"Eat first, then we can talk." Yamato no Kami Yasusada gave his little head a shove and continued to zoom in on the target's photo.
"Ugh, Yasusada-senpai's attitude is awful. We're supposed to be pretending to be a couple today, can't you be a little gentler?" Ran Toushirou pouted unhappily, stirring his parfait in his glass with a resentful expression. His job was as a spy, and with his androgynous appearance, he was almost invincible around all kinds of men. But every time he went to Yamato no Kami Yasusada, he ran into a snag, and all the pride he had built up over the years shattered in an instant.
Yamato no Kami Yasusada ignored the kid and continued reviewing the documents. This mission, involving high-ranking officials, was several times more difficult than usual, and there was a high chance of encountering obstruction from his colleagues. Fortunately, there were quite a few people involved; he just needed to shoot the fat guy in the head. Success would be great, but even if he failed, others would finish him off. However, because the probability of failure was slightly higher, he had to personally come to the scene to scout the best sniping positions and escape routes. Walking alone on the street looking timid would inevitably appear suspicious, hence the arrangement of him and Ran Toushirou posing as a couple to scout the location.
Speaking of couples, Yamato no Kami Yasusada can't help but think of Kashuu Kiyomitsu. A few days ago, something happened suddenly, and it was such an important task, so naturally he was so busy that he didn't have time to rest for several days and didn't go home. He must have been even angrier, otherwise he wouldn't have replied to the message word by word.
Ran Toushirou was enthusiastically scooping strawberries from his cup when he saw the aloof senior sitting opposite him suddenly sigh while looking at his phone screen. Instantly, his gossipy nature ignited, and he immediately craned his neck, grinning as he tried to get information out of him.
"Senior, senior, why are you sighing?"
"Eat your parfait, you little brat, hurry up and finish it so we can run to the next spot."
As expected, he was harshly rejected, but with Ran Toushirou's high intelligence, he could immediately figure out the reason. So he pretended to be innocent, licked the spoon, and said in a crisp voice, "Speaking of which, you have a precious lover, right? I even met him last time!"
These words finally made Yamato no Kami Yasusada look at him properly. "How come you've seen him before?"
"It was last month, the time when Gokoto was injured. We hadn't finished hitting the target, and since only the senior members of the group were available, we asked you to come and help."
Yamato no Kami Yasusada scratched his head and looked at the ceiling, vaguely remembering something like that. It seemed like Kashuu Kiyomitsu was away on a business trip at the time, and Yamato, having nothing to do, went back to headquarters to help organize documents. He happened to run into a few people wandering around like headless chickens. He'd received a lot of help from Ichigo Hitofuri, and the kids were always endearing, so he didn't say much and just went along. He remembered pretending to be a couple, but what exactly happened?
"Actually, Gokotai and I were originally supposed to pretend to be two high school students, but Senpai just didn't look right, so we had to pretend to be a couple." Ran Toushirou smiled and waved his spoon, speaking with great enthusiasm. "Then, back then, we were pretending to kiss to avoid the bodyguards coming from the opposite direction, and at that moment, I really thought I saw your boyfriend from behind you, Senpai. Speaking of which, I forgot to tell you... Eh? Senpai, you look like you're about to faint?"
"..." Yamato no Kami Yasusada stared at the person opposite him in disbelief, and it took him a long time to finally utter a sentence.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
Still reeling from the shock of being mistaken for having an affair, Yamato no Kami Yasusada received orders to advance the mission. The fat man, to avoid suspicion, had decided to move the schedule from a week later to the day after tomorrow. Yamato no Kami Yasusada knew that explaining Ran Toushirou's existence to Kashuu Kiyomitsu would be extremely troublesome. If he couldn't deliver a perfect explanation, his true identity would be exposed. So, despite his anxiety, he suppressed his urgency and decided to wait until after eliminating the old man before having a proper, heart-to-heart talk with Kashuu Kiyomitsu.
Yamato no Kami Yasusada had a well-thought-out plan, envisioning countless bright futures, but he never expected that day would arrive in a way that no one could have foreseen.
