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

It knew what had happened to the previous mirror—because it had been the same one. It had been grabbed and thrown to the ground by the witch in front of it for talking nonsense, and it thought it was going to die.

"Uh, this, this..."

The magic mirror hesitated for a moment, as if racking its brains to come up with a fabrication.

Koizumi Akako frowned in displeasure: "Speak quickly!"

The demonic realm suddenly jolted, and quickly shouted in an even more fawning tone, almost like chanting: "It's almost here! It's almost here! Your esteemed Lord Hongzi! The threads of fate are weaving, the gears of destiny have begun to turn! That ungrateful Lin Jiashu, his stubborn walls will soon be destroyed by your boundless charm, his cold heart will soon be melted by your burning flames! The moment he bows his head and submits at your feet is almost here! Yes, it's almost here!"

It spoke with great eloquence and absolute certainty.

However, upon closer listening, it is filled with empty adjectives and vague time concepts, without any substantial content.

The magic mirror felt a little guilty.

Koizumi Akako's magical skills are indeed impressive, and her divination department in the Red Magic is quite skillful; at least in the magical realm, one can indeed see a certain degree of "fate."

But for some reason, none of this had any effect on the man named Hayashi Yoshiki.

It's as if this person doesn't exist in the world at all; even if you forcefully project his image, it's completely useless.

However, Koizumi Akako was very confident in her magic.

"So soon?" She seemed pleased with this statement, but felt it lacked specificity and pressed further, "How long exactly? Tomorrow? Next week?"

"Well... the mystery of fate lies in its unpredictability..." The Magic Mirror's voice began to drift again, "But please believe me, that moment will come sooner than you imagine! Perhaps on the next full moon? Or when a shooting star streaks across the sky? In short, it's coming soon! It's coming soon!"

Although Koizumi Akako was somewhat dissatisfied with this vague prophecy, the Magic Mirror's confident yet obsequious tone still satisfied her vanity and expectations.

Hmph hmph~

She imagined the proud man like Hayashi Yoshiki finally falling at her feet, and a smug smile crept onto her lips—after all, that guy was incredibly popular.

Many girls at Ekoda High School were quite fond of him. If she were to boss him around in front of everyone... Just thinking about that scene made Koizumi Akako burst into laughter, covering her mouth.

"Hehehehe~!"

The witch's laughter echoed in the basement.

Just then, the reflection in the magic mirror subtly shifted.

"However... Your Excellency Akako, now that the dawn of victory has appeared, perhaps... you could occasionally consider taking a little more initiative? With your boundless charm, a mere hint of politeness would surely be enough to..."

"initiative?!"

Koizumi Akako, who had been smiling smugly, suddenly raised her voice like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her face filled with disdain and anger, "What a joke! I've already given that guy a nice face so many times, why would I take the initiative to approach that despicable guy again? Absolutely not!"

She gets angry just thinking about it.

She had no idea how many times she had given that guy a friendly face, like sending him letters to question him or texting him. Weren't these all just giving him a way to contact her?

hateful--

Saying things like "I've become strange after eating your chocolate," "I shouldn't have fallen for you," and "I'm trying to fall for another woman"—does she really think she has no temper?

If it weren't for his occasional little tricks, like the last time he sent a text message with a comma at the beginning and end to attract her attention, Koizumi Akako would almost have thought she had been fooled and that he hadn't eaten the chocolate she gave him at all.

The mere thought of Koizumi Akako ignited her anger, and the magic within her was almost uncontrollable, causing her long, scarlet hair to flutter even without wind.

The magic mirror seemed startled by her anger, its surface rippled slightly, but it quickly became even more obsequious, saying, "Please calm down, Lady Hongzi! How could this lower your status? This is merely a favor, a charity! It's letting him bask in your great charm ahead of time, accelerating his complete descent! How can this be considered an initiative?"

Koizumi Akako's expression remained displeased.

However, the surging, violent magic paused noticeably for a moment.

Just then, her phone suddenly chimed.

She picked it up and looked at it instinctively.

Just one glance,

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"

A loud and flamboyant laugh echoed again in the gloomy basement, and the voice was full of smugness.

What did she see?

Is Lin Jiashu, this troublesome and awkward guy, finally about to give in?

She blushed with excitement as she read the text message.

Hayashi Yoshiki: "How was your day?"

first……

This is the first time this guy has ever sent a text message expressing his condolences or concern.

Just as Koizumi Akako was about to reply, her phone vibrated again.

Lin Jiashu: "Sorry, I sent it to the wrong person again."

Hehehehe

The witch emitted a pleasant yet deep voice.

She wasn't in a hurry to reply, and instead looked at the magic mirror in front of her: "Continue."

The magic mirror observed her expression and, seeing that she seemed to be in a particularly good mood, pressed its advantage, its voice full of persuasion: "Actually, I think that if Lady Akako were to change her personality a little, become more gentle and understanding—"

"Do you mean my personality is terrible!?"

"No no no no no no!!!"

The magic mirror's voice instantly changed tone.

Koizumi Akako snorted coldly.

Considering the other party's earlier prediction, she chose not to take it to heart—she regarded Lin Jiashu's text message as a sign that the magic mirror's prediction had come true.

Thinking of this, she slightly raised her chin, and a confident, arrogant smile reappeared on her face.

"Hmph...that's true."

