Rye and Scotland had a good relationship, so there was no need to make Rye lose face over something like this.
It's not our first time working together; I still trust your skills.
Having failed to probe anything, Akai Shuichi didn't mind and continued to lean against the car door, waiting for the signal to begin the operation.
Out of the corner of his eye, the dull organization member took out a pitch-black dagger and lowered his gaze to inspect it carefully.
Yamawashi, one of the Organization's iconic mid-to-high-level members, is a stable neutral party who is skilled with daggers. It is said he was once a mercenary, while others claim he is a survivor of some battlefield; his background is a mystery, nowadays, most mentions of him concern his romance with Scotland.
There weren't many people in the Organization who were in love, so it was even more unusual for it to be two men. Even though neither Yamawashi nor Scotland acted in a high-profile manner, they couldn't avoid being the subject of gossip.
Opportunities to run into this person were rare. Akai Shuichi stubbed out his cigarette and continued the conversation with feigned indifference, "Have you reviewed the files?"
Yeah.
Is there a problem?
No.
With such a silent demeanor, Scotland wasn't lying; this gentleman from Yamawashi was indeed a man of few words. Akai Shuichi stopped trying to make small talk and closed his eyes to rest, quietly waiting for the signal that the mission was about to begin.
Five minutes later, the cell phones in their pockets vibrated simultaneously. The two exchanged a glance, remained silent, sat back into the car.
The wheels crushed the fallen leaves at the alley entrance, the car soon vanished without a trace. The other end of the connection for the broken surveillance camera was pitch black, those two figures seemed as if they had never appeared at all.
This was not the first time they had worked together; in fact, their coordination couldn't be described as particularly seamless, but since their individual abilities were outstanding, there were no real weaknesses to be found.
They split into two groups as planned to infiltrate the mansion, each one dealing with half of the bodyguard team in a simple and brutal manner before planting bombs along the way, finally regrouping in the target's study.
After meeting up, Akai Shuichi confirmed once more, "Once the safe is opened, the self-destruction cannot be stopped unless the other administrator manually stops it. However.. that guy's hand is probably unable to move anymore."
After all, Scotland and Bourbon are currently with the other administrator.
Using the safe's self-destruction to trigger the bombs installed at the other five coordinates, we can destroy the evidence and then evacuate during the safety period. No problem, right?
"Yeah," Yamawashi replied.
Before he arrived, Yamawashi had already located the safe. Since opening the safe was also Yamawashi's job, Akai Shuichi went to check the surroundings for any unusual movement, unable to resist taking another look at the mission target lying at his feet.
It wasn't that he had killed the wrong person, but rather that he rarely saw anyone who died a violent death with such a peaceful expression. There was no terror, no unease; the flowing blood seemed not like a life draining away, but like a crimson waterbed, making him look as if he were merely sleeping rather than having breathed his last.
He turned his head and looked at the dagger tucked into Yamawashi's lower back.
The tip was sharp, the blade double-edged, the body thin and slender. Lacking a blood groove and entirely black without any reflection, it was clearly a weapon crafted for assassination and close-quarters combat.
The tip of the blade slid smoothly into the neck, wedging into the gap between the vertebrae; after a single twist, it was pulled out cleanly. Before the prey could even react, its vision began to plummet, it crashed heavily to the ground.
The way life was harvested was brutal, but the appearance of this dagger was quite complementary to its elegant and refined master.
"It's about to start," Yamawashi whispered suddenly.
Akai Shuichi nodded, getting into position to cooperate.
The two held their breath. After a crisp spring-like sound, a faint "click" echoed, followed immediately by an alarm that suddenly blared throughout the entire study.
Akai Shuichi swiftly grabbed the memory card from the safe and turned to rush out. Just as he stepped onto the windowsill to leap, he suddenly realized there was no one beside him. Turning his head, he discovered that his partner's footsteps had somehow come to a halt.
“Yamawashi!” he shouted.
Yamawashi acted as if he couldn't hear the shouting and alarms, standing before a wall of bookshelves as if he were prepared to shoplift two books on the spot. Akai Shuichi ran back quickly, took a brief glance at that row of books, without a second thought, grabbed Yamawashi and jumped out.
