Chapter 95 Akai: One sentence made Bourbon want to stab him...
After a mission briefing, Shuichi Akai and Hiromitsu Morofushi, as usual, went to a very private bar.
The dim lighting and low-pitched jazz music provided excellent cover, allowing them to briefly relax their tense nerves while exchanging information.
Shuichi Akai sat down in a booth in the corner and made a simple gesture to the bartender. Soon, a glass of deep-colored liquor was pushed in front of him.
It was his code name for the drink in the organization: rye whiskey. The amber liquid rippled among the ice cubes, and he picked it up and took a sip.
The rich, smooth liquid glides down the throat, its unique and intense spice aroma instantly filling the mouth. The flavor is robust, spicy with a hint of rye bitterness.
The taste wasn't bad. Shuichi Akai sighed inwardly.
But compared to rye whisky, which is made from rye and has a bitter and complex flavor, he still prefers bourbon whisky, which is required by law to have a corn content of at least 51%, and premium varieties may even have a corn content of 70%-80%.
Bourbon whiskey has a sweet and smooth taste, with aromas of caramel, vanilla, and oak.
It is synonymous with American whiskey, with deep cultural roots in the American South, and it suits the taste of someone who has lived in the United States for a long time.
Unfortunately, being part of an organization whose name is synonymous with alcohol, the term "alcohol" is imbued with meaning beyond its original meaning, and drinking preferences become a signal that needs to be treated with caution.
Drinking a drink using someone else's codename in front of other members is either provocative or suggests something more intimate. Of course, ordering a drink that mixes your own codename with someone else's is an even worse invitation to mix drinks with you.
Honestly, Shuichi Akai muttered a silent, almost helpless complaint to himself. Why was his codename Rye instead of Bourbon?
Is it because the blond, dark-skinned Bourbon, from his appearance to his style of doing things, is like a carefully mixed bourbon with double the honey—sweet and tempting but with a strong aftereffect, carrying a carefully disguised potency that makes people addicted and lost, that the code name Bourbon is so fitting for him?
So this cup of rye has a strong personality and a rugged style, which is quite in line with the image I project in the organization.
But speaking of bourbon...
Shuichi Akai, recalling the recent rumors about Bourbon within the organization, spoke casually, his tone carrying his characteristic cold sarcasm: "Even his relationship with Brandy is starting to improve. Bourbon's ability to play both sides is truly getting better and better."
It wasn't that he had any particular obsession with Bourbon; Shuichi Akai simply needed to find a topic that wouldn't go wrong as an opening, naturally transitioning to the intelligence exchange with Scotland.
Based on past experience, a sharp critique of Bourbon, who has recently gained a strong presence in the organization, put immense pressure on them, and whom he has jointly criticized with Scotland on several occasions, is undoubtedly the safest and best way to quickly bridge the gap between the two.
Shuichi Akai paused as usual, waiting for Scotland to chime in with a few words of agreement in a gentle tone, before they could naturally get to the point.
However, he was met with silence.
Shuichi Akai's dark green eyes slowly turned to his partner beside him, and he gently posed three question marks: ???
Why did you suddenly stop talking?
Nothing brings people closer than talking badly about someone together, especially since the person they're talking badly about is Bourbon, the organization's rising criminal star. Undercover police officers have no moral burden of secretly gossiping about others, and Morofushi Kagemitsu thought the same way.
But now, Scotland, who had unintentionally met Bourbon, looked around and said, "...Uh, actually I think Bourbon is not bad? At least he's quite generous with the information he provides."
Akai Shuichi: "..."
Akai Shuichi: "?!!"
His dark green eyes widened slightly as he looked at his ally in disbelief, almost doubting his own ears.
Hello? Excuse me? Scotland, what's wrong with you, Scotland?!
Was his exceptional hearing being hallucinated by the sniper rifle's recoil? And what about his rational and clear-headed partner? Was he possessed by something strange? If so, blink, Scotland!
Shuichi Akai was truly astonished. No, it's only been a few days? Less than a week at most! Just a week ago, they were in another bar, solidifying their revolutionary friendship by criticizing Bourbon together. How could his reliable partner, Scotland, have been swayed by Bourbon and defected to the enemy without him even noticing?
What kind of succubus was Bourbon reincarnated as? Was the intelligence he passed to Scotland laced with a love potion or a curse? The effect was terrifying! Even someone as resolute as Scotland couldn't escape his bewitching charm?!
He couldn't help but recall the rumors within the organization about how Bourbon used unpredictable methods to win people over. It was one thing for the other guys in the organization to be mesmerized by Bourbon's smile, but now even his seemingly clear-headed and rational temporary partner was...?
Shuichi Akai suddenly had a subtle feeling of being the only one sober in a world of drunks.
Is he the only one in the organization who remains clear-headed and vigilant about the dangerous nature beneath Bourbon's sweet facade?
If even Scotland is softening its stance, perhaps it's time to reassess the dangers of bourbon...
Shuichi Akai was deeply shocked, but remained silent. In the end, he could only reply to Scotland with a dry, "Oh, really?"
Then, Rae turned away with a dazed expression and began to silently sip his wine.
Allies betray him, and Ray drowns his sorrows in alcohol.
