Chapter 38 Smino's Takanashi Breathing
In the dark basement, illuminated only by a dim yellow light, a middle-aged man wearing a brown shirt with the collar slightly open and gold-rimmed glasses neatly perched on his nose was looking at the documents on the table with great interest.
There are four documents in total.
The first two are surveys of organization members: Bourbon, Scotland.
But what interests men the most and what they are currently reading are two other reports, both related to police investigations: those of Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda.
One is dead, and the other is alive.
The dim light flickered, and the man raised his hand to adjust his glasses. His brown eyes were serious and focused, but his hand was casually placed on the outside of his thigh, his fingers moving up and down as if gently tapping his leg.
Someone has come in.
Gin's footsteps were heavy, seemingly trying to remind the man, but the man still didn't take his eyes off the documents on the table. When he got interested, he even took out a pen and started drawing on them.
"Smino".
Upon hearing this address, the man looked up and chuckled as he teased Gin, "You were the one who told me Smino was dead. What? Still so hung up on a dead man?"
Gin's expression turned cold, but he still changed his words: "Takanashi Yuusei."
Takanashi Yuki, Smirnoff Vodka, is an undercover agent for the organization and also Takanashi Chinatsu's adoptive father.
Takanashi Chika was right; Gin was her biological brother, and her adoptive father was not dead.
To be precise, Takanashi Yuki did die at the time, but she was later resurrected.
Gin and Takanashi Chinatsu were both forcibly brought into the organization when they were young, but unlike Takanashi Chinatsu, who was just born at the time, Gin, who was already seven years old, showed remarkable talent and even secretly injected the researchers with anesthetic drugs to prepare for their escape with his sister.
Fortunately, in the dark and dreary organization, in the cruel and cold research institute, he had a younger sister whose smile was like that of a little angel, warming him and always holding his heart back from sinking into despair.
Unfortunately, he also had a younger sister. Because of his sister who couldn't walk yet, he failed to escape several times and was eventually caught and severely beaten by the organization.
Karasuma Renya was very interested in the research institute at the time, and Gin's escape piqued his interest. The more he escaped, the more talent he displayed, and the more attention and importance Karasuma Renya paid to him. So even though he was not executed by the organization for his several escapes, his status gradually rose in the battle of wits with the researchers, and there was even a hint that he would be given a codename.
As he became "favored," Gin immediately tried to change his sister's situation. However, Karasuma Renya was like a cat playing with a mouse, improving his treatment but throwing his sister into the latest research, making her experience experiments time and time again, and teetering on the brink of life and death.
Gin pleaded with her, saying he would do anything to keep his sister safe.
He was indeed very promising, showing remarkable talent for killing at a young age.
He's getting stronger and stronger...
He repeatedly performed meritorious service. His childlike appearance could lower people's guard, and this identity also allowed him to infiltrate places that adults could not. He was even more useful than some adults.
But the more powerful and shrewd he became, the more clear-headed he became.
As Karasuma Renya repeatedly praised his sister but never mentioned her, Gin finally realized that even if he devoted his entire life to the organization, he probably wouldn't be able to save his sister.
His sister is about to die.
She grew weaker and more lethargic, and at the age of 11, Gin finally took a bold step—he orchestrated a fake death and escape.
Because of the urgency of the situation, Gin was unable to find a suitable adoptive family for China, or even send her to the police station or a welfare institution. In the rush, he lost his sister.
He had carefully hidden his sister under a cardboard box, intending to deceive the organization first and then carefully put her away, but his sister disappeared.
His faked death went smoothly, and his plan was not exposed, but his sister could never be found again.
Gin dared not make a sound. He had been searching in secret all these years. His lost sister was like a thorn deeply embedded in his heart, causing it to bleed and fester constantly.
The world seemed unreal. Except for his sister, everything was blurry, as if they were two images at different frame rates. Gin stood at the dividing line of frame rates, only to find that neither side belonged to him anymore.
