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

"You'll probably celebrate your victory with smug satisfaction, seeing me as yet another captive conquered by your charm. And then, from now on, you'll probably find me boring and toss me aside without hesitation, never to look at me again, right?"

what……

ha!?

Koizumi Akako, upon being corrected in this way, almost choked on her breath. Seeing Hayashi Yoshiki's seemingly genuine belief, she immediately became furious, jumping up and down like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"You're talking nonsense! I would never do that! Who do you think you are! Stop flattering yourself!"

However, that is indeed who she is.

—The witch's desire to conquer far outweighs her interest in maintaining the relationship.

However, now that Lin Jiashu had pointed it out so bluntly, she felt a subtle urge, which she herself was unwilling to admit, to deny it outright or even make a guarantee.

But wouldn't it be too strange to say such a thing?

It's like they've lost...

Therefore, she could only stand there, choked up and unable to say anything, only flailing her arms and legs... Lin Jiashu watched her like this with a smile and couldn't help but find it very amusing.

He even wanted to say something more to continue flirting with her.

But suddenly—

Lin Jiashu's smile vanished instantly, and his expression changed drastically!

He abruptly withdrew his hand from the railing, grabbed Koizumi Akako's shoulder with lightning speed, forcefully pulled her into his arms, and then turned around and ruthlessly tackled her to the ground!

"Ah ah!"

Koizumi Akako was caught off guard and tackled to the ground, her back slamming heavily onto the cold, hard concrete floor. The pain brought tears to her eyes.

"Lin Jiashu! What's wrong with you?! Why are you suddenly acting crazy?!"

She screamed angrily and tried to push him away.

"Stop talking! Be quiet!"

Lin Jiashu's voice was unusually stern and urgent, completely different from his usual gentle and playful tone.

He pressed his body tightly against hers, completely covering her under his protection.

"..."

His feverish brain sensed something was wrong from his tense tone.

Once Koizumi Akako calmed down and looked again, she quickly noticed that on the arm that Hayashi Yoshiki was supporting beside her, there was a long tear in the fabric of his coat, from which dark blood was seeping out, quickly staining his cuffs red, and even dripping a drop onto her cheek, carrying a warm touch and a rusty, fishy smell.

Her pupils suddenly contracted.

The sudden turn of events instantly replaced all her anger with terror: "You...you're injured?! When did this happen? What happened?!"

"No time to explain! Let's go!"

Lin Jiashu roared, enduring the excruciating pain in his arm, and pulled her up from the ground, almost dragging her towards the stairwell at the rooftop exit!

Just as they got up and fled the spot—

Snapped!

A sniper bullet struck precisely where they had just fallen, creating a small crater in the concrete and sending debris flying!

Koizumi Akako screamed in fright at the bullet that was so close to her, her face turning deathly pale instantly.

There's a sniper!

Lin Jiashu gripped Koizumi Akako's wrist tightly, practically dragging her toward the heavy iron door on the rooftop.

Bullets whistled past them, striking the concrete and sending sparks flying.

Snapped!

Another bullet came flying in, and Lin Jiashu suddenly pulled Koizumi Akako behind him. The bullet grazed his other arm again, leaving a trail of blood.

But he only let out a very soft groan, without slowing down at all, and smashed open the iron gate, shoving Koizumi Akako inside. Then he slammed the door shut behind him and used his body to block it.

"Uh……"

He leaned against the door, slightly out of breath, with a fine layer of cold sweat on his forehead. Both of his arms were bleeding from the wounds, making him look somewhat disheveled.

But at least the danger has been kept at bay.

In the narrow, dimly lit stairwell, only the two people's rapid breathing could be heard.

Koizumi Akako leaned against the cold wall, her heart pounding—she clutched her chest, feeling a lingering fear.

Ultimately, she was just a 17-year-old high school girl.

Lin Jiashu ignored his bleeding wound and quickly checked his surroundings. He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there were no ambushes.

However, Koizumi Akako noticed that his eyes, which always held a gentle smile, were now filled with vigilance and coldness.

Koizumi Akako was still in shock, but seeing his wound, anxiety immediately overcame her panic: "How are you?! What happened?"

Lin Jiashu shook his head, trying to give a reassuring smile: "It's nothing, just a superficial injury. We need to get out of here quickly."

Don't try to fool me!

Koizumi Akako's voice suddenly rose, her wine-red pupils blazing with fury. The witch's majesty now overshadowed her usual spoiled nature. "Don't think you can fool me so easily! That bullet was aimed at you! Who was it? Why did they want to kill you?!"

Lin Jiashu avoided her gaze and tried to dismiss her casually: "It's nothing. Maybe I accidentally offended some people when I was handling cases before. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"lie!"

Koizumi Akako immediately interrupted him, her wine-red eyes fixed on his face, trying to find a flaw in his expression. "Do you think I'm an idiot? A sniper has appeared... Hayashi Yoshiki, what on earth is going on?!"

Unlike ordinary girls who would become flustered, she instead forcefully demanded to know the truth.

Lin Jiashu paused for a moment, then gave her a somewhat helpless smile, choosing to remain silent.

Seeing his expression, Koizumi Akako became angry: "You absolutely refuse to tell me, huh!?"

Her pride flared up, and she snorted coldly, saying, "Fine, since you won't tell me, then I'll go see for myself! I've never been so humiliated by having a gun pointed at me before!"

