Fortunately, Gin didn't actually beat an important operative to death. Kazawa came out intact.
When Tunkouchi Fumihiko saw him emerge, eyes gleaming pure gold, he frowned in disgust. Glancing sideways at Vodka, he managed to hold back his anger and brought him into the car.
Of course, Kazawa's eyes weren't gold, and neither were Hikari Hoshikawa's.
This was a trait unique to residents of the Cognition World. The golden pupils had appeared after Kazawa activated his mask's power—reflective like a cat's eyes, just like the Shadows'. No one would ever guess he had any connection to Kazawa.
Vodka reported everything he observed to Gin.
Gin, cigarette dangling from his lips—lit by Kazawa—quietly listened to Vodka's account, then lowered his head and sent an email before leading Vodka through a hidden door toward another parking lot.
The workhorse of the organization was extremely busy. Showing up as an interviewer was already pushing it—he had a tight schedule to keep.
"Boss, that guy, Goro Akechi... Did he score poorly on the tests or something? Why'd you pick him?" Vodka asked as he slid into the familiar Porsche and started the engine. Half of it was genuine curiosity, and the other half was to give the boss a stage to express his brilliant decision-making.
After all, Gin hadn't even pointed a Beretta at the newbie. That usually meant satisfaction. Give the leader room to critique, and it's easier to sing his praises afterward.
…Even if, in Vodka's eyes, this Akechi didn't look much like Tunkouchi Hayato at all. But hey, if the boss says he's fine, then he's fine.
If Vodka had a tarot card, Kazawa's first learned skill would probably have been "workplace survival tactics."
"His scores were excellent—too excellent, in fact." Gin leaned back in the passenger seat, cigarette between his fingers. "The original plan was to pick someone with similar build and height and just use plastic surgery to replicate Kazawa Akira's appearance. Tunkouchi Hayato... or Goro Akechi, performed far too well. It doesn't match his training records within the organization at all."
"Huh?" Vodka was confused. "Why?"
"Because Tunkouchi Fumihiko is a complete idiot," Gin sneered. "He was afraid his bastard son might rise too high and threaten his own safety. So he secretly misused our experimental drugs to keep the kid under control."
Vodka followed up, "Just for that? Then why would he send Goro Akechi to participate in the test?"
"That's why I called him an idiot," Gin scoffed without holding back. "He thought the organization needed a disposable body double. So he rushed to offer up his son."
The mission regarding Kazawa Akira was top-secret. At Fumihiko's level, he had no right to know. Normally, disposable stand-ins sent for plastic surgery never ended well.
"Then why did Goro Akechi perform so well this time? Wasn't he still under control? We've been using that drug for a while."
"Because that moron honestly believed his son was a loser. So he told him to do his best," Gin said, nearly laughing at the sheer stupidity. "He told him to give it his all."
"Pfft… hahahaha…" Vodka burst out laughing, then smoothly complimented Gin, "Boss, you've really got an eye for talent."
"That idiot's cost the organization a fortune. I'd say Goro Akechi will get what he wants soon enough," Gin said with a shake of his head.
Meanwhile, back at the Tunkouchi residence, Kazawa and Hikari were also talking about the event.
"That was too risky," Hikari frowned after hearing Kazawa's brief account. "You should've let me go."
"You think I didn't want to?" Kazawa grunted, recalling how he had to sit in a café wearing Akechi's face, waiting for Hikari—disguised as him—to come switch out. "Your acting... is better described as tragic."
"It's not that bad…" Hikari's face twitched.
Slightly better than Conan, Kazawa judged inwardly. He patted Hikari's shoulder. "Next time you go out pretending to be me, just don't speak. Smile if someone talks to you. Play mute. Got it?"
Hikari's eyebrow twitched again. He really wanted to punch Kazawa twice—but considering Kazawa's real combat ability, he held back.
Cognitive disguise wasn't always about wearing full face masks. But for some reason, everyone assumed no mask = no disguise. Just like how Kaito Kid could pretend to be Kudo Shinichi, or how Heiji just needed some powder to play the role—no one ever questioned it.
