[Bourbon, come back to the old place. ——RUM]

At ten o'clock in the evening, Toru Amuro closed his mobile phone and pushed the door open. In the dim room, Rum was sitting on the sofa, watching the news on the projection screen in front of him.

"At 2:27 p.m., Kosuke Marumori, a suspect in the Shibuya bombing, attacked police and escaped from prison.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department quickly activated the emergency plan, and relevant departments rushed to the scene to investigate and jointly formulate a pursuit plan. The following is the relevant information about Marumori Kosuke. Residents are requested to pay attention to safety and report it promptly..."

Toru Amuro's attention was focused on the news, and the keyword "Shibuya bombing" soon made his pupils shrink.

——This was the case that led to the death of Akabane Subaru nine years ago, and it was also the turning point in Matsue Shigure's fate.

But soon, Amuro Toru reacted and walked to Rum's side: "Lord Rum, what is the mission?"

As a capable general under Rum, Toru Amuro always tries to understand the psychological reactions of this second-in-command. He can show equality to the outside world, but when they meet in private, Rum is particularly arrogant.

"Bourbon, sit down." Rum seemed to be in a good mood. He looked at the screen and said to Amuro Toru, "There is indeed a mission for you."

Rum rarely asks Toru Amuro for assistance in his operations, but whenever he proposes a mission, it often represents his determination to succeed.

As soon as Toru Amuro touched the sofa, he heard Rum say, "I want you to prepare enough bombs to sink a ship and install them on the Victory Goddess attached to the Suzuki Group before it sets sail next weekend."

"What?" Amuro blurted out, "Install the bomb?"

"Yes, there are not many people I can mobilize in Tokyo, and I believe you can handle this task." Rum looked at his capable subordinate.

Rum naturally wants to kill A, but he will never be as straightforward as Gin, nor will he use cunning tactics like Yule and Vermouth.

He is more ruthless, smarter, and equally cautious.

So - he would not take the initiative to attack, but would choose to kill someone else with a borrowed knife.

Amuro Toru frowned: "Can I know the details of the mission? After all, we have to prepare so many bombs, and it will be difficult to avoid the search of the Suzuki Group."

"Don't worry about that," said Rum. "The congressman who cooperated with the Suzuki Group this time, Naka Yonghe, is one of ours. He will help block the inspection."

Toru Amuro retracted his fingers, he didn't expect that even high-level political figures like "Zhong Yonghe" were members of the organization!

Are they going to be used now?

Looking at the news that kept repeating over and over again, Toru Amuro had an inexplicable bad feeling.

Rum said calmly, "Bourbon, you are responsible for cooperating with me. We must kill Songjiang Xunye - before Gin."

"Oh, you probably don't know his identity yet, right?" Rum carefully observed Amuro Toru's expression and said, "He is a public security officer."

Toru Amuro's heart immediately sank.

******

Kudo's house.

Songjiang Shiyu was very angry, smiled slightly, and pulled his sleeve tightly with his backhand: "Of course, no!"

Fearing that the two men would forcefully rob him, he simply put his hands behind his back, his unwillingness to cooperate clearly evident in his words.

Then, he slowed down his voice and began to change the subject: "I think it's already very late, Xiao Ai, why don't you go to bed first?"

This was a cheap way of changing the subject - no one said anything.

The atmosphere that had just warmed up suddenly fell to the bottom again. The smile on Akai Shuichi's face faded, and Haibara Ai's expression also became a little stiff.

The two of them stared at Matsue Shigure, who was already in a tense state, and for the first time they felt that the other party was serious and defensive.

After all, their relationship with him didn't seem to be good enough to be entrusted with everything...

Matsue Shigure's smile froze, and he shouted in his heart: "Everything!! What should I say!"

System: "Do you want to play dead again?"

Songjiang Shigure was furious: "What a stupid idea you have!"

The scene was at a stalemate, and suddenly there was a very clear "gurgle", followed by a series of low noises, which directly broke the silence.

The system was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha goose goose! What kind of genius are you that ruins the atmosphere?"

"What's that sound?" Huihara Ai looked at Matsue Shigure consciously, "Matsue?"

"Ah, no! You heard it wrong!"

