Chapter Six

'Ryuzaki! What do you mean by that?' Chief Yagami demands.

'That there's a strong possibility that this Kira's a fake. No, we should think of him more as a Second Kira.'

'A second Kira?'

'I-I don't understand,' Mr Aizawa says, 'why do you think that there's a copycat? How did you come to that conclusion?'

'I looked at the victims he used for his predictions on the first tape. Their purpose was to prove to Sakura TV staff that he is Kira. Both their names were only reported in tabloids and daytime talk shows, so they weren't exactly hardened criminals. The real Kira has no need to prove himself using such insignificant criminals. But from the perspective of the Second Kira, he'd want to make absolutely certain that he didn't predict the death of a criminal who could be killed by the real Kira first.'

'Ryuzaki,' Chief Yagami asks, 'if you had to put a number on it, what's the probability that there's a Second Kira?'

'This time, I'd say it's more than seventy percent. I really don't like the way he operates. It's not like Kira.'

'Not like him?' Mr Matsuda asks.

'In the past,' Ryuzaki continues, 'he traditionally has avoided killing innocent people with the exception of those who were trying to catch him.'

'I second Ryuzaki,' I interject.

'Frejda?' Mr Matsuda looks at me.

'Go on,' Ryuzaki encourages.

'Well, while I watched the tapes myself during analysis, I've come across something in the speech of the Second Kira. Something that a lot of the people might overlook if they were indifferent to the real Kira. There's a sense of passion in the voice that speaks in the videos. Being a religious person myself, I was able to pick up on several, almost zealous terms that the Second Kira was using in his broadcast to the world. This Kira kills two anchors who have only spoken openly against Kira. Neither ever tried to catch him themselves.'

Everyone except Ryuzaki is shocked. It's not surprising that they wouldn't see it like this.

'Furthermore,' I add, 'he mentions, or I should say acknowledges, several people in the world who do not agree with Kira. In exchange for their lives, he promises not to harm them so long as they don't post their messages online or in the public. This sounds no different than the several historic religious zealots who speak on behalf of their god or gods as a true spokesperson of sort; most of the time they are self-declared prophets. This same speech is evident throughout the tapes. Sentences like 'I will punish those who defy Kira' are almost identical to zealous priests who instigate persecution against any questioner of a higher power.'

'Impressive,' Ryuzaki says, eating another piece of his cake.

'I'm amazed that you were able to catch that,' Mr Matsuda comments.

'I did mention I'm religious.'

'Anyway,' Ryuzaki interjects, 'if we can capture one Kira, I think that will provide us with a lot of insight into how we can find the other one. Mr Yagami, I'd like your permission to ask your son to cooperate with us on this investigation.'

Oh boy. This is where Ryuzaki loses me. He's intent that Light is the original Kira and now he wants Light to join? What the heck!

'Well, I can't say that he's been completely cleared, but his deductive abilities would be invaluable to us right now.'

I stand by what I said before: Ryuzaki's a jerk!

'If my son wants to cooperate with you then I have no reason to prevent it.'

'I appreciate that. However, please don't tell him that we think this latest Kira might be a fake. I don't want him to know that yet. We want to make it appear as if we are chasing the same Kira.'

I hope haven't.

Ryuzaki explains the rest of the plan to us. He basically plans to test Light by completely keeping him in the dark about the Second Kira. He mentions one of the largest clues about the Second, apart from what we've already discussed, is that he only asked for L's face and never his name. If Light is the real Kira, he would not only catch up with this but also not jeopardise any opportunity to get rid of L, probably leading the Second Kira to do the dirty work for him. However, if Light figures out the possibility of the Second Kira and doesn't move forward with any objective to kill L or anyone on the Task Force, the chances of him being Kira remain the same. For his sake, I hope that Light's deductive skills are the only impressions he makes tonight. Chief Yagami goes on to call Light and have him come here. We wait for maybe half an hour for him to show up at the hotel and room. When there's a knock on the door, I volunteer to answer. Sure enough, Light is on the other side waiting to be let in. 'Hi,' I smile, 'come on in.'

