Wits Against Thin Air

A military-green pickup truck was parked in the underground garage. Vermouth glanced at it twice and quickly linked it to the bulletproof pickup Gin had mentioned, finding it rather amusing.

Whether it was Bourbon or Kumeru, neither of their public identities was well suited to driving that kind of vehicle around. She had guessed at the time that they wanted the vehicle just to get under Gin's skin. Looking at the truck carelessly abandoned here now, she had been right.

Whiskey's traits were becoming increasingly apparent in Bourbon, and Kumeru had been hinting at his own ulterior motives between the lines. This superior-subordinate pair had sharp conflicts, yet they unexpectedly meshed rather well... Gin might really have a good eye for people.

Suppressing a laugh, Vermouth looked away, crossed the garage, ignored the small utility room on the inner side that seemed to contain firearms, and entered the villa.

The structure of this building resembled the Kudo Residence, except Yusaku Kudo's exaggeratedly enormous library was no longer there to interfere with the layout. Overall, it formed a square ring, with corridors on all four sides connecting the rooms, while an exquisite little courtyard lay at the center.

Now that she was inside, she found the house decorated in a typical French style. The previous owner had clearly preferred European architectural design. Judging by the slightly dated furniture, the new owner had made no changes after buying it. The faint smell of dust and mildew in the air constantly suggested that the place was still vacant.

These were all illusions Kumeru had set up to mislead prying eyes. Vermouth naturally did not believe them.

She put on the shoe covers prepared in advance, checked the shielding outfit she was wearing once more, then quickly made a circuit of the upper and