February 7th, 7:49 AM.
Inside the side entrance of Meisen Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., two security guards with heavy dark circles under their eyes yawned tiredly. In just eleven more minutes, they'd finally be able to switch shifts with the morning crew.
But then, someone knocked on the side door.
The two guards immediately straightened up and walked over to the security monitor, only to discover that the person standing outside was Rei from the Intelligence Division. He had visited the research facility twice before with Ritsu, though back then they had only stopped by the cafeteria for a quick meal before leaving.
Naturally, they couldn't afford to be disrespectful to a codename member. They hurriedly opened the door and said politely,
"Bourbon-san, may we ask why you've come—"
Rei cut him off with a dark expression. "I'm here to pick something up. Take me to Sherry."
The guards exchanged awkward looks and forced out uneasy smiles.
"Um, Bourbon-san, the laboratory isn't accessible to every codename member. We'll need to—"
"Macallan is dead."
"Huh?"
"Macallan is dead. I'm here to take his cat."
A chilling coldness filled those grayish-purple eyes as Rei forced himself to stay patient, gritting out each word,
"Is. That. A. Problem?"
'Macallan-san was dead?!'
The news hit them like a bombshell. The two guards looked at each other before reluctantly stepping aside with a gesture inviting him in.
If he was only taking a cat, then there shouldn't be an issue.
Under the guards' guidance, Rei arrived before the iron door near Laboratory No. 5. He entered the password Ritsu had told him long ago. Since Ritsu had moved out quite some time ago, the room could now be accessed with only the code.
"Meow~"
'So this was the charcoal-black cat Ritsu once said was "fat as a little pig"? It honestly didn't look that bad.'
Though with all its fur standing on end, it was clearly very hostile toward him.
Rei crouched down and extended his hand. Resting in his palm was Kurotan's favorite goat milk pudding. Curling his lips into a gentle smile, he softly said,
"Kurotan, come home with me."
"Meow! Mrow!!"
Was it rejecting him?
This poor little thing still didn't know… Its owner was never coming back.
"Will you come home with me?"
Kurotan suddenly lunged forward and bit hard into his finger, but Rei didn't care in the slightest. As though remembering something, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bloodstained ring.
"This still carries your owner's scent. I won't hurt you… so will you come with me now, Kurotan?"
As if it could understand him, Kurotan cautiously stepped closer and sniffed the ring. Perhaps recognizing its owner's scent, it stuck out its tiny tongue and tried to lick away the dried bloodstains.
Rei hurriedly stopped it and patiently asked again, "Will you come home with me now?"
"Meow…"
Kurotan stopped resisting and obediently curled up in Rei's arms. Its drooping ears made its unhappiness obvious. Who would've thought this cat could be so perceptive?
Carrying Kurotan in his arms, Rei headed outside.
As he passed Laboratory No. 5, the heavy door slowly opened.
Shiho, dressed in a white lab coat, had just finished an all-night experiment and was about to return to her room to rest when she noticed the unfamiliar blond man holding Kurotan. Frowning slightly, she coldly asked,
"Where are you taking him?"
Rei paused and looked down at the brown-haired girl before him.
'So this was Miyano Shiho?'
She looked more mature than in the ID photo he'd seen before. And unlike when they were children, she no longer resembled her sister very much.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Bourbon from the Intelligence Division."
"I asked where you're taking him. That's my cat."
The corners of his lips curled upward. Right now, he looked exactly like a villain.
Although Rei knew the girl before him was that man's daughter, he had absolutely no intention of backing down when it came to Kurotan's custody.
What surprised him was that Shiho's observational skills were quite sharp. She quickly noticed the ring on his hand.
"Why do you have Macallan's ring?"
"You're supposed to be smart, aren't you? Guess."
"..."
The ring stained with blood.
The fact that he was even taking Kurotan away.
Did that mean—
Shiho refused to continue the thought. Clenching her fists tightly, she stared at Rei. Without even realizing it herself, her voice trembled as she asked,
"What… happened to him?"
"He's dead." Rei let out a soft laugh as he stroked Kurotan in his arms.
"He was killed by your sister's wonderful boyfriend. Here's a little bonus tip for you, that Rye guy was an FBI undercover agent."
Her eyes lost focus.
All the strength drained from Shiho's body as she staggered backward against the wall, barely managing to support herself.
'Macallan was dead? Killed by her sister's boyfriend? And the man codenamed Rye was actually FBI?!'
For Shiho, it was a double fatal blow.
The person who killed Ritsu was connected to her sister, and the reason that undercover agent had been allowed into the Organization in the first place was because of her sister. Given the Organization's methods, her sister was in danger.
And there was nothing she could do.
The only person willing to reach out a hand to help the two sisters, was already dead.
"…How could this happen? How could he die?"
Shiho simply couldn't believe it. She could still hear his blunt, tactless voice calling her "Shorty," could still remember the sensation of him ruffling her hair with his hand…
Someone as strong as him, why would he die?
She couldn't understand it. Nor could she accept it.
Without looking back, Rei walked out of the research facility. Carefully placing Kurotan into the passenger seat, he took out a rope he had prepared beforehand, threaded the ring onto it, and tied it around Kurotan's neck before gently stroking its fur.
"From now on, Kurotan will live with me. That'll put your mind at ease, right?"
"Meow…"
"Kurotan, make sure you protect this ring well, okay? It was something very important to your owner."
"Meow!"
He couldn't remember exactly when it happened.
Only that it was one night.
After finishing a mission, the two of them had stood beneath the night sky, letting the wind blow past them as they stared up at the stars, looking forward to the future while fearing it at the same time.
He couldn't even remember who started it first.
He only remembered that the two of them had made verbal wills together that night.
—
"If I die while I have a girlfriend, then give all the money under the identity of Sasajima Ritsu to her. But if I die single, then after you finish taking down the Organization, donate all of it."
"Doesn't that sound like you're cursing yourself to stay single forever? Though honestly, it's hard to imagine you dating anyone."
"Shut up already! But if I die before you, and the mission still isn't finished, don't come see me and don't think about me either. It'll affect you, got it? Also—and this is only if—remember to drink a few extra bottles of Calpis for me."
"Idiot! I'm not letting you die. We're both going to make it back safely. Hiro and the others are still waiting for us."
"I said if! And if I'm the one who goes first, remember to look after my Kurotan at the lab—the black cat I picked up. I may not be much of a cat owner, but there's no way I'm leaving him out of my will."
—
'If you hadn't said those things back then… If you hadn't made those wills… Would things have turned out differently, Ritsu?'
The white RX-7 FC3S slowly came to a stop in front of an apartment building in Asao Ward, Kawasaki City. Rei glanced toward the black-and-white Ford GT40 parked in the neighboring space.
'You lost your owner too.'
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