And their method of verifying disguise? Mostly just pulling at someone's face. No real second method.
Kazawa hadn't lied—Hikari's body type, height, and even hair color were very similar to his own. Only their facial structure was slightly different. Kazawa had used injectable disguise techniques this time, only applying the mask around the brows, eyes, and nose. There were subtle differences—but they were at least 90% alike.
And for Gin, who couldn't recognize faces to save his life—that was more than enough.
"All in all, we've passed this round," Kazawa said, casually sitting on the balcony railing and swinging his legs. "Any ability I have that you don't, they'll assume it came from some rare success in that old experiment. You're the 'successful test subject'—but your dad's mind control kept you mediocre. That's their conclusion."
"They'll really believe that?" Hikari asked uncertainly.
"They will," Kazawa replied calmly. "Because the lead researcher is dead. There's no one left to refute it."
Hikari looked at him with mixed feelings, then nodded slowly.
After all, who else could have led that cognition experiment... if not Kazawa's own parents?
Gin's thoughts aligned exactly with Kazawa's expectations.
"He was part of Kazawa Ichikawa's first experiment with the organization," Gin explained. "It aimed to test whether cognitive reconstruction could strip subjective memory and retain only experience—essentially installing skills directly into the brain. I was also one of the samples. It was torture."
"More than 3,000 test subjects. Not a single success. The project was declared a failure. Kazawa Ichikawa concluded that even if one succeeded, it'd only prove the subject had innate talent—not that the method was replicable. The program was shut down."
Originally, the organization had placed great importance on the project. If successful, it would revolutionize knowledge transfer and mass-produce skilled agents. The impact on society would be staggering—and the organization could control access to it.
"But now, it seems... Goro Akechi is that one rare success," Gin said, flicking his ash. "His disguise technique is identical to Vermouth's."
Back at the balcony, Kazawa told Hikari, "The best lies are 70% truth, 30% fiction. And it's more effective if I don't tell the lie—they discover it on their own. That's why they believe your disguise skill is the result of that failed experiment. They think it's impossible to replicate. So they'll never consider dissecting you."
"I picked your identity so well. I'm amazing."
"More like dumb luck," Hikari muttered.
"Hmph, well, all the blame's on your dad now," Kazawa clapped his hands. "Anything goes wrong—just say it's Fumihiko's fault."
Replacing Kazawa Akira was always one of the organization's plans. Even without someone like Kazawa, Vermouth could've helped temporarily. Then they'd proceed with surgery. Just more steps.
They also had other options—killing him, imprisoning him, or worse. But thanks to information Kazawa got from Hikari and Shuichi Akai, he chose to invest fully in the identity of Goro Akechi. It was the cleanest, most effective plan.
The disguise skill? Kazawa had deliberately showcased it after comparing Hikari's background with the research his parents had left behind. Especially knowing Vermouth had also been a test subject.
So the tragic past of Goro Akechi came to light naturally.
Yes, Hikari had participated in the experiment. Yes, he was brainwashed by his father. Yes, his father intentionally prevented him from contacting the organization.
Kazawa added just a few embellishments to make the story airtight.
"He holds deep hatred in his heart," Gin said coldly, "So deep he'd willingly shove his neck into a collar for the chance to strike back. He was driven mad by his father. To kill him, to break free, he'll do anything. The organization needs someone like him. And he needs us. He's a good blade."
"I've fed you a dozen mind-control drugs, made your scumbag dad even more detestable, and made you seem crazier," Kazawa said, handing Hikari the antidote Gin had given him. "They'll suspect anyone but you of being a mole."
"Though you don't need it now... this is your cure."
"He belongs to the darkness, and he'll walk into it willingly."
"You're free now, Akira. Step out of the dark. See the world."
"They have their blade."
"I'll become the blade that destroys them. Trust me. Everything you hate... will vanish."
"So, in short, I convinced Hikari to swap identities, took over his role, and came back to reclaim my own spot," Kazawa told Rei Furuya with a grin. "Last night, I completed my 'assignment' and got my codename."
"Kummel."
Furuya repeated it, "Like the dill liqueur?"
"That's right. So from now on... I am Kummel."