Detective Conan: Death Note

"From what you guys said, this isn't the first time Hattori's been attacked, right?"

Earlier that morning, Hattori Heiji had quietly slipped out of the hospital while Kazuha and the others weren't paying attention. Conan went with him—but to their surprise, they bumped into someone already waiting at the hospital entrance.

"Brother Yoshiki!?"

"Why are you here?" Conan asked.

"Because you two wear your thoughts on your faces," Hayashi Yoshiki replied with a smile, pointing at his own.

"'We must find the murderer no matter what!'

You both had that exact expression when you looked at each other."

"So you just sat here waiting?" Heiji muttered, a bit exasperated. "I'm honestly impressed…"

He glanced around nervously, half-expecting Toyama Kazuha to burst out of the hospital doors chasing after him.

Confirming the coast was clear, Heiji turned serious. "Brother, we're happy you want to help, but the culprit is skilled in kendo and archery. He's dangerous."

"A high schooler with shoulder and head injuries, and an elementary schooler who can't even carry a bag…" Yoshiki looked at the two of them, eyes calm.

"Do you really think either of you is in better shape than me?"

"…"

Heiji fell silent, thoroughly convinced—and secretly relieved to have a reliable ally joining them.

"But I didn't expect Yoshiki to be waiting outside like this," Conan said as they walked.

"I could tell nothing would stop you," Yoshiki replied. "But it's still reckless to face a criminal like this."

He stopped in front of a vending machine and fed in some coins. A loud clang sounded as the can dropped.

"When you think of Kyoto, it's hard not to think of red bean soup. Even canned, it's better than nothing."

"Things from a can always taste terrible," Heiji grumbled.

"You won't know unless you try." Yoshiki smiled as he cracked open the can.

The three made their way out of the hospital and onto the streets. On the way, Heiji and Conan filled Yoshiki in on the details: the attacks, the stolen statue, and the mysterious coded painting.

The incident stemmed from a commission received by Mouri Kogorou from Ryuen, a monk at Sannoji Temple in Kyoto. The temple housed a sacred Healing Buddha statue, revealed only once every twelve years. However, the statue had been stolen eight years ago. At the time, Ryuen had urged the abbot to call the police, but the abbot refused—claiming that if fate allowed, the Buddha would one day return.

And just a few days before the next scheduled exhibition, a mysterious email arrived.

"If you solve the puzzle in the painting, you'll find the Buddha statue."

That cryptic message prompted Ryuen to seek Kogorou's help.

Conan, tagging along, encountered Hattori during the case. Their investigations had led to two attacks: one with arrows in the forest, and another while returning after failing to catch the killer of Shozo Sakura, an antique dealer.

"He attacked you twice even though your investigation hadn't made much progress?" Yoshiki mused. "If the intent was to stop you from learning the truth, that's... excessive."

"Exactly. It doesn't add up," Conan agreed.

"Which means…" Yoshiki narrowed his eyes. "You may already have something the culprit wants."

He then turned to Heiji. "I heard the abbot asked you to help recover the Buddha statue. Hattori-kun, show me your glass bead."

"Oh… right." Heiji fished out a small item he'd kept hidden for eight years.

Yoshiki took it and examined it in the sunlight. A clear, slightly glowing bead…

"This may be the white urna, embedded in the Buddha statue's forehead."

"The glowing part on the statue?!" Heiji's eyes widened.

"Right."

"Then the reason the culprit keeps targeting Heiji is because of this white bead?!"

"…It's possible," Yoshiki said thoughtfully.

"According to that magazine interview about Hattori's unforgettable first love, he found this bead at a temple eight years ago… and that's exactly when the Buddha statue was stolen from Sannoji Temple."

He handed the urna back.

Heiji's expression turned awkward—what he thought was a memento of young love was now connected to the Healing Buddha. That shift was hard to process.

"If someone's willing to kill over this bead…"

Heiji's voice dropped as he adjusted his cap. The atmosphere grew heavy.

Yoshiki said nothing, just smiled, and casually tossed the now-empty can into a nearby trash bin.

"Was it good?" Conan asked.

"Surprisingly good." (It really wasn't.)

