Chapter 152
Two years later—
"Happy New Year, everyone!"
Usuha Izuki energetically entered Scotland and Bourbon's safe house: "How are you planning to spend the New Year?"
"...What does how we spend it have to do with you?" Amuro Toru, who had already earned the codename "Bourbon," crossed his arms skeptically.
Usuha Izuki replied righteously: "You two are the first class I've mentored—the significance is different. Can't I be very concerned about you two?"
Bourbon: "...What do you mean 'mentored'..."
Wasn't he just an interviewer who came to observe and gave the very unfriendly evaluation of "not recommended for hiring"? Where did he get the nerve to now act like a high school homeroom teacher caring about them!
"Alright, alright." Scotland came to mediate, "Botanist means well, and he probably came straight here after returning from the Middle East, right?"
Usuha Izuki complained: "Exactly! I didn't rest for even a day and came straight here, yet Bourbon, what's with your attitude? You really don't appreciate good intentions!"
Usuha Izuki understood very well that his ability to act arrogantly within the organization relied on his Middle Eastern contacts, so he usually had organization members going to the Middle East help bring gifts to maintain his presence, occasionally calling to nurture relationships. But never meeting in person wasn't sustainable either, so this New Year, he still made time for a trip to the Middle East.
The organization's Boss naturally wasn't pleased to see his relationship with the Middle Eastern contacts remain so strong.
The organization's progress in the Middle East wasn't going well. The parts that felt smooth were entirely thanks to Arak Wine's influence. Originally, they thought once Arak Wine's influence weakened, they could gain some leverage. But everyone they encountered kept comparing their new person in charge to Arak Wine, concluding they were inferior, making additional concessions useless—any more concessions would mean actually losing money...
After several years of effort, they had instead elevated Arak Wine to divine status!
Usuha Izuki knew this and wanted to complain: [Actually trying to compete with a deceased beloved—how desperate can you get!]
System: [But death is death, they'll be forgotten eventually. If the living work harder...]
[This is business, not romance. The other side has a condescending attitude of judgment. Trying to copy the original crudely, no matter how hard you try, it's useless. Whether someone genuinely wants mutual benefit or just wants to take advantage—people who've dealt with Arak Wine can easily tell the difference.]
Usuha Izuki: [These contacts most often say 'people like your father are too rare'—if they're so rare, how could they be easily replaced?]
[...That's somewhat ridiculous.]
[Based on current intelligence, he seems to have been an idealist. I don't think the organization could find anyone similar... Can you hurry up the undercover system? When will it be fixed? Don't give me 'three years, then another three years'—why is getting some data from it so difficult?]
In any case, the Boss, seeing the organization's setbacks in the Middle East, hoped Usuha Izuki would reduce contact with that region and preferably become alienated sooner.
Instead, Usuha Izuki not only used the organization's transport lines to bring gifts to the Middle East but also called everyone in advance, saying he was having organization members deliver such-and-such items, and if they played dirty tricks and kept them, they should tell him—after all, he was only nominally a supervisor and quite young, so they might look down on him...
Constantly stirring up trouble, which made the contacts feel so sorry for him.
The organization naturally had no idea what Usuha Izuki usually discussed with the Middle East, but they could sense that the Middle Eastern partners remained very satisfied with Usuha Izuki, very affectionate, treating him like family despite seeing him less than once a year.
Moreover, with such infrequent meetings, when Usuha Izuki finally returned to the Middle East this year, everyone was delighted, feeling valued!
They even advised Usuha Izuki that since he was living well as an ordinary person in Japan, he shouldn't come to such places—regular phone calls were enough.
The organization's Middle East regional manager, after years of work, received treatment inferior to Usuha Izuki's occasional phone calls, nearly dying of frustration.
Talk about familiarity breeding contempt!
The main thing was that what Usuha Izuki sent were items he occasionally got from lucky bags, most with special properties—like pens that made people feel clear-headed, or cushions that felt cozy.
Who normally gave these big shots such everyday items? Didn't everyone usually send whatever was classy and expensive?
So the big shots actually treasured these little things from Usuha Izuki, finding them homey, and since Usuha Izuki didn't only send such items but also very valuable ones, they felt he truly treated them like elders, caring more about their lives than others did.
Especially with these added properties, they felt great using them, making them more willing to use them regularly and keep them where they could see them. This made them think of Usuha Izuki often, and thinking about how useful these items were made them more moved, convinced that Usuha Izuki had gone to great lengths to pick the most suitable gifts for them.
They even advised Usuha Izuki that since he was unwilling to get involved in such matters now and wouldn't take smuggling kickbacks, he wasn't really making money, so he shouldn't send expensive things! Good intentions were enough!
Previously, someone in the organization thought he understood and tried copying Usuha Izuki by adding everyday items alongside expensive gifts. But the big shots were indifferent, privately cursing the gift-giver for being brainless and the items being completely unusable.
