Chapter 31 Chapter 31 (Including 1k favorites plus extra) He...
79.
I've become more and more accustomed to being dragged out by Gin to do tasks, but I have to say that being dragged out as a bartender is the first time in my life.
Vodka let me in on the car. This time, Big Brother was representing the Black Organization, negotiating a partnership with another behemoth entrenched in the other world.
Originally, such high-level negotiations wouldn't have been a chance for a small-timer like me to show up. But as luck would have it, the organization's legendary leader had recently arrived in Japan and was also attending this meeting, so there was no need for the Black Organization to change their representative to show their respect.
Well, it seems that Gin is really worthy of being Gin. He is also well-known in the other world. He is really the living signboard of the Black Organization.
My brother deserves it!
Back to the point. Because the other party's leader was present, the format and location of the originally scheduled meeting had been temporarily altered to ensure the absolute safety of that godfather-like figure. The other organization was responsible for providing the venue and necessary beverages, while the Black Organization was responsible for providing on-site service personnel.
On the surface, this arrangement is a show of sincerity from both sides, but in reality, it contains hidden tricks. They are wary of each other and restrain each other, maintaining a fragile balance.
Haha, the Black Organization's service personnel still have to serve Gin. Who will it be? It's so hard to guess.
When I got off the bus, I was still a bit dazed. It wasn't that I'd fallen asleep in the car, but more because even though I'm a bit directionally challenged, the area around me still looked familiar.
"Ah? This is Namimori Town, Eiko, you may have been here before?" Vodka heard my mumbling and responded casually.
My heart skipped a beat, as if being pulled by an invisible string. "Himimori-cho?"
Why do I suddenly have a premonition that I will meet an old friend?
80.
The meeting place was chosen to be a high-end restaurant in a quiet place in the bustling city of Namimori-cho. It has a deep courtyard and a typical Japanese elegant style, which forms a strange contrast with the upcoming dark transaction, but also has a sense of complementing each other.
Did the foreign organization proactively choose a meeting place with Japanese characteristics? I wondered a little dazedly.
I was led by Vodka through the winding corridors to familiarize myself with the beverage area where I would be served.
Pushing open the Japanese-style sliding door, a spacious and bright wine preparation room comes into view. Sunlight filters through the paper-lattice windows, casting soft patches of light, and the air is filled with the mixed aroma of red wine and sake.
The back of a silver-haired man in a well-tailored black suit was facing the door, his posture was upright, and his silver hair shone with a cold and hard luster in the light.
"Ahem, Eiko, this is Mr. Hayato Gokudera, the guardian of the Storm, the tenth generation of the Vongola." Vodka cleared his throat and introduced him to me.
Vongola… Looking at that familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar and mature figure, my eyebrows raised slightly: "Wow, Mr. Mukudera, it's been a long time since we last saw each other?"
Gokudera Hayato, who was originally posing with his hands behind his back, turned around and when he saw my face clearly, he almost lost control of his expression: "Ei-Eiko?!"
Vodka blinked in confusion behind his sunglasses. He looked at Hayato Gokudera, then at me, who was grinning, and asked in confusion, "Have you known each other for a long time?"
81.
Did we know each other for a long time? Not only that, but he wasn’t the first person I knew.
That all goes back to the first month after I was "exiled" to the Polestar Bar, a chaotic month in every sense.
I first found myself stepping into the high-risk world of "Detective Conan". Before I could even get excited for three seconds about seeing the handsome paper man I liked, I was shivering with fear at Gin's face that was so cold that it could scrape off ice chips and the disgust all around him.
This is what Ye Gong likes dragons so much. If Gin himself wasn't even more handsome than in the anime, I might have been so scared by the Black Organization's pressure-cooker-like atmosphere that I wouldn't have survived the next day.
Ahaha, I scared myself.
However, no matter how handsome Gin is, it does not affect his terrifyingness, nor does it affect the terrifyingness of the Black Organization.
The real Black Organization is not like the comedy scene in the later part of the anime where a bottle of wine appears, and it is either a fake wine undercover or a real wine that is about to die.
It is a veritable, dark quagmire that devours life.
The colleague who was joking with you yesterday might be "dealt with" today because of mission failure, or simply turned into a cold corpse quietly while carrying out the mission...
This cruel reality of living in fear at any moment and treating human life as worthless is really too much for an ordinary person like me who grew up under the red flag and lives in a peaceful era.
