Chapter 188
Rye was under a bit of pressure now.
Being simply suspected and slandered was completely different from someone actually knowing he was FBI.
Although Usuha Izuki had been constantly shouting that Rye was FBI, Rye had analyzed that right after he'd bumped into Miyano Akemi, Usuha Izuki came over and labeled him as FBI without any time to investigate him, so it should just be nonsense. Later he also felt it might really be targeting Gin, so he was targeted by extension, just continuing the initial claim.
Plus Usuha Izuki went around the organization identifying undercover spies like he was playing around, so although there were several times he felt the other party's words had hidden meanings, after serious analysis, he thought it might just be coincidence—he had secrets, so he was overthinking.
But ever since last year's mission when they encountered his sister Sera Masumi and Usuha Izuki's performance was quite meaningful, Rye realized the situation seemed different from what he'd thought.
Now Usuha Izuki had even investigated the mysterious Plamia's real identity... so what about him?
Usuha Izuki's previous nonsense, when recalled now, all seemed to have an extra layer of meaning—maybe he'd already made a serious mistake by analyzing those meanings as illusions when he'd already sensed them.
However, if Usuha Izuki really had investigated and found out he was FBI, but was just too low in organizational loyalty to bother reporting, or simply acted based on mood... didn't that mean there was actually room for negotiation?
Rye painfully realized that once he started analyzing Usuha Izuki's thoughts, he seemed to fall into an abyss, always feeling the future was pitch black.
Vodka didn't mind Rye's silence, since he understood everyone's reluctance to speak in front of Usuha Izuki—afraid of saying something wrong and causing serious consequences. So he continued: "Anyway, Botanist's work is finished..."
Shouldn't you be leaving?! Are you really planning to stay overnight?! Look at Rye's face—don't you think he's annoyed and wants to leave?!
Usuha Izuki had originally planned to leave, but now he was reluctant.
Because Rye was giving him suspicion values like crazy, much more than before, indicating that although he'd been saying he was FBI all along, Rye actually didn't really believe he'd exposed anything... could be considered elite confidence.
So Usuha Izuki added fuel to the fire: "I was planning to leave, but does Rye have something he wants to ask me?"
As he spoke, he looked at Rye with a half-smile.
Rye was mentally tense.
This might be a trap... but it might also be an opportunity.
If he didn't respond this time, with Botanist's personality, he might feel bored and then do something he didn't want to see to make things interesting...
Rye rationally analyzed the pros and cons and quickly reached a conclusion: "I do have something to ask you."
Vodka sensed a strange atmosphere, looking left and right, feeling his head hurt as if he was about to grow a brain: "What are you... going to discuss? Can I listen?"
"Well." Rye said flatly, "Probably asking why he always says I'm like an FBI undercover, whether he could change to someone else, things like that."
Vodka's about-to-emerge brain retreated again, his vigilance instantly disappeared, even achieving inner peace: "Oh, then you two talk."
Heh heh, Rye was really naive to dare discuss undercover topics with that kid Usuha Izuki. It would be strange if he got a satisfactory result.
Tonight the Boss would probably receive another report saying Rye was an undercover.
Usuha Izuki and Rye left the door, taking the elevator all the way to the deserted rooftop.
"Alright, what do you want to ask?" Usuha Izuki really hadn't planned to stay overnight here. After farming suspicion values, he'd go home to sleep, so he needed to make this quick.
These undercover agents spoke in roundabout ways, sometimes quite annoying.
System: [...Don't you worry about others finding you annoying when you're being a riddle person yourself?]
[How is that the same? I'm doing it to farm suspicion values!] Usuha Izuki complained. [And this guy Akai Shuichi can keep his mother from knowing her son is alive, his sister from knowing her brother is alive, not even tell his brother about his mother and sister, and he himself doesn't know his mother took the organization's drug and shrank... It's all because of their speaking style!]
However, Rye was quite straightforward this time, not beating around the bush, directly asking: "Why do you suspect I'm FBI? Can you give me some reasons?"
If it were someone else suspecting him, Rye definitely wouldn't be so direct, but facing Usuha Izuki who said he was an undercover every day, this topic was no longer taboo—he could ask however he wanted.
Usuha Izuki raised an eyebrow: "That's all you want to ask me?"
Rye: "Is there something else? You can't be expecting me to ask you for a broker fee?"
He and Usuha Izuki weren't close friends. Their interactions consisted of Usuha Izuki scamming him for broker fees and constantly saying he was an undercover... Besides these two things, he really didn't think there was anything else he needed to ask.
Especially the question of whether the other party really knew he was FBI already contained many questions.
"Mm—I think you should perhaps ask another question." Usuha Izuki said meaningfully. "Otherwise you might regret it for life."
Rye frowned.
He couldn't think of anything that might make him regret for life... Even if the other party really discovered he was an FBI undercover, it wouldn't reach that level.
After all, being able to not report to the organization until now showed Usuha Izuki didn't want him dead, probably wanting to use him for something.
But this was Usuha Izuki.
Seemingly crazy and chaotic, but looking back afterward, it didn't seem to be complete nonsense... This guy's words were still very worth pondering carefully.
"...What is this other question?"
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'm willing to answer one question for you."
The silver-haired, green-eyed youth seemed to have grown a bit taller since Rye first met him, and his aura had also changed somewhat.