As he grew stronger and his position in the organization rose, he seemed to be pulled into a blurry frame rate, carrying out his missions and climbing the ranks in a daze, but losing all meaning in his life.
Until that day—
China appeared again.
There might indeed be a connection between siblings; even though they hadn't seen each other for nine years, he recognized her at a glance.
At that moment, Gin was holding a gun, the muzzle pointed at his only weakness in the world. He had a calm expression, but his heart was in turmoil, not only because of the gun pointed at China, but also because China was tightly holding the corpse she refused to let go of.
Is the world playing with him?
After finally finding his sister, he shot and killed her beloved adoptive father in front of her.
For a fleeting moment, Gin even considered taking Chika away with him, regardless of the consequences.
He will apologize to her and explain the situation.
He no longer cared about the organization; he wanted nothing more.
After his parents' unexpected death, China became the only thing he cared about in this world. Even after nine years, Gin could still clearly feel that China was still his only link to this world.
Aside from Chika, Gin doesn't care about his subordinates or the power and wealth within the organization.
Just as Gin was about to take Chinatsu away, Vodka's voice came through the earpiece asking a question.
Like a cold winter day, the north wind blew by, and Gin shivered violently.
He may not care about the organization, but the organization will hunt them down.
He had already lost his sister once; he couldn't afford to lose her a second time, and he certainly couldn't let her stay with him on the run.
"Bring Takanashi Chika back." This was an email from the man.
Gin couldn't see the gentleman, or even the person monitoring him.
But the gentleman does indeed have this ability; it's as if he has woven an invisible net around the world, enveloping everyone within it, and he knows everything about everyone's every move.
The people the master arranged must be around him, they must be there!
Gin acted swiftly, tearing Takanashi Chika off Smino's corpse and dragging her back to the organization.
No matter what he thought, there was nothing he could do at that moment.
Although he didn't understand why Smino would adopt Chika, out of a shallow sense of gratitude towards him, Gin went over again to collect his body... if he hadn't suddenly sat up from the ground.
So stiff and upright, like a zombie...
What about using black magic to block a bullet aimed at the heart? What about temporarily blocking breathing? What about black magic being so suitable for playing dead?
That was Gin's first encounter with magic. He then drove to a deserted place and almost beat the smug black magic master into a bouncy, delicious ball of meat.
Of course, he couldn't let Takanashi Yuki leave, as it concerned his and Chika's safety. So he locked her in the basement, where she remained for six years.
“If you’re going to choose someone for China, these two police officers are clearly not suitable, right?” Takanashi Yuki held up the files of the two police officers. Come on, the organization is a criminal gang, what’s the point of having two police officers?
"These two people were chosen by China herself."
Takanashi Yuuki's expression instantly changed: "Really? Then there's no problem."
"..."
Although Gin is Chinatsu's older brother, he still feels that Takanashi Yuuki is spoiled.
but……
He glanced at the photo in the document but said nothing.
Kenji Hagiwara, regardless of his past identity, is now just a ghost, a ghost who can only exist by relying on Chika.
Gin didn't treat Kenji Hagiwara as a person, but rather as China's possession.
As for Matsuda Jinpei... he knew this person.
While this kid was trying to coax Chika with a four-leaf clover, Gin was watching from the shadows. As the organization's top killer, even if he couldn't keep an eye on Chika for a moment because she was too lucky, it was impossible for him to not be able to find her for so long.
However, since Karasuma Renya didn't say it, Gin was willing to give her some time to process her emotions.
He's so young and already knows how to deceive girls. He almost tricked China into becoming an embryo with a worthless rotten leaf. You can tell what a person will be like at three years old. He'll definitely grow up to be a complete scumbag.
However, Gin did nothing to Matsuda Jinpei. He was afraid that Chinatsu would find out, and he also understood that they would never cross paths again.
They ended up meeting again.
Tokyo is indeed too small.
