Chapter 37 Quiet down, the whiskey is on the grill.
Morofushi Kagemitsu's plan to showcase his culinary skills was thwarted by the overly spacious refrigerator.
[Anti-fraud expert #26: Hmm, a few eggs and some vegetables, and the orange juice is almost gone... Wait, what's this bag of bread that's about to expire? But it's okay, at least the eggs have double yolks.]
"..."
He reluctantly searched the refrigerator and found only a few slices of bacon.
What should we do? We can't just have them eat us for our first meal together, can we?
[Anti-fraud expert #66: You could have easily ordered another meal at Rodney's Restaurant.]
[Anti-fraud expert #19: At that time, his mind was full of childhood friends; how could he have thought of something like this?]
[Anti-fraud King #198: How about trying my newly improved memory potion, Maple Leaf No. 1, to make Furuya forget about eating?]
[Anti-fraud expert #148: Are you sure he'll only forget about today's meal? You might as well take him out for a workout; he'll be so exhausted he won't remember to eat.]
[Anti-fraud expert #214: Okay, stop talking. Doesn't Jingguang have any pride?]
#!
Quiet down, I'm grilling.
[Anti-fraud expert #26: It's just frying bacon, it doesn't really count as barbecue.]
Commander-in-Chief, is it alright to turn off the group voice chat mode?
[Anti-fraud officer reminds you: Melo has texted you! Melo has texted you!]
Hello!
[Mello: Check the company's accounts for this quarter of last year, eliminate any potential problems, and meet me in the headquarters conference room in three days.]
The anti-fraud expert read aloud the message sent by Melo, allowing this urgent task to be prioritized.
This is a good choice; at least Morofushi Kagemitsu isn't in the mood to think about turning off group voice chat anymore.
Morofushi Kagemitsu sighed somewhat helplessly, once again showing leniency towards the Anti-Fraud King.
Since things have come to this, let's leave it at that for now.
However, he was indeed curious as to why Melo had suddenly started auditing the accounts. It was autumn, not even the end of the year yet.
He perfectly flipped the bacon and eggs over, then pretended to take out his phone as if he had just seen the message.
[Anti-fraud expert #205: Due to rules, I can't view some of her encrypted text messages, but she seems to be getting quite close to Gin lately.]
Morobuchi Kagemitsu silently memorized the phrase "rules restrict".
Rei Furuya noticed him taking out his phone and frowned, saying, "Is it another mission? I've been covering for you all this time!"
He washed the few pitiful vegetable leaves and carefully chopped the slightly wilted bunch of celery into small pieces. But he hadn't taken the knife out of his hand yet, and he looked like he was about to stab someone who had been robbed of their good friend.
“It’s a text message from Mello.” Morofushi Hiromitsu put the phone back, checked what Zero had cut, and after confirming that his childhood friend’s knife skills were as bad as ever, he gently took the knife himself, made a few more attempts to salvage the situation, and then said, “Let me check the head office’s accounts.”
Rei Furuya took the bottle of orange juice out of the refrigerator again, but only poured out one cup, so he had to divide it in half. He asked, "Checking the accounts? Doesn't the organization have a dedicated accountant to do the books?"
[Anti-fraud expert #26: Ah, this drink expires tomorrow, so it's good to drink it now.]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Drink up, drink up, don't even think about your beverage... Do you guys think Melo might also be launching an anti-corruption campaign?]
No, no, no, anyone could do that, but Melo could never!
Morofushi Kagemitsu dismissed Anti-Fraud King 66's irresponsible conjecture, glanced at Orange Juice, and reluctantly let Zero put it on the table before starting to fold sandwiches himself: "Indeed, so I suspect she might have other motives. Last time she asked me to investigate the Virginity Explosion Class, it was on a whim, which resulted in all this trouble."
[Anti-Fraud Guru #214: Why does this sound like you're talking about candied sweet potatoes?]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Why not roasted sweet potatoes? Wasn't Jingguang having a barbecue?]
