Chapter 98, Twentieth Round (17)
"Why are you so angry..." Furuya Rei muttered softly, leaning back on the sofa and pressing his temples.
"What's wrong?" Morofushi Kagemitsu placed the freshly cooked dish on the table, turned around, and looked worried. "Still have a headache?"
"It's a little bit, but it'll definitely be better before I go to work tonight." Furuya Rei showed him his phone with a helpless expression. "But this stubborn guy is really a headache."
Morofushi Kagemitsu reached out and took the phone, saw an email from Matsuda Jinpei filled with furious accusations, and couldn't help but laugh.
As he scrolled down, he said, "It's understandable that he'd be angry, since I'm angry too."
Rei Furuya paused for a moment, his hand still holding the chopsticks, and said guiltily in a low voice, "Are you... angry too?"
Morofushi Kagemitsu looked up at him and smiled: "I almost got into a fight with Gin yesterday."
Jianggu Ling: "..."
Morofushi Hiromitsu turned his gaze back to his phone: "But this mission is ultimately the BOSS's idea, so arguing with Gin won't help. I just made a couple of sarcastic remarks to him."
Rei Furuya covered his face with one hand: "No wonder Vodka messaged me complaining that I corrupted you..."
From the perspective of the organization's members, while it was indeed a bit excessive to make Bourbon, a mysterious intelligence operative, famous in the public eye, it wasn't particularly difficult. After all, the previous international superstar, Vermouth, did quite well, didn't she? At most, they might feel a little sorry for him for debuting as a male host and courtesan, but there was no need to be so angry as if he were courting death.
But for an undercover agent, this is no different from courting death.
Morifushi Kagemitsu scrolled to the end of the email, paused for a moment, and looked at him: "Is it still possible to exchange jobs now?"
“I will not agree,” Rei Furuya said firmly.
Matsuda Jinpei finally said that he had no other choice but to go to Yamaguchi Kiyoko and steal the fox's job. He didn't care about becoming famous, and even if he was exposed as a policeman after dealing with the Yamaguchi-gumi, it wouldn't be a problem.
But Furuya Rei would never agree. He was already trying to get Matsuda Jinpei out of the Yamaguchi-gumi mess, let alone agree to Matsuda Jinpei's plan to replace the fox, a plan so illogical that it would definitely arouse Kiyoko Yamaguchi's suspicion.
In reality, Matsuda Jinpei was just talking; he knew the plan wouldn't work, but he couldn't think of any better way to keep Furuya Rei from being exposed.
"Is there really no other way?" Morofushi Kagemitsu put down his phone and sat down to eat opposite him, his brows furrowed.
“It’s not impossible.” Rei Furuya praised the food before continuing, “But we’ll probably need Vermouth and Gil’s help, as well as Rum. It’ll be a little troublesome, but we can solve the problem.”
“Kir…” Morofushi Kagemitsu sighed. He didn’t want Furuya Rei’s situation to be involved with Ethan Hondou’s potential death at such a dangerous time.
But now there's no better way, since Kiel was involved from the beginning.
*
Vermouth received a call from Bourbon.
She had already received Gin's message and knew what had happened. She immediately took leave, abandoned the movie she was filming, and packed her things. She was on her way to the airport, so as soon as she answered the phone, she burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Hahaha, Bourbon, you're going to become the top male host? And a male courtesan representing the Yamaguchi-gumi no less! You previously refused to become an actor and star with me, but now you're going to be a male host who's sweeping the world? Hahaha—"
Bourbon: "..."
Bourbon: "Hey, hey, hey, your laughter is way too exaggerated! Your gloating is so obvious."
Vermouth was so happy she almost swerved the steering wheel: "No, that's not an exaggeration at all. I'm so happy to see you get the short end of the stick. Darling, wait for me, I'll be right back. Let me teach you how to balance your two identities: a member of the Black Organization and a public figure under the spotlight!"
Bourbon sighed, then a serious voice came through the earpiece: "No, I don't want to learn how to be both a member of an organization hidden in the shadows and a public figure who is always on camera after becoming famous online. I absolutely don't want that kind of troublesome life, even if it's just temporary."
Vermouth raised an eyebrow, a little disappointed that she couldn't see him having fun, but not surprised.
"So what do you plan to do? If it affects the mission, Gin won't agree." She slowly pulled the convertible to the side of the road and lit a cigarette.
Judging from his tone, Bourbon probably has a solution. With his abilities, he can definitely find a way to solve anything he doesn't want to do.
