"Click—"
Curacao, who was quietly sitting on the bed, immediately tensed up when she heard the faint sound of the door opening. She grabbed Jodie's pistol and positioned herself beside the bedroom doorframe.
"Good reflexes, but no need to be nervous. It's me."
Toru's voice came from the entrance, prompting Curacao to slowly lower the gun.
Entering the safe house, Toru casually glanced around.
The bedsheets were messy, and Curacao's former office lady outfit was crumpled in the corner.
She had changed into a new outfit. The medicine box on the bedside table was open, and empty packaging was scattered on the floor.
The expert from the Black Organization sat on the sofa wearing a slightly oversized white shirt—it was Toru's.
Beneath the hem of her hip-hugging skirt, her long legs were toned and firm, like a fit, beautiful leopardess.
"Fujiwara Toru."
She spoke his name clearly and deliberately.
"You should change how you address me. Call me Boss."
Curacao was silent for a moment. "...Boss, how are the children?"
"The bomb on the Ferris wheel was defused. Gin didn't get the chance to fire from the helicopter. The children are safe and completely unharmed. Maybe just a little shaken."
"Thank you."
Curacao softly expressed her gratitude.
If Toru hadn't used an anti-air missile to shoot down Gin's helicopter, and the autocannon had really hit the Ferris wheel's central shaft, the collapse would have undoubtedly killed those children.
"No need to thank me. The children are innocent. Saving them is my duty."
"Rather, you seem to have genuine feelings for those kids. As my subordinate, I feel it's necessary to understand you better. Would you mind telling me about your past?"
Toru pulled over a chair and sat opposite her.
Curacao hesitated slightly but replied, "There's not much to tell about my past."
"I'm Dutch. I was abandoned by my parents at a young age due to a congenital brain defect and lived in an orphanage in the Netherlands."
"The condition didn't affect my daily life much, only causing occasional headaches. But it gave me an extremely powerful memory."
"When I was nine, because of that ability, I was adopted by the Organization and received special training."
"Aside from physical and combat training, they also developed my memory skills. As for the headaches, a brain expert within the Organization helped me almost completely eliminate the symptoms."
Toru mused, "Those children reminded you of the other kids at the orphanage?"
Curacao said nothing, but Toru knew he had hit the mark.
That was the softest part of her heart.
"Some people are born cold, some are born soft. I might be the latter. After undergoing the Organization's training and killing countless people for missions, I began to question whether what I was doing was right."
"Also, because of my memory ability, I accidentally retained a lot of the Organization's criminal evidence."
"The Organization doesn't allow any leaks. I became a person of interest. Vermouth had originally been ordered to kill me to eliminate future trouble."
"But before the execution, Rum, the Organization's second-in-command, saved me. I used my ability to gain his trust and became his subordinate."
"And to repay him for saving my life, I gave up all other thoughts and treated myself as a machine, carrying out his orders."
"My life has basically been like this. Either training or performing missions for the Organization."
She spoke about her life with a detached calm, a life almost devoid of freedom.
Toru nodded inwardly.
It was due to her memory loss and running into those children during that time.
That allowed Curacao, who had given up her sense of self and become a tool, to reconnect with the kindness buried deep in her heart, leading her to betray the Organization in the end.
In truth, Curacao had no loyalty to the Black Organization. She simply lacked purpose, which is why she obediently served Rum as a tool.
"If you want information about the Organization from me, I'll tell you everything I know."
"But if you want to know who Rum is, I'm afraid I can't help. I've never met him. He always gave orders through devices like phones."
Toru waved his hand. "...No need. I already know who Rum is."
"I even know why he values you so much. His brain and eyes are also affected by lesions, and he possesses an almost absolute memory, even stronger than yours."
"But with age and injury, his ability started to deteriorate. That's why he needed you as a replacement."
Curacao was stunned.
She didn't expect Toru to know Rum's identity. Could it be that the CIA had long since uncovered the Organization's secrets?
"It's not as thorough as you think. There are still many secrets among the Organization's higher-ups. You must be wondering, since we know who Rum is, why don't we arrest him?"
"It's simple. I don't know where the real mastermind behind the Organization is, or who he truly is."
"By leaving the known second-in-command, Rum, in place, we can trace the mastermind or the group behind him."
"If we move against Rum and he gets replaced, we'll lose our lead."