On the day of the mission, due to its high difficulty, almost half of the team members were to be deployed. Yamato no Kami Yasusada arrived early, carrying a golf bag containing a sniper rifle. Dressed in a low-key black hoodie and with his hat pulled low, he blended into the crowd and followed the pre-arranged route to a rooftop opposite the target building. Anticipating potential counter-sniper attacks, he dared not easily set up a tripod, instead pretending to be a tourist and moving aimlessly, while constantly keeping an eye on the overhead cameras and the security personnel around him.
This time, Ichigo Hitofuri was in charge of the overall command. This usually gentle and refined brother-obsessed man changed his usual soft tone during the mission, seriously assigning positions to everyone and issuing orders in a calm and collected manner. The younger brothers of the Toushirou family also took advantage of their size to infiltrate deep into enemy territory, disguised themselves, and waited for the target to arrive.
Despite the solemn atmosphere on the surface, the wait was still a bit boring. Yamato no Kami Yasusada fiddled with the wireless communication in his ear and started chatting idly with Izumi no Kami. Izumi no Kami, as an investigator, was assigned to be nearby, which was a real hardship for this guy who usually hid in front of the computer and slacked off.
"Speaking of which, how did you end up taking on this mission too? I thought you'd be engrossed in your novel as usual." Yamato no Kami Yasusada swayed back and forth, pretending to make a call with his phone, teasing Izumi no Kami on the other end of the line.
"You wouldn't understand. This is called a strategic choice." Izumi no Kami swaggered in, phone in hand, and said proudly, "Haven't you heard? This is a big deal. I heard that once this mission is completed, we can rest for more than half a year. Although these few days will be tough, once I close my eyes, I'll have half a year of leisure!"
"That makes a lot of sense, but a single dog like you, even if you have plenty of free time, can only sit in front of your computer and read novels. You have no ambition at all." Yamato no Kami Yasusada curled his lip and said disdainfully.
"Hmph, don't get cocky now, let me tell you." Izuminokami, contrary to his usual self, didn't argue with him. Instead, he spoke with such certainty as if he knew some earth-shattering secret. Sure enough, his next words made Yamato no Kami feel dizzy and want to rush to the next building and strangle this guy. "I know your boyfriend misunderstood your affair with Ran! Tsk tsk, you're now a sinner who cheated on me. You'd better not offend me."
"You-have-eavesdropped-on-me again!"
"Haha, don't underestimate the team's top intelligence officer." Izuminokami laughed wildly, silently giving himself a thumbs up for winning back the game. On the other end of the line, Yamato no Kami Yasusada was still cursing something. Just as he was about to listen carefully, he was suddenly bumped into from behind.
"Ah! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Izuminokami scratched his head, about to turn around to see who it was, when he heard someone quietly apologizing to him. When he finally managed to turn around, he could only see the person fleeing in a panic. Judging from the slender figure, the person seemed to be quite young, and the school uniform accentuated their beautiful and delicate figure, making Izuminokami crane his neck to take a few more glances.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me, you bastard! Don't tell anyone!" Yamato no Kami Yasusada was still yelling on the other end of the line. Izumi no Kami touched his nose and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Why are you smiling so lewdly?"
"What do you know? I just happened to meet a beautiful woman."
"Wake up, don't daydream while on a mission."
"Did you hit someone?" Kashuu Kiyomitsu raised his voice on the other end of the radio.
"Yes, I bumped into someone by accident. But thankfully, it shouldn't be anyone suspicious, since they were laughing so obliviously..." Horikawa tugged at his bow tie to ease his breathing. As he walked, he recalled the person he had bumped into. Although the person was handsome and had striking black hair, what bothered him most was the person's radiant smile. They must have been talking to a close friend, given how much they were laughing.
"That's good." Kashuu Kiyomitsu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, followed by a series of crisp metallic clanging sounds, probably someone checking their weapons in the bathroom. "Speaking of which, which seniors came today? I was in such a hurry that I didn't even get a chance to see them."
"It seems to be Akashi and Hotarumaru-senpai," Horikawa tilted his head and replied.
"It's those two... I'm really afraid that Akashi-senpai will get bored halfway through and just kill that fat guy." Kashuu Kiyomitsu's movements paused for a moment, then he continued.