Go!
At the fifty-third second, a massive explosion rolled toward them with a shockwave. After the smoke cleared, two figures slowly crawled out from beneath the rubble and sand.
Yamawashi coughed a few times, caught his breath, said, "Thank you."
Akai Shuichi was somewhat surprised. There were too many eccentrics in the Organization; one who was slightly less eccentric actually looked quite like a normal person at first glance.
Unfortunately, normal people wouldn't repeatedly fiddle with a dagger as soon as they sat in a car, nor would they stand dazed by a bookshelf right before an explosion.
However, given the current atmosphere, it was a good time for conversation. He took the opportunity to ask, "Do you like Sherlock Holmes?"
If I remember correctly, the closest thing to where Yamawashi was just standing was a row of Sherlock Holmes detective stories.
Yamawashi shook his head.
Perhaps because of that recent pull, Akai Shuichi actually managed to detect a hint of hesitation on that calm face. Yamawashi likely didn't want to say much more to him, but feeling obligated due to the favor received, he ultimately spoke up with some reluctance.
“When you have eliminated all the impossibilities, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.." As he spoke, his voice trailed off, whether because he had forgotten his lines or was preoccupied with something, but after a long pause, he finally managed to recite the last half of the sentence, ".. must be the truth."
A classic line.
The wind swirled leaves as they flew past. Akai Shuichi and Yamawashi stared at each other, realizing that this was indeed the entirety of the content, with nothing more to follow.
".." It was truly a linguistic miracle that Scotland and Yamawashi being together was actually Yamawashi's suggestion.
Someone's phone vibrated.
Akai Shuichi had no interest in paying further attention to what Yamawashi liked to read and reminded him, "It's yours."
Aotsuki belatedly took his phone out of his pocket, to his surprise, it was a text message from Scotland.
【Was it smooth?]
Yes.
Would you like to have dinner together tonight?
Akai Shuichi brushed the dirt off his knit cap, looking completely disheveled now; cleaning the hat was his final act of stubbornness. As he put the cap back on, he keenly noticed a subtle change in Yamawashi's expression.
He asked casually, as if by accident, "Scotland? You two are really close."
Yamawashi knelt amidst the mess on the floor, staring at the phone. After a long silence, she said in a low voice:
Perhaps.
His voice was very soft. Akai Shuichi always felt that the man actually wanted to argue, but the words had stopped at the tip of his tongue, he couldn't bring himself to say them.
Author's Note:
----------------------
Chapter 3
Sorry, I have other plans tonight.
Hiromitsu Morofushi checked the received text message, his fingers tapping rapidly on the phone.
[Be safe on the road. Are you coming back tonight?]
Mm.
Simple words, yet they immediately smoothed the furrow in Hiromitsu Morofushi's brow. He put away his phone, upon turning his head, realized his childhood friend was staring at him strangely.
Before he could speak, Furuya Rei revealed an expression of sudden realization: "Something went wrong over there?"
“No, Yamawashi and Rye have successfully evacuated.”
Furuya Rei was somewhat bewildered. Having known each other for years, he rarely felt lost when it came to his close friend, but the absolute trust they shared quickly overcame the faint, elusive sense of confusion in his heart.
Since a codename had been mentioned, he simply followed the thread: "Have you decided when you'll be parting ways with Yamawashi? I'll make the necessary preparations in advance."
They had discussed this issue once last month, but it was ultimately set aside for the time being on the grounds that the timing was not yet right.
Hiromitsu Morofushi said with a slight hesitation, "I shouldn't.. be separated from him for the time being?"
That's for the best. Things that can't be figured out are the most dangerous. A neutral faction with such a stable position.. it's too strange." Furuya Rei rubbed his temples, mentioning this topic which always gave him a headache. "I've made several attempts to get information from Vermouth, but that woman keeps giving me the runaround.
Yamawashi's past remained a mystery for many years to come, with Yamawashi's death, all clues were completely sealed away.
