Chapter 63: The Red Team's Tea Party Begins
Bourbon's fingertips trembled slightly as he blinked very slowly, as if trying to engrave the words on the memorial tablet deep into his eyes.
How could it be Hagiwara?
"So it was him."
The indifferent voice almost made Bourbon's already boiling blood erupt.
He gently put down the memorial tablet, then turned around abruptly, his eyes like knives, as if he wanted to tear Lai to pieces.
"You know him?" Bourbon took a step closer, his hand clenching into a fist at his side.
“I don’t recognize him,” Lei shook his head.
The wind howled from the punch.
Bourbon's fist grazed Ray's skin.
Ray's cheek was reddened by the force of the punch. He took a step back and stared warily at Bourbon.
"Bourbon, what are you going to do?"
"What did you do, Lai? You dared to investigate Qian Nai!" Bourbon cracked his knuckles, his usual bright smile vanishing, his eyes now chillingly cold.
Meanwhile, Scotland moved to the other side of Rye.
A pincer attack left no room for escape.
“Scotland?” Rye frowned.
"You'd better explain yourself clearly, Ray. Your behavior just now clearly shows that you know Kenji Hagiwara." Scotland's tone was no longer as gentle as before. Although he did not draw his gun, he slightly turned his body, his muscles tensed, and he assumed a defensive posture.
"You've got it wrong, I don't know Kenji Hagiwara."
"Do you think I'd believe that?" Bourbon sneered.
"Aren't you overreacting? Or are you the ones who actually know Kenji Hagiwara?" Rae met Bourbon's gaze fearlessly.
Bourbon's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Scottish's tone was cold and steady: "Don't change the subject, Ray. You know perfectly well that we don't care about Kenji Hagiwara at all. What we care about is whether you've investigated Chinatsu. If you haven't investigated her, why do you know about Kenji Hagiwara?"
"I'll reiterate, I don't know anyone named Kenji Hagiwara."
Bourbon and Scotland locked eyes, a murderous intent filling the room.
"Hey, you guys aren't serious, are you?" Lei looked surprised and cautiously reached for his waist.
“I advise you not to move. Do you think you can outrun both of us?” Scotland coldly reminded him. “We are positioned at different points. Even if you are one step ahead, you can only deal with one of us at most. It doesn’t matter who dies, but if you make a move, you will surely die.”
Leigh sighed and said helplessly, "Why did it have to come to this? Scotland, I've always thought you were far more reliable than Bourbon. Bourbon was too emotional, and he had this inexplicable hostility towards me. But you're different. You're calm, collected, and patient—you have all the qualities of an excellent sniper. If I could choose my own teammate, I would definitely choose to team up with you."
"Are you trying to sow discord?" Bourbon asked impatiently.
Scotland smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment. I think Bourbon would also like to be my teammate."
Two against one.
The situation is unfavorable.
but……
Lei's gaze wandered, finally settling on Kenji Hagiwara.
Kenji Hagiwara, who was watching the show: ?
Why are you looking at him like that? Kenji Hagiwara was startled. Could it be that he's hoping for help?
Admittedly, if an invisible ghost were to help Ray, the battle would instantly turn in Ray's favor, but why would he help Ray?
Sorry, officer, but he was in the same period as Bourbon and Scotland!
Wake up.
【Chinatsu-chan, wake up.】
A gentle call.
Her voice seemed to be soaked in honey, the sweet honey thickly stretching into sugar threads, then gently falling to the ground and converging into a golden river.
Chinatsu Takanashi tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy, and only a familiar voice kept echoing in her ears.
"Little lazy cat, time to get up."
With a low, sultry chuckle, Takanashi Chinatsu finally broke free of her restraints and opened her eyes.
A pink bed, white gauze curtains, and soft beige wallpaper.
Everything was so familiar it brought tears to my eyes.
This is her home with her adoptive father.
