Vodka nearly dropped his glass in sheer panic.
"Lord... Lord Caesar!"
He turned around stiffly. The shadows near the stairs seemed to ripple, and two tall figures stepped out, walking up together.
Chianti and Korn shifted their gaze toward them immediately.
Gin's long silver hair came into view first, his sharp face wearing its usual cold, deadly expression.
The man walking half a step behind him was the owner of that deep, smooth voice.
His hair was neatly swept back, though a few unruly white strands fell casually across his temples, catching the light like pearls. His black suit perfectly showcased his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His tie hung loosely around his neck as if it might unravel at any moment, giving him a thoroughly relaxed aura.
The most striking thing about him, however, was the solid black eye mask—exactly like the rumors described.
Chianti wondered if he could even see through it.
Yet, when he tilted his head slightly, everyone felt an uncanny sensation, as if their very souls were being seen right through.
Vodka scrambled to his feet, nearly biting his tongue in the process. "We... we were just discussing... uh, the details of the mission!"
Gojo hadn't actually heard any of Vodka's wildly embellished rumors. After all, he possessed the Six Eyes, not six ears.
But noticing the neon-bright anxiety radiating off Vodka, Gojo raised an eyebrow, entirely certain the man was lying. "Is that so?"
Vodka forced a smile. "Haha, yeah... absolutely..."
Just as Vodka was racking his brains for a way to divert Caesar's attention, Chianti threw him a lifeline.
"So, you're Caesar?"
The woman with the swallowtail butterfly tattoo over her left eye had somehow closed the distance, leaning in close to Gojo with immense curiosity.
Far from being intimidated by his crushing presence, her eyes held a wild, manic intensity—the exact look she got when locking onto a target through her sniper scope.
That was just how Chianti operated. The more dangerous something was, the more it thrilled her.
[Ding! Impression Points from story character Chianti increased by 500! Impression type: Charming.]
She stared him down without the slightest bit of restraint.
"Even without seeing your eyes, you really are a handsome one, aren't you? No wonder..." No wonder you're the Organization's top player.
Terrified that she might let something slip, Vodka quickly chimed in, "Chianti! Show some respect to Lord Caesar!"
Seeing these two codenamed members in the flesh, Gojo's eyes lit up behind his mask.
He had originally come here solely to harvest Vermouth's impression points, so this was a great bonus. He remembered Calvados mentioning that Chianti and Korn used to be his partners back in the States.
So these two wound up in Tokyo as well?
After mourning for the lonely Calvados for a split second, Gojo turned to the woman, a smooth smile playing on his lips. "Since it's our first time meeting, I'll gladly accept the compliment, Miss Chianti. Your tattoo has a lot of personality, too."
"Right? A man of taste."
Gojo raised a hand slightly, greeting the silent man sitting in the dim corner. "And this gentleman..."
"Korn."
Korn gave a brief nod, falling right back into silence after dropping his codename.
He wore a baseball cap that covered his short grey hair. With his prominent cheekbones, his face could have passed for twenty-five or thirty-five just as easily.
[Ding! Impression Points from story character Korn increased by 500! Impression type: Dangerous.]
Just like that, a cool thousand points were in the bag. This little trip was already paying off.
"So, want to go on a date with me?"
Chianti rested her chin in her hand, keeping things entirely direct. She liked men who looked powerful and dangerous—though anyone as freezing cold as Gin was out of the question. Finally running into someone so perfectly to her liking, she couldn't care less about his messy rumors.
"Oh? Straight to the point, aren't we~ But I'm afraid I'll have to pass."
The real Gojo didn't mind hanging out with cute girls from time to time or checking out popular dessert shops. But Chianti gave off the distinct vibe of a wild woman whose idea of a perfect date venue was a cemetery.
"Huh?"
Chianti never expected to lose so thoroughly on a rare occasion when she actually made the first move. "Why?"
Isn't this guy supposed to take all comers?
Gojo propped his chin up, putting on a thoughtful face while making things up on the fly. "Because your hair is too short. You're just not my type."
Chianti: "...I take back what I said about you having taste."
Gojo had no idea how wildly Vodka was misinterpreting his answer in his own head.
He doesn't like short hair? I get it now! Caesar is subtly confessing his feelings to the boss! Wow, he really is a master of the game. Brilliant move!
"Alright, enough with the small talk."
Gin interrupted with clear impatience, his dark green eyes scanning the group. "Where is the item?"
"Right here."
Korn reached into his collar, pulling out a small black USB drive and handing it over to Gin.
Still annoyed from being rejected, Chianti scoffed, "Be careful with that. The data on that drive is worth twenty million."
"Don't worry."
Gin inspected the drive before sliding it into his pocket, his tone turning sinister. "But if I find out there's any discrepancy, you're dead."
"And that's exactly why you'll never be popular with women, Gin."
Gin completely ignored her comment, turning around to walk over to the bar, the hem of his trench coat cutting a sharp arc through the air.
Meanwhile, Gojo had already made himself comfortable on a high barstool. Crossing his long legs, he held up a menu packed with liquor names, studying it intently.
Since they already had the drive and the nighttime transaction was still hours away, Gin was in no hurry. He decided to have a quick drink first.
The silver-haired man tapped his fingers twice against the marble counter, causing the bartender's spine to instantly straighten.
"Gin. On the rocks."
