Gin likes me?

The calm voice did not fluctuate at all, as if the anger in the previous sentence was just pretended.

At the moment when Vermouth subconsciously helped Uozuka Saburo to explain, Kurosawa Hotaru's tone had returned to normal.

"So Vermouth, can you tell me what you think of Uozuka now?"

"..."

Oops! Very bad!

Almost at the moment when Kurosawa Hotaru's words fell into her ears, Vermouth realized what a fatal mistake she had made.

What's even more fatal is that she knew she should answer Kurosawa Hotaru's question without hesitation at the first opportunity, but she fell into Kurosawa Hotaru's rhythm trap without any defense and missed the best time to answer.

And just this brief pause was enough for Kurosawa Hotaru to obtain the information she wanted.

"Well, my feelings are very complicated. Originally, because of you, Xiaoying, I was a good colleague with Uozuka-san, but now he has become my savior, which makes me feel numb."

There was no trace of guilt in the words that came out of her mouth. Vermouth answered frankly as if she was not the one who had the pause before.

"It seems that after my injuries are healed, I will be nicer to Uozuka-san. I should also put aside my prejudice and accept your relationship with him, Xiaoying~"

"...It seems that I won the bet we talked about last time, Vermouth."

"...Xiaoying, at this moment, shouldn't you pretend that nothing happened and continue to follow my words? That's the tacit understanding between us."

Her eyes kept flickering, and finally a bitter smile appeared on Vermouth's face.

She didn't expect that even though she responded so flexibly and showed her attitude in a humble manner, Kurosawa Hotaru was still not satisfied and chose to use this tough and direct attitude to lift the barrier between the two of them.

"I told you, Vermouth, I don't care how many women there are around Uozuka."

Hearing Vermouth's almost pleading words, Kurosawa Hotaru's eyes flashed with a hint of complexity, but she still said what she wanted to say in a firm tone.

"But you can't, Vermouth."

"...I've also said this, Xiaoying, please believe me, I know exactly how I should stand beside you and Uozuka-san."

The expression on her face kept changing. Knowing that she had no way of escaping this questioning, Vermouth also expressed her attitude very frankly.

This was also the first time that Vermouth felt regret and guilt for the promise she had made so firmly.

But even she had not expected that she, who had long lost appreciation and expectations for the world, would one day be attracted by someone's heart.

Yes, during the days when she was taken care of by Uozuka Saburo, Vermouth repeatedly asked herself in her heart what exactly was that feeling that should have been very unfamiliar to her and that she did not want to admit.

She knew very well that, whether simply from the perspective of her own identity, her relationship with Kurosawa Hotaru, or Uozuka Saburo's own life, she should not have such a ridiculous feeling towards Uozuka Saburo.

But, this may be the helplessness of being human.

I thought I could control my emotions perfectly, but in the end I found that the only ones who can truly control emotions perfectly are robots.

"...I choose to believe you, Vermouth. So, take good care of your injuries."

"Well, Xiaoying, you have to be careful about your mission too~"

After hanging up the phone with a smile, Vermouth held Saburo Uozuka's phone in her hand. The smile on her face slowly disappeared, and she fell into a state of contemplation shrouded in low pressure.

"You chose to believe me, so you actually don't believe me, Xiaoying. I didn't expect that you would be soft-hearted at the last moment."

"I really don't know whether I should be happy or sad... How can I make it up to you for the guilt in my heart, Xiaoying?"

Groping for the cell phone belonging to Uozuka Saburo in her hand, her mind could not help but emerge with the care and concern that Uozuka Saburo had shown her these days, even though he said he was not submissive. Vermouth felt the pressure behind her even greater.

"I promised you, and I will definitely do it, because I don't want to be your enemy, Xiaoying."

"It's just that, during this period of time when I am recovering from my injuries, I am too weak to ask Brother Uozuka to take care of me. It's not too much."

"Just this time, just this time!"

. . .

Uozuka Saburo had no idea what Vermouth and Kurosawa Hotaru had said.

However, he could also feel one thing very clearly, that is, Vermouth's attitude towards him was very different from before.

In the past, the relationship between Uozuka Saburo and Vermouth was not so much colleagues in the same organization as it was two acquaintances who disliked each other but admired each other's abilities, connected by Kurosawa Hotaru.

I can't say how good the relationship is, I can only say that the relationship is not bad.

If it is an organizational task, two people can trust each other's abilities and cooperation.