A figure sat quietly by the bed. Even though it was just a back view, it warmed Chizuru's uneasy heart, as if a bird that had wandered had finally returned to its nest, surrounded by comforting straws.
The man stood up and stepped forward.
"Father!" Takanashi Chika quickly sat up and reached out to grab him.
The black hem of her dress brushed against her fingertips.
The man walked to the window, still with his back to her.
Without even putting on her shoes, Takanashi Chinatsu ran over to him and hugged his leg, her feet barely touching the cold floor.
thigh?
She was stunned, and then realized that she had returned to her childhood appearance, and her height only reached the other person's waist.
"This is your dream."
Is it a dream? Takanashi Chika is in a daze. So, is the father in front of her also a dream?
"I entered your dream; I have something to tell you." The man finally turned around.
His face... was unfamiliar.
The voice is right, the posture is right, and the breathing is right.
That gentle and languid quality, that comforting feeling.
This is her father; no one can fake it.
"I now use the pseudonym 'Liqueur,' which is a disguise I created with magic."
Takanashi Chika nodded, gazing into those familiar brown eyes.
Gray hair, unfamiliar face, only those brown eyes have never changed.
In her father's eyes, Takanashi Chika saw her own reflection. He always seemed to be smiling, a smile that smoothed out tension and soothed grievances, making her feel warm and cozy.
"Where has Father been all this time?" Takanashi Chika was very worried. She had been waiting for him for a long time, but she never got an answer from her brother. Gradually, she began to ask in fear, afraid that something had happened to her father.
"Listen to me, Chinatsu, I've seen Karasuma Renya."
Chinatsu Takanashi stared wide-eyed in surprise.
Karasuma Renya? Sir?
He never showed up, even though he claimed to dote on her, he never once appeared by her side.
Chinatsu Takanashi devised many plans, and Gin also offered her advice, but each time, the plans ended because she couldn't find Karasuma Renya.
If you want to overthrow the organization and kill Karasuma Renya, you can't do it without seeing him.
Whether it was her, Gin, Rum, or even Vermouth, Karasuma Renya's biological daughter, they hadn't seen Karasuma Renya for a long time.
That person seemed to exist only in legends; aside from the occasional video conference, there was virtually no news about him on ordinary days.
And he saw his father.
After the initial shock came a deep sense of fear and worry: "Is there any danger? You should get away from him quickly, in case he finds you..."
"He has already found me."
Chizuru's words abruptly ended.
Before she could feel the cold, a warm and cozy aura enveloped her.
Takanashi Yuki picked up Chizuru; her small body was light and easy to hold.
He blinked, his gentle brown eyes carrying a reassuring power, and said softly, "Do you know what a person of destiny is? In this world, some people are born superior to others, while others are born favored by fate and have truly great fortune."
A person destined by fate?
She had only ever seen this word in novels or movies.
Somewhat confusing, somewhat dreamlike.
Do truly destined individuals exist in reality?
"With enough luck, the whole world will change according to your will. Magic, superpowers, spells, or conspiracies and tricks are all powerless against such luck."
Takanashi Chika swallowed hard. She tilted her head back and gazed quietly at Takanashi Yuuki's defined jawline. His voice was steady, but his eyes were tinged with melancholy.
The father was worried.
Is it because Karasuma Renya is such a chosen one that your father is worried that he cannot fight against him?
"I'm very lucky too."
“No, your luck is completely different.” Takanashi Yuki gently smoothed Chika’s hair with her fingers, using them as a comb to comb from the top of her head to the ends.
He gazed at Qiannai, his eyes filled with undisguised worry and even a hint of regret.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have cast the curse of luck on you. This curse made you lucky, but it also made you notice Karasuma Renya, which is why he has been keeping a close eye on you."
Chika lowered her head, quietly looking at her palm, where magic flowed slowly.
She had long understood that she was only targeted by Karasuma Renya because of luck, but to blame her father for it would be ungrateful.
She looked up and said earnestly, "But without the luck my father gave me, I wouldn't be alive today."
