*This week we missed out on our goal to be in top 200 for a day and change last week. But since we were on for a majority of days, I'll release 6 BONUS Chapters(2 today and 4 tomorrow). Please vote if you enjoy! Thanks!*
Xiaobai and the Tengu didn't mind the heavy murderous aura hanging in the air—on the contrary, they welcomed it.
The ghost parents were mildly divided in opinion: one thought the wine-like scent was richer, while the other preferred a more fruity note.
Still, they remembered Jiangxia's earlier orders and knew this wasn't the time to linger over aroma reviews.
So, upon spotting Vermouth, the ghost parents shuffled over to Jiangxia's side at what was, for them, a "brisk" pace, and latched onto his calves like clingy toddlers.
Meanwhile, the others who had gotten out of Gin's car were now approaching.
Jiangxia didn't bother looking at Vodka or Gin—he saw those two often enough.
His attention was fixed on Vermouth.
The actress, who looked like she'd just walked off a drama set, gave him a smile. It was the kind that made the temperature drop several degrees.
She had actually been in Japan for several days now.
In that time, while sorting out her cover identity, she had also been digging into Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Ran's recent affairs.
To her shock, she discovered that Ouzo—Jiangxia—lived right next door to the Kudo residence and even went to school with them.
Could Ouzo have been involved in the "death" of that cool high school detective?
Gin's eyes moved slowly between Vermouth and Jiangxia, then he stepped forward to join him, staring down at the three very beat-up figures on the ground. They were clearly still alive, but just barely.
After a pause, he spoke in a deep voice:
"I thought I told you to maintain a positive image befitting a detective."
"There was a slight... mishap," Jiangxia said, glancing at the "mishaps" still twitching at his feet, and sighed helplessly.
"At first, I thought they were after me, so I tried to figure out what they wanted. I only realized they'd nabbed the wrong person once I was already in the car. If I hadn't taken action, I might've been silenced. So I roughed them up to keep them from lying—interrogation prep. Besides, they're kidnappers. Even if someone saw it, this was clearly self-defense."
Gin looked at him through a curtain of silver-white hair. He didn't believe a word.
—When Gin had first arrived at Beika General Building, he saw that the supposed kidnapper had already shed their disguise and was casually standing next to Ouzo like a bystander.
With Ouzo's usual habits, he would've definitely scoped out anyone who got that close. If they seemed suspicious, he'd have even gone out of his way to approach them—laying the groundwork for yet another "case."
There was no way he'd only realize something was off after being shoved into a car.
So, yeah. Lousy excuse.
Gin had originally planned to shove a gun in Ouzo's face and remind him what "positive image" actually meant.
But then he thought about that last sentence. From a police perspective, this really would be self-defense—not enough to cause trouble.
Which meant Ouzo knew what he was doing. He hadn't blown off Gin's warning—he'd filed it under "useful PR."
That thought made Gin's mood improve a little. And although considering how remote this location was, it was only a matter of time before someone heard all the yelling and came to check it out.
Time to wrap things up.
He said to Vodka and Vermouth, "Get in the car."
Then turned back to Jiangxia, who was already walking toward the Porsche like none of this had happened. "Give me the gun."
—He'd seen one in Jiangxia's hand earlier. Clearly taken from the kidnappers.
Ouzo didn't need it, and carrying it was a liability. Gin had told him not to go looking for guns on the black market, and it seemed like Jiangxia had actually listened. But resisting the urge to take a gun freely handed over? Not so easy.
Young people and new toys… always a problem.
He was already enough of a menace with just a telescopic baton. Give him a gun, and he'd probably turn Tokyo into an action movie set. Not ideal, for either the Organization or his own cover.
Jiangxia paused mid-step.
Then, without a word, he handed over the pistol. "Almost forgot."
Just as he turned to go, Gin tossed the gun to Vodka and called out again: "More."
"…"
Jiangxia hesitated. His mouth twitched like he was about to say something but swallowed it back. Then: "You guys were watching the whole time?"
...And none of his ghosts noticed?
Gin caught the doubt in his tone and let out a low chuckle. There was a kind of smug satisfaction in his voice, the sound of a superior who had his underlings completely under control—even the so-called geniuses.
Still not getting an answer, Jiangxia sighed and lifted his shirt, pulling another pistol from his waistband.
Gin took the second gun, glanced at the beaten-up kidnappers, and looked back at Jiangxia.
Jiangxia said, "…That's all. One of them didn't have a gun."
Gin sized him up. Jiangxia really didn't seem to have any more hiding places. Finally, Gin nodded, motioning for him to get in the car.
Just as Jiangxia opened the rear door and stepped inside—
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three gunshots rang out behind him.
He turned his head toward the window and saw that the kidnappers, who had still been groaning a moment ago, were now completely still. Blood trickled out from under their heads, tracing the patterns in the pavement.
The murderous aura that had been clinging to Miyahara Satoshi faded entirely.
Dead people, after all, can't kill anyone.
Outside the car, the Tengu and the mermaid scrambled like Black Friday shoppers.
Miyahara Satoshi's murderous aura was the first to land in Jiangxia's hands.
Meanwhile, shikigami started forming around the corpses. But none floated toward Gin. Instead, after a few wriggles, they hugged their own dead bodies like limp plushies.
The Tengu didn't even blink.
The mermaid, on the other hand, swam around the fresh shikigami several times, pouting and tugging at them like an upset kid. She only gave up and followed the car after it had already started driving off.
Gin, of course, couldn't see the mermaid's sulky glare.
He casually tossed the extra guns into the storage box, then sent out an email to nearby Organization members to clean up the scene.
…
Jiangxia gave the lingering shikigami one last wistful look before turning his gaze back inside the car—only to find Vermouth watching him.
He gave her a polite nod.
Vermouth instinctively curled her lips into a faint smile... then quickly composed herself, turning to look out the window with her chin resting in one hand.
Before she'd arrived, she had been ready to kill.
Once she realized Ouzo and Jiangxia were one and the same—and had frequent contact with Mouri Ran—her killing intent skyrocketed.
She absolutely could not stand disgusting Organization members hovering near her angel.
And judging from the past year's pattern of chaos, she strongly suspected that Kudo Shinichi's supposed death by APTX4869, administered by Gin, had a certain someone's fingerprints all over it.
—All of that had been her mindset before coming here.
But now that she'd actually met Jiangxia?
Somehow, seeing her imagined enemy turn out to be this guy made her feel... oddly calm.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 4/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:2/10*