Isn't it very scientific to use the Death Note to kill people?

indeed.

After learning that he was actually a womanizer and possibly a cheating scumbag, her expectations seemed to shatter instantly.

However, I suppose I also have my own problems.

Pretending to have these things...

"Does Yoko Okino know about these things?" she asked, voicing her curiosity.

"I don't know..."

"You must have had a really tough time."

"no way."

Lin Jiashu answered softly.

Ai Haibara looked into his eyes, and she couldn't find a trace of guilt or worry in those clear eyes.

"Is it due to hormones?"

"...That guy, Fujiko Mine, even found out about these things?"

Lin Jiashu looked speechless, then added, "I can only say that it's part of it, but the main reason is myself."

"..."

This answer did not surprise Ai Haibara.

In reality, if Yoshiki Hayashi were to attribute all his scumbag behavior to hormonal influences, Ai Haibara would look down on him for daring to do something but not daring to admit it.

Hormones can indeed influence a person's personality, but they cannot completely control the brain.

"Actually, I'm quite despicable."

Lin Jiashu said with a smile.

"After all, I don't know how much of a future I have left, so in a way, it seems like I've become a hedonist."

"..."

I don't know how much of my future I have left.

These words were so jarring to Ai Haibara's ears that she couldn't suppress the ripples in her heart and asked:

"Is it an organization...?"

"Yes."

Hayashi Yoshiki's voice seemed a little softer. Ai Haibara saw him turn his head, and a smile that was hard to read appeared on his handsome face, but his eyes... didn't seem to be smiling.

"The organization is a terrible place, whether it's voluntary or involuntary... I can no longer go back to Eden on earth."

Instantly, a sharp pain pierced my heart.

This is the first time Cointreau has mentioned his situation within the organization.

He always smiled and said it was okay, and seemed more reliable and dependable than anyone else, keeping everything to himself... but in reality, he also felt tired and confused.

The Garden of Eden, the paradise God created for Adam and Eve in the Bible, is now used as a metaphor for a happy and fulfilling life.

However, Yoshiki Hayashi said that he could no longer return to Eden, which belonged to ordinary people.

He did countless dirty deeds within the organization, while secretly defying it behind its back... Regardless of the final outcome, it will indeed be difficult for him to return to a normal life.

"..."

Ai Haibara had thought many times that the world was not fair at all.

Whether it's towards her older sister, Akemi Miyano, or towards herself...

The same applies to Cointreau.

No, the world's injustice is even more pronounced in this man.

She's only a few years older than him, so why does she have to bear all this?

She and her sister were able to escape, but Jundu did not have that opportunity.

He gently saved them, yet he himself remained trapped in the mire.

Despite struggling through such hardship, they still continue to lend a helping hand to others.

That's how he is. He really doesn't have the energy to bear his own inexplicable expectations anymore, right?

Moreover, the effects of hormones are very real.

Ultimately, he never intended to provoke him in the first place. It was his own behavior on the Suzuki airship—crossing the line and then acting out on his own—that caused him trouble…

Ai Haibara fell silent.

“It shouldn’t be like this… Jundu, this is… not fair to you at all.”

"Your expression really doesn't look good today."

Lin Jiashu laughed.

Ai Haibara looked up, almost as if she were glaring at him, her eyes red-rimmed.

"If Yoko Okino finds out what you really are, or if everyone around you finds out what you really are, let's see what you'll do then."

"...Oh, I have thought about that."

Lin Jiashu laughed.

His seemingly genuine expression made Ai Haibara raise her eyebrows slightly, but with her eyes reddening, she hesitated to ask.

Lin Jiashu then smiled.

He didn't look into Ai Haibara's eyes, but instead looked at the silent front of the car.

"I already said, I'm despicable."

He gave a bright smile:

"After the organization is destroyed, before that kind of thing happens, I'll disappear... leaving behind a bunch of positive things that will make you remember me, and then vanish from everyone's world like a magic show... Well, even though I'm a scumbag, I've also tried my best to do a lot of good things, so there should be people who remember my good deeds, right?"

"Are you an idiot?!"

Ai Haibara couldn't hold back any longer.

Her eyes reddened with anger at Lin Jiashu's words, and she glared at him fiercely as she shouted.