At most, I just regard the lives of mosquitoes and cockroaches as worthless.
If I hadn't been so adaptable and brave, I might have scared myself to death before I even had a chance to go out for some fresh air, just like the poor guy in the famous sensory deprivation experiment where water was dripped onto the blindfold.
It was difficult to get a chance to go out for some fresh air. To be more precise, it was a brief escape opportunity that I fought for myself.
My body didn't become useless after my rebirth and awakening. I've always been known as a loser. Gin was once my instructor, and he had a vague impression of my worthlessness. I never thought I'd fall into his hands again.
So, to avenge his previous humiliation, Gin began to train me with his devilish skills. Even if it wasn't enough for him to train me personally, he also stuffed me into various skill refresher classes within the organization.
The main point is to push the intensity to the maximum, which is really a training to death. Many times I felt that my small body was going to fall apart on the spot.
However, misfortunes often bring good fortune. It was thanks to Chongxiu that I met Binga, who had been working hard since joining the Black Organization and had voluntarily learned various skills.
Binga is a real closet fan of Gin. One of his purposes for joining the Black Organization was to surpass Gin.
After knowing that I was arranged by Gin to retake the course, he initially provoked me crazily and sneered at my poor learning ability.
But it doesn’t matter, I will tolerate the paper-thin handsome guy’s bad temper, especially when I think about how this guy died in the end because of Gin’s “read but not reply” message, I love him even more.
Binga naturally sensed my affection, and he became even more excited. As time went by, we spent more and more time together, talked more and more, and unexpectedly discovered that we were quite compatible. Not only did we agree to be each other's class partners, we also became good friends.
It can even be said that given Binga's bad temper, I am the person who has the best relationship with him in the Black Organization.
Hey, come to think of it, how come I look a lot like Ninjato? Yay, one more thing I have in common with Gin!
The memory continues, and the major event that led me to really regard Binga as my best friend was that during class, Binga used her superb camouflage skills and the instructor's negligence to help me create a brief safety window to sneak out of the training base.
I happily breathed the air of freedom for the first time in this world.
There is no freedom of the Black Organization.
Then I got lost and ended up in Namimori Town.
Damn it! Don’t underestimate the bond between being directionally challenged and being lost!
When I saw the sign for "Namori-cho", I was a little dazed. It was probably that kind of... familiar feeling that this place had given me when I was a child.
And this trance made me completely numb when I acted as a hero and saved the beauty - yes, I was the hero, and the brown-haired young man surrounded by a group of stray puppies was the beauty, and I saw the other person's face clearly.
I swear, I originally wanted to do good deeds without leaving a name, and leave without taking a cloud with me. But I really like to pretend, so I deliberately made a pose to show my handsome profile.
Then I saw a familiar yet unfamiliar face out of the corner of my eye.
It’s familiar because I was the one who recommended him, but it’s unfamiliar because it’s me who recommended him ten years later or even longer.
Sawada Tsunayoshi.
He lost the immaturity and timidity of his youth, his figure grew taller, and his shoulders became broad and upright.
Beneath her soft brown bob, she revealed a face with sharper features, a gentle yet undeniable majesty. Her signature warm brown eyes were still clear and bright, as if filled with sunshine, yet deep within them lay the calmness and strength of someone who had weathered many storms.
He wore a dark casual suit, no tie, and one button casually undone at the collar. He retained the dignity of a superior while also exuding just the right amount of friendliness. Standing there, he looked like a tree that had weathered the storm, only to grow stronger, gentle yet powerful.
——Well, you can’t tell at all that you were just scared by a dog.
I never imagined this wasn't just a science world, but also a worldview of tutors. Thinking of those flying, escaping, and bizarre fire abilities, I couldn't help but ponder why I hadn't heard of them in the Black Organization.
Over the following days, I slowly pieced together the answer to this question. Perhaps the main plot of "Katekyo Hitman Reborn" has long since settled, and the God of the World has begun to favor the world of the so-called "Grim Reaper" students. Add to that the Vongola's low-key approach as an ancient mafia family, and the secrecy surrounding the power of fire... all these factors combined to create this information barrier.
Of course, the more crucial reason is probably that the Black Organization's style of acting without any bottom line and treating human life as worthless is incompatible with the Vongola's philosophy, and they are even the object of exclusion.