Matsue Shigure's hands, which were pinching his sleeves, stiffened instantly, and the "mysterious and distant" image he had just put up was about to crumble.

Haibara Ai's eyes gradually changed, and finally turned into murderous electric eyes: "You didn't come here without eating, did you? It's ten o'clock in the evening now!"

Songjiang Shigure was shocked: "Listen to my explanation!"

Akai Shuichi: "Please sit down for a while. I'll go cook some noodles."

The man took the initiative to walk towards the kitchen, leaving Matsue Shigure, who had lost all her dignity, fumbling to explain to Haibara Ai.

But soon, the girl, surrounded by Matsue Shigure's dry and repetitive words, showed a suffocated expression.

As Haibara Ai listened, she looked at Matsue Shigure's wrists wrapped in gauze. She was still very worried, worried that this guy would randomly inject energy-depleting drugs for the sake of temporary health.

If not, what could be more shameful than being hurt?

But what can she do? The brown-haired girl drooped her eyelashes. How can she stop this bird that wants to fly to death?

Songjiang Shiyu looked at her dark circles and couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you take a nap first? I'll call you when we're ready for noodles."

Haibara Ai said "Hmm?" in a nasal voice in a daze.

Matsue Shigure was struck by the cute expression of the goose girl and almost covered his chest: "Ah! All!! She is so cute! I want to coax her to sleep!"

System: "Tsk, Shirley will sleep now--"

"Okay." Huiyuan Ai rubbed her brows and nodded involuntarily. She grabbed Matsue Shigure's sleeve and said vaguely, "You must wake me up later... Well, don't go."

Before he could finish his words, he fell asleep while sitting.

Songjiang Shigure carefully laid her flat on the sofa, feeling both distressed and wanting to rub her.

"I guess he must have pulled all-nighters." He muttered to the system, "Will the child not grow taller if he keeps doing this?"

"No matter how you think about it, it's the organization's fault!"

…

When Akai Shuichi came out with the noodles, Matsue Shigure was sitting on the sofa and made a "huh" gesture to him.

"Let's go talk somewhere else." He whispered, "Xiao Ai is asleep."

The dark brown-haired girl was now curled up beside Songjiang Shigure, clutching his sleeve with one hand, and sleeping soundly.

Matsue Shigure patted her back gently with his hands, his movements were exceptionally gentle.

Akai Shuichi watched him take off his windbreaker and cover Haibara Ai with it. The sleeves of his inner shirt slipped up a bit due to the friction.

The bandage barely covered the wrist bone, and above that were ugly old injuries, running all over the place. Before Shuichi Akai could see clearly, his sleeves were pulled down.

No wonder Matsue Shigure always wears long sleeves regardless of whether it is hot or cold.

He stood there for two seconds holding the steaming noodles, then turned around and walked towards the reception room.

Soon, Matsue Shigure followed, and no one noticed that the sleeping girl's blue eyes were open, and she was no longer sleepy.

****

"Have you fully recovered your memory now?"

Akai Shuichi brought another glass of water to Matsue Shigure and sat next to him to watch him eat noodles. He said in a steady voice: "If it's about work, there's no need to rush over so late."

"It's better to resolve it early."

While slurping the noodles, Matsue Shigure couldn't help but compare this with the one made by Morobushi Kagemitsu. Unfortunately, he found that the latter was tastier.

He swallowed the noodles and looked at Akai Shuichi seriously: "I need to ask you a favor."

Akai Shuichi nodded: "Just say it directly."

Matsue Shigure blinked and said directly: "Help me catch rum."

“…”

Akai Shuichi's eyes opened: "Rum?!"

******

Haibara Ai learned the skill of pretending to sleep from Conan Edogawa. It is so lifelike, and combined with the dark circles under her eyes, as if she hasn't slept for a week, it is quite intimidating.

She took off her shoes and stepped on the ground barefoot, without leaving any sound, or rather - no one cared for the time being.

"Matsue, your proposal is too risky. The public security department will definitely not allow you to carry out this plan."

Akai Shuichi's voice was rarely filled with anger: "Where do you put yourself?"

Matsue Shigure explained helplessly, "Last week, I did fight with the organization. They had been targeting me for a long time. Their goal was to identify the power behind me and kill them all."

