Gin likes me?

"Hey, big sister, I'm back~"

Smiling at Kurosawa Hotaru who was sitting on the sofa in the living room cleaning her gun, Uozuka Saburo changed into indoor slippers at the door and slowly walked over to sit down beside Kurosawa Hotaru.

"Have you eaten tonight?"

"I've eaten." Without stopping to wipe the gun, Kurosawa Hotaru just responded and then became quiet again.

Uozuka Saburo was not surprised by this, as he had long been accustomed to Kurosawa Hotaru's sudden appearance when he wanted to remain silent.

Of course, even if Kurosawa Hotaru doesn't speak, Uozuka Saburo can speak.

So, for the next half an hour or so, Kurosawa Hotaru was slowly cleaning his gun, quietly listening to Uozuka Saburo talking and laughing beside him about some interesting things he had encountered or funny things that happened within the organization.

"Click." A crisp sound came from Kurosawa Hotaru's hand. He placed the wiped and reassembled pistol on the coffee table. Kurosawa Hotaru slowly turned his head and spoke calmly to Uozuka Saburo, who had also just finished a story.

"Anything else?"

"No, big sister, are you done? I'm going to wash up and take a rest." He smiled and shook his head. Just as he was about to stand up by supporting himself on the sofa, Saburo Uozuka sat down again with a bitter expression after his butt just left the sofa a little.

With difficulty, he turned his head to look at Kurosawa Hotaru who had been staring at him without saying a word. Uozuka Saburo pursed his lips and spoke somewhat awkwardly.

"Big sister, is there anything else you want to know?"

"What did Vermouth say to you?" The agile and slender body slowly leaned back. It was obvious that Kurosawa Hotaru, who was sitting on the sofa, was much shorter than Uozuka Saburo, but at this moment, she seemed to be looking down at Uozuka Saburo, bringing him endless pressure.

"Vermouth? I... did meet her today." His eyes kept changing. Under the gaze of Kurosawa Hotaru, Uozuka Saburo finally did not lie but diverted Kurosawa Hotaru's attention.

On the one hand, Uozuka Saburo felt that he could not make up a perfect lie to deceive Kurosawa Hotaru after Kurosawa Hotaru accurately said Vermouth's name.

On the other hand, Uozuka Saburo himself did not want to deceive Kurosawa Hotaru about such an insignificant matter.

"We chatted briefly about some things, nothing important."

"Tell me about it." Kurosawa Hotaru didn't let Uozuka Saburo get away with it. He kept his eyes on Uozuka Saburo's face. He used a very calm but unyielding attitude which made Uozuka Saburo feel uneasy for a moment, and finally his expression sank.

"It's really just some insignificant things, but since Big Sister wants to know, it doesn't matter if I tell her."

Deciding not to hide it anymore, Uozuka Saburo fluently repeated the topic he and Vermouth had discussed in the bar.

"That's about it. I said everything is subject to your decision, big sister. So, have I done enough as a little brother?" Smiling and touching his head, Saburo Uozuka tried to ease the somewhat depressing atmosphere in the room.

Yes, from the moment I started telling the story, Kurosawa Hotaru, who was sitting next to me, had already begun to give off a faint aura of "I'm very unhappy".

"Is this how everyone in the organization views you, Uozuka?" Kurosawa Hotaru had already started playing with the dagger that he had pulled out at some point, and there was no fluctuation in his eyes, as if he was just asking out of pure curiosity.

"Well, after all, I have been rather lazy since I joined the organization. And then I met my master, and my partner in carrying out missions also has a lot of experience in the organization and is recognized as a very capable person. It is normal for them to have some objections and misunderstandings about my strength." He shrugged with a smile. Uozuka Saburo was not trying to comfort Kurosawa Hotaru. He really didn't care much about his evaluation in the organization.

In his mind, although there have been some changes in his future plans, according to the current development, it is only natural that he will become an elite cadre in the organization in the future.

As for what others say behind your back, just let them be.

But it was obvious that Kurosawa Hotaru didn't think so.

"I understand about this, Uozuka. You don't need to worry about anything. I will take care of it." Looking at Uozuka Saburo seriously, Kurosawa Hotaru rarely said such words of promise so bluntly.

