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The blond man sitting at the bar was holding a drink and shaking it lightly under the light. He sat sideways with his arm on the table, his eyes lingering on the grappa without any concealment. However, the other party looked oblivious and after drinking the non-alcoholic cocktail just now, he returned to his standby state.
This appearance reminded Rei Furutani of the terrifying words the other party said during the snow yesterday.
Who...is he?
Noel...
Having not slept all night, the irritable Furutani Rei sat in front of the cabinet where Grappa slept and stared at the cabinet door all night. Finally, he came up with a possibility, which made him even more irritable, as if he was infected by gin, and his body was full of coldness.
For a moment, the whole bar became even quieter. Those who originally wanted to find out more information broke out in cold sweats, as if thorns were growing under their buttocks and they wanted to escape as soon as possible. However, in this atmosphere, no one dared to make a sound, let alone leave.
Bourbon, so scary.
“How does it taste?”
The quiet atmosphere was broken by the casual words of Furutani Rei. No emotion could be heard in his tone, and his expression was blurred under the light. Only the intelligence officer standing at the bar who was good at observing people's words and expressions could tell something of... a gentle smile?
So he lowered his head even more fiercely, as if he wanted to rub the cup in his hand into a flower.
"Taste...?" Grapa, who had been distracted, was brought back to his senses and repeated the blond man's words with some doubt.
“It’s okay?” he answered tentatively. It had a twangier texture than the nutrient solution from the laboratory. Was it bubbles?
Grappa recalled that he preferred the smooth and creamy texture of the dessert he had eaten yesterday.
He didn't want to pay attention to this question at first, but then he remembered the other party's crying face yesterday, and suddenly felt that he should do something, so he made a tentative comment.
[If you don’t answer this question, he won’t cry]
[But he cried yesterday. He must have been trying hard to hold it back.]
【Not to the extent that...】
[You must have expected this, that’s why he suddenly stopped making any noise. He must be someone who cries a lot.]
[I have something to do temporarily]
[Does "something" mean being busy and shutting yourself off? 】
[Let’s not talk about this… Arguing in the brain is so weird, it’s like a mental illness]
[Aren’t we just dual personalities?]
[Stop, stop. Let me first explain that split personalities should not be able to communicate directly in the brain. I guess Toru guessed that we are communicating indirectly through media. God knows what our situation is. This is not only unscientific, but also unscientific! ]
[It’s so complicated. I want another drink after the one I just had.]
[I can’t taste it]
【You can try the spicy one】
[Spiciness is a sense of pain, so I shouldn't feel it. But it's hard to say. I feel like this pain loss buff is a bit like Schrödinger's. I can only be sure if I try it. Is it caused by psychological factors, or is there something wrong with my body? Grappa, go try it...]
[So noisy, I still want to drink that]
"Well, would you like another drink?"
The blond man saw that the other person's eyes seemed to light up, and asked tentatively. After the other person nodded very slightly, the bartender immediately turned around and took out the ingredients to mix it again. Soon, another glass of light red cocktail was placed in front of Grappa. This time, the other person chose to sip it in small sips.
Should I be tasting it?
Furiya Rei fell into deep thought, tapping the tabletop with his fingers slightly bent.
Please, boss, when you hit me, my heart will jump too.
There was a hint of despair in the bartender's eyes. He looked at the new boss whose eyes were fixed on the grappa like a crosshair. He also looked at the group of colleagues behind him who were numb and desperate because they couldn't run away. He was trembling slightly when he lowered his head to wipe the cup again. There were many true and false rumors in the organization. As a person who got intelligence, he naturally knew that a large part of them were released to cover up the truth. The original rumor about Bourbon Grappa should be the same. Most people also knew that it was just talk.
But now, it seems to be true no matter how you look at it, so we can’t spread it anymore!
But is it too obvious that the boss I just recognized is acting this way? Or am I overthinking that this is just a shield? If so, who is he protecting against? The boss? ! So does the boss also want to be promoted? No, how could the boss not have this intention? Bourbon is indeed a sinister, vicious, rational and cautious person, and is the most suitable person to be the successor of the dark organization!
The bartender, who was happily imagining the future of the organization, didn't know that at this time, Rei Furuya had already set his sights on him.
The person in front of him is Noel. Furiya Rei made such a judgment. Not only is there no possibility that his body has been replaced, but the other person's behavior, whether it is the appearance of drinking cocktails, eating desserts, or the appearance of taking the initiative to go to sleep in the counter last night, is definitely this guy.
But the time is wrong, this is more like the past Noel.
Noel drank the cocktail more slowly, not only to savor it, but also to make himself look like he didn't like it that much. The way he ate dessert was corrected by Belmode, so his movements were fast but at least elegant. Hiro had made him very picky about sleeping in the cupboard, it had to be soft and breathable and filled with pillows.
So it's not just amnesia, this is a past Noel coexisting in this body with the present Noel, a new but very familiar Noel, four years ago? Or maybe even earlier.
Bourbon and grappa have been partners for a long time. How do they get along?
"Grappa, are you hungry?"
Fūya Rei's lips curled up into an unusually gentle smile, and without waiting for the other party to respond, he gave the bartender a threatening look and went to cook.
"Mr. Bourbon, this..." the bartender answered subconsciously, then swallowed it immediately and said, "Okay, what would you like to eat?"
"Sweet and sour is fine, anything else is fine."
