At precisely 6:30 p.m., Hayashi Yoshiki returned to Namba Hōtei Shrine.
He hadn't joined Hattori Heiji and Conan in their pursuit of Kaito Kid. The magician thief already had enough trouble awaiting him tonight; it felt unnecessary—almost cruel—for Yoshiki to add more.
Waiting near the steps was the chief priest, who recognized him instantly.
"What brings you back, sir?"
Yoshiki bowed politely.
"Apologies for the intrusion, Mr. Gongshi. I wanted to ask… why was my fortune so different from everyone else's?"
The priest accepted the fortune slip with a curious expression. But as he read the text, his face shifted—confusion, followed by a furrowed brow, and then outright frustration.
"Please wait here a moment."
A few minutes later, he returned, dragging a junior high girl by the ear. She wore an eye patch over her right eye and a bandaged hand, though her exaggerated gestures and unbothered movements suggested her "injuries" were nothing but an act.
"I sincerely apologize," the priest said, flustered. "Sometimes I ask this child to help with writing fortunes. I had no idea she was sneaking in such nonsense!"
"What do you mean nonsense? That was awesome!"
The girl struggled animatedly, clearly enjoying her little performance.
The stern, composed priest from earlier was now red with embarrassment. He rapped the girl on the head and forced her to bow in apology.
"No harm done," Yoshiki said, smiling gently. "In fact, I found it rather interesting. Among a sea of generic fortunes, I drew the only unique one. That must count for something."
The girl beamed at his words.
"See! I told you he'd understand! Big brother's got taste!"
"That doesn't mean you can sneak them into the box again!"
"What if I'm really careful and you don't notice—?"
Yoshiki quietly excused himself before the girl earned any more smacks.
Still, a sliver of unease remained. With the existence of people like Koizumi Akako, Yoshiki didn't entirely disbelieve in spiritual power. Was this "mistaken fortune" truly a coincidence?
He checked his watch.
Just as decoded from the preview letter, chaos erupted near Tsutenkaku Tower. Police mobilized, sirens rang through the streets, and spectators gathered in confusion.
Yoshiki took out his phone and calmly typed a message:
19:41 — Blood on the Wind
At a bridge near Osaka Port, Seiran Hoshi stood with her sniper rifle locked onto her target. In the shadows, disguised beneath layers of ordinary clothing, she had a perfect shot.
With a single press of the trigger, she fired—
And Kaito Kid plummeted from the sky, his glider failing like a bird with clipped wings.
A faint, satisfied smile curled her lips.
The Egg of Memory was now within reach.
As a descendant of Rasputin, the infamous "Mad Monk" of Russia's Romanov dynasty, Pu Siqinglan had long hunted down the imperial family's lost treasures. She had worried about competing bidders… but now? Kaito had unwittingly delivered her prize.
She packed up the rifle and ran toward where Kid had fallen.
A brass bullet whizzed past her cheek.
She snapped her head toward the sound.
In the shadows stood a man with lifeless eyes, holding a silenced pistol. Something about his face was vaguely familiar—a wanted man, perhaps? A petty criminal?
Why was he targeting her?
As her mind raced, she drew her weapon and trained it on him. But just as she tightened her finger on the trigger, the man convulsed, dropping his gun, clutching his chest, and collapsing to the pavement, twitching violently.
Pu Siqinglan stared in disbelief, her weapon still raised.
She didn't move closer. Something felt off.
Then, the sound of a skateboard cutting through the air reached her ears.
Looking up, she spotted a familiar small figure—a child in glasses, speeding down the road.
Pu Siqinglan's lips tightened.
Abandoning her pursuit, she retreated swiftly into the shadows.
Conan reached the scene moments later.
There was no Kaito Kid.
But scattered on the ground were unmistakable clues:
A cracked Egg of Memory.
A single, broken monocle.
"Kid's monocle… Did he… get shot and fall into the sea?"
Conan looked toward the nearby water.
The night tide shimmered, deceptively calm.
Only distant sirens and gentle waves responded to his question.
When police arrived, they retrieved the stolen Egg of Memory and identified a man collapsed on the bridge.
Their forensic analysis confirmed:
Gunpowder residue on his hands.
Cause of death: sudden cardiac arrest.
Back at his location, Hayashi Yoshiki received the report.
"A heart attack, huh?"
The attacker—Daigo Onoda—had been under his influence for over a week.
Not through the Death Note alone—but via hypnosis, manipulation, and mental conditioning.
Name: Daigo OnodaActions:On August 15 at 3:00 p.m., arrives at Warehouse 6-51, Beika Town.Binds himself with available materials.Remains in place until the morning of August 23.Travels to Osaka Prefecture.Cause of Death: Suffocation at 17:36 on August 27.
But tonight's mission had been a deviation.
From August 15 to 23, Onoda had been subjected to illusion-based brainwashing—Yoshiki's attempt to create a "living puppet."
The question was simple:
If a person's cause of death is predetermined by the Death Note, can that person still function outside its parameters under the influence—perhaps as an undying soldier?
Even with layered hypnosis and forced compulsion, the Death Note's will was immutable. Once written, it could be manipulated slightly, but not overwritten.
Yoshiki recalled a previous experiment:
He scheduled someone to die by hanging.
Then, he pushed that person from a 20th-floor balcony before the scheduled time.
The person still died—but of cardiac arrest mid-fall, not hanging.
And so it was with Daigo Onoda.
Despite his control, the man's body obeyed the contracted death.