Chapter 173
Although Tsukikage Island was technically part of the Tokyo metropolitan area, it still required taking a boat back and forth. No matter how quickly they solved the case, the boat wouldn't depart until its scheduled time.
They certainly couldn't make it run just for two police officers returning to Tokyo.
And the interval between boat departures was quite long, so Usuha Izuki and Hagiwara Kenji had to stay on Tsukikage Island until the afternoon.
After reporting the situation to Inspector Megure, he showed no surprise at all about how quickly the case was resolved. Hearing they couldn't return immediately, he simply told them not to bother coming back to the Metropolitan Police.
"There's nothing happening today anyway, so consider it getting off work early." Inspector Megure was now especially lenient with Samukawa Shinryu, afraid that one day he might not want to work anymore. "You traveled so far and taking the boat is tiring too. Rest well."
So after finally taking the boat back to Tokyo, Usuha Izuki parted ways with Hagiwara Kenji.
This time it wasn't that Usuha Izuki was eager to ditch him, but rather that when Hagiwara Kenji heard about getting off early while on Tsukikage Island, he immediately started making phone calls to organize group dates. Now as the organizer, he needed to go make preparations in advance.
Japanese police had a somewhat delicate reputation, making it a bit troublesome to find romantic partners—they mainly relied on group dates. Hagiwara Kenji had spent little time in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, and his sensitive status at the Police Academy made it inappropriate to bring his students to group dates, so everyone hadn't been able to let him showcase his talents.
After joining Criminal Investigation Division One, everyone finally discovered the usefulness of Hagiwara Kenji's popularity. Single young men without girlfriends practically begged him daily, asking when he'd help organize group dates...
Today they happened to have free time, right? Hagiwara Kenji simply couldn't sit still and immediately got busy.
He personally enjoyed group dates anyway, so it was something he found fulfilling. His only regret was not being able to bring Samukawa Shinryu along, as that would doom the group date from the start—the atmosphere would drop to freezing point and no couples would successfully form...
"When will you and Jinpei find girlfriends too?" Hagiwara Kenji was still muttering before leaving. "Several times girls have actively approached Jinpei to chat, but he always manages to annoy them away..."
Usuha Izuki, who rarely got hit on whether in his main form or alternate identity, was quite indifferent to such topics: "Oh, he likes your sister."
"But my sister only sees him as a little brother." Hagiwara Kenji sighed. "Ah, forget it. We'll see when he meets someone suitable... I'm leaving now, bye."
With that, Hagiwara Kenji hurried off.
Where did this guy get so much energy? Usuha Izuki really couldn't understand.
System: [...You have plenty of energy too. Aren't you already looking for a place to switch to your main form and go out to have fun?]
When Usuha Izuki didn't plan to farm suspicion value and wanted to completely relax, he would switch back to his main form to go shopping, otherwise using Samukawa Shinryu's identity would easily attract onlookers.
[I had relatively few things to do today, so I have more energy left over. Is that not allowed?] Usuha Izuki said righteously. [I want to visit game stores, so of course I'll use my main form.]
Although using Samukawa Shinryu's identity could farm quite a bit of suspicion value—since Samukawa Shinryu didn't look like someone who'd enjoy video games—that would somewhat damage his image, so Usuha Izuki refused.
He had principles when farming suspicion value!
System: [...Such inexplicable pride.]
Usuha Izuki didn't care. He remembered that a new game was being released today. If he ordered online, who knew when it would be delivered to his house—buying it directly would be faster.
However, before he even reached the game store, someone suddenly grabbed him.
"Isn't this Botanist?" A woman with facial tattoos looked somewhat delighted.
Usuha Izuki turned around in surprise: "Chianti? What are you doing here?"
Chianti raised an eyebrow: "Just finished a mission. Going drinking later—want to join?"
After all, he was the one who recruited her into the organization, and she was doing well there, so she had a good impression of Usuha Izuki.
Usuha Izuki didn't hesitate much: "Sure, who else is coming?"
The game could wait—he could buy it later. But if organization members were drinking together without inviting him, he'd have to give the others a surprise.
Chianti led him to an izakaya, walking all the way to the innermost private room. After opening the door, she asked in an excited and enthusiastic tone:
"Guess who's here!"
Korn, her fellow sniper, looked confused: "Who?"
Bourbon smiled: "First, let's rule out Gin."
Vodka casually said: "Vermouth? I think she's back in Japan recently..."
Chianti immediately looked disgusted: "Don't mention that woman in front of me."
"What's wrong? Are you and Vermouth on such bad terms?" Usuha Izuki asked with curiosity as he entered the private room.
Chianti: "Don't even bring it up. Bad luck."
Vodka, who had originally looked relaxed: "..........."
Save me save me save me...
Why is it Usuha Izuki?! How long has it been since we last met, and seeing him now suddenly is like a ghost story!!!
I shouldn't have appeared here today... No, I shouldn't have agreed to participate in this mission...
Vodka tremblingly placed his glass back on the table, afraid he might not hold it steady and spill it on himself, while secretly poking Bourbon under the table—his fellow member of the [Badmouth Botanist Group].
Bourbon looked at him speechlessly and asked for him: "How did Botanist end up here too?"
"I happened to see him on the street, so I invited him to join." Chianti answered straightforwardly and cheerfully. "What's wrong? It's not like there isn't room."
