Conan: I'm Really Not the Manipulator

The bartender closed the lid, shook the mixture skillfully, and finally poured the wine into a glass, garnished it with lemon, and handed it to Aoyagi Akimitsu.

Aoyagi Binkou took the cup and said thank you, but he did not drink it directly. Instead, he looked at the bourbon whiskey in front of Amuro Toru.

"I didn't expect Mr. Amuro to like bourbon. Bourbon is also very popular in the United States, and many people think it should become the national drink of the United States."

"I don't know what foreigners like, but I personally like it."

Amuro Toru took a sip of the bourbon and commented: "It has a rich taste, sweeter than other whiskeys, but the aftereffect is a bit strong. If you drink it even a little bit, you can't drive."

The two chatted with each other, and the atmosphere was very good. There were many customers in the bar, and there were low conversations everywhere. A pianist sat in the corner playing the piano.

"Just now, the 'suo' was lowered by half a tone by mistake..." Aoyagi Bin said to himself while listening to the music, "...My level is not up to par."

He finished his comment, picked up his glass and took a sip.

The Gin Fizz cocktail in Aoyagi Binkou's hand looked full, with only the gin providing a slight alcohol content.

Amuro Toru silently calculated the time. When he heard what Aoyagi Akimichi said, he asked naturally, "Teacher Aoyagi has been in Japan for so long. Have you gotten used to the life here?"

"Fortunately."

Aoyagi Binkou held up the wine glass in his left hand, shook it gently, and began to comment.

"Because I have to rent an apartment, the cost of living is high, socializing is difficult, the Japanese are too concerned about fitting in, their etiquette seems polite but is actually cold, and there are all kinds of trivial and troublesome honorifics..."

Toru Amuro smiled as he listened to the FBI agents beside him listing out Japan's shortcomings one by one.

"...Except for Tokyo and Beihua, the public security is much better, the criminal methods are relatively mild, and the police are more friendly to both criminals and ordinary people, so overall I am satisfied."

Aoyagi Akimitsu, who comes from a country where guns are rampant and police shoot more than a thousand people (including criminals and innocent people) every year, finally gave a few compliments at the end.

"That's good."

Amuro Toru smiled, as if he was happy for his friend, and took another sip of bourbon.

The amber liquid slid through his relaxed teeth into his stomach, and his mouth was filled with the smell of alcohol that he hated so much.

"What's the matter that brought you to the classroom to see me this afternoon?" Qingliu Bingguang asked after putting down his wine glass.

"Today a second-year girl came to me after class and hoped that I would invite you to be the instructor of the music club... Before that, she should have come to you directly, right?" Amuro Toru threw the question back with a smile.

"I did come to you, but I refused."

Amuro Toru was not surprised that he refused, but he asked curiously: "Why? I heard that you are substituting for the second grade recently. You are very popular among the students. It seems that some girls even handed you love letters?"

This was not fabricated by Toru Amuro. He saw with his own eyes a girl standing at the door of the music classroom with a red face, and came out with a pale face a few minutes later.

"I rejected those, too."

Aoyagi Binkou stared at the Gin Fizz cocktail in front of him, and his brows were tightly furrowed, perhaps because he was remembering something unpleasant.

"Today's students mature early. Some of them look like adults if they dress up well, but no matter how early they mature, they are still minors."

"——There are some things they may not understand, but I cannot. As an adult, the one with more control, I must not cross that line."

This was the first time that Toru Amuro saw Aoyagi Akimitsu with such a serious expression.

...It seems that this FBI has some bottom line?

Toru Amuro thought of some FBI agents who had come to Japan before and the dirty crimes committed by people from a certain base, and he felt a little relieved in his heart.

He picked up the wine glass again, and just as he was about to drink, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure that looked a little strange, yet inexplicably familiar, from the corner of his eye.

She was a young woman with short hair and bangs, a silk scarf tied around her neck, glasses on her nose, a striped shirt and suit jacket on her upper body, and a hip-hugging one-step skirt underneath.

She happened to be looking at them, and their eyes met.

Almost instantly, Toru Amuro realized who this was.

"Boom."

Amuro Toru put down his wine glass and smiled sheepishly: "Sorry, Mr. Aoyagi, I have to excuse myself for a moment."

Aoyagi Hirimitsu seemed to be unaware of the gaze behind him. When he saw Amuro Toru facing the bathroom, he didn't ask any questions and just nodded.

Amuro Toru left his seat with a smile, and the moment he turned back, his face turned gloomy.

……

The bartender at the bar noticed that one of the customers had left without paying the bill and turned his attention to the long-haired man who was still sitting there.

"He has something to do and will be back soon," said Aoyagi Binguang.

The bartender noticed that the customer was well-dressed and didn't look like the type who would run away without paying, so he temporarily put his mind at ease: "You've finished your drink, would you like another one?"

“Do you have any recommendations?”

"The bourbon whiskey your friend ordered is pretty good. We just imported a batch from abroad."

"Bourbon... is really good."

Aoyagi Binkou chuckled, supporting his chin with his right hand, staring at the glass of bourbon whiskey on the table that had been hastily left behind without being finished.

"As corn wine, it has a sweet taste and smell, and seems mild and harmless, but if you really want to drink it all in one go, the aftereffect will make your brain go blank."

After commenting on the bourbon, the foreign guest finally said what he wanted next.