'Thank you.'

As I close the door, the proper introductions are made. Ryuzaki then has Light review everything the tapes have to offer and as discussed, the rest of us remain silent and watch. Light quietly views the tapes, taking his time with the little information we've given him. He's on the third tape when Ryuzaki asks Light's opinion. Light stands and says: 'It's hard to say for sure, but there might be another person out there with Kira's power.'

Whoa!

'With Kira's power?' Chief Yagami gasps, 'What do you mean by that Light?'

'At the very least , I'd say this tape was not created by the Kira we're familiar with. It's extremely out of character for him to use these kinds of victims for his killings. And since we've established that he needs a name and a face to kill, it makes you wonder how he was able to kill that detective and those two police officers right outside the television station like that.'

'Wow!' I breathe.

'I-It's the same,' Mr Aizawa says.

'That's…almost exactly how L—I mean, Ryuzaki put it!' Mr Matsuda adds.

'I think you're exactly right about that,' Ryuzaki says. 'We also believe that this is the work of a Second Kira.'

'So you knew about this all along Ryuga—sorry—Ryuzaki?' Light crosses his arms, upset. 'Which means this was another one of your tests?'

'It wasn't my intention to test you.'

Liar.

'The truth is, if I and Frejda were the only ones who thought there was a Second Kira, it wouldn't be too convincing.'

I glare at Ryuzaki. 'Well, thanks a lot!'

'As expected, you did not disappoint us. You've been a great help. It's decided then. We can try and capture the Second Kira by luring him out with our own message by the real one. He's not as sophisticated and, as Frejda graciously observed, he views Kira like he's a god and will most likely listen to the real one.'

'You took the words right out of my mouth,' Light agrees, 'I was just about to suggest that.'

'Oh and one more thing,' Ryuzaki gives Light a hard stare, 'I would like you to play the part of Kira.'

'Uh…me?'

Well this is Ryuzaki pushing his luck. But Light is both creative and smart enough to pull something like that off.

'Do you think you can draft a message in time to be aired on this evening's national news?'

Between Light looking thoughtfully at Ryuzaki and the intensity of the situation, plus my weird sleep patterns the last couple of days, I'm almost convinced that I hear a hoarse laughter, that voice that's been quiet lately. Light consents and begins to work on the draft. Meanwhile, I return to one of the bedrooms to see if there are any results of the DNA samples I've collected. They all seem to be coming from one person. Whoever this fake Kira is, they're either still hiding in Osaka or they have since moved. Most likely the latter, given the disaster we faced a few days ago. Jeez, it's still a whirlwind. Feeling a bit more confident about what it is I have discovered, I begin to write a report. I think suggesting getting a search warrant to search the address on the envelope and perhaps to interview the people around the area is vital to catching the copycat. Maybe I should go too, get a view of the placefor myself and see what I can find. Finishing the report and making the note, I email my findings to Mr Watari for review. By the time I emerge from my room, our Kira's message is broadcast on the news:

'I am Kira. The true Kira. The one who was broadcast on Sakura TV several days ago is a pretender, a fake. The purpose of this message is to communicate my will to this imposter. I have chosen to be lenient with him for the time being only because I believe he wishes to cooperate with me in the creation of a new world. But I want to make it absolutely clear that the taking of innocent lives is against my will. If this person claiming to be me is truly sympathetic to my cause and wishes to be of some help, I ask two things of him. That he refrain from killing aimlessly and that he agree to abide by my basic principles.'

