DN 17: Okino Yoko

"Beika TV Station Murder Case!?"

"Acclaimed Mystery Novelist Proves to Be an Exceptional Detective"

"Police Set Record for Fastest Case Resolution!"

"The Mystery Novelist's Method of Solving Crimes"

"The Mystery Novelist's First Deduction Show!"

Last night's live broadcast on Beika TV's evening news had sparked a frenzy overnight, erupting into widespread attention by the next day.

Morning newspapers were abuzz with the story, and professional mystery magazines featured it as their headline.

Hayato Masaki paid slight attention to the coverage.

Noticing that many headlines prefixed his name with "mystery novelist," he suspected Futaba Publishing was behind the hype. After all, promoting that title would draw more readers to his books.

This suited Hayato just fine.

Whether as a detective or a mystery novelist, it was his reputation that was being elevated.

In a world where detectives held high social status, this was hardly a downside.

"Time to keep testing today."

Hayato opened the Death Note, tearing out a blank page. The paper felt unremarkable—standard notebook quality, though it tore cleanly with smooth edges.

Taking a pen, he wrote:

"March 28, 10:47 a.m., arrives at 3-16 Beika Town, stands outside Kawano Sushi Shop for 15 minutes, then leaves."

"Later, on April 16 at 10:08 p.m., dies from a knife wound."

The Death Note allowed the cause and circumstances of death to be written first, followed by the target's name, and it would still take effect.

After writing, Hayato neatly folded the page and tore it along the crease, splitting the text in half.

"Paper torn from the Death Note retains its effect."

"The Death Note's power won't activate if a name is written across multiple pages. However, if the front and back of a single page are used—surname on one side, given name on the other—it remains effective."

These rules were clearly stated in the Death Note.

But there was no mention of whether a page torn in two, with the surname on one half and the given name on the other, would still work.

Hayato wrote "Tomisawa" on the left piece and "Tomoya" on the right, then pressed the edges together to form "Tomisawa Tomoya."

After finishing, he waited until the time was near, gathered the torn pages and pen, and headed out.

March's spring air carried a slight chill, but the day was pleasant—sunny with a gentle breeze, perfect for a comfortable outing.

Beika City always moved at a relaxed pace.

The residential area was lined with shops, including a café Hayato frequented.

"Hello, I'd like a Chiaro Latte, please."

"Coming right up."

The barista quickly prepared the order.

Moments later, Hayato received his packaged coffee.

He found a bench outside to sit on, opened the lid, and savored the light-roasted coffee with a hint of biscuit aroma blended with milk, creating a sweet flavor.

Chiaro, Italian for "light-colored."

Sipping the warm drink, he checked the time: 10:51 a.m.

Tomisawa Tomoya hadn't appeared.

"No good, huh."

"I see. Even if it's the same page, once torn, it becomes two separate pieces."

"Though I wonder if gluing them back together would work…"

But that would defeat the purpose of the test.

Hayato's idea was that if this method worked, he could pre-write threatening names in pieces, combining them at a critical moment to fulfill the "complete name" condition and cause death. The results, however, proved impractical.

Scratching out the previous text, he started writing again.

He had plenty more to test.

After finishing the new entry, he waited quietly for the moment to arrive.

Then—

Ring-ring-ring! Ring-ring-ring!

A nearby public phone booth rang abruptly.

Glancing at his watch, Hayato smiled faintly.

"Miyazak Michiko"

"March 28, 11:03:09 a.m., on a whim, looks up and dials the public phone booth next to Kawano Sushi Shop at 3-16 Beika Town, hangs up after 30 seconds."

Miyazak Michiko, or Miyazaki Michiko.

The Death Note wasn't limited by language—names and causes of death written in Japanese or other scripts worked equally well. So, would writing a name translated into English or another language still trigger the effect? That was another test Hayato wanted to conduct.

This one succeeded.

Hayato concluded that writing a name in another language could activate the Death Note, likely tied to the writer's subconscious belief in the translation's accuracy.

"I'll need to test this a few more times…"

"If it holds, learning some obscure languages might be worthwhile."

Though cautious, Hayato had to consider the risk of someone seeing the Death Note's contents. Using languages others couldn't read would be safer.

As for other tests—

Ring-ring-ring~

His phone buzzed while he was noting his findings.

Unlocking it, he saw "Yamagishi" on the screen and answered.

"Hello? Yamagishi-san."

"Good afternoon, Masaki-sensei."

It wasn't his agent, Yamagishi Eiichi, but a sweet female voice: "This is Okino Yoko."

"Yoko-san?"

"Yes." Yoko Okino's voice was pleasant but sounded drained. "I saw last night's news. I never imagined something like that would happen… But you were amazing, Masaki-sensei! Like a real detective."

"Thank you. But is something wrong, Yoko-san? You sound exhausted."

"Yes… I'm calling to ask for advice. Do you know any reliable detectives?"

"Detectives?"

"Um… lately, I think someone's been following me. They might've even broken into my place…"

Fear crept into Yoko's tone, her voice trembling despite her acting skills. "So I got your number from my agent to ask if you know a skilled detective who could help."

"Stalking and trespassing? I understand. I know a detective who'll definitely take this seriously. I'll send you his contact details by text."

"Thank you so much, Masaki-sensei!"

***

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