"You figured it out long ago?" Amuro Tooru raised an eyebrow, unsurprised.
Kazawa had been planning this for quite some time. Since the high school detective Goro Akechi was Kazawa himself, it meant he'd been gathering intel on the Organization before even going public. That was how he identified the identity of Hikaru Hoshikawa.
This wasn't something he could've done overnight. Looking back, it was clear—Kazawa had never let his guard down around Amuro, weaving this entire elaborate play right under his nose.
That could only mean one thing: Kazawa had known all along that Amuro Tooru was lying.
"I never believed it in the first place," Kazawa shrugged. "My parents never had any so-called 'contacts.' If anyone fits that role—it's me."
"You really acted like you bought it back then..."
"Same to you."
The two of them, both chronic liars wrapped in layers like onions, shared a glance. Realizing they were evenly matched, they silently agreed to drop the subject.
Amuro recalled the intel he had on Kazawa's parents. Slowly, he said, "Kazawa Ichikawa and Kazawa Leona were once world-class scholars in neurosurgery. But over a decade ago, they abruptly shifted focus to psychology and mental illness. Eight years ago, the Organization intensified their control and soft confinement over the couple. Half of the Organization-affiliated research institutes shifted their projects to psychological experimentation. Their mind-control drugs and devices advanced rapidly afterward. That's as much as I was able to learn. As for what they were researching, how they did it, or where they are—I was never high enough in the ranks to access that. The higher-ups took over entirely."
"Eight years ago…" That was also when Hikaru Hoshikawa officially entered the Organization. What had happened back then to draw such intense interest in Kazawa's parents? Kazawa made a mental note of it before saying, "Looks like my parents gave you quite the headache, didn't they, Furuya-san?"
"It was unpleasant, to say the least." Amuro gave a bitter laugh. "Back then, the police had no idea how advanced they were. Luckily, their experimental drugs were still unstable... I almost didn't survive."
So, the "disaster" had affected the undercover agents too. This technology ending up in the Organization's hands really was a catastrophe...
But even with tech like this, they still let in fakes? That Organization really is hopeless...
Thoughts spiraling, Kazawa quietly pulled out his phone and tapped around before sending an email to Amuro.
"Why the sudden—" Amuro looked confused that Kazawa had fallen silent and suddenly sent an email mid-conversation. He picked up his phone—and froze.
"This is information on drugs the Organization might currently be using," Kazawa said as he put his phone down and pulled something from his inventory. He tossed a small object toward Amuro. "And this is a possibly incomplete antidote… I can't get more for now. I'm keeping some for myself. The rest is yours."
It was the antidote Gin had given him. According to Gin, it required ten days for full effectiveness. But now that Kazawa had reduced Tunkouchi Juuyan to a vegetable and Hikaru Hoshikawa had long since escaped, he no longer needed it. In the end, Kazawa held onto it.
He actually trusted Shiho Miyano's pharmaceutical skills more than the Organization's. If the antidote came from her, that made him even more cautious. He gave Amuro only two pills, saving the rest for Haibara once she was ready—it might work better in her hands.
"My parents never intended to develop this kind of thing. The memory card I found in the video was a fake, an old blank filled with dummy data. The Organization never got their hands on my parents' actual work. As for these—giving them to you might do more good."
Thanks to Shuichi Akai's generous sponsorship, Kazawa handed over this Frankenstein of a drug to Gin with no guilt.
Thinking about what else was on his hard drive, Kazawa added with a warning: "Don't ask for more. This stuff is dangerous. I won't hand over anything else… Don't open Pandora's box."
Kazawa trusted Furuya Rei's professionalism—but only Furuya himself. If these results ever reached the higher-ups, who knew what might happen? They might really try to resurrect a Shidou Masayoshi 2.0.
No thanks. Not every boss needs a hardcore gamer trying to farm them.
"…Thank you," Amuro said, setting the clear pill case before him with a softened expression. "You had every right to keep this to yourself. It's yours. Don't worry—I get it."
He had meant to ask about Hikaru Hoshikawa's whereabouts too, but now, gently tracing the smooth plastic lid of the case, Amuro simply smiled and said, "I have no more questions."
Kazawa blinked in surprise.
There were still so many suspicious things about him—the sudden appearance of his strange skills, how he brainwashed Tunkouchi, the full extent of Hoshikawa's plan. Any seasoned undercover agent like Furuya Rei would normally be itching to pry more.
Kazawa had even prepared excuses, ready to explain everything away as a result of inherited memories, a "Hawaiian crash course in brain enhancement" kind of nonsense. If asked, he would just say: Magic. My parents gave me magic. I don't understand it either.
But Amuro stopped himself. That was what truly surprised Kazawa.
"You have many secrets you're unwilling to share—but everyone does," Amuro said with a small laugh, seeing Kazawa's widened eyes. "Regardless, you escaped from a hellish situation and even found a way to fight back. That's a good thing. It doesn't harm me. There's no need to dig further, is there?"
"What I really want to ask is this—" Amuro's expression turned serious. "Are you really set on staying in the Organization as Kumel? That road isn't easy. You could be destroyed at any moment. You're not like me—you don't have backup, no contacts, no safety net. You'll be on your own... It's too much for someone your age. You don't have to bear that burden."
"I've made up my mind. As for everything you said…" Kazawa grinned and spread his hands. "You better watch your back, senpai. I've got no support, no handler, no channels or resources. You're the only one who knows the truth about me. If you fall, no one's left to speak for me."
Of course, he wasn't really alone. He had his parents' legacy, backup from elite agents like Akai and Furuya, and even some metaphysical "cheat codes." If he still couldn't play the part of fake liquor with all that, Kazawa figured his past self would be ashamed of him.
"Then I'll ask just one last question," Amuro said. "Are you really not mad, Kazawa?" He tilted his head, all playful grins. "I could've told you everything sooner… That joke went a little too far, didn't it?"
"A little?!" That wasn't a joke—it was straight-up evil! Amuro knew Kazawa could imagine how he reacted in the car, tears welling up in his eyes...
Amuro sighed deeply, then suddenly reached across the table and gave Kazawa a firm head rub.
Only when Kazawa started whining and begging did he finally let go with a long breath.
"If it's just a joke, then it's fine." Amuro chuckled, brushing his hand off. "If only everything could be a joke... That'd be the best."
If only those thick-skinned idiots could all come back, laughing and teasing him for his stupid shocked face, telling him it was all a prank...
That would've been perfect.
Now Kazawa couldn't even smile anymore.
What was supposed to be a playful exchange had turned into a heartbreaker again. Did Furuya Rei come with a passive aura of melancholy or something? Why did he always hit Kazawa right in the feels…
Kazawa took a deep breath and shook it all off, firmly grabbing Amuro's retreating hand and giving it a strong shake.
"Alright, enough small talk. I'll be counting on you from now on, senpai," Kazawa said, meaning more than one thing.
Amuro responded with Bourbon's signature smile and shook his hand back just as firmly. "Likewise… Kumel."