Stepping along the path paved with moss and gravel, crossing more than half the courtyard, the gray-haired youth distanced himself from the crowd and stood silently before a door.
Sliding open the shoji, warm sunlight spilled across the tatami mats. The most secluded room in the entire courtyard appeared no different from the others in size, ornaments, or layout.. most importantly, it was empty.
As if letting out a silent sigh of relief, he was about to turn and leave when his body suddenly stiffened.
The roots of the ancient tree in the clearing stretched out like winding dragons. On the thick trunk, a man wearing a kimono was resting his chin in his hand while looking at him, a single wooden clog lay quietly in the messy grass.
His nerves were so taut that Aotsuki was startled by the sudden sound of the wooden clog falling, he struck his ankle against the doorframe, barely noticing the lingering ache.
That person was likely used to being high and mighty, didn't feel in their heart that there was anything wrong with observing others so condescendingly; the thin, circular lenses failed to make its owner look more refined, instead enhancing the playfulness in his expression. The kimono he wore was an extremely pale green, with patterns flowing across the cuffs and hem when the sunlight passed through them; Aotsuki knew that even the white lining underneath, which was invisible, was embroidered with that family's crest.
.. Are you collecting material again?" In the blink of an eye, he had returned to his usual coldness, looking up as he said, "It's not very safe there.
“I suppose so.” That person's body remained motionless, the index finger of the hand supporting his chin tapped his cheek rapidly as he let out a meaningless, long sigh. "Sigh.. Yamawashi, the weather is truly lovely today."
Aotsuki had already guessed the circumstances. With an expressionless face, he neatly arranged the wooden clogs, nimbly climbed up the tree, brought the person down exactly as they were.
“Has no one come to rescue you?”
The man adjusted his wooden clogs: "Isn't that your job?"
Aotsuki remained silent.
“That's true. After all, I'm not your first employer, so it's understandable that you aren't that loyal.” The man smiled, plucked the leaves from his clothes, tossed them aside. “And I might not be the last one, either.”
Aotsuki did not respond, watching as the man walked while pulling a palm-sized notebook from his sleeve.
Do you want to hear some of the new material I've collected?
"Not particularly," Aotsuki replied truthfully.
You're still as humorous as ever.
That guy was still as self-absorbed as ever, as expected, he began rambling to himself: "Deeply in love with his partner, he didn't step foot outside for three whole days, only finally deigning to leave his room when the unmissable celebration finally began."
Aotsuki ignored the notebook that was practically shoved in his face, his expression remaining unchanged.
But on the night the celebration ended, this couple, who were deeply in love, went out on an adventure late at night and entered the island's library without permission..
The notebook was snapped shut with a "thud," and the lenses reflecting the shadows of the trees replaced the blank sheet of paper before him. Aotsuki calmly met the gaze of the man in front of him.
Yamawashi, what are you planning to do by taking him there?
Yamawashi, Yamawashi, Aotsuki.. names are the shortest of curses; calling someone by a name from a different time can also reflect one's current mood.
The worse his mood, the clearer his smile, the more his way of addressing him regressed to the beginning. Kurumaru Soshi, his current employer, also the master of this new generation of the Organization.
He never expected that this person would ultimately inherit the Organization.
Aotsuki said calmly, "Find the celebration roster."
Kurumaru Soshi said playfully, "Oh? You want to burn it?"
.. How could he know what that impostor intended to do by searching for the roster? It was nothing more than wanting to collect clues to overthrow the Organization or something similar; it was all irrelevant to him.
Comparing the fact that he went with Scotland to the fact that he wanted to get the list for himself, it was obvious which one he should choose.
I want Scotland to sign his name next to mine.
It felt as if time had regressed to many years ago, when he was still working as a personal bodyguard, wearing the uniform of an elite high school and mingling among the children of many illustrious families. He would answer every tricky and eccentric question from his employers with his hands behind his back; he was accustomed to dealing with such provocations, for when someone wants to cause you trouble, the outcome is much the same regardless of how you answer.
