"What kind of move?"
Tsuneo zipped up the duffel bag, turning to Amuro with a puzzled look.
Are they planning to blow something up this time?
Or assassinate some politician?
Is the workhorse at it again?
"You've probably heard that the Public Security Bureau has been bringing in some people for questioning lately," Amuro nodded.
Ever since they got their hands on Pisco, he's spilled quite a few names.
"Hm…"
Okay, Tsuneo didn't know a thing about it.
Whether they caught anyone or not wasn't really his concern.
But there was another question he was curious about.
"How exactly did Pisco die?"
Amuro turned to glance at Tsuneo, then stood up and gave the two unconscious punks nearby a couple of hard kicks.
No misunderstanding here—just making sure they were out cold.
"He's not dead at all," Amuro said, leaning against the wall after confirming the area was secure.
"Huh?" Tsuneo tilted his head, surprised the guy was pulling the fake-death card.
According to news reports, Masuyama Kenzou's villa burned down, everything reduced to ashes. No specific photos of the body surfaced, but a charred corpse left plenty of room for maneuvering.
"The Organization didn't suspect anything?"
The repairman didn't think Gin was that easy to fool.
"Heh, if they can use certain people, we can play their game, too."
Amuro let out a chuckle, looking rather pleased.
"Then why not drag out that Boss and put a bullet in him?" Tsuneo said, shrugging.
The sooner he's gone, the better!
"You asked him about the Organization, didn't you?"
"Pisco's been out in the open too long. He doesn't know as much about the inner workings as I do," Amuro said, shaking his head.
Digging deeper on his lead or spinning something out of it was worth more than some internal Organization intel.
Tsuneo finally got why Amuro was being so generous, muttering under his breath, "But what if he spills about that drug?"
If certain people found out about APTX, would they just sit still?
The repairman suddenly thought maybe snapping that guy's neck back then would've saved him some headaches now.
Business deals were just too much trouble.
"You mean that poison the Organization's been developing?"
"What's up with it?"
Amuro frowned, firing off two questions.
Tsuneo quickly realized that, thanks to him, Pisco hadn't seen the shrunken Shiho Miyano, so he likely didn't know the drug's other effect.
"I found some of that poison on him. Tests showed the Organization probably used it to secretly take out a lot of people without anyone noticing," Tsuneo said, starting to spin a lie.
Though, it was technically true.
"That's definitely added to our workload. We've had to reopen some suspicious cases for reinvestigation," Amuro nodded.
This guy doesn't seem like the type to worry about our workload…
Something's off…
"By the way, what's the deal with that shooting today?" Tsuneo changed the subject.
As the Dark Knight, asking about a nasty case like this wasn't out of place.
Like the famous detective figured, the shooter didn't seem like an amateur.
"I was just getting to that."
Amuro paused, looking at Tsuneo.
"I mentioned the Organization's already moving, right?"
"You mean that woman was…" Tsuneo grimaced.
Why'd they have to kill someone in the park I always go to?
Was it Gin's doing?
"Exactly. She had some ties to Pisco, and the Organization got to her before we did," Amuro said, shaking his head, clearly frustrated.
Whether it was Gin pulling the trigger or giving the order to another member, who knows.
"You didn't just come here to drop off cash, did you?" Tsuneo hefted the duffel bag, suddenly feeling it was heavier—maybe just his imagination.
"Nope, you're wrong this time. I don't have any jobs for you."
Amuro said that and turned to leave.
He'd changed his mind.
The choice of target, the location, and the timing—it all felt too complicated.
Of course, he wouldn't put it past Gin to wake up in a bad mood and pick a random target to take out.
Tsuneo had no idea what was going through the guy's head. He picked up the duffel bag and headed toward the other end of the alley.
To the repairman, Amuro wouldn't bring this up for no reason.
Stopping short at the crucial part—who knows why…
Still, this wasn't some hired hit.
The victim's connection to Pisco was probably covered up, so that famous detective might not find any leads.
"Hey!"
"What's that kid carrying?!"
As Tsuneo walked with his hood up, bag in hand, head down, a voice looking for trouble called out from behind.
"Money."
"Lots and lots of money."
Tsuneo smirked without turning, hefting the bag slightly, his tone laced with a hint of temptation.
"Hahaha!"
On the bar street, a few punks, clearly drunk, laughed loudly and stumbled toward him, muttering who-knows-what.
…
"See? I wasn't bluffing, was I?" Tsuneo crouched beside the only punk still conscious, asking with a grin.
You wanna trash-talk? Fine. But saying I'm bluffing? You're really asking for it!
"N-No way!" The punk, sprawled on the ground, stared at the heavily shrouded face, trembling, not daring to glance at the duffel bag stuffed with ten-thousand-yen bills.
This guy… This is the Dark Knight!
Who the hell led me over here?!
Following him into an alley like this—thanks a lot, my ancestors are rolling in their graves!
"Which school you from?" Tsuneo pulled out his vibrating phone, glanced at the caller ID, and casually asked the kid, who looked younger than the others and less like a seasoned thug.
"T-Teitan High, but I haven't been to school in over ten days," the kid stammered.
Tsuneo rejected the call and sent a quick text back.
"Get your butt back to school tomorrow. If I catch you again, you'd better be ready," the repairman said, standing up with the duffel bag.
"R-Ready…?" The kid shook even harder.
For some reason, things weren't going the way he'd expected.
"The waters of Tokyo Bay are pretty cold," Tsuneo said with a cold chuckle, tossing out a threat.
"Yes!"
"I got it!"
The kid's body stiffened as he watched Tsuneo walk away.
The bay's waters really are cold…
(End of Chapter)
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