“I’ve already spoken to Rum, and he also thinks the plan to make me famous is terrible. It’s very damaging to an intelligence agent. We all strongly suspect that this plan is Gin taking revenge on me. He wants to keep me busy and expose my whereabouts so I’m no longer a mystery,” Bourbon sighed. “Besides, given my personality, it might be okay in the short term, but I definitely can’t keep up the act any longer and will explode sooner or later. If anyone dares to lay a hand on me, I’ll definitely break their neck. I’m even afraid that I might kill Yamaguchi Kiyoko during the mission.”
“So, I need your help, Vermouth,” he said.
“I don’t really want to help you.” Vermouth crossed her legs. “I have a bad feeling this is going to be a lot of trouble.”
“I thought we were already partners,” Bourbon chuckled softly, his voice deep and pleasant, like a lover’s tender whisper. “After all, we have a special secret that no one else knows.”
Vermouth: "..."
Vermouth clicked her tongue: "Speak, what is it?"
"Don't worry, it's nothing troublesome. You just need to tell the BOSS..."
*
When Kiel received Bourbon's call, he instantly became highly alert, like a cat with its fur standing on end.
“Don’t be nervous, I just want you to do me a favor,” Bourbon said.
"What?" Kiel said in a cold, ruthless voice, "Is it related to the organization's mission or your personal matter? I don't care about things that don't concern the organization."
“It’s mission-related, of course.” Bourbon smiled. “But you can say it’s a personal matter. Don’t worry, it’s nothing troublesome. I’ve already arranged everything else. All I need is your cooperation.”
"What kind of cooperation do I have?" Kiel frowned in thought.
“Delay tomorrow’s interview. Don’t completely ruin the plan and make them go to other TV stations. Just one day is enough,” Bourbon said through gritted teeth. “I don’t want to be on TV.”
Kiel: "..."
Hold it in, hold it in, don't laugh out loud, or Bourbon will hold a grudge and we'll be in big trouble.
"Does Gin know? Did he agree to it too?" she asked. "Gin is the captain of this operation, but I didn't receive any notification from him."
“No problem, that gentleman agreed.” Bourbon chuckled smugly, which was also a mockery of Gin. “As long as it doesn’t affect the mission, I’m sure I can finish this damn mission within the time limit. Even if there’s a slight mistake, I’ll take full responsibility.”
Kiel's heart skipped a beat.
Bourbon is indeed amazing. Despite being around the same age as her, he has only been in the organization for three years and is already close to the organization's center. He even seems to be quite familiar with the organization's boss and can use this to suppress Gin. How did he manage to do that?
"Okay," she agreed. "How exactly do I do it?"
If you decide to continue climbing the organizational ladder to a higher position, then dealing with Bourbon will be inevitable, and it would be good to have the opportunity to build a good relationship with him.
Don't be afraid, don't run away.
*
In this incredibly luxurious club, with its dazzling lights and vibrant music, the booth at the highest corner of the second floor is relatively quiet.
"It's almost midnight." Kiyoko Yamaguchi glanced at the time.
“Yes.” The blond youth sitting next to him had been drinking for several hours and was slightly drunk. He sighed in a daze, “It’s been a long time since anyone has waited for me until midnight to celebrate my birthday like this.”
"This should be your 26th birthday, right?" Kiyoko Yamaguchi said softly, leaning against him.
“Yes.” The blond youth reached out to catch her to prevent her from falling, and nodded with a smile. “After midnight, I will be 26 years old.”
“What a perfect time.” Kiyoko Yamaguchi smiled. “Tomorrow we’ll have a grand birthday celebration for you, and we can ring in the New Year together in the evening. The next day we’ll take you to our Yamaguchi-gumi’s 100th anniversary celebration.”
"Wow, that's fast." A hint of nervousness and unease appeared on the blond youth's face. "Am I really okay? Isn't this too fast?"
The handsome and powerful young man, who was usually gentle and at ease, was also very cute when he showed such an expression. It made her want to discipline and destroy him. She wanted to see his expression break down and become more broken, and she also wanted to see his stubborn and unwilling appearance gradually become blackened.
Kiyoko Yamaguchi reached out again to touch the fox's beautiful golden hair, met its gaze into its purple eyes that were more beautiful than gemstones, and smiled with encouragement and trust: "It's okay. Since I chose you, it means you are the best."
No, I have to hold back. It would be such a waste to break it so quickly.
"Don't worry, you just need to study how to become the most popular male escort."
Kiyoko Yamaguchi gestured for someone to bring over a beautifully packaged gift box.
