Onion Man Is Like This

Returning to the Polo Cafe, it was past two in the afternoon.

Leaving at seven in the morning and returning at two in the afternoon, experiencing two cases in just seven or eight hours—it had truly been a fulfilling day, just as expected of you, Conan.

Tang Ze watched the little detective, who had refused his offer of help carrying things upstairs and was now wobbling his way up, and took a deep breath, looking at the cafe.

Every time he went out, he always came back with some injury. Tang Ze felt that if he didn't get an explanation, Tooru Amuro would immediately start ranting about how useless the surveillance team was, grab his gun, and go duel Shuichi Akai.

To be honest, Tang Ze felt wronged. The injuries he sustained weren't even considered superficial; they could be classified as mere scrapes. If Tooru Amuro had a problem with it, he'd only broken the skin with that punch. Where was he going to find justice with the shattered glass that was completely beyond repair?

Under the pressure of being inexplicably treated like he was about to be lectured by the dean of students, Tang Ze meekly walked into the cafe.

"Yo, little hero, you're back." There was only one table with customers by the window in the cafe. Tooru Amuro, looking thoroughly displeased, glanced up when he saw Tang Ze enter, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Mr. Amuro..." Tang Ze chuckled foolishly, playing dumb.

Tooru Amuro tossed the rag in his hand onto the counter, wrapped his arms around his waist, and emerged from behind the bar, pointing upstairs with a menacing air: "Come upstairs with me."

"Amuro, don't be so harsh." Azusa Enomoto said with a wry smile, seeing Tang Ze practically cowering. "Someone took a video of you climbing onto a moving truck and stopping it abruptly. They posted it on SNS, and it's gotten really popular. Although they couldn't see your face clearly from that far away, we recognized you immediately. You're too daring, kid..."

Tooru Amuro snorted, the displeasure on his face not fading one bit. "You don't even have your driver's license, yet you dared to climb onto a box truck? Who was it that swore they'd behave themselves?"

"I... I was saving someone, it was an emergency..." Tang Ze mumbled sheepishly.

"Upstairs." Tooru Amuro pointed at the attic again, uttering only the brief verb.

Tang Ze dejectedly walked over, following Tooru Amuro, who was carrying a small first-aid kit and walking with heavy steps, up the stairs.

Tooru Amuro's mood was very complicated.

Regarding the public opinion issue surrounding Tang Ze, he was fortunate to have passed the message to Yuya Kazami yesterday. The sudden surge in popularity on social media was quickly discovered and handled. No close-up shots were leaked, and the news was suppressed once again.

He truly hadn't expected this high school student to be such an active and enthusiastic type. The extent of his troublemaking reminded Furuya Rei of his own school days.

Heaven knew how much trouble the Metropolitan Police Department had gone through back then to process the files for his undercover work...

Now that he was doing the same job, it felt like karma coming full circle...

"Sit down, stick out your hand." Tooru Amuro dragged the only chair in the attic to the bedside and gestured.

Tang Ze obediently sat in front of him, feeling that the command was strange, like talking to a dog.

Seeing the gauze wrapped haphazardly around Tang Ze's wrist, Tooru Amuro's brow twitched. As he unwrapped the messy bandage, he lectured, "Why didn't you go to the hospital after getting scratched? What if it gets infected if you wrap it without cleaning the wound?"

The bandage was completely removed, revealing a series of scratches around Tang Ze's wrist and the back of his hand. The longest one extended from the middle of the back of his hand to his forearm, a shallow groove plowed by the sharp edge of the glass.

Tooru Amuro grew angry seeing it. He took a deep breath, opened the medical kit, poured some iodine onto the back of his hand, and asked, "Where did you learn to drive?"

"I was supposed to get my driver's license this year," Tang Ze replied softly.

Tooru Amuro took out a bandage, covered his wound, and asked again, "And the bandage? Why were you carrying this with you?"

