"Oh my, oh my, if it isn't our busy little bee, Gin-sama."
A familiar voice, unheard for days, drifted through the phone. It opened with a honey-like sweetness, laced with an unmistakable hint of sarcasm.
"Truly a role model for every organization member—the top killer who never lets his feet touch the ground. It is such a profound honor to actually get through to you~ So, would you mind answering a tiny little question for me?"
Listening to Satoru Gojo's theatrical tone, Gin exhaled a plume of smoke. "Speak like a human."
"Why did you leave me on read?! You jerk!!" The other's persona shifted instantly into a rapid-fire verbal assault. "You've obviously fallen in love at first sight with my cute Daifuku, and because you can't have him, your psyche has become twisted—"
"Daifuku? Oh, that white cat." Gin leaned against the railing, spraying venom without hesitation. "A cat that fat is indeed a rare sight."
"He's just well-rounded... Daifuku, don't listen, it's a hate comment!"
"Meow~" The cat nestled on the Gojo head's chest let out an indignant cry.
Gin seemed to let out a short, low chuckle, though he quelled it quickly. His tone returned to its usual flatness. "If there's nothing urgent, I'm hanging up."
"Huh? What are you going to do?"
"...I have a mission tomorrow. I'm going to sleep early."
Sleep early? It's barely past nine; that's a bit too early, isn't it?
Satoru felt more and more that something was off. Intuition told him that Gin was definitely hiding something.
"Fine..." he said gloomily. "I've guessed it. Your secret."
"What?"
The man in the black trench coat paused, only to be met with a string of baseless, ear-splitting accusations.
"You've definitely found a new sidekick behind my back! Vodka wasn't enough for you, you're still unsatisfied... even though I am your only best friend! Have you completely forgotten that night we toasted to my eyes?!"
"Uwaah, you stray-cat, unfaithful Gin-chan—"
Despite being used to this man's unreasonable behavior, Gin couldn't help but rub his temples. He wondered what kind of expressions the other organization members—who feared Kaiser so deeply—would make if they heard a recording of this call.
"I told you, it's not what you think."
"Then why did you leave me on read?"
Gin squeezed the words through his teeth: "I don't recall any regulation in the Organization stating I must reply to your messages."
Satoru thought for a moment and said righteously, "Look, my clearance level is the same as Rum's, but you haven't even replaced Pisco's position yet... which means I'm technically your superior. Subordinates must reply to their superiors!"
"My only superior is That Person."
Gin wasn't buying it at all, making a movement as if to end the call.
"Wait! If you hang up..." Satoru pulled out his ultimate trump card. "I'll group-chat your drag photos to everyone else!"
He was referring to that one mirror selfie they took back when they tried on outfits to sneak into a ball. He had promised to keep that photo for at least ten years. Back then, they could still pass for "Lolitas." Now... time was a cruel butcher's knife.
"You think I don't know?" Gin's voice was colder than a Siberian current. "You showed them to Calvados and Tequila years ago."
"..."
That was a bit awkward. Satoru actually thought he'd kept Gin in the dark about that.
"Ahem, that's not important." He turned serious. "What's important is what guilty deed you've done that makes you so afraid of me finding out—"
Click.
The call ended.
Fine, fine. Just hang up then, will you?
Satoru felt like singing a song about a rebellious son breaking his heart...
Hah, so what if he didn't pick up? He had plenty of ways to pry that mouth open. Satoru opened his laptop and entered the Organization's private portal.
The website was hidden within the Dark Web, built by the Organization's top hackers. It was highly secure and basically inaccessible without a specific pathway. As he told Gin, as a core code-named member, he held Level 1 clearance—equal to Rum—allowing him to view info on any member below that rank.
That meant he could track Gin's activity.
"Let's see... Huh?"
The page showed that Gin hadn't taken a mission for about a week. In other words, he had absolutely nothing scheduled for tomorrow; he was on vacation. Why go to sleep so early?
Satoru stared at the screen, lost in thought.
"Tama."
"Lord Head, do you have instructions?" The robotic maid outside the door tilted her head, waiting.
"Spread the word... tomorrow's morning meeting is canceled. I'm going out."
It looked like he'd have to find that guy in person to get a clear answer.
The next day at noon, Shinjuku District, Tokyo.
Waiters outside an izakaya were enthusiastically handing out flyers. Every time a customer pushed open the door, the wind chime above it gave a crisp jingle.
The sun was piercing. A hungover salaryman yawned, walking with unsteady steps. Still under the influence of alcohol, his head was buzzing.
Suddenly, he came face-to-face with a tall young man wearing a black turtleneck. The man was tall but had hair that reached down to his waist.
Perhaps reminded of his own son—a delinquent who had started growing his hair out to follow trends after entering high school—the salaryman took a sudden dislike to him. As they brushed past each other, he muttered a low curse.
"Where'd this sissy come from, seriously..."
Suddenly, as if a pause button had been pressed, the salaryman's words stopped dead. A bone-chilling cold rose from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
He knew the long-haired man was looking at him from behind. Even without eye contact, it gave him the illusion of being stared down by a grey wolf—the feeling that he would be bleeding out on the street in an instant. It felt like falling into an abyss, his legs turning to jelly.
Fortunately, nothing happened. The man simply gave him a cold glance and moved on. The salaryman was scared mostly sober; it took half a minute for him to recover, his heart still pounding.
In broad daylight... to run into such a ruthless character.
Gin had zero interest in the crowded streets. He turned into an inconspicuous sushi shop in the corner. Lifting the curtain, he walked straight to the innermost booth. He took a casual glance at the menu and said, "Give me the signature sushi set."
"Certainly. Would the guest like to try our seasonal specials? Our beef bowls and sukiyaki are very—"
"Serve what I ordered."
"A-Ah, yes... right away."
The staff didn't dare say more and hurried to the kitchen. Gin didn't have to wait long before his set was delivered. The sushi looked good, and the portion was right.
"...But what is all this?"
Gin stared silently at the uninvited sweets in his bowl. Six skewers of three-colored dango, four pieces of cream-filled taiyaki, and three bowls of red bean mochi soup.
"Thank you for your patronage. That will be 6,800 yen." The staff member looked under immense pressure while handing over the bill. "Um... because the guest in the sunglasses next door said you owe him money, so the lunch is being charged to your account..."
"..." He should have seen it coming.
"Yo, Gin-chan~"
Satoru Gojo, dressed in a white shirt, popped his head over the back of the sofa to say hello.
"Surprised? Unexpected?"
He smugly removed his sunglasses, lifting his blue eyes to look at his long-lost friend, hoping to see a look of shock on his face.
In reality, however, the one who was shocked was Satoru himself.
He only noticed one thing.
At some point, Gin's long hair had changed from gold... to silver.