The Stand-in Must Find a Stand-in
After returning to my room, I lay on the bed and pondered, feeling that something wasn’t right. What’s going on?
Gin definitely didn’t bring up Vermouth for no reason… but Vermouth hasn’t been in Japan recently. She even saw me off at the airport when I returned to Japan.
As for missions… there haven’t been any tasks recently that would require Vermouth’s involvement, right? If they really needed someone for disguise work, acting, or creating an alibi by impersonating someone, I’m still here, and I’ve been quite free lately…
When I can’t figure things out on my own, I need to be good at seeking external help.
After some thought, I got up and called my standard go-to person for help: “Hello? Vodka?”
Perhaps because similar situations had occurred too many times, Vodka became alert even before I asked my question and preemptively concluded: “I don’t know anything!”
“…Your guilt is showing too obviously.” I sighed. “Are you really okay, Vodka? I feel like if you were ever captured, you’d spill all the Organization’s secrets immediately.”
“Don’t curse me like that,” Vodka complained. “And, Cocoa Wine… I’ve been meaning to ask, do you have some kind of problem with me?”
“No, I don’t have that big of a problem with you.”
“…Since you came back, I’ve been replacing my sunglasses much more frequently.”
“Those are just little pranks, a sign of our good relationship! Otherwise, why would I only frequently play pranks on you and not others? Right?”
After a moment of silence, Vodka said gloomily: “This is that PUA technique you mentioned before, isn’t it?”
“Out of all the useful knowledge I’ve shared, how come you only remember this useless bit?” I complained, then kindly explained: “I genuinely think you’re great, and you’re necessary to me. Having you between me and Gin is just perfect – with anyone else it would feel crowded.”
“I don’t think that’s a compliment at all.”
“Really? You’re overthinking it.” I brushed it off. “So, you and Gin were talking about me today, right? What did you say? Why was Vermouth brought into it?”
Although Vodka wasn’t too willing to talk, I know him too well, and he’s not the type who can keep things hidden deeply. Through a combination of threats and persuasion, I finally learned about Gin’s plans.
“So he wants to throw me into the research institute where Sherry is…” After hanging up, I couldn’t help but frown, showing a somewhat unhappy expression.
It’s not that I dislike Sherry – we actually get along quite well. After all, we studied together in the US, and I know her sister too.
Sherry’s real name is Miyano Shiho. She’s seven years younger than me, and I actually saw her when she was still in her mother’s womb. This was when her parents, the Miyano couple, had just joined the Organization. My parents, following the Boss’s orders, went to meet with the Miyano couple to assess them. Since we were both research-oriented couples with families, and the Miyano couple’s eldest daughter was the same age as me, our similar situations made it easy to build relationships initially.
Sherry’s sister, Akemi Miyano, was quite a cheerful little girl and very kind. Even though I was a bit strange as a child, she didn’t mind and would pull me along to play with her like I was just any ordinary person.
Then, in the same year, my parents died in a car accident. After that, I was shuffled around and trained in various places, finally ending up in Gin’s hands… or rather, falling into Gin’s lap.
Not long after, the Miyano couple also died in an accidental fire. It wasn’t until Sherry was discovered by the Organization for inheriting her parents’ talent and sent to study abroad in America that we officially met and became familiar.
Of course, although our circumstances seemed similar, we were fundamentally quite different.
My parents had been involved longer and knew exactly what kind of place the Organization was. They had previously been leading figures in one of the Organization’s research projects. Later, because my performance was satisfactory, plus I’d been working under Gin all along… The Boss never doubted Gin’s loyalty, and I think there was a bit of “love me, love my dog” sentiment too—believing that a kid who’d survived this long by Gin’s side, and being a second-generation member, didn’t need his loyalty questioned either. This actually gave me quite a bit of freedom; aside from direct orders from the Boss, I could weasel out of anything I didn’t want to do.
Not that many people were foolish enough to try ordering me around anyway.
After all, the last person who tried that got shot by Gin without any consequences.
The first one who tried, Rum, has gone bald and given up.
Now the only one still stubbornly trying might be Gin himself.
But Miyano Shiho was different. There were many suspicious aspects surrounding the Miyano couple’s deaths—the fire destroyed most of the records, and there seemed to be shadows of other forces behind it too.
Judging by the questionable fire at the Miyano couple’s lab, how Akemi Miyano remains under surveillance even now, and Vermouth’s occasional attitude toward the Miyano family, the Organization didn’t seem to fully trust this family.
When I went to America to connect with Miyano Shiho, the Boss also wanted me to observe and assess her.
Thinking of this, I called Sherry: “Hey there, little Shiho?”
“I told you not to call me that,” the girl’s youthful voice carried a calmness beyond her years. “What is it?”
“You came back a month earlier than me, right? Have you settled into your work yet?” I asked with a laugh. “It’s your parents’ remaining research, isn’t it?”
“Mhm,” Miyano Shiho responded flatly. “Developing a new drug called APTX4869. I’m still in the familiarization stage. Have you suddenly developed an interest in this?”
