Under Kanjuro's invisible but heavy pressure, Vermouth operated the encrypted terminal with slightly trembling fingers. With the passage of authorization and iris verification, an electronic file labeled "Miyano Elena - Top Secret" was retrieved and presented on the cold screen.
Kanjuro stepped forward, his gaze like a torch as he quickly browsed the information that had been sealed by the organization for many years. Akemi Miyano and Ai Haibara also held their breath in tension—especially Ai Haibara, whose ice-blue eyes stared intently at the screen as if she wanted to engrave every single word into her mind.
Soon, Kanjuro's gaze stopped on the 'Kinship' column. A cold, expected sneer curled at the corner of his mouth, and he then read the contents aloud in a clear and calm voice:
"Miyano Elena... and Koji Miyano, biological relationship confirmed—biological siblings."
"What?!"
Ai Haibara felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She staggered back, the color draining from her face and her mind going blank. The people she had always thought were her parents were actually... siblings?! How could this be?! This completely overturned her understanding of her own origin, and a strong sense of absurdity and nausea welled up in her heart.
In contrast, after a brief moment of shock, a look of almost fanatical admiration and relief appeared on Akemi Miyano's face. She immediately turned to Kanjuro, her eyes gleaming with a twisted light, her tone full of admiration:
"As expected... nothing can be hidden from Father! You are truly amazing! I knew that only you could uncover all the truth! I love you most, Father!" Her reaction had already been completely domesticated by Kanjuro; any "truth" revealed by Kanjuro, no matter how shocking, seemed natural to her.
Watching her sister like that, Ai Haibara felt a huge sense of powerlessness and sadness. She opened her mouth but found she didn't even have the strength to argue anymore.
Meanwhile, Vermouth's delicate frame shuddered violently when she heard Akemi Miyano's crisp "Father"! She looked at Kanjuro in disbelief, then at the Miyano sisters, and finally her gaze returned to Kanjuro's incredibly handsome face that seemed eternally young.
A terrifying thought flashed through her mind like lightning—
Eternal youth... possessing such formidable power... even making Gin submit... the Miyano sisters calling him father... could it be... he is just like 'That Person'?!
The thought made her skin crawl, and cold sweat instantly drenched her back. She didn't dare think further and quickly lowered her head to hide the horror in her eyes.
Kanjuro ignored the reactions of those around him. His fingers continued to slide across the screen, finally stopping at the "Incident Handling Record" section of the file. His eyes sharpened, and his voice carried a hint of cold amusement:
"The person with the highest authority responsible for the follow-up and information sealing of Miyano Elena's 'Laboratory Fire' incident... the records show it's Rum."
It really was him!
Kanjuro slowly raised his head, his gaze falling like a physical weight on Vermouth, who was trying her best to minimize her presence. His gaze was calm, yet carried an unquestionable command:
"Vermouth," he called. His voice wasn't loud, but it made Vermouth's heart skip a beat.
"Now, immediately, help me contact Rum."
"Tell him that Kanjuro... wants to see him."
"Now?!" Vermouth cried out in shock. Contacting that mysterious number two of the Organization, whom even she had to revere? And in such an almost commanding, even provocative manner?
"Do you have an objection?" Kanjuro raised an eyebrow slightly. His tone was still flat, but that invisible pressure instantly intensified several times, making it difficult for Vermouth to breathe.
Gin added coldly from the side, "Do as Mr. Kanjuro says." His stance was already clear.
Looking at the insurmountable situation before her and into Kanjuro's bottomless eyes, Vermouth knew she had no choice. She grit her teeth, took a deep breath, and tried to keep her voice steady:
"...I understand. I will try to contact him through an emergency encrypted channel. But I cannot guarantee if or when he will respond."
"You only need to deliver the message," Kanjuro said nonchalantly, as if whether or when Rum responded was a trivial matter. "Tell him it's about Miyano Elena, and... whether he wants to experience what it's like to converse with an existence on the same level as 'That Person'."
Kanjuro deliberately and vaguely mentioned "That Person," which undoubtedly dropped a bombshell in Vermouth's heart and precisely poked at the point Rum might care about most.
Vermouth's face grew even paler. She said no more, walked to the side, and began operating an independent, older-looking encrypted communication device. She knew that once this call was made, regardless of the outcome, it would completely change the layout of the Organization and might even... stir up an unpredictable storm.
Kanjuro waited leisurely, as if he were the true master of this Organization and Rum was merely a subordinate to be summoned. The atmosphere in the archive room became incredibly heavy and tense due to this impending, cross-level conversation.
