Chapter 35 The Protector of Flowers
When Bourbon found Akemi, the girl was buying groceries.
This was their first meeting since they became adults, and Akemi naturally didn't recognize him.
“Bourbon, that’s my code name,” the blond man said.
Akemi's face showed undisguised surprise. She composed herself and asked, "Where are you taking me?"
Bourbon smiled slightly and replied, "Miss Akemi, please go ahead. I was sent here to protect you."
Protection is equivalent to surveillance.
Bourbon, with his silver tongue, convinced the organization that Akemi was Akai's only reason for returning to Japan, and then volunteered to monitor Akemi and gather information on the FBI's movements.
Based on the established label of being Ray's nemesis, the gentleman readily agreed.
Mingmei seemed to have some doubts, but in the end she didn't ask anything, only saying, "Sorry, I haven't finished buying groceries yet."
Bourbon very gentlemanly carried the shopping basket for her and followed behind, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far. He was careful not to lose her, but also not to put too much pressure on her.
Bourbon silently watched Akemi's retreating figure. His impression of her was still from when he was a child, and his deepest memory was of that little hand that held him tightly.
At that time, Mingmei was small in stature, but surprisingly strong, and the older Zero was unable to break free.
He had always been curious about how such a frail body could contain such great energy, enabling her to endure the long and oppressive years after the death of her parents.
“This celery is pretty good!” Bourbon, who was walking behind, suddenly said.
"Huh?" Akemi glanced at it.
She hadn't originally planned to buy celery, but it looked really good, so she bought some.
After buying groceries, Bourbon very conscientiously sat in the driver's seat: "I'll take you home."
Mingmei nodded silently, without saying a word.
Clearly, she hadn't yet realized that Bourbon was connected to the person who had sent Conan to deliver the Rising Sun Flag a few days earlier.
Bourbon was in no hurry to tell her about it, because deliberately revealing it would only arouse suspicion: could it be that the organization had already discovered the kind person?
He wanted to wait for the right opportunity so that Mingmei would realize it on her own.
When we arrived at our doorstep, the car stopped.
"Thank you, I'm going back now." Mingmei got out of the car, but was surprised to find that the other person had no intention of leaving.
“My mission is to protect you 24 hours a day,” Bourbon explained.
This means that he will be living at Mingmei's house for the foreseeable future.
Bourbon hadn't actually planned to take this step; it was the gentleman who suggested it.
—If Akai returns to Japan and finds that his beloved woman has another man in her home, will he fly into a rage and come to take revenge with a gun?
To be honest, this is a really mean trick. I wonder if that man came up with this kind of revenge because he had experienced some setbacks in his own relationship.
But this gave Bourbon a great deal of convenience, so he readily agreed.
Mingmei, of course, had no right to refuse, and led Bourbon into the house.
"I'll go make dinner." Mingmei took the groceries from Bourbon. "What would you like to eat?"
"A simple bento box will do."
Bourbon silently surveyed the room, and through the window, he could see that the organization members who had been keeping watch on him from the other side were gone.
With bodyguards on hand, there's no need for remote monitoring.
Bourbon sat on the sofa, stealing glances at Akemi who was busy in the kitchen, hoping that she would put more celery in his bento box.
"Please have your meal, Mr. Bourbon." Akemi brought the food to the table.
"Thank you." Bourbon maintained his usual gentlemanly elegance.
He wasn't quite sure what Mingmei was thinking, but judging from her expression and actions, the girl's guard had relaxed considerably.
After dinner, Bourbon sat on the sofa and took out his phone to send messages.
Mingmei went into the inner room to do something, and he didn't pay any attention to it.
In Bourbon's words, "Ms. Akemi can just treat me like I don't exist, and doesn't need to mind my presence."
A little while later, Akemi came out.
Bourbon didn't look up, but out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl bring him a blanket.
"Mr. Bourbon is sleeping on the sofa, which is a pity."
"It's okay, this is fine." Bourbon's eyes were still fixed on the phone screen, typing rapidly with one hand while raising the other to catch the blanket.
This was supposed to be a cool and stylish move, but Bourbon didn't control his strength well and lost his balance when he grabbed the blanket with one hand.
As a result, the blanket and pillow hit his head together.
A fluffy golden head tilted its neck, propped up on a pillow, looking like a golden retriever that had been hit and was stunned.
"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Mingmei was extremely nervous. "Let me help you..."
"It's okay, I can leave it here and do it myself!" Bourbon said somewhat awkwardly.
Mingmei left quickly, and in the instant before she turned her head, Bourbon could tell she was trying not to laugh.
"How embarrassing! I've become a negative example of phone addiction..."
Bourbon sighed and rubbed his forehead, but little did he know that something even more embarrassing was yet to come!
Bourbon has always been a proponent of sleeping naked, but it's inappropriate for him to maintain his old habits in a girl's house.