“I wanted to watch him write the name with his own hands, so I brought him inside.”
Just like when I watched you write it before?" The man wearing a loose, light-colored kimono indeed laughed, saying with a mix of regret and emotion, "Then wouldn't Kurosawa be quite pitiful? I specifically had him write it right next to yours, Aotsuki.
.." Aotsuki replied with a cold face, "Yes, so I changed my mind and put it back exactly as it was.
You just put it back like that?" The man, unable to read the atmosphere, with a background and status that meant he didn't need to learn such things, showed a look of disappointment. "I thought I might get to watch you sign it again.
Aotsuki did not want to discuss it further, as saying too much would easily invite trouble. He looked up at the sky; the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves had already grown thin. "I have collected enough satisfactory material, so let's head back early. The butler must be looking for you right now."
“I'm still missing one.” Kurumaru Soshi shook his notebook. “Aren't you going to visit your first employer? Although having an extra policeman buried under that tombstone is a bit troublesome, I'm quite curious to see what kind of expression you'll make when you get there.”
“..”
Aotsuki maintained eye contact with the person in front of him, who made no attempt to hide his twisted sense of humor, thought of Scotland again.
If it were Scotland, he would certainly be able to stay quiet.
Please don't make jokes like that," he said solemnly. "That person was just a former employer of mine; we have no relationship anymore.
It makes me a little sad to think that you'll describe me the same way to your new employer in the future. Sigh, you know, even though we were rivals, I actually quite admired that short-lived fool. Falling in love with a policeman, losing his life in the end—if he's dead, he's dead, but to cause his own followers to be punished as well.. I couldn't bring myself to do something like that if I were in his position.
It was a sentiment he had heard countless times, Aotsuki skillfully echoed it: "Yes, which is why you are the one who won in the end."
Kurumaru Soshi sat on the veranda, resting his chin on one hand, his flaxen hair clinging to the side of his cheek. "I can understand why you aren't grateful to me for saving you. You must think that if No. 57 had taken over the Organization, you would be free by now; that guy certainly could have done such a thing. But don't forget, I also let you leave the Organization to play around as you pleased for several years; you were the one who came back."
The smile on his face became increasingly prominent, his tone grew even lighter: "Today's material is enough. Don't show your face in front of me for a while, Yamawashi."
..
That guy was always talking to himself and then getting angry at himself, but this allowed him to become quiet, so Aotsuki was quite happy to see such a result.
Two text messages arrived on his phone, sent by Gin, asking what he had done this time.
He did nothing, so he didn't reply either.
When he returned to Scotland's room, the impostor was changing clothes. His chest and back were covered in mottled bruises, but his expression was calm, looking exactly like Scotland when he would bandage his wounds after being injured during a mission.
Aotsuki stared for a few extra seconds before coming to his senses and turning around to sit down.
He held back his strength when he struck, so those injuries weren't serious; they didn't damage any bones or internal organs, would only hurt for a while at most, causing no lasting impact.
After all, this guy would still have to carry out missions on behalf of Scotland after returning.
It wasn't impossible for him to carry out Scotland's missions himself, the workload of two people wasn't too heavy for him, but while once or twice might be acceptable, any more than that would be reported to someone, which would only cause trouble.
He sat by the veranda, after a while, another person appeared beside him.
Your martial arts are truly impressive, much more exaggerated than what Scotland described to me.
Aotsuki looked up.
It seemed that whenever he found a quiet place to sit down, that impostor would suddenly show up and start talking to himself. On the surface, it appeared as though he didn't require an answer and simply wanted to disturb his peace, but as the talking continued, he would deliberately cast that expectant look at him, trying to pry more information out of him.
.. Those eyes are too much like Scotland's.
Have you ever studied it systematically before?
“..”
Since when did you learn that?
“..”
Did you go to the mountains this afternoon?
“..”