Under Kanjuro's invisible pressure, Vermouth's fingers trembled as she dialed the rarely used encrypted channel. The moment the connection was made, even through the speaker, one could feel a calm and extremely oppressive aura coming from the other side.
"Vermouth?" A processed, deep, and slightly strange male voice came through; it was Rum. "What matter requires the use of this channel?" His tone carried a hint of displeasure at being disturbed and an innate alertness.
Vermouth was about to speak and convey what Kanjuro had said earlier, but Kanjuro gently raised his hand to stop her. He shook his head at Vermouth and silently commanded with his mouth: Just ask for his location.
Vermouth instantly understood Kanjuro's intention—he didn't want to alert the enemy and didn't want Rum to have any time to prepare. She took a deep breath, forced down the alarm in her heart, and said into the communicator in as natural a tone as possible:
"Rum, it's me. Nothing special, I just wanted to confirm your current safe location. Lately... things have been a bit tight outside." This excuse was reasonable; as core members of the Organization, confirming safe houses or hidden locations with each other was a common occurrence.
There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if Rum was judging the truth of Vermouth's words. After a few seconds, Rum's processed voice sounded again, carrying a hint of undetectable arrogance and confidence in his own disguise:
"I'm in Tokyo. Just passing the time at a small sushi restaurant." He hadn't completely let down his guard, but he was clearly extremely conceited about his disguise.
"A sushi restaurant?" Vermouth followed up, her gaze looking at Kanjuro for further instructions.
Kanjuro nodded slightly.
Vermouth understood and continued in a tone that carried a bit of laziness and concern (faked), "Oh? Which shop? Maybe I should find a place to lay low too." She skillfully proposed the intention of "meeting."
Rum seemed to give a light chuckle, which sounded somewhat eerie through the voice changer: "When you arrive, I will naturally recognize you. The specific location... Beika Town 5-Chome, Iroha Sushi Restaurant. The Shamisen Sushi Rolls here taste quite authentic."
Beika Iroha Sushi Restaurant!
A seemingly ordinary location full of everyday life was actually the hiding place of the Organization's mysterious number two, Rum!
"Understood," Vermouth stabilized her voice. "Then I'll come by to disturb you later."
The communication was cut.
Silence filled the archive room. Everyone had heard the address.
Gin and Vodka looked at each other, both seeing the gravity in the other's eyes. They knew Rum's cunning and danger; going directly to his door was no different from entering a dragon's lair or a tiger's den.
Akemi Miyano leaned closely against Kanjuro, her eyes filled only with absolute trust in her "Father."
Ai Haibara's heart jumped into her throat. Rum... the person who might know the final truth about her mother was in that sushi restaurant! She both longed to know the answer and feared facing an existence that even Gin was wary of.
On Kanjuro's face, however, appeared an almost pleasant smile. He liked this feeling of dragging an opponent hidden behind the scenes out of the shadows step by step.
"Iroha Sushi Restaurant... sounds like a nice place," Kanjuro said softly, as if he were really just going to taste sushi.
He glanced at Vermouth, his tone unquestionable: "You, come with us."
Then, his gaze swept over Gin, Vodka, and the Miyano sisters.
"Let's go," he turned first and walked out of the archive room, his pace leisurely and unhurried.
"Let's go meet this...'senior' who likes to make sushi."
His back, under the dim light of the archive room, looked incredibly tall and upright, yet also incredibly dangerous. A collision concerning the Organization's core secrets and past grievances was about to unfold in an ordinary sushi restaurant. And Kanjuro was the one holding the key, ready to force open Pandora's box. He not only wanted to uncover the mystery of Miyano Elena but also wanted to see how much of a splash this so-called number two of the Organization could make before him.
The black Porsche started up again, carrying the group with their various thoughts toward that seemingly peaceful Iroha Sushi Restaurant in Beika Town. The target—Rum. The purpose—the truth, and... total conquest. Outside the car window, the night in Tokyo grew darker, as if foretelling the coming storm. In Kanjuro's eyes, there was only the coldness and anticipation of a hunter locking onto his prey.
Just as Vermouth was about to lead everyone to the parking lot to set off for Rum, Kanjuro's footsteps paused slightly. His perception, sharp to a terrifying degree, caught a gaze cast from the side-rear—one that was trying its best to hide but still carried fear and scrutiny.
Kanjuro slowly turned around, his gaze like a precise searchlight, instantly locking onto the man with dark skin and pale blonde hair in the shadow of a nearby pillar—Bourbon.
Bourbon clearly hadn't expected Kanjuro to suddenly look at him. Caught off guard, he met Kanjuro's bottomless eyes directly. His whole body stiffened, and his usual cynical, faked smile instantly froze, a trace of undeniable panic flashing through his eyes. He subconsciously wanted to look away, but his body felt as if it were pinned to the spot by an invisible force.