[Anti-fraud expert #19: No, he's genuinely thinking, not grilling... Never mind the sweet potatoes.]
No, this group of clowns is ruining the serious atmosphere.
Fortunately, Furuya Rei picked up the ball; it's so different when no one's doing stand-up comedy in your ear, huh? "Now you and I still have to investigate the mission personally assigned by the BOSS. She can't just bypass the BOSS, could she have found out something else?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu, multitasking, caught up with the conversation and continued, "But this matter shouldn't be related to the head office's accounting. She couldn't have just made something out of nothing..."
He stopped speaking there, and Furuya Rei realized something. The two exchanged a glance and said in unison:
"She's trying to use someone else to do her dirty work?"
[Commander-in-Chief of Anti-Fraud: This makes perfect sense (quill pen)]
Forgive them for thinking of such terrible things so quickly; these organization members are truly ruthless, and it's never wrong to assume the worst about them.
Having worked under Mello, Morofushi Kagemitsu knew some of the inside story and guessed, "Speaking of which, ever since she outmaneuvered Rum last time, she's been keeping an eye on what's happening in Kyoto..."
"...I heard that Rum's most trusted subordinate, Curaçao, went to Kyoto half a month ago, and there's still no news of her leaving." Furuya Rei also filled in some information.
[Anti-fraud expert #11: It sounds like Rum sent her to do something bad, to sabotage Mello?]
[Anti-Fraud King #198: Is that Curaçao, the one rumored to have hyperthymesia? I'm actually quite interested in her story.]
[Anti-fraud expert #19: Stop thinking about your brainwashing tactics; Rum and Mello's business is more important.]
"Beep beep—"
Rei Furuya looked down at his phone and saw that it was a text message from Rum.
Because his mind was still racing with conspiracy theories, he subconsciously began to doubt Rum's motives.
Keep a close eye on Scotland and his contact with Melo. Find out the truth behind the attack as soon as possible; time is money! —RUM
Sure enough, he knew it; Rum, not content with his current situation, had started stirring up internal strife again.
However, if that's the case, did Melo send Hiro to the head office to check the accounts because he noticed Rum's actions?
[Anti-Fraud King No. 214: Alas, the power struggle within the organization is finally about to begin again!]
[Anti-fraud expert #66: I'm betting on Melo to win. I can tell Rum is a bad stock; the guy's bad but addicted.]
[Anti-fraud expert #19: But Rum has a whole network of intelligence agents under his command, with a string of informants.]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: What eyeliner? Rum wears eyeliner?]
[Anti-fraud King No. 11: He's not the vice president from across the ocean... Okay, it's one thing for the two of them to fight normally, but now it's going to involve Furuya-kun and Kagemitsu.]
“Alright, Rum and Mello are going to start fighting again.” Furuya Rei showed the text message to Morofushi Hiromitsu and shrugged.
Morofushi Hiromitsu thought of the phrase "eliminate hidden dangers" in Melo's text message, shook his head and said, "It seems we'll be maintaining this unfriendly relationship for quite some time to come."
Rei Furuya's lips twitched down a little more as he muttered, "Why aren't Gin and Rum fighting?"
[Anti-fraud expert #148: Because Gin really will shoot.]
[Anti-fraud expert #11: Because losing really means death.]
[Anti-fraud expert #26: Because Rye really... wait, it seems Rye can't make any decisions right now.]
Morofushi Kagemitsu chuckled lightly, but controlled himself not to laugh out loud, and said, "Alright, I promise that I only use Rai, I have no true feelings for him."
Then, he brought over two plates of sandwiches and, with a smile, pushed the rare double-yolk egg next to Furuya Rei.
Rei Furuya's initial "grievance" quickly dissipated.
Since things have come to this, let's eat first.
The two had a quick lunch, and Furuya Rei conscientiously went to wash the dishes, leaving Morofushi Kagemitsu to work in the living room with his computer.
He's currently in contact with the two uncooperative individuals, simultaneously hacking into their computers to fabricate evidence. He also sent a message to Matsuda briefly explaining the situation, receiving a reply containing [...].
