Just when Vodka thought the white-haired kid was about to become a bloodstain on the floor, his cold, overbearing, and ruthless Big Brother froze on the spot. He stood there motionlessly, enduring the bear hug, with no sign of the immediate execution—pistol to the back of the head—that Vodka had envisioned.
Both Gin and Satoru Gojo, despite their different styles, possessed looks far beyond the average person. Coupled with the fact that they were both around 1.9 meters tall, the sight of them hugging was exceptionally eye-catching.
Vodka even noticed a few girls stopping nearby, whispering to each other.
"...Enough! Let go, fast." Gin finally reacted, a faint flush of either embarrassment or annoyance surfacing on his face. "Do you have any idea how heavy you are?"
"Hehe~" Gojo had intended to tease the Model Employee he hadn't seen in years, so he let go quickly and gave a formal greeting: "Jin, long time no see. Didn't expect it to be me, did you?"
A stunned Vodka finally realized that this guy who had appeared out of nowhere—and who clearly shared a close bond with Big Brother—must be their partner for this mission.
"Hmph... I should have guessed," Gin muttered under his breath.
If it was Satoru, everything was much easier to explain.
In those cold eyes that usually made people back away, there was now a hint of warmth, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly in spite of himself.
Three years had passed. The attire of a professional assassin had brought him a maturity beyond his years, but it couldn't erase the unconcealable joy a teenager feels upon seeing his best friend. He had become sharper, like a blade that would cut anyone who strayed too close, but next to Satoru Gojo, that sharpness was instinctively retracted.
Even though they met under unexpected circumstances, the chemistry between them felt like a scene from yesterday; there was no sense of estrangement at all.
"Gin-chan, your hair is way longer than it was three years ago. It's perfect for twin-tails." Gojo looked Gin up and down. "Is it a pain to blow-dry? Is the shampoo I gave you working well?"
"It's fine... stop asking useless questions." Hearing the familiar, off-the-rails chatter, Gin's mouth twitched with the urge to grimace, but he managed to return his expression to its usual straight line.
There was a third person present; he couldn't let this kid keep talking nonsense.
"This is Vodka. He currently carries out missions with me frequently," Gin said, changing the subject and introducing him: "He does his job well. He's trustworthy."
Vodka nearly shed "wide-noodle tears" of emotion.
"Oh? It seems this little brother is quite highly regarded by you."
The white-haired youth rubbed his chin, feeling a bit disgruntled inside.
Well, well. So the inseparable Vodka has already made his appearance. His intuition had been right; his best friend really did have a new little buddy.
Gojo-cat was momentarily "furious."
Just kidding—he wasn't that petty~
So what if there was a Vodka? He had been here for a whole six years first!
"Hello there, Vodka." Gojo set aside his personal feelings and smiled, extending a hand to the man he was meeting for the first time. "Just call me Kaiser."
"Oh, oh..." Vodka dazed for a moment and shook his hand. "Hello. Nice to meet you, please take care of me."
Facing Big Brother's friend, he used honorifics before he even had time to process it. "Kaiser..." Vodka repeated the name mentally as waves of shock crashed through him.
Although he had only received his codename a year ago, he had heard this name many times within the Organization. Rumor had it that this person's status was quite special; even Vermouth couldn't compete with the Boss's favoritism toward him. Apparently, he had been developing overseas away from Japan and was a formidable, high-level figure.
He didn't know the specifics, but the hearsay alone was enough to make him wary. Seeing the person so close to his legendary Big Brother with his own eyes... Vodka immediately decided he must be utterly respectful to Kaiser and never provoke him.
> [Ding! Impression points from story character Vodka increased by 1000! Analysis: Awe.]
>
Gojo didn't even know what he had done, yet Vodka was already trembling in his boots. However, the system notification reminded him—he had almost forgotten that he could farm points from Vodka too.
He couldn't let such a good opportunity slip by! Since it wasn't convenient to talk at the airport, the trio headed toward one of the Organization's safe houses.
Gojo remarked casually, "By the way, Gin-chan, you've grown quite a bit taller." Before the other could reply, he added, "Too bad you're still not as tall as me."
Gin replied calmly, "Doesn't matter. If I cut your head off, I'll be taller than you."
"Waaah, so scary! I'm so frightened~" Gojo cried out, mockingly shielding his head, before retorting: "Tch, I bet you couldn't bear to do it."
"You can try me."
"Try and I'll die."
Vodka, listening silently to their exchange, was terrified. Are they... bickering?
His cold-blooded, murderous god of a Big Brother, who could scare him witless with a single glance, and this mysterious, powerful figure of the Organization were actually bickering like ordinary friends. It was truly beyond his imagination. He had originally thought that given Big Brother's personality, he wouldn't have any friends at all.
As he was lost in thought, the system notification rang in Gojo's mind again. Vodka's impression points had increased by another 500.
[I'm not even talking to him, yet the points keep coming in...]
Gojo thought for a moment and realized the key was Gin. As long as he acted close to Gin—showing a side of "Big Brother" that contrasted with his usual image—it naturally left a deep impression on Vodka.
After leaving the airport, there was still a significant distance to the safe house. Gojo had forgotten to call for a pickup, so they had to stand by the road and wait for a taxi.
He didn't mind giving Gin a taste of teleportation, but Vodka was another story.
While they waited, Gojo was about to resume his long-overdue banter with Gin, but Vodka unexpectedly took the initiative to speak: "Um... Big Brother, and Mr. Kaiser, I wanted to ask something."
"What is it?"