Jiang Xia's phone rang.
Jiang Xia glanced down at the caller ID, looking thoughtful.
A moment later, his finger moved to the Answer Button as he reminded Gin, "It's Bourbon calling. Don't make a sound later."
Then he answered.
Gin: "...?"
Although he knew the reason, hearing Jiang Xia say it somehow made it feel furtive. As though Amuro Tooru was Jiang Xia's proper boss, and everyone else had to hide from him.
Remembering Bourbon's earlier attempt to steal his subordinate, Gin's gaze silently turned sinister.
He turned to look at the connected call, a malicious "Good evening, Bourbon" already on the tip of his tongue.
But in the end, he said nothing.
Gin: "..." The less Bourbon knew about Uzo, the faster he would die in the future.
If Gin said a few more words today, Bourbon might just survive. Where would the fun be in that?
No matter how one looked at it, Bourbon remaining ignorant of Uzo's identity was the development Gin most wanted to see.
With a cigarette between his lips, Gin envisioned the future and silently revealed a cold smile.
"Hello, Boss." Jiang Xia answered the call with practiced ease. "Do you need me to fill in for a part-time job? Send the address to my Mailbox. But I'm out right now, so I won't be home for a while."
"...No." Amuro Tooru pulled the topic back from daily life to business. "Have you offended anyone recently?"
On the other end of the phone, Jiang Xia fell silent for a moment.
Amuro Tooru fell silent as well.
A moment later, he suddenly understood: perhaps Jiang Xia had offended too many people, so even he could not tell which one was which.
After thinking it over, Amuro Tooru could only add, "What assignments have you