Raito had recalled that day when Ryuk said "I didn't have a single friend" more than once. Each time he remembered it, he processed it in his head as (a calculation). That was the only way to process it. Because Ryuk was involved in the investigation. Correlation coefficient 0.87——that graph should be nearly complete by now. Raito knew that. But that profile wouldn't leave his head. Late January 2004. The air was bone-dry. Condensation clung to the classroom windows. When Raito arrived at school that morning, classmates were gathered in front of the blackboard. The seating chart results were posted. Raito deftly sidestepped the crowd and searched for his name.——Found it. New seat. Second row from the window. "[excited]Raito! Let's get along starting today!" A voice called out. When Raito turned, a female student already seated in the new desk was waving with a full smile. Konoha Miyuki. She must have arrived at school a bit earlier than usual—her textbooks and notebooks were arranged neatly on her desk. Almost too organized. He knew about Miyuki. One of the top students in the grade, serving as the class life committee member, with refined features and a high reputation among peers. A person in a position similar to Raito's——on the surface. "[gentle]The pleasure is mine." He returned a perfect smile. Raito took his seat. Miyuki on his left. On his right—— The sound of a chair being pulled. With an air of inevitability, Ryuk was sitting to Raito's right. Slouched posture. Barefoot. Shirt hem hanging out. Coffee cup in hand. Where he'd gotten it from, Raito still had no idea. "[cold]I find I can concentrate statistically better here." The homeroom teacher frowned. "Ryuk, your seat is on the opposite side of the room." "[cold]Thank you for confirming." With that, he didn't budge an inch. He dropped one sugar cube into his coffee. Then two. Then three. The homeroom teacher gave in with "……well, just for today." Raito looked out the window for exactly one second. (This is the worst.) His face remained a perfect smile. A voice came from behind. "Hey, Raito's got people on both sides—he's like the class president." Laughter spread. Miyuki said "really" and laughed elegantly. Ryuk completely ignored it and dropped a fourth sugar cube into his coffee. Miyuki looked toward Ryuk and spoke in a bright voice. "[gentle]Ryuk, that much sugar is bad for you." "[cold]The brain requires glucose for activity." "[gentle]But four is……" A fifth one sank. Miyuki's smile froze for just an instant. Raito caught it from the corner of his vision. (She just processed Ryuk as a "weirdo" in 0.3 seconds)——the speed of that judgment was far more transparent to Raito than Miyuki realized. --- At lunch, Miyuki invited Raito to the school store. "[gentle]Raito, want to go together? I'll let Ryuk know." (She's making the first move,) Raito thought. She was trying to cut off contact with Ryuk. She hadn't said it in words. But her actions spoke volumes. On the way back from the store, Miyuki said in a bright voice. "[gentle]Raito, are you free after school today? I wanted to go over some math with you." "[gentle]……sure." He couldn't manufacture a reason to refuse. If he refused, he'd be asked "why." If asked, it would lead to talk of Ryuk. That would become complicated. Raito agreed with a smile. Miyuki looked pleased and said "then I'll let Ryuk know too," heading over to him. Raito watched the conversation from a distance. Miyuki said something, and Ryuk nodded expressionlessly. Ryuk looked toward Raito. "[cold]Understood. Then tomorrow onwards." He said it quietly, directly to Raito. Blockade, successful——that's what Miyuki was thinking. Raito understood. But there was no emotion in Ryuk's "understood." That was what caught in Raito's head instead. No anger. No sulking. Just "understood." (Does this guy really not care about anything, or is it all part of his calculation?) During afternoon class, Miyuki placed a folded note on Raito's desk. Keeping his gaze forward, Raito opened it. ——Isn't Ryuk a little too weird? Everyone in class is put off by him. It's nice of you to humor him, Raito. Raito folded the paper again. (She's trying to damage Ryuk's image while watching my reaction. Such obvious maneuvering.) He analyzed it immediately. But right after that, a different emotion surfaced. (……why am I a little angry right now?) It was a question directed at himself. Not anger at Miyuki. An inexplicable reaction to the fact that Ryuk was being spoken of negatively as a "weirdo." Raito wrote a reply on the note. "It's fine, I don't mind"——in the characters of a perfect smile. As he handed it to Miyuki, Raito wrote something else on a separate scrap of paper beneath his desk. ——Ignore what Miyuki said. He slipped it casually onto Ryuk's desk. Ryuk caught it from the corner of his vision. He pulled it toward him and read. He didn't write a reply. He folded it small and put it in his pocket. That was all. Miyuki watched the entire sequence from behind her textbook. Her smile hadn't cracked. But her eyes weren't smiling. Raito kept facing forward, thinking about the meaning of what he'd just done. (I just defended Ryuk. ……Is it a calculation? A warning to keep Miyuki from making unnecessary moves? Yes. That's all it is.) The moment Ryuk put the note in his pocket——for some reason, the inside of Raito's chest felt slightly lighter. Raito ignored that sensation. He tried to ignore it. He couldn't quite manage to ignore