Chapter 3
Gin's interrogation was within Usuha Izuki's expectations.
Although the Undercover System had malfunctioned and the Suspicion Value System had to clean up the mess, before leaving, the Undercover System still gave Usuha Izuki the arranged identity background materials.
His "adoptive father" with codename Arak Wine had been responsible for the Black Organization's smuggling operations in the Middle East, and was indeed an undercover agent.
...However, he wasn't a Soviet spy, but an undercover agent for the Japanese Public Security Bureau.
Gin had even gotten Arak Wine's true allegiance wrong, which perfectly proved that the Organization actually hadn't uncovered anything. Since Usuha Izuki knew Gin's purpose for coming, he felt very at ease, and even had the mood to tease him.
"You're not planning to embezzle my dad's inheritance and find excuses to slander him, are you?" Usuha Izuki asked with a suspicious tone.
The cold smile at the corner of Gin's mouth froze for a moment: "..."
Among the people he'd interrogated with similar questions—whether dozens or hundreds—there had been those who were sarcastic, those who were angry and furious, but this was the first time he'd encountered someone who immediately focused on the wrong point and even questioned his character. After all, everyone knew what the accusation of betrayal meant.
At this moment, Gin suddenly remembered.
...Usuha Izuki was only 17 this year, still a minor, precisely the age when one fears nothing and believes the world is wrong, not oneself.
Moreover, although this guy was Arak Wine's adopted son, he hadn't had much direct contact with the Organization. Having seen battlefields, it was normal for this kid to have no reverence for the Organization.
The situation in the Middle East was chaotic and complex. Even the Organization found it difficult to intervene, relying only on the exceptionally capable Arak Wine. So when Arak Wine died, the Organization's control over the Middle East smuggling routes immediately weakened significantly.
How capable was Arak Wine?
So capable that he had become friends with those money-obsessed smugglers. When the Organization came to take over his operations, these contacts didn't cooperate. Even the villagers who used to help pass messages to Arak Wine on the routes they frequently used now watched coldly as the Organization members were betrayed and robbed.
Fortunately, when sorting through the inheritance, the Organization finally remembered that Arak Wine seemed to have an adopted son. They tested these people and found that regarding the adopted son taking over Arak Wine's work, their attitude became much more accommodating.
It really was a relationship-based society. Who knew how Arak Wine had brainwashed these vultures with money flowing in their veins.
Because they needed to use Usuha Izuki to maintain the precarious Middle East smuggling routes, the Organization had to allocate manpower to search for the missing him. Having to ask for favors, they couldn't be too harsh with this adopted son before securing the smuggling routes, lest they fail completely and lose everything... Gin struggled to suppress his impulse to "interact amicably" with his gun.
But his movement of reaching toward where he kept his gun was still noticed by Usuha Izuki.
Usuha Izuki became even more displeased: "I advise you to be more honorable. The gun and bullets in your hand might well have been smuggled at the cost of my dad's blood and sweat. You're using my dad's gun to threaten me, trying to make me slander my dad—are you even human?"
Vodka rarely saw anyone speak to Gin with this attitude, and was completely stunned.
No, your dad is dead, you have no backing left, the Organization comes knocking questioning whether you might be a little spy raised by a spy—why is this your reaction?!
Even regarding the CIA's assassination operation, Usuha Izuki just got angry for a moment before going back to worrying about inheritance issues... Is this guy somewhat cold-blooded?
Vodka couldn't help but ask: "Why are you so calm, still fixating on these issues... Don't you want to avenge your adoptive father?"
Usuha Izuki was naturally calm, since this paper adoptive father was someone he'd never even met, let alone had feelings for, but he definitely needed to find an excuse for outsiders.
"I'm very sad."
Usuha Izuki's pale green eyes looked at Vodka with a somewhat cold indifference. Even his messy outfit couldn't hide his handsome features, which bore an almost harsh coldness.
"But this is my own business. What, do I need to use body language assistance, wailing and crying, to let you understand I'm grieving, for my grief to be real?"
Vodka was left speechless.
The logic was sound, but... but why did he feel like this person was just saying that, and wasn't actually that heartbroken?
This guy wouldn't even bother to put on an act!
Vodka pointed out indignantly: "But you're not even thinking about revenge, don't care that he's suspected of being an undercover agent, and are just focused on Arak Wine's inheritance."
Usuha Izuki said matter-of-factly: "The most important thing I learned in the Middle East was not to overestimate my abilities. Since I can't touch the CIA, there's no point wasting energy on that. As for being an undercover agent... he definitely wasn't a Soviet spy. If you think he was an undercover agent, of course I have to question whether you have ulterior motives."
Vodka: "..."
This person was really rational, rational to the point of being ruthless. Even those brainwashed from childhood in Organization training camps weren't like this!
He didn't even know if Arak Wine could be considered good at raising children, or if this was intentional.
Gin wasn't shocked by Usuha Izuki's statements, and even felt some appreciation—mentally strong, not wasting emotions on useless matters, knowing what to do when, he was a smart person.
For people in their line of work, being heartless wasn't an unbearable flaw—disloyalty was.
Although Usuha Izuki's displayed attitude toward the Organization was also quite mediocre, even completely lacking loyalty, since the other party wasn't really part of the Organization, Gin didn't mind for now. If after recognizing reality Usuha Izuki still didn't know better, then he would take action.
