Chapter 26: I Told You Not to Call Me a Model Worker
In the dead of night, the hospital room had settled into darkness.
Akai Shuichi lay alone on the hospital bed, holding a black card with a unique texture in his hand.
The surface carried zero markings, with only a string of phone numbers printed right in the center in silver font. Just like the person who left it behind, sharp and exposed, yet hard to grasp.
His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the smooth surface of the card as his thoughts drifted back to his conversation with Caesar several hours ago.
Everything was developing just as he had expected, even smoother than anticipated.
Caesar took a fancy to his "potential," or rather, took a fancy to this carefully fabricated background of his.
Moroboshi Dai—a grey figure driven by money and thrills, possessing great skill yet completely relying on no one—indeed looked like an easy pawn to control.
The man's recruitment was simple and direct, and the conditions offered were quite tempting.
As long as he could prove his worth and pass a "test" personally set up by Caesar, he could gain a ticket into that massive dark organization, thereby obtaining rewards far beyond imagination.
Of course, the starting status wouldn't be too high, likely similar to Miyano Akemi as an ordinary peripheral member.
However, there was one key difference: a "letter of recommendation."
Caesar promised that if his performance proved stellar enough, he would have the chance to get his referral and receive direct attention from upper management, making his promotion speed far faster than ordinary members.
If the plan went smoothly, his time as an undercover could be compressed significantly, and the efficiency of the operation would double.
Still, regarding the specific content of that "test," Caesar remained vague, telling him to focus on recovering first and discuss it after his body fully healed.
Akai Shuichi closed his eyes, setting the card gently beside his pillow.
Not long ago, he established contact with companions like James, Andre, and Jodie through an encrypted channel, briefly reporting the change in plan—he had abandoned the original route of approaching Miyano Akemi, opting instead to attempt entry into the Organization through the newly contacted executive, Caesar.
Whether it was James or Jodie, both knew what this implied.
Deep contact with an ability user whom even the FBI authorities feared was no different from throwing oneself into the center of a storm.
"Too risky, Shu." After a brief silence, James typed out a long line of words: "We spent years investigating Caesar, only to gather very limited personal intelligence... We know far too little about him."
"Precisely because of that, the opportunity is rare."
Akai Shuichi's reply was cool, carrying not a single ripple: "Bypassing intermediate links to directly contact upper management saves massive amounts of time, and the value of intelligence gathered is entirely different."
"But the risk..."
"Risk is proportional to reward. James, this is our closest opportunity to the core in all our years tracking the Organization."
In the end, under Akai Shuichi's persistence, the plan was approved.
Naturally, warnings followed immediately after.
As a highly rated dangerous figure within the Organization, Caesar's special ability remained completely unconfirmed to this day, his strength unfathomably deep. In the process of contacting him, extreme caution was mandatory. If an unresolvable crisis arose, an immediate request for FBI assistance and the intervention of other ability users was required.
Akai Shuichi knew full well that since he decided on this higher-risk "shortcut," the original script of approaching Miyano Akemi and playing the role of a "devoted hitman resuming his old trade for love, single-mindedly protecting his girlfriend" was naturally void.
In a way, this let him breathe a sigh of relief.
Deceiving a young woman who seemed gentle, considerate, and completely lacking romance experience, using her feelings and trust as a stepping stone, was not entirely free of mental burden for him, even if required by the mission.
Now that this route was unexpectedly cut off, perhaps it was a touch of divine fate as well.
Only...
To execute the plan earlier, he had already spoken up to break up with Jodie.
The hope that girl unconsciously revealed during their brief communication after learning he no longer needed to play Miyano Akemi's lover flashed through his mind.
She seemed to want to say something about them...
Akai Shuichi let out a sigh, his knuckles tightening slightly.
It wasn't that he hadn't noticed, nor was he stone-hearted. He still liked Jodie; those feelings had never faded. Yet precisely because of that, he couldn't respond even more.
An undercover identity hung over his head like the Sword of Damocles. Love was a luxury, and an even more fatal weakness.
Under the premise where dying the very next day wouldn't be surprising, he couldn't make any promises to Jodie.
He must, and could only, pour his entire mind into this game... of dancing with demons.
...
On the other side, at the Gojo estate.
Gojo Satoru was wearing dog-patterned pajamas, sprawled without a shred of dignity on the soft king-sized bed in his bedroom. In his arms, he held the fluffy white cat, Daifu, scratching its chin back and forth, making it purr in pure comfort.
Thinking about how he stepped in today—not only spreading rumors in front of Miyano Akemi to heavily damage a certain mysterious long-haired man's reputation, but also intercepting their chance for further contact—without any surprise, the red string between this pair of "ill-fated lovers" had probably been nipped right in the bud, right?
Although he felt zero guilt and even kind of wanted to laugh, thinking carefully about it, it did feel... just a tiny bit ungenerous?
Still, everything he did was for Shuichi's own good!
If he hadn't stepped in to stop it, Shuichi was almost about to play out a trashy, painful romance drama with Miyano's cousin! Cousin romance between blood relatives was an absolute no-no!
Yep, Akai Shuichi was better off staying locked in with Jodie.
"I kind of feel Shuichi's scumbag potential isn't entirely because of Miss Akemi, isn't it?" Gojo Satoru rubbed his chin, his thoughts drifting elsewhere: "Maybe even without the Akemi line, he'd still go around flirting left and right..."
