Chapter 47
When Fan An woke up, the sun was shining brightly.
The sea was rolling with waves, splashing against the ship’s hull. White seagulls flew past the balcony window. The sunlight sparkled on the undulating sea like scattered gold.
“It’s a beautiful day.”
Excluding the factors of being particularly prone to exploding or sinking, a cruise trip was really quite nice. The cool sea breeze on her cheeks was as relaxing as lying in a cradle woven from clouds, swaying with the waves.
The gentle swaying was conducive to a good dream. The warm body temperature of a mature man was even more intoxicating, making her head spin. Her whole body was supported and cherished.
“I think I did something big last night,” An’an said to herself.
No, not just one big thing. Her schedule last night had been terrifyingly packed.
After finishing the variety show filming, she had received a request for help from Hiromitsu. The world-class cosplay master had made his grand entrance. The great schemer Miss An had stood with her hands on her hips and sneered: Struggle all you want, Silver-Haired Model Bro! Feel your weakness!
After taking care of the makeup and styling for her commissioned teacher, Scotch, and filming a video of Gin learning to meow and do a hand-gesture dance for the archives, Fan An had thought the climax of the night was over. She had been about to go back to her room to sleep, feeling light and free, but had been caught by the detective and dragged all over the ship to find bombs, not having a moment’s rest.
The innocent, passing, enthusiastic detective Amuro didn’t know who the culprit behind the bombs was, but how could Fan An not know?
Besides Silver-Haired Model Bro, there was no other possibility.
The pure-bred villain Gin. His appearance was a crime, and he only appeared to commit a crime. Not a single cent of his appearance fee was taken for nothing. A 24-hour, fully automatic crime machine. The moon sleeps, but he doesn’t. He is the distillery’s great treasure.
His dedication was awe-inspiring. Every time Fan An thought of Mentor Scotch having to compete with such a ruthless person in the same company, she would be filled with a deep sense of pity.
When it came to internal competition, she felt that the Working Emperor was more suited for this ruthless company.
“I should introduce Tōru-kun and Hiro to each other someday,” An’an said, picking up her phone from under the pillow. “After all, we’re already dating.”
If Hiromitsu hadn’t recommended her to rent at the Trojan Horse Apartments, none of the subsequent events would have happened. Hiro was the magpie bridge in this relationship. How could An’an erase his contribution?
She unlocked her phone. A series of messages popped up on the screen.
Miss An: It’s time for my daily morning court session to review the memorials. Let me see which spam messages will be granted the white silk and have their nine generations exterminated.
“First, the electronic version of the Beika Daily I subscribed to. It says that the crime rate in Beika Town has maintained a steady growth in the past six months. The number of stigmatized properties is still on the rise. Housing prices have plummeted, but clean properties are already priceless… Heavens, the housing prices near the Mouri Detective Agency are so high and scary. As expected of the true landmark of Beika City.”
“Beika Fashion Weekly. Did I subscribe to this? The weekly says that the copyright for all-black clothing has been bought out by a mysterious distillery. Ordinary people absolutely cannot go out in all black, otherwise it will cause a terrifying incident… So domineering! Black is clearly our Fan family’s traditional attire. Please return our clan’s representative color, free of charge.”
“Shampoo and hair care product set, limited time 20% off, buy two get three free… Spam message, pass. From now on, I will only use the brand endorsed by Silver-Haired Model Bro.”
[The data from yesterday’s live broadcast was amazing! I’m so proud of you! But for some reason, the production team canceled today’s live broadcast plan. Tasteless people. Seeing as they not only didn’t deduct your appearance fee but also paid you extra, I’ll forgive them this time. —Director Kawamura]
Fan An finished reading the message and silently made the sign of the cross.
Sumimasen. Production team, if you have to blame someone, blame Silver-Haired Model Bro. His fate is strong.
[Are you awake? The cruise ship is about to dock. A lot of seagulls have flown to the deck. No one will be able to eat fries today. —Tōru-kun]
The message was accompanied by a candid photo. The camera only captured the man’s raised hand and the seagulls flapping their wings in the air. The french fry box was empty. The last fry was in the mouth of a large white seagull, a triumphant robber’s expression on its face.
