The sudden drop in temperature felt like it had happened overnight.
Snow had started falling unexpectedly since last night.
Early that morning, Hayashi Yoshiki received a call from Amuro Tōru.
"Hello? Mr. Amuro?"
"You need to take a leave of absence? Did sothing happen?"
"…There's no other way? Fine. Miss Koshimizu is helping out at the agency anyway, so co back once you've taken care of things."
"Haha, if you're worried your spot won't be here when you return, then try to wrap it up quickly."
"Got it."
After hanging up, Hayashi Yoshiki smiled.
As expected, he managed to get ti off.
A mont later, Hayashi dialed another number.
"Miss Jodie."
"Mr. Hayashi?"
"Did you happen to receive a call from her?"
"One mont."
He heard so faint rustling from the other end of the line.
Perhaps Jodie was in a place where she couldn't speak freely. He could hear her walking. A mont later, her voice ca back:
"If you're talking about Rena Mizunashi, then yes... But I think she barely found the chance to call. The call was very short. Still, she said very clearly: 'The organization's new mber has already started moving. He's a specialist in intelligence gathering, observation, and analytical skills. Codena: Bourbon. Be careful.'"
"That matches the intel I received."
"Do you have any more detailed information on Bourbon?"
"…Please don't treat like I'm omniscient, Miss Jodie."
Hayashi Yoshiki chuckled before continuing: "Let's et on Saturday. I've compiled so information and will bring it with ."
"Alright. See you on Saturday then."
Saturday would be the day the FBI receives their little "gift."
After hanging up, Hayashi Yoshiki walked over to the balcony and gazed at the view outside.
The town of Beika, lightly blanketed in early winter snow, looked peaceful and serene.
Let's enjoy this calm… until the show begins.
"It's too cold over there, Mr. Hayashi…"
"Yeah… but your body is so warm, Reiko."
"Hehe~"
Pulling back the blanket, the incredibly seductive woman giggled softly as she slowly sat up.
"Are you heading to the agency?"
"No, I'll go later this afternoon," Hayashi replied.
"These next few days will be relaxing. Celebrate with , Reiko… Once this mission is over, my status will be even more solid."
"That's wonderful!"
Though she didn't understand exactly what he was referring to, it didn't stop Reiko Shimizu from feeling genuinely happy for him.
She looked at Hayashi as he turned around.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Nothing cos to mind at the mont… but I'll need you anyti, Reiko."
"Alright."
Reiko Shimizu obediently followed.
She watched him approach the wardrobe and quickly stepped over to help him get dressed.
—
anwhile, Jodie Starling stepped out of the bathroom.
She had arranged to et with Hayashi Yoshiki to discuss so materials he had obtained during an investigation into the true culprit behind an incident.
She was hiding this eting from Jas.
—Because Hayashi didn't trust Jas, and to uncover the culprit and avenge Shuichi Akai, Jodie had no choice but to secretly work with Hayashi.
Still, she hoped that Hayashi would one day co to understand Jas.
Notably, she had recently been tailing a certain spy on their watchlist and had already planted a listening device in his study.
However, until today, she hadn't picked up anything suspicious.
But that afternoon, sothing unexpected happened.
Jas's expression changed dramatically when he received a call from one of his agents.
"What is it?"
"…It's from Dart," Jas said in disbelief. "He claims to have spotted soone resembling Akai in front of the Beika TV Station."
"What!?"
Jodie jumped to her feet.
Her eyes locked onto Jas's phone. "Where? When!?"
"Around 2:30 PM, on the street right outside Nichiuri TV."
"I'm going to find him!"
"Wait, Jodie!"
Jas stopped her as she was about to rush out the door toward the TV station.
He was going to warn her it might be a trap from the Organization, but when he saw how desperate and shaken she looked, he swallowed his words.
"…I'll go with you."
Jodie didn't object.
They got in the car imdiately. Knowing Jodie's urgency, Jas floored the accelerator toward Nichiuri TV.
Jas hadn't revealed Shuichi Akai's death to the other agents.
He only told them that Akai might be involved in sothing more important.
As a result, the agent who reported the sighting didn't take any further action.
Speeding through the streets, Jas's car soon arrived near the TV station.
But finding one person on such a wide street wasn't easy. They circled the reported area once, but found nothing.
Then Jodie noticed a security cara at the entrance of a nearby shop.
They had to sweet-talk and beg several shop owners before finally retrieving footage from a cara in front of a print shop.
Back in the car, a visibly emotional Jodie transferred the video to her laptop.
She extracted the key fra and zood in.
There—just as they suspected—stood a familiar figure.
A man with a cold expression, wearing a baseball cap, with a clearly burned right cheek…
Because of the low resolution, even zooming in didn't provide much detail. Still, Jodie was visibly shaken.
"Could it really be him?"
"But… if he's alive, why hasn't he contacted us?"
Her mind was spinning.
Jas pushed his glasses up.
"We can't rule out the possibility that this is another trap. Don't forget what happened at the hospital. We've been fooled once already."
He was referring to the ti Vermouth had disguised herself as the hospital director at Haido Central Hospital.
Jodie understood.
But after finally seeing a sliver of hope, she could only pray it was real.
—After all, she had always believed Shuichi Akai wasn't the kind of man to die so easily.
"I'll have soone investigate this lead quietly. But Jodie—please don't act recklessly."
"…I understand."
Jodie forced herself to calm down.
She checked the ti.
Saturday was just three days away.
She hoped that Hayashi Yoshiki would bring more useful information then.
anwhile, Jas hesitated.
Should he contact Rum and ask whether Shuichi Akai was truly dead?
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