Although Chinatsu hasn't played Matsuda Jinpei's card yet, as an observer, Gin sees it all clearly. No matter how much Chinatsu tries to hide or dodge, Matsuda Jinpei's keen senses will eventually lead him to discover it and he will definitely get involved.
These four people alone are not enough to destroy the organization.
Gin's gaze fell on Takanashi Yuki.
Takanashi Yuki felt uneasy and leaned back, asking, "What are you trying to do now? Don't mess around. I still need to maintain the luck magic on Chika. If I die, the magic will stop working, and that old man will definitely turn his back on us."
"I didn't kill you back then, so I won't kill you now." For China's sake.
"But if you suddenly start staring at me, it's definitely not a good thing."
Gin scoffed, "You think you have a choice?"
Takanashi Yuusei gently twirled the fountain pen in her hand, then suddenly pressed the pen tip against her throat, a smile playing on her lips.
He could also choose to die.
"Threatening me with Chika won't work. She's my sister and your adopted daughter. If you really didn't care about her at all, you wouldn't be willing to suffer this misfortune for her." Gin pulled up a chair and sat down not far from Takanashi Yuusei, calmly looking at him.
Takanashi Yuki suddenly felt bored. "You've seen right through me. I really have nothing to blackmail you with. I'm not actually that good at black magic, otherwise you wouldn't have locked me up here for so long."
He casually tossed the pen aside, letting the ink splatter onto Matsuda Jinpei's file.
He's having such a hard time.
The magic passed down from his ancestors had not been used for generations. He finally had some talent, but all his dark magic was related to curses and assassinations. Takanashi Yuki had no desire to learn it. In the end, all he could do was reverse one of the curses of misfortune and turn it into a curse of good fortune to bless Chika.
If we hadn't been so picky back then and had learned all the black magic that had been passed down, we wouldn't be in such a predicament with Gin now.
He had grasped Gin's weakness, but currently their weakness was the same, posing no real threat.
"I really want to get out of here... Gin, you're not really going to lock me up for the rest of my life, are you?" Takanashi Yuki lay listlessly on the desk, looking like she had no bones.
"I can let you out."
Takanashi Yuki jumped up excitedly, then quickly became wary: "Requirements?"
“Chika’s people aren’t strong enough, and their composition is too complicated. I need someone who can help her coordinate the overall situation.” Gin stared at Takanashi Yuki, this undercover agent who liked to cheat and slyly manipulate the organization was perfect for the role.
Takanashi Yuki guiltily looked away, pretending not to have heard.
Gin continued, "You understand Chika and are someone who truly cares about her. My position makes it inconvenient for me to follow her around all the time."
The little bird, named Chiyo, looked up at the sky.
“Takayuki Yuusei!” Gin emphasized.
Takanashi Yuki then had no choice but to look at Gin, and said, "Abba, aba aba, aba aba aba."
Gin's forehead immediately creased with a tic-tac-toe expression. Was she playing dumb with him?
"Didn't you always want to contact the police? Once you're with Chizuru, I won't be able to control you anymore," Gin sneered.
Takanashi Yuuki shook her head and said, "I'm not going."
"Do you want to be locked up here forever?"
"That's fine too, since there's food, drink, and TV to watch."
Gin gritted his teeth and said, "If you don't go, I'll take the TV away right now."
"There's nothing I can do about it. I can only become an intellectual and read more books."
"The books were moved too."
Takanashi Yuki stared at Gin for a long time before slowly uttering, "Actually, it's not a bad thing to write novels for your own amusement."
Gin: ...
How much do you dislike your job?
Gin stared intently at him, then suddenly laughed and asked, "Do you know that Chizuru and Scotland are dating?"
Takanashi Yuki immediately sat up straight.
"Bourbon is flirting with her too. You don't know how amazing Honey Trap from the intelligence team is, do you?"
Takanashi Yuki's eyes were serious, and her expression was solemn.
