Drug Administration and Warning
“Ah, I know this Fujiwara Taro. I met him on a mission with Bourbon last time.” Inside the venue, Tsurumi Kawakami pointed to the standee on the ground and said to Midorikawa Hikaru with some surprise.
Hikaru Midorikawa looked in the direction he was pointing. A sign displayed a photo of a middle-aged man, along with his name and some information. Many figures from the pharmaceutical industry had been invited to today's lecture, and it wasn't surprising that Taro Fujiwara, one of the biggest names in the industry, was invited.
But Midorikawa Hikaru was thinking more deeply. During this time, he had just discovered that the Black Organization was secretly researching illegal drugs and even conducting human experiments. He then received this mission, which made him more cautious. However, Midorikawa Hikaru did not want to think about the worst possible outcome, thinking that perhaps he was being too sensitive.
When Tsurumi Ryu meets someone he knows, he has endless things to say. He starts rambling on and on about the last mission to Midorikawa Hikaru, and also gossips about the two sons of Fujiwara Taro.
They walked around the venue to get a feel for the situation, and seeing that it was getting late, they retreated outside. Meanwhile, Lai had also determined the sniper position, and everything was ready for the target to arrive.
Logically, this mission shouldn't require three people, but Curaçao deliberately dumped the mission on Tsurumi Kawaru in order to get rid of him. On the action team side, Rai was still a newcomer who had just received his codename, so they simply let Scotland take him along.
Tsurumi Kawa was unaware of the intricacies behind this. He was happy to be out on a mission, and after being cooped up for so long, he felt like he had been transported to another world.
"Want some oden?" Tsurumi Kawakami asked Midorikawa Hikaru, turning his head with a hint of craving as he saw the oden being cooked at the convenience store next door.
They stood under the trees across the street, dappled sunlight casting sparse shadows on the ground, swaying in the breeze. Tsurumi Kawakami also wore all black, but he didn't fit the Black Organization's image, and dressed in black, he didn't seem like a dangerous Mafia member.
Midorikawa Mitsumasa was staring intently at the person opposite him. When he heard his words, he turned his head and his eyes met Tsurumi Ryu's golden eyes. He paused for a moment and then shook his head.
When Tsurumi Kawaru saw that he didn't want it, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly rallied. He took out his wallet, opened it, and looked inside. It was bulging with a stack of Japanese yen. Instantly, his previously dim eyes lit up.
He waved to Midorikawa Hikaru and walked briskly toward the convenience store: "I'll go buy it then, wait for me a moment."
The seventeen-year-old boy had grown taller than before, almost reaching 1.8 meters. However, Tsurumi Kawaru's face was youthful and his features were soft. He also had slightly droopy dog-like eyes and a slender build, which made people completely overlook his height, which was above average.
Hikaru Midorikawa watched his carefree retreating figure, a smile involuntarily appearing in his eyes. But then, thinking of today's mission, his expression turned serious again.
— Saburo Ida, section chief of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Bureau.
The Pharmaceutical Affairs Bureau is the administrative enforcement agency responsible for regulating and supervising pharmaceuticals in Japan. It is one of the nine bureaus of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and is headed by a bureau chief and a Pharmaceutical Affairs Committee member in the Secretariat of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. It wields considerable power, and according to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, production and sales cannot proceed without the approval of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Shooting and killing a section chief from the Pharmaceutical Bureau in full view of everyone in an open-air venue—Midori could imagine the uproar it would cause. He had read the intelligence team's detailed report on this section chief: Saburo Ida had accepted bribes totaling tens of millions over the years, and he also had business dealings with the Black Organization.
The mission was launched because Saburo Ida was suspected of betraying the Black Organization. To prevent any potential betrayal, the Black Organization decided to strike first. Shooting Saburo Ida in full view of everyone was also a warning and a provocation.
Hikaru Midorikawa once again clearly recognized the Black Organization's arrogance and its heinous, brutal methods.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes hardening.
"It's almost time." Just then, Tsurumi Kawa returned carrying a large cup of oden. The aroma of the food wafted over on the wind, and Midorikawa Hikaru turned his head to see him crunching on the cartilage inside a skewer of chicken meatballs.
When Tsurumi Kawa saw him looking over, he offered him the oden: "I bought one of everything, and the shopkeeper even gave me a lucky bag and a skewer of radishes."
Hikaru Midorikawa declined to eat, but gave a smiling "hmm" as he noticed a white car slowly approaching from the west.
Tsurumi Nagaru noticed it too. He curiously took a step forward, stared at the middle-aged man getting out of the car, patted Midorikawa Hikaru's arm excitedly, and said: "Here he comes, here he comes, it's that Ida Saburo."
Before the mission, Tsurumi Kawa had read the information about Saburo Ida and knew that he was corrupt and used his position to accept bribes. In his mind, Saburo Ida was just like Old Orange.
Watching Saburo Ida get out of the car and enter the venue, Tsurumi Nagare, while eating his oden, recalled the start time of the speech he had just seen in the venue. There was still a while before the speech began. He looked around, threw his empty oden cup into the trash can, clapped his hands, and ran back to Midorikawa Hikaru's side.
Bored standing there, Tsurumi Kawa started chatting with Midorikawa Hikaru. He complained about being cooped up at the base for so long, and then asked if anything interesting had happened during that time.
