Chapter 73, Eighteenth Cycle (17)
Scotland woke up at six in the morning.
He heard some noises outside the room and guessed that Bourbon had gotten up, so he also yawned and got up.
He casually threw on a dark blue shirt, not even bothering with his hair style, and opened the door.
"You're awake?" The blond youth, wearing an apron, turned to look at him, his eyes lingering on his head for a few seconds before he smiled and said, "Good morning, Scotland."
Scotland reached up and brushed aside a stray strand of black hair, then couldn't help but laugh: "Good morning, Bourbon."
He came out and followed the blond youth to the kitchen door, asking curiously, "Are you making breakfast today? What are you planning to eat?"
"Just make a simple ham sandwich, it's almost ready, go wash up first." Bourbon gestured to him with the freshly washed vegetable leaves.
Because Bourbon is usually too busy, doing missions with the Whiskey Team trio, handling intelligence missions for others, and working in the lab, Scotland is usually in charge of cooking, while Bourbon sometimes helps out.
It seems Bourbon isn't very busy today.
As for Ray... does he look like he can cook?
While brushing his teeth, Scotland heard the door open behind him. Turning around, he saw Rye, wearing a simple black T-shirt, walking out. Her long black hair was surprisingly smooth and not messy at all.
But this wasn't because Ray's hair was naturally smooth enough to stay in place even while sleeping. Rather, it was because Bourbon had repeatedly mocked him for having too much hair, too long, and losing hair everywhere, telling him to comb his hair in his room or he would be responsible for cleaning the entire safe house.
If Lai ignores him, he will make sarcastic remarks every day. Lai takes too long in the bathroom, and it's such a hassle to wash his face, brush his teeth, and tie his hair.
Bourbon would also mock Ray for losing hair every day, wondering if he wouldn't go bald, and said that he was just like Sakura, a brat, who was a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) and had to keep his hair long, since they also had a chuunibyou vibe in their speech.
After enduring it for a few days, Lai finally decided to style her hair in her room before going out each time, so that she wouldn't lose any hair outside.
However, this led to Bourbon deliberately picking at any long black hair he saw, loudly mocking Ray for losing his hair and going bald sooner or later, saying that Ray might end up with a bald patch under his knit hat like Gin, so they would always wear hats no matter what.
Ray deliberately said this to Gin, which was then shouted out by the shocked Vodka next to him and overheard by Chianti not far away. Thus, most of the organization knew. Enraged, Gin coldly removed his hat to prove his hair was real, then poked Bourbon's head with his gun again.
Every time Ray found a blond hair in the safe house, he would sneer and mock Bourbon, saying that he was so busy every day that even if he didn't die suddenly, he would go bald sooner or later. He would tell Bourbon to find a hat or wig sooner rather than later. He would also sarcastically ask if Bourbon was learning disguise from Vermouth just to cover up the fact that he would go bald in the future.
Scotland would helplessly watch the two men, one with long black hair and the other with short blond hair, arguing amongst themselves, then sigh and pick up a broom to clean the house to reduce the bickering between the two men who looked no more than three years old.
"Good morning," Lei greeted him expressionlessly.
“Good morning, Rye.” Scotland smiled.
Ray came out and looked at the blond youth in the kitchen.
He was silent for a full three seconds, then turned and asked, "Is Bourbon cooking today?"
Scotland smiled and nodded, her bright blue, upturned cat eyes reflecting her owner's anticipation: "Yes, Bourbon is an excellent cook, especially his sandwiches. You didn't get to try them last time, did you?"
Lei: "..."
Scotland thought he was probably thinking he wouldn't get breakfast today, and Rye certainly didn't think Bourbon would cook for him.
After washing up, Lei didn't sit at the dining table. Instead, he lazily sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and stared at Bourbon's busy figure in the kitchen with his dangerously cold green eyes, lost in thought.
Scotland often worries about Bourbon's safety because even though he knows that Rye's true identity is an FBI undercover agent and a police officer named Shuichi Akai who also belongs to the good and righteous camp, the Rye he knows gives him the feeling that he is indeed a dangerous and terrifying member of the organization.
Cold, ruthless, and merciless in killing, seemingly incapable of feeling, always calmly observing everything, secretly plotting things that no one else knows.
Rye is just as terrifying as Gin, and even if Scotland knew he was also an undercover agent, it couldn't help but be wary and worried.
If Bourbon hadn't told him, he really wouldn't have believed that Rye was actually an FBI undercover agent.