Therefore, Gin said with unchanged expression: "Arak Wine provided aid to build hospitals and roads in many places in the Middle East..."
Usuha Izuki looked completely unfazed, as if he really didn't think this was a big deal, practically having "Is that all?" written on his face.
"Besides Soviets, can't others provide aid? Those people saved my dad when he was ambushed. What's wrong with him providing some aid in return? And afterward these people also helped with intelligence, everyone maintained mutual benefits, lived well together. You used the smuggled goods just fine before, but now you're crossing the river and destroying the bridge, slandering him as an undercover agent?"
Usuha Izuki crossed his arms, his body language showing some impatience: "Any other questions? If not, I need to go to work. My dad never let me get involved in your affairs, and I don't understand you people either. Let's all go our separate ways in the future. As for the inheritance, don't bother making excuses—if you won't give it, you won't. I originally wanted to be self-reliant anyway, live like an ordinary person, stay away from the Middle East..."
Vodka: "...Ordinary person???"
"Right, ordinary person." Usuha Izuki lifted his chin. "I've had enough of the Middle East. I really long for ordinary society and ordinary people's lives, which is why I returned to Japan... Although I'm still not quite adapted, I think supporting myself shouldn't be a problem."
Vodka was silent for a moment: "Ordinary people don't find jobs recruiting hitmen."
Speaking of this, Usuha Izuki also fell into embarrassed silence: "Uh... because I'm not quite adapted to many normal jobs yet, so once I earn some money, I plan to properly take classes and learn how to be an ordinary person in normal society. For now, only my eye for people that I developed in the Middle East is useful—I'm very confident when it comes to reading people."
That was true—he'd spotted him and his boss at first glance and tried to poach them... Vodka thought sarcastically.
From this conversation, Gin had already obtained the intelligence he wanted.
He actually didn't think Arak Wine was a Soviet spy either.
The aid projects and such—Arak Wine had filed reports, and they were indeed useful for smuggling. After all, sometimes time was money, building some roads could improve efficiency and gain local goodwill, obtaining some insider information. The Organization had agreed from the start.
As for the CIA, they saw everyone as Soviet spies, not to mention Arak Wine's smuggling also affected American interests. Finding an excuse to eliminate Arak Wine to boost their performance was normal.
Gin's earlier conversation with Usuha Izuki was actually just a test, because Arak Wine had protected this adopted son very well, with almost no intelligence available. He wanted to use this test to understand what kind of person Usuha Izuki was, so he could report to the Boss.
...The test results weren't good, but they weren't bad either. This guy was somewhat unruly, but not impossible to win over and use.
Gin lit a cigarette, dropped the threatening posture he'd assumed for the test, and calmly followed the Boss's instructions to whitewash the Organization: "Most of your inheritance is with the Americans, the rest is in the Middle East."
Vodka telepathically entered the recruitment phase: "The Organization doesn't want to swallow any inheritance—weren't we just beaten to it by the Americans? If you want to inherit, go back to the Middle East. Our Organization treats descendants of meritorious members well. If you join the Organization, the Organization can also take better care of you. If you want to inherit Arak Wine's work..."
Usuha Izuki: "I have psychological trauma regarding the Middle East. I had no choice before, but now I want to be an ordinary person."
Vodka: "..."
What ordinary person! Arak Wine's smuggling routes were so profitable! And because the Organization found it hard to intervene, as long as the task quotas were met, the Organization would pretend not to know how much money Arak Wine skimmed off—now of course it all belonged to the Organization. Blaming the CIA was the CIA's own fault for being unclean and actually taking a portion—anyway, so many people had fought tooth and nail to take over the Middle East district, yet here someone was refusing when it was offered for free!!!
Even if the Organization really hadn't planned to completely hand it over to Usuha Izuki, just planning to let Arak Wine's "old friends" accept first, then gradually have the Organization sideline Usuha Izuki, this refusal was too decisive!
Was being an ordinary person really that great?!
Vodka wanted to say more, but saw the silver-haired youth suddenly tilt his head, his pale green eyes falling thoughtfully on him.
"You seem really eager for me to return to the Middle East... No wonder you suddenly came looking for me. Are you asking for a favor?"
Vodka's heart immediately tensed.
Damn, he wasn't good at bargaining like the intelligence and negotiation teams. In his urgency, he'd shown his hand—this was the biggest taboo in negotiations.
Gin also frowned, but he knew Vodka's capabilities, and the opponent was indeed difficult. Problems were normal. The main thing now was not knowing what the opponent's reaction would be. If worst came to worst, he'd have the negotiation team come over...
But then he saw Usuha Izuki change topics: "Letting me hear your request isn't impossible either. Help me with something first, and I'll consider it."
Vodka was wary: "What favor?"
"Register yourselves and become hitmen for my company. Help me boost my performance so I can collect today's wages."
Although it was somewhat ridiculous, at least there was a glimmer of hope. Vodka, who didn't really want to register, started pulling out his wallet: "How much is the wage? Can I just give it to you directly?"
Usuha Izuki said righteously: "No! We ordinary people all earn wages through our own hard work!"
Vodka: "............"
—What ordinary person are you! What on earth did this guy experience in the Middle East to have such unrealistic fantasies about ordinary people?!