Horikawa couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this, then recalled the scene of meeting the two seniors earlier, and could only sigh inwardly, "Appearances can be deceiving." After all, who would have thought that Hotarumaru, who looked as young as an elementary school student, was actually a professional sniper rifle expert, while Akashi Kuniyuki, who looked like an adult, always seemed lazy and unmotivated? It really made one wonder if their appearances and personalities were reversed.
Squatting on the toilet, Kashuu Kiyomitsu checked his gear repeatedly, straightened his suit as a bodyguard, and admired himself in the mirror. Finally, he pulled his phone from his pocket; the name "Yamato no Kami Yasusada" was still prominently displayed at the top. He'd read the message countless times, practically memorized it, but Kashuu Kiyomitsu couldn't help feeling disappointed. He'd thought the unpleasant parting of the three of them that day would have alerted that idiot, but recently he'd said he was going on a business trip for a few days and wouldn't be home, even his text messages were only a few words long. He couldn't help but recall the beautiful figure beside Yasusada a month ago—so youthful and vibrant, her smile like a small sun rising in the night. He figured that right now, that guy was using the business trip as an excuse to meet that pretty girl.
"Hey, Kunihiro."
"Um?"
"I plan to break up with that guy as soon as I get back after this job."
Horikawa was walking along peacefully when he was startled by his words and almost dropped his phone. "Are you really sure? Actually, I think we can talk about this some more."
“You’re just soft-hearted, but I’m not.” Kashuu Kiyomitsu stared at himself in the mirror, trying to raise his chin to make the person in the mirror look proud and noble. “Since he dares not cherish me, why should I continue to pester him? I am Kashuu Kiyomitsu.”
Horikawa steadied the wireless headset and sighed slightly. "I can't really interfere in these matters, but since you've made up your mind, then do it this way. Just don't regret it."
"Hmm." Encouraged by his friend, Kashuu Kiyomitsu couldn't help but smile. He tightened his tie, took a deep breath, and then pushed open the door and went out.
Enough is enough. It's time to put an end to the past five years.
Night fell silently, the sweltering heat of summer swept away by the air conditioning inside the building. With the arrival of various luxury cars, dignitaries entered in droves, most wearing smiles—whether genuine or feigned, it was hard to tell; at least at first glance, it appeared as a scene of revelry and prosperity. Beneath this opulent facade lurked those unseen villains, and of course, the restless predators, ready to pounce.
Yamato no Kami Yasusada, based on intelligence constantly transmitted from the front lines, had quietly moved to his sniping position, the slightly distorted commands coming through the radio. Stepping onto the rooftop, the night wind that rushed towards him cleared his head. Casting aside his personal feelings, he took a few deep breaths, and when he looked up again, his gaze was calm and serene.
The sniper rifle he brought today was his old partner, having faced countless life-or-death situations and claimed countless lives. He quickly set up the tripod, put on a reflective jacket, and loaded the bullets. As his fingertips touched the cold casing of the rifle, Yamato no Kami Yasusada seemed to enter some kind of mystical state, his breathing slowly becoming lighter.
At the same time, taking advantage of his small stature, Hotarumaru also held a sniper rifle, his small face serious as he listened to Akashi Kuniyuki's drawn-out voice on the other end of his headset. Horikawa crouched on one side of the gate, vigilantly scanning his surroundings, his right hand occasionally reaching for his waist. Ichigo Hitofuri sat in front of his computer, his eyes fixed on the countless moving icons at the top of the screen, issuing commands in the shortest and clearest terms. Ran Toushirou changed into a pure and innocent dress, leaning against a big shot who was puffing on a cigarette, exuding a girlish charm. His eyes were alluring, yet deep down, they were clear-headed. Izuminokami had his arm around the shoulder of a security captain, talking loudly about something. His hearty laughter could be heard from afar. While giving a thumbs-up as if praising the security guard, he discreetly planted a bugging device on the door behind him.
Looking around, one sees all sorts of people, and it seems everyone thinks they will be the winner tonight.