Hiromitsu Morofushi suddenly remembered that, aside from wondering whether breaking up would bring him trouble, he had never proactively investigated where Yamawashi actually came from, just as Yamawashi had never crossed boundaries to investigate his past.
The link between them was so one-sided and fragile, yet after learning the truth, Yamawashi made such a choice in an instant.
Hiromitsu Morofushi's fingertips lightly brushed across the extinguished phone screen, as if touching the brief text that had appeared on it not long ago.
"I have no plans to part ways with Yamawashi," he repeated, his voice this time a little more firm than before.
Furuya Rei sighed, "Agreeing to it on impulse back then was indeed impulsive, but the situation was urgent, we truly couldn't come up with a better solution.. I will continue to keep an eye on intelligence regarding Yamawashi, so rest assured."
His friend did not realize the deep meaning behind his words. Hiromitsu Morofushi did not offer much explanation; some things required more serious thought, they were not things he could decide on his own.
He didn't forget to offer comfort: "You have already done enough, besides, Yamawashi hasn't done anything either. This romance might not be as bad as we initially imagined."
Furuya Rei still had a deep frown on his face.
Indeed, so far, Yamawashi had not brought any danger and had even provided a few conveniences, but deep down, he always felt that Yamawashi might be far more dangerous than they had initially expected.
Twice, he had encountered Yamawashi during missions; they had exchanged polite greetings and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but the moment he turned around, he could feel a cold gaze landing on his back. Those silent eyes were like a sight, as if trying to see through him to something else, leaving him with a chill running down his spine.
Yamawashi was just like those gray eyes of his, perpetually misty and impossible to see through clearly. Getting involved with a character like that carried more risk than reward, the thing he least wanted to see was his childhood friend falling into danger.
Furuya Rei's expression grew increasingly grim. Hiromitsu Morofushi guessed at once what he was thinking and brought up another matter to divert his attention: "Yamawashi mentioned a breakup last night."
“He broke up with her?” Furuya Rei turned his head in surprise, instantly catching the key point. Since he put it that way, it meant they hadn't actually split up. "What was the reason?"
Hiromitsu Morofushi shook his head slightly. "He didn't say."
This was also one of the reasons why he asked Yamawashi whether she would return to the safe house tonight.
If the atmosphere is right, he wants to talk to Yamawashi about the breakup mentioned last night.
Yamawashi's proposal to start a relationship had been very sudden back then, so bringing up a breakup without any warning was quite consistent with her usual style. Furuya Rei asked, "Has he been acting strangely lately?"
Hiromitsu Morofushi could not remember how an ordinary day belonging to Scotland and Yamawashi three years ago had passed.
Later, once everything had settled, Yamawashi's figure would occasionally surface in his mind, but that could not change the fact that for most of the past, he had not paid special attention to Yamawashi.
He only remembered being very nervous when he first lived with Yamawashi, maintaining constant vigilance, but before long, he realized that it didn't even count as truly living under the same roof.
Yamawashi's frequency of not returning home at night was very high; every time he left, he would be gone for three to five days, that didn't even include the time they each spent away on missions. Consequently, they rarely encountered each other in their daily lives; even when they did meet, Yamawashi would only give a nod of acknowledgment, they wouldn't engage in any communication unless absolutely necessary. Furthermore, that man exuded an indifferent and tranquil aura that was actually quite similar to when he used to live alone, so he gradually began to relax.
The reason he had specifically asked whether Yamawashi was returning to the safehouse tonight was to confirm whether Yamawashi was about to disappear for several days again.
He had been curious about where Yamawashi had gone and what he was doing. Yamawashi had always been an exception within the Organization; he appeared ordinary, yet his status carried a subtle sense of transcendence. However, even until Yamawashi's death, even after the Organization's destruction, he still could not obtain an answer.
**
When he returned to the safe house, the lights were off.
Since Yamawashi wasn't coming back to eat dinner together, Hiromitsu Morofushi bought a bento on the way.
In his memory, Yamawashi often ate this, sitting quietly by the dining table to finish it alone, his back held perfectly straight as he chewed slowly. From a distance, it made one mistakenly believe that it wasn't just an ordinary bento, but a gourmet delicacy prepared with expensive ingredients.