A New Codename Member
Alhaitham listened to Cyno's words in expressionless silence, his mind drifting back to the two drugs that had been foisted on him earlier.
Truth be told, he was already starting to regret having agreed to submit those two compounds to the Organization as his own research results. It had not only called his competence as a researcher into question — it hadn't even bought him the downtime he'd been after in the first place.
Still, after a moment's consideration, Alhaitham consented to Cyno's request.
Seeing this, Cyno broke into a satisfied smile. He clapped Alhaitham on the shoulder and said encouragingly, "With your intelligence and ability, I have every confidence you'll be able to produce such a remarkable compound."
With that, he lingered no longer and turned to leave the laboratory. But just before walking out, something seemed to occur to him, and he glanced back to pass along one more piece of news.
"Oh, right — I saw my sister a few days ago. She told me Kaveh is coming to Japan soon. Apparently he has some scores to settle with you."
"Oh?" Alhaitham arched an eyebrow. "What scores, exactly?"
He had already learned from Kaeya that Kaveh was coming to Japan, but what on earth he'd done to offend the man was a mystery to him.
"No idea." Cyno shrugged. "Though according to my sister, it seems to have something to do with you running off to join the Organization without so much as a word."
"What does that have to do with hi— wait." Alhaitham, who had been mildly puzzled until now, suddenly had a flash of insight as a thought struck him.
Kaveh might be an architect, but in this world he apparently had very little money. That much Alhaitham had known all along.
Which was why, when Kaveh first arrived in Japan, Alhaitham had kindly arranged for him to stay in his own hotel suite. The suite had more than one bedroom, after all — two people living there would hardly have been an inconvenience.
But then the whole Organization business had blown up. As a researcher, he could hardly keep living outside the base, so he had left the hotel and moved into the facility instead.
And yet, as Alhaitham remembered it, he had booked that suite for a full month and given Kaveh the address. The man could simply have moved in and lived there — no problem at all.
If anything, Kaveh ought to have been *happier* with the place to himself. So why the anger?
Could it be that, with Alhaitham gone, Kaveh had actually been left with nowhere to stay?
Alhaitham couldn't work it out. And if that really were the case, why hadn't Kaveh simply said so at the time?
Cyno had caught the way Alhaitham's words trailed off half-finished. Looking at that face — calm as still water — he guessed that Alhaitham had probably already worked out what Kaveh's "settling of scores" was really about.
In that case, there was no need for Cyno to press any further.
So he turned on his heel without a backward glance and strode out of the room, leaving Alhaitham standing where he was, brow faintly furrowed, as if pondering some matter of great importance.
On his way back, Cyno came to a fork in the corridor. After a moment's thought, he decided to go collect some materials from Vermouth for Alhaitham's research — and with that, he changed direction toward her quarters.
He hadn't made it more than a few steps, however, when he spotted Bourbon approaching from the opposite direction. It had been a while since they'd last crossed paths.
By the look of him, Bourbon had just come from seeing Vermouth.
Cyno had no idea what the two of them had discussed, but he could easily imagine it involved disguise. After all, Vermouth was the Organization's undisputed master of the craft.
Cyno mused privately that it probably wouldn't be long before "Scarlet Akai" made his appearance.
As Bourbon watched Cyno walking toward him, an odd feeling stirred in his chest. There was something faintly disquieting about that exquisite yet utterly unfamiliar face.
He showed none of it, of course, maintaining his usual air of cool composure.
"I hear you're not quite convinced that Akai Shuichi was eliminated by Kir," Cyno said, breaking the silence and greeting Bourbon first.
At the question, a meaningful smile spread across Bourbon's face. "That's right. I don't believe for a second that man would die so easily... Not when he's the 'Silver Bullet.'" On the last words, his voice took on a distinctly sardonic, contemptuous edge.
A flicker of resentment passed through Bourbon's eyes — but it was gone in an instant, too fast for almost anyone to catch.
"Besides, back when Sherry disappeared, I suspected the FBI might have been involved. This time, I can look into both at once."
"Ah, so that's how it is." Cyno nodded in understanding. "You take such an interest in Akai Shuichi that I'd assumed the two of you had some old grudge between you. Turns out it's all because of that 'Silver Bullet' title, hmm?"
His voice was gentle and low, as if hinting at something — yet listen closely, and it might all have been imagination.
At those words, Bourbon's eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of wariness flashing through them. He sensed acutely that there was a second layer beneath the man's words, but its true meaning eluded him for the moment. Better to steer the conversation elsewhere than be backed into a corner.
"Oh, that reminds me — I heard the Organization took on a new codename member recently, someone connected to that group we worked with before. Who is it?" Bourbon asked casually, angling to draw out more information.
His guess was that this new member might be a key figure in the collaboration between the Black Organization and that mysterious Teyvat faction — which made it essential to pin down the person's identity and background.
At the same time, by raising the question he could gauge whether Cyno knew anything about the newcomer, and in doing so get a read on just where Cyno stood within the Organization's arrangement with Teyvat.