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

However, there is no rush to directly contact Cointreau.

For Rum, he's more focused on something else right now.

Pacific Buoy

Finding the key to the BOSS—that's the most important thing for Rum.

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.

"is it?"

"That guy's real name is this..."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Hongzi."

When he heard the good news from the other end of the phone, Lin Jiashu tried very hard to suppress his excitement.

Finally, I got it!

Rum's name—

He never imagined it would be done in such a simple way.

Koizumi Akako's magic truly defies common sense—perhaps it was the carefully crafted lie by Hayashi Yoshiki that made her feel somewhat eager, for she immediately gathered materials upon returning and obtained Rum's real name through that signature.

Just like Günter von Goldberg II before him.

When Lin Jiashu hung up the phone, he could hardly contain his smile.

No wonder...

No wonder Light Yagami was so smug until the very end, unable to contain himself as he prematurely popped champagne and declared his victory. Even Yoshiki Hayashi himself couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Rum's real name has been obtained, and James Black, who is cooperating with him, has always used his real name from the beginning... If the second-in-command of the Black Organization and the head of the FBI Japan are used to combine the two and set a trap, Yoshiki Hayashi can almost see the ending.

This was practically the best hand he could get.

But another thing we have to consider is Karasuma Renya, who has been hiding all along.

Vermouth most likely knows his hiding place... Even if she doesn't, she should be able to see Karasuma Renya every time she's recalled.

We need to find out the other party's existence before we can take the next step.

Since he cannot be controlled by the Death Note, Yoshiki Hayashi needs to figure out what method to use to seize control of the organization from him.

"...Should we try harder to win over Vermouth?"

Lin Jiashu raised his head.

His eyes peered through the car window at his reflection of his face, and a pleased smile appeared on his face.

Of course he's been doing that.

—Especially today.

Chapter 60: The Perfect Way to Avoid the Shura Field

Teitan Elementary School dismissal time

Hayashi Yoshiki drove smoothly on the highway in Beika Town.

Because of an injury to his right hand, he could only operate the steering wheel with one hand, so the car's speed was reduced considerably.

"Fortunately, it's only temporary that I need to drive with one hand. If I were to accidentally end up being able to drive with one hand forever, that would be a real problem."

In the passenger seat, Ai Haibara's gaze fell on Yoshiki Hayashi's right hand, which was hidden under his suit sleeve and not yet bandaged, and she spoke in a flat tone.

Lin Jiashu stared straight ahead, a smile in his eyes.

Ai Haibara's words can sometimes be barbed, but that doesn't mean she's being a tsundere.

However, she harbored genuine resentment—to her, Lin Jiashu always did dangerous things on his own without communicating with others, and it was precisely because of this concern that she became somewhat angry.

"That would be really inconvenient."

Lin Jiashu had no intention of going into detail about this topic, and then changed the subject after replying: "Last time I heard you say that the research on the temporary antidote seems to have made some progress?"

Is this guy in such a hurry?

Ai Haibara seemed to have misunderstood something. She couldn't help but glance at Yoshiki Hayashi, but before he could look at her, she couldn't help but look away.

"Yes, there are some. Theoretically, the drug resistance that may develop from repeated medication can be reduced to some extent."

"We can test it out if necessary"—she didn't say this aloud, but her ears were slightly burning.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"nothing."

"To be honest, I'm a little concerned about it."

The traffic ahead became a bit congested, and Lin Jiashu lightly applied the brakes. "Xiao Ai, what are your ultimate expectations for APTX-4869? I mean, putting aside its current dangerous side effects."

Ai Haibara remained silent for a few seconds.

"The precursor to this drug was named 'Silver Bullet' by my parents, with the goal of curing all diseases, including those intractable genetic diseases. When I inherited and took over this project, I also thought that the organization wanted to develop this kind of drug..."

"So you don't actually care about the negative effects of rejuvenation, and even think it's a deviation from the right path?"

“Of course.” Ai Haibara scoffed. “Humans cannot reverse time. If you try to forcibly distort it, you will inevitably be punished.”

"But I'm actually quite interested in the mechanism of rejuvenation itself."

Ai Haibara frowned slightly and turned to look at him.

Of course, she doesn't think that Lin Jiashu, who is currently young and in the best stage of his life, would yearn to be young again. What she is worried about is that Lin Jiashu is interested in the value of being young again.

Lin Jiashu seemed to see through her doubts and explained with a smile, "Put it down. I was just thinking that if there really is a perfect, even temporary, shrinking drug in the world, it might be an unexpected lifesaver in many specific situations, allowing some people... to avoid death."

Did something happen to him?

Ai Haibara was stunned.

She lowered her eyes, remembering that she had only escaped the organization's clutches because she had been turned into a child.