He stood smiling across from Rye, completely relaxed, but that composure alone was enough to bring equal weight of intimidation. Even dressed gaudily, he still made Rye instinctively alert from the bottom of his heart.
"One is the question you just asked, and one is the question you'll definitely regret for life if you don't ask now. Which do you choose?"
Rye sighed.
This attitude clearly wanted him to ask the latter question that he didn't even know what to ask about, right? Still pretending to give him a choice!
With Usuha Izuki's difficult personality, if he chose the first one, Usuha Izuki probably wouldn't answer properly anyway.
However, although he didn't know what happened, the other party's mood today seemed genuinely good. Missing today, there might not be a next time.
In that case...
"...Then, what is this thing I'll regret for life if I don't ask now?" Rye hugged his arms, seeming unconcerned about being considered an undercover by Usuha Izuki since he had nothing to hide, easily changing his question. "What if this question doesn't actually matter to me?"
"Impossible, you'll definitely care."
Usuha Izuki said: "Miyano Akemi is your cousin."
Rye: "..........."
—Here we go again with this routine?!
At this moment, Rye felt like taking himself seriously made him look like a fool.
When he was still lying in the hospital, the first thing Usuha Izuki did when he came over was question whether he and Miyano Akemi were relatives, playing a honey trap to fleece the organization.
But later Usuha Izuki probably found it more interesting to suspect he was an undercover, so he stopped mentioning this much.
He hadn't expected that today—when he wanted to have a serious talk and even felt Usuha Izuki would respond seriously—Usuha Izuki would give him such an inappropriate joke.
Did Usuha Izuki have any concept of respecting others in his brain at all?!
Rye didn't bother hiding his expression, his face directly darkening as he mocked: "I'll regret for life if I don't know this?"
"Yes, even if you don't regret it, your family will regret it. This is your relative!" Usuha Izuki put on a earnest expression. "I told you years ago, but you still haven't taken it to heart. How can you be so cold, heartless, and unreasonable?"
Rye: "..."
Who exactly is being unreasonable?! You randomly assign people relatives and expect me to take it seriously?! Why don't you go tell the US President I'm his father?!
"If you're only answering this one question today, then I'm leaving." Rye was a bit tired and didn't want to argue with Usuha Izuki.
Regardless, Usuha Izuki's attitude at least showed that even if he really had evidence that he was an undercover, he wouldn't say anything for the time being. More likely he'd use it to tease him...
"Don't believe it?"
Usuha Izuki's smiling voice came from behind him: "It's something that could be confirmed with just a DNA test—you're not even willing to verify it?"
Rye: "..........."
He stopped, slowly turned around, and looked at Usuha Izuki seriously.
"You want me and Miss Miyano to do DNA testing?"
"I'm not forcing you. It's just that no one believes me, I feel so hurt." Usuha Izuki clutched his chest dramatically. "Hurry up and confirm it, then you can tell everyone in the organization that I really am accurate at reading people. The moment I saw you two, I knew you were relatives!"
Rye: "..........."
Prove your eye for people, then get the organization to really start suspecting I'm an FBI undercover?!
You actually want me to help prove such a thing—is there really nothing wrong with your brain?!
Although his heart was full of complaints, he had to admit that Usuha Izuki's attitude made Rye, who had already been somewhat speechless, become serious again.
...Indeed, it was just a DNA test. Yes meant yes, no meant no. Even if this was another unfunny joke from Usuha Izuki, at least it could be used as evidence to slap Usuha Izuki in the face. Couldn't really be considered a loss.
The only thing to be careful of was avoiding hospitals and testing locations under organizational influence, lest Usuha Izuki modify his and Miyano Akemi's DNA reports to prove his eyesight.
Anyway, doing one test, regardless of truth or falsehood, would settle it once and for all, preventing Usuha Izuki from occasionally using this to torment him in the future.
"I understand." Rye nodded with deep suspicion. "I'll go get tested."
"Good that you agreed." Usuha Izuki stepped lightly. "Tell Vodka for me that I'm leaving first."
Rye didn't refuse.
Actually, he didn't need to relay this message. When Vodka discovered Usuha Izuki hadn't returned to the safe house with Rye, he directly asked: "Where's Botanist?"
"He left."
"...You worked hard." Vodka sympathetically patted his shoulder, then asked curiously: "So what did you find out? Why does he think you're like an undercover? Could he really give reasons?"
Rye: "...He said he could tell with one look."
Vodka: "..........."
"Is he really that accurate at reading people? I find it quite unreliable that you guys actually let him be HR..."
Vodka coughed: "Well, he's indeed very good at seeing whether people have talent, but—but he came back from the Middle East! Maybe there were problems in the Middle East that made his concept of undercover agents a bit strange!"
Rye: "..."
So why was everyone in the organization so good at making excuses for Usuha Izuki...
Having brushed off Vodka with the well-worn undercover topic, Rye didn't tell Vodka about Usuha Izuki also asking him to do DNA testing with Miyano Akemi.
If it was false, he could mention it. If it was true...
He recalled the silver-haired youth standing in the center of a distant moon in the night, that half-smiling expression as if certain that "if you don't believe, you'll regret for life."
Rye couldn't help but suspect.
Usuha Izuki—could he really often tell the truth, just that no one believed him?