Karasuma: Cooperation and Assassination
Inside the black Porsche.
Vodka, who was driving, glanced cautiously at Gin, his small eyes behind his large sunglasses filled with great confusion. There was the inexplicable assignment to Rum, and also to the newcomer, Suz.
"Speak your mind." Suddenly, Gin glanced at him and said in a cold voice.
Vodka swallowed hard, quickly averting his gaze and looking straight ahead: "Brother, why did you agree to Rum's offer? That Suz wine looks like it could be blown over by a gust of wind."
Gin snorted coldly, took out a lighter and lit a cigarette. He didn't smoke much, he just watched. Wisps of white smoke filled the carriage, the smell of nicotine becoming the final tranquilizer.
"Fool." With a mocking smirk, Gin uttered two cold words, raised the brim of his hat, and a chill flashed in his cold and cruel green eyes. He narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "No matter what Rum wants to do, if he dares to do anything even slightly bad to the organization... ha."
Vodka thought about it again and agreed, chuckled twice, and began to concentrate on driving.
-
Tsurumi was unaware of the conversation between Vodka and Gin about him. Once he arrived at Amuro Tooru's place, he told him that Rum had assigned him to the action group.
The blond, dark-skinned youth looked bewildered, momentarily unable to understand Rum's motives. He pressed further, "Do you know why Rum sent you to the action group?"
Tsurumi Kawakami sat obediently on the sofa, nodded upon hearing this, and relayed to Amuro Tooru what Curaçao had inadvertently said.
Amuro stroked his chin, lost in thought. He paced back and forth in the living room, feeling that there was something wrong with Rum's starting point for recommending Tsurumi Kawaru, and that the real reason for recommending him might be related to why Tsurumi Kawaru was tolerated by Rum.
Amuro Tooru simply couldn't understand why Rum would be so kind as to give up such an obviously advantageous task as introduction to Gin.
Tsurumi Kawakami watched Amuro Tooru pacing back and forth, scratched his cheek with his finger, and said with some confusion, "I haven't seen Rum in a long time either. I was a little surprised when Curaçao told me that Rum wanted to introduce me to the boss, but isn't this a good thing for us?"
Their original plan was to escalate the discord between Rum and Gin, and the current situation was perfect for them to take action. Moreover, Tsurumi Nagaru was quite pleased to be the one to push things along.
Amuro Tooru stopped and looked back at him, his brows furrowed, his gaze sweeping back and forth over Tsurumi Kawaru with unease: "This is dangerous."
Tsurumi Kawakami nodded: "Yes, I know, so it's most appropriate for me to come."
He raised his arm and made a gesture of showing off his muscles.
Amuro Tooru's brow twitched slightly. He felt that Tsurumi Kawakuri still didn't understand the danger involved, but reason told him that Tsurumi Kawakuri was right and that he was indeed the best choice in this matter.
After much deliberation, the blond-haired, dark-skinned youth reluctantly agreed. Amuro Tooru, still worried, gave Tsurumi Kawaru a lot of instructions, and then told the news to Ray from the action team, hoping he could help out more if he had the chance.
Amuro Tooru pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's all we can do for now..."
When Tsurumi Nagare saw that Amuro Tooru had agreed, a triumphant smile appeared on his face. He was so excited that he was like he had been injected with chicken blood, and he couldn't wait to go to the action team and contribute to their plan.
And this opportunity soon arrived.
On the third day after being assigned to Gin, the mysterious boss suddenly called Gin away. Tsurumi Nagare and Vodka, who were left behind, looked at each other for a couple of seconds before deciding to go home and wait for Gin to return.
Less than an hour after Tsurumi Kawa returned to his residence, Gin sent him a text message. Although it was still brief, he could inexplicably tell from those few words that Gin was in a bad mood.
Once inside the car, the oppressive atmosphere confirmed Tsurumi Kawaru's suspicions. He held his breath, fastened his seatbelt, and cautiously peered at Gin in the passenger seat while clinging to the back of the driver's seat.
After spending a few days together, Tsurumi Ryuu's fear of Gin lessened. However, although he was usually oblivious, his sixth sense radar was no longer as unreliable as before. When he was around Gin, his danger radar kept warning him, especially when Gin made a move.
The black-haired, golden-eyed boy was like a wary rabbit, avoiding Gin at times.
The tense atmosphere in the carriage kept Tsurumi Kawaru silent until Vodka, the driver, suddenly blurted out: "Big brother, is Rum behind this?"