He coughed twice and said, "Mr. Okiya, you should be familiar with this process, right?"

Shuichi Akai did understand that it was because the organization was hunting him that he chose to cooperate with the CIA undercover agent Kiel to fake his death and escape, and then go behind the scenes to deal with the organization.

But this situation is different from Matsue Shigure. Akai Shuichi is hiding in the dark, while Matsue Shigure is like a fixed target, standing in the organization's field of vision.

It would be strange if the organization didn't cause trouble for him.

Akai Shuichi was very calm and was not confused by Matsue Shigure's words.

He said pointedly, "But you had this idea when you first showed up. You wanted to attract the organization's attention!"

He looked into the young man's cobalt blue eyes and said slowly, "You want to be the fuse that ends everything, right?"

Songjiang Shigure: “…”

——Can he say that this is locked by the ID card?

Just like playing a game, there is a main storyline. Once Matsue Shigure lands, he must go to the Poirot Cafe and enter the field of vision of various forces. He has no choice at all.

The difference is that he knows in his heart that he will not die, he can block out the pain, and he will leave eventually.

He couldn't explain the real reason for the above except that it was the system.

The system sighed: "Actually, judging from your behavior, dog host, you are indeed very active."

Songjiang Shiyu was speechless and choked: "I am also desperate. What can I do? They are the ones who took the initiative to provoke me. I am a boss who is like a pendant and will only issue tasks!!"

System: "Since you've already accepted Huibara's script, why not see what Akai Shuichi has to say?"

Matsue Shigure sighed: "Actually, I already know what he's going to say."

Actually, what Shuichi Akai said is not wrong.

Matsue Shigure has discovered the problem of time. It's like locking the progress. As long as he doesn't push the main storyline forward, a year will never be completed.

If he wants to go back, he must act proactively, not to mention that he is not the type to not fight back when being beaten, so confronting the organization is inevitable.

So, before leaving, it is only natural to play this game to a perfect end, right?

***

“That’s about it.”

Matsue Shigure did not deny it and downplayed his life-threatening behavior.

The young man sat on a chair, his long legs crossed on his knees. He was sitting very relaxed with a calm expression: "I have only one goal, to destroy the organization as quickly as possible."

Akai Shuichi frowned, and his eyes once again fell on the bandage hidden under Matsue Shigure's sleeve.

He asked calmly, "How long can you live?"

"I will not die before the organization is destroyed."

——Answered without hesitation.

But it seems more like an escape that cannot be expressed in words.

Shuichi Akai clenched the medicine box in his pocket.

"Gin has already met me. I pretended that he had successfully injected me with a memory-erasing drug, entered the organization's plan, and implanted the virus into the organization's intranet port."

Akai Shuichi: "The intranet is managed by Rum, did you take action?"

In fact, this was not the main reason. He hacked into the intranet mainly to give the organization a final fatal blow after laying out his plan.

Matsue Shigure knew that Rum would attack him, mainly because of the manga spoilers.

…

The blond young man looked up at Akai Shuichi. A circle of bruises could be vaguely seen on his fragile white neck. The slim-fitting shirt on his body made him look even thinner.

This is the default.

It is inevitable that Matsue Shigure will confront Rum.

Shuichi Akai was sure that this guy had not discussed this with anyone, but had arbitrarily chosen to take responsibility for everything.

He took a deep breath. "But your plan—"

"On that list, Zhong Yonghe was a member of the organization. His purpose in approaching the Suzuki Group was obvious."

Matsue Shigure said calmly, "I planned for Gin and Vermouth to fail in this mission. The boss is suspicious and won't put all his eggs in one basket. With new hatred and old grudges, it's impossible for Rum not to take action."

"And once we make a move, the chances of it being on the Victory Goddess are very high."

Akai Shuichi said firmly: "You don't want to tell Amuro Toru and the others?"

Here it comes! Here comes the point!

Songjiang Shiyu was excited and thought to himself that this one must be stable.

*****

The blond young man stood up and stood in front of Akai Shuichi. His blue eyes met Akai Shuichi's open eyes, and there was something dark and unclear in them.

