Chapter 342: The Deal Between Glenlivet and Bourbon
"You didn't even bother to hide yourself properly, did you?" Toru Amuro asked. He let out a slow breath, his usual easygoing facade slipping to reveal a flash of genuine impatience. Being tailed so easily grated on his nerves. "Speak up. Why are you suddenly following me? If you cannot give me a reasonable explanation, I will take it as a direct provocation."
"Relax. You are not worth the effort of a deliberate provocation." Glenlivet crossed his arms, a look of utter disdain settling over his features. He leaned against the nearby wall, the shadows catching the sharp angles of his face. "I came to find you because I want to make a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Amuro forced his irritation down, locking it away behind a mask of cool indifference. He raised a single eyebrow, allowing a faint, mocking smile to curve his lips. "Would the famous Glenlivet actually condescend to cooperate with a lowly intelligence officer like me?" He let the words hang in the air, placing a heavy, sarcastic emphasis on his supposed low rank.
"Do not look down on yourself so much," Glenlivet replied smoothly, his tone dripping with false sincerity. "You are still my senior, after all. There is always something I can learn from you."
The seemingly humble words only caused Bourbon's expression to darken further. A cold, hollow laugh escaped his throat. "Is this your attitude for negotiating? Forget it..." He knew all too well how sharp Glenlivet's tongue could be. Engaging in a battle of wits over petty insults was a waste of breath, and Bourbon was not prepared to dwell on the other man's grating attitude.
"Stop wasting words. What is the deal? I do not have much time." Bourbon cut straight to the point. He checked his watch, a clear signal that he wanted to finish this exchange and put as much distance between himself and Glenlivet as physically possible.
"What is the hurry?" Glenlivet complained, waving a hand casually through the air. However, he dropped the banter and laid out his terms. "I want you, Senior Bourbon, to feed me information regarding Rum. In exchange, I can help investigate the whereabouts of Shuichi Akai."
He paused, letting the name sink in before continuing. "Your primary mission right now is to track down Sherry. You likely do not have the spare energy to focus on a ghost, do you?"
"Shuichi Akai's whereabouts?" Bourbon's mocking smile vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling seriousness. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "So, Glenlivet... you are certain that Akai did not die back then?"
"Do you not harbor the exact same suspicion?" Glenlivet deflected smoothly, refusing to give a straight answer. "After all, the police arrived entirely too quickly that night, and they failed to examine the corpse properly. Anything that has not been thoroughly verified is open to question."
He took a slow step forward, his voice dropping a fraction. "Besides, Kir was held captive by the FBI for an extended period, and they claimed she was in a coma the entire time. Who knows if that was actually true?" Glenlivet threw Kir under the bus without a single ounce of hesitation, his expression remaining perfectly blank.
"You make a fair point." Bourbon seemed convinced by the logic. He gave a slow, measured nod, silently agreeing to the foundation of the deal. He desperately needed to know if Shuichi Akai was truly dead or simply hiding in the shadows. Since Glenlivet was offering his highly capable services, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.
, Glenlivet had been operating alongside Gin during the incident. He had access to angles and details Bourbon currently lacked. As for the price? Information regarding Rum was not exactly something Bourbon felt compelled to guard with his life, especially not from another active member of the Organization.
"Regarding the intelligence on Rum, I can tell you right now. He..."
Before Bourbon could finish his sentence, Glenlivet cut him off.
"Rum is likely an elderly man, and one of his eyes is a prosthetic." Glenlivet waved a hand irritably, reciting the closely guarded secret himself. "I know that much already. Tell me something I do not know. Or are you intentionally playing dumb, Bourbon? The deal I am proposing is not about his physical description. I want continuous updates on Rum's future movements."
Bourbon's eyes flickered. A cold sense of caution washed over him, reinforcing the fact that he could never afford to underestimate the man standing before him. Glenlivet had only been a part of the Organization for a relatively short period, yet he already possessed highly classified details regarding Rum's appearance, something the second-in-command went to extreme lengths to conceal.
Generally, rumors surrounding Rum varied wildly among the ranks. Some claimed he was a hulking brute of a man, others swore he was highly feminine, while a select few insisted he was an aging elder. Judging by the absolute certainty in Glenlivet's tone, he had already bypassed the rumors and confirmed the truth for himself.
What Bourbon did not know was that Glenlivet, or rather, the entirety of the Teyvat Organization, possessed knowledge far beyond a simple physical description. They knew that in the near future, Rum would adopt the alias Kanenori Wakita. They even knew that Rum would follow in Bourbon's exact footsteps, maneuvering himself to become a disciple of Kogoro Mouri.
Naturally, Rum's true face had been verified through Cointreau. Before transmigrating into this world, Natsume only knew that Rum eventually disguised himself as the sushi chef, Kanenori Wakita. However, Cointreau had spent decades deeply embedded within the Black Organization. For someone with his level of clearance and experience, uncovering Rum's actual appearance had been a remarkably simple task.
"Fine, my mistake." Bourbon admitted his fault readily, his tone smoothing out into something far more dangerous. He paused, studying the other man closely. "If you want me to tip you off regarding Rum's future movements, that is acceptable. However, Glenlivet, can you tell me exactly why you want this information?"
He tilted his head, a meaningful, predatory smile stretching across his face. "What is your game? Did you just jump ship to our side, complete a handful of missions, and now you want to climb the ranks by stepping on Rum's corpse? Or is there another, deeper reason?"
"Does my motive have anything to do with you?" Glenlivet sneered, his eyes flashing with cold amusement. "Have I not extended you the same courtesy? I refrained from asking why you are so utterly obsessed with Shuichi Akai."
Glenlivet took a step closer, his voice dropping into a taunting whisper. "I heard a rather interesting rumor. I heard that after Akai executed a certain undercover rat, your relationship with him took a sharp turn for the worse. Speaking of which, that rat went by the codename Scotch, did he not? You seemed to be quite close partners with him for a while. Tell me, Bourbon... are you simply seeking revenge for a dead spy?"
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