Chapter 48: Reunion with an old friend in a foreign land
Crystal chandeliers cast golden light across the marble floor, while soothing music flowed among the elegantly dressed figures. Almost everyone wore a modest smile, and Toru Amuro, surrounded by the ladies, was no exception.
Ms. Shimizu was recounting her experience of running into old friends while studying abroad. Other women who had similar experiences smiled knowingly, "...When I saw Ryoko's back, I thought she was just a stranger with a similar figure. I wondered if being a foreigner had made me lose my ability to recognize East Asian faces. But then she came over and tapped my shoulder, and I turned around to see her with a bunch of other familiar friends. If it weren't for the foreigners around, I'd have thought I was still in Tokyo."
As one of her most important listeners, Amuro Toru maintained a flawless smile and listened patiently. Although he was not really interested in the life of a rich girl, most of his attention was on Asami, who had disappeared for a while.
The short-haired girl had been gone for over ten minutes. I wondered where she'd gone to find a man... She probably wouldn't ask her brother to come over, since Ms. Shimizu wasn't really into that kind of thing. Seeing how skillfully she'd gotten Shinji to come fight him before, this girl, who seemed so skilled at pimping, wouldn't make such a stupid mistake.
But no matter who she found, Amuro Toru didn't think his plans would be disrupted. After all, he was professionally trained; ordinary gigolos or amateurs were no match for him...
When the corner of his eye caught sight of the waiter following behind Chaomu, the polite smile on the blond young man's face suddenly froze.
The blue-eyed waiter had a handsome face and was obviously the one Chaomu brought back specially to compete with him.
...It's not that I'm intimidated by his appearance or his temperament, or worried about losing...
Amuro Toru thought with a stiff expression.
But why would his childhood friend Morobushi Kagemitsu appear here, and walk with that pimp girl...!
It wasn't just him whose pupils were shaking. The young man with cat eyes was also looking back at him. When their eyes met, they could see shock and disbelief in each other's eyes.
"...But there are times when I just don't want to greet people I know. Last time, Meiya took me to a male model show, and when I ran into a few other women, everyone tried to pretend they didn't know each other..." Ms. Shimizu, who was originally recounting her experience, got lost when the blond youth didn't respond. She looked back in confusion, "When I was talking to Tou-kun earlier, he kept laughing, too... Tou-kun?"
Toru Amuro: "…………"
He withdrew his gaze from Xiao Xunran's face with difficulty, maintaining a polite expression: "Well, yes...some occasions...are indeed quite awkward..."
I can't laugh, I can't laugh at all - when I'm playing a gigolo in an undercover mission, I meet a young girl named You Xunran who is also a gigolo, and they are about to compete for the favor of the same lady... Even for a professional undercover, it's a bit too advanced.
You Junran's mood was probably similar to his. After exchanging glances with him, she naturally looked away and followed the short-haired girl towards Mrs. Kawasaki.
As their eyes met, Toru Amuro roughly understood: Hiro was also carrying out a related mission, preparing to lurk around Mrs. Kawasaki or Ms. Shimizu.
I don’t know what organization Hiro is lurking in now, and how he is doing... After the dinner is over, he may have the opportunity to exchange intelligence and information with the other party.
The tacit understanding between them and the original plan made Amuro Toru ready almost immediately. If Morofuji Kagemitsu planned to take the position, he could cooperate in the acting.
He has a relatively good acceptance of the current situation. Morofushi Keimitsu - also known as Midorikawa Kei understands the current situation a little better than him, but his feelings are much more complicated than his.
...It's not just the Cowherd's problem, Zero... If he's not mistaken, they're even lurking in the same organization...
【Midorikawa Jing is in a very complicated mood.】
His complicated mood caused the status bar to flash wildly for a long time. Chaomu was stunned and thought that his adoptive father was worthy of being his adoptive father and had a very high moral bottom line - was he starting to feel guilty for deceiving a woman's feelings at this time?
