Chapter 17: You Have an Eye for Her?
Gin's icy word "monitor" was like a bucket of cold water, dousing most of the joy that had just sparked in Miyano Shiho's eyes.
She understood that the Organization could never give her true freedom. Even in this brief moment of reunion with her sister, that invisible chain remained tightly wrapped around her.
"Ehh~ No way, no way, right?"
At that moment, a playful voice broke the heavy atmosphere inside the car just right.
Gojo Satoru spoke words that caught everyone off guard: "Don't tell me Gin-chan plans to crouch off to the side with his ears perked up every time those sisters share girl talk? Wouldn't that look a bit suspicious, like a creepy stalker?"
[Ding! Impression value from plot character Miyano Shiho increases by 300 points!]
The way-too-intimate, even mocking name "Gin-chan" made Miyano Shiho barely able to keep her facial expression in check.
At the same time, an image popped uncontrollably into her head: Gin wearing sunglasses and a mask, sneaking around crouching in a corner to eavesdrop on people, his long silver hair dragging on the floor, forming a wild contrast with his current cold, intimidating look.
She quickly lowered her head, pretending to smooth out her hem to hide the slight curve at the corner of her mouth.
The silver-haired man's face darkened, his voice sounding like it was squeezed through gritted teeth: "...Necessary surveillance and stalking are two completely different things."
Hearing Gin actually speak up to explain, Shiho's shock instantly wiped out her momentary amusement.
Even though she wasn't familiar with Gin, she could tell he was definitely not someone easy to deal with, even giving her the constant illusion that he might pull out a gun and kill her at any moment.
Yet this blindfolded man dared to tease him so brazenly. It felt like watching a wild tiger messing with another wild tiger—either they were close friends, or Gin was forced to endure it due to the man's higher status.
Which possibility it actually was, Shiho had no way of knowing for now.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Vodka wiped his cold sweat on the sly, sighing internally: "As expected, Lord Caesar is the only person who can call Boss a 'creepy stalker' without having a Beretta pointed at his head."
"Sigh—" Gojo Satoru put on a theatrical sigh, spreading his hands: "Don't you think you're being way too paranoid, Gin-chan? She's just a teenage girl finally reuniting with her sister, so of course they have topics they don't want overheard. Even the old man... ahem, I mean the Boss, wouldn't think this poses any threat to the Organization, right?"
Gin glanced coldly through the rearview mirror at Miyano Shiho, who seemed clueless about the real situation.
He knew full well in his heart that this girl probably hadn't realized Caesar was the very person she knew back at school.
Although he didn't know why she still couldn't tell, still... Caesar coming so enthusiastically to pick her up at the airport was meant to savor the shocked, painful look on Sherry's face when she realized she'd been "betrayed" by a trusted mentor, wasn't it? Why was he standing up for her now instead?
"Don't tell me he actually built up some useless feelings for her during their time together back then?"
"A threat? They aren't qualified," Gin snorted, his tone dripping with disdain. "I've got zero interest in mindless girl talk, and I don't have time to waste on those sisters."
"Oh?" Gojo Satoru seized the softening in his words instantly: "So you mean you don't plan on forcing yourself to listen in on their conversation?"
Gin didn't answer, leaving it unclear whether he agreed or not.
Striking while the iron was hot, Gojo Satoru turned to the girl beside him, waving an index finger: "Little Sherry, choose for yourself. Do you want Gin listening in on every single word between you two, or do you want to catch up with your sister quietly by yourselves for a bit?"
"..."
Even though her physical instincts told her to shrink back, the desperate wish to talk with her sister without interruption won out in the end.
Plucking up her courage, she answered: "I... want to talk with my sister alone."
Gin didn't move his eyes off the road ahead, simply tossing out a few words coldly: "Half an hour."
"You have half an hour. Know your boundaries."
The tightness in Shiho's nerves finally loosened a bit.
Thank goodness, she and her sister could actually talk without being bugged.
"Half an hour is way too short!" Yet the white-haired youth beside her started complaining loudly: "We're going out for dinner, right? Eating plus chatting takes at least an hour to be enough~ Gin-chan, you're being way too cold-hearted."
Gin almost laughed out of pure anger: "Cold-hearted?"
He snubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, his words carrying a mocking tone that saw right through everything: "Caesar, put a limit on your act."
In the next second, he asked the exact question lingering in Miyano Shiho's mind.
"What good does looking out for those sisters do for you anyway?"
"Who said I'm doing this for them?" Gojo Satoru put on an innocent look, grumbling with a wronged face: "I clearly just wanted to take this chance to catch up with you since we finally went out together. Letting them talk their stuff while we chat ours—isn't that a win-win?"