Before she finished speaking, she let go of Lin Jiashu's hand and ran down the stairs.

She moved very quickly.

Before Lin Jiashu could react, she quickly ran to the next floor. When she arrived at the corridor on the next floor, she grabbed the simple broom and nimbly flipped herself out!

"Hongzi!" Lin Jiashu tried to stop her, but it was too late.

Koizumi Akako rode her broom, performed a beautiful spin in the air, and flew upwards like an arrow!

The night wind blew up her witch's skirt and the red hair and long hair under her pointed hat, her back view resolute and angry.

She didn't understand sniper positions or hiding spots, but as a witch, she just flew in that direction!

The rooftop of another, taller building not far away is the most conspicuous.

As Koizumi Akako flew overhead, she indeed saw a man in a black combat uniform quickly disassembling a sniper rifle and putting it into a long, rectangular instrument case, clearly preparing to leave—the target was out of sniper range, the assassination had failed, and there was indeed no need for him to stay.

"Hey, stop right there!"

Koizumi Akako descended from a great height, hovering above the rooftop entrance, blocking the other person's path. Looking down at them, she coldly demanded, "Who sent you?!"

The assassin turned around abruptly upon hearing the sound and saw a girl dressed as a witch riding a broomstick flying on the rooftop. A look of astonishment and absurdity flashed across his face.

But his good professionalism prevented him from freezing in the moment. He reacted immediately and slammed the instrument case in his hand at Koizumi Akako, while simultaneously drawing his pistol!

"I'd like to see what kind of trick you're using!"

He growled and pulled the trigger without hesitation!

He probably thought the other party was using some kind of magic trick or projection technology. In any case, how could there really be a flying creature in this world?

boom!boom!

Koizumi Akako was prepared; she remained hovering there, but the bullets bounced off her as if they had encountered an invisible, transparent wall.

The brass-colored bullets jingled as they fell.

The assassin's pupils contracted, and a look of horror finally appeared on his face. This could no longer be explained by a trick!

Upon seeing the vibrant flames burning in Koizumi Akako's hand, the assassin's face turned ashen and pale—the bizarre situation completely robbed him of his ability to comprehend.

Koizumi Akako snorted coldly.

With some preparation, she wasn't really that afraid of bullets...

"Since you refuse to talk, don't blame me for using some tricks!"

Koizumi Akako sneered, raising the ball of fire to subdue the man. She was already imagining the look of surprise on Hayashi Yoshiki's face when she threw him in front of him.

But when the assassin saw that the shooting was ineffective and the opponent's ability was beyond his imagination, a resolute and ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

Without any hesitation, he suddenly turned his gun around, not aiming it at Koizumi Akako, but—

He held his chin up!

Koizumi Akako's pupils suddenly contracted: "Wait! You—"

boom!

Another gunshot rang out, unusually muffled yet deadly.

Blood splattered.

The assassin's body fell heavily to the ground, twitched twice, and then fell silent.

Koizumi Akako froze in mid-air on her broom, staring blankly at the rapidly spreading blood and the quickly dying corpse on the ground. The smugness on her face froze instantly, replaced by immense shock and chill.

Who exactly are these people?

To avoid leaking information, he so decisively ended his own life?

Who exactly did Lin Jiashu provoke?

After a while,

Koizumi Akako rode her broom and flew back to the stairwell of that building, her mind uneasy.

At the entrance to the rooftop, Lin Jiashu was still waiting there. He was leaning against the wall, pressing a clean handkerchief against the bleeding wound on his arm. His face was pale from blood loss, but his eyes remained clear and calm.

When he saw her return, he looked up and quickly scanned her body. After confirming that she was not injured, he seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"came back?"

His voice sounded a little tired, but his tone was still gentle. "That sniper... could it be that he flew over to you and then committed suicide by swallowing his own gun?"

Koizumi Akako jumped off the broom.

She didn't elaborate on the process, but as she watched him calmly utter those words, a complex emotion flickered in her wine-red eyes, and she responded with a muffled "...Yeah. How did you know?"

Lin Jiashu tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a somewhat helpless smile, as if he were saying something perfectly ordinary: "It was expected. They... are all like that."

He paused, his gaze returning to Koizumi Akako's face. In those eyes that always held countless secrets, her image was now clearly reflected. His tone also carried a hint of barely perceptible relief, "As long as you're alright."

Koizumi Akako's heart skipped a beat.

Despite his own injuries, having almost been killed by a sniper rifle, his first concern was whether she was alright.

Saying things like this at a time like this...

She bit her lip, suppressing the inexplicable surge of emotions within her, and pressed on again, this time with a more serious and even stubborn tone: "Who exactly are those people? Why did they want to kill you? They weren't just ordinary hitmen hired for money, were they?!"

Lin Jiashu looked at her silently, his deep eyes like bottomless, icy pools.

After a few seconds, he gently shook his head: "I'm sorry... I thought they wouldn't have time to bother me lately, so I invited you out, but I was wrong and you ended up in this situation... I don't know if this is the best thing for you. Let's forget about tonight and just treat it as an unpleasant little episode."

This guy—!

How can things be so contradictory?!

Koizumi Akako glared at him, and she wanted to say something, but then Hayashi Yoshiki frowned and sat up.

"Let's go... I need to take care of my wound. You don't want me to bleed to death here, do you?"

Chapter 58: "Rum"

Late night

In a private clinic in a residential building, the air is filled with the smell of disinfectant under the soft lighting.