"Ili Günter von... is that so?"
The very next day after meeting Koizumi Akako, Hayashi Yoshiki received a letter from her.
Unlike certain sorcerers who live in modern times but still struggle with using contemporary technology, Miss Witch was surprisingly well-adapted. She and Yoshiki had already exchanged phone numbers.
He stared at the name in the text message for a long time, then opened the Death Note and pulled a pen from the holder on his desk.
He wrote down the name and cause of death first.
Then he added the time and a detailed description of how it would happen.
—It was like writing in a diary, a page and a half of clean, meticulous planning.
Hayashi Yoshiki's handwriting was graceful and elegant.
Once finished, the evenly spaced characters made the text almost artistic.
Now, all he had to do was wait.
With some free time on his hands, Yoshiki reviewed his list of upcoming tasks:
Learn a minority language.
Obtain photos and real names of high-ranking Black Organization members.
Incidentally, Yoshiki had already learned Vodka's real name during their casual bar conversation that night. Judging by Vodka's intelligence and personality, the name was most likely genuine.
If so, then the name Kurosawa Jin, which appeared alongside Uozuka Saburo, was likely Gin's real name as well.
Perhaps he could ask Koizumi Akako to confirm it?
—And if he could obtain a photo of Karasuma Renya, everything would become far simpler.
Before being transported into this world, Hayashi Yoshiki had already known that the boss of the Black Organization was Karasuma Renya, a ridiculously wealthy man from half a century ago. His wealth far surpassed even that of the Suzuki conglomerate or the Ooka family.
Records indicated he was already over 100 years old forty years ago—and somehow, he was still alive today.
...If only Yoshiki could remember his face clearly, he could write Karasuma's name in the Death Note and manipulate him into leaking every internal file—effectively giving Yoshiki control over the entire organization.
Yoko Okino:"I used the tip you gave me to find a Chinese restaurant today, and it was amazing!"
The phone buzzed lightly beside his water glass. Yoshiki picked it up and saw the message was from Yoko Okino.
In this world—where texting was limited and the internet was still in its infancy—people mostly chatted via phone or SMS. Sending pictures required the now-archaic MMS feature.
The picture showed two steaming baskets of dumplings on a table, with a chilled drink beside them.
Yoshiki:"Xiaolongbao. They look really good."
Yoko Okino:"Yes! So juicy, and there's even soup inside each dumpling!"
Yoko Okino:"They were hot and went perfectly with the chilled apricot wine. I enjoyed it so much!"
Yoshiki:"So Miss Yoko drinks alcohol?"
Yoshiki:"I'd like to try it too, sometime."
—Since their recent date, Yoko Okino had begun messaging him more frequently.
She shared details about idol activities, filming sets, and sometimes just everyday thoughts. Her words were filled with brightness and vitality—she truly seemed like a girl full of life and curiosity.
From Yoshiki's perspective, when a girl shares a restaurant recommendation with you, it usually implies a hidden invitation.
Whether or not she actually asks depends on her personality.
Yoko Okino:"Would you be interested in Chinese food, Yoshiki-kun?"
Yoko Okino:"There are so many items on the menu I still want to try. If you're free sometime, could we go together?"
Yoshiki:"But it might have to be a few days later."
Yoko Okino:"Sure! Let's set a time later, Yoshiki-kun. (◕‿◕✿)"
She even added a cute emoticon at the end.
Was this... affection?
Come to think of it, even Light Yagami attracted the affection of the pop idol Misa Amane. According to that story, Misa tragically committed suicide on the Valentine's Day after Light's death.
Yoshiki didn't have much to say about that.
He had never been one to judge the dead—neither praise nor condemn.
His only opinion on Light Yagami was simple gratitude. After all, Light had already tested much of the Death Note's functionality, which saved Yoshiki the trouble.
After replying "OK" to Yoko, Hayashi Yoshiki tore a blank page from the Death Note, tucked it into his notebook, and prepared to go out.
A sleek silver sedan rolled out of the underground parking garage at Mihua Second Apartments.
Yoshiki was heading to Ekoda City—he had spotted a notice from Kaito Kid in the local paper. The notice claimed that Kid would steal an artifact from the Ekoda Museum at 8:00 PM tonight.
This would be Kid's first move since Spider arrived in Japan under the guise of a touring magician… and that meant Spider would likely make a move as well.
Ring-ring~ Ring-ring~
His second phone rang.
It was a call from Gin.
"It's me. Come to the bar at 10:30 tonight."
"Tonight?" Yoshiki said, eyes on the road as he shifted lanes. "That might be difficult. I have to head out now."
"If there's a new target, just send me the file. I'll take a look and let you know."
"There's nothing for you at the moment. But, Cointreau, your public fame as a detective is starting to decline. Don't forget the organization's expectations."
"Well, if there's no case, there's nothing I can do."
Meanwhile, Kogoro Mouri's fame was on the rise again thanks to Conan Edogawa, the true genius behind the "Sleeping Kogoro."
"Don't worry. This is all part of my plan. I'll pick up a new case soon… quite easily, in fact."
Gin didn't reply. After a pause, the line went dead.
Just looking for a case to stumble upon?
Did this guy Cointreau mean… fabricating one?