"Akai Mary? Are you looking for my mother? Unfortunately, I don't know where she went either. Only my sister and I are here."
When Toru mentioned the name Mary, Masumi reacted instantly. Ignoring the pain in her body, she quickly spoke up.
Mary, now in the form of a child, sat pitifully in the corner of the sofa. She looked at Toru in panic, her small eyes filled with timidity.
"Your sister? Ms. Sera, I didn't know the Sera family had another sister besides you three siblings."
Toru chuckled as he walked toward Mary, step by step.
Masumi's expression stiffened. She didn't expect this intruder to know so much about her family. Her voice turned cold. "Who exactly are you?"
"Weren't you looking for me all this time? Now that I've shown up, Ms. Sera doesn't recognize me?"
Toru removed his hat, revealing his true face.
"Fujiwara Toru?!"
"That's right, it's me."
"What do you want by coming here?"
"That's what I should be asking you. Why have you been looking for me all this time?"
Masumi felt flustered. She didn't expect that, despite her secretive actions, Toru had still discovered her.
Should she admit he's truly a top CIA agent?
Toru suddenly spoke coldly. "Don't move, Ms. Mary. I know you've already gripped the gun."
"But you're just a child now. Both your motor skills and physical fitness are far inferior to mine. If you make any rash moves, I don't think you want to see that tragic outcome, do you?"
Mary spoke pitifully, "W-what are you saying, big brother? I'm not called Mary."
As expected from a top MI6 agent, despite being the same age as Vermouth, she showed no hesitation pretending to be a child and calling him "Brother."
Looking at her frightened expression, an average person might truly be fooled.
"APTX4869, do you know this name?"
Mary looked completely confused, still playing the role of a little girl.
"Heh, I figured you wouldn't know. That's the name of the drug you took."
This statement from Toru finally made Mary drop her pretense.
Her pitiful expression disappeared, and she became completely calm. Her voice was low and hoarse. "You know everything? Cough… cough cough…"
The high tension caused Mary's old problem to flare up, and she coughed painfully.
"Now, raise your hands, Ms. Mary. Otherwise, I'll kill you first and then kill your daughter."
Toru's threat made Mary hesitate.
As an MI6 agent, she understood the ruthlessness of her peers best. This man was truly capable of following through on such a threat.
Her small hands slowly lifted from the cushion, her movements deliberate and cautious, afraid that Toru would misunderstand and cause an accidental firing.
Mary raised her hands high, and the cushion fell to the ground, revealing a pistol at her waist.
"What do you want with my daughter and me?"
Mary didn't beg for mercy. A key rule for CIA agents is to complete their mission.
If Toru's goal was to kill her, then she wouldn't survive.
But if Toru's mission wasn't that, she might have a chance to live as long as she fulfilled his demands.
Toru took an A4 sheet from his pocket and casually tossed it forward.
The paper fluttered to the ground. Mary saw that it was her personal resume.
"The head of MI6 asked me to find you. You know too many secrets, and your superior suspects you've betrayed England."
"He told me that if you truly betrayed them, then I'm to kill you. Your life or death is in my hands."
Toru's words didn't offer Mary any comfort. She said, "But you didn't kill me immediately."
Toru answered, "That's right, because I know you haven't betrayed them. You just turned into a child and hid away. You know as well as I do how valuable your current state is to America, to England."
"If the intelligence agencies knew about you shrinking, you'd face a fate worse than death. For your own life, and your child's, you chose a path that made your superior suspect you of betrayal."
"You've stated all my thoughts, Mr. Fujiwara," Mary said, coughing, her voice still hoarse.
"But unfortunately, I've still been exposed. What do you want to do? Tie me back to America for human experimentation?"
It's no wonder Mary thought this way. If Toru hadn't killed her immediately, it could only be because the CIA needed her.
She mocked herself in her heart. She had escaped MI6, but in the end, she couldn't escape the CIA's pursuit.
"Ms. Mary, do you know how terrifying a drug that can make people shrink is?"
"Of course, I know. It will cause a shift in the world order."
"Oh? Is that how you see it?"
"I'm not sure what this APTX4869 is, but if a drug can make people shrink, I'll assume for now that it doesn't grant eternal life."
