He was always very calm; no matter who he was facing, he was always equally silent.
Yamawashi wasn't wrong; from a practical standpoint, investigating past experiences wasn't very meaningful, yet he was still wasting energy on the investigation.
“You only need to control me, that's all.” Yamawashi said these words as casually as if he were commenting on the pleasant weather, as if he were long accustomed to such things and didn't find them particularly bad.
“Are you teaching me how to beat you?” Hiromitsu Morofushi asked.
Yamawashi suddenly turned his head, catching him off guard, Hiromitsu Morofushi subconsciously held his breath. A gentle breeze blew past, softly brushing the hair from Yamawashi's forehead and revealing eyes as mysterious as distant mountains.
After locking eyes for a moment, Yamawashi muttered to herself, ".. Not a bad thing." Then, she passed by his side.
The balcony door was closed, Hiromitsu Morofushi let out a breath as if waking from a dream, staying in the wind for a while longer before returning indoors. He sometimes felt that Yamawashi was a terrifying person; those calm eyes looked as if they had already seen through everything from a distance and simply chose not to care, appearing as though he were being pushed along by the duels between different factions, or perhaps just drifting along with indifference to everything. This gave him a recurring sense of crisis: that if the issues surrounding Yamawashi were not resolved thoroughly now, he would inevitably become a formidable opponent in the future.
This unease stemmed from the fact that all restrictions placed on Yamawashi were tied to Yamawashi's feelings for Scotland, but no one knew why Yamawashi was so devoted to Scotland, no one knew at what moment Yamawashi would withdraw his protection from Scotland.
.. Perhaps the real reason is that Scotland began with a carefully constructed lie and does not truly exist.
A week later, true to his reputation as a master of intelligence, Furuya Rei brought new information.
Upon arriving at the meeting point, Hiromitsu Morofushi looked at the desolate area in confusion, while Furuya Rei pushed aside the withered weeds and introduced, "This used to be a base where the Organization cultivated assassins."
Hiromitsu Morofushi gazed out at the surroundings and said hesitantly, "I can't really tell."
Furuya Rei crouched down, grabbed a handful of soil, observed, "Underground, it has already been filled in."
He brushed the dirt away and patted his palms. 'The Organization has a tradition where high-ranking members inherit their codenames; Rum's codename was passed down from his predecessor. No high-ranking member would personally get their hands dirty with such menial tasks; instead, they select promising individuals to nurture. If I'm not mistaken, the original owner of the dagger was a blade forged by the BOSS himself. His child is highly likely to be his successor, but his death was too sudden. Combined with the fierce infighting among the top brass, once he lost his protection, it gave someone like Yamawashi the opportunity to strike.'
“Is it not also possible that it was a mission assigned to Yamawashi by a certain high-ranking member?” Furuya Rei analyzed, rubbing his chin. “Yamawashi was still very young when he joined the Organization, so he isn't from the same generation as that assassin. His personality doesn't seem like the type to pick a fight with someone for no reason or seek revenge against an entire family, but if it was arranged by that assassin's rival, it would make sense. Establishing a firm foothold in the Organization isn't something that can be achieved through strength alone, he must have been lacking that kind of assistance at the time.. However, the specific reason isn't very important. To Yamawashi, it was just an ordinary mission; the only thing truly worth commemorating was likely obtaining a weapon that suited his hand.”
Topics concerning Yamawashi weren't important—at least, they held little significance for the moment. Furuya Rei shifted the subject to more pressing matters. 'There was no reason for it to be abruptly decommissioned, it remains the only base of its kind to be abandoned. I obtained this address from old records from a base in America.'
Hiromitsu Morofushi looked down at his feet. "This is highly unusual; there might be something special about this place, or perhaps something extraordinary has occurred here."
I think so too," Furuya Rei said with an approving look. "Although I'm not sure exactly which year Yamawashi joined the Organization, perhaps he might know some inside information.
Hiromitsu Morofushi nodded. "I'll try to ask him for some information."
"Thank you for your hard work." Furuya Rei's tone was complicated.
He still preferred to distance himself from Yamawashi as quickly as possible, but Yamawashi's protection of Scotland had become increasingly obvious lately. During the investigation, he even discovered that in places they hadn't noticed, Yamawashi had helped them more than once.
Yamawashi's protection of Scotland was a kind of protection that didn't require Scotland to understand or be grateful for; aside from maintaining his own reputation, it seemed almost like..
Looking at his friend's contemplative face, Furuya Rei ultimately swallowed the words he was about to say.
Yamawashi seemed to truly like Scotland.
"Be careful in everything you do," Furuya Rei said.
..
Yamawashi joined the Organization even earlier than they had originally anticipated. Although his current exact age is unknown, since he joined the Organization during his youth, who knows what he might have experienced.
Yamawashi did not give a direct answer to this question.
Training Camp No. 57." Yamawashi rested her dagger on her lap, showing no intention of looking up upon hearing the question, her tone completely flat. "That was a training ground for a certain leader candidate.