"I thought the Kinomoto family could protect you, but I was too complacent. I underestimated Karasuma Renya. His great fortune will allow him to avoid all dangers, including the Kinomoto family."
"So he's not so easy to kill, right?" Takanashi Chika bit her lip.
Takanashi Yuki was visibly taken aback, then burst into laughter, gently patting her back and remarking, "Chinatsuba-chan is truly ambitious; she's already thinking about how to kill him."
Despite being praised, Takanashi Chinatsu wasn't happy; she was more interested in knowing the answer to her question.
"Man-made luck can hardly compare to innate fortune, especially the great fortune of someone like Karasuma Renya," Takanashi Yuki replied after laughing.
Chika Takanashi clenched her hands tightly together, just as expected.
Karasuma Renya isn't so easy to kill. Aside from her luck, which makes her almost omnipotent, what skills does she have left? She's probably not even as good as an ordinary codename member.
"But Chinatsu-chan, I can send you away from the organization."
Chika was taken aback by what she heard. After regaining her senses, she immediately struggled and broke free from Yuki's embrace, standing on the ground and glaring at him angrily.
So that's why her father appeared in her dream!
After so many years apart, they met for the first time in a dream, but her father wanted to send her out of the organization.
In her father's and brother's eyes, was she incapable of doing anything?
"What Karasuma Renya values is my luck. He won't make a move against me for the time being. Although I'm not very capable, I can still cover for you guys in front of Karasuma Renya. Don't rush to refute me. Besides me, is there anyone else that Karasuma Renya values more? He doesn't even care about Vermouth." Takanashi Chinatsu emphasized her advantage.
Karasuma Renya listens to her words and takes them very seriously.
Bourbon and Scotland are fine now, aren't they? This precisely proves how much Karasuma Renya values her.
If she stayed in the organization, even though she was indeed very weak, she could still try her best to protect her father and brother.
Even if she is suspected and disliked, at least Karasuma Renya will give them some breathing room.
Chinatsu Takanashi wasn't confident enough to change Karasuma Renya's will, but she was indeed her father and brother's last resort, and the best one at that.
“Listen, if you’re willing to leave, I can ask Elio for help; his abilities should be enough to protect you.”
"I don't want to leave." Chinatsu stared stubbornly at Yuuki Takanashi.
Takanashi Yuki sighed, saying helplessly, "The kids are getting older, and they're really harder to manage now."
Don't give me that. In short, don't even think about kicking me out.
Takanashi Yuuki nodded, her expression becoming serious, and said, "Since you are unwilling to leave, I need you to find someone who also possesses great fortune. If we can get her to help, perhaps we can break Karasuma Renya's suppression of fortune."
Who is it?
"Ran Mouri is currently attending Teitan Elementary School. Renya Karasuma is observing her and has probably already noticed the luck surrounding her. You need to make contact with her first and find an opportunity to cast a curse on her to weaken her luck and deceive Renya Karasuma's eyes and ears. Once Renya Karasuma believes that she is no longer lucky, he will naturally lose interest in her."
"But I don't have curses of misfortune."
Takanashi Yuki smiled and tapped her forehead with her finger.
Something is gradually taking shape in my mind.
Everything around them dissipated like mist, and even the figure of Takanashi Yuki in front of them was no longer clear.
Takanashi Chinatsu was anxious and reached out to grab her adoptive father: "Father, when are you coming back?"
Her hand grasped at empty air.
The human form completely vanished.
Takanashi Yuki's voice seemed to come from a great distance: "Wait for me a little longer, China. Don't worry, everything is still under my control."
"Father!" Takanashi Chika suddenly sat up.
The dream is over.
The room's layout was familiar, but it no longer belonged to her and her father; she had returned to her own apartment.
"Did you have a nightmare, Chinatsu-chan?" Kenji Hagiwara was the first to float over.
Chika Takanashi shook her head, then suddenly smiled.
"No, it was a sweet dream." She dreamt of her father!
