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

A faint, yet chilling smile curved his lips.

"Leave it to me."

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.

After the elevator ascended, a spacious parking garage came into view.

Kazami Yuya was anxiously waiting in the narrow corridor outside the door. When he saw Hayashi Yoshiki come out, he immediately rushed over to greet him, his face showing undisguised worry.

"Mr. Lin!"

Kazami Yuya spoke rather quickly, "You know the situation..."

"Let's talk in the car," Lin Jiashu interrupted him.

"it is good."

Kazami Yuya quickly followed, and the two walked silently to the car parked on the side of the road. After getting in the car, Kazami Yuya sat in the driver's seat, but did not start the engine immediately.

"We've expedited the investigation into the identity of the Russian man who was burned to death, and we believe we'll have results soon." Kazami Yuya gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, speaking rapidly. "The liquid bomb used by the perpetrator is being analyzed by the technical department, who are working tirelessly to find clues to decipher it or track down the perpetrator..."

"That guy planted a bomb three years ago, right? It was discovered and defused by Furuya-senpai and his classmates, wasn't it? What happened to that bomb?"

"At the time, in order to analyze the components, we moved the bomb to one of the shelters, but before we could analyze the components, an unexplained explosion occurred... Even some researchers died."

A brief silence fell over the carriage.

At that moment, Kazami Yuya started the car.

But before driving the car out of the garage, Kazami Yuya looked up at Hayashi Yoshiki, who was sitting calmly in the back seat, and asked earnestly, "Mr. Hayashi, have you found anything yet?"

"...Even reasoning needs to be based on enough information. Before that, don't think of me as so great."

“That’s true…” Kazami Yuya wasn’t discouraged, but after observing Hayashi Yoshiki’s expression for a moment, he couldn’t help but speak up: “But in any case, I’m asking you…”

"I know."

Lin Jiashu responded to him, "Let's work hard together."

"Yes."

Kazami Yuya responded seriously.

He stepped on the gas, and the car quickly drove away from the garage.

At this moment, he had an almost blind trust in Yoshiki Hayashi's abilities—previously, he had considerable trust in the abilities of his superior, Rei Furuya, but Yoshiki Hayashi's abilities were far superior to Rei Furuya's.

For example, in the Tokyo Summit incident, Mr. Lin, as a suspect, noticed something was wrong with prosecutor Makoto Kusakabe during just one interrogation, thus discovering his identity as the murderer.

"..."

Just thinking about the time he handcuffed him and took him to the detention center to imprison him, even though it was the other person's own request, made Kazami Yu feel embarrassed.

He was therefore embarrassed to pay attention to the rearview mirror anymore.

Just as his gaze shifted away, Lin Jiashu took out his phone and unlocked it.

The light from the phone screen illuminated Lin Jiashu's face, outlining the cold, hard lines of his profile. He wasn't looking at anything specific; he was just staring at the screen, but his gaze gradually turned sinister and cold. The usual gentle smile at the corners of his mouth had vanished, leaving only a dark, swirling light in his eyes.

— Almost there.

The thought lingered in his mind.

Pramia... that woman actually dared to plant a bomb in his office.

He didn't mention the potential danger he might face; there was Koshimizu Nanatsuki there, with all the resources and management he had accumulated over such a long period of time...

Following his experience in Ireland, Hayashi Yoshiki felt uneasy once again.

This is no longer just about helping Amuro Tooru or resolving a public crisis; it's about personal grudges.

Lin Jiashu's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the cold edge of the phone.

Just then, he noticed that there were still a few unread messages on the screen.

From: Koizumi Akako.

Click to open.

The tone of the latest messages has changed from the unusually gentle tone to the familiar, spoiled annoyance:

Koizumi Akako: [Do you think I have nothing better to do?! Inviting you was a favor, what does it mean to not reply?!]

Koizumi Akako: [Fine, do you think I care about you that much?! Don't even think about me contacting you again!]

Koizumi Akako: 【Damn it!】

Looking at the furious words, the cold killing intent in Lin Jiashu's eyes faded slightly.

He pondered for a moment.

His fingertips tapped rapidly on the screen.

Hayashi Yoshiki: [Sorry, I've been held up by some troublesome things these past few days. Halloween is in a few days, right?]

Koizumi Akako: [Hehe, so busy that you finally have time to pick up your phone and type a few words?]

The message was replied to almost instantly, carrying a strong sense of tension.

Lin Jiashu could almost picture the other person jumping up and down in anger, and a smile finally appeared in his eyes as he replied:

Hayashi Yoshiki: [It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered that it seems to be a festival related to witches, so...]

Koizumi Akako: [So what if it's related to witches?]

The reply came instantly as usual.

However, Lin Jiashu did not reply to the message immediately, but deliberately turned off his phone screen.

The few minutes of silent waiting were undoubtedly unbearable for Koizumi Akako, who was used to being the center of attention and in control of everything, on the other end of the phone.

