Chapter 140
Furuya Rei was greatly shocked. Furuya Rei could not accept this.
Everything was just his own speculation. Preconceived notions were taboo for reasoning. He now needed someone who could understand him to help analyze this together.
Kazami Yuya... wasn't quite suitable. Although he had always cooperated with his undercover work, his understanding of Usuha Izuki was limited to paperwork. Moreover, many statements that had sounded strange at the time but were terrifying to think about in retrospect, he hadn't written in his reports. This would definitely affect understanding Usuha Izuki as a person—these might even be the key points.
After ending this meeting that should have contained little information but gave him great shock, Furuya Rei returned to the safe house and contacted Morofushi Hiromitsu.
Although both were undercover in the organization, they actually didn't maintain close contact—they could only communicate occasionally. This was to avoid one party accidentally exposing themselves and implicating the other.
After all, the organization was actually quite loosely connected. Basically, they'd cooperate on one mission and might have no contact afterward. Few liked deep relationships with others. Someone like Usuha Izuki who called people everywhere and said they were friends upon first meeting... would be an oddball in normal society.
In other organization members' eyes, Furuya Rei and Morofushi Hiromitsu were probably "entered the organization at the same time, were persecuted together by Bourbon, became familiar due to shared dissatisfaction with Bourbon." This perfectly supported their level of communication without raising suspicion. If either was exposed and their contact frequency investigated, it could be explained as complaining about Bourbon.
...Thinking of this, Furuya Rei's mood became even more complex. He didn't know whether to thank Usuha Izuki.
Morofushi Hiromitsu quickly answered the phone.
The two used their agreed code to verify they were both in safe environments before communicating.
Furuya Rei got straight to the point: "The National Police Agency previously sent an undercover agent into the organization."
"...Why bring this up suddenly? Did something go wrong?" Morofushi Hiromitsu asked cautiously.
Because Furuya Rei's tone was truly strange—not like simply knowing about a comrade—in this moment, some unpleasant speculations arose in Morofushi Hiromitsu's mind.
Such as this predecessor having died, or the predecessor being killed by them in a mission due to mutual ignorance...
To prevent Morofushi Hiromitsu from being carried away by first impressions like himself, Furuya Rei carefully released information bit by bit: "This predecessor has been out of contact for over ten years..."
Morofushi Hiromitsu paused, asking carefully: "Don't tell me he defected?"
This situation wasn't uncommon. Undercover agents who stayed in target organizations long enough would be somewhat influenced.
After all, people were three-dimensional and couldn't simply be divided into good and bad people. Even assassins would help old ladies cross streets. Having more contact with others during undercover work, seeing their gentle and just sides, possibly even being saved by them... Plus Japan's upper echelons had plenty of unspeakable problems. Under gradual influence, undercover agents developing psychological issues, doubting their self-worth, even defecting—all very common.
The worst was originally being loyal to the government but encountering idiots and being directly betrayed for benefits...
While Morofushi Hiromitsu was imagining scenarios, he heard Furuya Rei say:
"No, it's because the single-line contact person was in a car accident over ten years ago and fell into a coma. He still hasn't woken up. That predecessor erased even his files for safety, so his identity is still unknown."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "............"
This was also tragic. If this single-line contact person didn't wake up, no one could verify and restore this undercover predecessor's police identity. But no news was good news—maybe he was still alive and well.
He guessed Furuya Rei's purpose for this call: "Are you asking if I have any suspected candidates? The information you gave is too little. Only entering the organization at least ten-plus years ago is somewhat useful, but not enough. Is there anything else?"
This hit the key point.
Furuya Rei quietly took a deep breath, then said in as casual a tone as possible: "There's one more thing—that undercover predecessor might have been transferred to the Middle East over ten years ago, because the contact person's notebook had words like 'Middle East' and 'Contact' written in it."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "............"
Furuya Rei: "............"
A deathly silence spread between them.
After an unknown amount of time, Morofushi Hiromitsu spoke dryly: "Why aren't you talking?"
Furuya Rei answered: "Waiting for your reaction."
Morofushi Hiromitsu said blankly: "I have a very incredible thought right now..."
"...I probably know what you're thinking, but don't be incredible yet."
Furuya Rei painfully realized that Morofushi Hiromitsu probably couldn't escape preconceived notions either: "This might just be coincidence. We should investigate all Asians who went to the Middle East for the organization over ten years ago... What if the predecessor disguised himself as someone from another country to infiltrate?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu forced himself to calm down: "You're right. We can't look for evidence from conclusions, but should find clues that could overturn this assumption..."
But saying this, his mind was full of Middle East Arak Wine!
Over ten years ago! Middle East! Asian! Right, Arak Wine also provided aid to the Middle East—this behavior was very un-organization-like! Even if it was to please suppliers, there weren't only that method!
It felt more and more like finding excuses to provide benefits to Middle Eastern leaders while fleecing the organization... But would Japanese education produce such strange personalities? Arak Wine might really be a Soviet spy.
