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

The cool touch of the flower petals traveled through my fingertips, carrying a delicate fragrance that seemed to truly dispel some of the nauseating taste in my mouth.

"Are you feeling any better? As for the taste in your mouth..." Lin Jiashu looked at her, and a teasing smile suddenly appeared on his incredibly handsome face. "You'll get used to it, or you can choose to refuse next time."

next time?

He actually said there would be a next time?

The sudden chill made Curaçao, who had just received the flowers, realize that Cointreau... and Rum might not be any different.

Can you truly achieve self-fulfillment by doing things for him?

I follow his orders completely, but I know nothing about what he wants to do, or even about his very existence... How can I be sure I'm not being deceived? And how can I be sure he's not another Rum?

The disgust and slight panic that came with this question gripped her heart, leaving her unable to even breathe a sigh of relief.

But Lin Jiashu seemed to see through her thoughts and smiled slightly, saying, "I'm serious, Curaçao. Even if you don't believe me, you can always have different choices when it comes to me."

"Anytime?"

"Yes."

"...I just hope you can keep your promise."

"Of course. Rum must have considered having you contact me, right? How about we set up our next meeting at a flower shop?" Lin Jiashu chuckled. "A flower shop that belongs to you?"

"..."

My own flower shop...

His words were like a new promise, yet also like a deeper trap.

But Curaço's chaotic emotions were indeed gradually soothed by his gentle, strangely tolerant attitude. She clutched the white rose tightly, as if holding onto a piece of driftwood.

"Thank you, Curaçao. You are really important to me."

His praise, delivered with a calm focus on goals and values, became a strange form of comfort for Curaçao.

She took a deep breath, and the fragrance of flowers in the air seemed to finally overpower the unpleasant smell.

Curaçao nodded, though her face was still somewhat pale, her eyes had regained most of their composure.

“I understand, Cointreau.”

Curaçao gripped the rose in her hand, nodded again, and turned to walk past Shimizu Reiko without looking at her. But before she left, Urashi Seiran called out to her.

She stopped in her tracks.

The woman in the sexy cheongsam picked up the bouquet of lilies of the valley placed in front of the window, sat down, and handed it to Curaçao.

"Thank you."

She opened the heavy door and left the room.

The door closed behind her.

A woman with long silver hair stood alone in the quiet corridor, looking down at the bouquet of white flowers in her hands. She could still feel their delicate texture and vitality through her fingers. A slight sting lingered on her lips from where she had rubbed them hard, but the nauseating taste… had indeed been greatly diminished by the flowers' delicate fragrance.

My mood... is very strange.

Having experienced such humiliation and shock, there was no anger or breakdown as expected. Instead, there was a strange calm, as if after a violent storm, one had been soothed, and even... a subtle sense of intimacy, arising from sharing some secret and receiving special comfort?

The taste that had just touched her mouth wasn't actually that unacceptable to her?

She shook her head, dismissing the strange feeling, and strode towards the elevator.

In the room

Shimizu Reiko returned to Hayashi Yoshiki's side, her tone tinged with bitterness: "Mr. Hayashi is so patient with her."

Lin Jiashu picked up the water glass that had been placed to the side, took a sip, and looked through the rim of the glass towards the doorway.

“Because she can really help me with a lot.” His voice remained gentle. “Besides, wouldn’t it be more interesting to get closer to her?”

His words were light and casual, yet they caused Pu Si Qinglan beside him to narrow her eyes slightly. Shimizu Reiko, on the other hand, revealed a venomous smile.

"Compared to this, I recently discovered something incredible, but I think I might need your approval, Mr. Lin."

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.

[Look, this is the venue for the Tokyo Summit, which is about to open.]

The international conference center at "Oceanfront," a comprehensive resort on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, is scheduled to open next month. Its design incorporates numerous water elements to reflect the characteristics of a seaside city and features a wide variety of facilities.

The casino tower, modeled after a seashell, also functions as a lighthouse to protect the ocean, offering panoramic views of the coastal scenery from its summit.

The shopping plaza is located near the casino tower and includes...

【…】

【…】

As you can see, the seafront is connected by two bridges. The Metropolitan Police Department, responsible for security on May 1st, the opening day of the summit, stated that at its peak, 22000 police officers will be on duty in Tokyo to maintain order.

