"The taste is good." Gin raised an eyebrow slightly, nodding in unexpected praise. "Another one with the same level of spiciness."
Vodka quickly shut his mouth, sitting down with a gloomy expression and continuing to eat his pork cutlet rice.
He only then remembered that his cold-faced大哥 (big brother) had a particular fondness for spicy food; he really had been too talkative just now.
Hayashi Shuichi, though surprised, still went to grill the chicken skewers for Gin as requested.
Sharon was full of surprise; she hadn't expected Gin to have such a unique hobby.
While Hayashi Shuichi went to get the ingredients, Sharon leaned slightly forward and quietly questioned with dissatisfaction, "How did you find this place?"
"You drove an unfamiliar car back to the pharmaceutical base." Gin glanced at her coldly. "We naturally had to investigate."
"You were following me?" Sharon gritted her teeth in annoyance, a flash of anger crossing her delicate face.
"This is also to ensure the safety of the base," Gin said as if it were a matter of course. "If you have an issue, you can go talk to Pisco."
Sharon huffed a cold snort in displeasure. That old geezer Pisco was the master of pulling rank. If she went to confront him, nine times out of ten, he would lecture her like an elder again. Just thinking about it was tiresome.
At this moment, seeing Hayashi Shuichi return with the chicken skewers, the two once again fell silent.
Sharon finished the rest of her beer in one gulp. She had intended to leave, but she was afraid Gin and Vodka would cause trouble for Hayashi Shuichi. She could only suppress her annoyance and impatience, waving at Mouri Kogoro, who wasn't far away: "Kid, another bottle of beer!"
Hayashi Shuichi didn't want Gin to see that he was familiar with Vermouth, so he pretended to be a stranger and didn't stop her as before.
Sharon then drank alone, glass after glass.
Her eyes gradually became hazy, and two blushes appeared on her cheeks. Her already enchanting face became even more captivating under the lights.
Gin glanced at Sharon. When he had followed her here earlier, he had indeed wondered why his colleague, a famous star, would eat at such a small shop.
After all, during their interactions these past few days, Sharon's every need, from clothing to food and accommodation, had always been of the highest standard. She wore designer clothes, ate expensive meals, stayed in top hotels, and drove luxury sports cars.
It was clearly too abnormal for such a person accustomed to luxury to suddenly come to a small street-side shop to eat.
After Sharon entered the izakaya, Gin and Vodka checked the surroundings. After confirming there were no issues, they stepped inside.
Now, Gin had lowered most of his guard.
This izakaya had clearly been open for a long time. The tables, chairs, and utensils were old, and the wooden tabletops were covered with traces of time.
Furthermore, both the chef and the waiter in the shop were underage kids, and the food did taste good.
Even if Sharon was hiding a secret, it was absolutely impossible for it to be here.
She was probably just in a bad mood and simply found a small shop on the street to drink.
As Gin thought this, he forgot that he himself was also a kid roughly the same age as Hayashi Shuichi and his friends.
With his guard down, Gin used a fork to pick up a piece of charcoal-grilled veal short rib and put it in his mouth. The tender meat, when chewed, released an enticing aroma.
He was hesitating whether to ask the chef to add some chili powder when the izakaya's door curtain rustled.
The next moment, seven burly men with cherry blossom badges on their chests walked in.
"大哥 (Big brother), it's the police..." Vodka instantly tensed up, dropping his chopsticks and nervously reaching for his waist.
Gin glanced at Vermouth, who was completely unfazed and still drinking beer. He quickly elbowed his subordinate, a warning in his eyes: "Eat."
He had followed Vermouth earlier only because he was worried she might make secret moves out of defiance toward Pisco, affecting the organization's operations in Tokyo. He had never suspected that Vermouth would side with the police and betray the boss.
After all, given her relationship with the boss, even if she did choose to betray him, the police might not even believe her.
Hayashi Shuichi, standing behind the counter, also felt a bit numb inside.
He hadn't expected Inspector Samezaki and his team to come to the izakaya to eat today.
Vodka's movement of reaching for his waist just now had not escaped Hayashi Shuichi's eyes.
Gin and Vodka clearly both carried firearms.
Although private legal gun ownership was permitted in Japan, it was strictly regulated, and these two guys, no matter how you looked at them, did not meet the standards for legal gun ownership.
If Inspector Samezaki and his team found out, the izakaya would immediately turn into a shootout.
Moreover, if a fight really broke out, the seven police officers, including Inspector Samezaki, would very likely not be a match for Gin and Vodka.
Thinking of this, a layer of fine sweat broke out on Hayashi Shuichi's forehead.
They absolutely couldn't let them fight in the shop!
"Business is getting better and better, there are even foreign customers,"
Inspector Samezaki, who hadn't noticed anything unusual, glanced at Sharon. He then sat down at the bar with Officer Matsumoto and Inspector Megure. The remaining four police officers also found tables and sat down.
"Same as usual, bring us something filling first. We've been busy all day."
"There's some curry rice," Hayashi Shuichi said, preparing to serve it.
Inspector Samezaki looked around in confusion: "Where's Fujimine? Why are you the only chef today?"
"Yukiko went to report to the film set," Hayashi Shuichi explained with a smile. "For the next few months, I'll be the only chef in the izakaya."
"What? That girl is really going to be an actress?" Officer Matsumoto exclaimed. "Hayashi-kun, next time she's back, help me get an autograph from her. When she becomes famous, her autograph will surely be priceless."
Hayashi Shuichi nodded while asking in surprise, "Officer Matsumoto, are you really short on money? I never noticed before."
"I used to get by," Officer Matsumoto sighed glumly, a helpless expression on his face. "This year, my daughter started school, and expenses suddenly shot up. Money is needed everywhere."
"Officer Matsumoto, you're married?" Mouri Kogoro, who was pouring tea for the three, asked in surprise.
"Is there anything strange about me being married?" Officer Matsumoto glared unhappily, his fierce expression immediately making Mouri Kogoro quickly shake his head: "No, not strange."
Tsk tsk, even someone with such a fierce face can get married. His wife must be unattractive, unable to get married, which is why she married Officer Matsumoto...
"Haha, when Matsumoto was dating, we were all surprised too."
Inspector Samezaki looked at Mouri Kogoro's expression, seemingly guessing his thoughts, and patted Officer Matsumoto's shoulder with a smile.
"Mrs. Matsumoto is a school teacher and very beautiful. Their daughter, Sayuri, is also a very cute child..."
(End of Chapter)
-------------------------------
I've posted 40+ chapters on Patreon so far.
If you've been enjoying the story and want to catch up with the latest parts, here's the link:
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your continued support.