The sudden outburst of support caused the atmosphere in the car to freeze. Tsurumi Kawaru's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced cautiously at Gin in the rearview mirror, noticing that Vodka's words had somewhat eased the oppressive atmosphere surrounding Gin.
Gin lit a cigarette with the car's cigarette lighter. Under the swirling smoke, his cold, sharp, dark green eyes were unfathomable. He was unmoved by Vodka's indignation, but felt that Vodka had overestimated Rum. Gin twirled the cigarette holder, his lips slightly curled, and he scoffed as if in disdain.
"Shut up, we'll talk when we get there." In the faint crimson light, Gin glanced sideways at Vodka and the peeking Tsurumi.
Tsurumi Kawaru blinked innocently at him with his bright golden eyes, then obediently sat back in his seat, fiddling with his seatbelt and looking out the window—
They had been driving for almost an hour since leaving the organization, and the bustling street scene outside the window was slowly turning into a landscape of trees and suburbs. As the place became more and more remote, Tsurumi Kawaru's curiosity about their destination grew stronger.
After driving for about twenty more minutes into the suburbs, the black Porsche finally arrived at their destination—a villa with a distinctly European style from the last century.
As darkness fell, streetlights illuminated the area outside the villa, and several luxury cars were parked along the wide asphalt road. The sounds of cello and piano music could be faintly heard coming from the villa's hall.
Tsurumi Kawaru stared intently at the villa through the car window until Vodka parked the car in the shade under a tree, and Gin coldly gestured for him to get out.
"Gin, are we going to a banquet at the villa?" The black-haired, golden-eyed boy followed closely behind Gin, a hint of excitement in his eyes, and asked eagerly.
Gin glanced at Tsurumi Kawa's piercing eyes, raised his hand to adjust the brim of his hat, and said, "You'll be working with Vodka."
Upon hearing his elder brother's words, Vodka immediately understood Gin's unspoken meaning. He reached out and pulled Suz's arm, bringing him to his side, and whispered, "Whatever you say goes. Don't ask any more questions or do anything else."
Tsurumi Kawaru suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, looking utterly dejected. He let out an "Oh" and followed Gin into the villa's hall.
In the understated yet luxurious hall, glasses clinked and guests dressed in suits and tuxedos chatted quietly in small groups.
The three people who entered the hall, Tsurumi Kawakami and his companions, seemed a bit out of place. However, before they could attract much attention, the host of the banquet at the villa led them to the reception room.
"My name is Onogawa. You three must be from the research institute under Karasuma Pharmaceuticals." Onogawa, whose attitude was warm and subtly obsequious and respectful, was the owner of the villa hosting today's banquet.
Standing behind Gin, Tsurumi Kawaru, after hearing Gin's words, secretly glanced curiously at Onogawa, using Gin's tall figure as a cover—
His appearance gives people a strange and peculiar sense of fusion. It is not easy to tell his age from his appearance alone. Onogawa has a thick head of black hair, which is now neatly combed back and fixed with hair gel. His full and smooth forehead shows faint forehead wrinkles.
His eyebrows were thick and dark, showing signs of being trimmed. His eyes, neither too big nor too small, shrewdly observed them, and a perfectly measured smile graced his face, which bore the marks of time.
Tsurumi looked at him with a conflicted and strange expression, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what was causing the strange feeling. They were quickly invited to sit by Onogawa, and a moment later the meeting room door opened, and a butler in a tuxedo entered with tea.
Onogawa was extremely enthusiastic, showering everyone with compliments, seemingly unconcerned that Gin and the others hadn't responded since they arrived.
After the butler left, Vodka glanced at his older brother Gin, then took out a device from inside his coat lining to check listening devices and walked around the conference room. "Brother, no problem."
Onogawa looked puzzled for a second after Vodka made a move, but when he realized what Vodka was holding, the smile on his face immediately became a little stiff.
Onogawa: "Don't worry, everyone, there's absolutely nothing else messy in this meeting room."
After finishing his statement, he turned his gaze to Gin, the leader of the three, and a perfectly timed smile returned to his face. "Regarding my proposal to increase cooperation with Karasuma Pharmaceuticals, I wonder what your considerations are?"
Gin lifted the brim of his hat, and the bright room light shone down. In the shadows, his dark green eyes looked at Onogawa in front of him. For a moment, Onogawa felt as if he were being stared at by a large predator. He froze on the sofa, his pupils suddenly contracted, his face turned pale, fear and danger enveloped him, his lips trembled slightly, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
Gin narrowed his eyes, glancing at Onogawa with disdain and contempt. He took a USB drive from his coat pocket and placed it on the glass tea table: "As long as you complete what's mentioned inside, we can forgo your proposed profit sharing and continue our cooperation as we initially agreed."