"Twenty-two thousand people, that means police forces from other places have been transferred to Tokyo."

"After all, this is the venue for the Tokyo Summit, so it's not surprising that they take it seriously... However, since police forces in other places have become weaker, it's a good idea for locals to take the opportunity to commit crimes."

"Mr. Lin, your words are highly suspicious."

In the firm

The television was broadcasting the 4 PM news. Since she didn't have much work to do today, Koshimizu Nanatsuki started chatting with Hayashi Yoshiki.

"Is it strange?" Lin Jiashu looked at her face and smiled. "Since you're a detective, you must have thought about how to execute the perfect crime, right?"

"...I have indeed thought about it."

Koshimizu Nanatsuki nodded.

Back on that island, she did indeed intend to commit murder, but Lin Jiashu stopped her. However, at the time, she was only thinking about paying for the crime herself, not about the so-called perfect crime.

She was actually a little curious at this moment.

"But Mr. Lin, you must have quite a few thoughts behind that, right?"

"...Yes, but the more cunning a person is, the more likely they are to fall into unexpected predicaments."

"That's an interesting statement."

"But I'm not denying the existence of the perfect crime." Lin Jiashu's smile gradually faded. "The perfect crime definitely exists."

"..."

His gaze suddenly turned deep, startling Koshimizu Nanatsuki.

Just when she thought Hayashi Yoshiki was about to bring up something serious, he suddenly said, "Why do you think Mr. Amuro didn't come to work today?"

"what……"

Koshimizu Nanatsuki was momentarily speechless.

Seeing her looking amused to herself, Lin Jiashu also smiled and looked at the TV.

The TV is now broadcasting the next news story.

The Cygnus lander has completed its sample collection on Mars and will return to Earth on May 1st (Japan time).

It really was this incident...

Upon seeing information about the Tokyo Summit, Yoshiki Hayashi recalled the plot of the event.

Amuro Tooru is going to be busy, and he hasn't even finished the tasks Gin assigned him yet.

If I remember correctly, the next step should be...

[Breaking news! Just now, a massive explosion occurred at the international conference center where the Tokyo Summit will be held next week! Please see the CCTV footage from the incident!]

The image on the television suddenly changed.

The building in the center of the seaside park, which had just been advertised on television, suddenly exploded violently, and thick smoke slowly rose from the center of the artificial island.

[The Oceanfront integrated resort where the incident occurred has not yet opened, so there were no tourist casualties. However, several police officers conducting security checks for the summit were killed or injured. Again, integrated resort…]

Knew it.

Ignoring Koshimizu Nanatsuki's astonishment, Hayashi Yoshiki's eyes narrowed slightly.

The next moment, his phone rang.

Lin Jiashu got up and walked to the balcony while pressing the call button to answer.

Chapter 31: Suspect, Hayashi Yoshiki

Looking out from the office balcony, the streets below are still bustling with traffic.

Yoshiki Hayashi glanced back at Nanatsu Koshimizu in the office. The other woman wisely avoided looking at him. At that moment, the phone in his hand was slightly warm, and the screen showed the caller ID as "Toru Amuro".

The voice on the other end tried hard to remain calm, but Lin Jiashu could still detect a hint of suppressed anxiety and exhaustion.

"That's how it is, Yoshiki."

Amuro Tooru spoke quickly, clearly explaining the current situation of the ocean fringe explosion and the immense pressure the Ministry of Public Security was about to face—the news broadcast on television was already several hours old, and he had already investigated the situation at the explosion site; the chain of evidence was vague, pointing to the high probability of an accident.

No, it should be described as an accident.

If the case is not resolved quickly, it will affect the upcoming Tokyo Summit.

"This is definitely not an accident. If it's classified as an accident, the truth may be buried forever—the truth about our colleagues who died in this explosion, and the potential threats—"

Lin Jiashu listened quietly.

His gaze fell on the window, watching a withered leaf being swept up by the cold wind, swirling and falling, his expression calm and undisturbed.

"so what?"

“So we need a breakthrough.” Amuro Tooru’s voice paused, with an unusual caution, but he ultimately chose the most direct approach: “A ‘suspect’ who can keep the investigation going, who can attract enough attention, and… who can be kept under our control.”

