Chapter 51
Usuha Izuki extended his hand and tapped Morofushi Hiromitsu's heart.
"Just now, this place was beating quite violently."
"......Is that so? That's normal, isn't it? After all, you suddenly asked for Boss's photo directly. I was just startled."
Morofushi Hiromitsu responded with a calm tone.
His heartbeat at this moment was abnormally steady, beating against Usuha Izuki's fingertips one beat at a time. No one could say he was nervous or panicked right now.
[Look at his acting skills... If he wasn't frantically adding suspicion values, I would have thought he really didn't care.] The system couldn't help but sigh. [Now look at your acting! Learn from him properly!]
Usuha Izuki protested: [He's a sniper, and as an undercover agent he must have trained too! I'm completely natural!]
Whether a sniper's hands are steady is also affected by their heartbeat, so some snipers have their own little tricks to stabilize their heartbeat in a short time—this is difficult, but some people are naturally gifted and, combined with some self-hypnosis techniques, can indeed maintain it for a short period.
Undercover agents are the same. To avoid being detected by enemy lie detectors, they undergo some rather extreme high-pressure training. Some people even become calmer in their heartbeat the more nervous they get—they're practically born to be agents...
Fortunately, Usuha Izuki wasn't investigating undercover agents from the organization's standpoint; he simply wanted to farm suspicion values.
Because despite all his hard work performing just now, this group of people had only given him two-thirds of his expected suspicion values... He was a bit obsessive-compulsive and wanted to max out his target value before doing anything else.
But with the phone hung up, only Morofushi Hiromitsu remained in front of him—and coincidentally, Morofushi Hiromitsu was the one who had contributed the most suspicion values to him earlier.
Probably because undercover agents always think more than pure black true liquor members.
Usuha Izuki felt that perhaps he should focus more attention on undercover agents in the future.
Now was a good opportunity.
His finger slid upward, changing to press his palm against Morofushi Hiromitsu's heart.
"Next, I order you with my executive authority to honestly answer the questions I'm about to ask."
"......What questions?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu tried his best to remain calm, attempting to empty his mind while not completely ignoring whatever Usuha Izuki was about to say.
He had been careless.
Earlier he had been thinking that Usuha Izuki lacked a sense of personal space—even using him as a phone stand, sitting too close to him, as if treating him like a pillow. He figured the skull was fine to hold but uncomfortable to lean against... but it turned out he was sensing his heartbeat?
Clearly an incompetent executive with no ambition. Looking at Usuha Izuki's previous behavior, he didn't seem particularly loyal to the organization either. Suspecting who might be undercover—that kind of thing should be left to Gin. Why was Usuha Izuki getting involved?
No... he couldn't think about Usuha Izuki's thoughts using normal logic.
This kind of psychopath might not be loyal to the organization, but could still be interested in matters within his job scope as a way to experience ordinary life. Just like before, while Usuha Izuki was missing, he actually acted like a normal HR manager, actively seeking suitable people to recruit. This time he might have sensed something, so like an ordinary person participating in corporate warfare, he was filled with a sense of participation and wanted to test whether he was a spy...
Morofushi Hiromitsu quickly recalled the position of his gun. To draw it, he'd need to put his hand inside his coat—the movement would be somewhat obvious, but Usuha Izuki didn't look like he could fight well, so it should be fine.
Prepare for the worst-case scenario, then think about how to deflect.
Morofushi Hiromitsu carefully and imperceptibly observed Usuha Izuki, discovering that this little lunatic still had that smiling expression, seeming not at all worried that if he really was an undercover agent, being exposed in this 1v1 environment might result in him lashing out violently.
When that happened, all the miscellaneous items on Usuha Izuki's body would become weaknesses in close combat, just like Gin's long hair.
The little lunatic's hand was still pressed against his heart, the slight pressure causing Morofushi Hiromitsu to maintain light tension while emptying his mind.
Usuha Izuki asked: "I'm asking you—"
Morofushi Hiromitsu slowed his breathing and listened quietly to what would come next.
"—Do you think Boss is very irresponsible, that this behavior of passing the buck to Gin is very bad?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu: ".................."
He couldn't speak for a long time.
That's it?! This is what you wanted to ask?!?!?!
He had clearly just put on such a serious expression—oh wait, Usuha Izuki had been smiling the whole time. The serious atmosphere was his own feeling...
Morofushi Hiromitsu felt terrible now. He would rather Usuha Izuki had asked some improper but genuinely serious questions than make himself seem like a paranoid delusion sufferer after thinking so much.
Usuha Izuki pressed his heart unhappily: "Say something! Are you going to disobey an executive's orders?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu snapped back to reality, restraining the corner of his mouth from twitching as he responded vaguely: "......Well... if you think this behavior is bad, then it might be a bit..."
He absolutely refused to mention his own attitude, avoiding having Usuha Izuki spread it around everywhere.
However, when Usuha Izuki spread rumors, like an unscrupulous reporter, he didn't need to consider what the person involved actually said.
After hearing Morofushi Hiromitsu's answer, Usuha Izuki immediately brightened up and withdrew his hand: "Exactly! I knew you must also find Boss's behavior of only caring about enjoyment and not wanting to bear any risk unsightly!"
Morofushi Hiromitsu tried to salvage: "I didn't say that..."
"Hm?" Usuha Izuki frowned. "Are you questioning my Japanese reading comprehension skills?"
What does this have to do with your Japanese reading comprehension skills?! You're a returnee, so stop thinking your Japanese is so great all the time!