Should we say that she is worthy of being called Kurosawa Hotaru? As the big sister of Uozuka Saburo, she doesn't care about the correctness and reasons of things at all. Her purpose has been very clear from the beginning to the end, which is to stand up for Uozuka Saburo. She doesn't care about other people.

However, this is not what Uozuka Saburo wants to see.

Although Uozuka Saburo was secretly happy about Kurosawa Hotaru's unconditional pampering and preference, Uozuka Saburo felt that some things were better handled by himself.

"Big sister, let me handle this matter. It's really inappropriate to waste your time on such a small matter."

With a faint smile on his lips, Uozuka Saburo stretched out his hand and gently pressed the rotating dagger and Kurosawa Hotaru's palm in his hand.

And his gaze was already meeting Kurosawa Hotaru's eyes.

"Big sister, I want to know, your biggest goal now is to get the wine name and become an elite cadre of the organization, and the sooner the better, right?"

"Yes." It was a very straightforward answer, as if Uozuka Saburo did not want to deceive Kurosawa Hotaru. In this regard, Kurosawa Hotaru was more frank.

When facing Uozuka Saburo, she never said anything evasive, and every word she said was what she thought in her heart.

"I remember that according to a boring calculation we made before, according to our normal progress, it would not be difficult to have a wine name, but it would take us at least another four years to become an elite cadre."

"That's not a problem." As if she had guessed what Uozuka Saburo wanted to say, Kurosawa Hotaru's expression turned bad, and her slightly narrowed eyes flashed with a dangerous look, as if if Uozuka Saburo's next sentence was wrong, she would instantly take action with a dagger and teach Uozuka Saburo a lesson.

"Why can't you tell me?"

"...Yes, Uozuka, everything else doesn't matter, but this is the only thing I absolutely cannot tell you now." Nodding seriously, Kurosawa Hotaru still calmly rejected Uozuka Saburo.

"Ok, then things are very clear now, I know what I should do." Nodding with a smile, as if to calm down Kurosawa Hotaru's fluctuating emotions, Uozuka Saburo pressed Kurosawa Hotaru's palm with some force.

"Big sister, just watch carefully. I will let those boring guys know that even Kurosawa Hotaru's little brother is someone they cannot chase."

"This is my little brother." His eyes changed slightly, and Kurosawa Hotaru buried more words in his heart. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he was very satisfied with the confident and arrogant expression on Uozuka Saburo's face at this moment.

She had never doubted Saburo Uozuka. It was because Saburo Uozuka was always behind her that she had the motivation and courage to persist in her current life day after day.

Saburo Uozuka is a man who can bring miracles to her. Kurosawa Hotaru has firmly believed this since the piece of hard bread was placed next to her pillow.

"Hehe, that's enough for today. By the way, big sister, these bags are the new clothes I bought for you. Your body is changing rapidly now, so you need to wear clothes of the right size."

Uozuka Saburo handed the bag that he had placed aside to Kurosawa Hotaru and said very naturally, and Kurosawa Hotaru also took the clothes very naturally.

"Then I'll go to rest. Big sister, you should go to bed early too."

"Go ahead, we'll have another mission starting tomorrow."

"Got it... Oh, by the way, Big Sister, can you tell me how you knew that I met Vermouth today?"

"You have that annoying smell of that woman on you. Be more careful next time, Uozuka."

"...Um, big sister, do you know this smell so well?"

"Not just Vermouth's, I can tell the smell of others very well, Uozuka."

"...Ahahaha, you are worthy of being the big sister. I am sleeping. Good night, big sister!!"

291: Vermouth, do you know?

After returning to their respective rooms with Uozuka Saburo, Kurosawa Hotaru did not wash up immediately. Instead, she lay on the bed, quietly listening to the sounds coming from Uozuka Saburo next door.

Although the apartment has good sound insulation, it is too easy for Kurosawa Hotaru, who has received professional training, to make out the sound through a wall.

About twenty minutes later, when Uozuka Saburo's room finally became completely quiet, Kurosawa Hotaru, knowing that Uozuka Saburo had fallen asleep completely according to his habit, slowly got up from the bed, walked out of his room without making a sound, and then went to the door, changed his shoes and left the apartment.