Lin Jiashu ignored her and continued to smile as he looked ahead at the car.

The girl gritted her teeth.

"It's getting late, wipe your tears and get off the bus."

Lin Jiashu handed her a tissue and said with a smile, "Although Professor Agasa got off the train first, he's probably waiting for you to come back through the door... If he sees you going in with red eyes, he might just use the stun gun on me next time he asks me to get it."

"Don't think of Professor Agasa as a kind-faced but ruthless person like you."

"...Was the dosage of the tranquilizer dart he prepared for Conan really not too high?"

"..."

Ai Haibara did not answer.

After calming herself down a bit, she reached out and opened the car door.

Her small frame fell off the car.

As she stood by the car door and turned around to close it, she had already managed to control her expression; at least her eyes didn't look so red anymore.

Lin Jiashu was about to say goodnight to her,

“This Sunday.” Ai Haibara stood outside the car looking at him.

"Ok?"

"We said we'd go to the zoo last time."

"……when?"

Lin Jiashu had absolutely no recollection of it.

However, Ai Haibara ignored his doubts, slammed the car door shut, and walked towards Professor Agasa's house without looking back.

The BMW remained in place for a moment before shifting gears and leaving the residential area.

Chapter 493: You really are not a gentleman at all.

The dimly lit bar was occasionally filled with the soft clinking of glasses.

The slender lady lit her cigarette.

As a wisp of smoke escaped from her alluring red lips, the woman gracefully flicked the ash into the ashtray, her expression serene.

"Poor Cointreau."

Her voice spoke with a hint of amusement and a touch of mischief.

"Whether it's the BOSS or Gin, they're keeping such a close eye on you. You'd better be careful with your recent moves."

"What strange things are you saying? Haven't I been acting very carefully the whole time?"

Don't take it lightly.

Vermouth stared at him with her aquamarine eyes. "The boss asked Gin and me to assess your mental state separately. This is no joke."

"..."

"Although it is not yet mature, the organization does have the technology for mental transformation."

Her words made Lin Jiashu raise an eyebrow slightly.

Mental transformation, or rather, brainwashing... This quickly reminded him of a liquor brand.

"Is it immature?"

"It is indeed immature. As far as I know, that technology has only been successfully applied to a member of an organization called Curaçao."

Vermouth recalled the scene from back then.

Curaçao is an organization member with special abilities—due to a congenital difference in her brain, she has a special ability to instantly memorize any information after a simple glance.

However, it was precisely because of this special ability that she inadvertently memorized information detrimental to the organization, leading to her execution order.

The person who carried out the order at the time was Vermouth.

She had already cocked her gun, but Rum stopped her a second before she was about to pull the trigger.

Vermouth was unaware of what happened next.

All she knew was that Rum had used brainwashing techniques developed by the organization, and that Curaçao hadn't died afterward, but instead had become Rum's right-hand woman through her own abilities.

Vermouth was quite generous in sharing this level of intelligence with Hayashi Yoshiki.

After giving this "background information," she took another drag of her cigarette: "For a while after that, I was very curious about the technology Rum used, so I investigated it and found out that it was only a half-finished product... Curaçao was probably able to use it because of a congenital defect in her brain, but you'd better not let your guard down."

For Vermouth, this was something she had to make clear to Cointreau.

While it's uncertain whether the brainwashing technique will work on Jundo, what if it does? If Jundo really becomes a loyal dog of the organization, then Yukiko's child will be exposed to the organization, and even Ran will be implicated.

"They actually resorted to brainwashing? How despicable..."

Lin Jiashu wore a speechless expression.

Having said all she could say, Vermouth had no interest in saying anything more.

Lin Jiashu didn't take these things to heart.

—Even before he knew about the existence of a brainwashed and controlled cadre like Curaçao, Lin Jiashu had already anticipated this situation.

However, this brainwashing technique is most likely useless; otherwise, the distillery wouldn't have so many undercover agents and traitors.

"But you suddenly asked me out for drinks, it can't be just to tell me these things, can it? Miss Vermouth."

That's all I wanted to say.

Vermouth gently stubbed out the slender cigarette in the ashtray, then chuckled as she looked at Lin Jiashu.

Lin Jiashu looked at the wine on the table.