Due to my personal identity and my pretentious mentality, between pilgrimage and death pretense, I actually wanted to float away in a death pretense, and then go back to roll around on the bed, feeling madly proud that someone saw me pushing me and suspected that I had saved him.
However, I turned around handsomely and just took two steps when that gentle yet hesitant voice sounded behind me.
Sawada Tsunayoshi suddenly called me: "Wait, although it seems that you know me, I still want to introduce myself. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi."
I now think that day was my lucky day because I suddenly had two friends.
One is a good friend of the Black Organization, and the other is...
After I came to this strange and dangerous world, she was the first friend who reached out to me not because of my "initiative" or "identity", but purely because of the person "Yingzi".
Being a hero saving a damsel in distress is not considered proactive. What I’m talking about is taking the initiative to strike up a conversation.
The guy I recommend, Sawada Tsunayoshi, is really charming. I don’t know why, but I followed him to a nearby park, sat on a bench, and chatted for a long time while enjoying the breeze.
He cleverly concealed his identity as the leader of the Vongola, and I also carefully hid my label as a peripheral member of the Black Organization.
We were like two ordinary young people who met by chance, watching the snow, the stars and the moon together, talking about poetry and songs and the philosophy of life... Oh, no, we watched the wind, the grass and the people passing by together, and talked about our censored life experiences and our favorite anime.
As for Sawada Tsunayoshi, it's well known that he knows about parallel universes. For a moment, looking into his warm and inclusive eyes, I felt the urge to tell him everything.
It's just that I don't.
Of course, I believe he will believe in my identity as a time traveler, and I also believe that he will not hurt me.
After all, he is Sawada Tsunayoshi.
It was like he clearly had the power to easily disperse or even harm those stray dogs, but he chose the most gentle way and didn't even want to scare them.
Possessing extraordinary power, but being more determined to use it to protect rather than harm, it sounds like the setting of the Holy Father, but only those who have been protected by him know how reassuring and lucky it is to be taken under the wing of such a person.
I didn't say everything, but I vaguely expressed my fear of the unfamiliar environment, afraid that I would get hurt and disappear silently like insignificant cannon fodder.
He listened quietly, and then told me that he had been scared before, so scared that he wanted to run away, but he was no longer afraid because he had his companions around him.
He said, I would do the same.
He said that even if he didn't have any companions for the time being, as long as he believed in himself, he would always find his own path and the life he wanted.
It's incredible to think about it now. He clearly didn't say any profound truths. Even when I recall them now, they were just some very ordinary words, mixed with his own processed experiences that I knew but he thought I didn't know.
But I was really infected by him at the time. Should I say he is worthy of being called the Godfather? He is simply a priest. After returning home, not only my colleagues, but even Vodka said that I felt more noisy.
I understand. Actually, I just feel more cheerful and relaxed.
Add to that the power of my daughter... well, I might as well make the best of it. The Black Organization won't let me die directly anyway. The Black Organization will be destroyed by Conan sooner or later anyway. Anyway... I will be free sooner or later.
After that, Sawada Tsunayoshi and I exchanged contact information and became friends. Later, when we met up a few times to hang out in Namimori-cho, I got to know his friends Hayato Gokudera, Takeshi Yamamoto, and the other core members of the Vongola family, and gradually became friends with them who I could chat with.
However, judging from the pure shock on Hayato Gokudera's face when he saw me today... it seems that they really haven't investigated me in depth?
Is this absolute confidence in his own abilities, or blind trust in Tsuna's judgment, or... simply because he thinks my face looks too harmless?
82.
All I can say is that Sawada Tsunayoshi is indeed a mature tenth generation who has experienced many ups and downs.
When the meeting officially began, I, as the bartender, entered the Japanese-style room carrying a tray and respectfully placed the wine glass in front of him. He just raised his big, warm brown eyes, as gentle as melted honey, and was slightly startled. Then he showed me a very faint but extremely familiar gentle smile and nodded slightly.
The whole process was smooth and natural, without any unnecessary emotions that might arouse suspicion.
However, Reborn, who was sitting in the shadow behind him, kept his gaze on me for a long time.
There's no doubt this legendary tutor must have thoroughly investigated me. Even if he hadn't investigated me before, knowing that Gin was the one representing the Black Organization, perhaps with a little investigation... my existence would no longer be a secret.
Well, now basically everyone in the Black Organization who knows Gin knows that he has a new bartender girl who follows him wherever he goes. People often ask me when I can get a code name.
