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

"Torata Eita is the murderer?!"

"She's in the mountains!"

"Watch out, she might have a gun!"

After their search for Ayaka Ryūo, Kogoro Mouri and his group once again ventured into the mountains in a large group—this time accompanied by the police.

Kogoro Mouri, Heiji Hattori, and the others looked even more anxious at this moment.

They had just been in the living room of the Torada family, keeping watch over Torada Shigeji and discussing their next move, when a text message from Hayashi Yoshiki's phone saying "Torada Eita is the murderer" caught them off guard. The message also mentioned that the murderer had entered the forest with a hunting rifle. Considering that Hayashi Yoshiki had just gone out alone... the men couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

Will something happen to Lin Jiashu?

The mere thought of that possibility made these people restless, and they hurriedly rushed into the mountains and forests despite the heavy rain.

"That brat, he actually dared to go and do something dangerous all by himself again!"

Kogoro Mouri gritted his teeth in anger.

He ran up the mountain with all his might, and along the way, because his rain-soaked suit was in such a hindrance, he angrily unbuttoned it, took it off, and threw it aside.

Heiji Hattori, being a young man, also rushed forward.

"But why Torada Eita?"

"Who knows?! If Ashu says it's true, then it must be!"

"The mountains and forests are so vast, should we split up and search?"

"But that doesn't mean that guy had a gun!"

"Jia Shu will definitely be alright—"

boom! ! !

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from deep in the mountains, shocking everyone's hearts.

A group of people instinctively looked in the direction from which the gunshots came, their hearts skipping a beat. The moment they realized it was the spot where Ryūki Ayaka had been hanged earlier, no one said anything more... They simply swallowed the terrifying thought in their throats and ran as fast as they could towards that spot.

Before they had even crossed the woods, they heard a frantic voice roaring and shouting:

"I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you!!"

It was Torada Eita's voice.

When Torada Naonobu, Torada's husband, who had run into the mountains with him, heard this, his expression changed... He hadn't believed his wife was the murderer, but the voice he heard now seemed to leave him with no room for doubt.

"A-Shu!" "Brother Jia-Shu!?"

Kogoro Mouri and Ran rushed to the front, only to be stunned by what they saw.

Lin Jiashu held a long-barreled shotgun in one hand, pointed it at Hu Tianrongda who was lying on the ground, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!!!!!

Crimson flames erupted from the muzzle of the gun, and the intense gunfire startled the birds in the forest, causing them to scatter in all directions.

Chapter 25: Ai Haibara's Abnormal Behavior

The windows of the Kindaichi Detective Agency shut out the evening hustle and bustle, while the interior was filled with a unique blend of newspaper, coffee beans, and a faint aromatherapy scent.

The door was pushed open silently.

Amuro Tooru walked in carrying a tray with two cups of freshly brewed black coffee on it, the rich aroma immediately filling the room. He walked silently and placed one of the cups next to Hayashi Yoshiki.

"The murder case in Nagano Prefecture has come to an end. Eita Torada confessed readily and gave a complete account of her crime, which went surprisingly smoothly in terms of her own criminal activities."

"But she hasn't confessed to any of the gamblers or bookmakers behind her. I don't know what she's thinking."

Of course, I won't reveal it.

Japan allows public betting such as horse racing, but does not allow the existence of private betting operations. After the case of Eita Torada's serial murders was solved, the betting enthusiasts behind him were also targeted.

But Hayashi Yoshiki needed to use these consumables, so he controlled Torata Eita to take all the blame on herself.

"Perhaps she has some kind of leverage over someone else, but let the Nagano Prefectural Police investigate that themselves."

Lin Jiashu picked up his coffee cup and took a small sip.

Amuro Tooru leaned against the edge of the desk, took a sip of coffee, and looked thoughtful.

"Once you get hooked on gambling, it's like you're bewitched. When you win, you want to win more; when you lose, you just want to win back your losses. Reason becomes utterly useless in the face of greed."

As he said this, he suddenly looked at Lin Jiashu and asked, "But why did you shoot Torada Eita back then?"

"It ultimately missed its target and hit the open ground next to her head; it's not really a shot at her."

"If this were in Tokyo, it wouldn't be a problem, since the police here are more familiar with you. But in Nagano Prefecture... if they really make a fuss, it could be quite troublesome."

Amuro Tooru said the exact same thing as Kogoro Mouri.

When Kogoro Mouri and his group arrived in that mountain forest, they saw Yoshiki Hayashi shift the gun's muzzle to Eita Torada's head just before pulling the trigger—the matter was ultimately dismissed lightly under the pretext of self-defense.

As for gaining sympathy by feigning injury and weakness... given how stable Lin Jiashu's current public image is, there's no need for him to resort to such tactics anymore.

Or rather, what he needs now is to go a step further—

"I was indeed too impulsive in this matter."

Lin Jiashu did not defend himself. He admitted that he had acted impulsively out of anger, and pinched his brow wearily.

Amuro Tooru put down his coffee cup.

His gaze swept over the cup Lin Jiashu had placed on the table, then fell on Lin Jiashu's face. It was rare to see a trace of weariness on the other person's face... This made him feel a little depressed.

Yoshiki Hayashi, Cointreau...

When the other party laid all his secrets bare before him, Amuro Tooru could never forget the words he uttered with a sorrowful expression: "When I was in the elevator of Tokyo Tower facing the bomb left by the bomber, I hesitated until the very last second whether or not to defuse it." — A kind-hearted person, yet forced to confront the darkest and dirtiest side of the world for the sake of justice, even having to disguise himself as an addicted murderer, is a painful thought no matter how you look at it.

Amuro Tooru was able to tolerate some of the darkness he experienced during his undercover operations.

But Lin Jiashu is just a young man who has only recently come of age.

