Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 442, Section 436: Bourbon and Kaka

"Oh my! What a rare guest!" Lin Longma stood at the office door, warmly opening his arms to Amuro Tooru who was walking towards him.

"Look, this is Bourbon, who can run a large base well all by himself."

If you guys were as capable as your brother Bourbon, I wouldn't be so worried.

This sudden enthusiasm made Amuro Tooru feel uneasy. On the surface, he still maintained his smiling and amiable demeanor, but in his heart, he raised his vigilance to the highest level.

Then he noticed pairs of thoughtful eyes staring at him in the corridor.

When parents constantly talk about other people's children, I doubt anyone feels admiration or respect for them.

On the contrary, feelings of annoyance and resistance are the norm.

We are all normal people with jealousy. Many parents just don't understand that the more they talk about other people's children, the more rebellious their own children become.

Lin Longma's subordinates weren't quite at that level, but when they heard Lin Longma praising Amuro Tooru so highly, they couldn't help but think that Amuro Tooru could be replaced.

Was Bourbon really that amazing?

Those who live on the same floor as Lin Longma are either members of the president's office or the chairman's office.

In other words, even the most ordinary members working in these two offices know more than other Isshin-kai members.

How exactly did Amuro Touna International Agency get started? If others don't know, surely they do.
Amuro Tooru himself was tricked by their older brother from Rum's side, and the startup team at the international intermediary company was also sent out from the Isshinkai base.

It's not surprising that the company succeeded; it would be truly bizarre if it failed.

To put it bluntly, Kaka has already provided you with so much help; he's practically teaching you how to start a business and make money step by step.

What makes you so arrogant, Bourbon?
Given their own qualities and Lin Longma's control over the Isshin Society, the members merely sized up Bourbon, and none of them rashly dared to provoke him.

Under normal circumstances, subordinates would not provoke others indiscriminately. If such mindless provocation occurs, it is either because the superior has allowed it to happen, or because there is a problem with their control.

The current situation is clearly neither of those.

"President is joking. Yixin Society is full of talented people. Someone like me is really nothing special."

Lin Longma had blatantly dug a pit for Amuro Tooru, so Amuro Tooru naturally wouldn't jump right in.

So he quickly tried to make amends with a few words.

However, Amuro Tooru could also see Hayashi Ryoma's attitude towards him—not exactly friendly, but not exactly hostile either.

Amuro Tooru had anticipated this.

Lin Longma initially assigned Bourbon as a representative of the Isshin-kai and gave him his subordinates, allowing him to compete with Curaçao and Kiel in the "Company," and even gain a slight advantage.

Ultimately, the hope is that Bourbon can become a tentacle of the Isshin-kai, thereby indirectly gaining control of another large stronghold.

But how did Amuro Tooru do it?
Amuro Tooru is no stranger to tricks, and the transparent legend of the Executive Department, Kir, is no match for him.

Curaçao also neglected to control the "company" due to the nature of the intelligence support department itself.

This allowed Amuro Tooru to become the de facto controller of the "company" with almost no effort.

Amuro Tooru successfully took control of the "company," but the influence of the Isshin-kai was not as great as expected.

Under Amuro Tooru's manipulation, "the company" began to frequently cooperate with the intelligence support department and the executive department.

Furthermore, Amuro Tooru is also aggressively selling off the hearts and minds of those who were originally members of the Isshinkai.

People's hearts are never static, and Lin Longma is certain that there are still many members in the "company" who are loyal to the Yixin Association.

He also admitted that some members must have been bribed by Amuro Tooru.

Ryoma Hayashi did not "break ties" with Tooru Amuro, and the "company" maintained a strange balance in this way.

It has nothing to do with Curaçao or Kiel; it's just a balance between Lin Longma and Bourbon.

Lin Longma was right about him; Bourbon is incredibly capable, but he's not exactly honest.

He wasn't surprised at all, after all, this was an organization.

Aside from vodka, where in the organization are there any truly honest people?

Based on this argument, is Gin's henchman Vodka really the only honest person in the organization?

Hmm. I misspoke.

The organization isn't without honest people.

Before meeting Ryoma Hayashi, the Miyano sisters were both incredibly honest and unassuming. They were practically two oddballs in the organization.

"Come in, Bourbon. It's been a while. You'll have to stay a while longer this time. Let me give you a proper welcome!"

