In order to avoid attracting attention, Rei Furuya wore a hooded jacket tonight and also wore a baseball cap.

After confirming that the invisible headset was communicating smoothly and giving a brief explanation of the matters, he raised his hand to press down the brim of his hat and disappeared in the crowd in an instant.

Hasegawa Yu, who was left behind, looked up at the bar sign that was flashing with psychedelic colors, and took a step forward with excitement.

As soon as I entered, I was hit by rhythmic sound waves, the lights above my head kept changing, and the air was mixed with the smell of perfume and alcohol, forming a decadent atmosphere, which formed a huge contrast with the dim and quiet street outside the door.

The bar had excellent soundproofing, and the unsuspecting Hasegawa Yu subconsciously rubbed his ears and then looked around.

Unable to find the secretary's face among the indulgent crowd, he thought for a moment and sat down in the empty seat next to the bar.

"Would you like to order anything, sir?" the bartender behind the bar asked with a smile.

Retracting his gaze from the door, the orange-haired young man sat up straight and secretly glanced at the drinks ordered by the people around him.

In order to maintain the condition of his voice and body shape, Hasegawa Yu rarely touches high-sugar or stimulating drinks, and alcohol is naturally no exception, except for open-air sex.

After a moment of internal evaluation, he chose his target, "The same one as that guest would be fine."

It looks the most like a drink, so the alcohol content should not be high.

"Okay." The bartender didn't ask any more questions and started mixing Long Island Iced Tea.

He quickly glanced at the young man's face, which only he could see due to the hood, his hands moving non-stop. "Is this your first time at Maze? He looks a little unfamiliar."

"Hmm." Hasegawa Yuu replied vaguely, "I guess so."

There was silence in the headset. He relaxed a lot when he thought about his senior telling him to just watch.

It’s just that the background music in the bar is really torturous for the mermaid...Hasegawa Yu moved his body and held it in.

"The guest's Long Island Iced Tea is ready."

A drink similar in color to iced black tea was pushed in front of him. Hasegawa Yu tried to shift his focus away from the music, stirred the liquid in the glass with a straw, and took a sip carefully.

Hasegawa Yu smacked his lips, unable to taste anything, and took another sip, feeling a little disappointed.

It's not much different from ordinary drinks... Well, the name does sound like a drink.

Seeing the man drink down half a glass of the bar's famous virginity-losing drink in just a few gulps, the bartender looked away as if it had nothing to do with him and turned to serve the next customer.

"Same old."

A man with a middle-parted hairstyle sat down in the empty seat next to Hasegawa Yu and knocked on the table urgingly.

"Wait a moment." Facing the old customer, the bartender became much more enthusiastic. "Mr. Yamashita is a little late today."

"My boss had something to do, so I had to work overtime."

Hearing a familiar voice, Hasegawa Yu turned around and found that the person next to him was the secretary he had been looking for.

The appearance and voice are the same as the videos found online.

Noticing the gaze, the man with the middle part looked aside warily, then his eyes lit up, "Are you alone?"

Hasegawa Yuu held his face tight and nodded silently.

The target started talking to him! What should I do next?

He hasn't learned the art of speaking in clichés.

Come to think of it, I don’t know where the subordinate in charge of the mission that Senior Jōgō mentioned is... I wonder if he hasn’t found the target yet.

"Mr. Yamashita, your drinks are ready." The bartender observed the interaction between the two without leaving a trace, then lowered his eyes to hide his gaze.

The man with a middle part casually placed the wine glass beside him, turned sideways to face Hasegawa Yu, and noticed the wine he was drinking, the corners of his mouth curved deeper, "In that case, how about we have a few drinks together?"

Feeling that he was in good physical condition, Hasegawa Yu agreed, "Okay."

Would it be easier to get people to talk if they got them drunk?

He remembered that humans have the saying "truth comes out when drunk", so maybe it will work!

Thinking of this, Hasegawa Yu was eager to act, "Mr. Yamashita, drink first."

Since the senior's other subordinate didn't show up, he had to take on the burden of completing the mission!

The man with the middle parted hair, who thought the young man recognized his identity, ordered another Long Island Iced Tea. "Okay, yours is almost finished, I'll treat you to a new one."

Hasegawa Yu, who was trying to get a human drunk for the first time, nervously held his cup with both hands, "Mr. Yamashita wants to drink too."

"Ha ha."

Seeing this, the man with a middle part, who was originally a little hesitant because of the young man's attire, narrowed his eyes maliciously and said, "Of course."

Bartender: ...