Thinking this, Morofushi Hiromitsu quickly said: "That strange reaction Bourbon had when the Soviet Union collapsed last year... Could Arak Wine actually be a Soviet spy?"
"He could be both a Soviet spy and a Japanese Public Security spy. That's not contradictory. The Soviet Union... had quite a set of methods for turning people."
Morofushi Hiromitsu reminded him: "You're speaking with the premise that Arak Wine is a Public Security spy again."
Furuya Rei rubbed his forehead: "Ah, how to put it... Do you know what Bourbon told me today?"
"What? Did he suspect you're an undercover agent again?" Speaking of this, Morofushi Hiromitsu suddenly realized something: "Wait! Speaking of this! You said he goes around testing whether others are undercover agents and guessed whether I'm a Japanese Public Security undercover—could it be to find someone to contact? After all, his foster father's single-line contact was lost. Maybe he has materials his foster father collected but has no way to hand them over..."
Furuya Rei reminded him: "You're also defaulting to Arak Wine being Public Security."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "...This is, subconscious. I'll restrain myself."
Furuya Rei sighed: "Understandable. Let's just analyze it this way for now. Maybe while analyzing we'll discover points that can overturn it."
Morofushi Hiromitsu laughed dryly: "I'm now wondering if Bourbon really holds hope of finding his own people every time he asks others if they're Japanese Public Security?"
"...I think normal people wouldn't admit it. His asking like this is ineffective questioning. He also asked Moroboshi Dai if he was FBI—is Arak Wine also an FBI undercover?"
Furuya Rei was still quite polite regarding the possibly undercover predecessor Arak Wine, but wasn't courteous toward Usuha Izuki: "He's probably just going crazy."
Morofushi Hiromitsu thought: "He was injured in the head in the Middle East. How do you know he doesn't have pathological mental illness? What if he really thinks this could find his own people? As for asking others if they're other undercover agents, that could also be for cover..."
Furuya Rei: "............"
He seriously considered this and really couldn't guarantee Usuha Izuki's thought processes were normal! Morofushi Hiromitsu's speculation actually made some sense!
But...
"Let's not discuss Usuha Izuki anymore. It feels like we're constantly making excuses for him. You can definitely find excuses if you want to look for them. This doesn't help us find the truth—it's all interference." Furuya Rei said painfully, "This process is wrong!"
Morofushi Hiromitsu also realized the problem.
Mainly, there were truly too many discordant points about Usuha Izuki. If Arak Wine was Japanese Public Security and Usuha Izuki was informed, it could actually explain many things.
People always liked pursuing clear answers. They'd suffered from Usuha Izuki for so long. Now finally having somewhat reasonable explanations, they couldn't help wanting to clarify everything they'd previously found incomprehensible.
...But if they thought too much and the person was simply mentally ill, they'd become a joke. Better restrain themselves.
So Morofushi Hiromitsu asked: "Then let's not talk about that. What were you trying to say earlier?"
Furuya Rei paused, but fortunately his memory was good and he quickly remembered the topic that had been derailed: "...Ah, it's like this. Because my and Usuha's current mission target was involved in a case, if he gets arrested, our mission fails. So I said something like the police wouldn't solve the case that quickly, but then Usuha said I should trust the police more and told me to apologize to the Japanese police."
Morofushi Hiromitsu said calmly: "Mm, this is normal. Is it because even he, a returnee, trusts them so much, so he thinks you as a native should trust them more?"
This interpretation ability was very excellent and very Usuha Izuki-like. Furuya Rei felt sorry for his childhood friend, not knowing how long he'd been tormented by Usuha Izuki to develop such understanding.
"...He was trying to eat the organization's funds, but that's not important. The point is, after I retorted that if he liked police so much, why didn't he become one himself, Usuha said people had suggested before that he should become a police officer."
Furuya Rei's mood was extremely complex: "I originally thought it might be uninformed people speaking casually, but if the person who said this was Arak Wine... then the possibility that Arak Wine is Japanese Public Security, is it..."
Morofushi Hiromitsu: ".................."
Furuya Rei finished his speculation and found Morofushi Hiromitsu still silent.
"Hiro?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu hesitated: "That... I can't be certain... but... I roughly know one person who said something to Usuha about why he doesn't become a police officer... Of course, I don't mean only this person said it—maybe Arak Wine said it too. But I think you shouldn't take this question too seriously."
Furuya Rei had an ominous premonition: "Who is the person you're talking about?"
Morofushi Hiromitsu: "...Vodka. He was actually being sarcastic."
Furuya Rei: "............"
Usuha Izuki! Can't you follow common sense?! You can even bring this up? Do you know how long I thought about that statement?! You don't know! You only know how to go crazy!
I hope the final investigation reveals Arak Wine isn't Japanese Public Security! He didn't want to see Usuha Izuki anymore!