After briefly expressing his opinion and finding that Amuro Tooru understood, Ryoma Hayashi turned and walked into the office.

Behind him, Kaneda led Amuro Tooru into Hayashi Ryoma's office.

After serving Amuro Tooru coffee, Kaneda left Hayashi Ryoma's office, leaving only Hayashi Ryoma and Amuro Tooru in the large office.

"Bourbon, you never come here unless you have a reason, so what brings you here this time?"

Ryoma Lin picked up his teacup and took a sip, while Amuro Tooru across from him put down his coffee cup as well.

"I'm here to report on the 'company's' situation to you, Chairman." Amuro Toru smiled very professionally, looking like a subordinate reporting work progress to his boss.

Reporting on the "company" situation?
That company is practically owned by Amuro now, and only now do you think of reporting it?
Lin Longma's expression gradually became playful.

"What's there to report? How could I not trust you, Bourbon, to handle things?"
What, is the "company" short-staffed? Don't be shy, just let me know if you need any help!

Lin Longma's promise wasn't generous at all; it was clearly a way to shut Amuro Tooru up.

Just as Ryoma Hayashi said, ever since he took over the "company", Tooru Amuro has only come to visit when he has something to ask.

Their sudden arrival seems to indicate ill intent.

Amuro Tooru was indeed a visitor.

Amuro Toru clearly understood that Ryoma Hayashi was trying to shut him up, but he had no choice but to come because of his "mission".

The death of "federal agent" Robert would require an extraordinary amount of effort and resources to conduct a routine investigation.

If Lin Longma could reveal even a little bit, we might not even need to conduct an investigation; a simple confirmation would suffice.

How much benefit could he gain for his "Zero Group" here?

As a capable and experienced undercover agent, face is the last thing Amuro Tooru values.

"The president is really joking. There were a lot of miscellaneous tasks at the base a while ago, and I was also overwhelmed."

I just got the "company" sorted out and came to visit you, Chairman, right away!

"The 'company' is a 'company' under the leadership of the chairman. I was able to gain a foothold in the stronghold thanks to the strong support of all the brothers of the Yixin Association."
"President, please don't tease me. You're blaming me for being late!"

Amuro Tooru's seemingly casual remark was a way of making a statement to Hayashi Ryoma. The idea that the "company" was under Hayashi Ryoma's leadership was utter nonsense.

Even if Amuro Tooru dared to say that, Hayashi Ryoma wouldn't believe it.

This is a way to save face for both of us.

Bourbon, a well-known lone wolf in the organization, was just as famous as Vermouth for his smuggling skills. However, the nature of their lone wolf activities differed.

Vermouth runs her own business because she doesn't need to develop her own power or increase her influence like Ryoma, Rum, and Gin.

She was a woman favored by Karasuma Renya, so she naturally had a higher level of trust than other high-ranking members of the organization.

It is a trust that can be described as unique.

The inspiration for trust naturally leads to Vermouth's authority within the organization.

Don't let her being a lone wolf fool you; when she needs manpower, she can directly draw it from the intelligence support department.

She could even use the manpower in the executive department.

For Vermouth, her so-called power was nothing but a burden, a double-edged sword.

Bourbon and Vermouth are not the same.

Before Bourbon left Rum, Amuro Tooru was also working independently. However, Vermouth was a high-ranking official directly under Karasuma Renya.

But what about Bourbon? He wasn't even one of Rum's confidants.

If Bourbon needs to perform any task that requires manpower, he must first contact Rum, who will then arrange the necessary personnel.

In essence, Amuro Tooru, despite having a codename, is similar to Gin's subordinates Chianti and Korn.

Cadres at the technical level.

In the CIA, it's so difficult for technical agents to transition into administrative management positions; it's no easier to remain within the organization.

Now that Bourbon finally has a "company" as a platform to develop his own power, allowing him to transform from a technical cadre into a true senior organizational leader, how could he so easily hand over the power he has gained?
Lin Longma knew he had no choice but to fight Rum. Either he would defeat Rum, or he would be crushed by a recovered Rum.

Either go all the way and become the organization's dog.

But he founded the Yixin Society because he didn't want to be a lackey for the organization, and he recruited like-minded members.

For Lin Longma, the choice was simply between survival and death.

But Amuro Tooru has a choice, since he is Rum's subordinate. And at this point, Rum certainly wouldn't mind incorporating a large base into the Intelligence Support Department faction.