"Um... didn't I encounter an accident a couple of days ago?" Tang Ze stammered evasively. Watching Tooru Amuro skillfully apply a layered bandage, he turned the tables, "Mr. Amuro, did you study nursing? You're so fast at bandaging."

"Don't change the subject. I think you just can't control your urge to play the hero." Glaring at Tang Ze, Tooru Amuro ultimately refrained from uttering the hurtful words, "Last time, your vigilantism landed you as a juvenile offender."

After all, Tang Ze was truly a brave and enthusiastic child. Even if he was reckless, he was a good kid.

The two deeply thoughtful nesting dolls exchanged a silent glance.

Tang Ze had secrets. Tooru Amuro was certain.

An ordinary automatic or manual car was nothing compared to a box truck. One didn't even qualify for a license to drive the latter on the road. And facing an unmanned, sliding vehicle, to make such quick decisions and execute actions so efficiently—Tooru Amuro found it hard to imagine that Tang Ze hadn't undergone training.

But he couldn't ask about such matters, regardless of which of his identities he used.

He had rewatched the video clip of Tang Ze's capture on SNS four or five times. After thinking about it, Tooru Amuro's line of thought had converged with Shuichi Akai's.

It must be the Tang Ze couple's doing.

The Tang Ze couple had connections to the Organization. The foundation that provided funding for their research institution was controlled by one of the Organization's offshore companies.

After days of investigation, this was the most likely point of conflict between Tang Ze and the Organization. Since the Tang Ze couple's research was essentially funded by the Organization, it was presumed that the Organization was well aware of their research results.

Initially, Tooru Amuro leaned towards the idea that Tang Ze Zhao might possess the core data left behind by the couple. Now, Tooru Amuro had more conjectures. Could it be possible that the Tang Ze couple had applied some of their research to their own child? Psychological therapy, cognitive modification, or, more dangerously, brainwashing and control—perhaps Tang Ze was a child who had received professional training under their instruction.

Tooru Amuro speculated cautiously, but he hadn't reported this line of conjecture to either the Public Security or the Organization. Without further evidence, reporting such a possibility would bring utter disaster upon Tang Ze Zhao.

Because, based on the information he obtained as Bourbon, Tang Ze Yichuan and Tang Ze Leona were confirmed dead. No matter what research they had conducted, various parties would not let Tang Ze Zhao off the hook.

Headache, what a headache. A huge, hot potato.

With this thought, Tooru Amuro released Tang Ze's bandaged arm and roughly ruffled Tang Ze's hair.

"Stop it!" Tang Ze covered his head and dodged backward. "You promised not to mess with my hair anymore!"

"If you can't keep your promises, then my words are also void." Tooru Amuro righteously cupped Tang Ze's head with both hands and shook it forcefully. "Have you forgotten that I'm your supervisor? I'm going to have a lot to say about you in this report. Be careful during your observation period."

"I'm sorry, I was wrong." Tang Ze was instantly defeated, his face contorted in a grimace as he let Tooru Amuro mess up his hair.

Having vented his frustration, Tooru Amuro tidied up the medical kit and stood up. Before turning to go downstairs, he hesitated and tentatively asked, "Tang Ze, if you encounter any trouble, you can tell me. Any trouble at all." His purplish-gray eyes looked directly at Tang Ze with conviction. "I can help you."

Tang Ze understood his question, but he couldn't say anything.

Moreover, he wondered, was this question coming from Bourbon, Tooru Amuro, or Furuya Rei?

Talking to Onion Man was really exhausting.

He guessed that Tooru Amuro knew many inside details, but he couldn't ask, and Tooru Amuro wouldn't tell. Before they could have an open conversation and peel off at least two layers of Bourbon and Furuya Rei from this onion, Tang Ze had no standing to converse with him.

"I understand," Tang Ze finally replied ambiguously.

Urgent urgent urgent urgent urgent urgent, started typing after work (●—●) One more chapter coming later.