Vodka forced a smile: "Nothing..."
Chianti, are you sick?! If you invited Big Bro I wouldn't say anything—at worst everyone just wouldn't be able to chat much. But inviting Usuha Izuki? Do you think life is too good?!
Bourbon said matter-of-factly: "Probably just surprised that you'd invite Botanist, considering how close he is with Vermouth."
Vodka looked at Bourbon in shock.
Well well, your level of sowing discord is impressive—worthy of someone in intelligence, what a dirty heart!
Sure enough, Chianti was stunned, then looked at Usuha Izuki with a somewhat unpleasant expression: "Are you close with Vermouth?"
"Pretty much, we've met three times."
Once when she recruited him into the organization, once yesterday, and once when she returned to Japan in recent years. That was it—the number really was few.
Chianti's expression immediately softened: "Only three times? That's even fewer than me."
"After all, I haven't been very involved with organization matters lately, so there haven't been many opportunities." Usuha Izuki completely didn't take Chianti's concerns seriously. "I actually want to learn disguise techniques—seems like it would be interesting."
Chianti earnestly advised: "You should have less contact with that woman. She's especially excessive when it comes to using men!"
A sniper friend of hers in the organization had fallen for Vermouth and became a simp—she was so frustrated with him!
Usuha Izuki smiled: "Don't worry, as long as I slack off, she can't use me."
Chianti thought about it and found this reasonable: "True, you're really smart."
Bourbon: "..........."
Vodka: "..........."
What kind of dynamic duo is this...
Korn wanted to say something but hesitated. Looking at Vodka and Bourbon's reactions, then thinking about Botanist's reputation in the organization... he felt it was better to follow his seniors' lead and stay quiet.
But Chianti wouldn't consider so much—she said whatever came to mind: "But why are you slacking off anyway?"
Usuha Izuki immediately sighed.
Vodka raised his guard, shouting internally: Here it comes here it comes here it comes!
"I can't help it. I have little influence and people don't take what I say seriously, which is very demoralizing." Usuha Izuki looked melancholy. "Don't think I don't know—Gin and Vodka have always thought I'm blind, right?"
Chianti defended him: "Where's the blindness! You recruited me and Korn for the organization. We've both earned codenames now—isn't that enough to prove your eye for people?"
Usuha Izuki said emotionally: "Chianti! Korn! Thank you for vindicating me!"
Vodka interjected: "I never thought that... The people you consider talented really do have ability..."
Unfortunately, these past years Usuha Izuki only submitted name lists when he felt like it, completely ignoring Big Bro's performance targets, leaving the organization still short on talent.
The most ridiculous time, Usuha Izuki submitted a list on day one with five people total. By day four when the intelligence team finished investigating, everyone on the list had either died or been arrested by police for murder... You could only say Usuha Izuki had an eye for spotting bad people.
Besides stabilizing the Middle Eastern smuggling lines, Usuha Izuki's contributions to the organization were only Chianti and Korn. Even Rye Whiskey couldn't count, since Usuha Izuki had strongly opposed letting Moroboshi Dai join the organization, but the guy turned out to be genuinely talented and earned a codename last year.
"If you really think my eye is good, why did you let Moroboshi Dai join the organization?!"
Chianti looked confused: "Who's Moroboshi Dai?"
Bourbon said: "Rye, Rye Whiskey."
"Oh oh." Chianti immediately made the connection. "Botanist, I think Rye's pretty capable!"
Though she was somewhat annoyed that Rye's sniping accuracy and range surpassed hers, his skills were genuinely strong—she had to admit it.
Usuha Izuki was heartbroken: "Even you don't believe me. I said that guy was deliberately causing trouble, maybe even an undercover agent... Sigh, I always feel like there are lots of undercover agents around me. When I ask for detailed investigations, they all brush me off. I'm so worried that someday the undercover agents will collectively sell me out... Someone like me who's an organization executive—both the FBI and Japanese Public Security should really want me, right?"
Bourbon's mouth twitched: "No, I think they don't just want anyone who's an executive. The key isn't status but how much intelligence you can provide... If you don't know any organization secrets, you don't need to worry so much."
Usuha Izuki looked worried: "Then I think they'd want to capture me even more."
Bourbon couldn't help becoming suspicious: "What organization secrets do you know?"
Could it be that Senior Arak Wine really left Usuha Izuki some classified organization intelligence? But would Usuha Izuki so carelessly reveal that he was in the know?!
Usuha Izuki looked at him speechlessly: "Are you stupid? I already said they're secrets—how could I just say them out loud?"
This confident assertion confused even Vodka.
Huh? What secrets does that Usuha Izuki kid know? Given his level of participation in organization missions, he probably doesn't even know which politician the organization plans to assassinate next month, right?
Could it be that he privately chatted with the Boss, and the Boss got so annoyed he accidentally let something slip?
No, given Usuha Izuki's thought patterns...
Vodka couldn't help asking: "The secrets you know—it's not something like 'the organization is full of undercover agents, and if all countries withdraw their spies the organization would collapse,' is it?"
Usuha Izuki looked at him sympathetically: "Even someone with elementary school level wouldn't say something like that. Where would there be so many undercover agents?"
Vodka: "..........."
—According to your exhaustive method! The organization really is all undercover agents! Isn't that what you said yourself? Why are you denying it now?!