"As for how to make you become an instant sensation, that's my job."
After yesterday's battle, the fox, who was already quite famous, attracted a lot of people to watch. Unfortunately, he was basically monopolized by Kiyoko Yamaguchi, and the others could only watch the excitement from the sidelines.
No one could have imagined that they would witness an even grander and more extravagant spectacle than yesterday.
As the clock struck midnight, in addition to cheers and music celebrating the birthday, the prepared host pointed to the opened gift box under the lights and loudly introduced it.
"Can you guess what kind of birthday present our Miss Yamaguchi gave the fox?"
"60-year-old Macallan Scotch Whisky! Yes! This is the legendary Macallan single malt Scotch Whisky, distilled in 1926 from cask number 263! The one that sold for $1.9 million at auction! One of the world's most expensive whiskies, valued at over 270 million yen!"*
Lai downstairs paused for a moment, his expression somewhat subtle.
Send Scotland to Bourbon?
Amid the uproar, the host continued to shout with passionate fervor.
"And this is just the beginning! This is only the first gift!"
"Fox is 26 years old this year, so our Miss Yamaguchi plans to give him 26 birthday gifts. This bottle of Scotch whisky worth nearly 300 million is just his 26th birthday gift. Miss Yamaguchi has also prepared 25 other gifts of the same value to make up for the 25 years before she met Fox!"
Kenji Hagiwara almost choked on his drink, but luckily no one was paying attention to him at the moment.
Wow, that's amazing! No wonder she came up with those ideas, Kiyoko Yamaguchi. I really admire her in some ways.
If a real male escort were here, he would definitely be completely conquered and controlled by her.
The host read out a list of expensive gifts, one after another, as if reciting a menu, and then the waiters stacked the gift boxes up under the lights, like building a champagne tower.
Luxury car keys, Tokyo villa property deed and keys, watches, gemstones... plus the bottle of Scotch whisky on top, these 26 gifts are worth more than two billion.
Two billion was just for a new male escort's birthday; a single customer's gift alone was worth over two billion.
Forget about records; many people's views on money are about to shatter.
At this moment, money truly becomes just a number that feels unreal.
Kenji Hagiwara let out a deep breath.
In short, it's impossible for me not to become famous.
*
The celebration lasted until 1 a.m., when Kiyoko Yamaguchi prepared to leave.
The TV station booked the club for tomorrow night's work session. Before the end of Fox's birthday celebration, those 26 exorbitantly priced gifts will be properly displayed there, and occasionally other guests will stack the gift boxes on top of each other like building a pyramid.
After a day, the fox's net worth will definitely be more than two billion.
The reason for choosing to have the TV station interview tomorrow is threefold: first, to let the matter ferment further and attract more people to increase the stakes; second, the TV station wouldn't be working at midnight for something like this; and third, Kiyoko Yamaguchi doesn't want to become too famous by appearing on TV, as she has always preferred to remain behind the scenes.
And... there's something even more important tonight.
The woman's fair fingers, painted with red nail polish, had already slipped beneath the blond youth's white sleeves, caressing his firm arm muscles with a clear sense of meaning. Her eyes also unabashedly swept over his delicate face, his open collar, his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs.
"Come back with me tonight." Kiyoko Yamaguchi leaned over and kissed the fox on the cheek.
Her bright red lips left a very clear and complete lip print on the blond youth's face, which, combined with his cute expression of being somewhat dazed by the series of events, made people even more eager to pursue him.
It's true that they wanted to groom him as an important pawn in their plan, but it's also true that they were attracted to his body.
This handsome blond-haired, dark-skinned young man really blew her mind.
*
As he watched helplessly as the wicked woman clearly had ill intentions, took Furuya Rei away, stuffed him into a car, and took him home, Hagiwara Kenji, who was pretending to be seeing off a guest, fell into deep thought.
He had also heard about Kiyoko Yamaguchi's exploits, and even knew from Phoenix that she played extremely dangerous games. Although he was currently very protective of Rei Furuya, so he certainly wouldn't play with him as quickly as he would with others, and he also believed that Rei Furuya's strength would ensure he wouldn't be truly harmed, but...
He returned home worriedly and found Morofushi Kagemitsu. There, he saw a black-haired man in a waiter's uniform wiping a glass with a blank expression. His movements were forceful yet slow and deliberate, and his eyes were cold and terrifying.
Hagihara Kenji: "..."
He's now starting to worry that Kiyoko Yamaguchi's head might be targeted by a Scottish sniper.
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