At that moment, Rei Furuya's voice came from the kitchen:
"Hiro, are you planning to go out for dinner tonight?"
Morofushi Kagemitsu stopped and said, "I need to see an accountant tonight to take care of some business, so I probably won't be eating at home." He then added, "Zero is going to those gangs' old territories, right? I remember there's a place there that's famous for its super spicy curry, you should try it."
Rei Furuya poked his head out, frowning disapprovingly, and said, "So you're just having sandwiches for dinner?"
...Actually, no.
He and Lai had discussed adding a bit of interrogation before he started sniping, making it a two-person activity. So, he subconsciously made a little extra when he was making the sandwiches.
"It's just for a late-night snack," Morofushi Kagemitsu explained.
In order to keep those two sandwiches alive until nightfall, he dared not say that there was also some for Ray.
...Strange, why does it feel like a stolen emotion?
As for Furuya Rei, after confirming that he wouldn't just have a simple meal that night, he stopped asking for details.
As prominent newcomers from different factions, it wasn't appropriate for them to stay in the same space for too long. Even though this was a relatively safe location, just in case, Furuya Rei left after washing the dishes.
Morofushi Kagemitsu was left alone in the house again.
He went back to the kitchen, packed the two sandwiches, and became a little curious about the relationship between Zero and Ray.
What exactly happened in Britain that made these two so at odds? Is it just a funding issue? Doesn't seem likely. Or has Zero set up a lot of problems for him? Hmm… that's not impossible. It can't really be because of the fermented herring, can it? Ray doesn't seem like someone with pica.
[Anti-fraud expert #148: Have you forgotten about the famous stargazers in Britain?]
[Anti-fraud King #214: Although, the British don't eat that... Didn't Furuya-kun say that Rye spent his entire budget, the kind of situation where you have to fight over meat in a yard just to have a barbecue?]
[Anti-fraud expert #11: Aren't they both mixed-race? A meal shouldn't lead to a fight, right?]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #66: Isn't Leigh of mixed American and Japanese descent? Their diet shouldn't be as meager as it is in the UK, right?]
[Anti-fraud expert #214: These two are equally bad, okay?]
[Anti-fraud expert #198: Actually, Rae is of British and Japanese descent.]
[Anti-fraud expert #205: Based on available daily data, Lay's habits were indeed different before going to the UK; perhaps he adapted to local customs after arriving. However, the possibility of a sudden genetic shift cannot be ruled out.]
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Huh? He really has British ancestry?!]
Morofushi Kagemitsu was also somewhat surprised; when he was in the United States, he had even suspected that Rye might be an FBI agent.
[Anti-Fraud King #198: It's easy to verify. You can try my newly improved potion, Maple Leaf No. 2. Letting him cut in line isn't out of the question.]
[Anti-fraud expert #19: It's perfect to put it in a sandwich. His identity is questionable; he'll probably eat it to gain your trust.]
Number 198, is your Maple Leaf No. 2 called Truth Potion...?
[Anti-fraud expert #214: Doesn't he like canned herring? How about...]
Stop! Stop! Stop!
If he actually eats this sandwich, he'll probably end up having a BBQ.
Morofushi Kagemitsu was considering whether or not to turn off the voice recording.
[Anti-fraud officer reminds you: Lai has texted you! Lai has texted you!]
[Go downstairs]
...Wait, they've already attacked?!
Let me explain!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Mini-Theater:
Jingguang (curious): Why is your relationship so strained?
Zero: Hiro~ Let me tell you, that guy Lei actually loves to eat canned herring!
Teacher Chi: What, canned herring? That's because the original homeowner didn't clean the body properly when dismembering it! I don't eat that stuff!
zero: Look, he knows it's a haunted house, but he doesn't mention it once!
Teacher Chi: You found that house, didn't you?!
zero: Then what are you doing? ...
Jingguang (exhausted): Okay, I was wrong, I'm not curious anymore...
It's as if I'm seeing a real-life version of the anti-fraud officers.
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