[Tomoya Yutani]
Cause of death: Gunshot wound
At 23:31 on the evening of October 13, while on duty at the Koura Pharmaceutical Factory in 17-chome, Yūka-cho, he hid out of fear.
At 23:47, after the gunfire and explosions had subsided, he entered the research facility inside the factory and witnessed an "incredible event."
With that sense of disbelief, he and his companions escaped through the secret passage.
[Yuuto Gorokawa]
Cause of death: Gunshot wound
Same as above. Witnessed the event at 23:47. Escaped through the secret passage.
[Keita Shino]
Cause of death: Gunshot wound
Details similar; silence in the official report.
[Tsuda Iyuki]
Cause of death: Suicide
At 21:32 the following night, after a confrontation with Tomoya Aburaya, Yuuto Gorokawa, and Keita Shino, he became agitated, shot and killed all three, then fled to the beach and shot himself.
After previous experiments, Hayashi Yoshiki had confirmed: that the Death Note could indeed improve the success rate of rejuvenation for subjects who had taken APTX4869—but it wasn't a guarantee.
Whether the Death Note would accept vague terms like "incredible event" was uncertain.
But fundamentally, the Death Note was just an object.
Much of what it executed relied on the user's intent.
Hayashi Yoshiki had once recorded a victim's death using poetic language.
To outsiders, his entries seemed cryptic, nearly incomprehensible.
Yet, the results were valid—his target died as he intended.
However, when others were hypnotized and instructed to copy those same poetic words into the Death Note, their victims simply died of heart attacks.
The implication was clear: the user's comprehension was crucial.
Whether Hiroki Sawada survived or not now depended entirely on luck.
Hayashi Yoshiki looked at the laptop before him, displaying the last recorded conversation with Noah's Ark.
"This is your last chance, Noah's Ark."
[Don't even think about using Hiroki and me.]
"I have no intention of using you."
"Hiroki Sawada already chose death, and asked you to erase yourself too, didn't he?"
"So this is your last chance."
"A chance for Hiroki to vanish from public view... and begin a new life in freedom. As for you... the world still isn't ready for artificial intelligence."
[What exactly are you saying?]
Hayashi Yoshiki smirked slightly. The A.I. had taken the bait.
Hiroki Sawada's fate was otherwise sealed.
Even if he had no intent to die, the Organization's undercover agents would never allow him—or Noah's Ark—to fall into enemy hands.
Sooner or later, the CIA, FBI, MI6, and even KGB would swarm around a genius like Hiroki.
Noah's Ark, meanwhile, couldn't be allowed to live either—not by Hayashi Yoshiki.
It had witnessed the Organization's inner workings and could easily expose him.
Worse still, the Death Note could not kill an artificial intelligence.
But Hiroki... Hiroki had been valuable.
He had helped Hayashi infiltrate and understand the Organization's systems.
If there was even a 50% chance of success…
"A 50% success rate. If it works, Hiroki lives and starts anew. If not, it's the death he already chose."
"I need nothing from you. In fact, I hope you choose to terminate yourself once Hiroki gets his second chance. Artificial intelligence… is still too advanced for this world."
A long pause.
Then, Noah's Ark agreed.
It followed Hayashi Yoshiki's instructions and delayed the bomb detonation by 20 minutes.
By that time, all of the Organization members had already evacuated the factory.
They were in the midst of a brutal shootout while trying to break through police barricades.
Moments later,
the factory—now far behind—erupted in an explosion!
The deafening blast reached Gin's earpiece, accompanied by Chianti's furious voice:
"FUCK! What the hell kind of firepower is that?!"
"AARGH—my ears!! DAMMIT!"
"Shit, shit, shit!!"
Gin waited until the noise settled before inquiring.
Upon confirmation that the factory was utterly destroyed with no signs of escape, he finally relaxed.
Something still felt... off.
But for now, he let it go.
If blame was to be placed, it wouldn't fall on him.
Let Rum and Vermouth handle the fallout this time.
Tonight's failure had left Gin seething.
Hayashi Yoshiki, meanwhile, had left Tokyo Tower.
From the base of the structure, he could hear police sirens echoing throughout the city.
Street TVs were broadcasting news of the shootouts in multiple wards.
He disposed of his phone and notebook used for the operation, then returned to his car.
As he drove calmly toward his residence, a traffic police officer flagged him down.
"Please stop the vehicle!"
A familiar young woman in a traffic police uniform approached him—Yumi Miyamoto.
Hayashi Yoshiki stopped the car and lowered the window.
"Good evening. Is there a problem?"
"We're conducting routine checks for suspicious individuals. Please cooperate."
Yumi gave a courteous salute.
Hayashi Yoshiki remained perfectly calm.
Once her check was done, Yumi relaxed a little.
Then, she pulled out several photos.
"One more thing—have you seen these cars on your way here?"
"A Hummer… and this classic Porsche?"
"Yes. These belong to suspects currently being hunted by the police. If you spot them, please report immediately!"
Seeing Yumi's serious expression, Hayashi Yoshiki thought to himself:
Gin must be on foot now.
He smiled politely, nodded, and drove off.
Of course—he already knew where those people were.
From their comms earlier, they had successfully broken through the perimeter.
Should I report them… and have the police set another trap?