"Don't overthink it, Midorikawa-kun," she said, gently pinching the back of his hand and whispering soothingly, "Like I just said, your job is to free young ladies from the emotional control of evil gigolos... That little black-faced guy is incredibly evil. Not only does he want to take over Ms. Shimizu's feelings and money, he also wants to invade her life and take over everything from housekeeping to household chores! Everyone knows what he's up to!"
...That's because Zero is carrying out the same special mission as him, which requires monitoring the movements of Ms. Shimizu and Councillor Fujita to confirm whether they are planning to betray the organization... If he lurks next to Ms. Shimizu, if he is sure that she wants to break away from the organization's control, he can also protect their safety nearby.
Fellow undercover agent, Midorikawa Kei is well aware of Okunran's mental journey and can't help but draw a connection to the earlier conflict between Rum and Gin within the organization: This somewhat overly conspicuous characterization isn't Okunran's style. Perhaps it's because they're being pushed too hard by Gin, and after Dai Moroboshi approached Mrs. Fujita, Rum also pushed Zero to speed up, leading to the latter entering a relatively aggressive mode... which in turn spurred Gin, forcing Midorikawa Kei to change his plans...
【Midorikawa Jing's mood was extremely complicated.】
Even though he understood You Xunran's behavior in his heart, when he met Chaomu's sparkling eyes, Midorikawa Jing could only remain silent for two seconds and softly agreed: "Well... that's very bad..."
Was it an illusion? She felt that her adoptive father's attitude towards Black-Faced Boy had softened considerably since she had just mentioned him... Previously, when she had mentioned Black-Faced Boy to him, Midorikawa had clearly shared her hatred for him.
Chaomu narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
But even though she was confused, she didn't have time to delve into it. Mrs. Kawasaki had already noticed her return, and when she saw Midorikawa Kei, her eyes lit up: "This is the one you were talking about, Xiao Chaomu..."
"Yes, ma'am." Chaomu came back to his senses and introduced carefully, "This is Midorikawa-kun, my friend—excellent in both character and study, gentle and kind, an excellent cook, and also skilled in playing musical instruments... Hmm?"
"I only know a little bit... Miss Asamure thinks too highly of me." Midorikawa Kei decisively stopped her from going further, to prevent his image from being seen by Mrs. Kawasaki as a frivolous second-rate person who loves to brag and deceive little girls. "Good evening, ma'am."
"Good evening, Midorikawa-kun." Mrs. Kawasaki nodded gracefully in return, and at the same time looked him up and down: he had a handsome face, a gentle temperament, and a good figure. If he carried a guitar bag, he would have a literary and artistic style - the type that Sachiko Shimizu would like.
Mrs. Kawasaki was always the center of attention among the noble ladies, and the sudden appearance of a handsome young man beside her naturally attracted the attention of others.
"As expected of Meiya, you always find such outstanding young people," one of the noble ladies said, her eyes sweeping over the young man's face with admiration, the corners of her lips curling up slightly. "Shin'er-kun is also good, Tou-kun is also good, and this gentleman is also... not much behind."
Upon hearing the mention of Amuro Toru's name, Ms. Shimizu, who hadn't been paying attention to Midorikawa Kei until now, couldn't help but glance over. She wasn't particularly interested in other gigolos besides Amuro Toru, and her gaze had initially been a bit critical, but upon seeing Midorikawa's face, her words softened considerably. "He's certainly a very handsome man... but compared to Toru-kun, he's still... after all, Toru-kun isn't just good-looking; his intelligence, insight, and breadth of knowledge are also truly astonishing—"
This is how Ms. Shimizu feels when she's infatuated with a man, a state somewhere between being a fan and being in love. This state of mind is commonplace among the ladies of the upper class—after all, when she was in love with Councillor Fujita, she was always gushing like a young girl in love. She describes Toru Amuro as a truly stunningly beautiful man, kindhearted, knowledgeable, and proficient in astronomy, geography, calligraphy, and painting.
