"As expected.." He watched the tiny bubbles in his glass, thinking that once Yamawashi knew he was a police officer, she would begin to loathe him.
To prevent Yamawashi from acting recklessly and causing even larger-scale chaos and unknown risks, he had to hide Scotland's true identity completely, maintaining an image that would be enough to keep Yamawashi constantly on the defensive.
Tilting his head back, Hiromitsu Morofushi drained the wine in his glass in one gulp and stood up to leave.
When they returned to the Safe House, the living room was pitch black; Yamawashi wouldn't be back until tomorrow at the earliest.
They had agreed that once the mission was complete, Yamawashi would return immediately.
He didn't dare let Yamawashi out of his sight for too long, fearing that Yamawashi might once again start acting unpredictably without any warning. The good news was that Yamawashi seemed to take this issue even more seriously than he did, stating matter-of-factly that he would finish the mission ahead of schedule. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, it was obvious that Yamawashi felt that as long as he wasn't keeping an eye on him, he might pose a threat to Scotland, who was far away in the hands of Public Security.
.. Why would he care about Scotland so much? Just what is it about Scotland that he's so interested in?
Two drinks weren't enough to cloud his mind. After checking the Safe House thoroughly, he went out to the balcony to smoke a cigarette.
The two boxes of cigarettes intended as an apology to Yamawashi ultimately remained in his hands; they were things he hadn't even given out when he was truly Scotland, let alone now.
He carefully reflected on everything he had done recently; everything except for Yamawashi had developed exactly as expected, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
He had secretly reminded Akai Shuichi to keep an eye on Miyano's situation, but when it came to himself, he actually couldn't make up his mind on how to handle Yamawashi next.
Yamawashi is not like Miyano.
He and Yamawashi shared no extra kinship that would allow for showing mercy, Yamawashi was not like Miyano, who was forced to remain on the periphery of the Organization only as Sherry's sister.
Yamawashi was a true member with a codename; back when he was still in the police academy, Yamawashi had already become Yamawashi.
The cigarette held between his fingertips had burned down to the filter without him noticing, Hiromitsu Morofushi stared at the butt, remaining motionless for a long time.
Yamawashi was a very useful person; this thought appeared in his mind for the second time today.
He had received help from Yamawashi, so he knew better than anyone that as long as Yamawashi was willing to cooperate, any task could be accomplished with half the effort and twice the result.
Regardless of why Yamawashi was cooperating with the Public Security's operation, the fact remained unchanged, especially since only he knew that Yamawashi was making a deal with the Public Security.
Hiromitsu Morofushi closed his eyes tightly. He didn't think the alcohol would stimulate his nerves so many beats later, but his brow still furrowed. He hurried back into the room, turned on the tap, splashed some cold water on his face.
He stared directly at the person in the mirror, panting.
.. What am I thinking?
Yamawashi cannot be bribed by the Witness Protection Program; only Scotland's situation could move him, but Scotland isn't even a real person. Yamawashi can judge that Scotland is an undercover agent, can also see that he is not the Scotland of this year. One day, when the Organization is overthrown and liquidated—perhaps even sooner—once the truth is revealed, how will he then use Scotland's so-called situation to continue to restrain Yamawashi?
As long as Yamawashi's situation is completely excluded from the considerations, it will be fine; by the time it can no longer be concealed, Yamawashi will likely have lost his usefulness.
He is different from Akai Shuichi, Yamawashi is different from Miyano, the Japanese Public Security is different from the FBI; there are certain things he cannot do and should not do.
A clap of thunder echoed in the sky, Hiromitsu Morofushi snapped back to his senses.
He remembered that clothes were still hanging out to dry on the Yamawashi balcony.
Humidity in the air affects shooting; he pays attention to the weather every day, the forecast said it would be sunny today, but the weather is inherently unpredictable.
Hiromitsu Morofushi held his clothes close and looked up. The moon was shrouded in dark clouds, looking as if it were about to rain, but it might just be an illusion.
Tonight, as if possessed, he had drunk one extra glass of wine, a seductive voice echoed incessantly in his ears, seeping into his mind as softly as silk: only he knew that he wasn't truly helping Public Security.
You are the only witness. Since you have already taken it upon yourself to change his future, why not just be a bit more thorough?
