A moment later, Shirakawa carried the tray and served two cups of coffee to the table where Gin and Vodka were sitting.
Vodka picked up the coffee and took a sip, surprisingly even offering a compliment: “Although your service skills are lacking, you are certainly quick on your feet.”
On the surface, Shirakawa repeatedly expressed his thanks, but inside, he was screaming wildly: Please, just finish your drinks and leave already!
He then brought the iced coffee and sandwich to Shiho Miyano’s table.
Throughout the entire process, Shiho Miyano did not say a word, simply staring at him quietly with those ice blue eyes that seemed capable of seeing right through a person’s heart.
That gaze made Shirakawa feel completely uncomfortable, and after setting down the food, he practically fled in a panic.
Shiho Miyano had lived under the surveillance of the organization since she was young and was extremely sensitive to other people’s gazes.
First, she noticed that Gin and Vodka, the notorious cold-blooded killers of the organization, had a rather strange attitude toward the waiter before them.
Immediately after, she keenly captured the fleeting look of pity in Shirakawa’s eyes when he looked at her, an expression that seemed to be attempting to hide something.
It was a look she had never seen in the eyes of anyone she had met for the first time.
Deep down, for the first time, she felt a trace of curiosity toward a stranger.
This man was definitely no ordinary person.
The afternoon that had nearly suffocated Shirakawa did not last much longer.
A few minutes later, as Shiho Miyano elegantly finished the last bite of her sandwich, Gin and Vodka also finished the coffee in their cups.
Vodka raised his hand, signaling for the bill.
“No need, it’s on the house,” Shirakawa said quickly.
“Just take it.”
Vodka ignored him completely, pulling a ten-thousand-yen note—the largest denomination—from his wallet and placing it directly on the table, “Keep the change as a tip.”
It was entirely the demeanor of a senior taking care of a junior.
Meanwhile, Gin, who was sitting to the side, made a move that was even more baffling to Shirakawa.
He borrowed the order pad and pen from Shirakawa’s hand, wrote down a phone number on a blank page, tore it off, and handed it to Shirakawa.
Gin rarely found anyone he liked, but this clumsy waiter before him surprisingly did not make him feel annoyed.
He believed that as long as he underwent the organization’s specialized training, this kid would definitely be a good candidate for undercover work or intelligence gathering.
Shirakawa had absolutely no idea what Gin was up to, so he could only accept the slip of paper with the phone number with trepidation.
He hurried to Shiho Miyano’s table, preparing to collect the payment.
As it turned out, Shiho Miyano also took a ten-thousand-yen note from her exquisite little wallet and placed it on the table, saying indifferently: “Keep the change.”
After saying this, she gave Shirakawa a deep look before standing up and leaving the shop.
In Shiho Miyano’s view, the performance Shirakawa had put on earlier, which was full of holes, was completely intentional.
He had used a nearly perfect method of feigning weakness to successfully attract the attention of Gin and Vodka.
He had even used this as an opportunity to obtain an “entry ticket” to join the organization.
This was a high-level form of psychological suggestion and manipulation.
This man was actually able to play Gin and Vodka in the palm of his hand so easily.
He was simply unfathomable.
Vodka and Gin followed closely behind, and soon left the café as well.
In the large café, only Shirakawa was left alone once again.
He looked at the two ten-thousand-yen notes on the tray and the slip of paper with Gin’s phone number, completely bewildered.
What on earth…
is all this?
Shirakawa did not understand why Gin wanted to recruit him into that so called Black Organization.
The only thing he could be sure of was that Gin probably hadn’t discovered Conan Edogawa’s existence, and therefore, he was safe for the time being.
For the time being.
In order to maintain this safety as much as possible, he had to do something. This story is hosted at g.com.
In the evening, Enomoto Azusa, who had taken the afternoon off, returned to Café Poirot with a bright smile on her face, bringing Shirakawa a huge piece of good news.
“Shirakawa-kun, the boss said your performance during the probation period was excellent, and the customers’ feedback has been universally positive!”
“So, you’ve successfully passed your probation!
You can rest tomorrow and the day after, and if you come in to sign the contract the day after that, you’ll be an official employee of our shop!”
It turned out that Enomoto Azusa had taken the afternoon off to go to the hospital and give a detailed report of Shirakawa’s performance during his few days of probation to the café owner, who was there taking care of his wife.
Shirakawa knew that if it weren’t for the unreserved and enthusiastic guidance from his senior, Enomoto Azusa, and the work experience she had shared exclusively with him, someone with social anxiety like him would never have passed the probation period.
He straightened his posture and bowed solemnly to Enomoto Azusa, “Miss Azusa, thank you so much!”
“Oh my, there’s no need to be so polite,” Enomoto Azusa waved her hands quickly, though a slightly mischievous smile spread across her face, “Teaching a capable junior means my own work will be much easier, too.”
As she spoke, she changed the subject, as if she had suddenly remembered something, and hinted indirectly, “Come to think of it, on my way to the hospital today, I saw a new restaurant in the city center that has great reviews…”
Shirakawa immediately understood the subtext and promised without hesitation: “Next time I have a day off, I will definitely treat Miss Azusa to try it!”
“Oh my, how could I let you do that!” Enomoto Azusa said politely, though her smile grew even brighter.
She tapped her chin with her finger and began to calculate seriously, “Let me check the shift schedule…
The time when we are both free will probably be about half a month from now…”
As she spoke, her sparkling eyes stared straight at Shirakawa, and she even unconsciously licked her lips subtly with the tip of her tongue.
After these few days of interacting, the more Enomoto Azusa looked at Shirakawa, the more she liked him.
More importantly, under her personal guidance, Shirakawa had grown from a clumsy, socially anxious rookie into the excellent employee who could now handle things on his own.
This feeling of personally nurturing him gave her an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
She decided that she must help Shirakawa continue to “grow,” otherwise, who knew when her precious junior, whom she had worked so hard to cultivate, might be snatched away by those ravenous female customers.
Shirakawa, however, was completely immersed in the joy of successfully securing the job and did not notice the strangeness in Enomoto Azusa’s eyes at all.
He sincerely thanked her once more, then went upstairs to the Mouri Family home, prepared to share this good news with the Mouri father and daughter.