She gave a soft hum, twirling a strand of red hair between her fingers. "It's not so bad to occasionally show a little mercy and watch the prey panic."

After she turned around, the surface of the magic mirror rippled slightly and almost imperceptibly. The flattering light and shadow quickly disappeared, as if it had secretly breathed a sigh of relief—it had finally managed to coax its troublesome owner away again.

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.

next day

A black luxury sedan drove smoothly through the streets of Beika Town.

Rum sat in the back seat, his icy aura making the driver in the front seat afraid to breathe loudly—staring at the investigation report his subordinate had just presented, a terrifying light flickered in Rum's single eye.

"No such tracking number found? Is the delivery person also a fake?"

His voice was nothing like the lighthearted one he used to have when he worked at the sushi restaurant; it was deep and somewhat frightening. "So, someone went to all this trouble just to deliver a wasabi to me?"

After the sense of absurdity comes vigilance and anger at being fooled.

who is it?

Gin? That guy certainly has the ability to know my movements and infiltration, but given his personality, it's too inexplicable for him to play such a prank.

So... who is that gentleman?

The thought of this possibility sent a chill down Rum's spine.

If it's Karasuma Renya... what is the other party's intention in doing this? Is it a warning or a test?

Rum did indeed have the idea of ​​finding and overthrowing Karasuma Renya, but he had always kept this to himself... Although he had made a lot of preparations, he was confident that he would not be caught red-handed.

But what if?

Rum felt a long-lost tension.

He picked up his phone and sent a text message ordering the security force around him to double, and commanding that any suspicious persons appearing in the vicinity should be noted and reported to him.

However, the tension did not dissipate with his arrangements. On the contrary, his doubts continued to grow in his heart, and his thoughts involuntarily returned to the sushi restaurant where he received the package last night—at that time, the only thing that caught his attention in the restaurant was Cointreau.

Rum narrowed his one eye slightly.

Logically speaking, Jundu shouldn't know himself, but if he doesn't follow the norm—his abilities are too useful, and the BOSS favors him and gives him greater authority, so it's not impossible that he knows his information.

Although he thought the possibility seemed slim, Rum pondered for a moment and then dialed the number.

"Curaçao".

"Yes."

"Find an opportunity to contact Jundo again. Observe his recent movements... especially whether he shows any unusual interest in Beika Town or Iroha Sushi. Be careful not to arouse his suspicion."

"clear."

After hanging up the phone, I was only one street away from the Iroha Sushi restaurant.

Rum put a medical eye patch over his left eye, added two ridiculous front teeth that looked like those of a rodent, and got out of the car dressed up as Kenjiro Wakita.

at the same time,

Are you still joking now?

"Having come this far, I have no reason to stop. Just send your name and appearance to my email."

"You don't need to worry about anything else."

In the apartment, Lin Jiashu was sitting at the computer desk in the bedroom, talking on the phone.

Amuro Tooru on the other end of the phone had already investigated the information about the human smugglers.

He naturally dared not neglect the task that Gin had repeatedly urged him to complete.

The task this time was simply to arrange a simple accident, and Amuro Tooru said there was no need to dirty Hayashi Yoshiki's hands.

But with Lin Jiashu's insistence, he eventually sent the target information to his email address.

He pulled out the Death Note from the hidden compartment and began copying down the names on the email address—tasks assigned by Karasuma Renya. He decided to keep an eye on things for now.

Thinking this, Lin Jiashu wrote another line in the Death Note.

buzz~

The phone screen on the computer desk lit up, displaying a newly received text message.

From: Koizumi Akako.

Lin Jiashu unlocked the device and took a look; his expression immediately turned to surprise.

The messages from Koizumi Akako were no longer the arrogant, smug questions she usually asked; instead, they were... a bit gentler.

I've been pretty free lately. If you're not busy, how about I give you a chance to go out for a walk with me?

Her affected mannerisms are different from Ai Haibara's.

Lin Jiashu paused for a moment.

Although he did deliberately send her a text message last night to give her a "softening" signal... given Koizumi Akako's arrogant and impatient personality, her normal reaction should have been to immediately and triumphantly press and urge him on. Instead, she waited until today and even took the initiative to send him an invitation.

Did you take the wrong medicine?

Rum's signature was in hand, but Hayashi Yoshiki had enough patience before he could perfectly trick Koizumi Akako into helping him.

Just as I was pondering what to do next, my phone vibrated again.

An anonymous text message arrived.

[Rum ordered me to contact you to ascertain whether you have recently shown any significant interest in the Iroha sushi restaurant where he works. —Curaçao]

Something seems off with the package.

Lin Jiashu didn't care at all how Rum would react if he discovered someone was watching him from the shadows. Without evidence or certainty, the other party would only be paranoid.

However, the other party's arrangement of having Curaçao contact him suited his wishes.

Lin Jiashu: "Understood."

Yoshiki Hayashi: "By the way, the flower shop I've set up for you is all ready. Are you looking forward to it? (laughs)"

Curaçao: "..."

Lin Jiashu put down his teacup, stood up, and put on his suit jacket.

After leaving home, he drove straight to his office.

When they arrived and entered the office, only Nanatsuki Koshimizu was there—Amuro Tooru's absences and requests for leave had become increasingly frequent since they had revealed their identities to each other.

However, he did have an organized mission to complete.