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

He was speechless.

After a moment, Xiaolan raised her head slightly, a faint blush on her face: "So, Jiashu-ge, how did you rest? Did you sleep well when you got back yesterday?"

Lin Jiashu took her hand and led her to the sofa, where he sat down and put his arm around her.

"Of course, I can sleep until noon at home. But with Inspector Megure and the others taking care of me, the conditions in the detention center aren't too bad..."

Inspector Megure, Shiratori Ninzaburo, and Takagi are all acquaintances and firmly believe that this incident has nothing to do with Hayashi Yoshiki, so they have been making things convenient for Hayashi Yoshiki in the detention center.

Xiaolan, however, felt a pang of heartache at his words. She pursed her lips, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears, and hugged his arm even tighter: "Thank you, Jiashu-ge... really... thank you so much..." Her voice choked with emotion, "For Dad... you suffered so much..."

She knew that if Jia Shu hadn't taken the initiative to replace her father, her father would be the one suffering all of this now.

"...Now that I'm out, do we still need to talk about this?"

"Hmm... let's not talk about it then."

Meeting his gentle yet unyielding gaze, Xiaolan obediently nodded and buried her face in his shoulder again.

Her voice was muffled and deep.

The two sat close together on the sofa. Because it was so quiet, Lin Jiashu subconsciously wanted to find the remote control to turn on the TV.

But Xiaolan's gaze remained fixed on his face.

"what?"

"...I still prefer Yoshiki-san without a beard."

"That's completely opposite to Sonoko's opinion."

"Brother Jiashu, don't take her words to heart."

Xiao Lan laughed.

She deliberately avoided bringing up the topic from a few days ago, and instead focused on her experiences at school.

Lin Jiashu listened quietly, occasionally responding with a word or two, her gaze always gentle.

Perhaps it was because the atmosphere was too warm and romantic, or perhaps it was because the girl was nestled in his arms without any guard.

As Xiaolan was talking, she leaned affectionately against Jiashu, but the heat she felt, unlike anything else, made her stop abruptly. Two red blushes instantly rose to her cheeks, spreading all the way to her ears.

Jia Shu Ge has been in the detention center for several days, but due to his physical condition...

She was so shy she almost wanted to jump away immediately.

But when she sensed Jia Shu's body stiffen for a moment and his slight backward movement, she suddenly felt a strong urge to comfort him.

Jia Shu had suffered so much for their family, and this was just his most instinctive physical reaction, yet he had to restrain himself for fear of offending her...

Xiaolan took a deep breath, suppressing her shyness, and instead of backing away, she hugged Lin Jiashu even tighter.

She even adjusted her posture to alleviate his discomfort somewhat.

Lin Jiashu seemed somewhat surprised by her reaction.

He lowered his head, looking at Xiaolan's flushed but determined profile, and asked in surprise, "Xiaolan?"

Xiaolan shook her head, raised her face, and looked at him with gentle eyes that seemed to hold water.

Her eyes held an almost maternal tenderness and comfort as she reached out and gently stroked his back, as if soothing a restless child.

"It's okay, Yoshiki-nii..."

The girl's voice was soft, yet unusually firm: "I know."

She turned slightly to the side, pulling him close to her, letting his cheek rest against her soft chest, her fingers continuing to gently and rhythmically pat his back.

"You must be very tired... You probably didn't get enough rest in there..." she said softly. "Don't think about anything, just stay here for a while... I'll stay with you..."

Although she didn't take any further steps, simply holding him like that, her complete acceptance and maternal tenderness truly captivated Hayashi Yoshiki.

But this could not soothe the burning desire in his heart and body.

Lin Jiashu became more proactive.

His hand rested on Xiaolan's waist, then slid down slightly and slipped under the hem of her school uniform shirt.

Xiao Lan remained silent.

She continued to gently pat Lin Jiashu's back.

When Lin Jiashu reached out and untied the bow tie on her shirt, she opened her mouth slightly and took a breath, but instead of flinching, she straightened her back slightly.

This has happened many times before...

In the past, she would always shyly mumble that it was too strange or that she would wait until next time... Although she was still shy, today, she wanted to take good care of Lin Jiashu and comfort him no matter what.

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.

The Mori Detective Agency was shrouded in a desolate atmosphere in the evening.

The afternoon horse race was being broadcast live on television, and the commentator's excited voice did nothing to dispel the silence in the room.

"I am back."

Conan, carrying his schoolbag, pushed open the door and came in.

After school today, he was still pestered by those same kids to play detective games. Although he didn't encounter any cases, it wasn't exactly uneventful either.

But as soon as he got back today, he noticed something was wrong.

At this time of day, Ran would usually be in the kitchen preparing dinner, but today not only is she not there... Kogoro Mouri is even slumped in his chair behind his desk, holding a can of ice-cold beer, watching the TV screen with great interest.

Noticing that there were several empty cans scattered around the man, he quickly realized the problem.

"Isn't Sister Xiaolan here?"

"Oh, kid's back?" Kogoro Mouri seemed to only just notice Conan's presence now. He waved his hand dismissively. "Ran said she'd be back later. It'll just be the two of us tonight, so don't expect to eat dinner. Let's just order some takeout."

Conan's heart skipped a beat.

Will you be back later?

where to go?

