"I see. Are you saying that there's a very scary aura around me?"
"A black, ominous aura..."
"That's really a headache."
"Maybe... it has something to do with my personal ability."
On his face—usually adorned with a gentle smile—Koizumi Akako saw a somewhat complicated expression.
There was a pale, lonely quality to it…
"Actually, I can foresee the deaths of certain people to a certain extent."
He said this with a smile.
Though he was smiling, it felt more like a bitter joke. The look in his eyes was almost too painful to meet.
Was it sadness?
Or a sense of powerlessness?
His clear and elegant face faced Koizumi Akako directly. The aura of death that surrounded him and his soft, sincere expression were polar opposites. And yet, it was precisely this contradiction that made his emotions all the more vivid.
Koizumi Akako listened quietly.
Her instincts told her that the man before her wasn't lying. His clear eyes held no deceit… but perhaps there was something veiled behind his words.
She found herself intrigued.
"Do you have any proof? And why are you so convinced that my divination can help you?"
This was the first time Koizumi Akako had encountered someone with powers as mysterious as those of her own family.
At first glance, she had thought the man before her was terrifying...
But after only a few minutes of conversation, his words and demeanor seemed unexpectedly kind and easy to get along with.
Of course, she wouldn't let her guard down so easily.
Still, it was rare to meet someone of the same "kind"—and curiosity inevitably stirred in her heart.
"Just like Koizumi-san was able to sense something unique about me, I was able to notice something very special about you... As for evidence—"
Ding-ling-ling-ling!!!
The bell signaling the end of class rang, and soon after, students began to pour out of their classrooms.
Koizumi Akako was about to speak again, but among the crowd of students, several girls caught sight of Hayashi Yoshiki—
"Hey… doesn't he look familiar?"
"Ah! He was on TV!"
"Isn't that Hayashi Yoshiki-sensei?!"
"Seriously?!"
"Kyaa—please give me an autograph!!"
In no time, Hayashi Yoshiki was surrounded by a group of excited girls.
Maybe not all of them knew who he was at first, but many simply came to join the commotion. And in a school, the one thing everyone had on hand was pen and paper.
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled as he signed autographs for each of them.
As always, he purposefully misspelled certain strokes in his signature—his own little touch of flair.
Koizumi Akako hadn't expected him to be so popular. After hearing bits and pieces from the other students, she realized he was a mystery novelist… and a detective.
A detective...
He couldn't be a bad person, then.
After all, she was just a high school student herself, and her thoughts—while clever—were still relatively straightforward. Seeing the crowd swell around him, she decided not to linger and turned to leave.
Though he was being pulled into the frenzied energy of the schoolgirls, Hayashi Yoshiki still kept part of his attention on Koizumi Akako. In fact, he'd come to find her specifically at the end of class.
While he didn't expect any conflict, it was always better to be cautious. In public, and especially surrounded by witnesses, Koizumi Akako wouldn't risk using magic.
Thinking this, Hayashi Yoshiki smiled elegantly at the crowd of girls:
"Please don't rush—one at a time."
"Can you sign this too?"
"Of course! I'm glad you've read my books, but I don't recommend bringing them to school."
"One moment, please."
"Okay—study hard, alright?"
Meanwhile, on a suburban road—
Vodka was driving Gin's beloved car during an outing.
The rain hadn't stopped all day.
The black Porsche 356A glided along the slick roads. Drizzle streaked across the windshield, swept away rhythmically by the wipers.
Vodka was a remarkably steady driver.
Gin, sitting in the passenger seat, was busy sending mission details via text to operatives. Despite the stormy weather, he barely felt a single jolt.
Bang!
Suddenly, the vehicle jolted violently. A loud noise came from outside, and Gin immediately lifted his eyes from his phone.
"Brother… sounds like we've got a flat tire."
Vodka was the first to speak, then his face froze as a terrible thought crossed his mind:"Could it be… Cointreau!?"
"Unlock the doors."
Gin's voice was low and devoid of emotion.
Vodka, startled, obeyed immediately. He noticed that his elder brother had already unfastened his seatbelt and was lowering the passenger-side window.
"…"
Vodka quickly followed suit, unbuckled his seatbelt, and began to slow the vehicle.
Eventually, the Porsche 356A coasted to a stop at the side of the road.
…Nothing happened.
"…"
"…"
The two remained silent inside the car.
Gin glanced around, scanning the road ahead and checking both side mirrors. Nothing seemed out of place.
Only a large truck rolled past in the outermost lane, disappearing into the misty rain.
"Get out."
Gin ordered.
Vodka opened the driver-side door, while Gin stepped out from the passenger side.
The rain poured steadily.
Vodka crouched beside the deflated tire, examining it carefully before concluding:
"Brother… the tire was punctured by something sharp."
Drip… drip…
WHOOOSH… WHOOOSH…
Suddenly, the rain grew heavier. In an instant, both men were soaked.
"…"
Gin didn't reply. He climbed back into the car and shut the door behind him.
Vodka returned to the driver's seat and slammed his door shut.
He brushed water off his sleeves and said:
"...I overreacted. Thinking about it again, there's no way Cointreau would do something like this… without a reason."
"Call someone to take care of the car."
"Right."
Vodka picked up his phone and began making arrangements.
The downpour outside intensified.
And for a long time after, the black Porsche remained motionless under the curtain of rain.