…What was this detective even saying?
Narumi Asai couldn't process it.
His thoughts jumbled, he followed Hayato Masaki toward the civic hall in a daze.
When he snapped back—
"Whoa! Who's this cute lady?"
Kogoro Mouri's excited shout rang out.
Narumi Asai jumped, startled by the enthusiasm. Realizing this was the other detective he'd hired, he gave a wry smile. "Sir…"
"Hayato-nii, done sightseeing?"
Ran approached Hayato Masaki, smiling brightly. "What'd you think of the island?"
"Scenery's great. Oh, and their roasted seaweed's amazing."
"Seaweed?"
"Yup, crispy and delicious. I polished off a pack without thinking. Wanna grab some together tomorrow?"
"Sure!"
Ran looked thrilled, leaning toward Conan. "You'd like to try it too, right, Conan?"
"Yeah, sounds good!"
Conan nodded, then turned to Hayato Masaki with a deliberately innocent tone. "But wow, Hayato-nii, you're so cool—out for a stroll and already meeting a pretty lady."
Hayato Masaki's smile didn't falter.
He grinned at Conan's wide-eyed act.
This kid…
Trying to stir trouble with Ran?
Hayato Masaki found it amusing.
His lips curved as he glanced at Ran. "By the way, Ran, about that thing we talked about…?"
His pointed look clued her in.
She nodded, gesturing for him to step aside.
Seeing them deliberately move away to talk privately, Conan bristled.
What's that about?
"Hayato-nii, I've noticed Conan's kinda precocious. Sometimes he's so sharp, it's not even kid-like…"
"From what I've seen, he's definitely not your average child. But if he's stubborn, don't push too hard. Liking older women isn't exactly a crime."
"No way! Kids should act like kids…"
Ran paused, then asked, "Got any ideas, Hayato-nii?"
"For now, keep watching him. It's still early days…"
"Makes sense."
"And another thing…"
Ran held back a secret.
Sometimes, Conan gave her vibes eerily like Shinichi Kudo, who'd been missing for a while. The déjà vu was uncanny.
Conan watched Ran nod earnestly at Hayato Masaki, occasionally looking struck by realization, and it drove him nuts.
Meanwhile, Narumi Asai, having dodged Kogoro's attention, stole glances at Hayato Masaki. He couldn't fathom how someone so gentle could say those words.
What was his deal?
With a tangle of emotions, Narumi Asai stayed with the group at the civic hall until the memorial service ended at 9:30.
"Chief, hold up. We've got a case and need to ask you some questions."
"What's this about?"
The current Moonlight Village chief, Tatsuji Kuroiwa, looked more like a yakuza boss than a politician—gruff and sleazy. He took the letter from Hayato Masaki.
Kuroiwa had heard Tokyo detectives were sniffing around and worried his drug ring was exposed. This letter seemed unrelated, though.
No one noticed the faint red glow from Hayato Masaki's ring as he handed it over.
Kuroiwa struggled through the letter. When he saw the name Keiji Aso—
"K-Keiji Aso?!"
He shrieked in terror.
Before anyone could react, he gasped for air, stumbling back as if facing a nightmare, the letter slipping to the floor.
"Kuroiwa-san?"
"What's wrong?"
His reaction was beyond intense. He backed into a wall, while others from the service gaped.
Kogoro stepped forward. "Kuroiwa-san?"
"Stay back!!"
"What's your deal…?"
"K-Keiji Aso… H-How are you still alive?!"
His words stunned the room.
Kuroiwa pressed against the wall, staring at empty air, babbling in sheer panic.
"Hallucinating?"
Conan wondered.
Hayato Masaki glanced at his watch.
—Hypnosis paired with the Death Note was a killer combo.
He'd tested it before: using the Death Note to force detailed hallucinations, like making someone jump off a building. It didn't work—they died of heart failure instead.
Now, he'd used Keiji Aso's name to spark fear in Kuroiwa, amplifying it with hypnosis. The script he'd written in the Death Note was playing out.
"No way, it's impossible!"
"You're dead!!"
"You burned in that fire!!"
In Kuroiwa's eyes, a twisted black figure loomed.
A charred, humanoid shape…
It shuffled closer.
As it neared, blackened ash flaked off, revealing raw, burned flesh—
Keiji Aso!
Kuroiwa knew it was him.
The hatred in those eyes was too much. He tried to scream, but the figure's hands clamped his throat, silencing him.
To everyone else, Kuroiwa was clutching his own neck, veins bulging with the force.
"Hey, what're you doing?!"
The sudden chaos threw everyone.
Kuroiwa's grip threatened to crush his windpipe. His face turned red, then purple. Kogoro rushed to stop the inexplicable suicide.
But Kuroiwa's hands were locked tight—even Kogoro's strength couldn't pry them loose. Others jumped in, barely managing to pull him free.
"Hah… hah…"
Kuroiwa collapsed, gasping, his flushed face slowly normalizing.
"What's wrong with you? If you didn't wanna talk—"
Kogoro, winded, started to gripe but froze.
Kuroiwa, just catching his breath, clutched his chest, face twisting in agony and fear—then went still.
"Kuroiwa-san?"
"Kuroiwa-san?!"
***
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