"Back when I was opposed to Uzo, I wanted to use Jiang Xia to deal with Uzo, but Jiang Xia suspected my identity first. And now, I've been forced to join Uzo's ranks, and Uzo wants me to deal with Jiang Xia."
Hashimoto Maya's thoughts stalled briefly. A moment later, he couldn't help thinking, Can't these two geniuses just settle things quietly between themselves? Why do they have to drag an innocent passerby like me in as a pawn?!
...Oh, no, that wasn't right. Jiang Xia hadn't treated him as a pawn; he had delivered himself to Jiang Xia's doorstep.
But the point remained the same: if he was unfortunate enough to get caught up in the struggle between these two, how much longer could he possibly live?
—He couldn't accept it. He absolutely couldn't accept this mission!
His survival instinct roared in his mind as Hashimoto Maya cautiously said, "To be honest, because I always 'happen' to appear around Jiang Xia, he's actually been wary of me for a long time. Under these circumstances, I'm afraid my chances of successfully assassinating him aren't very high."
Uzo bent a finger and tapped the rim of his cup, as though admiring the crisp sound. "Don't underestimate a Detective's kindness. That is their greatest weakness—so long as you approach him of your own accord, no matter what your intentions are, he'll agree to let you remain by his side instead of pushing you away."
"Stay by Jiang Xia's side?" Hashimoto Maya connected those words with the earlier mission of "kill him" and tried to guess. "You want me to infiltrate his side, then poison him with a slow-acting toxin?"
"..."
Uzo looked at him for a long while. At last, he sighed softly and shook his head helplessly. "You've spent too long