“Are there any anises here?”

……

In the security passage outside the bar.

Toru Amuro... Bourbon Whiskey from the Black Organization stood in front of the woman, his friendly smile gone, his pair of purple-gray eyes filled with a gloomy and fierce cold light.

The woman in front of him was not much shorter than him. If you look closely, you will find that her legs under her skirt are a little thicker than those of an average woman.

"Binga, why are you here?"

Chapter 91 The Third Case

"Do I need to report to you where I'm going?"

Having her identity directly pointed out, the elegant-looking woman no longer concealed herself and spoke in a masculine voice, staring at the blond and dark-skinned young man in front of her with the same cold gaze.

Toru Amuro stared at Binga, his thoughts racing.

One was Binga, and the other was Curacao—he had only heard of the code name but had never seen the person in person—they were trusted members who could directly contact Rum and were much more trusted than himself.

Why did Binga come here? For Aoyagi Akimitsu? For the mission to find the mistress of the third in command? Or... for him?

All kinds of speculations flashed through Toru Amuro's mind, but he didn't show any of them on his face. He looked at Binga's female attire and sneered.

"I didn't know you had this special hobby before."

Binga listened to Amuro Toru's sarcastic words and pulled the silk scarf around his neck: "It's just a disguise. Women, children and the elderly are more likely to make people relax their vigilance than adult men."

After saying that, he raised his chin towards the bar: "The man you were drinking with just now is the FBI? He doesn't look very good."

Amuro Toru frowned and warned with a cold face: "This has nothing to do with you, that is my prey."

He was not sure whether Aoyagi Binkou noticed Binga's hidden gaze.

Binga is just as impatient as Rum. If he takes action on his own today, such as trying to put on a sack, Aoyagi Akiko will definitely doubt him regardless of whether he succeeds or not.

Binga was stunned by his attack, and then laughed sarcastically: "I don't want to help you either."

"——There has been no progress for a whole month. Rum is very dissatisfied with you."

Many people in the organization know that the person Binga hates the most is Gin, but not many people know that the person he hates second is Bourbon.

Not to mention taking the initiative to intervene and assist, he even hoped that Bourbon would fail in this mission so that his boss Rum could see who was more capable.

Thinking of that scene, Binga couldn't help but feel excited. He didn't bother to say anything more to this colleague he disliked, and left without looking back.

Listening to the sound of high heels fading away, Amuro Toru calmed down and thought calmly.

Binga's tone of waiting to see a joke basically ruled out the two options of "coming for Aoyagi Binguang" and "coming for himself". His target should also be the mistress. Rum gave the task to both of them at the same time, and he didn't find it so he left.

Toru Amuro has been paying attention to his surroundings since he entered the bar tonight, but he didn't see any red-haired people appear.

Red hair is not common, and people who dye their hair rarely dye it such a striking color. People with natural red hair account for less than 2% of the world's population, mainly concentrated in Northern and Western Europe, and there are very few in Japan.

The first time Toru Amuro saw a red-haired girl in real life was when he was in the police academy. He and a few friends rescued a kidnapped girl. She was of Irish descent and had natural red hair. Later, she became his girlfriend at the same time.

Thinking of this, an inexplicable thought suddenly flashed through Toru Amuro's mind.

It’s a rare hair color, but Goldwasser’s mistress in Japan has red hair. Recently, there has been a series of murders in Japan that are suspected to target red-haired people…

Isn't this... a bit of a coincidence?

Unfortunately, there is no time for Toru Amuro to continue thinking about it, as his target, FBI agent Aoyagi Akira, is still waiting for him in the bar.

Toru Amuro collected his thoughts and looked around. This safety passage was very remote and not many people came here. Only the [Safety Exit] above his head emitted a faint light.

He quickly left and returned to the bar.

Aoyagi Binkou sat in the same seat, as if he had never left. There was an extra wine glass on the bar. As soon as Amuro Toru sat down, he said, "You've been gone for a long time."

Having expected him to ask this, Amuro Toru smiled and replied, "Just now a lady went to the wrong place and I had to explain to her for a long time."

Qing Liu Bingguang drank the wine in his hand, put down the empty glass, and smiled: "That took a lot of time."

Toru Amuro did not touch the glass of bourbon that had left his sight. Fortunately, there was not much liquor left in it, so it would not arouse suspicion. He picked up the wine list next to him.

"What else would you like to drink, Mr. Qingliu?"

This bar has a lot of foreign liquors and various special cocktails, but Aoyagi Binkou didn't look at the wine list again. He just cast his eyes on the little bourbon whiskey left in front of Amuro Toru.

"I wanted to try bourbon, but I don't like ordering the same drink as my friends..."

He said this with a hint of regret, and then told the bartender his final choice -

"Give me a Scotch."

……

Toru Amuro and Aoyagi Akimichi drank until 9 o'clock in the evening.

He has a good alcohol tolerance, and he is still sober after drinking so many glasses of wine. He has been trained in undercover training so that he will not unconsciously say something he shouldn't say after having to drink.

What surprised Toru Amuro was that Aoyagi Akimitsu, who drank more than him, looked more sober and his face didn't even turn red.

The two left the bar and walked to the station. Aoyagi Akimitsu stopped to wait for the train. Amuro Toru, who said he was going to take the train, asked, "Are you going back directly?"