"Let go, senior—" Kazawa struggled for a while, but when it was no use, he simply closed his eyes and shouted, "Mr. Fūya—"
"Hey!" The moment he heard his real name called out, Amuro Toru let go of Kazawa's cheek like he'd been electrocuted and smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't shout that out!"
Kazawa covered his face, which had been pinched for several minutes, and looked over with squinted eyes. "It was my fault for not telling you in advance, but you already know I wanted to participate in the variety show. There was no need to drag it out for so long!"
Hearing that, Amuro Toru smacked him lightly on the head again in frustration. "You almost fell off a building doing that variety show, didn't you? Where did you learn to take such stupid risks?"
Seeing Kazawa sitting on the window ledge of a high-rise, dozens of meters up, using himself as bait to agitate the murderer into revealing themselves—it had genuinely infuriated him.
"I wasn't risking anything, Mr. Amuro, don't get so worked up..." Kazawa kicked his feet lightly, causing the wheels of the computer chair to roll across the attic's wooden floor, putting some space between him and Amuro Toru. "I know my limits. Don't worry about me."
Kazawa said this very sincerely.
It was just sitting on a windowsill. He didn't fall. Even if he had, it wouldn't have been a big deal.
He had a way to catch himself even in free fall. At worst, he'd just slap onto the ground, dust himself off, and get back up.
After all, he was the Joker—with all sorts of medical miracle buffs. If he could actually die from falling, that would be way too embarrassing.
"Is this really about knowing your limits?" Amuro Toru glared at him. "Don't keep using your life as a bargaining chip! I'm here to be your contact—not to collect your corpse!"
What upset Amuro Toru wasn't just Kazawa's dangerous behavior. As an undercover himself, he had taken his fair share of gambles.
What really bothered him was Kazawa's flippant attitude—his total indifference to danger, even to the point of not valuing his own life.
It was just an emergency case. He didn't believe Kazawa had no other options besides dangling himself like bait. But Kazawa did it anyway, casually and recklessly.
"Your fake identity is important, and the undercover mission is important—that's fine. But Kazawa, you need to understand: the goal of being an undercover agent isn't sacrifice, it's survival and effectiveness." Amuro Toru crossed his arms, brows furrowed. "You have this unreasonable confidence in yourself… I don't know where it comes from. Maybe your parents gave you some kind of trump card. That's fine. If you can truly protect yourself, even better. But having a safety rope doesn't mean you should walk on the edge of a cliff on purpose. The rope is for emergencies, not for bungee jumping!"
Kazawa was stunned.
Seeing that Kazawa was finally quiet, Amuro Toru let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead.
Subordinates who followed instructions—like Yuya Kazami—were elite and reliable, but they couldn't operate independently.
Subordinates who could work independently—like Kazawa—were utterly unmanageable. They always had their own ideas, and if left unchecked, they'd stir up trouble.
Well, maybe you really can't have it all...
"Forget it. If you were the obedient type, you wouldn't have ended up as 'Kumair'." Amuro Toru gave up trying to persuade him. He picked up the documents on the table and changed the subject. "Let's talk about KA03. Your earlier speculation was partly correct. We need to shift the focus of our investigation into the organization's infiltration tactics. The person who killed 'Hirota Akira', one of the billion-yen robbery suspects, was a police officer from the Third Investigation Division. The initial investigation is complete..."
"Is it connected to the KA03 smuggling?" Kazawa looked up.
"Exactly. The organization's methods for infiltrating lower and mid-level law enforcement are closely tied to this series of drugs." Amuro Toru nodded and pulled out a document from the bottom. "The drug formula you provided last time was extremely useful. Although the antidote has limited effect in reversing mental control—since the organization uses complex compound drugs—as long as someone has taken the KA series, taking the pure version of the antidote will cause strong withdrawal reactions. That makes it easy to screen for users."
"Does the antidote I brought with me have that compound?" Kazawa's eyes narrowed slightly. "Xingchuan has long been on KA02."
Amuro Toru's hand paused. He quickly understood what Kazawa was getting at and shook his head. "The lab is still analyzing the antidote's full composition… but its main ingredient is different from the formula you gave. After all, the KA series is just an auxiliary drug for brainwashing. Don't worry. If you had taken that in front of them without reacting, it means you didn't give yourself away."
That answer wasn't surprising. If Kazawa had shown any symptoms at the time, Gin would've filled him with holes on the spot.
But that didn't stop Kazawa from feeling furious.
"So the antidote they gave didn't counter KA at all." Kazawa gritted his teeth.
"The fact that you got by using Hoshikawa Teru's identity is definitely a gap in the organization's system..." Amuro Toru said calmly as he flipped through the documents. "But gaps in capability don't change their nature. Maybe after you finish a few missions and prove your 'worth', they'll give you a new antidote, under a different name—something like 'post-treatment medication'... Always keeping a carrot dangling in front of you is their way of keeping people obedient."
Kazawa clicked his tongue in irritation, clearly disgusted by the organization's tactics—yet also in agreement with Amuro's assessment.
Only providing a partial antidote fit perfectly with what he expected from a scumbag criminal group.
"Next, Kazami will use the completed antidote to secretly test other public officials tied to the chain." Amuro Toru set the documents on Kazawa's desk and continued, "Since the KA03 case blew open the ring, it's best for us to stay away from the follow-up actions. I've got a rendezvous with other codenamed agents in Kansai… What's your plan?"
It wasn't impossible to bring Kazawa along...
But Vermouth was a master of disguise too. If she got too close, there was a risk she might see through Kazawa's cover.
Plus, Vermouth already held strong hostility toward him.
After considering everything, Amuro Toru decided to let the troublemaker go his own way for a while. It would also help reinforce the illusion that their relationship was strained.
"Izu," Kazawa said with a smile. "I'm planning to go to Izu next."
That had always been the next stop. After all, the list Tequila didn't take was still tied to the Izu mystery tour. They had to go.
"You don't sound like you're going on a vacation." Amuro Toru rubbed his temple. "Fine. Submit your travel application. I'll have Kazami approve it."
Then, muttering like a grumbling older brother, he added, "But if you cause another incident like today, I'll come back and peel your skin off myself."
Even if Kazawa probably wouldn't listen, he had to say it. This guy wouldn't stop until someone disciplined him.
"I know, senior." Kazawa tilted his head slightly, the grin on his face softening. Then, with uncharacteristic sincerity, he said, "...Sorry for making you worry today."
Amuro Toru froze at his serious tone.
"Don't worry," Kazawa grinned wide again. "I'm living my best life! After all, I'm Kazawa!"