12:28 PM, the research institute cafeteria.
Ritsu sat in a corner wearing a white lab coat, taking small bites of the hamburger steak in front of him. Across from him, Shiho was once again having her favorite sandwich, peanut butter and blueberry jam.
"Macallan, pass me a bottle of ketchup."
Ever since she received her codename, the way they addressed each other had changed.
"Have you gotten that lazy? Aren't you worried you'll end up as round as Kurotan, Sherry?"
Thirteen-year-old Shiho narrowed her icy blue eyes, her delicate face tinged with cold displeasure. As expected, the man in front of her didn't understand a girl's feelings at all, beating around the bush to imply her face had gotten a little rounder lately.
It was all because of that adorable little black kitten. Under their careful care, it had somehow acquired the "skill" of an orange tabby… evolving into a chubby black "little pig."
Though he complained, Ritsu still stood up and fetched the ketchup, even thoughtfully squeezing some onto a clean sauce dish for her.
"If you have time, you should take it out for some exercise," he said.
"As its owner, why don't you do it yourself?"
Before he could answer, the phone on the table vibrated. The caller ID read: Gin.
Since he had grown familiar with Gin and Vodka, Ritsu no longer addressed him with "-san" like before. Still, he didn't dare neglect a call from Gin. He immediately set down his utensils and answered.
"Gin, do you have a mission for me?"
"Mm. The target and details have been sent to your email. Head over immediately."
"Understood."
The call ended the moment the words left his mouth. Already used to it, Ritsu picked up his coffee with one hand while skillfully operating his phone with the other. But the moment he opened the email and saw the face in the photo, half the cup of coffee spilled.
"What's wrong?"
It was rare to see Macallan lose his composure. Shiho leaned forward, trying to see the contents on the screen, but he immediately locked the phone.
"Gin assigned me a mission. Could you clean this up for me?"
"Oh. When you come back, remember to buy some instant coffee. The lab's almost out."
"Got it."
Ritsu quickly stood, his expression cold, and hurried toward the side entrance of the institute. He opened the door of the GT40, got in, and once again unlocked his phone to read the email. His brows furrowed deeply.
He was very familiar with the person in the photo, the culprit who had caused him to be suspended from school for a year.
Masashi Muragaki.
Former Saitama Prefecture councilman, now the mayor of Kawagoe City.
Fortunately, Gin hadn't told him the target face-to-face. Otherwise, showing such a reaction would have aroused suspicion. After all, his records contained no connection to Saitama Prefecture.
The mission briefing stated that although Muragaki had stepped down from the Saitama council delegation, he was still the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. This had put him in direct opposition to the person the organization intended to support, though the email didn't specify who that person was.
At the very least, it could be confirmed that the individual was a current member of the Saitama council delegation.
It seemed that many figures in Japanese politics were conducting dirty deals behind the scenes, using the organization to eliminate obstacles in their careers. Human lives clearly meant nothing to them, killing someone was no different from crushing an ant.
After deleting the email, Ritsu parked near the station, retrieved items from the trunk, and concealed them in a waist pouch. He then purchased a ticket to Sayama Station.
The destination? A golf club in Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture. Between 2:00 and 3:00 PM, Muragaki had reserved the entire venue, making it the perfect window for an assassination.
He placed the communication earpiece in his left ear. It was a special device issued by the organization, standard for codename-bearing operatives. After connecting to Channel 4, Gin's voice came through.
"Where are you now?"
"I just boarded at Keio-Nagayama Station. It'll take about an hour and a half to reach the destination."
"Then turn the earpiece back on once you arrive. It's too noisy on your end."
"Understood."
With two light taps, he exited the channel. Instead of finding a seat, Ritsu stood in the corner of the train car, arms crossed to prevent anyone from bumping into the items hidden in his pouch.
After three transfers, he finally arrived at Sayama Station. Reconnecting the earpiece, he said, "Gin, it'll take about fifteen minutes on foot to reach the destination."
"Mm. Don't act immediately," Gin said slowly, opening a ginger pork bento Vodka had just bought. "According to intel, Muragaki likes to bring a female companion with him to the golf club."
"Should I wait for her to leave?"
"Right. She'll go buy drinks and fruit around 2:30. Make your move after she's gone."
"Understood."
2:14 PM.
Right on schedule, Ritsu arrived at Sayama Golf Club. Since it was a members-only course and reserved entirely by Muragaki that day, there were barely any cars in the parking lot.
There were quite a few surveillance cameras around the perimeter, but the intelligence team had done excellent groundwork. With the layout and camera positions memorized, Ritsu easily bypassed them and made his way to the staff rest area on the south side.
There were dormitories for on-duty employees. To save costs, they weren't equipped with heavy security doors. Ritsu effortlessly climbed over the fence, picked the lock, and stole a caddie uniform.
A lemon-yellow short-sleeve T-shirt paired with beige slacks, a white baseball cap pulled low, and black-framed glasses, disguised as a caddie, he headed toward the course.
Naturally, the outfit caught Muragaki's attention.
At the moment, Muragaki wasn't playing. He was lounging on a bench, holding a scantily dressed companion in his arms, openly flirting without any regard for the two black-clad bodyguards standing behind him.
Noticing the approaching caddie, Muragaki whispered something into his companion's ear, then stood up and picked up his golf club, deliberately swinging with full force.
He didn't care whether the ball went into the hole, only how far it could fly.
"Hey! You there! Go fetch my ball!"
The commanding tone, the forced smile piled onto his aging face, it was exactly the same as back then. He hadn't changed at all. Still just as disgusting.
Ritsu kept a calm expression and said nothing, simply running in the direction the ball had flown.
"Tch. Do they hire mutes now? Remember his badge later, what kind of riffraff are they sending me as a caddie?" Muragaki tossed the club to a bodyguard, then looked at his companion lying on the bench. He pinched her waist and grinned. "You know what to do, babe."
"Same as usual?"
"Mm. Hurry up. I'm a little thirsty."
Having retrieved the ball, Ritsu kept an eye on the situation. A faint smile lifted his brow. Pretending to wipe sweat, he tapped his earpiece, signaling Gin that he was ready.
"Mm. Do it."
----
[Tooru Amuro will make his appearance.]
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Bonus chapter @100 PS