Wow! Light sounds like the original Kira would. I'm impressed. Now all we have to do is wait for Second Kira to respond. That means I get to go home for a bit and maybe bring a duffle bag's worth of clothes back with me. I take my purse and approach Mr Matsuda and ask him to take me home. He looks to Ryuzaki for the okay. When we have the approval, I follow Mr Matsuda out of the hotel. At home, I pack up all I need in a duffle bag and everything else in a separate school bag. I need to take what I can of other things to last me a long time. This is probably the last time I'll see my house for a while. When we get back to Task Force Headquarters, I move my things into the spare room with Mr Matsuda's hep. The others seem to be discussing ways to trap the Second Kira once he responds, which leaves me to mainly mind my own business with either school work or more analysis on the tapes and envelopes in case of an oversight. I get an email from Mr Watari to let me know that he looked over my report and has forwarded it to Ryuzaki. Okay. This would be my cue to focus on school work only. This sudden decrease of stress is a little hard to get used to. Over the next few days, I continue to go to school and come back to the hotel with Light. There are no new messages from Second Kira. Ryuzaki, having looked over my report, grants permission to go to the address in Osaka with a search warrant for the house, but he wants to wait until Second Kira has responded to do so. More waiting. But not for long. Second Kira responds the next day and Mr Watari streams it for us to watch through Ryuzaki's computer:

'Kira thank you for your reply. Please do not worry. I will follow orders and do what you say!'

Wow! I was right.

'Whoa!' Mr Matsuda breathes.

'It worked!' Chief Yagami nods.

'I really want to meet you. I don't think you have the eyes but you don't have to worry, I would never try to kill you. That's a promise.'

'What's this "having the eyes" supposed to mean?' Mr Aizawa asks. 'Is it a code?'

'Please tell me how I can meet you without the police knowing. You'll think of something. And when we meet, we can confirm our identities by showing our Shinigami to each other.'

Our what?

'Shinigami,' Mr Matsuda and Mr Aizawa gasp in unison.

Suddenly Ryuzaki raises his arms high and releases a fearful scream. His lack of balance tips his seat and they both fall to the ground. Some of us move to aid him with Mr Aizawa asking: 'Ryuzaki! W-what's wrong?'

Ryuzaki sits back up but remains on the floor, shaken. 'Sh-Shinigami? Am I supposed to believe that Shinigami actually exist?'

'That's impossible,' Mr Matsuda says.

'Obviously they don't exist,' Mr Aizawa scoffs.

'Yes that's right, Ryuzaki!' Light says, 'Listen to yourself. Of course Shinigami don't exist!'

What are—

'You're probably right, but I remember that Kira had those prisoners write something suggesting the existence of Shinigami!'

'So based on that fact, perhaps we're dealing with the same person after all,' Chief Yagami suggests.

'Excuse me!' I interrupt, 'foreigner in the room! What the heck is Shinigami?'

'In Japanese lore, Shinigami are gods of death,' Light explains.

'Gods of Death?'

'They lure people to their deaths when it's time. Some lore suggests that they consume a mortal's soul which is why they lure them in the first place.'

'I see,' I nod.

Shinigami. I'll have to remember that to research later.

'But still,' Chief Yagami continues, 'that would explain why we're hearing the same words.'

'I don't think so,' Light cuts in, 'because, if this was the same person, it's highly unlikely he would have responded to our video in the first place.'

Light's got a point.

'And why would he agree to let L live after going through all the trouble of getting him to appear on TV? The real Kira wants him dead. So it doesn't make sense.'

'Not to mention,' I add, 'this Kira responds with that same fanatic excitement I mentioned the other day. Pay attention to his wording. "I'll do as you say" for example. I'd say we're looking at either a groupie who got the attention he wanted or an apologetic priest. Most likely the former.'

'Then maybe there's some other connection between the two Kiras,' Mr Aizawa suggests, 'They could have met and decided to use the word Shinigami to confuse us.'

'No, I'd say that's unlikely,' Ryuzaki interrupts, 'It's as Light says. If the two Kiras were connected, I don't think the imposter would be so willing to give up on his plan to kill me. This copycat is acting individually and has is own agenda. Frejda might be onto something too because it seems more likely that the agenda is to meet the original Kira.'

'I think you're right,' Light says glancing at me and then looking at Ryuzaki. 'He's acting out of an interest in Kira. The word Shinigami could very well be some reference to their killing power. Saying "We can confirm our identities by showing our Shinigami to each other" probably means that they'd confirm their identities by somehow demonstrating their ability to kill.'