Kashuu Kiyomitsu kept his head slightly lowered, subtly positioning himself behind his target, his face obscured by strands of hair falling across his forehead. He maintained a safe distance from his target, neither obtrusive nor lacking the speed to provide immediate assistance in case of an emergency. The fat man ahead continued boasting about his grand scheme, seemingly oblivious to the situation. Although inwardly annoyed, Kashuu Kiyomitsu forced himself to calm down and scan his surroundings out of the corner of his eye.
His sixth sense, honed from years of walking the line between life and death, told him that tonight was destined to be extraordinary, but as they approached the end of the corridor, nothing had happened. The scouts positioned at various points in his earpiece reported "normal," and Hotarumaru, acting as a counter-sniper, remained silent.
As the main hall doors drew closer, everyone held their breath, except for the fat man who was still spitting everywhere. A dagger slid from his sleeve to his palm, and Kashuu Kiyomitsu's muscles tensed, like an arrow ready to be released from a bow, stretched to its limit.
But until the hostess raised her hand to open the door, everything remained as calm as still water.
Seeing that the fat man was about to step in with one foot, Kashuu Kiyomitsu quickly leaned forward, using a tricky angle to completely block the target.
At the same time, on a rooftop a hundred meters away, Yamato no Kami Yasusada's radio crackled with bombardment-like commands.
"3!"
He successfully found the firing gap through the sniper scope.
"2!"
The distance was estimated within a few breaths. The wind direction was normal, but the wind speed was slightly high.
"1!"
Yamato no Kami Yasusada's knuckles bent slightly, the trigger already in motion. Suddenly, a figure blocked his target.
"Are security guards all dyeing their hair red these days?" He didn't really care, just muttered to himself.
"Fire!"
In that instant, the red-haired security guard who had just been criticized turned his head, and the horribly familiar features and lines almost made Yamato no Kami Yasusada's pupils dilate subconsciously. But it was too late. The violent impact on his nerves almost made his entire brain boil, but his body still instinctively obeyed his commands and decisively pulled the trigger.
"Shit!"
Yamato no Kami Yasusada abruptly holstered his gun and uttered a universally understood phrase.
-TBC.
Chapter 5, Part 5
His eyelids twitched violently. Kashuu Kiyomitsu frowned and couldn't help but tilt his head to glance out the window. His unease grew stronger. His vigilance, honed by years of walking the line between life and death, made him move instinctively, albeit slightly, taking a half-step back. All around him, the music and dancing continued unabated.
The change happened suddenly at that moment. With the sound of shattering glass, Kashuu Kiyomitsu could even feel the scalding hot air brought up as the bullet passed by his cheek. Before he could react, the man next to him suddenly let out a terrible scream.
"There's a sniper!"
"What's going on?!"
Everyone immediately erupted into a cacophony of voices, shouting and yelling. The bodyguards around him quickly stepped forward to support the short, fat man who was half-paralyzed on the ground, his shoulder bleeding profusely. Some picked up their communicators and began making various calls, while others hurriedly tried to calm the banquet guests around them.
Kashuu Kiyomitsu crouched low and quietly retreated from the wrecked area, calming his still-frightened mind, and quietly reported the situation to the radio.
"The target was only injured in the left shoulder. Can you track down the sniper's location, Hotarumaru-senpai?"
"The infrared has detected it; it's a blind spot on the roof of the building across the street." Hotarumaru's childish voice came from the other end of the earpiece, sounding unusually calm. He quickly determined the other party's escape route and was about to set up his gun when he suddenly let out a questioning "Eh."
"Has the other side already escaped, Hotaru?" Even at this moment, Akashi Kuniyuki still seemed half-asleep, lazily dragging out his words.
“No, it’s just…” Hotarumaru said uncertainly, “He doesn’t seem to be planning to run away, but rather he seems to be heading this way.”
"Is it now fashionable to use snipers to finish off enemies?" Kashuu Kiyomitsu quipped, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the target surrounded by a group of people. "There should be backup. I've already sent Aizen to scout the area. Kashuu, you stay with the target." Akashi Kuniyuki finally sat up straight, his expression turning serious. "Hotaru, if you see an opportunity, take out that sniper. Although as long as that fat guy is alive, it's fine, but he's still a bit of a nuisance." His tone turned somewhat somber at the end.