If, after December 7th, a person's life becomes inextricably linked to yours, then isn't planning that person's future originally a responsibility that falls upon your shoulders?
It's raining.
A single drop of rain hit Hiromitsu Morofushi's shoulder, quickly soaking into the cotton fabric; no one but him knew.
Author's Note:
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Chapter 15
Hiromitsu Morofushi discovered that two extra pieces of clothing had appeared on the balcony.
His vision and observation skills were excellent, but he still walked closer to take a look, sure enough, they were the two pieces he had helped collect and hang in the wardrobe in Yamawashi the day before.
He looked at the person in the living room who was sharpening a dagger without any expression and let out a silent sigh.
It wasn't that Yamawashi had to like him, but for someone like Yamawashi, who always maintained a cold expression regardless of who they were meeting, this was a clear sign of being disliked.
.. That makes sense. After all, he is the culprit responsible for the person Yamawashi likes being imprisoned, he's a despicable Public Security Police officer at that.
Hiromitsu Morofushi pondered that he should find some time to take another photo; at least when he handed the last photo to Yamawashi, he successfully made it through the bedroom door that night, Yamawashi didn't nearly slam the door in his face like before.
The weather was nice today. He squinted at the sunlight and thought optimistically that, no matter how many twists and turns the process might take, the overall direction was steadily breaking the ice, so it wasn't entirely terrible.
It was a rare day where neither the Public Security nor the Organization had anything to do, so Hiromitsu Morofushi took the initiative to ask, "What do you want to eat for lunch?"
Yamawashi ignored him once again.
.. It wasn't completely terrible, but it wasn't exactly not terrible either.
He made a unilateral decision: "Let's go out to eat together at noon."
Yamawashi passed by his side indifferently, carrying a dagger.
Hiromitsu Morofushi knew that it could be considered a sign of agreement.
Yamawashi was not someone who didn't know how to refuse; because he was a man of few words, his refusals were even more blunt and uncompromising.
Although it was a sudden whim, he still quickly handpicked a restaurant with a good reputation. This was the first time he and Yamawashi had gone out to eat together; while ordering, he watched Yamawashi's expression, although it remained completely impassive, he seemed even more cold than usual.
He handed over the menu and said, "I'm sorry for the trouble during the last mission. Try some dishes and see what tastes good; I'll have someone buy him a portion."
enough, as soon as Yamawashi heard this, he who had previously been unwilling to even touch the menu began to select dishes seriously, even taking the initiative to ask the waiter about the flavors and cooking methods.
Hiromitsu Morofushi watched the scene and was rendered speechless once again. His silence was different from Yamawashi's; Yamawashi chose not to speak, whereas he had nothing to say.
He hoped Yamawashi would join this meal, but he did not want to see this scene through such means. If possible, he wanted to get along normally with Yamawashi, even if it meant returning to their initial mutual respect, rather than this current state of constant vigilance and various threats.
Closing the menu, Aotsuki noticed the gaze directed at him from across the table. "Why do you keep staring at me?"
The impostor replied, "Because there are only the two of us here."
Aotsuki frowned.
The waiter came to serve the food, interrupting the conversation.
He had no particular preference for food and couldn't tell whether something was delicious or unpleasant. He also didn't know exactly what Scotland liked to eat, because they never ate meals together, but for Scotland's sake, he seriously tasted every single dish, which extended his original five-minute mealtime to fifteen minutes.
It was a waste of time, but it wasn't like the days back in the training camp; wasting ten minutes wouldn't kill anyone.
The mission for the afternoon was to assemble near the harbor; they were going to conduct a deal with an arms dealer.
Aotsuki was the first to board the ship. Seeing the people on the deck, he ignored them and found a spot to close his eyes and rest.
Someone sat down beside him and sighed, "The scenery here is truly wonderful."
He opened his eyes; the scenery was indeed beautiful. The setting sun floated above the sea, its afterglow swallowed by the waves.
With such beautiful scenery, there's a high probability that something unexpected will happen during today's mission.
Rather than the interests of the Organization, that person was more concerned with whether those two were having a romantic story somewhere, ideally accompanied by an emotional sublimation or a breakup; if it went too smoothly, it would lack drama and become boring and tedious.
He couldn't understand how this person had ultimately become the leader of the Organization.