Hayashi Yoshiki waited for Amuro Tooru's next words.

Knowing that he had already guessed his intentions, Amuro Tooru's voice quickly rang out, with an almost cruel calmness: "I believe that Mr. Kogoro Mouri... is the most suitable candidate at present."

Just like in the story...

Lin Jiashu was not surprised at all.

However, he remembered that something very interesting appeared in this plot – "Noah", a software that can remotely control the Internet of Things and can indiscriminately cause connected appliances such as mobile phones, refrigerators, cars and even satellites to explode.

Lin Jiashu was somewhat interested.

However, returning to the call, he responded to Amuro Tooru in a calm tone devoid of any emotional fluctuation: "Reason."

“He’s a famous detective, with the motive and ability to access knowledge related to explosives. He’s also under intense public scrutiny. Once he’s involved, the media and the public will be focused on him, and the higher-ups won’t be able to easily close the case as an accident.” Amuro Tooru’s logic was clear and cold. “This is just a stopgap measure, Yoshiki. I guarantee with my professional beliefs that this is absolutely a delaying tactic! As long as we buy time, with your abilities and the power of our public security bureau, we can definitely find the real culprit and clear his name!”

"..."

"For the safety of the Tokyo Summit, to prevent the real culprit from escaping justice and causing even greater disaster..." Sensing the chill in his silence, Amuro Tooru couldn't help but raise his voice, "You understand, right!? Sometimes, we have to make difficult, even seemingly inhumane, choices. But it's for a greater justice..."

"Greater justice?"

Lin Jiashu finally interrupted him, his voice carrying an unwavering coldness. He sneered, "Mr. Furuya, is the greater justice you speak of simply pushing out an innocent civilian who knows nothing about this matter and has no connection to it, as a bargaining chip to quell public opinion and buy time for the investigation?"

“This isn’t a bargaining chip! This is strategy!” Amuro Tooru’s voice rose slightly, tinged with anxiety at being questioned. “I guarantee his safety! This is just procedure…”

“A procedural stain is still a stain,” Lin Jiashu said firmly. “Damage to reputation is sometimes harder to heal than physical injury. You say this is a delaying tactic? Who can guarantee that Uncle Maoli won’t suffer any real harm during this delay? The judgment of public opinion is sometimes more cruel than the law, and what kind of psychological torment will Xiaolan and the others have to endure?!”

"Moreover," Lin Jiashu's voice was tinged with a very faint but unusually sharp sarcasm, "in terms of detective reputation, I'm probably a bit bigger than Uncle Mori. Since you need a target of sufficient weight to draw attention, why not just come to me? My cooperation level is probably much higher than that of an ordinary citizen who knows nothing about this."

Amuro Tooru on the other end of the phone visibly choked up, his breathing suddenly becoming heavier: "Hayashi Yoshiki! This is completely different! Don't be ridiculous! Wouldn't it be easier to find the culprit if you helped with the investigation!? You need..."

"What do I need?" Lin Jiashu interrupted him again, her voice suddenly turning cold, the usual gentle facade completely peeling away to reveal a cold sharpness beneath. "Do I need to remain silent and cooperate with your strategy when an innocent person, or even a family member, is being pushed out to take the blame?"

He took a deep breath, and each word struck like an icicle:

"Rei Furuya, have you forgotten what the essence of the police is? It's to protect the civilians of this country, not to use them as pawns to be sacrificed without hesitation under pressure!"

"This isn't a sacrifice! This is to ultimately protect more people!" Amuro Tooru's voice was now tinged with anger, his composure almost crumbling. "Why can't you understand! This is the fastest and most effective method right now!"

“What I don’t understand is you!” Lin Jiashu’s tone was firm and unwavering, leaving no room for negotiation. “I will never agree to use this method to buy so-called investigation time. There are countless ways to investigate the truth, but it should never be based on trampling on the dignity of the innocent.”

He paused, then said finally, "If your justice requires this method to be achieved, then I absolutely will not agree with it."

A deathly silence fell over both ends of the phone call.

A few seconds later, Amuro Tooru's voice, almost clenched through teeth, came through the receiver, suppressing immense anger and disappointment:

"How can you still be so naive, Lin Jiashu?"