Chapter 405: Guess
Gin remained silent. He lowered his gaze, the brim of his dark fedora casting a heavy shadow over his eyes as he digested the information. The rhythmic, muted tapping of his gloved finger against the table was the only sound in the dim room. Finally, he lifted his head, his cold green eyes locking onto the younger operative.
"Glenlivet," Gin began, his voice a low, measured drawl. "The Inazuma Department Head is your mother. Can you retrieve the jewel from the Grand Narukami Shrine?"
Gin harbored his own suspicions, but he refrained from openly questioning the intelligence. No matter how deep Glenlivet's resentment toward his mother ran, fabricating a lie that could be dismantled with a single investigation would be a foolish move. And Glenlivet, for all his abrasive flaws, was not a fool. An entity that had lived for as long as the Inazuma Head was bound to leave behind anomalies. The fact that the Black Organization had never noticed them before made sense. For one, as Glenlivet had pointed out, a target who rarely left their stronghold was notoriously difficult to observe., the Inazuma Department was undoubtedly operating behind a heavy veil of deliberate concealment, scrubbing their tracks clean.
"Heh. You guys really are dreaming."
Glenlivet let out a sharp, mocking snort, his posture stiffening immediately. "You want me to set foot inside that Grand Narukami Shrine? Not a chance in hell." He leaned back, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. His gaze swept across the room, dripping with open disdain. "Besides, I've already handed you the critical intelligence on a silver platter. Look at how many people are standing in this room. Surely you aren't all so utterly incompetent that you have to rely on me to spoon-feed you the entire operation!"
Gin's expression didn't shift. He had fully anticipated the rejection. The question had merely been a probe to test the waters, a calculated gamble to see if the prospect of causing direct trouble for Raiden Ei might override the boy's stubbornness. It hadn't. Still, Gin felt no particular disappointment. Over time, he had mastered the art of selectively tuning out Glenlivet's grating sarcasm.
Shifting his focus away from the scowling youth, Gin turned his attention to the rest of the executives and began redistributing the tasks.
"Camus," Gin ordered, his tone shifting back to absolute authority. "You and Vermouth will adopt disguises and infiltrate the Grand Narukami Shrine to survey the layout. Keep a low profile. Under no circumstances are you to alert the Teyvat Organization members stationed inside."
The Grand Narukami Shrine was, by its very nature, open to the public. Perched high atop a mountain, its remote location meant foot traffic was relatively sparse, but ordinary civilians seeking fortunes or offering prayers were never turned away at the gates. Because Camus and Vermouth had maintained minimal direct contact with the Teyvat Organization up to this point, their presence—especially under the cover of Vermouth's flawless disguises—would hardly trigger any alarms. They could easily blend in with the scattered tourists and approach the massive cherry blossom trees without drawing a second glance.
Gin's icy gaze shifted. "Bourbon. Kogoro Mouri and his little entourage—the ones you've been so deliberately cozying up to lately—appear to maintain a rather friendly relationship with certain members of the Teyvat Organization. You will use them as your entry point." A dangerous glint flashed in Gin's eyes. "Focus especially on that blonde who has ties to the Inazuma Department Head. Extract whatever intelligence you can."
"Cointreau," Gin continued, the temperature in the room seemingly dropping a few degrees. "You and I will handle this so-called Zoo Syndicate. The Boss has issued a direct order. If those animals dare to hinder our plans or threaten our interests..." A chilling, bloodthirsty smile tugged at the corner of Gin's mouth. "...we eliminate the threat immediately."
"And what about me? What's my mission?"
Glenlivet's previous defensive posture vanished in an instant. He leaned forward, waving a hand in the air to demand attention. "Gin, surely you aren't going senile already. I'm standing right here!"
As long as the assignment didn't require him to deal with that woman, Glenlivet was more than eager to stretch his legs and cause some chaos. The topic of Kaitou Kid had thoroughly piqued his interest, and he wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by.
"Didn't we just uncover that Kaitou Kid and his little associates are hiding a mountain of secrets?" Glenlivet pressed, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "The true whereabouts of Kuroba Toichi, the actual identity of this second-generation Kid... none of it has been resolved. I'm actually quite fascinated by this little magician thief. Why don't you hand that part of the mission over to me? I'll gladly give Kaitou Kid enough headaches to ensure he doesn't have the free time to run around interfering with our operations."
As he spoke, Glenlivet shot a highly pointed, mocking look directly at Bourbon. The unspoken jab hung heavily in the air: during the Bell Tree Express incident, it was precisely because Kaitou Kid had interfered that Bourbon had failed to even lay eyes on the real Sherry, resulting in a botched mission.
Glenlivet possessed obvious skill, but his interpersonal charm was completely nonexistent. Gin could practically feel the silent, collective reluctance radiating from the other executives at the mere thought of partnering with the brat. Truth be told, there were days when even Gin wanted to permanently silence Glenlivet's grating voice.
While Gin didn't genuinely believe a flamboyant thief could pose a serious threat to the Black Organization's grand design, having Glenlivet voluntarily occupy himself with a useful task was a rare convenience. It kept the boy out of their hair while still applying pressure to a potential nuisance.
"Fine," Gin agreed smoothly.
Glenlivet's grin widened, his mood instantly soaring. Even if Gin had rejected the proposal, Glenlivet had fully intended to go after the thief anyway. Still, having official sanction meant he wouldn't have to waste energy sneaking around the organization's watchful eyes.
With the assignments distributed, Gin formally dismissed the gathering. He turned on his heel, his heavy dark coat sweeping through the air, and headed for the exit with Vodka trailing faithfully behind him.
Just as his hand hovered over the door handle, Gin paused. He glanced over his shoulder, his piercing green eyes locking onto Glenlivet one last time.
"Glenlivet," Gin asked, his tone deceptively calm. "You keep talking about your mother. But what about you? Have you ever obtained the tears of Pandora?"
Glenlivet didn't flinch. Not a single trace of surprise crossed his features at the sudden, loaded question. Instead, he simply tilted his head, his lips curling into a sharp, provocative smile.
"Guess."
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