Mary spoke slowly, "...But it already has the potential to grant eternal life. Those big financial groups, those politicians, they will definitely go crazy for this drug."
"And if these people really gain eternal life, do you think the world order will change? At that point, the most tragic will be those at the bottom of society. They'll never have a chance to rise."
Toru said with a mix of amusement and mockery, "You're quite the worrier."
Mary shot him a cold look and said slowly, "But now, I have to take back what I said before. It seems you're not planning to hand me over to America?"
Toru laughed heartily. "As expected of MI6's top agent, your grasp of human nature and emotions is quite meticulous."
"That's right. I'm not planning to hand you over to the CIA, and I'm even less planning to hand you over to America."
"Why?" Mary asked, puzzled.
"Because, like you, I'm a compassionate person. I don't want those people who hold positions without doing anything to gain eternal life and make the people at the bottom of the world lose hope."
"If these words came from someone else, I might believe a few points. But coming from someone in the CIA, I really don't believe it at all. Tell me the truth, Fujiwara, stop playing guessing games with me," Mary snorted lightly.
Toru smiled. "First, let me tell you some good news. Neither the CIA nor MI6 knows about you shrinking. This is just my personal intelligence."
"The name of this drug, APTX4869, is known by many, but even the person who used this drug on you doesn't know that it can make people shrink."
"This aligns with my deduction. If this drug could make people shrink, the person who impersonated my husband wouldn't have given it to me. But what is your purpose?"
"With such a useful drug, what do you think I would do?"
"Do you want to control this drug yourself? Your ambition is bigger than I imagined, Fujiwara. I thought you had been brainwashed by the CIA, but now it seems that's not the case at all. And at your age, you're thinking too much about the future."
Mary's expression was complex, but she also admired Toru's ability.
This young boy was truly remarkable. Even Shuichi couldn't compare.
Shuichi might be strong in terms of ability, but in politics, ambition, and intellect, he had a considerable gap compared to this young man.
It was this gap that made Shuichi a hitman, a useful tool for the FBI, but not a leader or superior.
Still, admiration didn't resolve Mary's current crisis.
"Do you want to use me as a test subject for the drug?"
Whether it was being captured by America for research or by Toru for research, to Mary, the result was no different, and it was something she didn't want to see.
"Besides you, there is a better test subject, so you can only be in second place."
Toru's simple words made Mary instantly realize that someone else had also shrunk!
"Ms. Mary, your existence is quite tricky. You're a top agent of MI6. You have abilities, connections, and you know too much."
"So reason tells me I should kill you, then destroy your body to eliminate future troubles forever. This is the best option."
"But another part of reason tells me you might have other uses, so can you tell me what you can do for me so that I can spare your life?"
Toru said unhurriedly, his expression showing slight trouble.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"You are Akai Shuichi's mother. Can you make him work for me?"
"I'm sorry, Shuichi has an independent personality. Even as his mother, if I ask him to do something that doesn't suit his wishes, he will refuse."
"Then doesn't that mean you're useless? If you were still in your adult state, you might have some use."
Toru said regretfully.
Masumi, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn't help but speak up. "Hey, did you forget about me? Big Brother doesn't listen to you, but I can listen to you!"
Toru looked at Masumi for a few moments and shook his head. "Your ability and strength are too far off, and you're not stable enough."
"Or do you want to listen to me in other ways? You are indeed somewhat attractive, but I don't like tomboyish girls like you. You're not as attractive to me as your mother."
Masumi was so angry that she burst into curses, "You f***ing..."
Seeing Toru's gun pointed at her, she swallowed the rest of her words.
Mary's mind raced, and she spoke slowly. "Fujiwara, although you are excellent in all aspects, far exceeding ordinary people."
"But in the field of espionage, I am older than you, and my network of contacts and resources is also richer than yours."
"So?" Toru said, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"I also have some friends in the CIA. I recently received news that the CIA seems to have a big operation, and you might be affected by this."
"Believe me, you might need enough friends by then, friends who can help you. I think we can be mutually beneficial."
Mary could only bring out her ultimate trump card, trying to reach an agreement with Toru.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)