Arak Wine's boy was still the best! His gifts hit right where it mattered!
Organization members: ???
This person subtly complained in his report that Usuha Izuki was making things difficult for him, only to be scolded back by his superior.
—Botanist is so much younger than you, yet he knows what to give! You've lived all these extra years for nothing without an ounce of insight! Reflect properly!
When Vodka later heard about this, he actually felt some sympathy: "Botanist has such good intuition—not just anyone can have that... It's perfectly normal that he can see what people need..."
The person in charge pondered this and, since the items Usuha Izuki had delivered all went through organization channels, he simply inquired about what Usuha Izuki was sending this time, then prepared similar items before Usuha Izuki's arrived—higher brands, more expensive prices.
But the big shots still disliked his gifts while treasuring Usuha Izuki's. No help for it—his had special properties, this wasn't an illusion, their personal experience proved Usuha Izuki's were simply better!
Someone even said: "What's wrong with cheap? Suitable is best. I've used so many expensive things, but Arak Wine's boy's gifts are the most useful. He must have tried each one individually to know which was suitable, and many are handmade—he made them himself! This thoughtfulness is much better than just knowing to send expensive things!"
Eventually this person in charge cried and begged not to work in the Middle East region anymore.
—What kind of nonsense is this! A perfectly good business competition turned into palace intrigue by Botanist! The big shots only have eyes for the beloved Arak Wine and his adopted son!!!
He and his subordinates were business elites—they weren't good at this!
Boss, replace us! Once you replace us, you'll know it's not our competence that's the problem—the Middle East region is toxic!
So the current situation was that while the Middle East smuggling lines continued cooperating happily with the organization, the organization's attempts at independent development remained extraordinarily difficult. After years, they still couldn't stand on their own and had to continue supporting Usuha Izuki.
The same applied to Hakata. Initially thinking the Hakata port area was suitable and Hakata's atmosphere favorable for illegal organizations, they discovered the regional power dynamics were truly complex. After two years of turmoil, while other factions fought and the organization lost quite a few people, the Boss reviewed reports and found that the Japanese government actually planned to severely crack down on Hakata's chaos... ultimately deciding to give up.
Furuya Rei, who had secretly informed the Public Security that he hoped the organization's smuggling lines wouldn't establish themselves in Hakata, kept his achievements hidden.
In summary, all of this led to Usuha Izuki becoming increasingly arrogant over the years. Previously he'd disappear for a week, but now he could vanish for months without contact. The person who saw him most often might be Miyano Akemi, working as his housekeeper, occasionally spotting him when she cleaned the house.
Gin had also grown too lazy to press him for talent lists. As long as Usuha Izuki didn't appear before him, he simply pretended this person didn't exist, letting him collect his salary for doing nothing.
Bourbon and Scotland hadn't seen Usuha Izuki for at least half a year, but with Usuha Izuki's personality, his sudden appearance created no awkwardness—they immediately fell into a complaining atmosphere as if their relationship was genuinely good.
Usuha Izuki clapped his hands: "Alright! You both don't have missions right now, right? Let's just go on vacation to celebrate! How about it?"
Bourbon complained: "Haven't you already decided this on your own..."
Scotland didn't want to argue either: "Bourbon, check where would be fun to go now... Can't your other friends accompany you?"
Usuha Izuki sighed, then sighed again.
Seeing his reaction, Scotland was startled: "Did you fight with your friends?"
Bourbon said venomously: "Think positively—maybe his friends cut ties with him."
Breaking free from a psychopath like Usuha Izuki would truly be a good thing!
"Not at all... It's just that I had to go to the Middle East, which conflicted with my friends' plans." Usuha Izuki said melancholically, "I still don't know how to explain it, so I could only make excuses about going back to my hometown to visit graves..."
Scotland: "..."
Bourbon: "...But you've never been there even once, right? Do you even remember where Arak Wine is buried?"
Two years had passed, and these two undercover agents hadn't been idle. They'd finally investigated and confirmed that their missing undercover predecessor was Arak Wine, who had died years ago.
But regarding whether Usuha Izuki knew the truth, both were uncertain.
Looking at his refusal to work for the organization and constantly claiming he wanted to be an ordinary person, he seemed to know the truth and be on the side of justice.
But...
All these years, Usuha Izuki had never once visited Arak Wine's grave, making it impossible to read his true attitude toward Arak Wine.
Was it dissatisfaction? Could he actually like the organization and resent Arak Wine for being an undercover agent who held him back?
Or did he simply think that death was death, and visiting was meaningless? It wasn't necessarily that being a psychopath made him think this way—some philosophers thought similarly. This was a philosophical approach to life...
Whether Usuha Izuki knew the truth and what his stance was—these two questions stumped both undercover agents.
Especially after last year's mission with Bourbon, Scotland, and the three whiskey bottles including Rye, Usuha Izuki had barely contacted them, leaving them no opportunity to probe even if they wanted to.
This trip might be a chance to find out something.