Before he could even put down his schoolbag, he hurriedly approached Kogoro Mouri and asked, "Where did Ran go? Is she with Yoshiki?"

Kogoro Mouri then diverted some of his attention, let out a burp, and raised an eyebrow in surprise:

"Huh? How did you know? She told me this afternoon that she went out to eat with Ashu and that woman Yingli, I think? She didn't go into details." He turned his attention back to the racehorse and muttered, "Honestly, Ashu didn't even let me come along for that big meal after this whole thing."

He muttered to himself, sounding somewhat resentful.

Upon hearing this, Conan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

With Aunt Eri there, it's probably just a normal family gathering, right? Maybe it's to celebrate Yoshiki's safe return?

Despite what he thought in his heart, Conan couldn't help but recall Ran's incredulous and unacceptable reaction when she learned that Yoshiki Hayashi had been taken away by the police and taken to the detention center... Her overly concerned and worried expression was like a tiny thorn still stuck in Conan's heart, which he could not ignore.

He put down his schoolbag, made an excuse, and shouted loudly, "Then I'll go downstairs and buy a bottle of juice!"

Without waiting for Kogoro Mouri's response, he quickly ran out of the office.

Conan quickly ran downstairs to a quiet corner, took out his phone, and dialed Ran's number—using Shinichi Kudo's number.

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.

11.jpg

A little earlier

The atmosphere inside Yoshiki Hayashi's apartment was completely different from the desolate atmosphere of the Mori Detective Agency.

The air conditioner had turned a little cold without her noticing. Xiaolan knelt on the soft carpet in the living room, her cheeks flushed red like ripe apples. She quietly raised her eyes and looked at Lin Jiashu with glistening eyes, her shyness still lingering.

"That's how it is... Xiaolan..."

"Um……"

Xiao Lan's response to the deep voice coming from above was somewhat ambiguous.

When you have something in your mouth, you can't speak clearly.

Lin Jiashu gently stroked her rosy cheeks.

She breathed softly.

When Xiaolan noticed that Yoshiki-san also seemed to be short of breath, she started to become more proactive.

Because this isn't the first time I've done something like this.

Because I want to take good care of Yoshiki-san today—

With an almost sacrificial mindset, Xiaolan's actions showed no hesitation. Meanwhile, her phone, lying on the sofa beside her, had been buzzing several times since earlier, its automatically lit screen displaying several newly received text messages.

When her phone suddenly rang, Xiaolan was clearly startled. Before she could even open her mouth, she instinctively looked at the screen and saw that it was her mother, Eri Kisaki, calling.

She opened her mouth.

The sticky sheen on her lips made her purse them again.

"Answer the phone first," Lin Jiashu said with a gentle smile.

"Um... Yoshiki-nii, could you give me a piece of paper?"

"Here."

Lin Jiashu handed her a tissue, but Xiaolan took it and before she could even use it, her hand had already instinctively pressed the answer button. She called out into the phone, "Hello, Mom?"

"Have you gone back yet, Xiaolan?"

On the other end of the phone, Eri Kisaki spoke gently, "How is Koshu doing today?"

"I haven't gone home yet, Mom. Jia Shu seems to be doing alright today..."

Are you still with him?

Eri's tone sounded somewhat surprised.

The girl had actually informed Eri Kisaki before coming over, just the day after the matter of Lin Jiashu was resolved. On one hand, Eri Kisaki asked Ran to come and check on Lin Jiashu's condition—she herself was a little tied up.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Eri's tone immediately softened with a smile: "Have you talked to your dad about it? If you can't come up with a good excuse, just say that you and I are having dinner out together tonight... and then you two can go ahead and make your own plans."

"mom!"

Xiao Lan was a little annoyed when she heard this.

But her rosy cheeks made it hard to tell whether she was truly happy inside.

Looking at her cute profile and her lips glistening with moisture as she moved, Lin Jiashu suddenly had a mischievous thought.

He deliberately moved closer and touched Xiaolan's still slightly parted lips in Xiaolan's astonished gaze.

"Well"

Caught off guard, the girl let out a short, strange whimper and almost bit her tongue.

Eri, on the other end of the phone, seemed to have heard the slight noise and asked in confusion, "Ran? What's wrong? What was that sound?"

"N-nothing!" Xiaolan's face instantly turned as red as if it were about to bleed. She hurriedly covered the microphone, glared at Lin Jiashu who was secretly laughing after his prank, and quickly explained to Fei Yingli, "I accidentally bumped the coffee table! Um, Mom, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

She hung up the phone in a panic, her heart still pounding.

"Brother Jiashu! ...You just know how to bully people!" She put down her phone and punched Lin Jiashu's leg, feeling both ashamed and angry.

Lin Jiashu chuckled softly, grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him, his fingertips caressing her burning cheeks, his eyes dark and full of aggression.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," he said in a low, husky voice, "because you were just too adorable..."

Xiaolan felt embarrassed by his words and gaze, and could only bury her burning face in his arms.

Lin Jiashu lowered his head, kissed her cheek, and then whispered in her ear:

"Will you come with me to my room?"

—Go to the room.

Compared to a living room that is spacious yet secluded with the curtains drawn, a bedroom is undoubtedly a more private space.

Chapter 41: Shinichi Kudo's Assist

It was only evening,