His voice sounded colder than the ice cubes in the glass.
"Drinking your namesake, Gin-chan?" Gojo cupped his face, letting out an amused gasp. "How adorable~"
A-Adorable?! Who? Gin? And what kind of ridiculous nickname is 'Gin-chan'?!
Chianti's mouth fell open. She wished she could go deaf on the spot.
"...Stop saying such childish things."
Gin was doing everything in his power to suppress the urge to cover this guy's mouth. He glanced at the menu in Gojo's hand, frowning. "You're ordering a drink too?"
Did this kid completely forget the lesson from last time?
Gojo pondered for a moment before turning to the bartender. "Do you have strawberry milkshakes?"
"Uh... my apologies, Mr. Caesar," the bartender replied carefully. "This is a bar, so I can only mix alcoholic drinks for you."
"Fuuine~" Gojo sighed with disappointment. Then, he held up a single finger. "A Florida Cocktail, then. No alcohol, and double the orange juice."
"You mean... the version with absolutely zero alcohol?"
The white-haired young man leaned against the bar like a lazy, oversized cat, tilting his head at him. "Is that an issue?"
"N-Not at all! Right away, sir!"
Gin's drink arrived first. The harsh, clear liquid swirled around the ice cubes, catching the dim light.
Gojo's Florida Cocktail, on the other hand, was a bright orange-red, complete with a tiny paper umbrella and a lemon slice on the rim. It looked incredibly sweet and completely out of place with his imposing, all-black outfit.
He took a sip through the straw, his eyes narrowing in pure satisfaction. "Not bad at all."
Chianti looked back and forth between him and Gin. "The two of you make quite a contrasting pair, don't you?"
"But really, Caesar... why are you drinking juice?"
"It's not juice~ It's a cocktail with some dignity left!" Gojo didn't give a straight answer, instead spinning his drink so the little paper umbrella twirled continuously. "If I get drunk, is Gin-chan going to carry me home?"
Gin let out a cold laugh. "I'll carry you straight to hell."
"How cruel—!" Gojo turned to Chianti, throwing his hands up. "See? That's why it's better if I don't drink."
[Ding! Impression Points from story character Chianti increased by 200!]
For some reason, Chianti was starting to get a feeling that Caesar's true personality was miles away from her initial impression. And the conversation that followed shattered her worldview entirely.
"Gin-chan~ Your drink looks so bitter, want a taste of mine?"
"No."
"Just one sip."
"Get lost."
"Oh, come on, stop being difficult. Open up~"
The entire bar went dead silent.
Vodka stared intently at his own shoes, while Korn subtly pulled the brim of his hat lower.
Chianti watched, her eyes wide with shock, as Caesar casually rested his arm across Gin's shoulders.
You've got to be kidding me. The last person who dared touch Gin like that probably has three-foot-high grass growing over their grave by now, right?
Yet, faced with such a familiar gesture, the man who usually kept everyone at a frozen distance merely let out a sharp click of his tongue. He didn't even swat the hand away.
Connecting this back to the rumors about Caesar liking both men and women, a sudden realization hit her.
No way... don't tell me even Gin has fallen for him?!
Hearing the continuous notifications of incoming impression points, the smile on Gojo's lips deepened. He was practically dripping with false innocence.
Back in the day, it was thanks to the boss's unintentional sacrifice that he managed to milk so many points out of Vodka. Now that these new marks hadn't built up an immunity yet, he had to cash in big time.
Korn noticed Chianti completely spiraling into her own thoughts and gave her sleeve a gentle tug. "We have a mission later... let's move out."
Chianti looked surprised. "What's the rush?"
It took Korn several long seconds before he managed to squeeze out three words. "Third wheeling them."
"..."
Chianti was highly reluctant to leave just as the gossip was getting good, debating whether she should linger a bit longer.
"Fine. The sooner we clear the target, the sooner we can grab dinner."
Besides, if things were truly the way she thought, and she kept playing the clueless third wheel... Gin might just give her a hard time on their next assignment.
Noticing the two of them moving, Gojo turned around. "You're heading out already?"
Chianti nodded, picking up her sniper rifle case which was cleverly disguised as a bass guitar bag.
"By the way, Caesar, your sniper skills are top-tier, right?" She waved at Gojo as she called out, "How about we hit the range for a proper duel sometime?"
"Sure thing~ But if you lose too badly, don't go crying and saying I bullied you," Gojo replied, swirling his cocktail with a sweet, teasing tone.
"Cut me some slack. The man who can make me cry hasn't even been born yet."
The leather of her pants made a soft rustling sound as she spun around. "Korn, let's go!"
"Right."
Gojo rested his chin in his hand, watching Chianti vanish down the stairs like a gust of wind. Korn packed up his heavy backpack full of weapons and prepared to follow, only to be caught completely off guard by a sudden comment:
"Hey, Korn, you were in such a rush to pull Chianti away... you were actually worried she might really be interested in me, weren't you?"
Hearing this, a distinct blush crept onto the quiet sniper's ears, his face heating up rapidly. Clearly, the shot had hit right on target.
"..."
Wow. I just threw a random guess out there, and you folded instantly? Gojo mentally facepalmed.
It was bad enough that he had to endure the constant romantic displays from the Class Leader and his girlfriend back at the academy every single day...
Why on earth was he running into strange couples to ship inside the Organization too!
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