Onogawa wiped away his cold sweat and came to his senses.
Upon hearing Gin's words, a glint of light flashed in his shrewd eyes, and a surge of joy instantly overwhelmed him, causing Onogawa to forget his earlier fear. He grabbed the USB drive and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
At this point, Vodka took over the conversation, briefly spoke a few words to Onogawa, and gave him his contact information.
After explaining these matters, Onogawa personally saw them out.
Tsurumi River was in a daze from the moment he entered until he left. Gin hadn't mentioned the purpose or mission of this trip before picking him up. It wasn't until he arrived at the villa and met Onogawa that he learned about the destination and mission objectives. He could roughly guess the mission's content from the conversation between Gin and Onogawa earlier. However, only Gin and Onogawa probably knew what was on that USB drive.
After getting into the car, Tsurumi Kawakami clung to the vodka seat, glancing at Gin in the passenger seat several times before finally asking out of curiosity, "Does our organization have any dealings with that Onogawa guy from earlier?"
He had just heard Onogawa mention "the research institute under Karasuma Pharmaceuticals." The Black Organization has a vast sphere of influence and is involved in many industries. Tsurumi Ryu had previously heard Curaçao mention that a member of the organization with a code name was the chairman of a certain car company.
Gin didn't answer, but leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed and closed his eyes to rest. Although he didn't answer Tsurumi Ryu's question, he also didn't stop him from asking any more questions.
So, Vodka, who was in charge of driving, understood what his older brother Gin meant, took over Tsurumi Nagare's question, and answered: "Yes, the organization has some cooperation with the skincare company that Onogawa is in charge of."
In the past, the intelligence group was responsible for handling such liaison matters. This time, they suddenly received this mission, which is why Vodka was so angry at the beginning and stood up for his older brother Gin.
Tsurumi Kawakuri was unaware of the intricacies of the situation. He nodded with an "Oh," silently memorizing Vodka's words, intending to tell Amuro Tooru and the others when he returned.
When Vodka saw Tsurumi Kawakami quiet down, he looked up at the rearview mirror with some surprise. Based on the past few days of getting to know him, this muscular man who always wore sunglasses had gotten a feel for Tsurumi Kawakami's temperament.
Look at this fair-skinned and well-behaved boy, whose thought process is different from ordinary people. He often has a million questions on his lips, and he is not even afraid of his older brother Gin. He will bother him with some strange and unusual questions.
For some reason, Gin, the eldest brother, was more tolerant and patient with this guy than others. Despite being bothered by him so many times, he never drew his gun, at most just making sarcastic remarks and sending a chill down his spine.
Thinking of this, Vogt looked at Tsurumi Kawakami with a hint of envy. Meeting his gaze, Tsurumi Kawakami paused for a second, then blinked his golden eyes innocently.
Vodka cleared his throat, then turned his gaze to his older brother Gin, asking where they were going next.
It was still early, so instead of returning to the safe house, they went to a hotel in the city center.
A banquet was also being held on the tenth floor of the hotel, and one of the guests was their next assassination target, or more accurately, an obstacle in the organization's path to development.
Gin has done this kind of task at least ninety-nine times, if not a hundred. Eliminating people who threaten the organization and dealing with traitors are things Gin does most often.
Upon arriving at the hotel, Tsurumi Kawa got out of the car and followed them. Vodka had already told him about the assassination mission in the car, but he was still told to just be a background character and obediently follow them.
"Ask about Lei's situation." After entering the hotel, the three chose to take the elevator to the tenth floor. After the elevator doors closed, Gin suddenly spoke to Vodka.
Tsurumi Kawakami was startled. "Ray's here too!"
Ray is a sniper. This mission was originally intended for Gin and Vodka, but because Onogawa was temporarily assigned to the mission, it was given to Ray instead.
Neither Gin nor Vodka explained. Vodka gave a vague reply and then took out his phone to contact Ray, who was sniping from outside.
After exiting the elevator, Vodka received a reply from Ray, who whispered to Gin, who then ordered Vodka to remain in place.
But no one expected the mutation that followed—
Tsurumi Kawaru followed into the banquet, but before he could find his target in the crowd, the lights in the banquet hall suddenly went out. With screams and the sound of shattering glass, he was swept forward in the darkness, then slipped and crashed heavily into the corner of a long table. The champagne tower on the table tilted instantly, burying Tsurumi Kawaru with a clatter.
————————
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
