Having dinner with a girlfriend was naturally a lie.
After all, if he didn't even have someone he liked, how could he possibly have a girlfriend?
Using a nonexistent girlfriend as an excuse to slip away was a tactic Ritsu had found incredibly effective time and time again.
After driving to a nearby restaurant to get takeout, he returned to his apartment in Mita Town, Minato Ward. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he turned on the television with the remote and switched to the evening news.
"At 2:00 PM today, Hatamoto Gozo donated the famous painting 'A Cold Moonlit Night over the River' to the Beika National Museum..."
Ritsu ate his curry rice while watching the broadcast.
The head of the Hatamoto family, huh? That surname sounded familiar somehow... Well, it had nothing to do with him anyway.
Looks like there wasn't any interesting news today.
After finishing his meal, he washed the dishes and chopsticks before heading into his room to change clothes.
There was still some time before the appointed meeting, but that didn't stop him from preparing early.
Besides, after completing the transaction, he planned to visit the laboratory and check on the progress of APTX4869. Judging from the previous round of experiments, there was a good chance it would be completed this year.
However, he had no intention of allowing the drug to be successfully created.
A dreamlike medicine such as that shouldn't exist in this world. It would disrupt the natural order of life.
So no matter what, he intended to destroy APTX4869.
That could also be considered part of his promise to that woman.
Putting on a black baseball cap, he didn't bother with something as amateurish as a face mask. Instead, he darkened his skin to an even deeper shade than a certain someone and even added a scar stretching across both sides of his face.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Ritsu nodded in satisfaction.
At this point, not only would people who knew him fail to recognize him, even he found the face unfamiliar.
Time slowly passed.
A silver-gray sedan drove into an abandoned auto repair shop on the outskirts of Beika Town.
The man who stepped out of the car wore a black stand-collar overcoat. Despite it being the middle of the night, he was wearing sunglasses, and an outrageously exaggerated beard covered most of his face.
Anyone with eyes could tell it was a disguise.
Standing silently in the shadows, Ritsu watched as Teiji retrieved a worn top hat from the passenger seat and placed it on his head. Only after confirming that his fake beard wasn't crooked did Teiji walk into the repair shop.
Purchasing explosives anonymously from the Organization was the stupidest choice possible.
The Organization habitually investigated every customer. Even if the transaction was anonymous, they would dig up every detail of your identity.
Only by understanding the buyer could they gather leverage and eventually extort them.
It was one of the Organization's many sources of income. Gin and Vodka frequently handled these simple collection assignments. Occasionally they encountered clients who refused to cooperate.
The result was usually the same,
The money disappeared. And so did the client.
"You're pretty punctual."
The sudden voice made Teiji flinch. Turning his head, he finally noticed the man standing in the darkness.
He couldn't help complaining inwardly,
'How is this guy's skin tone blending into the night itself? That's way too dark.'
"Did you bring what I asked for?" He deliberately lowered his voice.
To someone as experienced with voice-changing as Ritsu, the attempt was no different from covering one's ears while stealing a bell.
Still, he didn't expose Teiji's cheap disguise or poor voice alteration.
Remaining calm, he said, "Yep. It's all here. Cash and goods at the same time."
Teiji cast a wary glance at the dark-skinned man.
After crouching down to inspect the explosives and confirming the quantity was correct, he retrieved a metal case from his trunk.
"The money's all in here."
"Open it."
The metal case was packed full of cash. To be honest, the explosives weren't worth nearly this much. But on the black market, buyers had no choice but to pay several times the normal price.
"If you don't mind me asking, what are you planning to do with all these explosives?"
Teiji frowned slightly. It was obvious he didn't trust his transaction partner, especially after hearing that question.
His hand subtly moved toward the knife hidden behind his belt.
"Relax. I'm just curious."
Smiling, Ritsu pulled a pistol from his pocket and casually tossed it up and down as if weighing it.
"I don't see any reason to tell you. But I can say this, there'll be a grand fireworks show the day after tomorrow. You're welcome to watch."
In other words, an explosion.
If he let this guy walk away now, his future workload would probably increase significantly.
Ritsu frowned slightly.
However, remembering the assignment given to him by the Boss, he knew he had to wait until Teiji carried out his plan before making a move.
'What a hassle.'
After watching Teiji drive away, Ritsu found a secluded location and removed his disguise. Returning to his Augier appearance, he prepared to head for the laboratory in Nishi-Tama City.
----
Inside the research facility in Sekido Town, Nishitama City,
Shiho was in an especially bad mood.
A few days ago, Gin and Vodka had shown up at her laboratory without any prior notice and taken several APTX4869 samples that were still under development.
She was worried that the drug she created would be used for criminal purposes.
The experiments had also made little progress. A new batch of laboratory mice was still being raised and hadn't yet reached the testing stage.
Yet when she was already in a foul mood, an unwelcome visitor decided to appear.
Shiho stared coldly at Augier, who was dressed in a black operations uniform. Those crimson eyes of his were especially irritating.
He was like a red rose she once loved, after it had withered and rotted.
"Good evening, the younger Miss Miyano."
"The newest batch of APTX4869 experimental data is on the computer. Help yourself."
Raising an eyebrow, Ritsu noticed her displeasure. Walking over and leaning down slightly, he asked,
"What? Did Gin and the others upset you?"
"Don't talk to me in that tone. We're not close."
"What tone would that be? If you don't explain it clearly, Sherry, how am I supposed to know?"
Shiho was tempted to smash the laboratory equipment in her hands directly into his head. Gin and Vodka had long occupied the top spot on her list of most disliked people.
Now Augier had surpassed them and claimed first place.
"What exactly are you here for? Aren't you supposed to be collecting the experimental data?"
Suppressing the inexplicable anger rising within her, Shiho asked stiffly.
Knowing he'd already ruffled the little cat's fur, Ritsu wisely chose not to continue stepping on her tail.
Turning toward the computer, he opened the data files and discovered that the results were much better than before.
The mortality rate among the laboratory mice had decreased by twenty percent.
That was a major breakthrough.
"Why don't you take it back and review it later?" Shiho asked.
"Don't you get lonely being alone in this laboratory all the time? Isn't it nice to have someone keep you company?"
The moment she heard those words, Shiho's hand trembled while pouring coffee grounds.
Most of them spilled onto the table.
Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, she wondered whether this guy had some kind of illness.
"I don't need that. Please leave."
"I suppose I should be going. Sweet dreams, Sherry."
Shiho was only one step away from telling him to "get lost."
Watching him leave with the USB drive containing the experimental data, she wiped up the spilled coffee grounds.
Her mood was completely gone.
Rather than making coffee, she simply took off her lab coat and returned to her room early to rest.
...
Meanwhile,
A cheerful Ritsu had just swung onto his motorcycle when he received a text message from Vodka.
[Vodka: I managed to get a handshake event ticket for Yoko Okino's photo collection release. But I'm going to Germany with Aniki to deal with a rat. Want the ticket instead?]
"..."
Ritsu stared at the message for a long moment before coldly typing two words.
[Augier: No.]
A reply came almost immediately. The content was simple.
Just an emoticon.
[Vodka: /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~]
Putting away his phone, Ritsu started the motorcycle.
He couldn't be bothered dealing with an idol-obsessed uncle who possessed the heart of a teenage girl.