Chapter 61: Rye Whisky's Handiwork

Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open and a familiar voice ringing out, Asai Narumi instinctively turned around to look at the figure in the doorway.

Then, he said in a soft voice, "Mr. Nara, I've come this time to say goodbye."

His words caught the attention of both Nara Hikaru and Natsuki Koshimizu, who was browsing information on the computer.

The former high school girl detective, sitting beside Asai Narumi, frowned slightly and asked, "Is it because of the family situation with your adoptive parents?"

"Really? You already severed ties with them before going to Moonlight Island, and haven't even exchanged messages in all these years. Why on earth does that organization think kidnapping people from your adoptive parents' household can flush you out?"

Although Natsuki Koshimizu had still been on the train heading to Tokyo before Nara Hikaru made his move against Pisco's automotive company, she had been to Tokyo before and had only left temporarily due to certain circumstances. Therefore, Natsuki Koshimizu had actually investigated Asai Narumi's background.

To avenge his father without implicating his adoptive parents' family in the heroin trafficking syndicate, Asai Narumi had deliberately cut ties with them before heading to Moonlight Island, only sending money to compensate them by depositing his wages into anonymous bank accounts.

Moreover, the delivery of those anonymous bank cards was something Nara Hikaru had helped with in his spare time.

The Black Organization couldn't possibly have investigated this matter. For those guys to actually think that targeting Asai Narumi's adoptive parents' family would draw Asai Narumi out, and consequently lure out the urban legend known as Nara Hikaru, was utterly absurd.

"...Yes," Asai Narumi nodded slightly, saying, "My aunt and uncle are planning to move away from Beika Town because of the Black Organization's recent attack."

"The Metropolitan Police Department said they would send people to secretly protect them as they leave... This whole mess was dragged out because of my vengeance, and I feel I have a duty to make amends. Therefore, I plan to disguise my identity and accompany them as they leave."

"With the self-defense techniques Mr. Nara taught me previously, there shouldn't be any problems."

The Metropolitan Police Department sending people to secretly protect them on their departure? Are the people from the Metropolitan Police Department actually reliable?

Hearing this, Asai Narumi couldn't help but sigh.

Every city had its Prefectural Police Headquarters, but Tokyo, acting as the actual capital of the nation, had a Metropolitan Police Department instead of a prefectural headquarters. Logically speaking, the competence and caliber of personnel in the Metropolitan Police Department should far exceed that of police headquarters elsewhere.

In reality, however, the police force of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department seemed far inferior to those in other places.

It was hard to imagine that letting people from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department handle such a covert escort mission wouldn't lead to a mess—

"Exact time and location," Nara Hikaru said in a calm voice.

"...Eh?" Asai Narumi froze.

Before he could say anything more, he heard Nara Hikaru say, "You said your adoptive parents' family was implicated because of you, so you have an obligation to make amends."

"Yet I must say that if I hadn't been targeting the Black Organization's strongholds, this would never have involved your adoptive parents' family in the first place. Therefore, in this matter, I share the responsibility as well."

"Tell me the exact time and location, and I will go see you all off when the time comes."

The man draped in a black trench coat spoke calmly and matter-of-factly.

What he said was no falsehood.

In Asai Narumi's original story, everyone involved in the heroin trade fell, and Asai Narumi himself died in a self-immolation fire, leaving his adoptive parents' family completely unaffected. Yet now, they had been subjected to an attack by the Black Organization precisely because of his existence.

He bore an inescapable responsibility; hence, he had an obligation to see them off and ensure no accidents occurred.

After all, Nara Hikaru had seen quite clearly during his time in Beika Town what kind of caliber the Metropolitan Police Department's officers possessed. As for police competence... it was already considered highly ethical of those Public Security officers if they didn't use human beings as bait to lure out the Black Organization.

Expecting them to spare additional manpower at this critical juncture to protect Asai Narumi's adoptive parents' family during their evacuation was impossible.

Although he wanted to decline Nara Hikaru's kindness, Asai Narumi opened his mouth several times but ultimately failed to utter a word.

He only whispered, "Thank you."

Creak—

Asai Narumi left, vanishing into the night, barely perceptible.

This was the stealth technique that Daidou Buō had taught him during his rigorous training in the mountains of Kanto. Nara Hikaru had passed these techniques on to his assistants as well, enabling them to conceal their tracks as much as possible so they wouldn't be captured by the Black Organization.

Compared to the operatives under Dumas, the peripheral members of the Black Organization were still vastly inferior in capability.

Unless the Black Organization specifically dispatched a few action-squad codename members, it was utterly impossible for them to catch the traces of Asai Narumi or any of the other assistants.

"Tell me, why didn't you take him along with you to act before? At least let him kill a few criminals to harden his nerve?" Natsuki Koshimizu said after Asai Narumi had left.

"He is not like you. He is far softer-hearted than you are," Nara Hikaru glanced at Natsuki Koshimizu and said.

"If you had three enemies to exact vengeance upon, and burning down a single building would kill all your enemies while simultaneously causing four other innocent people to die along with them, you would undoubtedly burn the house down to exact your revenge, feeling at most a twinge of guilt toward the innocent."

"But Asai Narumi is different. He would rather give up the opportunity for revenge and seek other methods than do anything that might harm the innocent—he is a good person."

"Unfortunately, in Beika Town, being a good person is far more fatal than being a bad one."

He picked up the large duffel bag he had been carrying and set it aside. The zipper of the bag was left slightly unfastened.

The golden luster representing bullets peeked out from the duffel bag. With just a quick glance, Natsuki Koshimizu could be certain that the bag was absolutely packed to the brim with firearms and ammunition, even more so than when Nara Hikaru had first set out.

It seemed this operation had been a triumphant return with a full load.

The information inside the floppy disk obtained from the organization member was not fake—

"It should be Rye's handiwork," Nara Hikaru's voice drifted over.

"He found this floppy disk a step ahead of Miyano Shiho and engraved the information on the organization's strongholds that he had uncovered onto it. However, this floppy disk is already useless."

"I only leveled three of the organization's strongholds recorded inside, and the rest of the strongholds had already been abandoned and emptied out."

"The Black Organization will certainly not let the matter rest here. Within seven days at the latest, or three days at the absolute soonest, they will launch a counterattack."

The man in black stated with certainty.

"That will be a fine spectacle of them marching to their own doom!"

As long as they dared to show their faces and take action again, every single organization member involved in the operation would die the moment they stepped out!

There would be absolutely no exceptions!