Rei drove Ritsu to the entrance of the research institute before quickly leaving. For now, the less interaction between them, the better.
After all, Gin was an extremely suspicious person. If he noticed anything unusual, even if they weren't exposed, they would still be interrogated and come out covered in injuries. Worse, they might even die young.
Ritsu removed his bloodstained clothes and tossed them into the washing machine, adding a generous amount of scented detergent. After changing into a clean lab coat, he took the washed key and headed toward Laboratory No. 5, only to run into Gin and Vodka, who had just arrived.
"Gin, here's the key."
"Mm."
After confirming it matched the one photographed by the intelligence team, Gin slipped one hand into his pocket and said, "Tomorrow at noon, payment will be delivered to Locker No. 3 at Beika Town Station. Go pick it up."
"Understood. If there's nothing else, I'll head back to the lab."
Gin nodded and left immediately. Just as Ritsu was about to enter the password, Vodka grabbed him.
"Vodka, do you need something?"
"Heh, Macallan, I've got something I want your help with. Can you put off your experiments until tomorrow?" Vodka asked with a goofy grin.
"I can, but I need to let Sherry know first."
"Sure. Go tell her, I'll wait in the parking lot."
Watching Vodka leave, Ritsu felt puzzled. He could tell Vodka was in a very good mood. Could it be that after following Gin for so long, he was finally trying to branch out and recruit him?
Letting his imagination run wild, Ritsu opened the lab door, tossed his coat onto the rack, and put on a khaki trench coat.
"Sherry, I need to head out for a bit. I'll leave the lab to you."
"You don't have to report to me every time. You're barely here most days anyway."
"Uh… sorry for always leaving all the experiments to you."
"If you're sorry, then you know the rules."
Ritsu sighed and took out his wallet, pulling out a newly issued secondary credit card and tossing it to her.
"Another Fusae bag, right? Buy it yourself."
"No. This time I'm getting the new Prada collection."
Hearing that it was an even more expensive luxury brand, he gave a bitter smile. "Miyano-san, please go easy on me. I don't want to get a notification that the card's maxed out."
"Do I look like a reckless spender to you?" Shiho rolled her eyes.
"Watch your wording, you're a girl, not a woman. Little kids shouldn't be in a hurry to grow up."
"I've grown taller, okay? I'm already 159 cm!"
"Talk to me when you're taller than me."
"Who wants to be as tall as you? That'd make me a giant!"
Deciding not to continue the banter, Ritsu waved his hand. "Alright, Vodka's waiting in the parking lot. Try not to spend too much."
"Got it."
At the parking lot, Vodka was already waiting in his vintage car.
After getting into the passenger seat and fastening his seatbelt, Ritsu asked curiously, "Vodka, is there a mission you need help with?"
"You'll find out when we get there."
Vodka drove off from Meisen Biopharmaceuticals, heading toward Beika Town. In high spirits, he even started humming a tune from his homeland, occasionally showing off his signature Russian tongue trill.
Ritsu couldn't help but grow suspicious. Vodka hadn't explained the mission, the destination, or even what he wanted him to do… it was all too strange.
Was he really planning to go rogue behind Gin's back? No… he probably didn't have the guts.
The car eventually stopped at the parking lot of the Beika Hotel. Vodka even went out of his way to remove his sunglasses and hat, revealing his rugged face. Most concerning of all, he somehow pulled out a bottle of perfume and sprayed himself with a grassy fragrance.
…What a unique taste.
But a hotel as the destination, combined with Vodka caring about his appearance and even wearing perfume he'd never normally use, an alarming thought flashed through Ritsu's mind.
At the hotel's revolving entrance, Ritsu suddenly grabbed Vodka's arm, his face serious.
"Vodka, I… I don't think it's a good idea without any emotional foundation."
"???"
Vodka blinked, clearly confused, practically about to sprout question marks over his head. Then it dawned on him, this kid had completely misunderstood.
"Haha, Macallan, it's not what you think!"
"Then what is it?" Ritsu asked cautiously.
"On the second floor today, there's a signing event for the 'Earth Ladies Team.' I'd feel embarrassed coming alone, and I can't ask the boss to come. If he found out I like this stuff, I'd definitely get scolded."
"E-Earth Ladies Team? What's that?"
As he pushed Ritsu through the revolving door, Vodka explained, "It's a girl idol group made up of four members, launched by Nichiuri TV! I especially like one of them, Kusano Kaoru. I came here to get her signed album, apparently you can even shake hands with them!"
Ritsu's face practically said, 'I do not understand you idol fans at all.' As a member of the organization, liking girl idols was… incredibly, unbelievably shocking.
If Gin found out, would he dock Vodka's salary for a year?
The real problem, though, was that once Vodka started talking about idols, he couldn't stop. He leaned in, whispering enthusiastically about his favorite. Her age, height, weight, and how kind she was, even using her first earnings to buy gifts for her family.
Ritsu stared with half-lidded eyes, chanting silently in his head, 'I'm not listening, I'm not listening…'
Excitedly, Vodka pulled out an album still warm from his pocket and handed it to Ritsu.
"Macallan, I'll give you this one. You can get anyone to sign it."
"Only one signature per album?" Ritsu asked.
"Of course! There are different versions too. This one, Love in Hiroshima, doesn't have individual covers. But if you brought a solo cover from the previous album, Memory of the Wind, and asked someone else to sign it, the fans would beat you up!"
"…I see."
"So let me introduce all the members of the Earth Ladies Team!"
Ritsu had no interest in listening to a full lecture. He casually pointed at one member and asked, "What's her name?"
Vodka gave him a knowing grin. "Good taste! That's Hoshino Terumi, a cool beauty. Didn't expect you to like that type."
He had literally just pointed at random.
"Oh, right. When you get the autograph, they'll give you a lucky coin. You can make a wish and toss it into the box over there."
"Got it."
Too lazy to explain himself, Ritsu quietly distanced himself from the overly enthusiastic idol fan and headed toward Terumi Hoshino's line.
…Why had he agreed to come to something like this? He would've rather stayed in the lab doing research.
And more importantly,
Ritsu narrowed his eyes at the line stretching over ten meters ahead of him.
Why did he have to wait in such a long line?
He truly didn't understand the appeal of idols.
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Bonus chapter @100 PS