“You knew it after all,” Hiromitsu Morofushi sat down immediately. “Why was it filled in?”
"Because it's no longer needed," Yamawashi said.
“.. No longer needed?” Hiromitsu Morofushi was uncertain. “As far as I know, the other bases are still operating normally.”
Yamawashi let out a short laugh, so brief that Hiromitsu Morofushi barely reacted; by the time he looked over, Yamawashi was clearly staring expressionlessly at the dagger in front of him. For a moment, he didn't know whether he should continue asking questions. While Yamawashi would indeed answer some of his questions, it didn't mean Yamawashi would explain everything without limit; if he talked too much, Yamawashi would find it noisy and might even hit him.
Hiromitsu Morofushi remained silent, vaguely realizing that Yamawashi might know much more than he had anticipated. Fortunately, Yamawashi had no intention of getting up and leaving, nor did he have any intention of fighting him; instead, as if recalling something, Yamawashi continued speaking.
“There are many candidates in every generation.” As he spoke, Yamawashi suddenly turned his head to look over, his gaze freezing on his face, tracing over his features bit by bit. He hadn't felt such a scrutinizing and searching gaze in quite some time, he awkwardly rubbed his cheek. Yamawashi immediately averted his eyes. "The candidate who originally held Training Camp No. 57 died, that base was abandoned as a result."
Hiromitsu Morofushi still didn't understand, frowning in thought, "So all the other bases are held by the same candidate.. a total monopoly?"
He thought of Kurumaru Soshi on the roster. As the leader of the Organization, that man's abilities were beyond question. In the final battle, Kurumaru Soshi was annihilated in a great fire; they failed to truly arrest him, that fire also took away the vast majority of the Organization's records, making them impossible to recover.
It can be inherited, it can be filled in, it all depends on one's mood." Yamawashi lowered his eyes; he seemed a bit tired. Leaning back into the sofa, his voice gradually grew lower, ".. A useful knife only needs one to be sufficient; anything more is redundant.
Only then did Hiromitsu Morofushi realize that it was already ten-thirty.
Get some rest, Yamawashi." He proactively ended the conversation. "We'll talk again tomorrow.
When he returned after making the bed, Yamawashi was still leaning there quietly, his footsteps suddenly stopped.
To think of Yamawashi in such a way was too rude; he had seen all kinds of people, he had also played all kinds of roles, but he had never met anyone as incomparably strong as Yamawashi.
Even though he wasn't physically strong, even though he wasn't terrifying, just seeing Yamawashi standing there would make one unable to help but think that he had probably never lost.
The memories of that night ended with the figure curled up on the sofa under the warm yellow light; across the boundary of light and shadow, Hiromitsu Morofushi silently swallowed that "goodnight."
**
When he woke up the next day, Yamawashi was no longer in the Safe House. Hiromitsu Morofushi couldn't help but feel a sense of regret, as last night had truly been an excellent opportunity to gather intelligence.
He told himself that if he had continued to press the issue under those circumstances, Yamawashi would most likely have lost his patience and lashed out at him. Even if he had only been attacked, that would have been a relatively good outcome; the real trouble would have been if a cold war had inadvertently started between them, which would have been more than just a case of losing more than one gains.
However, the course of events still went beyond his expectations; Yamawashi had been missing for an entire week.
Because of Yamawashi, the only topics of conversation with Gin were limited to Yamawashi. On the eighth day of Yamawashi's disappearance, he happened to run into Gin during a mission, Gin asked a question as if suddenly remembering something: "Is Yamawashi dead?"
He couldn't understand Gin's way of thinking, but he smiled and said, "Thank you for asking about my lover. He is doing well, we are doing well. There is no need to worry."
Upon hearing this, Gin revealed an extremely subtle expression, looking as if he understood, yet also as if he were mocking. He was preoccupied with Yamawashi's whereabouts; by the time he realized he wanted to press for more information, he was already en route to his mission. Furthermore, his relationship with Gin was far from being at a level where they could meet privately, so he could only let the matter drop for the time being.
On the eleventh day after Yamawashi went missing, he received another invitation from Ino Seigo.
That night, he enjoyed the second floor all to himself, sipping on some unknown kind of liquor while calculating exactly how he would pry information from Ino Seigo. He wondered whether Aotsuki actually knew Ino Seigo, if Aotsuki would also appear at the banquet venue—in fact, the two of them were currently in the same building. As his thoughts circled, the figure of Yamawashi unexpectedly surfaced in his mind once again.
He pressed his temples forcefully, shaking off the figure swirling at the edge of his mind, suddenly feeling that something was not quite right.
.. Wait, Yamawashi?
The eyes beneath the mask suddenly widened, he nearly jumped up, leaning over the second-floor railing to peer outside.
Even though it was only for a split second, that figure that had just flashed from the corner of the first floor was clearly Yamawashi, who had been missing for nearly two weeks!
Chapter 27
Aotsuki threw a punch without changing his expression, his knuckles grinding against the softest part of the abdomen. Hearing a muffled groan, his eyes widened slightly, he instinctively looked up to see the other man's face.