"What sweet dream?" The door was pushed open a crack, and a golden head poked in.
The door swung open, and Ray walked in, asking, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Bourbon? Ray? Takanashi Chinatsu looked at Hagiwara Kenji with suspicion.
Kenji Hagiwara lowered his head guiltily and explained in a low voice, "I only called Scotland, hoping he would bring you back, but for some reason they all came."
"What about Scotland?"
"I'm here, China." Scotland greeted her with a smile, carrying a bowl of mushroom soup as he walked in. He handed it to China and said, "It's fresh mushroom soup. Try it, it's very delicious."
"Thank you." Takanashi Chika took a sip, her eyes immediately lighting up.
Delicious!
"Kenji-chan wants some too!" Hagiwara Kenji raised his hand.
Chika Takanashi glanced warily at the three of them.
Kenji Hagiwara immediately said, "They had already discovered the memorial tablet before you woke up."
Now that she had been discovered, there was no need for her to continue hiding it. She gestured for Scotland to fetch another bowl, then took it and offered it before Kenji Hagiwara's memorial tablet.
"Yay!" Kenji Hagiwara happily spun around and excitedly ran over to taste the Scottish dish.
Chinatsu Takanashi and Kenji Hagiwara each drank the soup from their own bowls.
Bourbon, Scotland, and Rye exchanged glances, their eyes still filled with deep hostility.
Kenji Hagiwara was even happier, and while drinking, he told China about the three of them arguing back and forth.
The situation was urgent, and it looked like a fight was about to break out.
At that critical moment, Kenji Hagiwara forcefully slammed open the window with both hands.
A gust of cold wind blew in, finally calming the three hot-blooded youths down.
Buying groceries, preparing vegetables, cooking.
The three had a clear division of labor.
Besides the mushroom soup, a variety of delicious dishes were laid out on the table, making for an extremely lavish meal.
"Chinatsu-chan, are all three of these people really undercover agents?" Kenji Hagiwara asked knowingly, trying to get information out of Chinatsu.
Chizuru nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Rye is from the FBI, but who sent the other two?"
Chinatsu Takanashi doesn't know the details. All she knows is that all three are undercover agents, but she doesn't know their true identities.
While eating, she couldn't help but look up at the three of them, focusing on Bourbon and Scotland.
"Are the three of you conjoined twins lately?" Her expression was complicated.
“That’s possible.” Bourbon winked.
"Ah, my eyes, my eyes—" Kenji Hagiwara reacted strongly, as if both of his eyes had been stabbed.
Takanashi Chinatsu became even more suspicious. Something's not right!
Wait a minute, isn't that "wink" a lot like the one the second-year graduate student uses? Or is it that all "winks" in this world have the same style?
So, suspicious glances fell on Kenji Hagiwara.
Kenji Hagiwara immediately stopped acting silly and stood obediently to the side.
"Do you see that memorial tablet?" Takanashi Chika pointed to Hagiwara Kenji's memorial tablet.
The three did not deny it and nodded in agreement.
"Kenji Hagiwara is an excellent bomb disposal officer," said Chinatsu Takanashi, observing the three of them.
Indifference, mockery, frivolity, astonishment.
On the faces of the three, the emotions that belonged to the members of the organization flowed silently.
"China, why are you mourning a policeman?" Scotland asked gently.
Bourbon and Ray also stared at Chinatsu Takanashi, equally curious about the answer.
“Because…” Takanashi Chinatsu slowly drew out her words, carefully observing every expression on their faces, before abruptly changing her tone: “Because I killed him.”
His expression changed instantly.
Caught off guard, a calm emotion can fluctuate wildly, making it difficult for anyone to control their expression.
Stunned, shocked, and angry.
A complex mix of emotions flickered subtly in the eyes of the three, though they were quickly suppressed, but were still caught by China, who was staring intently.
I see.
Chinatsu Takanashi smiled and gave Kenji Hagiwara a meaningful look.
