A black car was parked beneath a towering building.
Two n dressed in black stepped out and, without drawing attention, took the elevator straight to the upper floors.
Thomas Schindler was already waiting.
When he saw the two n—both clearly dangerous—he didn't dare say a word. With hesitant, trembling steps, he led them to a nearby door.
Click.
He unlocked it and said softly:
"Co out, Hiroki. Your escorts are here."
"..."
Hiroki Sawada glanced at him, eyes calm but unreadable. Without a word, he stepped forward.
After confirming his identity, the two n said coldly, "Hiroki Sawada. Co with us."
"Understood."
Hiroki followed obediently.
As he walked away with the two n in black, Thomas Schindler watched him silently. The words wouldn't co.
So things only grow more terrifying the longer you stare at them.
After learning of the Organization's power and the horrifying things it was capable of, Thomas Schindler abandoned any thought of resistance. He was, after all, just a businessman.
The two n took Hiroki and left quietly.
The car engine purred as they drove through the city. One of the n in the passenger seat pulled out his phone.
"Hiroki Sawada has been retrieved. We're en rou—"
CRASH!
A sudden shatter of glass.
The windshield fractured instantly, spiderwebbing with cracks. The man with the phone's head jerked back violently—then slumped to one side, lifeless. A single bloody hole marred the center of his forehead.
The driver didn't even have ti to react before another bullet punched through his skull.
"Hello? Hello?!"
A confused voice ca from the phone, which had fallen into the seat, still connected.
Two bullets. Two shooters. Less than two seconds. Two lives were extinguished.
Hiroki realized the two were dead a mont too late.
In a dark bar—
It was still early. There are no custors yet. No drinks poured.
Chianti stood near the dartboard, squinting with one eye. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a dart flying.
Thwack.
It landed dead center.
"With that computer genius joining us... heh, I can't even imagine what the Organization will beco," she said, voice laced with amusent.
Vodka looked a bit excited.
As a tech-savvy mber of the group, he knew how terrifying Hiroki Sawada was. The boy had created Noah's Ark, after all. A lone genius capable of changing the world.
Gin, however, said nothing. He was flipping through a newspaper in front of him.
Nearby, a juicer buzzed loudly for a mont before falling silent. Cohen poured the contents into a glass.
"Want one?" he asked Hayashi Yoshiki.
"Is it tomato juice?"
"That's right."
"Then sure, I'll have a glass."
Cohen poured him a cup of thick red liquid and set it down. As Hayashi Yoshiki took a sip, Cohen asked nonchalantly:
"How sweet is it?"
"A little sweet, but not bad," Yoshiki replied with a cheerful smile.
"Hmm."
Cohen wasn't the talkative type. But he could tell Yoshiki had sothing on his mind. After a pause, he gave in and asked:
"Working on a new book?"
"Of course, I've got ideas—but I'm not starting just yet."
"...I've even thought of a title."
"..."
"...Cointreau. Do you have a grudge against Schindler?"
Hayashi Yoshiki blinked, montarily caught off guard by the blunt question. Gin looked up from his paper.
Several articles discussed the mysterious deaths of certain newspaper editors.
Ever since it ca to light that Thomas Schindler was the descendant of a killer, the sudden deaths of those who'd criticized him only strengthened public suspicion—was Schindler eliminating witnesses?
The police were now actively pursuing him.
"No," Yoshiki said, still smiling. "Actually, I'm grateful to Mr. Schindler. He gave a very generous paynt for that article."
But...—he chuckled—"Those newspaper editors? They had it coming. I'll take this opportunity to clean house."
Had it coming...
Vodka suddenly recalled that ti when Hayashi Yoshiki was publicly defad due to remarks from Beniko Suo. If mory served, those editors-in-chief were the very sa ones.
Trash tabloids. Always sensationalizing tragedy. When Hayashi Yoshiki had been sared, they'd pounced like vultures.
Gin let out a low chuckle.
As far as the Organization was concerned, Thomas Schindler was worthless now—especially after he dared to use Noah's Ark to investigate them. His fate was sealed.
Vodka swallowed hard.
So... it really is a grudge?
But—wasn't Yoshiki slandered? And wasn't the fallout basically non-existent? He'd smiled his way through it all... hadn't he?
Yet here he was, coolly eliminating those responsible—just because he could.
What about ...? Vodka's heart thudded. I nearly killed him once... didn't I?
The more he thought about it, the paler he beca. His throat felt parched. Looking at Hayashi Yoshiki, sothing inside him twisted with unease.
Cointreau's the kind of guy who smiles sweetly... while plotting your death.
"C-Cointreau..." Vodka croaked.
"Hm?"
"Well, uh... I..."
Yoshiki turned to him with a gentle smile.
But to Vodka, those eyes—so serene—hid sothing else. Sothing cold. Ruthless. Final.
The red tomato juice in his hand now looked thick, dark... bloody.
"What is it, Mr. Vodka?" Yoshiki asked pleasantly.
"——!"
"Sothing you wanted to say?"
Just as Vodka opened his mouth, Gin's phone rang.
At first, Gin answered calmly—but then his expression twisted into rage. His dark green eyes narrowed with murderous fury.
"What did you say?!"
Everyone turned to him in alarm.
He slamd the phone down, his face a mask of cold fury.
"What happened, Gin?" Chianti asked, surprised.
"That idiot Pinga...!"
Gin's voice was like ice. He glared at his phone as if he could burn a hole through it.
He had just received an update from Rum:
The two agents sent to retrieve Hiroki Sawada had been killed.
Hiroki was missing.
——Pinga's assignnt.
The man had always been hostile to Gin, desperate to surpass him in status. Fearing Gin would steal the credit, Binga had secretly sent his own subordinates to retrieve Hiroki.
And now—this disaster.
Under normal circumstances, Gin might've laughed. But knowing how important Hiroki Sawada was to the Organization, even he couldn't stay calm.
"There's work to do."
His tone was murderous.
"Find Hiroki Sawada. Now."
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