Chapter 7: Hayashiki's Calculations
Drip, drip…
The sound of water from the bathroom gradually faded until it stopped.
Moments later, Hayashiki stepped out in a bathrobe, towel-drying his damp hair. With one hand, he flipped open his phone and unlocked it.
"Come to the bar tomorrow at 7 PM."
A text message from an anonymous number.
He showed no visible reaction after reading it. He simply deleted the message and walked over to the bedroom window.
It wasn't surprising that Gin would arrange another meeting. Though he hadn't been able to get any leverage on Hayashiki, who knew what he might try next?
But for now, it didn't matter.
To Hayashiki, the Organization was surprisingly easy to navigate.
As long as he completed assignments and didn't harm—or at least didn't get caught harming—the Organization's interests, everything else was negotiable.
Even Gin, who was known to eliminate his own men without hesitation, tolerated agents like Vermouth and Bourbon, who often acted with a mysterious independence. Or Pinga, who provoked him outright. The only reason they got away with it was their competence—and the fact that Gin hadn't caught them crossing the line.
Still, if Gin took an interest in Hayashiki and started assigning him frequent dirty work, that would be… inconvenient.
"I should raise my public status quickly..."
Someone like Pisco, with a high-profile public identity, was rarely mobilized by the Organization. His "attendance rate" was low because of his respectable social standing.
So Hayashiki figured being just a mystery novelist wasn't enough.
"If I were an active and well-known detective…"
He gazed thoughtfully out the window.
The Organization had no shortage of assassins. But someone who could investigate cases openly, gather intelligence without suspicion—a detective—would be far more valuable.
And truthfully, Hayashiki had been planning on that path from the beginning.
The Death Note was powerful, yes—but relying solely on the Organization's database of criminals to find victims might eventually raise red flags.
A detective, on the other hand, could interact with criminals freely and frequently. No one would think twice about it. And through that, he could meet talent.
Like Scorpion, the sniper who favored right-eye shots…Or Kevin Yoshino, a former U.S. Marine sniper…Or the killer Mayoi Tachibana, known for using wire to strangle her victims.
Not that Hayashiki needed them to do the killing—he had the Death Note, after all.
But having access to their skills and identities had other advantages.
For example, if he wrote that a target with no experience picked up a sniper rifle and headshotted someone at 600 yards, the notebook would reject it—physically implausible. But if he controlled an actual sniper to do it? That was another story.
And since they were criminals, their body counts wouldn't raise suspicion.
"..."
Intrigued by these thoughts, Hayashiki tossed the towel aside and sat down at his computer.
He opened the browser and typed Lupin III into the search bar. His slow internet took several seconds to load the results.
Lupin III, internationally wanted thief. Alleged descendant of Arsène Lupin. Suspected in numerous high-profile heists around the world. Currently wanted by over 30 countries...
So he really existed here too.
Hayashiki scanned the page, illuminated by the monitor's glow.
Lupin III was the protagonist of a wildly popular manga from the 1970s. The series had even crossed over with Detective Conan in a few films—so their worlds were now officially fused.
There are definitely some useful characters in Lupin's universe...
Hayashiki leaned in, his mind racing.
Before his reincarnation, he had never been a hitman or spy. He'd never held a gun. He'd studied a little self-defense, sure—but compared to the monsters in this world, he was no more than an amateur.
If he ever found himself in a dangerous situation, the Death Note wouldn't help him draw faster than a bullet.
His thoughts drifted.
Yes, supernatural elements existed in the Conan universe—Koizumi Akako's magic being the most direct example.
But magic was unreliable.
What really intrigued him was another character from Kaito Kid's world: the master illusionist Gunnar von Goldberg II.
On the surface, a world-famous magician.
In the shadows, an assassin codenamed Spider, hired by mysterious forces and repeatedly targeting Kaito Kid. His illusions bordered on magic—but were likely based on advanced technology.
Hayashiki opened another tab and searched his name.
There were plenty of public photos and articles—he was famous, after all.
Perfect.
He took out the Death Note and wrote:
Gunnar von Goldberg II"At 12:14:31 AM Tokyo time on March 19, he will place an international call to 0081-xxx-xxx-xxx and follow all spoken instructions to the letter. On April 12, he will be killed during a mugging."
In the original story, Hakuba had mentioned the name "Gunnar von Goldberg II" was fake. Even his nationality was falsified.
So Hayashiki wasn't surprised when the time passed and his phone remained silent.
As expected... just a fake name.
He wasn't disappointed.
But if only he had the Shinigami Eyes, he could have seen the real name directly from the photo…
I'll have to try another method.