Since he had never worn pajamas before, he asked his partner to buy him a set.
Bourbon felt there was no need to specifically remind him about such a small matter, and he didn't check it after Jingguang bought it; he just brought it over directly.
When I opened it, I was dumbfounded: "Are these pajamas for me or for Akemi?!"
The pajamas were covered with cartoon-style dog patterns, and there was even a sleeping cap with a small white pom-pom on top of the pajamas.
The most outrageous thing is that these pajamas are light pink!
This isn't men's pajamas, it's practically an oversized Lolita outfit!
Bourbon stared at the pajamas, lost in thought:
Wear it, it's too childish.
If I don't wear it, I'll be a pervert.
Bourbon glanced at Akemi's bedroom; the door was tightly shut.
"I must get up before Akemi wakes up tomorrow morning!"
Bourbon made up his mind, but eventually he couldn't resist and put it on, though of course without a hat.
Then, to everyone's surprise, the pajamas were made of solid material and were quite comfortable and fit well, which undoubtedly showed that Jingguang had deliberately bought him such an adorable outfit.
Bourbon was furious and grabbed his phone to unleash a torrent of abuse on his partner.
The reply was: "Ms. Akemi has a very bad impression of everyone in the organization. To help Akemi lower her guard quickly and foster a friendly relationship between you two, your clothing and appearance are also important. Rei, dressing cutely will make it easier to win over young girls! (This is Hagiwara's summary of his experience in interacting with female friends.)"
"Do you have to consult with Hagiwara even when you buy pajamas?!"
That wasn't all; what angered Bourbon even more was that Kagemitsu actually asked him to send a few selfies.
"Pah!"
Bourbon was furious. He glanced at the time and decided to go to bed early tonight.
I'll settle the score with my childhood friend after this is all over!
But just then, the doorbell rang.
"Strange, who could it be at this time?"
Bourbon looked through the peephole but saw no one.
Curious, he opened the door, and as soon as he did, he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
"Akami-neechan, eh?!" Conan had just poked his head in when he saw Amuro Tooru wearing pink pajamas and women's slippers.
For a moment, even the young detective was bewildered.
The two stared at each other, speechless, both with the same question lingering in their minds: "What is he doing here?!"
In the end, it was Conan who regained his senses first, and filled with suspicion, he blurted out: "You're my sister?!"
Upon hearing this, Amuro's blood pressure spiked. He grabbed the little boy and dragged him into the house, slamming the door shut. Grabbing him by the collar and pinning him against the doorframe, he demanded in a low, menacing voice, "What are you doing here again? Did I say you could come?!"
Last time, Conan didn't know Akemi's real name, so this is at least the third time, and possibly more.
"I...I..." Conan was terrified and stammered, not knowing how to answer.
Last time, he couldn't see the other person's expression clearly because it was too dark in the restaurant's lounge. But this time, the sinister and ruthless look was written all over his face, coupled with the incongruous pink dog pajamas.
Conan felt that he might be facing a complete psychopath.
"I've done everything Amuro asked me to do!" Conan explained earnestly. "The Phantom Thief asked me to pass on a message to you: the Black Swan Heart that Mr. Suzuki had is a fake. The real jewel has a raven on it. The Phantom Thief said he's not interested in fakes, so he won't steal it. He also said that if Mr. Suzuki can produce the real Black Swan Heart, he would be willing to grace us with his presence again."
Amuro felt a headache coming on from hearing him keep calling him "Mr. Phantom Thief".
How long has it been? I can't believe this little detective has already become so familiar with that thief!
"You did very well this time, but don't do it again next time." Bourbon released the other person and tossed him gently, and the little detective plopped down on the ground.
"What's the next mission?" Conan stood up and asked, head held high.
Amuro had a terrible headache. He thought to himself, "Looks like you're having a really good time with that phantom thief! You look so expectant."
To maintain a necessary deterrent effect on his prospective assistant, Amuro cleared his throat and said, "I'll let you know when I need you. From now on, you're not allowed to set foot here without my permission. Understand?"
Conan nodded.
"Alright, get lost!" Amuro said with a wave of his hand, managing to exude an aura of 2.8 meters tall even while wearing a two-year-old girl's pajamas.
So Conan rolled away smoothly.
Amuro turned his head and found that Akemi's bedroom door had been opened at some point.
The girl looked at him with a complicated expression, and finally bowed to him slowly and solemnly, expressing her gratitude silently.
She guessed it.
Amuro smiled, thinking that this roundabout way of doing things was just right.
Today's mission is complete, and Amuro can finally go to sleep in peace.
He glanced at the small sleeping cap on the pillow, and on a whim, put it on his head: the size was just right!
And so the golden retriever adorably snuggled into bed and went to sleep.
Perhaps because the sofa at Mingmei's house was exceptionally comfortable, he slept very soundly and deeply.
The next morning, Akemi was the first to get up.
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