Aotsuki turned his head to look at the figure smoking on the deck. Gin's appearance meant that this mission contained unknown hidden dangers; besides guarding against opponents, one had to guard against betrayal from one's own people.
The person beside him suddenly said, "Is this mission an arms deal?"
He withdrew his gaze and looked straight ahead at the shimmering sea: "Yeah."
Whether it was a coincidence or intentional, the bodyguards hired by the client were actually a group of mercenaries from France.
Just like the mission involving that Japanese mafia group not long ago, everything was becoming increasingly familiar. He didn't believe this was a mere coincidence, just as he didn't believe there could be two people in this world who looked so much alike.
With his eyes half-lidded, he listened nonchalantly to the other party's demands, waiting for this purposeful mission to officially begin, while a gaze cast from the northwest corner pierced him intensely.
Someone changed seats, he glanced up briefly before indifferently averting his gaze. That impostor was completely different from Scotland; Scotland would never sit down directly or suddenly change seats without considering the atmosphere or the occasion, he would certainly never brazenly approach him to talk about things unrelated to the mission.
“I know a good cafe. Would you like to try it when we get back?”
The person who appeared by his side happened to block a certain gaze. Someone in the reception hall cursed softly in French; the voice was kept very low, but unfortunately, his hearing was too good.
He had not been to France for many years, yet he surprisingly did not find that long-unused language unfamiliar.
"It seems to be going smoothly," the impostor said again.
Gin was the main force in the negotiations. Aotsuki had absolutely no doubt that the mission would not have been affected whether Scotland or he had appeared or not.
Rather, it was because the two of them were included that this mission was destined to take a different course.
Hiromitsu Morofushi's pocket grew heavy, he froze for a moment. The person sitting next to him remained expressionless, still staring blankly at the floor as if nothing had happened. He inconspicuously slipped his hand into his pocket, his fingertips brushing against something familiar. The corners of his mouth pressed down slightly as he secretly scrutinized the group of mercenaries.
The negotiations concluded in a subtle, harmonious atmosphere. As he stood up, Hiromitsu Morofushi locked eyes with a certain mercenary, gave a friendly smile, strode to catch up with the person in front of him.
Yamawashi's warning was indeed not without reason.
An Organization member ran over and whispered that there was a problem with their ship, they might not be able to depart from the shore as planned tonight.
Hiromitsu Morofushi gripped the two extra magazines in his pocket. As the salty sea breeze blew his hair into a mess, he saw the dagger hidden in Yamawashi's cuff.
He thought that there were no purely beautiful scenes within the Organization, it wasn't as if he had infiltrated it as part of a sightseeing tour.
Seeing such a sunset naturally comes with a price.
The sky had already grown dark. He took one last look at the sky before stepping into the cabin.
That night, less than three hours after the cooperation was reached, that group of mercenaries launched a raid on their ship. Hiromitsu Morofushi took down several people in his assigned area but managed to extract no information, so he rushed to the deck to support Yamawashi.
Urgent footsteps broke the silence of the night. Under the moonlight, the sea emitted a hazy and dim light, serene yet dangerous.
A man knelt before Yamawashi, barely supporting his upper body with his arms; it was the French mercenary who had been staring at Yamawashi all along.
To investigate the rumors that Yamawashi had killed all of his teammates, he traveled to France during his break, though he only knew a tiny bit of French.
That mercenary said haltingly, "How.. how could you.. betray Arnaud.. He trusted you.. so much.. How could you betray him.. He had already decided to stop being a mercenary, yet you betrayed him.."
Arnaud, the leader of the mercenary squad killed by Yamawashi.
That rumor sounded exaggerated at first glance, because even a few years ago, that was a fairly well-known squad, in this line of work, fame and strength are mostly proportional. It sounded absurd that Yamawashi had taken out the entire squad single-handedly, but he had seen Yamawashi through a sniper scope more than once; if it were Yamawashi, he might actually be able to do it.
Hiromitsu Morofushi's footsteps stopped. He stood in the shadows, wanting to hear what Yamawashi would say.
Yamawashi's words were too few, so every single sentence had to be listened to with care. His gaze fell upon the tall, gray-haired young man, whose half-face was shrouded in shadow. The dagger in his hand pointed at the French mercenary's forehead, his eyes were slightly lowered, as if he were quietly reminiscing about something.