I heard the elders on the island say that there is a mermaid's tomb on that mountain, but..
Aotsuki didn't want to listen anymore. He stood up to leave, but the impostor behind him suddenly raised his voice and said, "I've given it some serious thought today, it's fine if you don't sign it."
Aotsuki frowned, not knowing what that guy was thinking again, ignored him as usual.
Hiromitsu Morofushi stared motionlessly at the courtyard, his gaze focusing on the leaves swaying in the wind atop the treetops, yet his mind flashed back to the busy scene of organizing the wanted posters one by one according to that festival registry.
.. It's fine if you don't sign it." He repeated once more, "Yamawashi, you're right, it's better not to sign.
Aotsuki didn't want to hear any more talk about names and could no longer endure it: "Can't you just stay quiet like Scotland?"
After a moment's pause, that person turned around, looked up at him, said slowly, ".. After all, I am not Scotland."
**
Three days after the celebration ended, members of the Organization began to leave this island one after another.
Hiromitsu Morofushi failed to find any information regarding the Organization member named Aotsuki; he even feigned an accidental slip to Akai about the existence of a mysterious high-ranking official on the island, yet he still found no clues.
On the day they left the island, while he was still puzzled by the photo of the signature in the registry on his phone, he received an invitation.
Ino Seigo invited him to attend a banquet.
Chapter 23
Ino Seigo, born into wealth, did not join the family business upon reaching adulthood despite being the eldest son; instead, under the incomprehensible gazes of everyone around him, he went to work as a clerk at an ordinary bookstore.
Three years later, Ino Seigo had already led his family to a higher level, becoming a smiling tiger who was impossible to deal with. Although the current Ino Seigo was also troublesome, he was far easier to handle than the Ino Seigo of three years later.
It might also be because his identity this time was no longer that of an investigator sent by Public Security, but rather an "ordinary person" who had happened to wander into a bookstore.
Hiromitsu Morofushi suspected that Ino Seigo knew he had some secrets, he had also appropriately signaled that while he knew Ino Seigo's identity was not simple, he had no intention of probing further. Thus, the two reached a mutual understanding, continuing to communicate within this dimension of mutual anonymity.
Ino Seigo had invited him to a private gathering where everyone attended wearing masks. As long as you could find someone you clicked with, you could talk to anyone about whatever you wanted—whether it was matters of state, finance, stocks, or trivialities—or you could choose not to interact with anyone at all and enjoy the night alone, with plenty of fine food and wine to go around.
For a young master like him, who could arguably be said to have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and simply enjoys hosting a few periodic, non-illegal masked banquets, such a hobby could hardly be considered a flaw.
He had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time; by infiltrating Ino Seigo's social circle, he might find some clues regarding Aotsuki.
Hiromitsu Morofushi sat in the corner; he was not the only one to do so, as there were always those who preferred quiet.
“Is this your first time here?” the other person in the corner asked proactively, his voice calm; judging by his voice alone, he was a very gentle and polite person.
Hiromitsu Morofushi had noticed that person long ago. He appeared to be an adult male with flaxen hair, wearing clothes of a simple style but made from high-quality fabric, at a price an ordinary employee could not afford.
This was the characteristic of Ino Seigo's banquet; it hosted not only celebrities and nobles, but also professionals from all walks of life. Ino Seigo might invite anyone to his banquet.
Even though they wore the same style of mask, one could still discern general information from certain subtle movements and habits.
This person..
Hiromitsu Morofushi frowned slightly, his expression hidden behind the mask, as he smiled and asked in return, "Why do you say that?"
Because usually, I am the only one here." The man pointed toward the various figures downstairs. "Few people ever come up to the second floor.
Hiromitsu Morofushi stood up. "I'm sorry, it seems I've disturbed you."
That person said with a smile, "It's fine, you are a very quiet person."
Hiromitsu Morofushi thought of Yamawashi.
.. Now is not the time to be thinking about those things.
If you don't mind, continue resting here.