Celebrity at the Okonomiyaki Restaurant
"Teacher Hayashi! Please give me your autograph!"
"Me too! Over here, please!!"
"Could you sign this for me?"
"...Alright, just a moment. Let me finish this side first. And please don't crowd too much."
Inside a bustling okonomiyaki restaurant, a crowd of excited young girls had gathered around Hayashi Yoshiki, who sat calmly in his seat, pen in hand, smiling graciously as he signed one autograph after another.
Maori Kogoro watched the scene with envy.
"So his novels are that popular with the ladies?"
"Well, a lot of the girls in our class have been reading Yoshiki-san's books lately… Though it seems like most of them are more interested in him than the actual stories,"Ran said with a knowing smile.
At that moment, Heiji Hattori had stepped away to make a phone call. Conan, seated nearby, looked vaguely troubled.
He couldn't help but dwell on Heiji's earlier comment—maybe Hayashi Yoshiki already knows my identity?
Come to think of it, Conan had made a lot of mistakes during the diplomat incident. Not long after "Conan" went to rest, Shinichi Kudo suddenly appeared—both suffering from the same cold symptoms. And his own behavior had been, well, less than inconspicuous.
Since Heiji already knew the truth, it wouldn't be too devastating if Hayashi Yoshiki figured it out. Especially given how much Conan trusted him after his parents' peculiar intervention.
A Tense Misunderstanding
Just then, a girl appeared and sat in the empty seat next to Ran.
"Excuse me, that seat's for our friend—"
"You're Kudo, aren't you?"
Ran blinked, confused by the girl's tone and sudden question.
"Heiji's always talking about you."
"Don't play dumb! I know who you are!"
The girl—Kazuha Toyama—leaned in with surprising intensity, causing Ran to smile nervously.
"You're the girl named Kudo, the one Heiji met in Tokyo and keeps talking about, right?!"
The soft voice didn't come from Ran, but from behind Kazuha.
She turned and saw an exceptionally handsome young man standing there—Hayashi Yoshiki.
He spoke gently, smiling as always.
"Kudo refers to Shinichi Kudo, a male high school detective from Tokyo. The person you're thinking of is Mouri Ran."
Instantly, Kazuha Toyama's face flushed red.
Her eyes flicked between Ran and Hayashi Yoshiki, and then she quickly bowed in apology.
"I'm so sorry! I misunderstood! You two are a couple, right?!"
This time Ran flushed scarlet, eyes wide in shock.
Hayashi Yoshiki blinked, surprised—but his surprise quickly turned into an amused smile.
"So that's how we appear to others?"
Conan looked up sharply.
This wasn't the proper reaction! A normal person would've waved their hands and denied it immediately!
Why aren't you denying it, Hayashi Yoshiki!?
"Did I mess up again...?"Kazuha looked mortified.
She glanced up at Hayashi Yoshiki's face and suddenly found herself a bit tongue-tied.
"You're Hattori's friend, right? Please, take his seat if you'd like."
Kazuha sat down, still clearly flustered.
Ran, seeing the misunderstanding was resolved, said nothing further. Instead, she slid her okonomiyaki over to Hayashi Yoshiki with a smile:
"Yoshiki-oniisan, you've been signing for so long. Eat before it gets cold."
Hayashi picked up his utensils.
Ran smiled warmly at him.
It was an innocent gesture, but Conan couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
Why didn't she clarify either...?
Sensing Kazuha's lingering embarrassment, Ran tried to steer the conversation toward lighter topics—asking about her relationship with Heiji Hattori.
As expected, two girls of similar age quickly found a conversational rhythm.
Before long, the subject shifted—inevitably—back to Hayashi Yoshiki.
"Seems like being famous has its drawbacks."
"Yeah… I've actually been thinking of making some changes so I won't be so easily recognized."
Hayashi set down his cutlery and chuckled.
"Maybe I should try changing my hairstyle?"
"Yoshiki-oniisan wants a new look?"
"I'm considering it. Any suggestions, Ran?"
Ran lit up. Hayashi had often complimented her style before, occasionally offering his own fashion tips. She trusted his aesthetic sense and was excited to return the favor.
"If you're that concerned, maybe just wear a mask,"Conan said abruptly.
Hayashi Yoshiki nodded.
Shortly after, Heiji Hattori returned from his call.
Upon seeing Kazuha, he immediately started scolding her in typical blunt fashion—though not harsh enough to drive her away.
Eventually, they all squeezed back into the police car arranged by Heiji.
Detective Yusuke Sakata from the Osaka First Division was at the wheel.
Just as they were about to depart—
A corpse dropped from above, landing hard on the hood of the police car.
Following some quick investigation, they identified it as a serial murder case.
What was meant to be a leisure trip to Osaka had now turned into a high-stakes mystery.
"Yoshiki-oniisan, aren't you coming too?"
After sending Ran and the others off, Heiji Hattori turned and invited Hayashi Yoshiki to join their investigation.
"I have an important call to make later. I'll catch up when I'm free. Good luck."
Hayashi Yoshiki didn't seem too invested in the case.
He watched from a distance as Heiji and Conan (tucked under his coat) ran off to investigate.
Eventually, based on the clues they uncovered, Hayashi Yoshiki located the hiding place of Kiichiro Numabuchi.
Kiichiro Numabuchi—a former member of the Black Organization.
Trained as a killer for his physical prowess, but later discarded and repurposed as a test subject for APTX4869. He escaped before human trials began.
Even before joining the Organization, Numabuchi had a record of murder. While evading capture, he killed three more people.
Hayashi Yoshiki opened his notebook and wrote the name:
"In the end, you couldn't escape your fate as an experiment."
"Whether it's APTX4869—or the Death Note."