Kenji Hagiwara gave an awkward laugh and drifted away, feeling even more guilty.
"Hand over all your weapons," said Chinatsu Takanashi.
"Why?" Bourbon tried to bargain: "Chinatsu-chan, did we upset you? Why are you suddenly confiscating our weapons? I'm used to carrying weapons, and I feel uneasy if they're taken away."
"China wouldn't doubt our stance, would she?" Scotland asked, glancing at the memorial tablet beside him.
Without saying a word, Ray slammed his weapon onto the table.
Seeing this, Bourbon and Scotland had no choice but to comply, and the three of them searched each other's backs to show that they were all clean.
Chinatsu took a blanket, wrapped the weapon in it, carried it to a corner far away from the three of them, and then lit a small piece of rhinoceros horn.
Kenji Hagiwara immediately understood what she was about to do, and a sharp, piercing scream erupted: "No! Chinatsu-chan!"
hehe.
Takanashi Chika sneered. Did she think she couldn't see it? Bourbon and Scotland clearly knew each other!
Well, they clearly know each other but won't tell her, and she's carefully searching for Bourbon and Scotland's true identities. Is that interesting?
"Stop right there!" Takanashi Chinatsu shouted sternly when she saw Hagiwara Kenji trying to run away.
Kenji Hagiwara froze, instantly rooted to the spot.
"Who are you talking to?" Bourbon asked incredulously, then immediately waved towards where Kenji Hagiwara was.
It was just air; I didn't touch anything.
Can……
Was it just my imagination? Just a moment ago, Bourbon actually felt that there was something here.
No, it wasn't just now. Ever since he picked up China today, he felt like he was being watched by something, but he couldn't figure it out.
It's not surveillance, it's not eavesdropping.
It's something that moves around, but which they can't see.
Scotland also looked grave, pointed to the burning rhinoceros horn, and asked, "Is that rhinoceros horn incense?"
"yes."
Lei found it amusing and crossed his arms, saying, "Legend has it that burning rhinoceros horn incense can help one communicate with spirits."
Chinatsu nods, her tone calm: "That's not a rumor, it's true."
The room fell silent for a moment after he said that.
Bourbon, Scotland, and even Rye all stared intently at the burning rhinoceros horn, waiting to witness another world.
First it was a blurry shadow, then it became clearer and clearer.
Body shape, temperament, and appearance.
Bourbon and Scotland almost held their breath. Hagiwara! It's Hagiwara!
"Hi." Although it was awkward, Kenji Hagiwara still waved to the three of them.
“I just lied to you. I didn’t blow up Kenji Hagiwara, but he’s my partner now.” Chinatsu Takanashi walked up to Kenji Hagiwara.
Kenji Hagiwara excitedly raised his hand: "That's right, we're now human-demon duo!"
"But you're hiding something from me," Takanashi Chinatsu accused softly.
Kenji Hagiwara seemed to freeze for a moment, then immediately withdrew his hand, too ashamed to speak.
Bourbon and Scotland also fell silent.
It was only then that Lei finally realized what was happening, and asked with interest, "I see. Someone here knows him, and might even be a good friend of his, right?"
"Of course you're the one who knows me!" Kenji Hagiwara immediately pressed himself against Rai, his chilling breath freezing Rai as he smiled threateningly, "We're very close, aren't we, Rai?"
Ray: ...
Can he say no?
Takanashi Chinatsu coughed heavily a few times, gesturing for them to look at her, and solemnly said, "To prevent you from accidentally turning on each other, I have confiscated your weapons. Now, let's get to know each other again. I, Black Cherry, Takanashi Chinatsu, am quite dissatisfied with the organization and am trying to unite some partners to overthrow it and restore peace to the world."
Bourbon: ...
Scotland:……
Ray: ...
"That's too direct, China." Lei said with deep helplessness.
Takanashi Chinatsu went even further, pointing at Rai and revealing his identity in her opening line: "Rai, whose real name is Akai Shuichi, is an FBI agent."
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