That works. If Shinigami are mythological gods of Death, then that's the perfect cover to communicate about their killing powers. Especially in a public message.

'Based on their messages,' Ryuzaki says, 'we can assume that the word Shinigami must hold some other meaning that only the real Kira and the Second Kira are aware of. Now we just need to convince this copycat to tell us what that is.'

'Well we can't make it too obvious that our Kira isn't the real one,' Light points out. 'Demanding that much might make him suspicious.'

'Yeah, he may catch on,' I agree.

'No,' Ryuzaki says, 'From now on, it's best that we leave it up to the two Kiras.'

'Why?' Mr Aizawa demands.

The rest of us give him similar questioning looks.

'I imagine that the Second Kira is probably quite satisfied with the current situation now that he's received a televised response. He sent a message to get Kira's attention. As far as he knows, he has it. Also there's that word, the one that the two of them would understand only.'

Ryuzaki lays out the next stage. Second Kira's response will be aired on the 6:00 news. That way, the real Kira would feel cornered. He would want to meet the imposter to avoid coming into contact with the police. That way both will be in the hands of the Task Force when we're done. Both of them. I know what my mission is but I never expected to deal with two. It looks like I'll have to send an early email response. It's not ideal but it's urgent. Afterwards, I'll need to pray.

'But let's say he doesn't respond,' Mr Aizawa says, 'What then?'

'Yes. I've been thinking about what the Second Kira might do if he gets no response. For one, he might reveal more information that he knows Kira wants kept secret, to pressure him. Of course that would make Kira nervous. It could be interesting. But what��s more interesting is if Kira sent a message of his own to prevent this from happening. Ideally this will provide us with physical evidence to build a case against him. In the meantime, let's gather all the information we can on this copycat.'

Another message is sent to Sakura TV along with a diary entry. Mr Watari intercepts it and sends it to us. It's not really the video message that catches our attention this time but the diary: a page from last year. Each day has an important event marked alongside it. As it's written in Japanese, I cannot read a word it's saying. The Task Force has no trouble reading it aloud to me. I feel terrible to be such an inconvenience but with Ryuzaki's mixed race background, I can understand the patience he has with me most of all. While most of the stuff is written on it make no sense, the entry on the thirtieth is what I pay attention to the most. Chief Yagami calls Light to inform him about this new update. 'We'll wait until Light comes to discuss this,' Ryuzaki tells me. 'Meanwhile, Frejda, can you analyse the diary entry and the tape to see if they can tell us anything?'

'Will do,' I nod and take it to my lab.

I don't think I'll have much time to look at the stuff and get results if I'm supposed to bring them out by the time Light comes. On top of that, I'm no expert at this handwriting analysis stuff I've seen done. But hopefully what I can gather is enough, even without the time-frame. The real question is, will it give me any leads and enough evidence to go on for my request to search the place in Osaka? I've barely begun analysis when I'm told that Light is here. I pick up the journal page and bring it out. 'He wanted the journal shown on TV?'

'Yes,' Chief Yagami nods.

'This is it,' I hand the page to Light.

Light takes his time, thinking over the page and its contents. The entry on the thirtieth, that's where it's most obvious the place we should look. It mentions confirming Shinigami at the baseball game in the Tokyo Dome. If confirming Shinigami means confirming their powers to kill, it would only make sense for us to act then. With the way Second Kira works, he might spot a person openly defiant to Kira and kill that person. It's a loss we can no longer afford. In that regard, the Second Kira is not only a fanatic for this so called 'god of justice' but a very stupid person. Unsophisticated is forgivable but this is just ridiculous. Trying to confirm a killing power in the most crowded and most public place in town! Of course…based on what I remember being read earlier, I wonder if there's a hidden message we should look out for. In that case, he's just being underestimated.

'What d'you think, Light?' Ryuzaki asks. 'Is it real?'

Light gives Ryuzaki a thoughtful look. 'At his point in time, all I can say is that he's stupid.'

