November 17th
It had been more than ten days since Hayashi Yoshiki last visited the psychotherapy department or received the call from Yusaku Kudo.
Today, he made a phone call:
"Hello? Mr. Kosuke."
"Sorry, I need to cancel this week's therapy session. I'm currently out of town and can't make it."
"Ah, understood. I'll cancel your appointment,"
came the clear, pleasant voice of Fudo Kosuke from the other end.
"When you're ready to resume, just give me a call, Mr. Hayashi."
"Thank you, I will."
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled as he ended the call.
Fudo Kyosuke was still alive.
That fact confirmed something crucial: the Death Note's power to kill depends not merely on the written name, but whether the target themselves consciously recognizes that name as their true identity.
This was a critical revelation.
It was like finding the most essential piece of a puzzle.
Hayashi Yoshiki had other, more significant tests planned next.
As for Fudo Kyosuke, he was now irrelevant.
—However, both Gin and Eri Kisaki took his psychological condition very seriously, so abandoning therapy on a whim would raise suspicion.
After hanging up, Hayashi Yoshiki navigated his contact list until he found a name: Ma Chengshi. He typed out and sent a text:
"Mr. Chengshi, if you have time, please help keep an eye on any recent news from Beika City. If you notice any reports of bank robberies in newspapers or news broadcasts, please contact me immediately."
A reply came swiftly:
Asanami: "Understood. I'll watch for it."
Hayashi put away his phone.
Since the Tsukikage Island incident had concluded, he hadn't taken the initiative to contact Ma Chengshi, though the latter still sent occasional greetings.
This small favor should be no problem.
Still, Hayashi Yoshiki felt an unease—not so much a sixth sense as a rational deduction:
Gin was likely planning to target Akemi Miyano.
It wasn't metaphysical intuition. It was deduction grounded in fact.
Gin always became more agitated whenever Shuichi Akai was mentioned—after all, Akai infiltrated the Organization through Akemi Miyano's connections. If it weren't for Sherry, Akemi would've been eliminated long ago.
Her continued existence was an irritant to Gin.
Osaka Excursion
After ending his call, Hayashi Yoshiki walked toward a group not far ahead.
"Look over there, that's Tennoji Zoo. Over there is the Osaka Sports Center. And right this way is the Tsutenkaku Tower—you can see the whole city from up top!"
The speaker, a dark-skinned youth in a baseball cap, gestured widely, smiling with pride.
"Well? Isn't Osaka awesome?"
"Yes, the view is great,"
Ran Mouri said warmly.
"Tch, looks just like Tokyo Tower to me,"
grumbled Kogoro Mouri.
"Don't compare it to that boring hunk of red steel. This tower and the whole area around it have that Osaka soul!"
Heiji Hattori declared with gusto. Then, spotting Hayashi Yoshiki, he waved:
"Yo! Finished with your call, little bro?"
"Yeah."Hayashi Yoshiki smiled."The vibe here's definitely different from Tokyo. Thanks for the invite—it was worth the trip."
"Told you!"Heiji grinned.
Just two days prior, Heiji Hattori had invited Hayashi Yoshiki, Kogoro, and his companions to Osaka for a visit.
Hayashi wasn't particularly interested at first—until he remembered a certain character that appears during the Osaka arc of the original Detective Conan. That sparked his curiosity again.
(He keeps avoiding direct conversation… Has he figured out who I am?)
Watching Heiji repeatedly whisper to Conan, Hayashi Yoshiki made a deduction of his own.
After the diplomat case, Heiji had joined Kogoro's crew in another case involving Sherlock Holmes fans. It was then that Heiji had deduced Conan's identity.
"I told you not to call me Kudo in front of Hayashi Yoshiki. What if he catches on?"
"I know, I know—I'm being careful…"
"What?"
"You think he's already figured out your identity?"
That last line made Conan freeze.
"What!?"
"Think about it. Based on your usual behavior, even I could guess. A guy with sharper reasoning skills than me? Come on."
"...That can't be right."
Conan suddenly felt nervous.
"I usually play it safe… Besides, half the time, he solves the case before I can even try."
"That so?"
"Yes! Exactly."
Conan nodded a bit too quickly, trying to convince himself more than anyone else.
But Heiji Hattori wasn't buying it.
He shrugged—he wasn't about to get too involved—and turned to the others.
"Alright, tour's done. Time to eat! Today's ride is pretty special."
"You mean the police car?"Hayashi Yoshiki, who had been admiring the view, turned with a smile.
"Wait, how'd you know?"Heiji blinked.
"Well, it was arranged by the Osaka Police Chief's son."
"...So it is a police car?"
Ran Mouri's expression twisted slightly.
She had looked forward to this Osaka trip… but riding around in a police cruiser like a criminal?
"I think it's kind of fun."
"Why do you say that, Yoshiki-oniisan?"
"Haha, relax!"
In the end, they couldn't turn down their host's hospitality and piled into the patrol car that Heiji had arranged.
Their driver was Detective Yusuke Sakata of the Osaka First Investigation Division.
When they first met, he wore glasses and greeted them a bit shyly. His honest face reminded Hayashi Yoshiki of Wataru Takagi from Tokyo's MPD.
This moment gave Hayashi a fresh insight into stereotypes:
Not all Osaka detectives are flashy hotheads with sharp tongues and wild antics.