Sure enough, when Lin Jiashu felt the time was right and picked up his phone again, another message appeared on the screen from Koizumi Akako, clearly showing her impatience:

Koizumi Akako: [Hey?! Speak up! So what? Is it fun to keep people in suspense?!]

Hayashi Yoshiki: [It doesn't mean anything special. I just suddenly remembered that you said before...you wanted to go out for a walk, right?]

He deliberately used ellipses, as if he had hesitated for a long time before deciding to send it.

Upon receiving his message, Koizumi Akako was stunned for a moment when she saw the person behind her on the other end of the phone.

and many more……

He invited me?

That awkward, clueless, handsome but annoying Lin Jiashu?

what is this?

Will the clouds part and the moon shine through?

He... he actually took the initiative to invite me?

why?

Could it be that my text message, "Don't ever think about me contacting you again!" finally made him panic?

I've said similar things before, but it doesn't seem to have any effect.

Never mind, I don't care anymore.

"Hehehehe~!"

Ignoring the surroundings and still on the street, Koizumi Akako let out a triumphant and flamboyant laugh, "As expected! As expected, no one can resist the charm of Koizumi Akako! Hayashi Yoshiki! You are no exception!"

Overwhelmed by vanity and a sense of conquest, she could almost see Lin Jiashu kneeling before her, begging for her mercy.

However, the next second, a strong desire for revenge quickly surged into her mind.

This despicable man has been stringing her along for so long! He's been so distant and said so many hurtful things! How could she let him get away with it so easily?!

He needs to experience rejection and being ignored too.

She suppressed her excitement, and even though Lin Jiashu couldn't see it, she tried her best to put on an even more arrogant and disdainful expression, her fingers flying across the keyboard:

Koizumi Akako: [Hehehehe~ You only remembered to invite me now? Too late! You've completely ruined my mood! Do you think I'm someone you can just invite and refuse as you please? Let me tell you, I'm busy right now! Halloween? I already have a more important date, one more befitting my status! You? Get in line!]

As she sent the message, imagining Hayashi Yoshiki's disappointed, regretful, and then anguished expression upon seeing it, a wild, uncontrollable smile began to spread across her face.

However, the scene she had envisioned—where Hayashi Yoshiki immediately responded with pleading or a panicked explanation—did not occur.

The phone went silent.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

Nearly ten minutes later, the smug smile on Koizumi Akako's face gradually stiffened.

She couldn't resist picking up her phone to check the signal—full bars.

Several tens of seconds passed, which felt like an eternity.

finally--

The phone screen lit up again.

Just three simple, even understated words:

Lin Jiashu: [Never mind then.]

Koizumi Akako's expression froze instantly.

Forget it?

Just like that?!

He actually gave up so easily?! Didn't he try again? Didn't he fight for it? Didn't he...plead for it?!

This is completely different from what she imagined!

The immense sense of loss was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing all her previous smugness and vengeful pleasure, replacing it with intense resentment.

"Wait, wait!" she almost shouted into the phone, her fingers trembling as she typed rapidly, "You...you're just going to give up like this?! Aren't you going to try a little harder?! Don't you have even this much sincerity?!"

After sending the message, she felt it made her seem too eager, so she quickly added another one, trying to save face:

Koizumi Akako: [Hmph! But... if you sincerely apologize and promise to obey me completely from now on, I might consider giving you a little time...]

However, after the message was sent, it seemed to disappear without a trace.

There was no further reply from Lin Jiashu.

Koizumi Akako stood on the bustling street, amidst the curious and surprised gazes of passersby, staring at her quiet phone with such frustration that she almost stomped her feet.

"Damn it! Hayashi Yoshiki! You bastard!!"

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.

...Huh? I remember writing a leave request yesterday, but when I checked the backend just now, I found it hadn't been published.

Ah ah

Chapter 49: Hayashi Yoshiki is extremely serious

There's one day left until Halloween.

A few chattering children walked out of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's interrogation room.

Kogoro Mouri stood in front of the vending machine with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, while Yoshiki Hayashi leaned casually against the wall, smiling as he focused his attention on the cell phone in his hand.

Takagi Wataru helplessly escorted the few troublesome children out, his face full of trouble—because these brats kept asking him if he felt regretful that yesterday's wedding was fake.

Ran, who was standing next to them, smiled wryly and told them not to bully Officer Takagi.

"Have all the statements been taken?"

Kogoro Mouri exhaled a smoke ring, extinguishing his cigarette before the kids approached. He then looked at Takagi and asked, "Have you found out the identity of the person who was burned to death? There should be some clues by now, right?"

Takagi Wataru shook his head at him and said with a wry smile, "Mr. Mori, this case... for our Metropolitan Police Department, it ends here."

"what?"

Kogoro Mouri frowned, his voice rising: "Are you kidding me? This is a heinous crime that happened on the streets of Tokyo! You're just going to let it go like this?"