"Could it be that after not seeing each other for so long, Gin-chan hasn't missed me at all?"
This line made Gin knit his brows, making no effort to hide his disgust: "...Say something like that again, and I'm kicking you out of the car."
Sitting off to the side, Miyano Shiho quietly noted down the codename "Caesar," lowering her eyes to hide her thoughts.
She was naturally not foolish enough to believe this codenamed member she'd never met before was genuinely looking out for them. To people walking in the dark, sudden kindness was often far more dangerous than blatant malice.
If it was just a excuse to catch up with Gin, then this "kindness" made total sense... Still, two high-ranking executives having a deep personal relationship wasn't great news either.
Before long, the Porsche pulled up at a corner of a bustling commercial street.
A cafe named "Croatia" stood quietly by the curb, warm yellow light spilling through its glass windows, casting a bright spot against the darkening sky.
By the entrance, a young woman in a beige trench coat was looking around anxiously. With delicate features and waist-length hair, it was none other than Miyano Akemi.
When her eyes caught the familiar figure stepping off the car, her entire being seemed to light up instantly—first with pure joy, then her eyes turned red. Stepping quickly in her thin high heels, she rushed forward, calling out: "Shiho!"
However, Akemi's emotions pulled back drastically the moment she spotted Gin and Vodka stepping down right behind her.
Quickly composing her expression, she gave them a respectful bow: "Thank you both so much for taking the trouble to bring her here."
At that moment, Gojo Satoru lazily stepped out of the car as well. Throwing an arm around Gin's shoulder in a overly friendly way, he waved his other hand at her: "Ah, you must be Miyano Akemi? Nice to meet you for the first time, please take care of me."
Miyano Akemi froze right on the spot, an icy chill shooting up her spine.
She took half a step back unconsciously, her throat tightening. It wasn't until her sister tapped her elbow gently that she snapped out of it, hurriedly bowing again: "N-Nice to meet you..."
"It's an honor to meet you, sir."
[Ding! Impression value from plot character Miyano Akemi increases by 800 points! Analysis: Fear.]
Having been in Tokyo headquarters for years, she recognized Gin and Vodka, but held zero memory of this white-haired man wearing a black blindfold and carrying a terrifyingly intense aura.
"Is he a new codenamed member in the Organization? Or a core member on the same level as Gin?"
Gojo Satoru acted as if he didn't notice her tension, still flashing a brilliant smile: "No need to be so polite. By the way, the table should be booked already, right?" As he spoke, he patted Gin's shoulder: "Let's go, Gin-chan~ I'm starving to death."
Gin slapped his hand away with an expressionless face, taking the lead to walk toward the private room reserved inside the cafe, with Vodka rushing to keep up.
Being a business under the Organization, these private rooms were mostly set up for members, guaranteeing privacy.
A few minutes later, Miyano Akemi gently closed the private room door, checking through the gap to make sure Gin and the others had headed in another direction, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
If they were monitored, everything else would be fine, but just the thought of staying in the same room with such a scary man sent shivers down her spine.
Though she felt quite confused by this relaxed treatment, the joy of reuniting with her sister quickly swept it away.
"Shiho." She turned around, gripping her sister's hands tightly, her eyes moistening again: "Did you get used to living abroad? Have you been eating well? I've missed you so much..."
The girl buried her face deep into her shoulder, wrapping both arms around her back.
"Akemi-nee..." Her voice was muffled against the fabric, carrying a faint tremble: "I... missed you so much too."
Feeling the warm wetness on her shoulder, Miyano Akemi hugged her sister tighter, her fingers gently stroking her short hair.
At this moment, the Organization, the shadows—everything was tossed to the back of their minds. They were just the most ordinary pair of sisters in the world, finally reuniting after a long separation.
"Sister, do you know? When I was in America..."
They couldn't wait to catch up, as if trying to make up for all the warm times they had missed over the years.
Meanwhile, the vibe in the neighboring private room was entirely different.
A spread of various desserts already sat before Gojo Satoru. Scooping up a spoon of chocolate lava cake, he narrowed his eyes in pure satisfaction, casually bringing up a topic: "Come to think of it, Miss Miyano really is a gentle, pretty lady."
No wonder even a firm-willed FBI agent like Akai Shuichi ended up falling for her without realizing it during their time together.
So, when the time came, should he save this white moonlight sister of Haibara's who died early in the original story?
Or... watch with open eyes as Gin killed her off?
Right at that moment, Gin, who was busy eating, didn't even raise his head, suddenly dropping a line that made Gojo Satoru stop thinking from pure shock: "You have an eye for her?"
"Cough—"