After all, he didn't really push his subordinates into death situations, so Furuya Rei let Miyabi go home to sleep.
He himself stayed behind, flipping through the medical files compiled by Team Zero and the verifiable documents left by the Kazawa couple, and sat alone in the quiet office thinking.
This wasn't new information—these were attachments Team Zero collected after learning about Bourbon's mission. He just hadn't paid attention to this part before. But now, he felt it necessary to take another look.
Furuya Rei wasn't trying to dig into the full background of the Kazawa family. He was just worried about Kazawa's condition.
If Kazawa really used some kind of experimental method, or used his parents' technology to enhance his learning, or even secretly trained in certain professional skills—what were the side effects? Would it cause any burden or damage to his body?
Of course, it wasn't necessary to bring out his parents' stuff. Since they entrusted it to him, it was his right to decide how to use it and whether to reveal it.
But Furuya Rei didn't want Kazawa to burn up his potential—or even his life—for the sake of revenge… especially after what happened last night.
He should feel thankful that the brat was still alive and well.
As he checked through several documents, something caught his eye. He picked up a file and read it carefully.
It was a record from when Kazawa, at 2 years old, was treated for a leg injury.
The report stated that he was walking alone on the street, got scared by the sirens from a series of rear-end crashes, and ran off in a panic—slamming into a fire hydrant and cutting his right leg. A traffic officer sent him to the hospital.
At the age of 2, he still couldn't talk, and he didn't respond to the police or doctors when they asked for his name or home address. It was only after the Kazawa couple filed a missing persons report that the police were able to find his parents and return him.
Two years old. No response. Couldn't speak. Traumatized after getting scared…
After thinking it over, Furuya Rei slowly formed a guess.
Without caring that it was already past 2 a.m., he picked up the phone and called a doctor he knew.
Amidst the sleepy complaints on the other end, he asked what he needed to know.
"If that's true, it explains why their research suddenly shifted focus," Furuya muttered as he hung up, and typed a line into the search engine:
"Is high-functioning autism curable?"
After a few seconds of loading, a cold webpage appeared.
Furuya Rei closed his eyes. The exhaustion he'd been holding back for days now weighed down even heavier.
"God really is unkind to this family…" he sighed and closed the browser window. The words "No clear cause or cure" disappeared from the screen.
——
The next morning, Amuro Toru, who had slept in and skipped his morning workout, was actually late for once.
As soon as he stepped into Café Poirot, he saw Kazawa sitting across from a chestnut-haired boy with glasses, calmly eating breakfast. He immediately froze in place.
Amuro Toru touched his temple, which was starting to throb again. Even after a full night of rest, that crushing fatigue still swelled in his chest.
Hoshikawa noticed the sharp glare, turned around nervously, and instinctively shrank back.
Meanwhile, Kazawa, munching on his sandwich without a care in the world, smiled at Amuro who stood stiff at the door.
Even though he already knew that Goro Akechi and Teru Hoshikawa weren't actually the same person, and that Kazawa's disgusting tricks were purely his own, Amuro still felt a reflexive chill whenever he saw that face.
He knew there was definitely something off about Hoshikawa's recent actions...
But now Kazawa had stopped hiding and even brought him straight to the café. It made Amuro's head spin.
"Kazawa…" Hoshikawa whispered nervously. "He doesn't look too happy…"
He'd followed Kazawa to Amuro Toru's 'home base' before. Even though he didn't fully understand what was going on between Kazawa and Amuro, he could tell Amuro was a cop.
If he remembered right, his current leader had already earned himself a code name using this face. That made him an elite within the Organization, didn't it? Was it really okay to live right under a cop's nose?
"It's fine. Mr. Amuro has a good temper," Kazawa said without blinking, stuffing the last bit of sandwich into his mouth and mumbling, "Eat up, we gotta head to work soon."
After hearing that, Hoshikawa felt like his own sandwich had lost all flavor.
"You said I'd be part of the plan... but in the end you just needed a driver. I'm basically your chauffeur," Hoshikawa grumbled.
"So what? Vodka's got a code name too, doesn't stop him from driving Gin everywhere," Kazawa made up nonsense on the spot. "I give you food and a place to stay. I even bought the car. What's the problem?"
"But the license belongs to Goro Akechi…"
"Doesn't matter, your face looks the same," Kazawa shrugged proudly.
"That's fine, but making me do homework too is just—"
"I give you food and a place to stay…"
"I'm not gonna fight with you!" Hoshikawa cut him off, knowing Kazawa was just going to repeat himself.
Amuro Toru, still frozen at the door, could only sigh and head to the back to change into his uniform.
They promised not to dig too deep. Fine, let them do whatever they want… No, this is still Organization-related. Maybe Team Zero should start investigating this Hayato Tunkouchi…
The intelligence officer struggled between his instincts and his promise, barely keeping himself from walking over to eavesdrop.
But Kazawa came over to him first.
"What now?" Amuro narrowed his eyes. He could tell this guy was about to say something that would annoy him.
"Actually, you're the one who covered my meals and rent at the café," Kazawa said, pointing at his empty plate. "You said my parents paid for it before… but I know that's not possible."
"Right."
"So who paid, the Organization or Public Security?" Kazawa asked, testing the waters.
Amuro was caught off guard that Kazawa would even ask something like that. He paused for a second before answering.
"The Organization, of course. They assigned me as your guardian… why do you ask?"
"Well, now that 'Kazawa Akira' has been replaced by 'Kumail,' doesn't that mean I can get proper reimbursement? I'm a code-name holder now. Shouldn't I be allowed better food and housing?" Kazawa asked seriously, touching his chin.
He had plenty of money, between inheritance and his own earnings—not to mention a pile of gold coins in his pocket. But the unexpected addition of Hoshikawa was technically the Organization's fault, and if they didn't cough up for that, Kazawa just wouldn't feel right.
Amuro Toru: "…"
So the first thing a senior undercover needs to teach his junior… is how to scam reimbursements from both sides?
Amuro hesitated, then let it go with a sigh.
Fine. It's the Organization's money, anyway. The more we use, the better. Back then, I was the only one racking up expenses, and even if I wanted to spend big, there were limits. I still had to keep it somewhat reasonable.
But now… we've got another account.
He cleared his throat, took a small step forward, and whispered, "Now that you mention it, I actually have a few tricks…"
Honestly, Kazawa wasn't too skilled in this kind of thing.
After all, he used to work with extremists—killing and burning was more his style. He'd never lived this kind of relaxed life where you earn gray income.
Kazawa also leaned in and listened closely to the wisdom of his predecessor.
While the two undercovers shared their secrets, in the distance it was as if Gin's long silver hair had turned into floating banknotes… scattering in the wind.