This moment of distraction gave his opponent a chance to counterattack, but it was no predicament for him; he instinctively raised his arm to block, but unexpectedly, the fist did not actually land on his body, but instead transformed into a powerful embrace.
He froze, so much so that he forgot to push him away immediately.
“Why haven't you been answering your phone?” The voice in his ear was gentle yet tinged with helplessness, the tone extremely familiar. The soft sigh stood in stark contrast to the arms tightening around his waist. "I've been trying to reach you, I even specifically topped up my—ugh, cough, cough.. cough.."
Aotsuki's gaze was sharp as his second punch landed heavily against the guy's stomach. He grabbed the man by the collar as he doubled over retching and slammed him forcefully into the corner, his voice dropping low as he demanded, "Why are you here?!"
Hiromitsu Morofushi wanted to explain, but although the excuse was fabricated in a matter of seconds, Yamawashi clearly had no intention of listening to his defense. Without giving him a chance to speak, Yamawashi moved straight to the next stage, grabbing him and pulling him toward the exit.
A figure suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs, seemingly in a great hurry to do something. Unable to dodge in time, he had to take two quick leaps before he could finally come to a halt.
Eh?
The banquet host's gaze swept over the two bodies pressed together, he gasped in surprise.
“Aotsuki.. please let go! Yavin!” Under the icy gaze of one of them, he tactfully changed his words: “What are you doing?”
Obviously, this sudden change of name failed to satisfy someone, but it no longer mattered; Ino Seigo hurriedly separated the two of them.
“He'll be here in a moment,” Ino Seigo said quickly in a low voice. “If you want to hug someone, you can hug me. Don't treat my guest like this; if that guy sees this, he might not die of anger immediately, but my guest might suddenly die at home in a few days.”
It was a friendly reminder. He treated all his friends equally, since they were invited by him, he had to take responsibility. The person he held onto shook off his hand, their gaze passing over him to land on the third person present, said coldly, "Mind your own business, that is my lover."
Is that so? I see.. I didn't expect that after not seeing you for a while, you've actually learned how to tell jokes. You never used to joke around before; I was very happy when you were willing to make me laugh.
Ino Seigo was shocked for a second time, but instead, he calmed down. Under the concealment of his mask, no one noticed the twitching at the corners of his lips. "That joke really wasn't funny at all, but out of respect for his fate, let's just let him die, shall we?"
Even so, Ino Seigo still hid the two of them in the study.
Since they had known each other since high school, he had never seen Aotsuki crack a joke; no one could ever associate that word with Aotsuki. His hands were still shaking, he had no time to remove his mask, so he sat aside and listened to the conversation between the two unmasked people.
How did you end up here?" one of them asked while pulling out an invitation to prove his innocence. "I only came because I was invited.
He thought he would be asked in return if he had also received an invitation, but instead, the response was simply, "Why haven't you been coming home lately?"
“Ha.. hahahaha..”
“.. Hahahaha..”
A sudden burst of eerie laughter erupted beside him, causing Hiromitsu Morofushi to choke on his next words.
Ino Seigo casually removed his mask and waved his hand. "It's fine, I'm fine."
The other person present was completely undisturbed and continued to question him, "If you received this kind of invitation, why didn't you ask me about it?"
What do you mean, 'this kind of invitation'?
Sorry, I'll let you know before I come next time.
Is there something wrong with my invitation?
Next time?
It's a legitimate banquet.
Yes, I respect your opinion, but attending a banquet at a friend's invitation is not out of line, not to mention that asking for your opinion might require the prerequisite that you are willing to answer my calls or be able to come home at night.
You two!" Ino Seigo raised his voice to interrupt. "Listen to me.. Yavin, aren't you going to explain?
Yavin was likely the English or katakana name for Yamawashi; he had never heard this name before, he certainly hadn't expected that Ino Seigo and Yamawashi actually knew each other.
Ino Seigo has ties to the Organization, so it is normal that he knows Yamawashi.
Hiromitsu Morofushi turned toward Yamawashi. Although he still remained expressionless, he felt it was likely an expression that said, "Who do you think you are, asking me to explain?" and, as expected, he did not say a single word.
He spoke up, breaking the silence: "What a coincidence, so you two know each other as well."
Whether it was digging up intelligence regarding Yamawashi or inquiring about Ino Seigo's relationship with the Organization, he had no reason not to speak. Ino Seigo smiled, his gaze landing on Yamawashi, a look that caused Hiromitsu Morofushi to frown slightly.
“More than just knowing him, I am Yavin's.."
A certain insignificant employer," Yamawashi said coldly. "Master Ino, bringing up a mission from ten years ago is a bit much, don't you think?
As soon as Yamawashi spoke, Ino Seigo's mood suddenly brightened, though he still maintained a helpless expression. "Fine, fine, have it your way. But am I not your employer? Why are you being so impolite?"
Ten years ago.. around that time, Yamawashi had already begun working as a mercenary.