A minute earlier.
Although the Sushi Restaurant they had arranged to meet at, along with several other shops in the building, were all Organization properties, Gin's vigilance naturally kept him from considering the place safe merely because of that.
As usual, he arrived nearby half an hour early. Rather than entering their agreed meeting place, he first went to the observation point next door, intending to check for any dangers.
He scanned the surroundings. Everything looked normal. The only thing remotely linked to "danger" was a familiar figure sitting by the window in the café on the second floor.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Gin followed his gaze and looked down at the street below. He carefully surveyed the area, but found no hidden threats.
So he looked back up at the café. At some point, an innocent-looking high school girl had appeared beside Uzo's table.
The girl set down a plate of Cookie, her cheeks flushed as she said something. Then Uzo casually picked up one and put it into his mouth.
Gin: "..."
This guy lived among all sorts of cases every day and had personally carried out quite a few poisonings, yet he still showed absolutely no caution toward food that entered his mouth.
"He relies on his skill at judging people and has too much confidence in his own judgment."
Gin came to that conclusion with displeasure. At the same time, he quietly considered: He really should find someone to pose as a fan and let Uzo fall for it once. Then they would see whether he still dared accept things so casually.
And as an outlaw with exceptional initiative, the moment that thought crossed his mind, Gin habitually began sorting through the details of the operation.
Which brought up a problem: Who should carry