After experiencing the same emotional rollercoaster that Furuya Rei had once experienced, Morofushi Hiromitsu now felt exhausted: "No, whatever you say is what it is..."
Anyway, this guy spreads nonsense everywhere. If he denied it once, Gin and Vodka should trust him more.
"That's great then!" Usuha Izuki's smile instantly became more brilliant. "Sigh, actually I've been displeased with Boss for a long time. Someone like me with such high-level technical skills—I could walk out and have people offer me high salaries to poach me, but Boss won't even meet with me and just has Gin handle it. What is this if not looking down on me? If it weren't for the fact that my father even died for the organization, I wouldn't bother with them..."
Actually, if this had been a month ago, when Usuha Izuki claimed to be high-level technical talent, Morofushi Hiromitsu would definitely have thought he was a nepotism hire who couldn't see his own position clearly. But now... Morofushi Hiromitsu quite agreed with this high-level technical talent claim.
But could you please not use the word "died" so casually?!
Morofushi Hiromitsu endured and even maintained his organization member persona, advising: "It's better not to say such things carelessly."
"It's fine! Because you're not an outsider!" Usuha Izuki said warmly. "You're a kindred spirit who dislikes this Boss just like me!"
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "............"
Despite responding so vaguely, he still got saddled with such a dangerous identity...
Usuha Izuki continued his incessant complaining: "You don't know, I've been holding it in for so long and couldn't find anyone to vent to. If I complained to Vodka, he'd definitely tell Gin, and Gin is like Boss's toxic fan—he can't stand anyone saying anything bad about Boss... Finally found out you're the same type as me. I'm so moved!"
Morofushi Hiromitsu tried to integrate into Usuha Izuki's logic: "......There's no need for such testing. Didn't you say I'm your friend? Couldn't you just ask directly?"
"That won't work." Usuha Izuki sighed with a melancholy expression. "The closer you are as friends, sometimes the more there are things you can't say. Once said, you might not be able to remain friends. I was also afraid you'd be concerned about this and not dare tell me the truth..."
At this moment, Morofushi Hiromitsu felt that Usuha Izuki's worry actually seemed quite genuine...
Before he could think through what Usuha Izuki's friendship philosophy was about, he saw Usuha Izuki's emotions suddenly become passionate again.
"—But superior and subordinate relationships are different! Authority pressure is so useful!"
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "......Normal people don't treat friends like this."
Usuha Izuki seemed startled: "Really?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu said decisively: "Yes."
"......Alright." Usuha Izuki looked reluctant. "I understand..."
Not bad, he actually listened to advice...
Morofushi Hiromitsu inexplicably felt a wave of relief.
"Anyway, now that we've reached a consensus, it's time to proceed to the next step."
Morofushi Hiromitsu couldn't get nervous anymore.
Even if Usuha Izuki said he wanted to overthrow the organization because he found the boss disagreeable, Morofushi Hiromitsu would be able to respond calmly and then report it to Gin afterward.
"—Oh right." Usuha Izuki suddenly seemed to remember something and asked very casually, "You're not an undercover agent, are you?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu paused: "......Why do you ask that?"
What's going on? Was all that nonsense just to make him lower his guard?!
"Because you seem to have a pretty good relationship with Gin."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "......???"
Why would having a good relationship with Gin make him suspected of being an undercover agent?
"Never mind, I trust my judgment."
Usuha Izuki instructed him: "Now, our Boss-bashing group is officially established. You're a key member of our group. In the future, when you encounter good prospects, remember to recruit them... Just make sure you don't misjudge and recruit undercover agents, or they'll go tattle to Gin."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "......Okay."
Are you referring to this undercover agent?! Can you please finish your sentences in the future and not have such jumpy thoughts?!
Forget it, for a psychopath, this requirement might still be too high...
"Good, now you can swear an oath."
Usuha Izuki raised the cross at his chest: "Swear that you won't tattle to others, especially Gin and Vodka—you must keep it secret, and you're never allowed to worship Boss. If you break this oath..."
Morofushi Hiromitsu sincerely continued: "May heaven and earth destroy me."
"Very good!" Usuha Izuki removed his own cross and hung it around Morofushi Hiromitsu's neck. "This is your token. Remember to carry it with you—I'll check."
"......This is something you like, isn't it?" Morofushi Hiromitsu didn't really want it. "I don't want to take what others love."
Usuha Izuki said: "It's fine, I have more."
As he spoke, he pulled another one from his pocket.
The one he had just given Morofushi Hiromitsu was a simple silver cross, with a smooth surface and no extra decorations, and the chain was an ordinary black cord.
The one he pulled out now seemed to be made of crystal, with a shiny metallic chain.
Usuha Izuki waved it in front of Morofushi Hiromitsu to let him see it more clearly: "Look, exactly the same!"
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "............???"
He looked at the vases that had once been replaced by "exactly the same" substitutes but were still spotted as different, then at these two necklaces that had nothing similar except both being crosses. His gaze became unfocused.
He had always heard that some psychopaths see the world differently from normal people. He was actually witnessing the live version...
Usuha Izuki pretended not to see Morofushi Hiromitsu's subtle gaze.
......They're both cross necklaces that hang around the neck with +10 luck, occupying the same equipment slot. How are they not exactly the same?!
"Alright, personal matters concluded—let's discuss business." Usuha Izuki blinked. "I feel like we cooperate so well together, and now everyone's one of us... How about you become my partner? Not a subordinate, but a partner! In the future, we'll definitely become a partner combination that surpasses Gin and Vodka... What do you think?"