An’an couldn’t help but smile. She held her phone and typed, “But I want to eat fries too. What should I do?”
The message was immediately marked as read. A moment later, Amuro sent a photo.
The restaurant’s back kitchen, a sizzling deep fryer, and golden, crispy french fries.
[Then come and find me. Quietly, don’t let the pirates find you. —Tōru-kun]
Now she couldn’t even laze in bed. Fan An stretched. She was about to put her phone aside to change clothes when her finger slipped and she saw an unread message.
From Hiromitsu.
[An’an’s plan was executed very smoothly. I’m doing well.]
The first sentence was very normal, but the excessive emoticons and ellipses that followed revealed Hiromitsu’s inner conflict.
“Although I’m only a few years older than An’an, it’s not good for me to lecture her like an elder,” Hiromitsu typed, choosing his words carefully. “But I am a man, after all…”
An’an: Wait a minute. Why are you suddenly spouting otome game lines? Your next line isn’t going to be “all men are big bad wolves,” is it?
Fortunately, Hiromitsu was a decent person, because his next line was: “Don’t trust men too easily.”
The girl thought for a moment and replied, “Does that include you, Hiro?”
Hiromitsu: Including me.
Because he was an accomplice in Bourbon’s ability to hide his identity until now.
Hiromitsu hadn’t slept at all last night. The thought of the complex love triangle between An’an, Zero, and himself gave him a splitting headache, and he had tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
An’an had revived Hiromitsu and had single-handedly planned the shocking conspiracy of “My Life as a Body Double in the Distillery,” forcing Hiromitsu to win the revival match with his former codename, creating an unsurpassed legend in the world of undercover agents.
However, An’an’s understanding of the Black Organization was limited. She only knew of the “Brainless and Unhappy” combo of Gin and Vodka, and was unaware of the three whisky fake liquor incident, and certainly didn’t know about the existence of the Public Security moles.
Furuya Rei didn’t know that his former best friend had returned from the cycle of reincarnation. Bourbon refused to eat a substitute. He was very resistant to the body-double literature, and every time he said “Scotch Whisky,” it was as if he were chewing on human bones, full of hostility.
Naturally, he also didn’t know that An’an was an ability-user, and it was even more impossible for him to guess her shocking ability—Hiromitsu privately thought that even the greatest detective in the world wouldn’t be able to guess the full name of [My Respected Crime Mentor]. It was too anti-human.
This pair of neighbors knew nothing of each other’s true identities. Only the invisible third party between them, Hiromitsu, saw through everything.
And now, these two were dating.
Hiromitsu: “…”
Emotionally, he really wanted to bless them. Hiromitsu would have to sit in the middle at the wedding banquet.
Rationally, his mind was blank.
Hiromitsu’s position was very complex.
On one hand, Hiromitsu was Furuya Rei’s childhood friend. His friend had carried too many heavy burdens to get to where he was today. It was great that Zero had met someone he liked. Hiromitsu was genuinely happy for him.
On the other hand, Mentor Scotch was An’an’s family. She had given him a second life, allowing him to see his brother again and meet his friend again. Hiromitsu had always been very grateful to An’an.
Upon learning that his precious cabbage was going to date a man whose name was even fake, Hiromitsu almost blurted out: No! Mom doesn’t allow it!
There are so many men with two legs in the world. Do you have to find a three-faced one?
Bourbon discovered that today, Scotch Whisky’s gaze was unusually critical.
He was practically scrutinizing him, his face written with the condemnation, “You woman-deceiving scoundrel.”
Bourbon: ???
He hadn’t even scolded Scotch for being a body double, yet he was being scolded in return. Was there no justice in the world?
A passing Vodka said, “Bourbon and Scotch’s relationship is really bad.”
The former Scotch Whisky was a confirmed mole. Inheriting a traitor’s codename would more or less make people look at you with colored glasses, not to mention that this person had shot Gin before joining the organization, maxing out his hatred.