【Don't intervene yet, just wait and see. 】

After receiving the order from the headset, the bartender remained calm. He only glanced at the surveillance camera located diagonally above the bar with the corner of his eye, and skillfully prepared a new Long Island Iced Tea.

In a private room on the second floor of the bar, Furuya Rei stared at the footage transmitted back by the surveillance camera. His expression was cold, and his purple-gray eyes were calm. "Continue reporting."

"Yes, Mr. Furuya."

Across from him sat a spiky-haired man wearing glasses. He took out a document without looking away and said, "Here's all the information you asked me to look up."

Fūya Rei took the thin sheets of paper from the man's hand and flipped through them without saying a word.

The person in front of him was an informant he had developed within the public security department. He was very loyal, so Jōgō Rei was basically assured of the information he had found.

"Suspected to be born in an orphanage?"

There wasn't much information on the paper, so Rei Furuya quickly skimmed through it. "Are there any other traces besides this?"

Orange hair and orange eyes are eye-catching and rare, and should leave an impression even after so many years.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Furutani."

Kazami Yuya lowered his head. "He... Hasegawa Yuu seemed to have suddenly appeared in Beika Town. I only found a few specious clues. I'm also investigating information from abroad. Please give me two more days."

"I understand." Fūya Rei picked up the lighter on the table.

The disposable lighter provided by the bar emitted an orange-red flame, devouring the paper in the blink of an eye.

Releasing his grip, letting the paper fall into the ashtray and turn into ashes, Furuya Ling glanced at the two people who had drunk a few drinks on the surveillance screen and said, "I have nothing to do today. You should leave."

"Yes." Feng Jianyuya stood up and left.

The actual owner of this bar is Rei Furuya, and similar secret meetings have taken place many times without being discovered.

Seeing the box door closed again, he opened his phone and looked at the replies.

[I didn't find any experimental subject with the name you mentioned or related characteristics in the laboratory.

The organization's experiments on the APTX series cannot be conducted without me, Bourbon, are you mistaken? - Sherry]

Seeing this, Furuya Zero stroked his phone twice and fell into deep thought.

[But if it is true, it would be very interesting. As far as I know, the Karasuma Group also had its own private laboratory in the early years. It is possible that he came from there.

By the way, if you have time, why don't you bring him to me? I can help check him for free. - Sherry]

Fūya Rei moved his fingers and decisively rejected Shirley's "request".

The boss's attitude towards Hasegawa Yu is ambiguous. Just in case, he'd better keep people away from the mad scientist to avoid being implicated.

Compared to the information that can be found sooner or later, the current matter is more important. Fūya Rei shifted his gaze back to the surveillance screen.

"Burp." Hasegawa Yu burped softly, "Mr. Yamashita, it's your turn to drink next."

“…”

The man with a middle-parted hair glanced at the five empty cups on the young man's side, and when he met the pair of orange-gold eyes that were always clear and innocent, he couldn't help but doubt his life.

Seriously? He drank five Long Island Iced Teas in a row and he's still not drunk?

The man with the middle part felt like he was going to faint first, and he was very unwilling to accept it. "Do you still sell fake alcohol in your bar?"

“…Please don’t slander me.”

If the drink wasn't mixed by himself, the bartender would have been suspicious. The orange-haired young man didn't even blush, "There's no way our bar sells fake alcohol."

Hasegawa Yuu, confused, urged, "Mr. Yamashita?"

Oh, I need to exercise more next time. The sugar content in drinks is always very high.

The man with a middle part, who was really itching for that face, gritted his teeth, drank another glass, and slumped over the bar in a daze.

"Mr. Yamashita?" Hasegawa Yu poked him, "Are you drunk?"

The man with the middle part mumbled something that no one could understand.

Bartender: ...

"I'll take Mr. Yamashita to sober up."

You can't judge a person by his appearance. The bartender twitched his mouth and said, "Don't worry, he is a regular customer of our bar."

Hasegawa Yu became conflicted and wanted to stop it.

【Let the bartender take him away. 】

Finally, a sound came from the headset.

Hasegawa Yu blinked, and after watching the bartender help the man disappear around the corner, he spoke, "Senior, there's something I've wanted to say for a long time."

【……What's up?】

"Can I go tune up the band at the bar?"

Hasegawa Yu looked toward the band's stage and said, "The third string of the guitar and the first string of the bass are always half a tone apart. It really frustrates me."

It was like there was a grain of sand stuck in his shoe and he couldn't get it out. He had been enduring it for a long time!

Important things should be said three times, Hasegawa Yu repeated, his tone more serious than when he was doing a task, "If you keep holding back, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

【……】

"senior?"

【……what ever.】