With his hands in his pockets, Kurosawa Hotaru, who had just walked downstairs of the apartment building, turned his head and looked at a bright silver sports car parked beside the road. After his eyes flickered for a moment, he slowly walked over.

"It's later than I thought. You don't really intend to keep me waiting here."

The car door opened, and Vermouth, who was sitting in the driving seat, looked at Kurosawa Hotaru who got into the car with a helpless smile, and couldn't help but complain.

You know, after she parted with Uozuka Saburo, she drove to the downstairs of the apartment building and waited for Kurosawa Hotaru to come down.

As for why I do this...

"I think you also want to have a good talk with me, so put down the gun in your hand. Even if it were me, I would be very sad if Xiaoying really pointed a gun at me." Looking at Kurosawa Hotaru with a smile, until Kurosawa Hotaru took his hand out of his pocket, Vermouth shook his head helplessly.

Although she didn't want to think like this, Vermouth, who knew Kurosawa Hotaru's character, understood that when she sensed the murderous intent locked onto her just now, the muzzle of the gun in Kurosawa Hotaru's hand was already pointed at her.

"But I can't be happy if you do this. Is it really that serious? Are you going to pull out a gun on me just for Brother Uozuka?"

"I told you not to plot against Yuzuka, Vermouth. You didn't keep your promise to me."

If the look she gave Uozuka Saburo before was calm, then the look that Kurosawa Hotaru gave Vermouth at this moment could be described as cold.

"How can it be called a calculation? I just had a friendly exchange with Uozuka-san about some things that were bound to happen. Although the result of the exchange could not satisfy both parties, it does not affect our relationship, right~" Looking at Kurosawa Hotaru with a smile, Vermouth was not as fearful as she appeared.

After all, Vermouth is the veteran who has served in the organization for who knows how many years. Whether in terms of ability or experience, she is ahead of Kurosawa Hotaru.

However, she didn't want to make her relationship with Kurosawa Hotaru so strained. Rather, she didn't expect that Kurosawa Hotaru would really go so far as to turn against her for Uozuka Saburo.

Looking at Kurosawa Hotaru who was staring at her with eyes completely without any emotion, Vermouth smiled for a moment and then had no choice but to put away her smile.

"Well, I did want to plot against Uozuka-san, but it didn't work, did it~"

"It didn't work." He repeated Vermouth's words mockingly. Compared to Uozuka Saburo, Kurosawa Hotaru knew Vermouth's true nature better.

Although it may sound a bit discouraging to say this, Kurosawa Hotaru knows that with Uozuka Saburo's current level, he is definitely not on the same level as Vermouth if he wants to argue with her.

Even though Vermouth acts as if she has gained nothing now, Kurosawa Hotaru will never believe this woman who is more cunning than a fox.

"Tell me what exactly you want from Uozuka."

"Don't think you're that dangerous. What I want from Uozuka-san is actually very simple." After hearing Kurosawa Hotaru's question, Vermouth smiled easily again and took out a cigarette from her arms.

"Would you like one? Well, don't look at me like that. I have to say, Brother Uozuka has really trained you very well... Oh~ I said the wrong thing~" With a flash of cold light, a sharp dagger was placed in front of Vermouth's neck, making Vermouth, who felt the cold, feel helpless.

She really felt like a scholar meeting a soldier and couldn't explain her reason clearly.

Obviously, if she looked at it from a calculating point of view, she should be able to play Kurosawa Hotaru firmly in her hands. This can be seen from the fact that Vermouth can clearly judge the true relationship of priority hidden in the relationship between Kurosawa Hotaru and Uozuka Saburo.

However, Kurosawa Hotaru doesn't give Vermouth this chance at all. She wants to fight at any time, and this crazy girl is really not kidding you. This is really a headache.

"Huh~ I want Uozuka-san to re-examine what kind of existence you have towards him. I want to know how far Uozuka-san can go for you." Looking at Kurosawa Hotaru with amusement, Vermouth ignored the dagger on her neck and spoke in a teasing yet serious tone.

"Don't you want to know, Xiaoying?"

His eyes flickered, knowing that Vermouth had something else to say to him, but Kurosawa Hotaru no longer wanted to ask any more questions.