But when it comes to personal emotions and life, both of them wish that the other would be more unlucky every day and stay away from Kurosawa Hotaru!

But after this life-and-death situation, Uozuka Saburo could feel that Vermouth's attitude towards him had obviously improved a lot.

Although I still like to tease myself, and see myself feeling frustrated and ashamed but unable to vent my anger, it's just a joke.

It was not the same as before. His words were sarcastic and mixed with a bit of sarcasm, which made people feel upset.

After living in the underground criminal community for five days, Saburo Uozuka brought the somewhat recovered Vermouth to one of her properties in Los Angeles.

Saburo Uozuka, who had originally planned to return to Neon to report on his work, looked at Vermouth lying alone on the bed in the apartment bedroom without saying a word to stay or ask for help. After a moment of silence, he resolutely pushed the door and walked out.

In response to this, Vermouth was not at all flustered or surprised. She just showed a faint smile of success when Uozuka Saburo left the room.

With the help of her current 'perfect' state and her extraordinary acting skills, Vermouth created a very weak and pitiful atmosphere and appearance for herself without much effort.

Without saying a word, and even with just a slight fluctuation and flicker in his eyes when they passed over Uozuka Saburo, he had already grasped Uozuka Saburo's mentality.

Although it's not nice to say this, Vermouth has to admit that Kurosawa Hotaru has a vicious vision and knows that if she were her opponent, she would have a very difficult time.

"Hey! What are you thinking about, Vermouth!"

Her expression suddenly changed as she shook her head, Vermouth woke herself up from her twisted complacency, pulled the quilt over her seductive body and closed her eyes beautifully.

She knew that she could have a good rest now. When she opened her eyes again, she would be waiting for a steaming hot delicious meal cooked by Uozuka Saburo himself.

Why was Vermouth so sure? Because she saw with her own eyes that before leaving the apartment, Uozuka Saburo put the house key in his pocket.

"Hehe, this chauvinistic little boy is really interesting~"

. . .

"What's wrong, Uozuka-san? Are you not satisfied with the taste of your cooking?"

While happily eating the food made by Uozuka Saburo, Vermouth looked curiously at Uozuka Saburo who was sitting opposite her with a sad face.

"Of course not. I am very confident in my craftsmanship."

"What happened? He was fine before he left. Is it something in the organization? I can help you analyze it."

"No, it's about Big Sister. I got a call from Big Sister when I was buying groceries. We were chatting happily, but when Big Sister hung up the phone, I felt like she was angry."

"...what did you say to Xiaoying?"

"She didn't say anything. She just told me that she had been resting and recuperating for the past few days. Also, she was afraid that you might die, so she stayed to take care of you for two days. The big sister also agreed to this. So why is she angry?"

"...I don't know either. It's hard to guess what a girl is thinking, Uozuka-san~"

"Is it because both of us were injured? I will never forgive you, that damn organization!"

"You're right. We really need to get back at them. Oh, Uozuka-san, your barbecue is delicious!"

"It's very tasteful! This is my exclusive recipe. Everyone who has tried it has praised it!"

"Really? Let me try this vegetable again."

"Eat. You can eat anything."

563: Do we need so many opponents? ! ! !

After staying in the apartment with Vermouth for 5 days, and after Vermouth recovered enough to move on her own, Uozuka Saburo also returned to Neon quickly.

While sitting on the plane, Saburo Uozuka was still thinking back on his experiences of the past few days with some strangeness.

All I can say is that Vermouth is a person with some conscience.

Because he saved her life, Vermouth treated him much better than before, when she would always mock him.

I don't know if it's my illusion, but when I was with Vermouth these days, I felt a feeling called "weakness" from Vermouth.

Obviously, in Uozuka Saburo's opinion, such interests are completely incompatible with Vermouth, but he truly feels that he feels it.

But if you ask how sure he is, Uozuka Saburo can't guarantee it. After all, that is Vermouth, a witch who can tease people as easily as eating and drinking water.

"I don't know what the boss will say about this mission."

Touching his chin, Saburo Uozuka walked out of the Tokyo airport.

Logically speaking, during the time she flew from Los Angeles to Tokyo, Vermouth should have completed her report to her boss and received subsequent instructions.

Although Vermouth has always said that it doesn't matter and she will explain it clearly to the boss, Uozuka Saburo still has some doubts.

In Uozuka Saburo's opinion, the boss of his organization is obsessed with the research projects of the organization. After losing the research items that he had a good chance of obtaining this time, can he really keep calm?