'I agree,' Mr Matsuda says. 'It's completely obvious he wants to meet Kira at the game.'

A little too obvious.

'Doesn't he understand what kind of panic it would cause,' Chief Yagami says, 'not to mention the cancellation of the game for security reasons.'

'To be honest,' Ryuzaki pops a small chocolate cup into his mouth, 'it's so stupid! I don't even know how to deal with this anymore. If we air this then we'll be forced to make a televised announcement cancelling the game on the 30th. If we don't announce it, we can be sure the Second Kira will do nothing.'

'But won't not televising the diary make him angry?' someone asks.

'Frankly, that's not our concern. From what we've seen, it's obvious the Second Kira worships the first. He mentioned that he will do what the real Kira says. I'm inclined to believe that. I say we air this and make an announcement cancelling the game. We can also air a response from our invented Kira saying that he'll be there. We'll also double security on all the checkpoints leading to Tokyo Dome.'

'You don't honestly believe the real Kira would show up with all that security do you?' I ask.

'The real Kira might not but the other one might, depending on how stupid he is.'

Of course.

'However, if he's not stupid, like we think, there could be another message in all this, hidden in some code; something that people with only the Shinigami power could understand. That being said, I think we should pay attention to all the places in the diary. On the 22nd, Aoyama and Shibuya on the 24th. We have to look out for people in clothing stores in Shibuya and with notebooks in Aoyama.'

If this all goes to plan then we may apprehend at least the Second Kira in one of these places. That being said, Ryuzaki proposes that more surveillance cameras be placed in both areas and have some undercover officers go to investigate in person. Mr Matsuda suggests that he go to Aoyama and Shibuya as he'd blend in with the crowd more. Having been to Aoyama myself, I agree. Mr Matsuda looks young enough to be in the final year of college if not just graduating. Light also volunteers, mentioning that he goes to both places regularly, which is true as he was the one that took me there in the first place. Ryuzaki relays the entire plan of the next few days. If nothing shows up in both days then we would be prepared for the thirtieth. When the meeting is adjourned, I take the journal entry back and head to my room to continue my analysis. The paper can only give me finger prints at best. The envelope will contain finger prints, saliva and maybe even hair samples for me to go by. The tapes might be a bit of a problem. If there are fingerprints, they can be erased but chances are the Second Kira was smart enough to do all of this with gloves.

'So this is your hiding spot?'

I nearly drop the tape I'm holding on the slide glass in fright. Light!

'Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.'

'Ah, no worries,' I sigh. 'I tend to tune out the rest of the world when I'm focused.'

'I noticed. What are you doing?'

'I'm the crime analyst.'

'So they put you in charge of tracking fingerprints and DNA?'

'Yep.'

'That would explain your major.'

'Yeah.'

'Anything?'

'Not yet on the journal or the tapes.'

'How long does it take to gather information?'

'Depends on what I'm looking over but usually one-two days.'

'Alright.'

'So you're headed to Aoyama and Shibuya, huh?'

'Yep.'

'Excited to go undercover?'

'I just want to find Kira and get this over with. At least the second one.'

'Yeah. That one has done a lot of damage. And that says a lot.'

'Do you think the fingerprints will—'

'Frejda,' Ryuzaki calls from the door.

'Yeah?'

'Can I talk to you in private please?'

What the—'Sure.' I carefully place the nearest slide of finger print sampling into the rack of slides. Ryuzaki whispers to me when I near him: 'I want you to go to Osaka while Light is in Aoyama and I want you back no later than the 24th.'

'Uh…okay. How will I get there in time?'

'I have train tickets for you and Mr Aizawa who will be accompanying you. I've also arranged for a stay at the hotel there for the time you need.'

'Great.'

'By the way,' Ryuzaki adds before leaving 'watch what you say to Light. I don't want him to know where you will be the next couple of days.'

'Okay,' I sigh.

I head back to my desk and continue my work. Light seems to be lost in thought 'You okay?'

'I'm good.'

'What did Ryuzaki want?'