Even if Gin wasn’t here, Vodka had to keep an eye on Scotch for his big brother.
Bourbon and the former Scotch had joined the distillery at the same time and had always had a good relationship. If Bourbon also became close with the new Scotch… suspicious! Very suspicious!
“Aniki is probably overthinking it,” Vodka said, pushing up his sunglasses, which symbolized wisdom. “These two clearly have a bad relationship. It’s not something they can fake.”
Chianti and Korn nodded in agreement.
Hiromitsu took in the scrutinizing gazes of the few people.
This was why he had been reluctant to reveal his identity to Zero.
No matter how excellent the acting, it was not as convincing as the real thing.
Just like last night’s Gin-reporting case, Bourbon’s astonishment had been genuine. Of the six people present, five had been kept in the dark, which had made the situation even more suspicious, leaving even a veteran like Gin uncertain.
Hiromitsu: Thank you, An’an. “An Actor Prepares” is really useful. I recommend every red-side mole to read it until they can recite it backwards.
An’an’s taste in books had always been top-notch. For example, the “Beika Town Murderers’ Collaborative Publication” series she liked so much was of very high quality.
Unfortunately, her boyfriend couldn’t appreciate her excellent taste. As expected, no one in the world is perfect.
An’an sighed, while happily eating the fries her boyfriend had protected from the gulls.
“Are we going straight back to the apartment later, or are we going on a date?” she asked with great interest.
Amuro met the girl’s bright eyes and said, “We have to go give a statement first.”
Suspect An: …Me again?
“Because you can find a bomb wherever you go. It’s really suspicious,” Inspector Megure said honestly.
Suspect An protested, while smoothly signing her name on her dedicated police report. While she was at it, she took the autograph board that a shy police academy intern handed her and signed it skillfully.
…
On the other side, Furuya Rei contacted his subordinate, Kazami Yuya, and explained the series of events that had happened on the cruise ship in detail.
Kazami: What? A national treasure smuggling case?!
Kazami: What? The informant was Gin?!
Kazami: What? Mr. Furuya, you don’t know what’s going on either? The savior was a conceptual god?!
Kazami brainstormed. Kazami’s brain overloaded. He was drenched in sweat. “Mr. Furuya, why don’t you write the report yourself this time? I need to retake my compulsory education and reading comprehension.”
Of course Furuya would write the report himself. The problem was, he also couldn’t figure out who had framed Gin.
If what Gin had said was true, that only the six of them knew about the cultural relic smuggling case, then the leaker must be among the six.
Gin had staged it himself? Vodka had backstabbed his big brother? Chianti and Korn had rebelled together? Or was it Scotch Whisky who had done the dirty work?
A real and fake Gin werewolf game. Everyone was suspicious.
The undercover Public Security officer had always had a clear view in the distillery’s version of “Who is the Mole?”. He had never thought that one day he would have to be as suspicious of everyone but himself as Gin was: Confess! Are you a mole? Speak! Are you?! (grabs collar and shakes furiously.jpg)
The report can be written later… there are more important things at hand.
Furuya: With Gin’s swimming speed, has he reached the shore yet?
The possibility of Gin being eaten by a shark could not be ruled out, but it was also possible that being chased by a shark had greatly increased his speed, and he had reached the shore faster than the cruise ship.
In either case, the Black Organization was about to undergo a major change.
How could Bourbon stay out of it? Furuya immediately gave Kazami instructions on the Public Security’s work for this period. Even in a serious situation, he was still methodical.
As expected of Mr. Furuya, Kazami admired in his heart. He would definitely do a good job of what Mr. Furuya had instructed, so that Mr. Furuya would have no worries.
“What will Mr. Furuya do next?” Kazami asked proactively. “Is there anything I can help with?”
Next? Furuya thought for a moment. No matter how urgent the situation in the Black Organization was, they had to wait for Gin to get ashore. He personally had something he had to do.
“Take my girlfriend home,” the blond Public Security officer said. “I don’t need your help.”