Kai had met Yoshihiro Togashi before.
What kind of person was he?
Even at a noisy, bustling awards ceremony, the man could stand there with long, messy hair and a disheveled look, casually accepting praise from everyone around him.
'Togashi-sensei is someone who lives in his own world. Spiritually fulfilled. Reality barely touches him.'
That was the impression Kai had formed.
So why, at the book signing event for Death Note's first collected volume, was the Togashi standing in front of him now glaring at him with fury?
Facing Togashi's anger, Kai felt exactly like prey caught in a predator's sights.
"Togashi-sensei, what are you..." he stammered.
...
Three hours earlier, Togashi had finished a date and picked up a copy of Weekly Shonen Jump.
He'd been following Death Note.
The more unconventional a manga was, the more creative fuel it gave him.
He already had some rough ideas forming for his next shonen manga.
Now was the phase for gathering material.
'Death Note is number one in Jump again. Even with the reader surveys, Kanzaki-sensei still took first. He really is impressive.' Togashi nodded to himself.
The most formidable newcomer since the platinum era genuinely had the skills to back it up.
"I heard there's a book signing for Kanzaki-sensei at the plaza up ahead!"
"The author of Death Note? I love that manga. Let's go!"
A couple walking past Togashi said this to each other, then hurried off hand in hand.
Togashi stayed where he was, smiling with amusement.
"You're really popular, Kanzaki."
It was the satisfaction of a veteran watching a junior succeed. But he couldn't be bothered to attend a colleague's signing event.
Too much hassle. Too many social obligations.
With the sun beating down, he simply sat in the shade of a tree and watched from a distance as the crowd squeezed into the signing venue.
Then he shook his head and went back to reading.
...
Light Yagami had killed the agent investigating him, seemingly achieving a clean victory. But in doing so, he had also exposed several things.
L was searching for the one clue that would deal a fatal blow to Kira. Light was also asking himself whether he'd missed anything.
And that something had been grasped by Raye's fiancée.
Facing the death of the man she loved, she was devastated. But as a former agent herself, she began investigating the circumstances Raye had mentioned before his death.
The deeper she dug, the clearer it became. Raye had been killed precisely because he'd been investigating Kira.
In other words, Kira was among the people Raye had looked into.
If she could tell L this, he would surely bring Kira down.
At that moment, Light was delivering clothes to his father at the station. But when he called ahead, no one answered. Soichiro Yagami was in a meeting with L elsewhere.
Light arrived at the police station and saw a woman.
She was wearing a leather jacket and jeans, carrying a backpack, standing at the reception desk with an effortless grace.
'Kanzaki's drawing has really improved. This character has real charm now. Very feminine.'
In some manga, the female characters' faces and bodies were drawn well enough on paper, but they just didn't stir anything.
That happened when the manga artist failed to capture the actual qualities that made women compelling, that softness or fullness that went beyond just anatomy.
Light sensed that this woman possessed intelligence, and he grew cautious. If she made casual contact with the police, it could lead to disaster.
She had chosen to go directly to the task force created specifically to target Kira.
That made Light pay attention.
Even though he doubted she had any real evidence, it was better to be careful.
Putting on a bright, friendly face, Light brought up various things to gain her trust. That he'd helped the police solve cases before. That he was the police chief's son. That the FBI agents' deaths had suspicious circumstances beyond what was publicly known.
He even leaked information about Kira himself.
"Kira might possess power even more terrifying than the rumors suggest!"
The woman's melancholy face shifted to shock. She'd been thinking the same thing.
Just like that, she began to trust Light Yagami.
Light suggested that there might be a mole inside the police station and lured her outside.
He introduced himself first, prompting her to do the same.
She said her name was Shoko Maki, and even spelled out the corresponding kanji for him.
"Oh no." Togashi sighed.
He'd taken a real liking to Shoko Maki. She was the most beautiful character in Death Note…
No, that wasn't it. It was that she was a pitiful woman whose fiancé had been murdered and who was now being deceived by the very person who killed him.
The expression on her face, the way her lips parted when she spoke, all of it carried charm.
Kanzaki had clearly poured enormous effort into depicting Shoko Maki, to the point where she practically radiated off the page.
Because of that, Togashi felt perfectly justified in siding with her. Due to a dangerous situation during an investigation, Raye had shown his identification to someone.
That person might be Kira.
Raye had only told Shoko Maki about this.
Light was on edge. If L learned this piece of information, it was over.
Fortunately, Light had found her first.
'The strong luck of a villain.' Togashi sighed again.
Light already knew her name.
He checked the time. 1:12 PM.
He wrote on a scrap of the Death Note.
"At 1:15 PM, Shoko Maki will act as if she doesn't want to trouble others and, using the best method of suicide she can imagine where her body will not be found, she will carry it out and die within 48 hours."
Time ticked forward. Light was waiting for Shoko Maki to die.
But when 1:15 arrived, she was still standing there, still talking about Kira.
Light's composure cracked.
"So it was a fake name." Togashi caught it immediately.
Shoko Maki suggested going back to the police station.
Light couldn't refuse. If he resisted, she'd sense something was wrong.
There were only five minutes left. He had to find out her real name.
Otherwise, he was a dead man.
At this moment, cornered with no way out, Ryuk whispered in his ear. "You can always make the eye deal, you know. In just a few seconds, you'll have her name."
Light's pupils trembled. And then, without a shred of hesitation, he refused.
No matter what, he could not sacrifice half of his remaining life.
Three minutes left. His brain was in overdrive. He hadn't figured anything out yet, and time was almost up.
So he called out to her, forcing himself to speak.
Investigating Kira had to remain confidential. The police station was just a front. In reality, the task force headquarters was completely isolated from the outside. She wouldn't be able to reach L there.
When she questioned this, Light claimed he was also a member of the task force.
Many officers were too afraid to stand against Kira. L was shorthanded. A genius high school student like Light had been recruited for exactly that reason.
Shoko Maki believed him.
______________________
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