My answer to this is always that there is no obligation to take a code name.
83.
Clearly, now wasn't the right time to reminisce. Everyone present, whether the Vongola Guardians or the Black Organization's Gin and Vodka, quickly switched to professional conversation mode.
The air was so heavy that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it. The only sound was the subtle sound of the wine falling into the glass as I carefully poured it.
Gin, on the other hand, gave me a particularly meaningful look before sitting down.
It makes me feel uneasy.
I almost spilled the wine. Oh my god, I almost lost my professional ethics.
The content of the talks revolved around the Black Organization seeking the "cooperation" of the Vongola in its expansion into Italy.
The Black Organization's Italian branch had been established for a long time, but in the cradle of the Mafia, it had clearly not been doing well, encountering obstacles at every turn. Trying to cling to the influence of a local tyrant, especially a top family like the Vongola, was a bit embarrassing, but... it wasn't too shameful, was it? After all, the Vongola was truly the top.
In addition, the current leader of Vongola is Japanese. Coincidentally, the big boss behind the Black Organization is also Japanese. Wouldn't this make it easier to get close to them?
This is what I simply and roughly understand.
There is no doubt that the talks broke down, and the Vongola still has no intention of cooperating with the Black Organization, and this has not changed.
However, I guessed why the Vongola still wanted to meet with the Black Organization even though they clearly didn't want to cooperate.
That's right. Look at the way Mr. Reborn would occasionally look at Gin. There was no hostility, but rather a kind of... evaluation? Appreciation? Even... satisfaction?
They are definitely coming for my eldest brother!
84.
After verifying this hypothesis, I was definitely fast asleep in the car on the way back. When we got home, as soon as the door opened, even in the porch, I could already say that I was very skilled at leaning against Gin.
Her hands naturally climbed up his broad shoulders, her forehead rested against his cold and hard jawline, her nose rubbed against the black fabric on his body, and she greedily breathed in the unique scent that was a mixture of danger and security.
I just kind of hung on him and followed him forward.
Gin was impatient: "Are you a pig? You've been sleeping in the car, and now you want to sleep on me?"
I closed my eyes and rubbed my body against his shoulder, like a cat that had found a warm stove. I began to sing nonchalantly, "Big brother said I was a pig. I am a pig, so I am a pig. I am also the adorable pig that Big brother raised. Big brother raised me well. I raised a plump, shiny, and beautiful pig with bright fur."
Gin said coldly: "If you sing again, I will throw you down."
"Okay, okay, if you don't want to sing, then don't sing." I curled my lips and tucked in, but my head rubbed restlessly against his shoulder before I looked up. I stared at Gin's profile, my voice carrying a subtle hint of tentativeness, "Hey, big brother, I have a question, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask."
He didn't even look at me, and said in a firm tone: "Then don't ask."
"No, then I'm going to ask!" I was placed on the sofa, my calves slapping the side of the sofa anxiously. I leaned forward, trying to catch any subtle changes in his expression. "Brother, you can see that the Vongola people are after you, right?"
I don't believe that with Gin's keen sense, he didn't notice Vongola's recruitment. Yamamoto Taketo invited him to the Vongola training ground for a sparring match.
I'm afraid that while they were sparring, they left Gin behind?
I stared intently, but couldn't see anything.
I was somewhat discouraged. After all, a smart person like me could see at a glance that following the Vongola was much more promising than following the Black Organization.
First, Vongola is the good guy in "Katekyo Hitman Reborn" and the Black Organization is the villain in "Detective Conan", so this is a victory for Vongola.
Second, Vongola won once, which makes it two wins.
Third, Vongola won twice, making it three wins.
So far, Vongola has won three times, which is a great victory!
Just as the little drama in my heart was going on wildly, Gin finally looked me in the eye.
The shadow cast by his tall figure completely enveloped me. Suddenly, he chuckled and leaned down. His handsome yet oppressive face instantly enlarged in front of my eyes, so close that he could almost bite the tip of my nose.
Those dark green pupils, like a venomous snake locking onto its prey, were cold, sharp, and penetrating, holding my gaze firmly. His thin lips opened and closed, and his deep voice, with a palpitating sense of oppression, hammered into my eardrums word by word:
"Are you helping the Vongola and want me to switch?"
I didn't dare to speak or move.
"Or," his voice deepened, with a hint of dangerous inquiry, "are you helping that adult...test me?"