Kanjuro looked at him without much expression, simply raising his hand slightly to signal him to come over.
Bourbon's heart sank abruptly, and an ominous premonition washed over him like ice water from the top of his head. He suppressed his heartbeat, which was almost bursting out of his chest, and forced a natural, respectful smile onto his face, walking over with steps that looked composed but were actually somewhat stiff.
"I wonder what... Mr. Kanjuro wants with me?" Bourbon's (Toru Amuro's) voice remained as steady as possible, but a subtle tremor still betrayed his inner tension. The pressure this man exerted on him was too great, far exceeding any dangerous figure he had encountered in his undercover career.
Kanjuro did not answer immediately. He just quietly sized up Bourbon, his gaze seemingly able to pierce through the skin and look directly at the deepest secrets of his soul. This silent scrutiny was more suffocating than any interrogation.
A few seconds later, Kanjuro sighed softly. That sigh was very light, yet it made everyone present, especially Gin and Bourbon, tense up.
Kanjuro turned his head to look at the solemn-faced Gin beside him and said in a flat tone, as if stating that "the weather is nice today":
"Gin, this man is a traitor in your organization. Deal with it."
"What?!"
Gin's pupils constricted sharply as he snapped his gaze toward Bourbon, an expression of disbelief appearing on his face for the first time. Bourbon was a traitor?! How was that possible?! He had been undercover for years, possessed outstanding abilities, and had even gained some appreciation from That Person, never showing a single flaw! How did Kanjuro know?
...0
The color drained from Bourbon's face instantly, but he was, after all, an elite undercover agent who had undergone rigorous training. Under extreme shock and fear, he instead burst forth with incredible adaptability. He feigned composure, even adding a hint of indignant anger at being wronged:
"Mr. Kanjuro! What do you mean by this? My loyalty to the organization can be witnessed by heaven and earth! You cannot slander me out of thin air..."
"The reason is simple."
Kanjuro interrupted him, his voice still flat but carrying an irrefutable certainty.
"The way he looks at me..."
Kanjuro's gaze fell once more on Bourbon's purple-gray eyes, which were struggling to maintain composure.
"It's exactly the same as the way those police officers look at me. That kind of scrutiny hidden under fear and obedience—wanting to investigate, analyze, and even... find weaknesses. This is a professional habit etched into the bones; it cannot be faked."
The reason sounded almost absurd. Just because of a look?!
But in the face of Kanjuro's absolute power and insight, this absurd reason carried a strange, unquestionable persuasiveness.
"Search him," Kanjuro signaled to Gin, his tone brook no argument.
Although Gin was still shocked internally, he had already developed a reflex-like obedience to Kanjuro's orders. He stepped forward, his cold gaze locking onto Bourbon as he barked, "Don't move!"
Alarm bells rang in Bourbon's mind; he knew he was carrying something that absolutely could not be exposed! He subconsciously wanted to resist, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught Kanjuro's seemingly casual yet lethal gaze, as if he could crush his throat at any moment, along with the predatory stares of Vodka and Vermouth. The thought of resistance was instantly suppressed. Before Kanjuro, any resistance was futile and would only lead to a faster death.
Gin's movements were rough and swift as he searched Bourbon thoroughly. When his hand touched an extremely well-hidden compartment on the side of Bourbon's undershirt, Bourbon's body went completely stiff.
Gin pulled out a micro-storage chip as thin as a cicada's wing and smaller than a fingernail, along with a specially-made ID card folded very small.
Gin inserted the chip into the portable reader he carried with him, quickly browsing through the encrypted information (his clearance was enough to crack parts of it), and then unfolded the ID card—it clearly bore Bourbon's real photo, along with his name and affiliated agency:
Name: Furuya Rei
Affiliation: Public Security Police Agency
"Furuya Rei... Public Security..." Gin's voice was like ice from the deepest abyss, filled with the cold fury of being fooled and a chilling killing intent. He suddenly raised his gun, pressing it hard against Bourbon's forehead! "You really are a rat! Damned Public Security police!"
Identity completely exposed!
Bourbon (Furuya Rei) closed his eyes, his face showing a complex expression of despair and relief. He had failed... In the face of a monster that could not be measured by common sense, all his disguises and efforts were like snow under the sun, melting so quickly and thoroughly.
Vermouth gasped, looking at Bourbon in disbelief. Akemi Miyano and Shiho Miyano also watched the scene in shock; an undercover agent from Public Security had actually been lurking in the core area of the organization all this time!
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