Chapter 21. Shirley was a burly woman...
20:41
This is the third time Gin has checked the time since the little girl got on the bus.
As he turned the corner, Morofushi Kagemitsu once again noticed Gin's expression in the rearview mirror.
Has the organization made some new arrangements? Or are they waiting for news?
"Beep—"
The phone was answered by Gin after only two rings.
The communication environment on the other end seemed poor; from his current position, he could only hear some faint static and intermittent messages.
"Success... lab, to... BOSS."
Before Morofushi Kagemitsu could process the meaning behind it, he heard Gin say, "Very good."
After a few more brief words, Gin hung up the phone. That ambiguous call ended there.
Gin didn't give Morofushi Kagemitsu time to think it over. Instead, he turned to the little girl in the back seat and said:
"The test product has passed inspection. From now on, you will stay at Base 3 until you finish your studies. Also, the BOSS personally chose a codename for you: Sherry."
The little girl remained unmoved by the offer of a code name, her face still expressionless and cold. A code name that countless people would fight tooth and nail for was worthless in the eyes of a reluctant, coerced individual.
However, the information contained in these few words allowed the undercover agent, Morofushi Kagemitsu, who was honestly driving the car, to analyze a lot of intelligence.
However, he was not in the mood to delve into the value of this intelligence. Instead, he was worried about whether he could maintain his previous relatively free state after suddenly knowing these secrets, and he was even worried about his life.
He realized that Gin hadn't spared him a single glance the entire time, and his unease intensified. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, mentally calculating his next move to dissuade Gin from killing him.
However, such a critical moment can also be turned into a rare opportunity for him!
Value, loyalty.
These were the characteristics he could think of that he needed to present to Gin. But right now, time and opportunity were perhaps the luxuries he desperately needed most.
He recalled many details from his time at the hotel, made a firm decision, and while checking the map, sent a few keywords to the anti-fraud hotline's customer service chat box. These were meant to trigger the instructions he had set up beforehand:
【Moroboshi Dai; B; 1】
After completing this step, he continued driving, subtly altering his route by taking advantage of the inaccurate positioning of the Gugo navigation system.
Vodka was naive, Gin was replying to text messages, and only the little girl sitting in the back seat watched everything, but she didn't say anything.
As the car approached the next intersection, Morofushi Kagemitsu spoke:
"It seems like they're conducting a search up ahead, Gin."
Gin frowned, glanced at the traffic jam ahead, and sure enough, saw several policemen with guns pointed at them, stopping people for inspection.
"Change the route," Gin said directly.
Instead of immediately following his instructions, Morobushi Kagemitsu took out his phone and openly sent out several messages in front of the group.
Just as Gin was about to pull out his gun, he finally offered an explanation: "Both roads to the northwest and northeast are blocked by police. Even if we change our route, it won't change the current situation much."
Gin stared at him for a few seconds before turning his head to look ahead and saying, "Stop trying to play tricks, Asakawa."
“Of course, we’re in the same car.” Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled, subtly indicating his stance.
Gin snorted coldly.
“However, the American cops will probably check if we have any weapons…” Morofushi Hiromitsu glanced at Gin, then his gaze drifted over Vodka in the rearview mirror before turning to the newly arrived 'Sherry,' “I heard they’ve been checking children lately, apparently because of some case that happened before.”
Even Vodka understood the hidden meaning in his words. Perhaps because this scheming woman had taken his job as a driver, Vodka was eager to prove his loyalty to his older brother and quickly said, "Vermouth has checked."
Gin narrowed his eyes. He believed Vermouth wouldn't betray the organization, so he didn't mention searching her. Instead, he pulled out his pistol and threatened Sherry:
"Be honest, if you do anything suspicious, don't even think about seeing your sister again."
Sister... what about our parents?
From these few words, Morobuchi Kagemitsu carefully discerned the relationship between them:
The Vermouth he met at the police station was probably a high-ranking and trusted figure in the organization; while the little girl in the car was a genius with research and development talent. Logically speaking, such a technical talent, nurtured in the organization from a young age, should be treated very well, but Gin treated her like this... Coupled with the information that her sister was controlled by the organization and her parents were suspected of being absent, it's not hard to conclude that the organization saw through her rebellion and was coercing her.
To be honest, expecting a terrorist organization to take care of a child's mental health is unrealistic. But that doesn't stop him from thinking that Gin's constant threats of a gun against a little girl were excessive.
“Speaking of suspicious people…” He glanced at Gin and Vodka, but didn’t finish his sentence.
"Asakawa, do you want to die?" Vodka mimicked Gin, pulling out his gun as a warning.