"You should know my identity." He said softly, "The eavesdropping device from last time, and Xiao Ai——"

Akai Shuichi turned his head slightly to avoid his scorching gaze.

He said hoarsely, "I know, Songjiang, you are A and I am Rye Whiskey."

Shuichi Akai wanted to tell Matsue Shigure that he was not the only one who had been trapped in the organization, and the fact that the public security department accepted him back was enough to show that his status was no different from that of an undercover agent.

So... don't blame yourself.

Matsue Shigure seemed to be smiling, but the smile quickly faded and turned into silence.

“It’s different.”

He said calmly: "I have harmed many people, and the police have not completely accepted me."

The first half of the sentence is a summary of A, and the second half is Matsue Shigure's own inference.

From beginning to end, the only people who contacted him were the mysterious superior and the members of Hojo's team. Matsue Shigure's ID card only said "Public Security Special Correspondent" instead of "Policeman."

****

——The rain in Songjiang is terrifyingly cold and quiet.

Shuichi Akai knew that his comfort had no effect.

In fact, it is obvious if you think about it carefully that Matsue Shigure's mental state is not up to standard.

As for the senior officers of the public security department who are concerned with maintaining their superficial image, even if they are at loggerheads with each other, they would never allow their police officers to be exposed as bait that could cost their lives at any time.

What's more... Gang A has done too many things, and it has left a heavy shadow on the undercover agents and various organizations.

If his identity had not been exposed so quickly, Shuichi Akai would definitely have tried to kill A.

Or if he had found out two years ago that Matsue Shigure was A, the FBI would never have kept him.

Shuichi Akai sighed. Even now, with the people involved standing in front of him, he still found it difficult to accept that identity, not to mention people like Toru Amuro who were closer to Shigure Matsue.

"I understand." He said, "I will keep it a secret for you and won't tell them your identity."

"But—I have one condition."

Since it has been confirmed that Matsue Shigure is A and has memories, as the FBI, Akai Shuichi cannot possibly remain silent about this.

He took care of Songjiang Shigure only because of their friendship two years ago and their current cooperation. His friendship was not so deep that he was willing to let go of intelligence so easily.

Shuichi Akai said: "I need you to integrate as much information as possible about the undercover investigation done during the A period for me."

"Well, give me some time. I can't guarantee that I can remember everything."

——After all, he treated the [Hacker] account as a game, so God knows what he remembered.

Songjiang Shigure was thinking about how he was going to fool people.

Akai Shuichi nodded: "Sorry."

"As for your plan, I may need to think about it again." Akai Shuichi smiled slightly and said in a self-deprecating tone, "Is the FBI a place that talks about interests?"

He knew that this might cause harm to Matsue Shigure, and could even be considered taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

But... in Shuichi Akai's creed, reason will never be lost.

The blond young man didn't care. He relaxed his brows and smiled softly: "Mr. Akai, thank you."

"If they knew..." he murmured, "I don't know if I can hold on any longer."

"I am their instructor."

Sometimes there is no transition from leading by example to drawing swords.

Akai Shuichi didn't know how to comfort him.

The man just raised his hand and wanted to pat the other person's shoulder——

Just then, there was some noise outside, and Songjiang Shigure turned around consciously.

"Xiao Ai?"

"Tsk, didn't I just tell you to call me? Forget it..." The pale-faced girl lowered her head slightly, looking tired, "I came to see Mr. Okiya for something... Then I went back to sleep."

——It looks like you didn’t hear it.

Songjiang Shigure realized, "Oh, then you guys go ahead and talk first."

*****

[SOS is really going to die. Doesn’t Songjiang count as a public security officer? He has done so much, but in the eyes of the public security, he is just a bait to die? ? ]

[After all, A’s experience is there. I don’t know how much injustice Songjiang has suffered to reach his current status…]

[To summarize, Songjiang cooperated with the police from the beginning, appearing in a posture of "making meritorious service while atoning for his crime", with the purpose of attracting the organization to reveal its flaws, but his own life and death should not be cared about.

The organization's action failed this time, and Matsue didn't even have a day to breathe. After provoking Rum, he went to Akai Shuichi overnight to discuss cooperation.

This attitude really makes me suspect that he is not far from death...]