“No, just asking.” I sighed and changed the subject. “Have you gotten used to the new research institute? And how’s Akemi doing?”
“She’s fine. She even got a boyfriend.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” I said casually. “She is your sister after all. If her boyfriend turns out to be a jerk, we can just have Organization people take revenge without any psychological burden. That’s one of the rare Organization benefits, you know—! Not bad for us girls, right?”
“Can’t you think more positively?” A trace of annoyance colored Miyano Shiho’s voice before she continued, “Speaking of which, my sister wants to invite us to dinner to introduce her boyfriend to us. Do you have time?”
“Oh? I’m quite free lately. Just let me know when you’ve decided on the time.”
I asked about the situation at the other party’s lab and chatted for a while before hanging up. The smile I had been wearing instantly vanished, replaced by a grimace. Damn it, drug research isn’t even related to my field! Are they seriously planning to send me there?! Is Gin just trying to dump me somewhere far away because he doesn’t want to see me?! What exactly does this man mean?!
I didn’t fall asleep. Instead, I curled up in bed, stewing over it until I grew angrier and angrier. Suddenly, I sat up, slipped on my Strawberry Bear slippers, and stomped out of the room with heavy steps.
Gin was no longer in the living room but standing on the balcony smoking. It wasn’t that he had developed good habits and refrained from smoking indoors—it was simply because I disliked the smell of smoke at home. I had modified the smoke alarm in the living room to be more sensitive, making it impossible for him to smoke inside.
He was pretty pissed about it, but in the end, he compromised. Because he had no idea how to revert the alarm to its original settings.
I didn’t step out onto the balcony, merely standing by the doorway. The cool night breeze brought some relief to my face, which had grown warm from the alcohol. Still, without a jacket, I started to feel a bit chilly.
Of course, if I went back to grab a jacket now, I’d lose the upper hand in terms of momentum.
I closed the half-open door partway, maintaining my grip on the doorframe as I leaned my head out. From the balcony, the silver-haired young man cast a questioning glance in my direction. With a disgruntled expression, I blurted out, “Why are you so eager to send me away? We’ve only just reunited after two years apart! If I go to Sherry’s place, I won’t be able to come home every day!”
“Cut the act!” Gin frowned, his tone icy and unsparing. “This isn’t your home anyway.”
…What is this guy saying?! Did he think this was still his home after I moved in?! Open your eyes and look around—most of the things in this house are mine! The appliances have all been modified by me, my room is the master bedroom, and there’s even a Snoopy plushie I won from a claw machine yesterday sitting on the sofa!
I stared at him, pouting silently, embodying a non-violent, non-cooperative attitude.
Every time I’m in mortal danger, Gin shows up to save me… and, as if by some kind of telepathy, he always knows exactly when. But even while staying by his side, I’ve noticed that although the Organization’s intelligence network is decent, it’s not that precise or detailed… So how does Gin always know?
On one hand, he absolutely refuses to let me fall into danger, yet on the other, he doesn’t seem to want me staying by his side for too long…
Although I once confidently declared that this must be his true love, which he deeply resists… being around him so often, I’m well aware that I’m not some love-struck fool. My insight isn’t weak, and I’m not completely clueless.
It’s just that there are no real clues, and I can’t come up with a reasonable explanation. Not even an unreasonable one seems to fit.
I opened my mouth, hesitating for a moment. Maybe it was the alcohol from earlier tonight, but a question I’d pondered many times but never voiced finally slipped out: “A Zhen, why is it that you always come to save me whenever I’m in danger?”
“…” Gin lifted his gaze to meet mine, his tone flat. “That’s because I haven’t figured out a way to successfully kill you yet.”
I quieted down, slightly lowered my head, and pressed my lips together without speaking.
His tone was quite serious, and based on my understanding of him, I could tell these were genuine words.
Maintaining my bowed posture, I drawled out my question: “Hey, Gin, you’re so cold. What exactly do you think of me?”
To my question, he replied calmly yet swiftly: “A burden.”
Well… how should I put it? I wasn’t entirely unprepared for this. I could still play dumb if I wanted to, just like before.
If I continued pretending to be clueless, not using my brain, and ignoring all the oddities as I always had, I could still remain under his protection and live quite happily.
But…
“In other words…” I walked out to the balcony, looked up at him, and said with a serious expression, “It wouldn’t matter if I went and liked someone else, right?”
He raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised. But he didn’t take it seriously at all, and even seemed to be in a rare good mood. The corners of his mouth lifted as he let out a derisive snort, his attitude contemptuous with a hint of dismissiveness: “I’d be delighted.”
I stared at him expressionlessly. After a few seconds, I quickly kicked his shin, then turned and dashed back into my room.
After closing the door, I found myself growing angrier the more I thought about it. I reopened the door and shouted toward the balcony: “Stop looking down on people! Just you wait! I’ll definitely find your substitute within three days… no, two days!”