"Quit it!", Bourbon growled into the phone as he applied cold ice in his cheek where Masumi had hit him.

Vermouth's laughter echoed from his phone's speaker, and she said in between the laughs, "I can't believe an 18-year-old girl kicked your ass!".

"She did not.", Bourbon insisted.

"Then why are you applying ice to your face?", Vermouth asked in mockery, "Was the punch that painful? Poor Bourbon.".

"I'm just making sure my face is okay, but I felt nothing when she hit me, she's weak!", Bourbon replied stubbornly.

'No… She was very strong… I just don't want to hurt my ego by admitting that… The bruise on my face confirms that… I underestimated that girl…', He thought heavily.

"Anyways, I need you to appear as Scar Akai around Poirot Café.", He said.

"Because?", Vermouth drawled.

"Sera already suspects me, and if she sees the bruise she might put two and two together, and figure out I was Scar Akai. I need you to throw her off.", Bourbon explained.

"Now you bring more careful after getting a beating.", Vermouth chuckled, and her chuckles increased once she heard Bourbon scoff.

"You're not helping.", Bourbon mumbled.

"You're welcome.", Vermouth replied cheerfully making Bourbon roll his eyes at her attitude before he ended the call.

He stared at his phone's screen before he narrowed his eyes and mumbled, "She knew I wasn't Akai…".

He thought about it for a while, Masumi was the only one who had a different reaction about Akai's appearance compared to Jodie and Camel.

Could it be that Akai was truly still alive and was in contact with his sister? It would make sense since Masumi's arrival is not that far from Shuichi's death.

Bourbon paced back and forth in the room as he continued his thoughts. He can't just go to her and ask her about Shuichi or say he was from the NPA SB.

So how? How can he get the answer and truth from her?

"You're lucky your nose was not broken.", Subaru said as he and Masumi left the hospital.

"I'm surprised you knew to fight. I thought you were just a Math nerd.", Masumi changed the subject.

"Don't change the subject, what you did was stupid.", Subaru insisted.

"I saw a man disguising himself as my supposed dead brother! What was I supposed to do?!", Masumi nearly hissed before she looked away stubbornly with her arms crossed.

"Disguising? Supposed dead?", Subaru repeated with interest, his eyebrows raised.

"He doesn't not have the same built as my brother. And say he appeared because he wanted to talk to me, he would not sell his place easily especially with me walking next to you.", Masumi explained.

Subaru looked at her silently before he mumbled, "He… he looked just like your brother from the picture you showed me. And you said he is supposed dead… so, shouldn't he want to contact his FBI colleagues, not you?".

Masumi looked away solemnly and mumbled, "Yeah… I made all of that up… I just… when I looked at him… something screamed that he wasn't my brother.".

Subaru said nothing as he stared at Masumi before he rubbed his chin and asked, "How about we go eat in Poirot Café? I hear they have good sandwiches.".

"Sure, lead the way.", Masumi shrugged.

"Oh! You're back again!", Amuro greeted Masumi once she and Subaru walked in, a friendly smile on his face.

Masumi, however, noticed the bruise on his cheek, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but her eyes widened once Scar Akai walked past them, and left the Café.

Amuro observed her reaction silently and noted, 'Same reaction as before.'.

Masumi aimed to start chasing him, had Subaru not placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

The interaction made Amuro raise an eyebrow as he asked curiously, "is that your boyfriend?".

Amuro blinked once he noticed that Subaru's face paled for a second but Masumi's loud cry of, "Eww! He's my friend and like a brother to me!", made him look at her.

"I'm sorry, you just seemed close.", Amuro chuckled as he led the two to an empty table.

"We're just good friends, like siblings, that's all.", Subaru said as he raised his hand for Amuro, "Okiya Subaru.".

Amuro took his hand and shook it, ignoring how Subaru tightened his grip on it, "Amuro Tooru.".

"Can we have your famous sandwiches with orange juice?", Masumi asked with a friendly smile as Subaru let go of Amuro's hand and sat across from her.

"Coming right up!", Amuro replied sweetly as he turned to walk away, but he still heard what Masumi said then.

"I need to tell you another secret, something that has been going on my mind now.", She said.

Amuro reached the counter and started working on the sandwiches as he thought about what Masumi just said.

She was close friends with that Subaru, almost like siblings, and from her sentence, she seemed to be telling him her own secrets.

She might be even telling him about what she thinks of him.

She might have even told him about Akai, or not, that was more dangerous than her memory about him.

Very deep secrets could be told between best friends (which Subaru wasn't from what he guessed, and even Ran and Sonoko seem to know nothing), and lovers and-

'Lovers?', Amuro thought with wide eyes as he stopped chopping the sandwiches for a second.

He raised his head to glance at Masumi before looking back at the sandwiches and continuing to prepare them.

Making Masumi fall for him so he can gather information, that was not him, that was not his character. The girl had nothing to do with his issue with Akai and his hatred towards the FBI.

But the work of intelligence services has its members cross many lines, and hurt anyone for the sake of their goals.

But then, Akai and the FBI were a danger to Japan, and handing him over would have him gain a higher rank in the Organization, and that will make taking it done a bit easier than before.

Amuro let out a heavy sigh, 'It has to be done… This is the best way to find out all that I need… And if Akai is still alive, he'll definitely make an appearance to take of his later sister, from her new boyfriend.'.

"Having an alcohol as a nickname is pretty strange.", Subaru said as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"See?! I tried to point that out to my mother but she did not even comment!", Masumi insisted.

"Your order!", Amuro said cheerfully as he placed the plates and glasses of juice across the two.

"Thanks.", Masumi nodded with a friendly smile.

"Anything for a fellow detective.", Amuro replied.

"You're a detective?", Masumi asked curiously with a wide smile.

"Absolutely, but I'm also an apprentice of Mouri Kogoro, I want to learn more about that man and his techniques.", Amuro replied, "I heard Ran-san and Sonoko-san boasting about their new female friend being a great detective with Jeet Kune Do skills, and then I heard them say Sera.".

"Yeah, that's me!", Masumi said, feeling proud.

Subaru remained silent and sipped his orange juice, listening to the conversation.

"I'll finish my shift early today, maybe we can chat about some cases?", Amuro suggested.

"Sure, why not!", Masumi nodded. Amuro returned the nod before he walked away to continue his shift.

'First step was easy.', He thought proudly.

Masumi turned to Subaru and raised an eyebrow once she saw him staring at the back of Amuro intently.

"Something wrong, Subaru?", Masumi asked.

"Nothing.", Subaru replied coolly.

'Touch my sister, Furuya, and you're dead.', He thought grimly.

Sorry about the short chapters, I'm just warming things up before we jump into the cases that both characters were included in! See you next month!