He himself didn't care, but he didn't dare gamble on Bourbon's safety; he couldn't bear the possibility of losing Bourbon.
Moreover, Rye didn't know Bourbon's true identity and personality. To Rye, Bourbon was just a codenamed member of an organization that was always targeting him, and a notorious and unrepentant person. He was probably so powerful that Rye, as an undercover agent, wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible to rid the people of this scourge.
He was so wary of Bourbon that even after being rescued, he suspected that the other man was using a honey trap on him.
Bourbon only targets and mocks Rae over trivial matters, and does some excessive things, such as causing Miyano Akemi to break up with Rae. All of this is for a better future, and he would even risk his life to save Rae.
But Ray might not treat him that way. Instead of saving him, Ray might even take the opportunity to kill him.
Bourbon actually trusted Ray surprisingly a lot.
But Scotland did not trust Leigh.
Even if he is an FBI agent, the FBI isn't exactly a saint either. Plus, there are conflicts of interest between different countries. Even if they temporarily share the same goal, they can't completely relax their trust.
In particular, it involved the safety of important people close to him.
Scotland also expressed his concerns to Bourbon. Now that both he and Akemi have successfully established a relationship with Bourbon that will not arouse suspicion, he no longer needs to target Ray. What if he really angers Ray and he tries to harm him? He also reminded him that Ray is still just Ray, not the comrade-in-arms Shuichi Akai who once fought alongside him, and he cannot trust him too much.
Then, Scotland saw Bourbon get furious for the first time ever.
After that, he tried to coax Bourbon by saying that he was the best, that he didn't trust Ray, that Ray couldn't possibly kill him, that Ray was under his control, that he could kill Ray at any time, and that he didn't mean to say that Ray was better than him. It took him a long time to finally get him to cooperate.
After Scotland, I never dared to bring up the topic again.
Of course, there was also the reason that he believed Bourbon was prepared and wouldn't crash, since he was watching from the sidelines the whole time.
Moreover, after being saved once, Ray's attitude began to soften. He seemed to realize that Bourbon, at least for now, didn't really want to kill him, but simply disliked him and wanted to do some harmless sabotage and pranks. So when he confronted Bourbon later, he no longer had the chilling murderous intent he had at the beginning.
After Rye's arguments became purely verbal and limited to brief physical exchanges, Scotland rarely intervened. Watching the two of them argue was actually quite entertaining.
After all, such a bourbon is relatively rare for him.
Bourbon always felt refreshed after fighting with Ray, and fighting with Ray also made him feel much more relaxed. If he won, he could even eat an extra bowl of rice, which Scotland thought was great.
In conclusion, he felt that the three of them had successfully formed a whiskey team after six months.
Scotland completely tamed her hair, went over to help tidy up the kitchen, and then, together with Bourbon, brought out three plates of sandwiches.
Lai, who was pretending to watch the news on TV, paused in his smoking motion.
Three plates?
Bourbon untied his apron, crossed his arms, and sneered, "What? This old man who just watches and does nothing, do I have to invite him to come and eat?"
Lei: "..."
Bourbon continued sarcastically, "You start smoking as soon as you wake up in the morning, before you've even eaten breakfast, filling the whole house with smoke. You're going to get lung cancer sooner or later. It doesn't matter if your heart and lungs are black, but please don't make me and Scotland start breathing in secondhand smoke first thing in the morning, okay?"
Ray thought to himself that Scotland also smokes a lot... well, ever since Bourbon moved in, Scotland has been smoking less and less.
He extinguished his cigarette, walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite Scotland and Bourbon, then stared thoughtfully at the very appealing sandwiches in front of him.
He only came over because he was surprised that Bourbon had also made him breakfast; he didn't actually want to eat it.
"Poisoned?" Ray asked.
Scotland:"……"
Scotland paused for a moment, then tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders to suppress a laugh.
Bourbon: "???"
Bourbon laughed angrily, then sat down heavily, revealing a sinister grin. "Ah, yes, that's right. It's a sandwich laced with cyanide. Eating it will kill you. You'd better not eat it."
The blond youth made a move to reach for the plate in front of him.
Ray picked up the sandwich and dodged his hand: "Once you give it to me, it's mine."
Scotland was already happily eating sandwiches and watching the show from the sidelines.
Bourbon rolled his eyes, sat back down irritably, and started eating breakfast.
Lai placed the plate back on the table in front of him, his right hand, which was in his pocket, was already pressed on the emergency call button on his phone. Then he reached out with his left hand, picked up a pretty sandwich, and hesitantly took a bite.