[Hiss, so memory is not important to him at all, as long as he can destroy the organization, anything is fine. No wonder Akai pushed him to recall A so much, he didn't care]

[Woohoo! Akai, you big pig hoof! You actually asked!]

[Damn it, if I could carry a Gatling gun to blow up the organization, wouldn't Songjiang let me do whatever I want!]

[Although it's very rude, #anything is fine#wuwu (covering nose)]

[“If they knew… I don’t know if I can hold on.” Woohoo! I burst into tears when I saw this sentence. If, as mentioned before, Songjiang is now fully committed to revenge, this should be his only “humanity”, right? Damn it, Touko must not know.]

[Speaking of which, Matsue still doesn’t know that Akabane is a member of the organization. In his eyes, whether it is a student or a former partner, they are all the brightest existences... Shadows will disappear when they encounter light.]

[Help, please don’t expose yourself, and don’t let Songjiang know if you expose yourself! ! !]

****

Matsue Shigure inexplicably sat in Akai Shuichi's bedroom eating an apple, watching his daughter drag him away in a domineering manner.

He chewed the food and said proudly, "Hey, I did a good job! I solved my problem!"

System: “Music.”

Matsue Shigure: “??? What are you doing!”

System: "Nothing, but why are you setting a flag for no reason? If Amuro Toru knew about it, you would really die, wouldn't you?"

Matsue Shigure: "What do you know? This is not a flag. This is a warning to Akai Shuichi that the consequences are serious! A reliable adult man would not do such a thing, right?"

The system said slowly: "Have you overturned enough cars?"

Songjiang Shigure was silent for a moment, then quickly changed the subject: "Oh, this apple is so sweet."

Matsue Shigure: "Wuwuwu, my goose girl won't be hurt by my refusal to look at the bandage just now, right? What if she doesn't want to get close to me anymore?"

System: "...Do you think there is any connection between your two sentences? Besides, what's the point of Shirley being close to you now? You will just run away after you finish organizing the organization."

Matsue Shigure: "I will buy the game!"

System: "But how can you be sure to buy it, and also the model of your 'Songjiang Shigure'? Or do you want to show a real corpse or a reincarnation in this world?"

System: "Hey, don't think I don't know that you're still thinking about tearing up the card. Honey, listen to your daddy's advice. It's useless to escape."

Songjiang Shigure: “…”

Matsue Shigure: "Ahhh! You're so annoying!"

He really wanted to tear up the card. It was the least costly way a player could think of to deal with the organization, and all the risks were concentrated on himself.

But what if he really tears up his card and quits logging in, what will happen to his fish pond?

This is really worrying.

The player suddenly became emo and couldn't even eat the apple in his hand.

*******

Haibara Ai dragged Akai Shuichi directly to the second floor. She raised her head coldly, and the redness in her eyes and the wound on her lips were instantly exposed.

Akai Shuichi frowned and half-knelt in front of her: "Did you hear everything?"

Haibara Ai glared at him with an angry expression.

Shuichi Akai seemed to know why Haibara Ai called him out.

The FBI agent sighed and said, "I hope you won't interfere in what's going on between me and Songjiang, and don't let your emotions get the better of you."

Logically speaking, Haibara Ai actually understood everything, but Akai Shuichi never thought that she could be so emotional towards Matsue Shigure.

This statement is like setting off firecrackers.

"Don't talk to me about emotions!"

Huiyuan tugged at Akai Shuichi's collar and suppressed her excitement: "You're talking about interests with Matsue?!"

"Shouldn't this be the right thing to do?" Akai Shuichi asked her calmly, "We are just partners. The plan he proposed is too risky. I have to weigh it carefully."

"Then you let him recall what he did in the organization?" Huihara gritted her teeth, "Is this also a risk for you?"

Akai Shuichi was silent.

If Matsue Shigure had not proactively asked him to keep it a secret, he would probably have used other means to get the information in this regard.

However, when Songjiang Shigure took the initiative to propose it, he did have the mentality of taking advantage of others' misfortune and trying to save trouble.

And...he also saved Songjiang Shigure's life, right?

One thing for another.

Akai Shuichi lowered his eyes and thought.

"This is my mistake, I'm sorry." He admitted frankly, without any regret, "but the FBI does need this information."