The huge shock instantly overwhelmed my fear. I suddenly opened my eyes wide, and my voice rose with excitement, even cracking a little. "Brother, what are you talking about? How could I help the boss test you? Even if you and the boss fought, I would definitely stand on your side!"
In a hurry, I spoke without thinking, and only after I said it did I realize how horrifying it was.
"Nonsense." Gin stood up and distanced himself. The warm yellow light cast a cool halo on his silver hair. He lowered his eyes to look at me, his expression returning to his usual coldness. His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable warning. "No matter how close you are to those people, don't forget who you are, Yingzi."
My voice was a little hoarse: "Brother..."
I admit I got a little carried away. Even though Detective Conan hadn't finished when I arrived, and the Black Organization's fate hadn't been revealed, its demise was almost universally acknowledged. Still hanging in the balance was Gin's fate.
He is a villain, a cold-blooded executioner, a symbol of darkness...but...
I don't want him to die.
Even fan fiction rarely dares to write that Gin "abandons evil and joins good" or "betrays the Red Side". These two words are simply a fantasy when applied to Gin, and completely violate the core logic of Gin as a person.
His deep-seated ruthlessness, paranoia, and twisted adherence to order doomed him to live and die with the Black Organization. Rather than being captured or defecting, "dying with the organization" or "fighting to the bitter end" were more likely outcomes for him, and the most fitting for his character.
But, I don't want to.
I don't want Gin to die.
Many people believe Gin is the Black Organization's most loyal vicious dog, the boss's sharpest knife. But I always feel... not so. It's more of a choice. He's more like a lone wolf king, choosing the Black Organization perhaps simply because the environment is dark and chaotic enough to accommodate him, and the boss's current display of power and control warrants his temporary obedience. Loyalty? No, more like a contract based on recognition of strength and living environment.
So, I was self-righteous.
I thought I could shake this towering tree rooted in darkness. I thought I could change Gin's perhaps destined death, just like I saved Kenji Hagiwara.
...Yeah, why do I feel like Gin will die? Maybe he'll be able to foresee the organization's downfall and withdraw, disappearing into the darkness like a ghost? That doesn't seem completely out of character, does it?
I was overthinking it.
My long eyelashes cast two uneasy shadows under my eyes. I moved my lips and said, "Brother, I'm sorry."
Sorry, I was abrupt.
I got an extremely impatient "tsk" in response, short, cold, and filled with a kind of annoyance at being stupid.
The next second, he put his arms around my neck, the warm yellow light was blocked by my silver hair, and the next second, he kissed me.
A cold and fierce kiss that smelled of tobacco and alcohol.
His slightly cool thin lips covered my lips with unquestionable strength, grinding, sucking, and even biting with a hint of punishment.
My mind was blank, and all that was left was the burning sensation on my lips, a mixture of slight tingling and strange electric current, and the feeling of being confined by the hot and strong hand on the back of my neck.
The whole world seemed to disappear, leaving only this violent yet extremely real kiss and his cold yet hot breath so close to her.
After a while, he held my lips and said the word "idiot" that I was very familiar with.
Tsk, then he kissed the idiot so fiercely.
He also has a strong taste.
"Actually, big brother, you're a little touched that I'm thinking about your career, right? Our organization places too much emphasis on blood ties, and it's too difficult to move up to the top. It seems that it's much easier to get promoted in Vongola." Relying on Gin's subsequent (?) tenderness at times like this, I lay on his great pectoral muscles and whispered, secretly drawing circles with my fingers.
Gin grabbed my disruptive hand and said in a hoarse and lazy voice, "You're talking nonsense again. Don't touch me."
...Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that Gin still had a reaction somewhere, I would really be a little suspicious (eyes shifted)...
As it turns out, there was nothing wrong with Gin. He could kiss me, but he really didn't want to sleep with me.
Damn it, is my charm just not enough? I silently clenched my fists inwardly, resolving not to let Vermouth discover this. After hanging around Gin for so long, even a sister has to keep her dignity.
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The author has something to say: Sometimes, while writing, I start to wonder if this constant back-and-forth is too cliché. But how can I explain why I didn't intend to write this, and it just happened out of nowhere? Brother, please reflect on this.
*
Current debt:
Receipt: 1
Nutrient solution: 2+1=3
Collection: 2-1=1
...something's wrong, this scene seems familiar, it must be my illusion, hmmmm
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