Inside Moonlight Bar, a jazz trumpeter's rendition of "Speak Low" drifted through the air, its gentle melody filling the quiet space before opening hours.
Now that he was of legal age, Ritsu no longer had to refrain from drinking like the first time he came here. He ordered his favorite Adonis and leaned back in his seat, listening to Gin speak.
"This mission won't be easy. Our forces in Northern Europe are having problems." As Gin spoke, a chill flickered in his dark green eyes. Lifting his glass of Finlandia vodka, he continued slowly, "The boss has always hated stray cats that sneak a taste. Anyone with ulterior motives must be eliminated."
Translated into plain terms, a traitor had emerged in Northern Europe, attempting to dismantle the organization's presence there and go independent. The boss had ordered them to head over and eliminate the defector.
'Couldn't you just say that plainly?' Ritsu sighed inwardly. People in this organization really seemed to love talking in riddles, like they'd all studied philosophy and fancied themselves poets.
"Gin, I doubt this is just 'a bit difficult,' right?"
"Yes. Four people will be assigned to this operation. Proceed with caution." Gin paused, then added, "Finland has been secretly recruiting former Finnish Army personnel. Numbers unknown. If you're outmatched, withdraw immediately, don't engage recklessly."
"Understood. Then who are the other two?"
Irish drained the whiskey on the rocks in front of him in one go and smiled. "Chianti and Kir. You should be pretty familiar with them, right? They say mixed-gender teams work best, haha."
For such an important mission, having two undercover agents involved. Ritsu suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Taking a sip of his freshly served Adonis, he asked calmly,
"Gin, are you planning to use me as a sniper?"
"Yes. Your sniping skills are the best in the organization right now. Chianti listens to you pretty well, too."
Thinking about it, Chianti's sniping ability really wasn't bad anymore, solidly above average among the organization's snipers.
Maybe being constantly overshadowed by Ritsu's record-breaking shots had pushed her. Over the past four years, she'd dropped her lazy habits. She now spent hours every day at the training grounds with her rifle, and her fixed-position shooting had reached 550 yards.
"Got it. We leave tomorrow?"
"Yes. Get a good rest tonight, we leave first thing in the morning."
Getting a "good rest" wasn't exactly his style. Ritsu was cautious and preferred careful planning. The kind of person who, if he had a trip scheduled in March, would have the entire itinerary mapped out in January and February.
Leaving Moonlight Bar, he headed to the parking lot to get his car, only to notice Irish following behind him. Tilting his head slightly, he asked,
"Something you need, Irish?"
"Gin told me to crash at your place tonight."
"…"
Did the organization suddenly go bankrupt? Or was Gin just too cheap to pay for a hotel and decided to shove Irish into his apartment?
Resigned, Ritsu said, "Fine. But I don't live alone. The people I live with are—"
"I know them." Irish opened the passenger door and got in calmly. "Rye and Bourbon. I drink those pretty often."
"…Right."
Clearly, a whiskey enthusiast.
----
Driving back to his place in Kawasaki, Ritsu opened the door to find Akai lounging on the living room sofa, smoking indoors without a care. After all, he knew that today one particular nagging, short-tempered Bourbon wouldn't be around.
"You're back. Dinner—"
Akai's hand holding the cigarette paused slightly. Seeing that familiar light-blond hair, he thought Rei had returned but on closer look, it was just a stranger with a similar color.
"Who's this?"
"Rye, nice to meet you. My codename is Irish. I usually operate in Europe, so it's normal you haven't heard of me. I'll be staying here for the night, pleased to meet you."
Irish looked slightly older than Rye. His demeanor was polite and gentlemanly, a stark contrast to his tough, imposing appearance.
"…Nice to meet you," Akai replied calmly, though his guard remained up. Glancing at Ritsu, who was grabbing a pair of slippers for their guest, he asked, "Macallan, if he's not here, what's the plan for dinner?"
"If you want to see tomorrow's sunrise, choose takeout or the convenience store. If you're in the mood for an early death, I don't mind showing you the results of my 'training' over the past few years," Ritsu replied flatly, setting the slippers down in front of Irish.
'The results of his training…'
Akai immediately recalled what he had witnessed a year ago after returning from a mission. For once, Ritsu's usually expressionless face had shown panic.
And Rei?
He'd eaten Ritsu's undercooked green bean rice and ended up vomiting and having diarrhea so badly he was hospitalized.
…Yeah. He'd rather live.
Akai was about to opt for takeout when Irish smiled and said, "If you don't mind letting me use the kitchen, I can cook dinner."
"…?"
Two stunned faces.
Neither Ritsu nor Akai had expected this rugged-looking man, who seemed more suited to chopping meat than cooking, to actually know how to prepare a meal. It was hard not to wonder if he had ulterior motives. Was he planning to poison them?
"Is that really such a surprising reaction?" Irish chuckled, rolling up his sleeves. "I grew up in an orphanage in Ireland. From the age of seven, the director made us work. I was assigned to the kitchen, so I learned to cook pretty early."
Thinking back on those days before being adopted, they were dark and hopeless. Not all orphanages were kind places. They were just children, yet they were forced to steal on the streets.
If they came back empty-handed, they didn't get to eat. Even after returning, they had to continue their so-called "work." And that despicable director brainwashed them with lines like "Only children who work deserve food."
Joining the organization had been better, at least compared to that orphanage he had burned down, it was warmer here.
"I see. Then we'll take you up on that," Ritsu said, walking over to the fridge and opening it. "There's plenty of ingredients, use whatever you like. I'll go set up a bed for you."
"Thank you."
After washing his hands, Irish stepped into the semi-open kitchen, tying on a black apron. Turning back, he asked,
"Any dietary restrictions?"
Akai lit a second cigarette and said casually, "I'm fine with anything. He doesn't like bitter food."
"Got it."
Inside the bedroom, Ritsu pulled out a spare futon from the closet. Even though Rei wasn't home, letting a stranger sleep in his room would definitely upset him.
He had originally planned to let Irish make do on the couch but the man was a guest, and he was even cooking dinner for them… whether it turned out good or not.
'Guess I'll take the hit.'
Ritsu spread his own bedding onto the floor. Tonight, he'd just sleep on a futon.