Thinking of those deep green eyes that looked affectionate even when staring at a dog, his brain automatically replayed a few famous scenes from the original story.
From Shuichi shouting wild statements like "arch-nemesis, lover" at Gin that shocked everyone's pupils, to pulling and tugging with Bourbon on the Ferris wheel as if flirting, completely oblivious to the world around them...
The more he thought about it, the more he felt his worries were extremely necessary.
"As expected, I still need to observe carefully. If he really dares to act like a heartbreaker..." Gojo Satoru flashed a little devilish smile: "I'll pack up all the evidence and mail it straight to Miss Jodie~"
Watching people break up and bicker was way more entertaining than watching sweet romance. This was the proper way to open his helpful (?) lifestyle! If you ask why... simple, because he was kind-hearted.
Right then, the phone resting on the nightstand vibrated.
Glancing at the caller ID, Gojo Satoru picked up, speaking lightly: "Moshi moshi~ Gin-chan, calling me this late, did you suddenly miss me?"
The usual cold and hard voice of Gin came through the phone, ignoring his teasing outright.
"Based on the info provided by that information broker, the Organization took down a new stronghold this time without shedding a drop of blood. Caesar, keep maintaining contact with that side. Next time there's a need, you'll still be the one stepping up."
"No problem, leave it to me," Gojo Satoru agreed readily, smoothly shifting the topic: "Speaking of which, how have you been lately? Still busy?"
"The Organization absorbed a batch of fresh blood recently. Besides finishing the tasks handed down by the boss, I have to arrange tests and screenings, so there's not much time to rest."
The recent high-intensity continuous work made even Gin, with his immense patience, inevitably feel a bit worn out.
"Fresh blood?" Gojo Satoru caught a glimpse of an interesting coincidence, speaking up right away: "What a match! I actually spotted a pretty good sprout recently too, and I'm considering whether to pull him into our crew."
The other end went silent for a moment, appearing somewhat surprised.
Gin really hadn't expected that after casually mentioning for Caesar to keep an eye out for newcomers last time, he actually took it to heart.
This guy had been in Tokyo for so long, yet he had never actively recommended anyone.
"...Rare." Gin's voice carried no emotion. "What's his skill level?"
"Not confirmed yet, gotta see his follow-up performance." Gojo Satoru kept him guessing, yet his tone carried certainty: "Though, if things develop smoothly, Gin-chan will definitely see him in the future. Who knows... you might even appreciate him a little?"
Hearing such a surprisingly high evaluation, Gin actually developed a thread of interest.
To make Caesar, who held his eyes above his head, say something like this, the person surely had his extraordinary points. Still, out of habit, he shot back a cold sneer: "The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment. You don't get this logic?"
"Hai, hai~ Relax, Gin-chan," Gojo Satoru chuckled, saying: "No matter how impressive the newcomer is, he won't threaten your position! You're forever the strongest model worker in my heart!"
Gin: "..."
Who wanted to compare with some guy of unknown origin? Also, I told you not to call me a model worker!!
Without waiting for Gin to refute, Gojo Satoru quickly switched topics: "Right, Gin-chan, did you just say you didn't get good rest? I've got special milk candy here that guarantees sleeping till dawn after eating. Want me to send some over tomorrow?"
A vein twitched subtly on Gin's temple: "You take me for a three-year-old kid? Keep that sickly sweet stuff for yourself."
"Ehh—so heartless!" Gojo Satoru deliberately dragged out his voice, putting on a wronged act: "Clearly back when we were kids in the training camp, you often ate desserts with me in the cafeteria! All those past... past memories, have you forgotten them all?"
Gin: "...Didn't you forcefully shove them into my mouth, you bastard?" At least most of the time it went like that.
Yet it was undeniable that those young days in the Organization's training camp—before being completely soaked in darkness—were indeed among the few fragments carrying a warm tone in his memory. Back then, they didn't have codenames, just Jin Kurosawa busy with special training all day and... a certain troublesome, dazzling white-haired young master.
Perhaps touched gently by distant memories, the silver-haired man's voice softened slightly beyond his control.
"Enough. I don't need those things." Gin paused, his voice dropping low: "It's getting late, you should rest too... Satoru."
"Alright then~"
Holding the phone, even knowing the other person couldn't see it, the corners of Gojo Satoru's eyes and lips curved into a pleasant arc beyond his control. "Well then, good night, Jin."
"...Good night."
The call disconnected, and a dial tone came through.
Gojo Satoru set his phone aside and lay back down on the bed, his gaze casually falling onto the transparent glass candy jar resting on the nightstand.
Inside was filled with "Good Dream Candies" redeemed from the system shop, coming in all kinds of colors and flavors.
Looking at those candies, a familiar face of a young man with grey-blue cat eyes surfaced in his mind without warning.
Morofushi Hiromitsu.
That gentle youth who used to be troubled by nightmares and needed to rely on the candy handed over every night to sleep peacefully—after resolving the knot of his parents' murder, it seemed he could finally get a good night's sleep.
He wondered... after losing "Kuno Nozomu," would he... start suffering from insomnia again?
Gojo Satoru looked at the cool moonlight spilling in through the window. After a long moment, he let out a barely audible sigh.