Huiyuan Ai was so angry that her face almost turned red. She threw off Akai Shuichi's collar and cursed: "He shouldn't have saved you, a bastard!"

Akai Hide's skin jumped: "What did you say?"

"I thought you already knew." Huihara Ai sneered, "Then why are you so nice to him? Are you playing your FBI Honey Trap?"

Akai Shuichi frowned: "That's not what I meant."

"If it wasn't for you, how could A be exposed? And how could Gin treat him as a traitor and execute him!"

Huiyuan Ai choked up a little: "He told me at that time that he planned to take a day to go to Nara to see the cherry blossoms, and asked me if I wanted to go with him..."

Akai Shuichi suddenly raised his head, and his dark green eyes hidden behind his glasses stared at Haibara Ai with disbelief.

A chill rose from the bones, Akai Shuichi's throat moved, and his hand rested on Haibara Ai's shoulder.

"What did you say?" He asked quickly, "Say it again?"

She said it...

Haibara Ai was a little dazed. She thought, her sister and A obviously felt that there was no need to tell this "man who was doing big things" in front of her.

At that time, Haibara Ai was busy with the APTX experiment, and her schedule was out of sync with A's, so she rejected his invitation. Unexpectedly...

Unexpectedly, not long after, she heard the news that A was executed in the laboratory.

Gin fired a gun and fell into the sea. There was no possibility of survival and even his body could not be found.

Even if he survived now, the crisis of death still hung over his head, threatening to fall.

Haibara Ai was standing at the door listening to Matsue Shigure casually setting a limit on the length of her life, and her teeth were almost broken.

How can she find a way to save him? !

In response to Matsue Shigure's humble request, Akai Shuichi risked disturbing his memory again and asked him to look back on his unbearable past.

This man didn't seem to know that when Matsue Shigure fell into that mechanical state, his memory would be greatly interrupted, and normally, his fragmented memories would be erased and remembered all the time.

That's why he said, "Give me a little more time. I can't guarantee that I'll remember it."

Huihara's eyes were red and she almost couldn't hold back her tears.

How could Matsue Shigure say it so lightly...

"Habara." Akai Shuichi tightened his grip on her shoulders. He lowered his voice and lowered his attitude. "Please explain yourself more clearly."

"Isn't what I said clear enough? You left so smoothly by helicopter. Didn't you ever wonder why the armed pursuit that the organization had set up was so weak?"

"The organization will definitely let A disrupt your operations, but if A takes action, will the FBI escape the encirclement so easily?"

The rapid-fire attacks were filled with resentment and sadness, with a hint of self-mockery.

Haibara Ai knew that she also had her share of responsibility - A would get into trouble and need help mostly because of her.

The brown-haired girl looked coldly at the man in front of her, and gradually she could no longer maintain her calm expression.

She spoke clearly: "Two years ago, Akai Shuichi, it was you - you killed him."

“…”

"Of course, you can think of this as my sister's request and it has nothing to do with you. Then I have nothing to say." Huiyuan exhaled sadly and murmured, "It has something to do with me."

"A" was already dead when he fell into the sea.

Now that he is alive, Matsue Shigure is also longing for a good sleep.

...Haihara Ai felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue, which came from the pressure of fate.

Shuichi Akai let go of Haibara Ai's shoulders, he stood up silently and walked downstairs.

Haibara Ai was right. Back then, with the help of the FBI, he hurriedly escaped from the organization and did not encounter much resistance.

It can even be said that no one was hurt.

If "A" is suspected by the organization and executed as a traitor by throwing himself into the sea, it is because he helped "Akai Shuichi".

Then "Akai Shuichi" saving "A" at the seaside became the "result".

From the perspective of the FBI's theory of equal exchange, they were even two years ago. Even as Haibara Ai said, he almost killed him.

Shuichi Akai will never forget the critical illness notices he signed personally, and the grateful and happy expression on Chisuga Hagiwara's face when she looked at him.

"You are his family... and also his comrade, right? That's great," she said. "Songjiang is finally no longer alone."

But just now, Shuichi Akai personally handed Matsue Shigure another bitter fruit.

The blond young man took it with a smile.