it. --- After school, he got through the study session with Miyuki with a smile. Math review problems, small talk, "see you tomorrow" at the end——he did it all perfectly. When he got home, his father Soichiro was in the living room. The air was different than usual. Soichiro looked at Raito and started to say something for just a moment. But he shook his head and said "it's nothing," looking down. Even during dinner, his chopstick movements were slower than normal. Raito thought (something happened to Dad) while performing a normal dinner. The next morning. Soichiro knocked on Raito's bedroom door. "[serious]Raito, do you have a moment?" He closed the door and spoke while standing. His voice trembled slightly. "[serious]At the investigation headquarters yesterday……your name came up. L——he named you, Raito Yagami, as a Kira suspect." Raito met his father's eyes. Soichiro's gaze was quietly observing Raito's reaction. He wanted to believe, but he couldn't help but verify——those were the eyes he had. A police officer's eyes. A father's eyes too. "[serious]I believe in you. But……" His words trailed off. "[surprised]…………no way." Raito slowly furrowed his brows. An expression of shock. A hint of confusion. It came out so naturally he was impressed with himself. The tone of his voice, the movement of his eyes——everything was perfect. "[serious]Why would I……what's the evidence?" "[serious]The death pattern of twelve FBI agents and your information access times. A statistical match, he said. Correlation coefficient 0.87——L submitted that as evidence. I……lost my temper and argued back. I said I believed in you. But L's logic didn't waver." His father's voice cracked slightly at the end. Raito said "thank you for believing in me" gently, like a son should. He went back to his room and closed the door. His hand trembled slightly as he closed the drawer. (Ryuk——he named me.) That fact alone spun in his head. Kira suspect. Official announcement. That slouched man——he said my name. Anger? Definitely anger was there. But it wasn't just that. Something else was mixed in. That man with the hunched back, arranging sugar cubes along the edge of his desk, had spoken "Yagami Raito" in the investigation headquarters. That fact was lodged in Raito in a way that defied analysis. --- On the 24th floor of Tiara Palace Hotel, in the blue-white glow of monitors, L had stopped with a cake fork in hand. The screen showed statistical graphs. The numbers were precise. The logic was unshakeable. "Kira's most likely suspect——Yagami Raito." The moment he spoke those words, Watari glanced at his profile once. He said nothing. L took a bite of cake. That motion was exactly 0.3 seconds slower than usual. --- The next day at school, Ryuk sat next to Raito as if nothing had happened. While eating strawberry shortcake, he glanced at Raito's face and said. "[serious]Raito, your complexion seems a bit different today." "[serious]Nothing's wrong." He returned a smile. A perfect smile. Ryuk looked at Raito's face for a moment. His fork remained stuck in the cake. "[cold]I don't want to corner you." He said it quietly. Then he went back to eating cake. Raito, facing forward, unpacked those words in his mind. (True feelings or calculation. I can't——judge anymore.) That was the worst part. Until now, he'd been able to judge. Most people's words and actions could be classified one way or another. But Ryuk's words refused that classification. He's angry. Definitely angry. That guy reported me. That's a fact. And yet, this "I don't want to corner you" pierces through his chest for a reason Raito couldn't understand. At lunch, Miyuki came to Raito's side and whispered. "[whispers]Raito, you're with Ryuk again today, but are you okay? People will start weird rumors." Raito looked at Miyuki. He tried to form a smile. For just an instant——there was a gap. Half a second? A full second? In any case, there was definitely a "gap" there. "[gentle]Raito?" Miyuki tilted her head. Her eyes caught that "gap" in his expression perfectly. Raito quickly returned to smiling. "[gentle]I'm fine, don't worry so much." But it was too late. Miyuki had seen that instant. Raito knew she had. A crack appeared in the mask. --- After school, as Raito was getting ready to leave, Ryuk held out a small cake box. Raito looked at the box. He held it in his hand and looked at Ryuk. "[serious]……what's this?" "[cold]Thank you for yesterday's note." Raito hesitated for a second. Take it or don't take it. That guy reported me. That fact doesn't change. And yet—— He took it without a word. Miyuki watched from the classroom entrance, her smile intact, her fists clenched. --- On the way home, Raito walked with the cake box in his hand. The winter sky hung low, its color pale. The wind was cold. He didn't even feel like pulling his scarf up. (Ryuk reported me. That's a fact.) His head understood it. He had to think about his next move. He had to act before being drawn into the investigation headquarters. He had to start calculating now to protect the Death Note's secret. And yet, in a corner of his mind, the voice still repeated: "I don't want to corner you." Raito stopped in front of his home's entrance. Before opening the door, he looked at the cake box for one second. (Why did I take this guy's cake?) There was no answer. He opened the door. His sister's voice came from inside. Raito answered "I'm home" and took off his shoes. The cake box was still in his hand.