However, she didn't want to continue this heavy topic, so after suddenly thinking of something, she suddenly smiled and looked at Lin Jiashu with a teasing gaze: "Oh? If there really was such a convenient drug, and you took it and became smaller... maybe you could successfully avoid your countless romantic entanglements, right? After all, if you're caught cheating on several people, the ending might be pretty bad."

Lin Jiashu was clearly not expected that she would suddenly bring up this topic. He was stunned for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

"That's true, that way you can perfectly avoid the hellish situation."

As he finished speaking, he stopped the car at a red light and looked at Ai Haibara with a smile: "And if I really shrunk, maybe I could have a proper early romance with you, Ai."

"!"

Ai Haibara's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She whimpered and glared at him, then huffed in embarrassment and annoyance, "Boring! Who wants to date someone like you!"

"...You don't want to? Then let me think about it, Ayumi—"

"Are you a pervert?!"

"Hahaha."

How dare you laugh!

Ai Haibara glared at him angrily.

As if she no longer wanted to talk to Lin Jiashu, she took out her phone to try and distract herself from the awkwardness.

Lin Jiashu stopped teasing her.

Ai Haibara was casually scrolling through the news when a push notification for entertainment news popped up, startling her.

[Ryusuke Higo x Yoko Okino, their relationship exposed!]

The news photo shows two people disguised, one wearing a baseball cap and the other glasses. They appear to be in a watch shop, with Yoko Okino pointing at watches in the window and smiling as she talks to Ryusuke Higo.

Ryusuke Higo is a very popular soccer player who plays as a forward for the "BIG Osaka" team and is a very popular star.

Upon seeing this news, Ai Haibara couldn't help but look at Yoshiki Hayashi.

"Hey, I remember Yoko Okino... and you two had a somewhat ambiguous relationship, right?"

"What's wrong? You look like you're watching a good show."

Lin Jiashu didn't see the interface on her phone, but naturally he wouldn't admit it directly when faced with this question.

However, Ai Haibara already knew about this, so there was no point in denying it.

But the girl had a look of amusement on her face. She waved the news on her phone to show Lin Jiashu: "But it seems that he is currently dating a famous football star, and he has been photographed by paparazzi, right? It seems that the charm of a certain great detective is not all-powerful after all."

She could see a hint of displeasure or frustration on Lin Jiashu's face.

However, Lin Jiashu just smiled dismissively, his gaze returning to the road ahead, no longer looking at the contents of her phone: "That's impossible."

"what?"

"There must be something between them that requires them to be together, but it definitely has nothing to do with dating."

His overly calm demeanor made Ai Haibara grit her teeth.

She looked down intently at the news in front of her—it was a live news report, and the photo of Yoko Okino and Ryusuke Higo together was probably taken a few minutes ago. The way they were dressed made it seem like they were on a secret date…

"Hmph, someone's really confident in their charm..."

She muttered to herself.

Just then, Lin Jiashu's phone rang. He took out his phone and pressed the answer button, but Kogoro Mouri's tearful, almost collapsing roar filled the car, even without speakerphone:

"Aki!! Did you see the news?! It's all over! It's all over! Yoko-san... Yoko-san actually dated that brat Higo!!! Ahhh! My youth is over! My Yoko-san—!!"

The sound was so piercing, it was as if the end of the world had come.

Lin Jiashu: "..."

Ai Haibara: "..."

A brief silence fell over the car, with only Kogoro Mouri continuing to pour out his despair on the other end of the phone.

"Wait, Uncle Mori—"

Yoshiki Hayashi tried to say something into the phone, but Kogoro Mouri wouldn't listen.

After trying several times, he had no choice but to hang up.

Ai Haibara looked at him with a subtle expression.

—This guy, who knows how far he's been having an affair with Yoko Okino in secret, yet he still has the nerve to pretend to be innocent and comfort Kogoro Mouri.

Ugh……

She sighed.

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.

Mouri Detective Agency

When Hayashi Yoshiki arrived with Ai Haibara, Ran was grabbing Kogoro Mouri's shoulders and shaking him vigorously.

"Dad! Hang in there!! Don't stop breathing!!!"

Ran's voice was full of panic, but Kogoro Mouri was slumped in his office chair, looking like a salted fish.

The television set next to us, already turned on, was also playing this entertainment news story that had quickly become today's trending topic in just twenty minutes:

Both of their agencies stated that they have not been able to contact either of them today and therefore cannot comment at this time. Furthermore, according to Higo's teammates, they both graduated from the same high school, so it's possible that their relationship began around that time—

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!"

Upon hearing the news, Kogoro Mouri, who had been silent and seemingly dead, immediately jumped up, rushed to the television, and cried as he pressed the power button.

After doing all that, he collapsed as if he had been paralyzed.

"..."

"..."

Yoshiki Hayashi and Ai Haibara watched this scene in silence.

It was only then that Xiaolan noticed the two of them, and her eyes lit up with joy when she saw Lin Jiashu.

"Brother Jiashu!"

"A-Shu!!!"