Lei: "..."
Scotland winked at him: "How was it? Super delicious, right? Bourbon's sandwiches are the best in the world."
Bourbon gave a smug snort.
Lei silently took another bite.
It was really delicious, extremely delicious; it was the best sandwich he had ever eaten.
Bourbon wasn't cooking for the first time, but this was the first time he had cooked in front of him. Even with just a simple sandwich, it was clear that his culinary skills were truly impressive, which greatly shocked Ray.
Is there anything that guy can't do?
"Hmph, cooking is nothing to me. Scottish cuisine is superb. It's just that one person can't cook at all. All he does besides his missions is smoke and drink, and he's always eating convenience store fast food with unhealthy dark circles under his eyes. He's a complete waste of life." The blond youth who made the most delicious sandwiches showed the most mocking expression and then said the most sarcastic and provocative words.
Lei: "..."
After Scotland and Bourbon went out for a workout, Rae also put on a coat and a knitted hat and went out.
Half an hour later, Lai returned carrying a bag of groceries and a book.
The book is titled: "Learn to Cook from Scratch"
The cover also features a slogan: Even kitchen novices can learn it in one look!
Lei rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
He refused to believe he couldn't learn it, and even in terms of cooking, he didn't want to lose to Bourbon and be ridiculed.
*
At noon, Bourbon and Scotland returned.
Then the two of them stood at the doorway, their expressions freezing together.
Bourbon asked incredulously, "The safe house was attacked?"
Scotland's expression was complicated: "Ray, did you make this while cooking?"
The whole room was filled with a foul, complex odor and lingering black smoke.
A young man with black hair and green eyes walked out of the kitchen, which looked like it had been bombed, and his expression was not very pleasant.
He was wearing a tattered apron, and in his hand was a spatula covered with a clump of some unknown black substance. Even his long, smooth black hair, tied up high, was a little curly, as if it had been scorched by fire.
Lei paused for two seconds, then calmly said, "It was my first time, so I wasn't very skilled, but it was still a success."
Bourbon walked to the kitchen doorway, pointed to the pile of failed products that couldn't even fit in the trash can, and said, "Once?"
Ray remained expressionless: "Those were just practice runs; this is the real first one."
He put down the indescribable spatula, turned around, and brought out a plate of equally indescribable things from the pitch-black kitchen, placing it on the table.
Bourbon remained silent for a long while, then asked with a serious expression, "Poisoned?"
Lei: "..."
Scotland couldn't help but burst out laughing this time.
He laughed and patted Lai's shoulder to comfort him, saying, "It's okay, it's just the first time. Maybe you'll get better after a few more practice sessions."
Bourbon sneered, "If he comes a few more times, I'm afraid the whole house will be blown to bits."
Ray lit a cigarette, took a melancholy drag, and slowly exhaled the smoke.
Cooking was more difficult than he had imagined.
It's even harder than sniping.
But he will not give up.
Lunch was ultimately prepared by Scotland and Bourbon, while Ray quietly cleaned up.
At six o'clock in the afternoon, when it was almost dark, Bourbon received a phone call and was about to leave.
When Ray heard him call out "Sherry," he immediately snapped out of his serious focus on tending to the gun and looked up at the blond youth as he passed by.
Bourbon seems to be in frequent contact with Sherry lately, and he's even been able to visit Sherry's lab.
Bourbon pulled a black baseball cap over his head to cover his striking blond hair. After hanging up the phone, he was putting on white gloves as he walked. He paused slightly, startled by the sudden look up and the tense atmosphere, and frowned, asking, "What?"
Ray frowned, his eyes sharp as he warned him, "Shirley is only 14 years old."
Bourbon: "?"
Bourbon paused for two seconds before reacting, then instantly flew into a rage: "Ray, are you out of your mind?! Do you think everyone would climb the social ladder by deceiving women's feelings like you?! And Sherry is so young! How can your mind be so filthy?!"
Bourbon reacted strongly; Ray rarely saw him so angry and upset, so he felt a little relieved.
"That's good. In any case, Sherry is my ex-girlfriend's sister. I won't stand by and watch you lay a hand on a minor like her." Ray said this with his face still calm.
Bourbon was even angrier: "Who would lay a hand on a minor! Pervert! Scum! Even if you're a member of the organization, at least act like a human being! What's going on in your moldy head covered by that knit hat?!"
The person being scolded, Lei, seemed even happier.
Scotland stood behind the two men, his expression complicated.
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