Rei Furutani's expression became obviously worse.
"Don't be nervous, I just happened to be standing outside the door while you were talking." Akai Shuichi waved his hand.
"And I asked Yuma, and he said he didn't care."
"Ah, really?"
Fūya Rei turned his head away, his expression becoming complicated.
Forget it, at least everything seems to be going well for now.
Next, it all depends on how the negotiation between Gin and Yuma goes.
·
"You took our test sample and said nothing."
The boss placed the spoon in the small bowl and looked at Shigeto Tsujimoto again.
"But I wasn't angry. I even gave you a chance. You should know that the Kurosawa formation is also in my hands. But even when we threatened you with the Kurosawa formation, you didn't come back."
"It's different." Shigetto Tsujimoto slowly squeezed the lemon juice into the black tea.
"You need him, and he needs you. And he's not suitable to be a guinea pig. You won't do anything to him."
"I can't protect everyone. Besides, at that time, there were only strangers in Organization X. I didn't want to stay here any longer."
"So you took our research results away and left the organization, right?" The boss sighed.
"Although I know that most of the research is your achievement, but you destroyed all the research over the years. Do you know how much damage this has done to us?"
"What does that have to do with me?" Tsujimoto Shigetsu said coldly.
"It has nothing to do with me if you all die. You don't think you can still play the emotional card with me, do you?"
"You have been running away all the time. In the end, in order to avoid our pursuit, you ate the latest product and turned into the appearance of a child." The boss clasped his hands slightly.
"I remember very clearly that in the final stage of our research, the effect of the drug had not yet taken effect on the test subjects, but it took effect on you."
"When you returned to your twenties, you remained exactly the same as when you left. The drug you took worked, didn't it?"
“…”
Shigetsu Tsujimoto said nothing more.
He noticed that the people around him gradually disappeared, and there were only two of them left in the huge restaurant. Even the waiter disappeared.
The pressure from the man in front of him was making him feel more and more uncomfortable, and he knew what he wanted to say.
"The Pandora Project was successful. It was successful in you."
The boss looked directly into Tsujimoto's eyes. He put his hand on his mask and took it off naturally.
"Tsujimoto, tell me, where is [Pandora]?"