Since she didn't tell him anything even under such pressure, Kurosawa Hotaru knew that Vermouth would not tell him any useful information anymore.

However, Kurosawa Hotaru doesn't care about what Vermouth is planning.

Slowly retracting the dagger, Kurosawa Hotaru turned around and opened the car door. When he put his legs on the ground outside the door, his figure paused slightly.

"I already know it, you just don't know it."

After leaving these words, Kurosawa Hotaru simply got up and left the car, leaving only Vermouth in the driver's seat still savoring the certainty and sarcasm in Kurosawa Hotaru's words.

But why did Vermouth always feel that what she heard in this sentence was more of a boast?

"Really? Then let me take a good look at what kind of surprises Brother Uozuka can bring me." With her finger on her lips, Vermouth showed some rare anticipation.

And as the past two months passed, this expectation has upgraded to shock and then turned into fear.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Vermouth would never have believed that a person could accomplish such a terrifying result in the organization in just two months.

"So, what do you know now, Vermouth." When Kurosawa Hotaru appeared in front of Vermouth with an expressionless face but a smug look all over his body, Vermouth, whose mentality had already collapsed, waved her hand unhappily, as if she wanted to drive Kurosawa Hotaru away from her.

"What do I know? I know nothing!"

"One or two of them are not human beings!"

292: It doesn't matter to me

"In this case, the task is considered completed, right?"

Looking at the organization members who had gathered at the location he gave, Saburo Uozuka, who had completed his part of the task, handed over the items and information he had collected to the new people sent by the organization.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Uozuka. The most important part has been completed. We will take care of the rest."

The two people who came over from the organization respectfully took the items and information from Uozuka Saburo's hands, nodded to Uozuka Saburo with serious faces, and then watched Uozuka Saburo leave the surveillance location in a chic manner.

"Huh, so nervous, Daye, there's nothing weird about the expression on my face just now, right?"

"No, I don't have the energy to go see you. I'm so nervous, I'm afraid I might accidentally make Mr. Uozuka angry."

They looked at each other in panic, and both saw the tension and fear in each other's eyes.

However, they did not feel resentful about this. After all, that was Saburo Uozuka!

"It's really scary. Even though Mr. Uozuka smiled at us, it still feels a little dangerous to be around him."

“After all, he is a terrifying guy who has perfectly completed 29 tasks in a row in two months. Not to mention us, even the old guys in the organization are shocked by this achievement!” The man called Daye blinked and lowered his voice even though there was no one else around him.

"I heard that originally, there were many people in the organization who liked to joke with Mr. Uozuka because he was always smiling and easy to talk to. Some even talked about him behind his back. But two months ago, after Mr. Uozuka completed the task within one day for the fourth time in a row, they dared not say anything until now."

"It's really amazing. We usually take a long time to complete a task. It seems that Mr. Uozuka is really strong." The man nodded with emotion. Thinking of the earth-shaking reputation of Saburo Uozuka in the organization over the past two months, the man admired and envied him.

"And they were all completed smoothly. Many of them were tasks to eliminate the remaining 'traitors' within the organization. This is why other people in the organization suddenly respect and fear Mr. Uozuka so much." He nodded in agreement. Although they were members of the organization's low-level action team, they also came out of the organization's own training base. Their abilities were another matter, but Daye and the other man, who had a clean background, could still have some sources of information of their own.

"The most important thing is that in our organization, there is another person besides Mr. Uozuka who is so powerful at such a young age, and he may be even more terrifying."

"Oh, I know a little. It's the mysterious woman that Mr. Uozuka has been calling the big sister. I heard from other people in the organization that the woman will definitely have a reputation in the future and become an elite cadre of the organization." They nodded in understanding. They had heard of the name Kurosawa Hotaru.

"Mr. Uozuka is so powerful, how terrifying will the person whom Mr. Uozuka calls the Big Sister be?"

"Who knows? Anyway, there is no way we can compare with them. Let's just complete the task at hand honestly." Shaking his head with a wry smile, looking at the information firmly in his hands, Daye sighed with some regret.

"If I hadn't been so nervous just now, I would have been able to talk to Mr. Uozuka for a few more words and get to know him better."

. . .