Celebrity at the Okonomiyaki Restaurant
"Teacher Hayashi! Please give your autograph!"
" too! Over here, please!!"
"Could you sign this for ?"
"...Alright, just a mont. Let finish this side first. And please don't crowd too much."
Inside a bustling okonomiyaki restaurant, a crowd of excited young girls had gathered around Hayashi Yoshiki, who sat calmly in his seat, pen in hand, smiling graciously as he signed one autograph after another.
Maori Kogoro watched the scene with envy.
"So his novels are that popular with the ladies?"
"Well, a lot of the girls in our class have been reading Yoshiki-san's books lately... Though it seems like most of them are more interested in him than the actual stories,"Ran said with a knowing smile.
At that mont, Heiji Hattori had stepped away to make a phone call. Conan, seated nearby, looked vaguely troubled.
He couldn't help but dwell on Heiji's earlier comnt—maybe Hayashi Yoshiki already knows my identity?
Co to think of it, Conan had made a lot of mistakes during the diplomat incident. Not long after "Conan" went to rest, Shinichi Kudo suddenly appeared—both suffering from the sa cold symptoms. And his own behavior had been, well, less than inconspicuous.
Should I test him?
Since Heiji already knew the truth, it wouldn't be too devastating if Hayashi Yoshiki figured it out. Especially given how much Conan trusted him after his parents' peculiar intervention.
A Tense Misunderstanding
Just then, a girl appeared and sat in the empty seat next to Ran.
"Excuse , that seat's for our friend—"
"You're Kudo, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
Ran blinked, confused by the girl's tone and sudden question.
"Heiji's always talking about you."
"Hattori...?"
"Don't play dumb! I know who you are!"
The girl—Kazuha Toyama—leaned in with surprising intensity, causing Ran to smile nervously.
"You're the girl nad Kudo, the one Heiji t in Tokyo and keeps talking about, right?!"
"No..."
The soft voice didn't co from Ran, but from behind Kazuha.
She turned and saw an exceptionally handso young man standing there—Hayashi Yoshiki.
He spoke gently, smiling as always.
"Kudo refers to Shinichi Kudo, a male high school detective from Tokyo. The person you're thinking of is Mouri Ran."
"...!"
Instantly, Kazuha Toyama's face flushed red.
Her eyes flicked between Ran and Hayashi Yoshiki, and then she quickly bowed in apology.
"I'm so sorry! I misunderstood! You two are a couple, right?!"
"Ah—"
This ti Ran flushed scarlet, eyes wide in shock.
Hayashi Yoshiki blinked, surprised—but his surprise quickly turned into an amused smile.
"So that's how we appear to others?"
Conan looked up sharply.
No!
This wasn't the proper reaction! A normal person would've waved their hands and denied it imdiately!
Why aren't you denying it, Hayashi Yoshiki!?
"Did I ss up again...?"Kazuha looked mortified.
She glanced up at Hayashi Yoshiki's face and suddenly found herself a bit tongue-tied.
"You're Hattori's friend, right? Please, take his seat if you'd like."
"...Okay."
Kazuha sat down, still clearly flustered.
Ran, seeing the misunderstanding was resolved, said nothing further. Instead, she slid her okonomiyaki over to Hayashi Yoshiki with a smile:
"Yoshiki-oniisan, you've been signing for so long. Eat before it gets cold."
"Thanks."
Hayashi picked up his utensils.
Ran smiled warmly at him.
It was an innocent gesture, but Conan couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
Why didn't she clarify either...?
Sensing Kazuha's lingering embarrassnt, Ran tried to steer the conversation toward lighter topics—asking about her relationship with Heiji Hattori.
As expected, two girls of similar age quickly found a conversational rhythm.
Talk of Appearances
Before long, the subject shifted—inevitably—back to Hayashi Yoshiki.
"Seems like being famous has its drawbacks."
"Yeah... I've actually been thinking of making so changes so I won't be so easily recognized."
Hayashi set down his cutlery and chuckled.
"Maybe I should try changing my hairstyle?"
"Yoshiki-oniisan wants a new look?"
"I'm considering it. Any suggestions, Ran?"
"Let think..."
Ran lit up. Hayashi had often complinted her style before, occasionally offering his own fashion tips. She trusted his aesthetic sense and was excited to return the favor.
"If you're that concerned, maybe just wear a mask,"Conan said abruptly.
"True enough."
Hayashi Yoshiki nodded.
A Sudden Turn
Shortly after, Heiji Hattori returned from his call.
Upon seeing Kazuha, he imdiately started scolding her in typical blunt fashion—though not harsh enough to drive her away.
Eventually, they all squeezed back into the police car arranged by Heiji.
Detective Yusuke Sakata from the Osaka First Division was at the wheel.
Just as they were about to depart—
Thud—
A corpse dropped from above, landing hard on the hood of the police car.
Another Case Begins
Following so quick investigation, they identified it as a serial murder case.
What was ant to be a leisure trip to Osaka had now turned into a high-stakes mystery.
"Yoshiki-oniisan, aren't you coming too?"
After sending Ran and the others off, Heiji Hattori turned and invited Hayashi Yoshiki to join their investigation.
"I have an important call to make later. I'll catch up when I'm free. Good luck."
Hayashi Yoshiki didn't seem too invested in the case.
He watched from a distance as Heiji and Conan (tucked under his coat) ran off to investigate.
Eventually, based on the clues they uncovered, Hayashi Yoshiki located the hiding place of Kiichiro Numabuchi.
A Na to Be Judged
Kiichiro Numabuchi—a forr mber of the Black Organization.
Trained as a killer for his physical prowess, but later discarded and repurposed as a test subject for APTX4869. He escaped before human trials began.
Even before joining the Organization, Numabuchi had a record of murder. While evading capture, he killed three more people.
Hayashi Yoshiki opened his notebook and wrote the na:
"Kiichiro Numabuchi"
"In the end, you couldn't escape your fate as an experint."
"Whether it's APTX4869—or the Death Note."
Reviews
All reviews (0)