Chapter 3: Gin
Daikoku Building
From its appearance, it was just an ordinary commercial building.
The Cocktail bar on the top floor was not very conspicuous; it had very few customers on weekdays and occasionally closed its doors.
Hayashi Yoshiki arrived almost exactly on time.
After pushing the door open, his first impression of the place was its desolation.
This bar was not very large.
Dim yellow light fell from the ceiling, filling the cypress wood bar counter and the extensive liquor cabinet. The bartender stood behind the counter, polishing glass after glass until they gleamed, while only two customers dressed in black sat at the counter.
The tall and burly Vodka, like a bodyguard, and Gin, with a cigarette burning in his hand.
"He's here, Aniki."
Looking at Hayashi Yoshiki approaching, Vodka's broad face revealed a cold smile.
Gin's gaze also swept over.
His face, half-hidden by his hat and bangs, was stared at by those dark green eyes, from which no warmth could be found.
"Good evening, Mr. Gin, Mr. Vodka."
Hayashi Yoshiki's voice carried an incredible sense of stillness, and he smiled: "Is there something you need me for?"
Compared to his appearance during the day, Hayashi Yoshiki's face now wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses.
The curve of his smile was no different from usual.
Only his eyes, which narrowed slightly with the smile behind the glasses, appearing elongated, though still gentle, always gave people a feeling that he was somewhat ill-intentioned.
Vodka felt he couldn't get along with this kind of refined scoundrel and couldn't help but sneer.
Gin, however, slightly bared his teeth.
In his eyes, the pupils were much smaller than those of an average person, yet they exuded a chilling ferocity.
"I have a job for you to do."
"What?"
Gin did not respond.
Vodka then handed over an envelope from the side.
Hayashi Yoshiki reached out and took it.
As he naturally took a seat at the bar, the bartender behind the counter also asked: "What would you like to drink?"
"The same as them."
"Alright."
The bartender quietly began to mix the drinks.
Hayashi Yoshiki took out the contents of the envelope. On top was a photo of a man, approximately 30 years old, wearing a black turtleneck sweater with a light blue jacket over it, and a rather handsome face.
Below were the man's name and simple information.
Ansei HiroNobu…
As Hayashi Yoshiki had completely memorized the man's appearance and name, Gin's voice sounded: "Tomorrow night at 11 PM, the second alley west of Beika Aquarium, kill him."
"Exactly 11 PM? Is that person guaranteed to appear at that time?" Hayashi Yoshiki's response seemed to have no hesitation.
"Of course." Vodka said with some mockery, "That guy won't know we're making a move; he'll just think it's another ordinary meeting."
"So, he's a traitor to the Organization?"
"Just a small mouse secretly doing unspeakable things around the Organization." Gin bared his teeth, his gaze towards Hayashi Yoshiki oozing intense ferocity: "If he were a traitor, I would personally execute him."
That's truly impressive.
The reason Gin is called the Organization's model worker is partly because he is either killing moles or on his way to kill moles… but this also seems to be what he is most enthusiastic about.
He shows no mercy to traitors and useless members of the Organization.
Only the sound of mixing drinks remained at the silent bar.
"'Gypsy', please."
The bartender then placed a clear amber cocktail in front of Hayashi Yoshiki.
Hayashi Yoshiki picked it up, took a sip, and then put it down.
Gypsy is made with Vodka as the base, mixed with French Bénédictine and a few drops of bitters. The faint sweetness and herbal aroma are not enough to mask the strong alcoholic taste.
The bartender didn't mind, simply serving the second drink.
"'Orange Blossom', please."
An orange-red cocktail served in a classic glass.
Hayashi Yoshiki also took a taste.
This cocktail, with Gin as its base, was undoubtedly much more delicious.
Although the mixture with Cointreau ensured a high alcohol content, the main flavor was a fruity taste blended from fresh orange juice, lime juice, and grenadine syrup.
Vodka and Gin…
Both of them ordered cocktails named after their own code names.
Interestingly, the Gin and Vodka drinks are actually very closely related; both use highly distilled spirits as raw materials. However, Gin is made by adding juniper berries, orange peel, or other plant roots for flavor, then diluted with water.
Vodka, on the other hand, is simply diluted with water.
…No wonder Gin always brings along Vodka, that not-so-bright imposter.
Slowly finishing the 'Orange Blossom', Hayashi Yoshiki put the target information back into the envelope, took it with him, and stood up: "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Neither of them responded.
Hayashi Yoshiki quickly left the bar and came out onto the street.
The street at 9:30 PM was still quite lively.
After passing a passerby who looked somewhat fierce, Hayashi Yoshiki raised his hand to hail a taxi, got in, stated the address, and then pulled out paper and pen from his pocket.
This was a piece of paper torn from the death note.
Transmigrating to this world, he didn't expect to immediately get involved in something dark—he became a part of the Organization, but a low-level member without a code name.
Although Gin's model worker image in the original work seemed almost comical in the later stages, Hayashi Yoshiki was well aware that he was a very dangerous guy, so he made some preparations before coming.
—Since the death note, which can control the cause of death, can be used as a "script," things become simple.
Inoue Murao
On March 18th at 9:00 PM, he wandered around the Daikoku Building in Beika City. He stayed there until he saw a young man in a black coat and silver-rimmed glasses calmly hail a taxi and leave, after which he remained in the same spot for another 48 minutes before leaving. He then lived normally until April 10th at 3:46 AM, when he died by hanging himself.
Inoue Murao's cause of death and time of death were completely irrelevant.
What was important was that during this period, he would definitely see the young man wearing silver-rimmed glasses calmly taking a taxi and leaving.
"…"
As the taxi drove towards Beika Second Apartment, Hayashi Yoshiki suddenly felt something and looked up into the rearview mirror, observing all the vehicles following the taxi.
...
To be continued..