"She lived with that ghost for two years, are you so sure they won't develop feelings for each other over time?"
Takanashi Yuki's face turned grim. A ghost? A dead person wouldn't do.
"Of these, you're probably most satisfied with Matsuda Jinpei, after all, he's a policeman, has a respectable job, and is honest..."
"Police officers won't do either!" Takanashi Yuki's face was extremely grim. What if a police officer, who deals with bombs every day, were to die in the line of duty one day? He didn't want China to marry a short-lived man.
Takanashi Yuuki stood up, straightened her clothes, and prepared to leave with a fierce air.
Gin won.
Although he wanted to live a carefree, laid-back life, Qiannai was still too young, and he couldn't let her down without his help.
As for the others, they were just incidental.
"You have to give me a new identity, one that I can use right away."
"Liqueur." Gin had already prepared it, after all, he had been planning for many years to make Takanashi Yuusei an ally of Chizuru.
Chinatsu Takanashi went to visit Bourbon again.
In just two weeks, this was her fifth visit to Bourbon.
It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, so Bourbon naturally can't get out of bed yet, but his complexion has improved a lot, and he can even crack a few jokes when he sees Takanashi Chika.
Having suffered a great loss, Rum didn't really care about Bourbon, so when Takanashi Chika asked for it, he immediately agreed, hoping that she wouldn't cause any more trouble.
When it comes to her subordinates, Chinatsu Takanashi is even more considerate, even bringing them a super luxurious three-layer bento box.
“The bento is made in Scotland, after all. He won’t be upset if you give it to me, will he?” Bourbon licked his lips and gave a provocative look to the Scottish man behind Takanashi Chinatsu.
Scotland's gaze was gentle, and before Takanashi Chinatsu could speak, he said softly, "Of course not. Bourbon, we're all on the same side now. Although you used to be Rum's man and did indeed frame Black Cherry, it's rare that you were able to abandon the darkness and come to the light in time. I'm really happy for you."
Fine tea!
Tea Talk and Tea Language!
Takanashi Chinatsu could sense the subtle tension between the two, but she pretended not to notice anything.
If two cats go to great lengths to please you, what would you do? Of course, you'd enjoy it!
As long as they don't hurt each other or cause any catkins to fly around, Chizuru Takanashi would be happy to see it.
"Sizzle—"
Bourbon and Scotland's gazes met in mid-air, sparking a flurry of emotions.
That's obviously an act.
They were childhood friends and understood each other best, but given the circumstances, they knew what kind of relationship would be most beneficial for each other.
"Chika, my hand hurts so much." Bourbon looked at Chika with a pained expression and a pitiful look.
Scotland stepped forward and shielded Chika Takanashi behind him, taking the bento box and saying, "I'll feed him, Chika."
"You feed me?" Bourbon's eyes flashed with disdain.
Scotland seemed oblivious, her smile and demeanor unchanged: "It's my duty to unite my colleagues. We'll all be working together for Qiannai in the future, so it's good to get to know each other beforehand."
Although Scotland's attitude was mild, the force behind its actions was undeniable.
Takanashi Chinatsu was pulled to the back, and she simply sat on the cot next to her, watching with great interest as the two pretended to be brothers despite clearly disliking each other.
While enjoying herself, Chizuru Takanashi also felt a headache coming on.
No, that won't do. Although the "jealousy and rivalry" performance is interesting, a lack of unity among subordinates is a major taboo.
How can we get them to unite? If only the second-year graduate student were here, he has such high emotional intelligence, he could definitely resolve the conflict between the two of them quickly.
One of them fed her, meticulously and without making any mistakes in front of Takanashi Chinatsu.
He ate alone, behaving himself and not daring to cause trouble in front of Takanashi Chika.
To an unsuspecting observer, the two might appear to be very close, completely oblivious to their ulterior motives.