Now that Amuro Tooru has expressed that he has no intention of being an enemy of Hayashi Ryoma, nor does he want to side with Rum, this attitude is enough for Hayashi Ryoma.

There are also many members in the "Company" who are devoted to the Yixin Society, and the Yixin Society has a certain influence in the "Company".

This is Ryoma Hayashi's advantage, and also Amuro Tooru's concession.

After Amuro Tooru clearly expressed his attitude, Hayashi Ryoma's attitude also softened considerably.

"Hey, Bourbon, what are you saying? We're all gritting our teeth and persevering for the organization and our brothers. How can I blame you?"

Tell me, and I'll do whatever I can to help.

Amuro Tooru took a sip of coffee, put down his cup, and said, "Actually, it's still a matter of the 'company'."

Curaçao of the intelligence department has been too busy lately to care about anything else, and hasn't been paying much attention to "the company's" affairs.

Kiel from the executive branch also set up his own operation with his own people. I've been keeping a close eye on things, and it seems Kiel's situation is quite troublesome.

When Amuro Tooru mentioned Kir, Hayashi Ryoma immediately understood his purpose. Kir's troubles were a pretense; Bourbon's real intentions were probably something else entirely.
Is this kid following in Robert's footsteps?
Lin Longma remained calm and nodded without changing his expression, but in his mind he was quickly analyzing Amuro Tooru's possible allegiance.

There's really not much to analyze.

Since it is known that Kir and Robert are in cahoots, then Amuro Tooru and Robert have no connection.

But then Robert came knocking on his door.
Who came to our door last time because of Robert? It was Yuya Kazami from the Public Security Bureau and Reiko Kujo from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.

Reiko Kujo is probably engrossed in her investigation of Chakiel right now, so it seems that Amuro Tooru's fate has been decided.

They're from the Public Security Bureau.
Ryoma Hayashi was not surprised to determine Amuro Tooru's affiliation; what's so surprising about having a few undercover agents in the organization?

It would be strange if the organization didn't have an undercover agent.

If Amuro Tooru is a member of the Public Security Bureau, then they need to cultivate a better relationship even more. Their relationship isn't bad to begin with, right?

"Starting from scratch? Gil has that kind of ability?" Deciding to build a good relationship with Bourbon, Ryoma Hayashi followed Amuro Tooru's lead.

"Building a new base can be tedious and slow. But what do you mean by 'encountering trouble'?"

Amuro Tooru immediately brought up Kir's plan, but the more he talked, the stranger Ryoma Hayashi's expression became.

"President, is something wrong?"

What's the name of that hotel in Kiel?

"Tokyo City Hotel".

“That would be a big mistake.” Lin Longma chuckled, a look of pity on his face.

"Bourbon, do you know who came to my office a couple of days ago?"

Amuro Tooru "honestly" shook his head: "I don't know."

"Prosecutors from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office and public security police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department."

"Prosecutors and public security officers?!" Amuro Tooru was extremely surprised, but his expression showed no sign of surprise.

"I previously hosted an American guy named Robert, who paid me a lot of money to help him get revenge."

This guy was very generous; he not only gave me a lot of US dollars, but also ten gold coins.

These gold coins were issued and circulated by Kiel's outposts.

"Then Robert died because he had my business card in his car, so the prosecutor and the police came to his door together."

There was also a business card for the Tokyo City Hotel in the car.

Lin Longma paused here, and as expected, Amuro Tooru immediately seized the opportunity to feign curiosity:
"Robert is dead? No wonder there were government officials coming to Kiel's base."

That Kiel's really unlucky, and so is Robert.

"Is that American involved in some murder case or incident?"

Lin Longma pretended not to notice Amuro Tooru's ulterior motives and went along with him, saying, "This person is unlucky, but not really."

Revenge is a matter of course, and there's nothing wrong with it as long as you bear the consequences.

But this guy didn't even know anything about his enemy before he took his revenge.

"How so?" Amuro Tooru asked with a gossipy air, as if he were genuinely just curious about gossip.

"Do you know who Robert is looking for revenge against?"

Toru Amuro shook his head.

"The Takeda family of Rukurei in Tottori Prefecture appears to be just a family that makes puppets."

But actually, that's Rum's secret stash!

(End of this chapter)