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

Rum snorted.

He was aware of Lin Jiashu's medical examination report. Under the influence of hormones, how could he still be so good at pretending?

A thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

Given Gin's tight control, it's not easy to poach him... but Curaçao has had contact with Cointreau, so she might as well try bypassing Gin.

However, he did not reveal this plan, and after giving Curaçao other instructions, he let her leave.

Curaçao's breathing rate remained unchanged until she left the room.

Hearing only information related to Hayashi Yoshiki, images of warm water in a white room, conversations in an old, abandoned church, and Hayashi Yoshiki's eternally gentle yet unfathomable eyes flashed through her mind...

He himself needed to infiltrate Rum's inner circle.

Once this evil organization is eradicated, one can leave the past behind and live openly and honestly in the sunlight.

Curaçao has already made its decision.

She plans to open a small flower shop in the downtown area.

As long as this goal can be achieved...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Are you sure this is the direction?

"Yes, I saw the road sign on my way here."

"But it feels so remote."

"Sister Xiaolan, are you sure you haven't led us astray again?"

The white sedan bumped along the mountain road.

Although the tires were driving on a concrete surface, the lane was lined with lush trees on both sides, and the scenery seemed to stretch endlessly from the beginning.

"What do you mean by 'again'? I was following the directions on the navigation."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xiaolan looked at the sudden change on her phone and muttered to herself.

Just then, Lin Jiashu's laughter rang out:

"It's okay, the car is full of gas, we'll find a place eventually."

"...But it wouldn't be good if I missed the appointment with the client."

Because of Lin Jiashu's comforting words, Xiaolan felt a little embarrassed.

She lowered her head again and looked at the map intently.

Fortunately, she hadn't led the wrong way. After driving along the mountain road for about ten minutes, a village soon appeared ahead.

This place is deep in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture.

Last night, after hearing from Ran that Kogoro Mouri had taken on a case in Nagano Prefecture and that the client's surname was Torada, Yoshiki Hayashi realized that it must be related to the Fuurin-Kasaka incident.

Is this the Nagano trio's home turf...?

Lin Jiashu was somewhat interested, so he decided to come along as well.

He's been quite free lately.

With Amuro Tooru back, the agency's work can be handed over to him again.

Meanwhile, at the distillery, Gin was ecstatic after receiving the scouting list of undercover agents from Curaçao, and he started flying all over the world chasing and killing them. He didn't assign any tasks to Yoshiki Hayashi, because a large part of the rats they needed to deal with were overseas, and he and Vodka were working non-stop.

Because he is currently not in Japan, Curaçao reports that Rum has recently been making moves.

Back to the present, both Kogoro Mouri and Ran were delighted to hear that Yoshiki Hayashi was coming along, with the former probably thinking that it would save on car rental costs.

"What's wrong, Conan?"

Noticing Conan's frequent glances at him in the rearview mirror, Yoshiki asked a question.

"No, I'm just getting restless. Jia Shu, could you drive a little faster?"

"Kid, don't rush other people to drive faster."

Kogoro Mouri angrily pressed down on Conan's head, forcing him to shout "I know!" to beg for mercy.

Lin Jiashu just smiled.

Conan wasn't just restless; he actually wanted to know how Curaçao's situation was ultimately resolved—the information he received from the FBI was vague, only vaguely indicating that Curaçao had been taken back to the Black Organization.

But wouldn't that be terrible?

The car quickly entered the village, and with the help of the villagers, Lin Jiashu soon found the Hutian family's mansion.

It was a very large Japanese-style building, and you could tell from the outside that it belonged to a very wealthy family in the area.

Kogoro Mouri stepped forward and pressed the doorbell.

"Excuse me, I am Kogoro Mouri, who came to Tokyo on a mission."

Soon there was some commotion inside the house.

As the people inside rushed out to greet him, Conan took the opportunity to ask Yoshiki about something he cared about.

"You always exclude me, and even conspire with Haibara to keep it from me!"

Before Lin Jiashu could answer, he said indignantly, "If you don't answer my questions properly, I won't be so cooperative next time."

"Curaçao is now my informant."

"?"

"Don't worry, you don't need to worry about her being taken back to the organization. It won't affect our lives in any way."

While this answer reassured Conan, it didn't satisfy his curiosity. However, after the Torada family members came out, he temporarily lost the opportunity to pester Hayashi Yoshiki with further questions.

"Yoshiki-san, Conan, we should go in now."

Xiao Lan called out to them.

The head of the Torada family, a burly man with a thick beard and a receding hairline, who came out to greet Kogoro Mouri, was clearly taken aback when he saw Yoshiki Hayashi: "Oh, isn't this that incredibly skilled and hard-to-hit detective—!"

"Yes, haha, this is my nephew, Lin Jiashu. He seemed very interested in the commission I took on, so he came along."

"...I see, but I don't think I've specified what the commission is yet."

"Haha, so let's learn about it now."

"That's true."

The head of the Torada family was named Torada Naonobu.

He led the group directly into the living room of the house, called for tea to be served, and then had everyone sit on the tatami mats to begin their conversation.

He first took out a photograph and moved it in front of Kogoro Mouri.

The photo shows a man lying motionless in a pool of blood with a head injury.

"The deceased in this photo is my son, my only heir, Yoshiro Torada. He died at the hands of a cold-blooded and ruthless demon who harbored hatred for our Torada family."

