Detective Conan: Death Note

Boom boom boom boom The deafening sound of the propellers echoed high in the sky. Having received the retreat signal, Vodka skillfully maneu

Boom boom boom boom

The deafening sound of the propellers echoed high in the sky.

Having received the retreat signal, Vodka skillfully maneuvered the armed helicopter back over the airship. After lowering the rope ladder, it wasn't long before Hayashi Yoshiki and the others safely boarded the helicopter.

"Where's Cointreau?"

Vodka was a bit surprised not to see Hayashi Yoshiki's figure.

Gin, who had removed his gas mask, wore a dark expression that startled Vodka.

No way... why does big brother look so grim? Could something have happened to Cointreau?

He swallowed nervously.

He knew how much Big Brother valued Cointreau. If anything had really happened to him... the next stretch of life was probably going to be a very tense one.

"He's not dead."

Seeing Vodka's terrified expression, Gin immediately understood what he was thinking.

Vodka still didn't dare say a word.

"That guy always makes a huge fuss when he's just entertaining himself. One day, if he really sinks in the gutter, that'd be interesting."

Hmph...

Luckily, it wasn't a wasted trip.

Gin pulled out the glass vial containing the green liquid from his pocket, calming down a bit.

Vodka understood perfectly.

Damn it, Cointreau went crazy again, made a big scene, killed people, and they all blindly believed it, rushing here with an armed helicopter to rescue him...

No wonder big brother's face looked so foul.

"So this is the deadly bacteria causing all the noise in the news?"

Chianti, sitting in the back, looked curiously at the vial in Gin's hand.

"That's right."

Gin gave a cruel smile looking at the vial.

Bioweapons were far scarier than firearms. Once leaked, they could threaten the lives of tens of thousands, even millions.

Still, an 80% mortality rate was probably too high.

The ideal target for the sake of the Liquor Factory Virus Research Institute was to lower the fatality rate of the virus or bacteria under development to around 50%, then sell their specially developed vaccine to various governments once the disease had spread...

This would create an absolutely lucrative business.

Though the bacteria obtained this time was unrelated to that business, it might become a new subject for future research.

Buzz buzz

Gin's phone vibrated.

Picking it up, he saw the sender was Cointreau and snorted coldly — this kid didn't even bother to pretend, not even confiscating his phone.

Cointreau: "Not sure if you'll actually use it, but just saying. That bacteria is fake, and those mercenaries never had any bacteria from the start."

Holding the vial in one hand and the phone in the other, Gin's expression stiffened for a moment.

So he really came all this way for nothing?

Damn you, Cointreau!

When Nakamori Ginzo arrived with his subordinates on the airship's surface, two armed helicopters had long since fled.

Hayashi Yoshiki had also returned to the group.

"Yoshiki-nii!"

"Yoshiki-nii!"

"Ah, I'm currently infected with bacteria."

Facing Sonoko and the kids who ran up to him, Hayashi Yoshiki smiled and spread his hands.

"Don't try to scare us. Ran-senpai already told us the rash is just a skin allergy."

"I see."

"We're so glad you're okay. We were all scared to death just now."

Sonoko put her hand on her chest and sighed deeply.

The others did the same.

At that moment, Ayumi looked at Ai, who had been silent all along but kept staring fixedly at Hayashi Yoshiki.

"The one who was probably the most worried is definitely Ai. She was acting really strange earlier."

"Yeah."

"And she said sorry to Dr. Agasa just now, then tried to chase after those scary people."

Hearing Genta Kojima say this, Shiho's expression changed.

Really?

Hayashi Yoshiki looked at her.

The girl pressed her lips tightly, one hand on her arm — but that revealed a blood mark from where she had dug her nails into her skin. Besides that... her bitten lip was also very obvious.

"When I came over, I noticed something was really wrong with this kid."

Sonoko looked at Shiho with some pity.

She didn't know exactly what was wrong with her but could tell she cared about Hayashi Yoshiki a lot...

Of course, Sonoko wasn't jealous; she just felt that this kid must have gone through something bad and then got helped by Yoshiki-nii — otherwise, there was no reason for her to be like this... She felt a little heartache for her.

"I'll take her for a walk." Hayashi Yoshiki said.

Without waiting for Ai's reaction, he bent down and picked her up, leaving the dining room.

The girl tried to struggle, but Hayashi Yoshiki pressed down lightly on her head: "Enough."

Watching them leave, Dr. Agasa finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Hayashi Yoshiki took Ai to a lounge and stood by the glass porthole, looking out at the scenery.

It was already evening.

The sunset seen inside the airship was very different from that on the ground — the orange sun seemed lower, and the clouds dyed orange-red looked close enough to touch.

"So, earlier was a plan to run out, reveal my identity, and ask them to take me with them for treatment?"

"Thank you."

Shiho kept her face stern and silent, but Hayashi Yoshiki smiled.

He gently smiled at her in his arms and lightly bounced her up and down, the close distance letting him smell the faint scent of shampoo in her coffee-colored short hair.

Ai, who had expected a scolding, felt her heart tremble.

Her usually tense young face softened in this moment, especially when looking at Hayashi Yoshiki's gentle and ever-graceful face. That lost-and-found feeling surged, reddening her eyes.

But she didn't cry.

She only said stubbornly: "No matter what, I don't want you to die."

"Of course, I'm not—"

"You never listen to me!"

"...Ah."

Hayashi Yoshiki looked at her surprised.

The girl with red-rimmed eyes seemed to have forgotten she was being held, staring hard at him as if glaring... but within seconds, her adorable face softened again, even seeming a little weak.

"Please, Cointreau..."

"I don't want to go through what happened today again."

Hayashi Yoshiki was silent for a moment.

After a while, he laughed.

"Thank you, Shiho."

He called her by her original name.

The girl's heart tightened.

Seeing that smile, she almost immediately realized he was about to say those evasive words she never wanted to hear...

Every single time, it's always like this—

When will he ever think about him, about himself...

Her moist, reddened eyes could no longer hold back.

Angrily, she leaned in and forcefully covered Hayashi Yoshiki's mouth with her lips.