After being brutally beaten by Tequila, Sawaki Kouhei felt a sharp pain radiating from his abdomen. Half of his face was swollen, so much so that it was beginning to put pressure on one of his eyes.
Why is this happening to me...?
Dizziness from fear and pain made Sawaki's legs tremble. He felt the urge to vomit. But under Tequila's fierce interrogation, he confessed everything—his whole plan—while sobbing and trembling.
—I only wanted to frame Murakami Jo! I just chose a random target!
Why… why would a seemingly righteous and fair detective be protected by monsters like this?
Yakuza? Assassins?
These people radiated a complete disregard for human life. That terrifying aura told Sawaki that they were nothing short of desperadoes.
"So you're saying you attacked him purely by coincidence?"
"...It was just a misunderstanding!" Even though his face throbbed in agony, Sawaki ignored the pain and tried desperately to defend himself. "It was only a scratch! It doesn't even count as an injury!"
"Are you f*ing kidding me!?"
Tequila exploded in rage.
His face twisted into something demonic, his fury bubbling over. Sawaki let out a terrified scream—just as Tequila's boot smashed into him again, sending him sprawling.
The burly man in the black suit stormed forward, grabbed Sawaki by the collar, then with his other hand—slammed his head into the concrete floor.
Bang!
Blood burst from Sawaki's forehead, instantly blurring his vision. The pain was secondary to the crushing dizziness and heat radiating from the impact. And before he could even react—slam—his head was bashed into the floor again.
"COINCIDENCE!?!"
"You're telling us it was just a coincidence!?"
"That's the word I hate the most right now!"
Having nearly died from the toilet bomb earlier that day, Tequila hadn't yet processed his trauma. Now hearing that Hayashi Yoshiki had been targeted by a crossbow out of "coincidence" sent him into an even deeper rage.
Sawaki could no longer scream. His voice was lost. His lips trembled as he gurgled and gasped, barely able to stay conscious.
Tequila stood up, blood covering his fists. Looking down at the wreck that was Sawaki Kouhei, breathing raggedly with a pulped face, he growled:
"Tch... pathetic piece of shit!"
He kicked him hard in the stomach, making him spit blood.
"I always heard agave was strong. Looks like the rumors are true..."
Chianti chuckled darkly as she observed from nearby.
Then she turned her attention to her phone, which was on a call the entire time. The name on the screen read: Gin.
"You hear that, Gin? This bastard said he only targeted Cointreau 'by coincidence'."
"How boring. Clean it up already."
Click. The call ended.
That was all Gin needed to hear. Now that Sawaki Kouhei knew Cointreau's identity, he had to die.
"You heard him, Tequila?"
"Yeah."
Tequila grabbed the limp, blood-drenched body and began dragging him out of the warehouse.
"What're you planning?" Cohen asked.
"Tokyo Bay's right nearby. I'll toss him in."
"Why not just shoot him?" Chianti added eagerly.
But Tequila didn't bother answering.
Later That Night — A Message from Chianti
Hayashi Yoshiki suddenly received a disturbing string of texts.
From Chianti—
Chianti:Picture.jpgChianti:Picture.jpgChianti:Picture.jpgChianti:"Hahaha~ Surprised, huh?!"Chianti:"This bastard got caught by Tequila and me. We beat the crap out of him and threw him into Tokyo Bay—bet the sharks are full tonight."Chianti:"Wait, should I bring a fishing rod for fun?"
The first few images were a shock.
They showed Sawaki Kouhei, bloodied and disfigured beyond recognition. The red cycling suit and crossbow were laid on top of his mangled body.
Looking at him now—even writing his name in the Death Note probably wouldn't have worked. The man's features were that distorted.
Was the torture really this brutal...?
Hayashi had written in the Death Note that Sawaki Kouhei would be "tortured and suffocated after being sunk in the sea" at 11:31 p.m. on September 27—but that entry had been vague.
Even he hadn't expected the Black Organization to make it happen.
He leaned back, intrigued.
So the more general the description, the greater the room for the Death Note to adapt...
If the surrounding conditions allowed it, the Death Note would manifest a death scenario matching the cause.
For example, if Hayashi wrote that someone would "die by gunshot in 40 seconds," but there were no guns nearby, they'd probably drop dead of a heart attack.
But if Gin or others were present—armed—the same line might trigger the target to provoke them... and get shot.
Alternatively, if nothing happened, the victim might still "accidentally" get shot, fulfilling the written cause through environmental factors.
"..."
This warranted more testing.
Hayashi Yoshiki replied to Chianti's message:
Cointreau:"…"
A subtle read confirmation.
But Chianti wasn't satisfied.
Chianti:"That's all? That's your reaction?"Chianti:"Come have a drink with me! Or wanna go out for a little fun?"
Cointreau:"Haha, I'm hopping in the shower."
A classic excuse—almost like how girls avoided creeps on early QQ chats.
But as always, the pursuers never noticed.
Hayashi put that phone down and picked up another.
Another Message — From Okino Yoko
Okino Yoko:"Hayashi-kun! I heard you were injured by some criminal's revenge! Are you okay?!"
Hayashi Yoshiki:"Don't worry."Hayashi Yoshiki:"Just a small scratch, nothing serious."
Okino Yoko:"Really? You're not lying to me, are you?"
Hayashi Yoshiki:"Of course not. Just a surface wound. It'll be gone in a few days."
Okino Yoko:"That's a relief… I was so worried when I saw the news after my performance!"Okino Yoko:"How could anyone want to hurt someone as kind as you, Hayashi-kun…"
She sent several more messages, clearly anxious.
Hayashi couldn't help but smile as he read them.
Hayashi Yoshiki:"Are you free sometime soon, Yoko?"
Okino Yoko:"Yeah!"