"Before you threaten me, you'd better wipe the blood off the inside of your coat." Morofushi Kagemitsu remained calm, adding his own observations and deductions. "Black can certainly conceal many clues, but the softness of fabric changes after blood dries. The officer on the left is clearly an experienced detective; he even carefully inspects lighter-colored drinks. Do you think you can escape his notice?"
It has to be said that this tactic of diverting the blame was effective. At least after hearing his words, Gin put down his gun, and even his gaze towards Vodka became somewhat unfriendly, with a hint of disdain.
Vodka was most afraid of losing his elder brother's trust, and after his weakness was exposed, he frantically fiddled with his clothes.
Seeing this, Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled gently and handed Gin a bottle of grape-flavored Fanta that was under the seat. Gin opened the can with one hand and poured it onto the vodka that he had just cleaned.
Vodka lowered his head, took out a handkerchief to wipe his clothes, and said with a hint of grievance, "...Thank you, brother."
Gin turned around with a cold expression.
Morofushi Kagemitsu glanced at Vodka. He had originally intended to sow discord between the two, but who would have thought that this simpleton would take such a pathetic path? His usual divisive tactics were ineffective for the time being.
...Never mind, I can't beat them, I can't beat them.
The car immediately fell silent again.
When it was their turn to be checked, the experienced policeman glanced at Gin and Vodka several times, noticing the beverage stains on the latter's chest, but still frowned and let them pass.
Perhaps because of his good performance, Gin stopped treating him like a dead man in the second half of the journey. When the car was near a certain building, he deliberately made him take a few detours until he confirmed that everyone was safe and sound before continuing to give instructions to head to Base 3.
After many twists and turns and multiple identity checks, including the collection of Morofushi Kagemitsu's biological information, they finally embarked on the road leading to the laboratory in the base.
"Take her to Suite B on the second floor."
Before leaving, Gin gave him another task.
Completely unfamiliar with the area, Morofushi Kagemitsu could only smile and agree. Then, under the pretext of finding a room, he led Sherry on a tour of the base to familiarize her with the basic layout.
[Return to the hotel at 9:30 AM tomorrow. Keep an eye on her until then.]
Oh, I've finished exploring everything, and the complimentary map is only now arriving.
Let's look at the sender: Vodka
Morofushi Kagemitsu's plan to sow discord was once again abandoned.
With no other option, he used the interval between replying to messages to send Xiao Su's location coordinates, which were displayed on his phone, to the anti-fraud team, and then entered the keyword "WD," thus relaying the information.
After finishing all that, he looked at Shirley, who had been silent the whole way, and softened his tone, saying, "Here's the map. By the way, you haven't had dinner yet, have you? I saw there's a cafeteria on this map, let's go together."
Shirley shook her head coolly.
"Gurgle~"
Shirley stopped shaking her head and awkwardly turned her head away.
Morofushi Kagemitsu coughed with a forced smile and said, "Well, I'm tired after driving for so long. Considering how hard I've worked, let me eat at the base's canteen."
Sherry gracefully stepped down the stairs.
When swiping his meal card at the base cafeteria, Morofushi Hiromitsu finally learned the name of the little girl in front of him: Miyano Shiho.
The two quietly finished their late-night snack, and then had their last conversation in the United States:
"Mr. Asakawa, thank you."
"...Don't overthink it, I just want to survive."
Even after returning to the hotel, Morofushi Hiromitsu was still wondering if Miyano Shiho had discovered his little tricks.
However, compared to the little girl who meant him no harm, there was another member of the organization he needed to pay special attention to. Not long ago, he had asked Anti-Fraud King to seek help from Dai Moroboshi, and he needed to brace himself and handle this matter well.
In fact, he had only been inside the house for a short time when he heard noises coming from the balcony.
"You came back alive?"
Moroboshi Dai took a few steps with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
In return for his help, Morofushi Hiromitsu revealed some information: "Ah, we're going to have another member. She'll be escorted by Gin himself, and her codename is Sherry."
“Sherry…” Moroboshi Dai silently repeated the code name, “As expected, female members’ code names are mostly cocktails.”
“For men, there are more code names for strong liquor,” Morofushi Kagemitsu chimed in, feeling that the information exchange should end there.
Moroboshi Dai, however, continued to ask, "What kind of person do you think she is?"
With a warm smile, Morofushi Kagemitsu said, "She is a robust woman, tall and strong, with powerful arms and a steady gait..."
A note from the author:
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It wasn't until he returned to Japan that Shuichi Akai realized that the handsome, thick-browed Asakawa Sora had been lying to him. [doge][doge][doge]
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