'An update on what's going on here.'

'Oh.'

During the moments of silence, I continue to go through the craziness of evidence before me. It takes a while for me to go through what the evidence has to offer beyond fingerprints, saliva and hair samples. I even find pieces of nails in the envelope not to mention some sort of sugary smell. Whoever this is, they must have love for some kind of sweet. The more I look through the DNA analysis of what I can find, just off the surface, something looks very off. These don't look like the same fingerprints from the previous tapes. In fact they seem to differ a little too much. Something else is up here. I might need to isolate the paper, see if it can give me anything else. Tracking handwriting is near impossible but that's the only giveaway I can have. It's vital I go to Osaka. Without that search of the place, this investigation will not go anywhere. 'Drats!' I groan.

'What's wrong?' Light asks.

I forgot that he was still here. 'Stand-still, that's what's wrong.'

'Anything I can help with?'

Ryuzaki asked me to be careful what I tell Light. The things I do for him: 'It's probably my stress getting in the way. I need to spend time away from my work to think clearly.'

'Where're you gonna go?'

I shrug. 'Probably to the pool. They have late night hours here. Or…just to the gym. Yeah, I'll probably go to the gym.'

'Alright.'

I shut down all the computers and neatly put away the slides and evidence, packing them up in their respective cases. When I'm sure that everything is put away, I grab a change of clothes and walk to the bathroom to change. I don't take my time either. Having changed, I return to my room and grab all my gym essentials, packing them in a small bag. I walk out of the room unnoticed. The gym is in the basement floor, along with the pool. When I walk in, no one seems to be in there. With the place empty, I can practise what I've been dying to practise since I got here. I warm up first, running on the treadmill and cycling for half an hour each. My tolerance for intense exercise has decreased since I came here. I find myself getting tired a lot quicker than I normally would. Still my body recognises its need for exercise. Now for the fun part. I set up targets in varied proximity away from one another; the nearest one is a good ten metres away from me. I take my position. Perfect. I throw my first knife. Bull's Eye! I still have it in me. I throw the second knife at a further target. It lands a little further away from the Bull's Eye but good enough. I keep throwing the knives at the targets, getting better with each distance. It's all coming back to me. I miss the thrill of this! I practise for about another hour, at first throwing the knives in the order of the sequence and then randomly throwing them. I wish I had a set up for moving targets though!

I hear clapping and suddenly stop. Ryuzaki.

'Impressive,' he says, 'You can become a feral killer with that skill.'

'Not funny.'

'I wasn't laughing.'

Jerk!

'I've informed Aizawa about Osaka. He's offered to bring some people he knows to help with your investigation.'

'Good,' I nod. My adrenaline is high. Man, I needed this.

'So what did Light want?'

'To talk.'

'Did you give away anything important?'

'No. But he's smart. He watched me work so if he's figured something out…'

'His deductive skills are good but I don't think they're that good. He'll need to see the results of the tests before he jumps to conclusions.'

'Right.'

'Well. Let's see what will happen in Aoyama and Shibuya.'

I review all the necessary files on the way to Osaka. According to the collection of DNA samples and fingerprints, the confirmed identity is a certain millennial named Miko Tanaka. The girl's face, according to a yearbook picture we found, looks harmless: short brown hair with a round face and a beauty mark on her cheek. Of course this nice face could just be a façade. I'm also very prepared to meet a dedicated fangirl. There is a role played here that I can't seem to fathom coming from her but I'm about to find out. Her profile also checks out; she's a decent girl. Well that makes sense considering Kira's ideals and her agreement with him. Maybe if we get the chance, we can interview her. My only hope is that she'll cooperate with us. I can imagine how scary it might be for her when police show up at the front door. That being said, I should even expect her to run away even after we find her.

