Gin couldn't care less about the personal drama of his fellow organization members. He simply tilted his head back and downed the rest of his drink in one go.
As the harsh liquid burned down his throat, his eyes narrowed slightly, landing on the white-haired youth beside him.
Even after Korn had followed Chianti out the door, Gojo was still slowly sipping his colorful drink, looking so entirely at ease that he might as well have been lounging on a sunny beach.
"Taking this long just to finish a glass of juice. You're really no different from a primary schooler."
"Come on now~ I told you already, it's not juice." Gojo spoke with absolute seriousness. "Apologize to all the mocktails across the globe this instant!"
Vodka sat nearby, stealing glances at his boss and Caesar "flirting" back and forth, endlessly debating whether he should make up an excuse to slip away too.
Right as he was locked in this internal struggle, Gin pushed his empty glass forward, seemingly done humoring Gojo. "I'm leaving."
"Huh? So soon?" Vodka and Gojo spoke in unison.
"Weren't you waiting around for Vermouth?" The silver-haired assassin stood up. "I have absolutely no intention of catching up with that woman."
Hearing this, a bright spark flared in Vodka's small eyes behind his sunglasses.
I knew it! The boss is totally jealous!
Since he spent all his downtime watching pop idols and cheesy television dramas, his mind instantly constructed a very specific scenario—
Vermouth would be elegantly wrapping her arm around Caesar's, while his boss stood watching from the shadows, gritting his teeth so hard that his Beretta was practically warping in his grip, all set to a tragic background track.
Completely unaware of his subordinate's wild imagination, Gin prepared to walk out, only for Gojo to reach out and block his path.
"Don't be in such a rush, Gin-chan."
His fingers firmly snagged the hem of Gin's black trench coat, pulling tight enough to stretch the fabric slightly, yet shaking it with a playful, whiny tug.
"I still have plenty of things I want to ask you, you know."
Gin: ...Was this kid raised on elephant portions or something?
He had thought Caesar's freakish strength was ridiculous back during training camp, but now that they were adults, it had clearly gotten even worse.
"If you have questions, spit them out quickly."
"For example..." Gojo dragged out his words on purpose. "Have you and Vermouth ever contacted each other privately over these past few years?"
Gin failed to see any point to the question, giving a dry, blunt answer. "We met twice for missions. What of it?"
Gojo suddenly leaned in close to Gin—so close he could catch the sharp mix of tobacco and strong alcohol clinging to him. He lowered his voice, acting incredibly mysterious. "So... did the two of you ever mix a 'Martini' together or something?"
He really couldn't help himself; he was just too curious.
According to the original story layout, Gin and Vermouth were supposed to have been intimately involved. But given his childhood friend's completely unyielding, frozen personality, could he truly develop that kind of close relationship with anyone?
Hearing this, Vodka broke into a sudden coughing fit, and even Gin's face took on a bizarre expression.
Anyone with a basic knowledge of spirits knew that mixing gin and vermouth created a bitter, heavy martini. It was completely obvious that Gojo wasn't talking about making an actual drink, but was dropping a heavily loaded, suggestive hint instead.
Looking at him, it was easy to get the impression that Gojo was entirely innocent to the ways of the world, and even Gin had almost fallen for it—until Gojo spent a wild night out clubbing in New York, which made Gin highly skeptical about the depth of his private life.
Where on earth did he even pick up that kind of dirty slang? Don't tell me it was from that male stripper named "Ginko" last time?
Staring back at the sheer look of curiosity plastered across Gojo's face, Gin's temples throbbed violently. "I truly want to slice your head open just to see what kind of garbage is filling your brain."
Facing the executioner's unreadable gaze, Gojo just blinked his eyes innocently, even if they were hidden behind his mask.
"Ehe☆ So did you or didn't you?"
A memory from two years ago flashed through Gin's mind.
Germany. A quiet night after wrapping up a high-stakes mission.
"You're always so cold... want to come over to my place and do something relaxing?" Vermouth had leaned against the car door, her red lips parting with an incredibly meaningful smile.
And how had he responded back then?
"Not interested."
Past and present aligned perfectly, and Gin delivered the exact same cold response. Ever since Vermouth had watched him get forced into a maid outfit when he was fourteen, he never wanted to spend a single extra second around her.
"Really?" Gojo teased. "No matter how you slice it, Vermouth is universally recognized as a stunning beauty. You aren't just lying to yourself, are you, Gin-chan?" Then, he added with absolute narcissism, "Ah, though she's obviously not as good-looking as me."
"Say one more useless word and I'm dumping you into Tokyo Bay."
Vodka stood off to the side, completely bewildered by the exchange.
Wait, wait, wait... who is actually jealous of who here?!
"Fine, fine~" Gojo waved it off. "I'll just go ahead and ask the lady herself."
