Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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They spoke little along the way as they arrived at the training base in Nishitama City.
It had been a while since Ritsu last came here. After this period of training within the organization, his current sniping range had already surpassed the previous record holder, Calvados.
According to the updated records from last November, Ritsu's maximum guaranteed hit range had reached 650 yards. Likewise, he also held the record for moving targets, with a maximum of 580 yards.
That was precisely why Macallan was so highly valued by Gin. In less than two years, he had become the organization's top sniper, talent like this had even caught the Boss's attention.
Pushing open the glass door of the real estate agency, Ritsu walked straight toward a hidden door inside. After inputting his palm print and password, he successfully entered the internal facility.
Akai followed behind him toward the training base, his gaze occasionally drifting around. As expected, there were plenty of surveillance cameras.
"Don't look around."
"Heh, just a bit curious."
Even though he was walking ahead, he could still sense his gaze, this young man really wasn't simple. It was now almost certain that he was a codename-bearing member of the organization.
After twisting through several corridors, they finally reached the interior of the training base. And at last, Akai saw the most important piece of his infiltration mission, Gin.
The mission given to him by the FBI was to approach Miyano Shiho through Akemi, gain the organization's trust, and steal confidential information. Ultimately, his goal was to capture Gin alive.
Gin was a crucial figure within the organization. To the FBI, a living Gin was far more valuable than a dead one.
Dressed as always in his black coat and fedora, Gin stood there expressionless, sizing up Moroboshi. His hands were tucked into his pockets, clearly ready to draw his gun at any sign of trouble.
"You want to join the organization?"
Following Ritsu's advice, Akai lowered his voice and answered, "Yes."
Gin seemed satisfied with the concise reply. Turning to Macallan, he said, "Macallan, test him. Don't hold back, the organization doesn't recruit trash."
"Understood."
Akai noted Ritsu's attitude toward Gin. It seemed the young man with the codename Macallan was, like Vodka, one of Gin's trusted subordinates.
With a gentlemanly gesture, Ritsu invited Moroboshi to follow him downstairs to the open training ground.
When he noticed Moroboshi taking a standard Jeet Kune Do stance, Ritsu was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected them to practice the same form of martial arts.
And his movements were precise, clearly not a beginner. It seemed Moroboshi had trained for quite some time. He'd have to go all out; getting injured by someone who hadn't even officially joined the organization yet would be embarrassing.
Akai was equally surprised to see Macallan mirror his stance. But instead of waiting, he pushed off with his left foot, rotated inward, and launched forward with a straight punch.
Starting off with a straight thrust punch, pretty ruthless. But…
Too slow.
Was he holding back?
Ritsu slid backward to evade the attack, then dropped into a half-crouch. In a swift burst, he closed the distance to Moroboshi's left side and returned the move in kind. Using shoulder momentum, he drove a left straight punch directly forward.
Realizing he couldn't dodge in time, Akai quickly brought both hands up to guard his face. The impact forced him to stagger back several steps. Losing balance like that would only give his opponent an opening.
A slight smile tugged at Ritsu's lips. The moment Akai lowered his hands, he struck again, this time aiming for the jaw.
But what he didn't expect was that even after taking the hit, Akai twisted his waist and hips, delivering a hook kick to Ritsu's outer left thigh. That spot would probably bruise for days.
Watching from above, Gin had already gauged Moroboshi's combat ability. "That's enough. Both of you stop. Next is shooting practice… rookie, do you know how to use a gun?"
Rookie.
Hearing that term, it seemed Gin had already decided to recruit Moroboshi.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Akai looked up at Gin and answered, "When I lived abroad, I had some experience hunting with rifles."
In other words, nothing beyond hunting rifles.
Gin had already had the intelligence division look into Moroboshi's background. It was true, he had hunting experience in the U.S. and no record of joining any shooting clubs. He wasn't lying.
"Mm. Macallan, teach him how to use a handgun."
"Got it."
Ritsu's preferred handgun was the German-made HK45. He liked it for both its looks and performance. Compared to Gin's Beretta M92F, it was easier to conceal and had an effective range of up to 220 meters, perfect as a secondary weapon.
Drawing the pistol, Ritsu looked at the human-shaped target ahead. "Calm your mind and find the most comfortable shooting stance for yourself. Don't look anywhere else, just aim for the bullseye."
Bang!
Ten consecutive shots rang out, all hitting the target at 80 meters with ease. Every single bullet struck the small red dot in the head. That level of accuracy belonged only to top-tier marksmen.
Within the FBI, Akai himself was among the elite. Even he was impressed by Macallan's shooting. It made him wonder when this man had started training. At such a young age, his skill was already comparable to Akai's true ability.
After swapping in a fresh magazine, Ritsu handed the gun to Moroboshi. His tone was indifferent. "Your turn."
Naturally, Akai couldn't act like an expert. But since he had already mentioned having used rifles, he performed at an average level. His grip wasn't perfect, but every shot still hit the target… though the bullets scattered slightly, with only two landing in the head's bullseye.
For someone supposedly using a handgun for the first time, that was impressive talent. At least two of the three present were satisfied with the result.
Well, two. Ritsu wasn't particularly pleased. It meant the organization's operations unit was about to gain another dangerous individual.
Gin stood with one hand in his pocket, watching the two approach. He did appreciate Moroboshi's potential. But recalling what Macallan had reported earlier that morning, his feelings were complicated.
In his eyes, members of the organization shouldn't have emotional entanglements, especially those in the operations unit. One of the reasons he favored Macallan so much was precisely because he maintained clear boundaries with the opposite sex and had never shown any signs of attachment.
Assassins had no need for love.
Emotions only became a burden.
So.
The only thing Gin found unsatisfactory about Moroboshi was his apparent affection for Akemi. However, that also had its advantages. If he truly cared about her, it would make him easier to control.
It seemed the Miyano family's eldest daughter had her uses after all.