Following her praise, everyone turned their attention to Amuro Toru, and Midorikawa Kei was no exception.
The cat-eyed young man coughed lightly and said modestly, "Amuro-kun is so knowledgeable and talented...it's really admirable."
Toru Amuro: "…………"
In Hiro's gaze, he always had a strange feeling that the other person was saying with his eyes "I didn't expect you to be such a zero"... No, it must be an illusion. How could Hiro laugh at him for this?
He maintained a shy expression: "I just have a lot of interests and hobbies, I'm not proficient in any of them... I still have a lot to learn."
"Toru-kun is just too modest." Ms. Shimizu has more confidence in him than he does himself. She patted the back of his hand with a sweet smile, "And yet you're always so shy..."
"Tōru-kun is indeed very shy." Mrs. Fujita, who had been silent and just drinking champagne, wiped the corner of her lips with a handkerchief and said elegantly, "Last time, when he was helping to wipe the vase at my house, he accidentally touched my hand and his face turned red..."
She spoke in a calm tone, with a rising tone at the end: "Is he like this in front of Sachiko too?"
As soon as Mrs. Fujita opened her mouth, Ms. Shimizu, who was about to continue praising Amuro Toru, suddenly shut her mouth, and her originally rosy face turned slightly pale.
"...When you're working, Tou-kun is always very...professional." After a moment, she hurriedly continued. The ladies' laughter and chattering quieted down for a moment, and the atmosphere became more tense.
"He is indeed a reliable young man with great professionalism." Mrs. Fujita smiled. "I admire that about Toru-kun as well."
Most people present could tell that the emphasis on professionalism was meant to imply that Toru Amuro was a gigolo and that his shyness was all an act. Mrs. Fujita was clearly implying that Ms. Shimizu was so obsessed with the gigolo that she'd actually developed real feelings for him.
Add to that the fact that Ms. Shimizu was the person Congressman Fujita had an extramarital affair with...Mrs. Fujita's remarks are particularly meaningful.
Ms. Shimizu's expression seemed to worsen for a moment. She instinctively looked at Amuro Toru, but he just smiled and bowed slightly. "Thank you for your kindness, Madam."
He never refuted the "professional ethics" mentioned by Mrs. Fujita.
He was exposed in front of others and yet he could still remain calm... Is this the quality of a gigolo? You are so amazing, Little Black Face.
【Shimizu Sachiko felt disappointed and sad.】
Chaomu secretly glanced at the increasingly gloomy expression on Ms. Shimizu's face: it was because of the way he interacted with Mrs. Fujita that the wealthy lady who thought she could have pure love with the gigolo was obviously not very happy.
However, Ms. Shimizu's mood was not within the player's consideration - before her adoptive father made any serious move, the little black-faced boy took the initiative to take a step towards falling out of favor, which was a good thing for her.
Apart from that, Chaomu still remembered that his mission was to retrieve the treasure lost by Ms. Qingshui.
Originally, Chaomu was thinking about turning the banquet hall upside down after the matter was over... But now, looking at the development of the plot, it seems that her mission is not as simple as just rummaging through the trash.
She took a quick glance at Mimi Moroboshi's location on the map. Seeing that he seemed to have searched the second floor thoroughly and hadn't sent back any information, she knew that he hadn't found any clues yet.
——Looking at the current plot direction, the core clue of this mission is probably closely related to Ms. Shimizu, Mrs. Kawasaki, and Mrs. Fujita... and even the little black face.
Could it be that the treasure that Ms. Qingshui lost was actually the Little Black Face? Will the Little Black Face be abandoned by his sponsor and thrown into the trash tonight?
Chaomu touched his wallet and began to seriously consider whether to spend money to expand his pet tier and pick up Little Black Face to work for him.
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The author has something to say: Toru: Compared to being seen by Yukunran as a gigolo, this is a small matter.
Jing: eyes move.
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