Looking at Rai's utterly speechless face, Morofushi Kagemitsu could only manage an awkward yet polite smile.
Morofushi Kagemitsu's inner monologue: I'm so sorry for suddenly betraying the anti-Bourbon squad, Ray. But he only just realized that the enigmatic Bourbon was actually his long-lost childhood friend. He couldn't just keep joining Ray in cursing Zero, could he?
Moreover, he and Zero will need to exchange information in the future. In order not to appear suspicious, it is necessary to maintain a relationship that is not too close but not hostile in front of the organization members. He had said too many bad things and his attitude was too hostile before.
However, it is a coincidence that the Metropolitan Police Department and the Public Security Bureau of the National Police Agency chose a pair of childhood friends to infiltrate the same organization as undercover agents. Didn't they notice anything amiss when they were preparing their undercover materials?
The world is such a makeshift operation!
...
Finally, in a subsequent collaboration, Rye and Bourbon met for the first time in a safe house, along with Scotland, another promising newcomer.
The door to the safe house was pushed open, and a figure entered against the light. The newcomer was tall and wore a knitted hat. Long black hair was casually draped behind his head, with a few curls falling from under the hat. Because he was backlit, his expression was somewhat blurred, making it difficult to see clearly. Only his slightly narrowed, dark green eyes stood out sharply in the light.
Just then, Bourbon, who had been leaning leisurely against the window, lazily looked up at the sound. His purplish-gray eyes appeared indifferent in contrast to the bright sunlight.
Rei Furuya glanced casually at the doorway, but his gaze paused almost imperceptibly when it landed on Rai.
Black hair, blue eyes.
It had the same color scheme as Ikuya's real appearance, only the hair was a little longer and the eyes weren't cat-like, but it still involuntarily reminded him of Ikuya. Because Ikuya wasn't the only one who changed the length of her hair and the shape of her eyes.
In short, because of his fondness for Rai, Furuya Rei found Rai's color scheme surprisingly pleasing to the eye. Silently, his affection for Rai subtly increased by a few percentage points.
Then, Rei Furuya's gaze involuntarily lingered on Rai's unique lower eyelids, his eyes becoming unconsciously focused.
A vague sense of familiarity surged within him, yet he couldn't quite grasp its source.
Rei Furuya's inner monologue: ...Those eyes...have I seen them somewhere before? (The blurry, gentle eyes of Elena from his childhood memories are about to appear in his mind.)
Shuichi Akai frowned slowly. Kagemitsu Morofushi, who walked past Shuichi Akai into the room, looked at the scene of Rei Furuya and Shuichi Akai staring at each other and also looked confused.
Zhu Fujingguang: ? ? ?
He glanced at Rei Furuya, then at Rae.
Zero, what are you doing, Zero?
He silently observed Rye's face, thinking that he had already pieced together the story of Bourbon and Samuel from Rye's fragmented words, but he knew Zero beneath Bourbon's skin. Zero wasn't someone who would manipulate other people's feelings, and even as an undercover agent, he wouldn't completely lose his principles. So Samuel could only be Yuya, and Yuya was here too.
Zero is looking at Lei with such a strange and focused expression. Could it be... could it be that this Lei is Yu Mi in disguise?
Morofushi Kagemitsu's gaze also became focused.
It was Shuichi Akai's turn to ask a question.
Akai Shuichi:? ? ?
What's going on? Why are Scotland and Bourbon suddenly looking at him like that? Is there something wrong with his clothing and image?
It didn't matter that Scotland looked at him with doubt and uncertainty; Akai Hideki could tell that Scotland was probably just confused.
But Bourbon? Bourbon's fixed gaze on him, intensely probing, sent a shiver down his spine.
Could it be that Bourbon had seen him somewhere before? Perhaps in the US? He didn't try to hide his appearance like he did later when he was in college and first joined the FBI, and Bourbon is clearly of mixed race, an American who used to live in the US. It's not impossible that he might have seen him once! (Rei Furuya: *huffs and puffs* How presumptuous!)
Bourbon's attention must be diverted.
Remembering the rumors in the organization that Bourbon was bisexual and skilled at honey traps, Shuichi Akai had a flash of inspiration!
He appeared calm, but in reality, he deliberately and obviously took a half-step back to create distance, his brows furrowed, and said in a cold and distant tone, "I have a girlfriend."
Zhu Fu Jing Guang, Jiang Gu Ling: "..."
Zhu Fu Jing Guang and Jiang Gu Ling: "!!!"
Bourbon and Scotland were indeed taken aback, their eyes widening simultaneously.
"Who asked you?!" Rai wouldn't think he's interested in her, would he? Furuya Rei's smile vanished instantly, her eyes turning icy. The goodwill she'd just felt because Rai's color scheme matched her lover's vanished completely, and the strange familiarity she felt from Rai's lower eyelids, which she hadn't even remembered, was immediately forgotten.
That damn Rae, how narcissistic and ridiculous! How can someone with black hair and blue eyes like Ikuya look so annoying?
He forced a cold smile, a dangerous glint in his purplish-gray eyes: "Oh? Your girlfriend hasn't dumped you yet? Don't take yourself too seriously. Sometimes you should look in the mirror, you narcissist!"
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