His act of shooting and intimidating Torada Eita, who was unable to resist, may well have been an act of venting his inner pressure and anger.

"It's not your fault."

Amuro Tooru's tone softened unconsciously. "No matter when, there will always be some despicable scum who deserve to die, but they are ultimately a minority, and that is not the direction our eyes should linger on."

"Yes."

Lin Jiashu stood up.

He walked to the window, his back to Amuro Tooru, and looked down at the neon lights gradually lighting up the street below. The city lights cast tiny specks of light in his dark pupils, but could not illuminate the deeper corners.

Amuro Tooru didn't see the smile in Hayashi Yoshiki's eyes; he only saw Hayashi Yoshiki's back as he gazed out the window, tall and slightly lonely. He picked up the slightly cooled coffee on the table and took a sip, the bitter taste spreading on his tongue.

By now, he has completely trusted this younger man's abilities and stance.

"It's been long past closing time, Mr. Amuro, are you still going to stay at the office?" Hayashi Yoshiki turned around with a smile, walked to his seat and picked up his car keys. "I'm not going to pay you overtime."

"The boss hasn't left yet, how dare the employees leave first?"

Lin Jiashu waved his hand in acknowledgment and then left the office.

He went down to the courtyard and started the car.

The phone, which was in my pocket, had just been placed on the armrest box next to me when the screen suddenly lit up and started buzzing.

The sender is Ai Haibara.

The message was so concise it was almost stilted: "[There's a problem with the experimental data that needs urgent verification. Professor Agasa's computer is broken, and he has an academic conference tonight and won't be back. Can you come pick me up? Let's go to your place.]"

Lin Jiashu's fingertip hovered over the cold phone screen for a moment.

At first glance, this information seems fine.

The problem is that Ai Haibara would never make a request like "I'll come to your place" before, and when Yoshiki Hayashi was in Nagano Prefecture, Ai Haibara even sent him a text message as if she had something to ask him.

So, is this so-called "experimental data problem" just an excuse woven by this thoughtful and stubborn girl to get closer to him?

He picked up his phone, his fingers lightly tapping on the keyboard, replying just as concisely: "Okay, wait twenty minutes."

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.

Drizzle Drizzle

The sound of rain started outside the window sometime earlier.

A fine drizzle blurred the world outside the window. When the doorbell rang at Professor Agasa's house, Ai Haibara, wearing a mask, was curled up on the soft sofa in the living room, hugging her knees. The television screen flickered silently, but the reflection in her blue eyes left no trace; her mind was entirely focused on the person who was about to arrive.

She walked to the entrance and opened the door.

Lin Jiashu stood under the doorway light, his shoulders damp with rain, his black suit accentuating his tall and straight figure.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." His voice was deep and pleasant. He naturally reached out and took the small backpack she had prepared, then quickly noticed the mask on her face. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"...It's just a cold."

Have you taken your medicine?

"I just took some cold medicine, and I also brought some with me in my bag."

"That's good."

His gaze fell on her, with a habitual concern and tenderness. "I always feel like you catch colds easily. You haven't been secretly hiding in the basement doing research all night again, have you?"

That gaze made Ai Haibara's heart skip a beat. She felt a warm sense of being cherished, but also a secret bittersweet feeling welled up inside her—no matter what, in his eyes she was always just a little child who needed to be protected.

"No."

Ai Haibara lowered her head, her voice muffled behind her mask. She put on her little leather shoes and let him take her hand.

Just like a child...

As she walked out of the house with him, Ai Haibara couldn't help but feel that way.

Compared to his own hands, Lin Jiashu's palms were much larger, with a captivating warmth and strength, and thin calluses on his fingertips from holding a pen for a long time.

But it was this very hand that forcefully pulled her and her sister, Akemi Miyano, out of the organization's abyss.

My sister survived and escaped Gin's bullets entirely thanks to the secret planning of this man. This profound debt of gratitude, along with his subsequent protection of her in the shadows of the organization—at the Beika Hotel, on the Suzuki Express, and in some unknown corners—he always silently sheltered her from all danger.

"..."

Something is definitely strange...

Sensing the strange atmosphere emanating from her, Lin Jiashu raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I've heard everything about what happened in Nagano Prefecture from Edogawa."

Did he say anything?

He said you might be under a lot of pressure, so is that really true?

Bang

The car door closed, shutting out the curtain of rain.

Ai Haibara's face, hidden behind her mask, was directly facing Yoshiki Hayashi, as if trying to see through his heart.

Lin Jiashu simply smiled and turned the key to start the car.

"How come I didn't know I was under a lot of pressure?"

"..."

Unable to discern any color, Ai Haibara turned her head away as if giving up.

Compared to Hayashi Yoshiki's answer, she believed Edogawa's explanation more—that he was both "Kundo" of the Black Organization and an undercover agent for the Public Security Bureau. This dual identity made Ai Haibara stubbornly believe that his hands, stained with darkness, were dirtied for the sake of bringing light to more people. He was so gentle by nature; every mission he carried out for the organization, every "evil deed" he was forced to commit, must have left an indelible scar on his heart.

He had even begun to develop self-destructive tendencies.

After learning that he might be having affairs with different women behind his back because of that damned physiological reason, during that conversation, when he smiled brightly and said, "If I'm found out, I'll cunningly disappear from everyone's world," Ai Haibara could only sulk and silently lick her wounds of jealousy and resentment.

Because he is Hayashi Yoshiki—

Because his protection of her was genuine, and the anguish and struggle he tried so hard to hide but always unconsciously revealed were also real.

Therefore, she couldn't truly be ruthless towards him.

"You're acting a little strange today."

The car drove smoothly on the rainy night street, the windshield wipers rhythmically swaying left and right, slicing through the blurry water.