Kashuu Kiyomitsu replied with a "received," then lowered his head and continued to follow the man who was being closely protected by bodyguards. Hearing the man's loud cries of pain and screams, coupled with the fact that he had just almost met his death, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. He rubbed his twitching eyelids again, and his unease grew stronger.
"That sniper's so bad, he should have just shot this annoying fat guy dead." Kashuu Kiyomitsu rolled his eyes and silently followed the target.
"Damn it, there's a counter-sniper! Yasusada, retreat along the original route! Hey, Yasusada, where are you going?" On the other end of the radio, Ichigo Hitofuri was directing the others who had already infiltrated the building to carry out the next assassination according to the second plan. Izuminokami Kanesada, who was closely monitoring his friend, hurriedly told him to retreat through the private channel. But before he could finish speaking, he saw Yasusada on the screen change direction and head straight for the target building. This greatly worried Izuminokami. Although he was confident in his opponent's skills, he was still worried about the counter-sniper hiding in the shadows. If he was not careful, he would probably lose his life tonight.
"I said An Ding! You're going the wrong way!"
However, he was unaware that Yamato no Kami Yasusada's mind was in complete chaos, preoccupied with the scene he had just witnessed through the sniper scope, and he no longer cared about escaping.
Was that really Kashuu Kiyomitsu? Or was it just someone who looked a lot like him? If it really was Kashuu Kiyomitsu, what was he doing here? Was he doing an interview? But why would a reporter be there? So what was he doing here? Or rather, what was his identity?
As Yamato no Kami Yasusada ran, his mind raced. He felt that everything that had happened tonight had exceeded his mental capacity, and the things Izumi no Kami had inadvertently mentioned to Ran a few days ago only made matters worse. The only way to get the truth now was to go to that person in person and ask him directly.
Fortunately, they had scouted the area beforehand, so the operation wasn't too difficult. They tossed the spent bullet casings into a bag, and within a few short stretches down the stairs, they had disassembled the sniper rifle, stuffing it along with all the other tools and their jacket into a golf bag. As they approached the crowd, Yamato no Kami adjusted his T-shirt, pulled his baseball cap back, and walked through the throng with his head down.
He kept telling himself that he needed to stay calm, especially in situations like this, to avoid giving himself away. But after only a few steps, he started to get agitated. If it weren't for the security personnel vigilantly patrolling the area, he would have wanted to run across to the other side immediately. All that calmness and composure vanished when he faced Kashuu Kiyomitsu.
"Quickly send me the target location." Yamato no Kami Yasusada found a blind spot away from everyone's sight and urged Izumi no Kami.
"What are you trying to do? This is too dangerous, retreat immediately." Although Izuminokami was usually carefree and jovial, he was unusually calm when it really came down to it. He didn't know what had happened to make his usually steady partner so anxious, but with his life at stake, he still refused to budge.
"Give it to me now!" Yamato no Kami Yasusada was so anxious he was about to jump up and down, but he didn't dare to speak rashly because he couldn't be sure of Kashuu Kiyomitsu's true identity. He could only lower his voice and force Izumi no Kami to send out the location quickly.
"You'll die if you keep going like this. Go back now." Izumi-no-kami shook his head like a rattle-drum.
"I...you...you're going to drive me crazy, aren't you?" Yamato no Kami Yasusada pressed his throbbing temples, glanced at the already noisy crowd outside, closed his eyes, and said angrily with a "what the hell" attitude, "If you don't give it to me, my boyfriend is going to run away, I'm telling you!"
The next second, the phone screen lit up, revealing a dynamic satellite positioning map of the target. Before Yamato no Kami Yasusada could even express his gratitude, he heard Izumi no Kami say with a hint of sorrow on the other end of the line, "Seriously, your girlfriend actually cheated on you with this fat guy. I feel really sorry for you, brother. Should I tell Ran to go all out and not leave you with a whole corpse?"
Yamato no Kami Yasusada was too lazy to correct his long list of assumptions. He bowed and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Kashuu Kiyomitsu glanced at the fat man trembling like a leaf behind his bodyguard with some disgust. Just as he was about to go out for some fresh air, he heard the fat man immediately let out a terrified scream, pointing a trembling finger at Kashuu Kiyomitsu. His voice was sharp and shrill, distorted by fear.