The three arrived at the teahouse where the suspects had stayed. Ryuen, the Noh singer Shuntaro Mizuo, and the antique bookstore owner Saijo Taiga had all been there last night. All three, along with the murdered Sakura Masazo and even the abbot, shared one hobby: kendo.

Heiji confronted the three and questioned them about their whereabouts last night and their familiarity with kyudo (Japanese archery). Each of them denied any deep knowledge.

"I was attacked last night," Heiji announced bluntly. "At the time, I didn't understand why. But now… I might."

He then dramatically produced the glass bead.

"I was thinking of handing this over to the police. If I do, the killer won't have any reason to target me again."

Someone's gaze subtly shifted at those words—but none of them betrayed any overt emotion.

"What is that, exactly?" Ryuen asked.

Heiji only smiled and tucked it away again.

Soon after, Chikasuzu, the teahouse's maiko, returned to thank everyone for their stay and guided them outside.

"You're headed to Sannoji Temple, right?" she asked. "It's on Rokujō Street. This is Ichijō."

"How do we get there?"

"Marutake, Ichijō, Oshikōji, Oike… Sister Hexagon…"

She sang a local children's rhyme, gesturing with her hands to indicate the direction.

"What was that song?" Conan asked.

"It's called the Handball Song. Kyoto kids use it to memorize street names—north to south, east to west."

"…Could you sing the whole thing?" Yoshiki asked with unusual interest.

Conan and Heiji looked at him.

Had he just figured something out?

After Reika left, Yoshiki confirmed it.

"The code in the painting," he said.

"…"

"Don't forget—Officer Ayanokouji asked us to solve that painting's riddle to locate the Buddha statue. And I'm guessing the Handball Song is the key."

Realization hit Conan and Heiji at once.

"That's it!"

But first, they needed a map.

Back at a bookstore, they bought one. But as they sat down to solve the riddle...

"Marutake, Ichijō... what comes next again?"

"…Let me do it." Yoshiki, unable to bear it, rattled off the entire chant from memory.

"...Your memory is too good," Conan muttered.

They began drawing lines across the map. When connected according to the painting's riddle, the strokes formed the kanji 王 ("King"). A small dot in the painting hinted at another stroke: adding it formed 玉 ("Jewel"). The dot's position on the map matched Fukuō Temple.

At the temple, they found no hidden Buddha statue—but they did find a worn stone tablet inscribed "Site of Gyokuryuji Temple."

"Gyokuryuji? Could that be what the painting refers to?" Heiji asked.

Yoshiki asked a local, learning that Gyokuryuji Temple sat deep within Mount Kurama—and had been abandoned for years.

"Shall we go?" Yoshiki asked.

"Of course!" Heiji said.

"Are you sure? You haven't eaten, and you've been running around since leaving the hospital…" Yoshiki said, concerned.

"Brother Yoshiki's right. You should eat something first," Conan added.

Heiji hesitated, then gave in. "Alright. Let's at least grab a bite."

They went back to a vending machine.

Conan, curious, ordered the same red bean soup Yoshiki had earlier praised.

One sip in, he realized—it was overly sweet, the beans mushy, and the flavor weak.

He slowly turned to Yoshiki, deadpan.

"…Not tasty?"

"Heh heh."

Conan rolled his eyes. Why lie about red bean soup?

Just then, Yoshiki checked his phone—a cheerful text from Okino Yoko full of Kyoto food and sightseeing recommendations. Yoshiki smiled, quietly typing a reply.

Meanwhile, Heiji's phone rang.

He expected Kazuha. But when he answered—

"Is the white hair still with you?" a sinister male voice asked.

"…Who are you?"

"Hmph. Those two girls are with me now. Bring the white hair to Gyokuryuji Temple on Mount Kurama within an hour. Call the police or lose the bead—and they die!"

"Heiji! Don't come! He'll kill you!"

The call cut out.

The voice was unfamiliar, but his demand was clear—and terrifying.

"…Damn it!"

Heiji's face darkened as he lowered the phone.

"What's wrong?" Conan asked.

Heiji looked at them, ashamed.

"…Kazuha and Ran were kidnapped."

"WHAT!?"

"The culprit wants the white bead delivered to Gyokuryuji in an hour. No police… or he'll kill them."

"..."

Conan's expression turned deadly serious.

And Hayashi Yoshiki's face darkened with quiet fury.