Being casual is the hardest thing! The bartender was devastated. Who dares to be casual? Fortunately, he had enough channels. He immediately contacted several restaurant chefs under the organization to start preparing meals. Other people in the bar seemed to be relieved and said they would go to eat and escape after getting permission.
Soon, the bar turned into a restaurant and dishes began to be served one after another.
When dealing with Grappa, you need to feed the other party first before you can get information from him. This is based on Bourbon's past experience.
Of course, we don’t need the intelligence now, let’s feed him first.
———
“Dongdong——”
There was a knock on the door of Kudo's house, and Conan, as Kudo Shinichi, opened the door to welcome an unexpected guest.
"Mr. Jingguang," Conan asked in surprise, looking at the newcomer, "What's the matter?"
"I'm worried that if you don't come again, the next time I see you will be in a laboratory at the organization's base."
Zhu Fu Jingguang smiled and looked into the house and said, "Hongshu, how far have you progressed in your plan to infiltrate the organization?"
"I can't hide it from Brother Xiaoguang," the boy hiding behind the bookshelf couldn't help but say, "But we won't be caught so easily."
"I believe this, but isn't your goal the laboratory?" Morofushi Kagemitsu rubbed Hiroki, the boy who knew his identity but still insisted on calling himself Brother Xiaoguang, then looked at Conan and said:
"But this is the same goal as mine, so would you like to take me with you?"
[White Alliance welcomes new member "Holmes' Disciple"]
——
[You have been cleared from the "White Alliance" group chat]
Hagiwara Kenji looked at the news in front of him, and his mouth twitched. He looked at the young girl in front of him with tears in his eyes and said, "Is it because I was promoted too quickly that I was finally squeezed out?"
"I find that you are talking in a very rude way now," Matsuda Jinpei looked expressionlessly at the smug man in front of him. He always felt that there was something wrong with the other person's nerves and he needed to fix it. For a moment, his hands were itching unbearably.
"Where do I owe you? So much..." Before he could finish his words, Kenji Hagiwara felt a pain in his head as if something hit his forehead.
"A bug," Hagiwara Kenji caught the small object that bounced off his forehead and fell into his hand. Looking at the bug that was no bigger than a thumbnail, he exclaimed, "As expected of Dr. Agasa, this bug has a battery life that even exceeds that of police-only devices. However, I was thrown out of the group chat by Kage Mitsudan before the meeting even started."
"After all, the attitude of the higher-ups is clear at a glance. Because of your previous suggestion, they will avoid you in this operation just in case," Matsuda Jinpei said as he turned the screen of his phone over. On it was the same notification of being kicked out of the group chat as Hagiwara Kenji. "Of course, me too."
"There's no way. Everyone knows who made us close."
"So I've been ignored by you, my childhood friends?" A joking voice came from the door. Ida Kou, who was wearing a formal suit, also held his phone upside down, showing that he was still in the White Alliance. He said sarcastically, "Kagemitsu said that I probably won't be in a group with you guys, so I'll keep it for now."
"By the way, I found that Zero's guy is still in the group."
"I think we need to discuss the double standards of Kagemitsu Dan," Hagiwara Kenji complained unhappily, but a cheerful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"After all, you are the deputy commander of this operation, and you are at the forefront of it. All the details of the operation will be reported in detail and recorded in the file as your resume for future promotions," Date Kou frowned and said, "and Zero's situation is special, so he will not be strictly investigated."
"And that guy isn't stupid enough to go and raise the matter of Noel with the higher-ups like you did. You're right, the Public Security Department only cares more about their own interests." Matsuda Jinpei said mercilessly, then turned to look at Date Koudou: "But if you're in ambush, you won't be able to participate in the secret mission. If I'm not mistaken, you should be able to act with me."
"After all, I'm not that close to you guys," Yi Dahang said with a smile, "We've graduated so many years ago and we're in different departments, so it's natural that our relationship has faded. At least that's what they think."
Hagiwara Kenji looked somewhat helpless, as if the squad leader had deliberately avoided any open relationship with him since he was forced to embark on the path of promotion and salary increase. As the only one among them whose relative had been a police officer, Date Kou knew a thing or two about some of the unspoken rules of the police force. Under his seemingly rough appearance, he was actually very thoughtful. Although he would not be promoted immediately after this operation, he had obtained the key to the top of the police force. As his childhood friend, Matsuda Jinpei would naturally be closely tied to him, but the squad leader who was always on the front line took the initiative to hide his edge...
That is to say, if I were to be like those senior executives, commanding actions in an empty office every day, with a "confidant" who was not familiar with me on the surface on the front line... I remember this was called forming a clique for personal gain. Hagiwara Kenji couldn't help but smile bitterly. He felt that he would become the person that Kojinpei hated the most.
"hiss--"
The sudden pain in his abdomen made Hagiwara Kenji straighten his body, but he was unexpectedly hit on the head by the opponent as soon as he lowered his head due to his 1.9-meter height.
"Although weapons are not allowed in the offices of senior police officers, fists are allowed, so wrenches should be allowed as well."
Matsuda Jinpei spoke calmly, with a hint of threat in his eyes. Hagiwara Kenji understood what he meant, but... wasn't Jinpei going too far?
Ida Kou standing by couldn't help laughing, but he quickly restrained his expression.
They received a notification at the same time that the combat meeting had begun.
At the meeting, among the densely packed battle plans, one item was specially highlighted:
Silvani, as an important talent, needs to be transferred before the operation begins.
Implementation time: Three days later.