"A demon?" Xiaolan's eyes widened.

"Judging from the photos, he must have suffered a severe impact to his body, resulting in excessive blood loss and death... Is it possible that someone pushed him from a height?" Kogoro Mouri asked tentatively.

"No, it's a tornado."

"what?"

“My son was caught in a tornado, was lifted into the air and then fell onto rocks, which is why he died.”

Naonobu Torada said earnestly.

You encountered a tornado and couldn't defeat it despite your best efforts, right?

Lin Jiashu remains the same.

But Torada Naonobu's serious expression left the people present speechless for a moment.

In particular, Kogoro Mouri was already thinking about whether he should head home.

"Wait, there seems to be something in the pool of blood in the photo," Lin Jiashu suddenly said.

"Did you notice?" Naonobu Torada immediately said, "As expected of Detective Hayashi!"

"This is... a centipede?"

“That’s right! There’s a centipede’s corpse next to Yoshiro’s head, as if someone stepped on it and left it there before the blood coagulated.”

Naonobu Torada solemnly stated.

His words were picked up by his wife, Torada Tatsue, who had just opened the door. As she entered, she said, "So, that person... even after discovering how badly my son was injured, instead of seeking help, he stood by and cheered. He even deliberately put a disgusting worm in the wound and left, watching my son die."

"But what if it just happened to be blown next to the body by the tornado?"

"But my second son, Fanci, who was the first to discover the body, said that there are no centipedes in that area at all, and that my brother died because someone refused to help him."

Naonobu Torada's statements are somewhat contradictory.

Kogoro Mouri asked him why a second son, Hanji, had suddenly appeared, when he had just said that Yoshiro, who had died, was his only heir.

"That fool who's been searching for baseless treasure like a madman, I don't consider him my son anymore."

"So, who exactly is this vengeful spirit that Mr. Torada mentioned that harbors a grudge against your family?"

Lin Jiashu grasped the key point and looked at Torada Naonobu, asking a question.

Chapter 21: Nagano Prefecture specializes in high-level games

"The evil spirits who harbor resentment towards us are the Ryuo family, who have had a long-standing feud with our Torada family. The demon who refused to save my son must be among them!"

Torada Naonobu's wife, Torada Tatsue, said these words with a livid face.

Upon hearing this, Kogoro Mouri exchanged a glance with Yoshiki Hayashi.

Lin Jiashu maintained a calm expression.

Witnessing someone on the verge of death and doing nothing does not constitute a crime, and strictly speaking, there is no obligation to provide assistance.

Moreover, the surnames of these two hostile families are quite interesting: Dragon and Tiger. During Japan's Sengoku period, there were two military strategists, known as "Tiger of Kai" Takeda Shingen and "Dragon of Echigo" Uesugi Kenshin.

At the time, the two men were about the same age and their territories were adjacent, so they were destined to be mortal enemies. In fact, this was the case, as they fought a total of five major battles, with each side winning and losing.

"Would you mind telling me about the conflict between you and the Dragon Tail family?"

"That's because a long time ago..."

Naonobu Torada subconsciously answered Yoshiki Hayashi's question, but then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sorry, I don't think I know either."

"Huh?" The people present were taken aback.

“I only remember being taught from a young age to hate the Torada family, but as for the reason, I don’t really know.” Torada Naonobu said, then couldn’t help but sigh, “I think the Ryuo family probably felt the same way, after all, the second son, Hanji, and Yoshiro had a pretty good relationship with the Ryuo family’s younger generation before they died.”

"...Is that so?"

"But recently the relationship has become tense again. After Yoshiro died, we suspected that the Ryuo family did not help him. Later, the Ryuo family's children also suffered a tragic death."

"A tragic death? Please tell me more about it."

"The body of their child, Ryūki Kōji, was bound and buried in the ground. It seems that he was killed by being repeatedly struck on the head with a blunt object. Also, before the blood completely coagulated, someone placed a centipede corpse in the pool of blood."

Torada Naonobu's words immediately made everyone present look serious.

If Yoshiro Torada's death was merely a natural disaster, then Koji Ryūo's death was a man-made catastrophe—the latter being far more egregious in nature.

"Because of the same centipede corpse, the Ryuo family thinks we killed their family members in revenge, but what a joke! How could our Torada family do such a thing? Otherwise, we wouldn't be so arrogant as to hire a famous detective like Kogoro Mouri all the way from Tokyo."

Naonobu Torada's final compliment made Kogoro Mouri look smug, instantly clearing him of suspicion in the latter's eyes.

Lin Jiashu smiled.

He picked up the teacup in front of him and noticed that Xiaolan was secretly watching him. He smiled and then looked at Torada Naonobu and asked, "When I drove in just now, I noticed that the atmosphere in the village was very lively, and there were even people riding horses. Is there some kind of event going on?"

"Yes, our village will soon hold a sacrificial ceremony. At that time, the men in the village will simulate the scenes of war during the Warring States period, and perform horse archery while wearing armor."

"There are such sacrificial rituals..."

Xiao Lan was somewhat amazed.

Compared to bustling Tokyo, it's true that only in relatively remote rural areas like this do such festivals take place.

After drinking tea, and seeing that they couldn't get any other useful information from the place, Kogoro Mori suggested that he wanted to find the family's second son, Shigeji Torada—he was the first person to discover his brother Yoshiro's body.