I set the folders back into my briefcase and look out the window. The scenic route across the rural parts of Japan gets my mind off the case. If I were here on actual Student Exchange or just for vacation, I know I'd want to see more of this side of Japan. It looks quiet, calm and simply beautiful. It almost makes me want to daydream about the people I see, carrying baskets of rice or using the machines to help cultivate the rice and other vegetation. It's really cool to see the local farmers at work. It reminds me of where I grew up: the boarding house near a vast ranch and farm. Three of them in fact. Next to me, Mr Aizawa switches between his computer and his phone. He seems interested in this task. I'm thankful to him though. He was kind enough to gather two of his friends to help with collecting any DNA of the samples we may find in this address. I find the fact that all the lab work is something I'll have to do myself a bit annoying but with their help, I'll be able to spot more than enough to wrap.

'I'm going to go get a drink,' Mr Aizawa says, 'would you like anything?'

'Uh…Coke would be nice.'

'Alright.'

'Thanks.'

He gets up and goes. I flip open my phone and see if I have any messages waiting for me: none. I guess that this is the best time I have to relax. Mr Aizawa returns moments later with a can of Coke and a disposable cup of coffee. I thank him as he gives me the can. I try to have my mind cleared and just enjoy the ride the rest of the time. When we arrive, we check-in at the hotel where Ryuzaki made our reservations. Jeez! For a guy that's around my age, he sure is loaded. The cool parat about this is that I get to have my own room. Mr Aizawa suggests that we get settled and maybe some lunch before we carry on with the investigation. I need a shower anyway. I tell Mr Aizawa and the others to go on ahead to lunch while I freshen up. After a nice long shower and some time to set up my bags, I get dressed: a black long-sleeved turtleneck weith a red long V-neck see-through shirt and black denim. I style my hair into a simple braid. Grabbing my purse and filling it with my room key, phone, wallet and a book to read, I head downstairs to the hotel restaurant. Mr Aizawa and the others are at the bar, having their lunch. I grab a small table. A waiter comes, serving some napkins and some silverware. He supplies me with a menu, asking me what I'd like to drink. I order Coke and while he goes to put the order in, I look over the menu. Both Western and Japanese cuisines are available. I decide to go for a light meal: a tomato and cheese sandwich with fries. I give the waiter my order after he returns with my drink and while waiting for the meal I read what I can of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

When we've eaten and had our fill of relaxation, Mr Aizawa calls the precinct of Osaka police. An escort arrives to take us to the station. In the quickest and probably non-revealing way, Mr Aizawa explains what it is we're doing here. The presentation of the search warrant is what wins over the precinct to show us to the office of the Deputy Director. It's a good thing Ryuzaki gave us a couple of days to go through this. There are a lot more complications to go through just to get to the address for our searching. I guess, given how people feel about the Kira case, and how threatened, the police feel by Kira, this is just many of the necessary precautions. Mr Aizawa speaks with the Deputy Director with strained patience. The man fires question after question, probably trying to figure out what it is we're trying to do. At this point, the existence of a Second Kira is public knowledge so if Mr Aizawa leaves that out, it might not do us good. But there is only so much we can tell the police outside of our little group. Mr Aizawa, choosing his words carefully, is making this take a little longer than it should. It's as much an inconvenience for the Deputy Director, the man should understand this. I pull out my phone to distract myself: just in time to realise I have a message waiting for me. It's from Light:

Any luck with your analysis?

Speaking of picking out correct words. I get to typing: Nothing new yet. You?

I don't expect an answer for a while. Mr Aizawa is not having any luck. At this rate, we're probably not going to get to the address until tomorrow. An hour of arguments later, my suspicions are confirmed correct. The Deputy Director wants to hear from Chief Yagami before we proceed, and if possible, from Ryuzaki himself. Of course both prove to be busy at the moment, probably focused on the surveillance cameras in Aoyama. I return to my room, semi grateful that it's a day of relaxation. I need some time to breathe. I did not bring my knives with me this time but I did bring my bathing suit. Swimming will get me destressed. I let Mr Aizawa know where I will be and ask that he let me know if there is a change of plan from the precinct. I keep my phone on high volume when I'm at the pool. It's an indoor pool and there appear to be three other guests. If my phone rings, I should be able to hear it. I swim undisturbed for about thirty minutes before I hit the showers. When I'm all dressed I check my phone for any messages. Three are waiting for me: the first is from Mr Aizawa telling me that we have been cleared to go to investigate the address, which turns out to be an apartment, tomorrow. the second is from Light letting me know that they've had little luck in Aoyama and the last is from Ryuzaki telling me to cut off contact with every other member of the Task Force save for himself and Mr Aizawa until we reconvene. Fair, I guess. To comply with his wishes, I decide not to respond to any texts unless I absolutely need to. I spend the rest of the day in my room switching between homework and reading for leisure. The only time I go out is when it's time to eat.

