Steady your breathing. Maintain your posture.
At a private gym in Beika Town, Hayashi Yoshiki was in the middle of a high-intensity aerobic session on the treadmill.
After completing his scheduled run, he pressed the stop button and stepped off. His hair was drenched in sweat, and heat radiated from his body.
Seiran Hoshi hurried over.
She handed him a bottle of water with a straw, then took a soft towel and began to gently wipe away his sweat.
"Thank you, Miss Seiran."
"…It's nothing."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the towel.
She didn't dare look at Hayashi Yoshiki's smiling face. Blushing, she averted her eyes and said softly:
"It's only natural."
"But I never intended to trouble you with these things."
"..."
"Please, don't underestimate yourself."
He reached out and gently brushed her cheek, guiding her gaze back to him.
Faced with his eyes, Seiran Hoshi tensed and almost instinctively held her breath.
"You're very important to me, Miss Seiran ."
As her pale cheeks turned bright red, Hayashi Yoshiki smiled softly. His hand lingered for a moment, then he leaned in and whispered into her ear:
"If I didn't have your help, I'd be really troubled. So… please be careful with tonight's mission, alright?"
"…Yes."
Her knees trembled.
She nearly collapsed on the spot but managed to stay upright until he pulled back. Clutching the towel, she stood frozen for a moment before continuing to wipe his sweat with great care.
The warmth from his firm chest...
As her hand passed over that area, her eyes briefly trembled.
Once he had replenished his fluids, Hayashi Yoshiki went to shower.
Seiran Hoshi stood alone, clutching the towel, staring blankly.
Twenty minutes later, Hayashi Yoshiki emerged.
Adjusting his shirt cuffs, he glanced at his watch—it was nearly time.
"Miss Seiran , could you drive me back to the office?"
"Of course."
She quickly followed behind in high heels.
She drove him to the Kindaichi Detective Agency, watched him enter, and left quietly without saying another word.
With twenty minutes left before 3:30 PM, Hayashi Yoshiki was expecting someone for an interview. He had finally decided to hire an assistant to manage the office, as he often avoided fans or missed important cases when alone.
Right on time, five minutes early, someone rang the office bell.
"Come in."
"Excuse me, Mr. Hayashi."
A man stepped through the door—tall, strikingly handsome, with light blond hair and tan skin.
He wore a pleasant smile.
"As scheduled, I'm Toru Amuro, here to apply for the assistant position."
"Please, have a seat, Mr. Amuro."
The man sat politely across from Hayashi Yoshiki.
Sometimes, daily life offers the most surreal coincidences. When Hayashi Yoshiki saw the application from Amuro Toru the previous night, he was genuinely surprised.
Known by the codename "Bourbon", Amuro was a core intelligence operative in the Black Organization. His real name, however, was Rei Furuya—an undercover Public Security Bureau agent.
A highly capable agent, he excelled in observation, combat, and infiltration.
So—was this just a coincidence?
Or had Hayashi Yoshiki's identity been compromised?
From what Gin had disclosed, Yoshiki's identity was highly classified. Any attempt to investigate him within the Organization would leave traces.
And since Amuro had a reputation as Mihua's "working emperor", it wasn't out of character for him to seek a side job like this.
Let's observe a bit longer...
A flicker of darkness passed through Hayashi Yoshiki's eyes.
After all, Amuro Toru was someone he would inevitably have to face. Hayashi Yoshiki had long planned to manipulate several Red Team officers into tagging him as one of their own.
His ultimate goal was to eliminate Karasuma Renya, but that didn't mean destroying the Organization outright.
In fact, what he admired about Light Yagami was how, after eliminating L, he used the Death Note to kill as Kira, while simultaneously posing as L to lead the investigation against Kira.
The same principle applies here.
The Red Team's identity could be useful, and Amuro Toru might just be the bridge.
There was no need to be overly guarded—caution would suffice.
"Did you bring a resume, Mr. Amuro?"
"Yes, here you go."
Hayashi Yoshiki skimmed the résumé, then chuckled:
"Quite the career history."
"Yes, I enjoy learning. And every job is an opportunity to grow."
"I see… judging from your experience, you must be excellent with people. Also quite skilled at driving?"
"Correct."
"Actually, I'm aiming to become a detective myself, but I know I'm not ready yet. That's why I hope to learn from you, Mr. Hayashi."
"From what I can tell, we'll be learning from each other."
"Then…"
"Let's go over the salary and duties of the assistant role."
The discussion continued with a relaxed tone.
To Amuro, this position was a low-risk opportunity:
On one hand, Hayashi Yoshiki was extremely well-known. Working with him would make for an excellent addition to his public resume—useful for his covert missions.
On the other, he was curious about the detective's almost mythical reputation.
And to top it off—he genuinely seemed easygoing and approachable.
"The assistant job isn't complicated."
"Working hours are from 10 AM to 5 PM. If clients visit or schedule appointments, I'd ask you to handle the intake and understand the nature of their request."
"I'm not interested in tracking down missing persons or adultery cases. For those, feel free to recommend Mouri Detective Agency. Of course, if you're personally interested, you're welcome to take them."
"Other than that, I'll need help checking my emails and the dropbox out front."
"That's basically it. Does that sound acceptable?"
Amuro Toru smiled brightly:
"No problem, boss. I can start today."