Hikaru Midorikawa was somewhat surprised by Tsurumi Kawakami's nonchalant attitude. He paused for a moment, then seemingly casually brought up the recent targeting of Bourbon. No one in the organization knew about his relationship with Tooru Amuro except themselves. Therefore, Midorikawa wanted to take this opportunity to probe Tsurumi Kawakami's opinion on Bourbon.
Tsurumi Kawakami asked in surprise, "Why Bourbon?"
Seeing his surprise, Midorikawa Hikaru was somewhat surprised that Curaçao hadn't given him a warning, and that the news about Bourbon had spread throughout the Black Organization, yet Tsurumi Kawaru, as a member of the intelligence team, hadn't heard a thing.
Various thoughts raced through his mind. Midorikawa Hikaru's eyes darkened for a moment, and he jokingly brought up the matter of Bourbon offending Curaçao and being targeted, just like the other members.
Upon hearing Midorikawa Hikaru's words, Tsurumi Kawakami's eyes widened, and he muttered with some anger and annoyance, "So that's how it is. If I hadn't taken Bourbon to eat sushi, he wouldn't have been punished by Curaçao."
Hikaru Midorikawa's ears twitched, and he listened quietly to Nagaru Tsurumi's whispered words.
After grumbling, Tsurumi Kawakami lost all interest in going out to play. He just wanted to finish the mission quickly and go back to find Amuro Tooru. He glanced at the time and there were still twenty minutes before Ida Saburo's speech.
Seeing Tsurumi Kawakami's expression suddenly become absent-minded, Midorikawa Hikaru's eyes flickered. He remembered Amuro Tooru's evaluation of Tsurumi Kawakami when they last contacted each other, and immediately fell silent.
Tsurumi Ryu didn't notice Midorikawa Hikaru's unusual behavior; he was already thinking about whether he should go to the mall later to buy something for Amuro Tooru.
As the speech was about to begin, the number of people gathered in the open-air venue increased. The organizers took the stage first and made some official remarks. Once the speech officially started, the media in the audience raised their cameras and pointed them at the stage.
Saburo Ida stepped onto the stage. He was a tall, thin middle-aged man with a kind and approachable face. From his appearance, one could not tell at all that he was a corrupt official who would accept bribes.
"Bang—" After a gunshot, the scene seemed to freeze for a second, and then screams and shouts rang out.
Startled by the gunshot, Tsurumi Kawara looked up somewhat hastily at the open-air stage of the venue. On the red carpeted ground, Ida Saburo, who had just been standing and speaking, was lying on his side with a bullet hole piercing his forehead, facing the audience below.
A streak of crimson mixed with specks of white splattered onto the blue backdrop on the stage.
Tsurumi Kawaru's eyesight was so good that he could see everything clearly. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Midorikawa Hikaru patted his arm to bring him back to his attention.
"Let's go." Midorikawa Hikaru looked up and called out softly.
Tsurumi Nagare followed him in a daze. The two returned to the car and sat down. Not long after, Rae, who was in charge of shooting the target, also got in with his bag. He looked up and made eye contact with Midorikawa Hikaru, who was sitting in the driver's seat, in the rearview mirror. Their eyes met briefly before they looked away.
Hikaru Midorikawa withdrew his gaze and started the car: "Mission accomplished, let's go back and turn it in."
Tsurumi Kawakami sat in the passenger seat, his head drooping and looking dejected, listlessly humming in response.
Hikaru Midorikawa noticed something was wrong with him, but since there was a newcomer named Rae sitting in the back of the car, he just glanced to the side and then focused on driving.
Back at the Black Organization, the group went to turn in their mission. Tsurumi Kawaru stood outside waiting for them to come out. Since it was a simple mission, it didn't take much effort. After greeting them, he was still thinking about Amuro Tooru, so he nodded to Midorikawa Hikaru and ran off to find Bourbon.
Amuro Tooru has had a tough time lately. He finally joined the intelligence group so he could better uncover the core secrets of the Black Organization, but he was ostracized and relegated to the same position as members without codenames.
The intelligence he handled daily consisted mostly of trivial rumors, the veracity of which couldn't even be guaranteed. Amuro Tooru expressionlessly handed over the intelligence and prepared to move on to the next target.
Although his recent life had caused him some trouble, it also indirectly confirmed his guesses and suspicions. Thinking of the information he had previously entrusted to Hiro to investigate, Amuro Tooru narrowed his eyes, a barely perceptible dark glint flashing in them.
Just then, a familiar figure rushed over. The black-haired, golden-eyed boy's eyes lit up when he saw him. Amuro Tooru paused, not expecting Tsurumi Kawaru to come looking for him.
He hadn't seen the other person since he returned from the sushi restaurant. Amuro Tooru guessed that Tsurumi Ryu was probably being held captive by Curaçao, but he pretended not to know anything and looked at the newcomer with a somewhat unnatural expression.
As soon as Tsurumi Kawaru saw him, he started chattering non-stop, completely unguarded and almost telling him everything that happened each day. Fortunately, he remembered Curaçao's instructions and skipped over some sensitive words.
"...You have no idea how bored I've been with Curaçao every day. Today I finally get to go on a mission with Scotland and Ray..."
Tsurumi Kawakami was a chatterbox, basically saying whatever came to mind, which sometimes made him incoherent and his topics jump around. But Amuro Tooru was very good at picking out the key points from his words and immediately found the information he wanted most—his childhood friend's recent situation.
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