Toru paused and smirked. "...As Rum's enforcer, you probably don't even know there's collaboration between the CIA and your Organization. The CIA won't touch them until they've fully exploited them."
Curacao understood.
The CIA was indeed full of internal factions.
She figured that part of the CIA had chosen to cooperate with the criminal Organization, while Toru stood for righteousness and wanted to destroy them all, even purging the corrupted elements within the CIA.
Of course, this could also be related to Toru's personal ambition. But regardless of his motivations, his actions were just.
"I'll compile a report for you with all the information I know about the Organization."
"That kind of information is useless now. I can forge a death certificate for you, but the Organization is cautious. They won't fully believe it. Whatever you know will be transferred internally."
Curacao was speechless.
So that means I'm... completely useless?
Toru smiled. "Don't underestimate yourself. Your personal ability is a huge asset to me."
"Compared to the intel you have, your value as a person is much more important. It's just an organization. My goal is to completely wipe it out. If all I wanted was to cripple it and prevent it from stirring trouble for a while, that's easy."
Toru was calm and confident, his presence overwhelming. He didn't take the Black Organization too seriously.
There was a saying online: if all the 'Red Side' sat down for a talk, the Organization would be finished that very day.
Although reality wasn't that exaggerated, with the amount of intel Toru had, if he eliminated key figures like Gin, even if the Organization didn't collapse immediately, it would vanish for years.
But that would be meaningless. If the root isn't dug up, weeds will sprout again.
Unless Karasuma Renya is found, and unless the American upper-level supporters behind the Organization are also eliminated, this evil will only come back.
Toru wouldn't act until he was fully prepared. But when he did, it would be thunderous. Once he moved, it would be to wipe out the entire Black Organization in one go.
"How will you forge a death certificate for me? The Organization has moles in the Public Security Bureau and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. I don't know who they are."
"Are they in high positions?"
"No, probably not. At most, they're mid-level."
"Then it's simple."
Toru took out his phone in front of Curacao and dialed a number.
"Boss?"
Rei's voice came from the other end.
"Furuya, I've got a task for you."
"Boss, you're not my superior, you know?"
"But I am your Boss. Or should I have my father assign you the task through official channels?"
There was a brief silence. "...Alright, Boss. Just tell me, as long as it doesn't threaten national security."
"Heh, I saved your life and you're still so cold. Never mind. I need you to personally handle the creation of a death certificate for Curacao in the Public Security Bureau. Do it yourself. There might be spies from that Organization inside."
"Curacao? She's with you, Boss?"
Rei sounded surprised.
After the Aquarium incident, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the Public Security Bureau searched for a long time without finding her. They had assumed she escaped.
"She's in CIA custody. To fool the Organization, the CIA needs a death certificate. If we uncover anything important, we'll share it with you."
Rei sounded slightly disappointed.
He would have liked to interrogate Curacao himself. But since she was already in CIA hands, there was nothing he could do.
Still, eliminating the Organization had always been his goal. He responded firmly, "Understood. I'll personally handle it. Leave it to me, Boss."
Toru hung up.
He had full confidence in Rei's ability.
Looking at Curacao sitting in front of him, Toru pushed the box he had brought toward her.
Curacao opened it.
Inside was a skin mask, a brand-new handgun, and a bank card.
"Your appearance is known not only to your former Organization but also to other major intelligence agencies. If you need to go on missions, use this mask to conceal your identity."
"This gun is for self-defense. If you need other weapons during a mission, you can request them from me."
"Your original assets have likely been frozen or confiscated by the Organization. This card contains one hundred thousand US dollars for your immediate expenses. After this, I'll pay you a monthly salary."
"If that's not enough, you can also request mission funds."
Curacao gently touched the skin mask.
She had also used disguises created by Vermouth on missions before, so she wasn't surprised by the advanced tech.
"I barely had any expenses in the Organization. One hundred thousand dollars is enough. What should I do when I'm not on missions?"
Hearing that Curacao had no living expenses before, Toru muttered inwardly.
What a useful tool. No maintenance costs, and top-tier skills. No wonder Rum made her his trusted aide.
"When you're not on missions, do as you like. I'm not Rum, and I'm not that Organization. I won't restrict your personal life. Just don't get exposed and be ready for missions at any time."
"From now on, you're free, Curacao."
Curacao looked dazed.
Is this... freedom?
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ 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.)