Although he had all kinds of doubts in his heart, before Vermouth gave him news, Uozuka Saburo had no way to contact her actively and could only wait silently.

"Welcome back, Mr. Uozuka~"

"I told you not to come pick me up."

He sat in the back seat of the car with a smile on his face. Looking at Suzuki Ayako who was smiling at him, Uozuka Saburo was in a good mood. He stretched out his arms, hugged Suzuki Ayako in his arms, and gently sniffed the fragrance of Suzuki Ayako's hair.

"But isn't Mr. Uozuka very happy?"

Feeling the joy in the heart of the man who was hugging her, the curve of Suzuki Ayako's mouth became more obvious.

Sure enough, no matter how mature Uozuka Saburo usually behaves, he is still a big boy~

"Hey, of course I'm happy, but Ayako you really shouldn't have come directly to pick me up."

After enjoying a moment of tenderness with Suzuki Ayako, Uozuka Saburo let go of Suzuki Ayako and looked at his girlfriend with a somewhat amusing look.

"After I return to Neon today, I have to report to Rum first thing in the afternoon. I may not be able to find time to visit you in the evening."

"I know, that's why I cherish this time and want to stay with Mr. Uozuka for a while longer~"

Suzuki Ayako nodded with a smile. She was not disappointed by what Uozuka Saburo said. From the previous contact, Suzuki Ayako knew that after reporting to Rum, Uozuka Saburo would have a long vacation to recuperate.

after all.

Her eyes moved to the scars and scratches on Saburo Uozuka's exposed skin, and a trace of heartache flashed in Suzuki Ayako's eyes.

"Mr. Uozuka, this mission was very dangerous, right? You got so many injuries?"

"Ah, it's okay. Actually, it just looks scary. If you want to know how serious it is, I don't have any problems. Most of these were scraped off when I was rescuing people in the sea. The real injuries from the battle were just some scratches from shrapnel and a bullet."

Seeing Suzuki Ayako stretching out her slender fingers to touch her wound that no longer hurt, Uozuka Saburo smiled calmly and said words that he thought could comfort Suzuki Ayako, but made others sound speechless.

"As expected, I can never see eye to eye with Mr. Uozuka on this matter."

Shaking her head helplessly, Suzuki Ayako put down her hand, knowing that it would be useless no matter how much she said about this matter.

The tasks and dangers that Saburo Uozuka usually faced could not be successfully avoided by simply saying "be careful". As long as Suzuki Ayako found that Saburo Uozuka did not suffer any serious injuries after each mission, she would be thankful.

"Although I still want to act cute with Mr. Uozuka, I may not have enough time. Let's wait until Mr. Uozuka finishes his report."

After gently stroking her hair, Suzuki Ayako's expression became serious.

She came here today not just to see Uozuka Saburo. Although she missed Uozuka Saburo very much, Suzuki Ayako was not the kind of girl who could not distinguish between the primary and the secondary.

"I have received the gem called 'Azure' from Mr. Kimura and sent it to our laboratory for secret research."

"It's just that from the time I got it until the news I just received, the scientists I have used many methods to detect and study the gemstone, and the structure is that this is an ordinary gemstone that looks beautiful, and there is nothing special about it."

"Whether it's the reaction to the outside world or the energy detection, this gem has not been detected to have any special features. Of course, I'm still asking them to continue investigating, but the results may not be so optimistic."

"Is that so? It's nothing. It's to be expected. This kind of thing is like trying to make an effort as soon as there's a sign, and then finding out it's useless. I'm used to it. If it was really that easy to get, I don't think our organization and other organizations would have been working towards their extravagant wishes for so many years."

Although the news heard from Suzuki Ayako was not very good, Uozuka Saburo seemed very relieved.

After all, the pursuit of immortality is such an incredible thing. If he could really get the important part so easily, Saburo Uozuka would find it strange.

"Keep researching. If you find nothing, give up. But you must take care of the gem."

"I understand this. We don't want people to find out that the gem was obtained from Wilson, a wealthy businessman in Los Angeles."

Suzuki Ayako nodded slightly, indicating that she would handle this matter properly.

"Well, that's good. As for me... wait a moment."

Just as he was about to say goodbye to Suzuki Ayako, Uozuka Saburo's cell phone suddenly rang.

When he took out his cell phone and saw the number on it, Saburo Uozuka's expression changed. He made a hushing gesture to Suzuki Ayako beside him and answered the call.

"Hey, Vermouth, have you dealt with it?"