Murakami Jo's corpse had been found.
According to the forensic analysis, his time of death clearly preceded the "revenge attacks" on Kogoro Mouri. This validated what Hayashi Yoshiki had asserted earlier—that someone else was responsible.
However, since Sawaki Kouhei had already been handled by Tequila and dumped in Tokyo Bay, and no further attacks had occurred since then, the investigation was shelved and archived.
Kisaki Eri Returns to Work
Not long after, Kisaki Eri was discharged from the hospital.
After a period of recuperation, she officially returned to work today.
"Then please take care of yourself and don't overwork."
"Ms. Kuriyama is now acting as a spy for Ran and me."
"Haha, don't blame her—she's just looking out for your well-being."
"Well… I'm on the subway now. I don't have a destination. Just killing time..."
It was around 2:00 p.m.—the subway was far from rush hour levels of congestion. In fact, it was unusually spacious.
Hayashi Yoshiki, speaking softly on the phone with Eri Kisaki, smiled gently.
Seated directly across from him was a high school girl who had snuck away from school to skip class.
She curiously and quietly observed Hayashi Yoshiki.
There was always something serene about stolen time. As the subway glided between tall buildings at roughly 40 km/h, the gentle swaying brought a calm, dreamlike comfort.
The weather was beautiful today.
The blue sky was clear, the autumn sunlight warm and golden. The buildings outside, retreating in the distance, shimmered under the filtered glow like they were sprinkled with golden sand.
The girl, mesmerized by the ambiance, drifted into a trance.
After Hayashi Yoshiki hung up the phone, he pulled a black notebook from inside his coat.
When the train passed through a tunnel and emerged back into the daylight, sunlight dappled through the windows. Shadows from nearby buildings flickered across his face, momentarily causing his hand to pause.
The entire moment looked almost holy.
In an empty train car, a man with elegant features sat bathed in the golden glow, framed by a pure, tranquil sky.
The girl noticed something else—
He kept checking his watch.This was the third time in two minutes.
Then, Hayashi Yoshiki lifted his head slightly and looked toward a middle-aged man sitting beside the girl.
That man suddenly pulled a 100-yen coin from his wallet, flipped it in the air, and caught it—right hand over the back of his left.
He peeked under his hand—
It was the cherry blossom side.
Just then, the subway announcement played:
"Please note: we will soon be arriving at Yūka-chō-Higashi Station."
The subway began to decelerate—
When the doors opened at the platform, the man rose without hesitation to disembark.
Hayashi Yoshiki also stood, keeping about two meters behind him.
After walking along the platform for ten seconds, the man approached a vending machine—but before he could make a selection, he suddenly clutched his chest in pain and collapsed.
His wallet and coins scattered, and his twisted expression frightened nearby commuters.
"Sir! Are you alright?!"
Hayashi Yoshiki rushed over, kneeling beside him with a look of concern.
Voices stirred in alarm.
The commotion quickly drew station police, and shortly after, a nearby doctor arrived on scene.
After a cursory exam, the doctor announced:
"Looks like a heart attack. He's not going to make it."
Hayashi Yoshiki sighed regretfully, then stood and quietly walked away.
Since it was ruled as a sudden natural death, it didn't draw much attention—and Hayashi Yoshiki merged into the crowd as he exited the station.
Testing the Death Note's Rules
Once outside, Hayashi Yoshiki took out the page he had prepared:
Name: Yuda TakeshiTime: October 16, 2:32 PMAction: Flip a 100-yen coin on the subway and catch it.If heads (cherry blossom side): Disembark at Yūka-chō-Higashi Station and die of a heart attack 23 seconds later.If tails (100-side): Disembark at Tsutsu Station (fifth stop), die in a car accident 7 minutes and 27 seconds later.
"Once again... the subject died according to the first entry."
Hayashi Yoshiki was running a Death Note experiment—to see if it could execute branching conditional outcomes (Plan A vs. Plan B).
Earlier, he had used another test subject with the same logic—and again, Plan A was executed, not Plan B.
The Death Note prioritizes the first written event.
Maybe the notebook doesn't allow for such flexible logic... But more tests are needed.
What if I first force the coin toss result and THEN write a conditional death?
Regardless, he had plenty of test subjects recently.
Yuda Takeshi wasn't a killer—but he was a domestic abuser, stalker, and had engaged in hidden camera voyeurism.
Hayashi also noted that there were still many future criminals from the Detective Conan plot whom he remembered well. Though their arcs hadn't unfolded yet, he planned to "use" them as well.
"Next test—let's see if plastic surgery can trick the Death Note..."
He recalled a case from the Blue Castle Incident, where a maid killed the lady of the house and underwent surgery to impersonate her.
If Hayashi could find the maid's name and photo from before the surgery, could the Death Note still kill her in her new form?
Just like a jigsaw puzzle... piecing together the full set of rules.
It was all deeply fascinating for Hayashi Yoshiki.
Plenty of tests still to come.
Hayashi Yoshiki picked up with ease.
"It's me. Where are you now?"
"Near Yūka-chō Higashi Station. What's up?"
"The new training ground is ready. Training resumes tomorrow."
After receiving confirmation, Gin hung up and followed up with a text containing the address.
Gin had called Cointreau personally.
Because someone in the organization—himself—had recently been ambushed by a petty thug, it was unacceptable. Even if Cointreau's training was still new, Gin didn't want a talented subordinate getting killed by a fluke.
So he made sure the organization prioritized the completion of the new facility.