While Hayashi Shuichi dealt with Hibari Eri and Fujimine Yukiko, inside the black sedan he'd seen leaving the apartment building, Sharon Vineyard—now Belmod—sat in the front, a cigarette between her fingers. Exhaling smoke, she said irritably, "You didn't tell me about the hotel."
Pisco, driving, smiled but stayed silent.
"Women are unreliable," Gin snorted from the back. "If you'd lured the target to the planned spot, I wouldn't have had to snipe from the hotel roof in front of all those cops!"
"You think I didn't try?" Belmod shot back. "A murder happened in City Hall, and I was one of three suspects. If not for a sharp kid solving the case, I'd be in a police station right now. How was I supposed to stick to the plan?"
Pisco, Gin, and Vodka knew of the murder but not Belmod's involvement.
"Accident, or intentional?" Pisco asked gravely.
"Just an accident," Belmod chuckled. "FBI and Japan's Public Security aren't onto me yet. A sleazy director tried to hit on me and got poisoned by his wife."
"As long as it's unrelated to the Organization," Pisco sighed, relieved. "Rice Flower's been a crime hotspot lately. I dealt with a case myself recently."
"Oh, right." Pisco tossed a file to Gin. "You two did well on your first mission. This black Porsche 356A I'm driving—it's yours now."
"For us?" Vodka blinked. "But our age…"
"Fake IDs are in the file," Pisco grinned. "Can't have me chauffeuring you every mission."
Gin opened the file, finding two forged driver's licenses and car keys. A rare smile crossed his cold face.
Belmod, watching via the rearview mirror, thought, Brat's got a decent face, but his personality's awful.
Her mind drifted to Hayashi Shuichi. That kid's wary looks, claiming he stared because I'm pretty. What tipped him off?
Lost in thought, she missed Pisco's words until he called her repeatedly. "What?"
"I was talking about the drug lab," Pisco frowned. "It's the boss's main reason for sending you to Tokyo. What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing, personal stuff," Belmod said, flicking her cigarette out the window. "Haven't you still not found those two core researchers from Shiratori Pharma?"
"We have leads on them," Pisco repeated. "But first, the research base and medical equipment need setting up. While I track the researchers, you, Gin, and Vodka handle the base."
"I—" Belmod started to protest, but Pisco cut her off. "Boss's orders."
"…Fine," Belmod muttered, uninterested.
Gin, hearing he'd work with Belmod, frowned slightly.
Vodka kept glancing back at City Hall. "What're you looking at?" Belmod asked.
"Big bro had me leave a gift for the cops," Vodka grinned. "Waiting for them to find it."
"Not a bomb, I hope," Belmod scoffed. "Japan's police aren't all idiots, and they've got help—"
A loud explosion from City Hall cut her off. Vodka turned, delighted by the flames on the hotel's top floor. "Haha, wonder how many cops that got."
Belmod snorted, ignoring the violent maniac. But the explosion's glow reminded her of Hayashi Shuichi running toward the hotel. Hope that kid didn't die in it.
At City Hall's entrance, a boom signaled the detonation of the bomb in room 1206.
Post-explosion, police scoured the hotel for clues to the shooter's identity and checked for more bombs.
Officer Odagiri, arriving for support, glowered at the flames. A supposedly secure film event had two murders! Miyagi's case was solved, but Director Nakajima's death at the entrance, by sniper rifle and bombs, was a bigger mess.
Besides Nakajima, over a dozen hotel guests were injured.
Odagiri dreaded the reprimand awaiting him at headquarters.
And the reporters… He scanned the plaza, where TV stations broadcasted the night's murders live, interviewing survivors.
Yukiko, lauded for solving Miyagi's case, was among them. Her deduction and performance earned praise, with Nikkan TV offering her an exclusive interview.
Vultures, flocking to the stench, Odagiri cursed inwardly.
Seeing Samezaki approach with Hayashi Shuichi and Yusaku, he hurried over. "Any findings?"
"No useful clues," Samezaki shook his head.
"The shooter used a sniper rifle and bombs to kill Nakajima," Hayashi Shuichi said. "Not an average person's work. Check Nakajima's connections for leads."
Yusaku nodded. "Ordinary people don't access such weapons. Nakajima's enemy is either rich and powerful or part of a crime syndicate."
(End of Chapter)
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