With that, he flashed a brilliant, dazzling smile at the bartender who had been acting as background noise this entire time. "What do you say, Vermouth?"
What?
That middle-aged bartender with a face full of freckles, a meek attitude, and a receding hairline was Vermouth?
Vodka's mouth fell wide open, and even Gin's pupils shrank slightly. He hadn't noticed a single anomaly about the person's true appearance.
The bartender paused for a brief moment, then reached up and tore the lifelike latex mask straight off her face. A cascade of long hair tumbled down in waves, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face to the room.
A graceful, elegant smile played on Vermouth's lips, her icy blue eyes sparkling with pure mischief.
"And here I thought I had completely fooled you..." She casually tossed the disguise into the trash bin while shedding her heavy outer coat. "You're just as sharp as you were back then, Caesar."
Gin's face turned incredibly dark, a sudden wave of frustration hitting him. If Gojo hadn't spoken up, he would have genuinely believed the bartender was just a regular underling he knew, rather than the Witch of a Thousand Faces.
It looks like I need to step up my vigilance next time.
Gin mentally updated his protocol: From now on, any server or bartender I run into will be treated as Vermouth by default.
Gojo quietly studied the woman dressed in the tuxedo vest, who doubled as a massive Hollywood star. Her face looked exactly as beautiful as it did nearly ten years ago, completely untouched by time, as if she would never grow old.
But... her once golden hair had turned almost entirely silver-white, not looking much different from Gin's own shade.
If my calculations are correct, that's definitely the work of the drug.
Vermouth running a finger through her hair was an incredibly enchanting sight; if Calvados were here, he would have been completely frozen in place.
"Gin is just as unromantic as always. It's truly heartbreaking." She turned her gaze to Gojo, her eyes shimmering. "On the other hand, Caesar... you've grown into quite the fine man."
Her gaze slid all the way down from the upper half of his face covered by the eye mask, finally locking onto his remarkably smooth, thin lips. The color of his lips looked as if it had been stained by cherry blossoms, appearing exceptionally striking against his pale skin.
The slender youth in her memories had possessed sharp, raw contours, his cheeks still holding a trace of baby fat. But the current Caesar radiated a terrifyingly powerful aura, his height scaling up to a point where she actually had to look up at him.
[Ding! Impression Points from story character Vermouth increased by 800!]
"Long time no see, Vermouth," Gojo greeted her lazily.
"I hear life has been treating you well these past few years." Vermouth's red lips curled slightly. "What's wrong, aren't you going to call me 'Big Sister' anymore?"
"I'm hardly a child anymore... or would you prefer the version of me from back then?"
"The old you was certainly adorable." Vermouth leaned against the bar counter, propping her face up. "Though the current you is significantly more charming."
"Of course, telling a lady to her face that you're better looking than her... isn't exactly peak gentlemanly behavior."
"Oh~ You aren't actually upset, are you?"
Listening to their completely substanceless banter, Gin let out a dismissive snort. "Utterly pointless. Vodka, let's move."
"Ah, right! Yes, boss!"
Vermouth let out a soft sigh. "See? He's freezing cold every single time he sees me. Even if I wanted to mix a 'Martini,' I wouldn't even get the chance, would I?"
Gojo fell into deep thought.
Could his own butterfly effect have accidentally wiped out the spark that was supposed to bring these two together? Watching Gin walk away without a single shred of lingering attachment, Gojo offered a silent sigh—
Gin-chan, it's not that your bro didn't try to wingman you. If you're absolutely determined to stay single, there's nothing I can do.
Right then, Vermouth leaned in remarkably close to Gojo across the counter, her black shirt highlighting an incredibly captivating curve.
"Why don't we... mix a drink meant strictly for the two of us?"
"If we blend Kaiser and Vermouth together, it might taste even sweeter than a martini, don't you think?"
She truly carried herself like a witch, her voice holding an almost magical power to charm.
Sitting on the high barstool, Gojo seemed to genuinely consider the proposition. It wasn't until the woman's fingertips were a mere millimeter away from brushing his lips that he tilted his head back slightly, evading the touch.
Far from pulling her hand back, Vermouth used the movement to close the gap even further, creating an incredibly intense, intimate atmosphere. "What do you think, Caesar?"
Yet, instead of his heart racing or his face turning red, Gojo let out a soft laugh that completely defied her expectations.
"True, I am actually a bit curious... to find out exactly what that would taste like."
"No time like the present. Why don't we give it a try right now?"
Vermouth froze.
Gin and Vodka, who were exactly one step away from heading downstairs, abruptly halted their movements and snapped their heads back around.
—Has this guy completely lost his mind?
Vodka went totally rigid on the spot, his eyes stretching wide behind his sunglasses as his brain scrambled to process the data.
Wait, wait, wait! What is Lord Caesar doing?! Flirting in a bar?! Right in front of the boss?! With Vermouth?!
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