“Bourbon, I’ve asked your attending physician. You’ll need to stay in the hospital for at least three months to fully recover. After you’re discharged in three months, could you write me a basic report on Rum’s situation?” Takanashi Chinatsu suddenly asked, seeing that Bourbon had almost finished eating.
“No need, I can write it now.” Bourbon’s eyes lit up at the order, eager to show off, as if his tail was wagging wildly.
"Let's wait until you're discharged from the hospital."
“No, delay will only lead to problems. Rum knows you recruited me, and the intelligence I have might become useless at any time. I must organize it immediately. In fact, I have been organizing it on and off for some time now.” Bourbon smiled confidently; his abilities were absolutely trustworthy.
Chika Takanashi felt rather embarrassed after hearing this.
If Gin were to recruit Bourbon, Rum would immediately change anything Bourbon knew, as this would be an affirmation of Gin's abilities.
But if it were her... Rum probably wouldn't care about anything.
Although she often caused Rum some minor troubles and relied on her husband's protection to make Rum suffer setbacks at every turn, Takanashi Chinatsu actually knew that Rum didn't take her seriously at all.
Rum believes his rivals are Gin and Vermouth, but never her.
He's in big trouble now!
Chinatsu Takanashi rallied. Since Rum looked down on her, she would take full advantage of his contempt. When Rum was brought down by her, his expression would be quite a sight.
Bourbon smiled shyly and said softly, "I can't cook, and I don't know how to coax people. I thought it would take a long time before I could do anything for Chinatsu-chan, but I didn't expect that I could help you right now. I'm really happy."
Scotland on the side: ...
Is this your choice?
Does that mean he only knows how to cook and then climbs the social ladder by charming girls?
Although I understand that this wasn't Bourbon's true feeling, the insults were just too vulgar!
“Yeah, his leg was crippled, so he can’t even be by Chizuru’s side. He can only do things like remote work.” Scotland said, pressing his face against the wall: “I heard you were beaten by Gin? Don’t blame him, after all, he was just avenging Chizuru.”
Bourbon: ...
Is he going to never get over this hair-pulling incident?
Hiro, are you really my childhood friend?
Bourbon inwardly groaned, but outwardly refused to back down, retorting to Scotland, "Your leg looks like it was injured too. I heard it was Chika who hit you?"
Their gazes met once again in mid-air, and the crackling lightning almost materialized.
"Cough." Takanashi Chinatsu coughed heavily.
The two immediately turned their gaze to her.
Being watched by outstanding codenamed members from two organizations, even though she had become their subordinate, Takanashi Chinatsu still felt pressured.
However, she quickly broke into a bright smile, took out two jewelry boxes from her bag, and handed one to each of them.
"Is it a gift?"
"Chinatsu-chan, I'm so touched!"
The Scottish and Bourbon watches were opened to reveal finely crafted mechanical watches, likely from the same series, except one dial was adorned with purple gemstones and the other with blue gemstones.
"It's a new research project by the organization, with a built-in one-button alarm system. Of course, it's not a real alarm; it sends me a message so it can locate your coordinates at any time." Takanashi Chinatsu looked at the two of them with a smile, gesturing for them to put on the watches.
Scotland and Bourbon's expressions changed, but they quickly returned Takanashi Chinatsu's smiles and put their watches back on.
Seeing that both of them had put on their protective gear, Takanashi Chika breathed a heavy sigh of relief, but her expression quickly turned serious. Recruiting two people to try and bring down the organization was simply wishful thinking.
To truly bring down the organization, she would have to recruit a very annoying guy.
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Author's note: Hehe, my adoptive father is still alive!
Gin and Chinatsu are siblings! The blood relation wasn't detected because of a stroke of luck that caused the machine to malfunction!
Gin was too young back then. Although he wasn't perfect, he did everything he could. He's such a great older brother!
This story will be updated daily, with a long chapter of 6,000 words each day, until the main text is completed.
Why not mention the epilogue... After all, the epilogue is different from the main story and not continuous, so it has to be kept under wraps!
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