The next day a police cruiser picks us up to take us to the apartment to conduct our search. The girl, Miko, would have gone to class at around this time. Perfect. Some neighbours watch us go in, giving us questioning glances. Mr Aizawa handles interviewing some of the neighbours while I and the other analysts go in to get to work. We are careful not to take anything we don't need as we gather the samples. To our luck, several samples lie around the floors, practically begging us to be taken. The apartment isn't necessarily messy but a whole lot of untidy. Candy and chocolate wraps lie around everywhere, some crumbs are found near the kitchen counters, there are also one or two ice cream sticks and wrappers. I also find some gum stuck to several tables. Some are older and some are new. Miko seems to be both untidy and careless. I wonder if she gets many visitors here. More samples of DNA collection lie around all the rooms. This is making our job a heck of a lot easier. We also find strands of hair. That's where I have to take a pause. According to the yearbook picture of Miko Tanaka, her hair is short and brown. While there are strands of short brown hair lying around, there are also strands of longer blonde hair. Huh. Either someone else was here with Miko or Miko dyed her hair blonde and it's a little longer. Making a note of that, I bag what I can and then start to take pictures of the rooms. I need anything that I can research on. Most of the pictures I gather are of the moderate living room and kitchen. They don't really contain much. When I take pictures of Miko's room, I find a lot more to look into later. Miko appears to be very social but there is one girl that frequently pops up in some of these pictures. The rest are posters of Japanese and European metal bands. When I feel satisfied, I meet Mr Aizawa at the door: 'We have everything we need from the place,' I tell him. 'I just want to see if we can get a hold of Ms Tanaka before we leave.'

'Well based on what I've just learned from the neighbours, Tanaka leaves her home late in the morning and does not return until late at night. There is also the fact that she works at a popular restaurant in the middle of town. We can talk to her there.'

'I don't know,' I sigh, 'We're dealing with a person whom we believe is responsible for the tapes sent to Sakura TV. They always run. The last thing I want is to cause a scene.'

'You're right. In order to get that, it's best if we wait for her here but that might take too long.'

We both pause to think over this carefully. Any situation will have her go into panic but which will have her overact the least? If we corner her in the morning, she may feel too tired to talk to us but at least she won't run. It could be appropriate to wait until tomorrow but do we really have the time? We're expected back in Tokyo no later than the day after tomorrow. Then again…

'Where do you suppose she is now?' I ask.

'At school. We were able to get her schedule. She should be done with class in about half an hour.'

'Can we reach her school in that time?'

Mr Aizawa points behind me. 'You see those large buildings there? The two side by side? That's Osaka University. It's about a four minute walk from here.'

'I see.'

Perhaps if I infiltrate the school with my masquerade as a student then I'll be able to get more out of her.

'Do you have a copy of her schedule with you?'

'I do,' Mr Aizawa produces it from a folder in his briefcase. 'Here.'

'Thanks.'

I look over it quickly. The schedule mimics the one I was given when I became an official student at Toho. The hour of the class, the class name, instructor, and the room and building it's held in is all right here. So right now, she's in a class in the Business Building. Mr Aizawa said that it's a four minute walk from here. Time to put my acting lessons into a real practise. 'Mr Aizawa, I want to try handling this on my own. Do you have a recorder I can borrow or a wire I can wear?'

He's taken aback but complies with my plan. Now I have to do my part. I walk in the direction of the school with my plan intact.