Chapter Two

I don't go home that night. Despite managing to file a complete list of all the families the FBI agents were investigating, our focus remains solely on Raye Penber, given that detail about the envelope. But not much new development has been made. Some of the other Task Force members leave, namely the ones that have families. When it's just me and two other detectives plus Watari and Ryuzaki, we spend more time trying to decipher if Kira boarding the train had anything to do with the death of the FBI agents, namely, is there another way that Kira could have executed the kill? So far, we've established that a heart attack is the only way he has murdered his victims but is there a possibility that Kira could do anything else, maybe have another way to kill? If so, did he have to be at the scene of the crime to do so? Oy! Too many questions! I walk through the files of the Yagami household. Nothing looks suspicious any more than the other family is. 'Found anything interesting?' Ryuzaki asks walking up to me.

'Nothing. Nothing suspicious either.'

'Hmm. I see you've put together who Raye Penber was investigating.'

'Yep. I'm also guessing that they don't know.'

'Nope.'

'Any new developments on your side?'

'Nothing new yet. However, the missing papers do give me a reason to believe that Kira may have been on that train, perhaps even controlling Raye Penber the whole time.'

'Do you think that he had Raye Penber commit suicide?'

'Well it's hard to cause a sudden heart attack to oneself. But—if Kira were on the train, it's possible he may have slipped somehow. The surveillance cameras didn't appear to have caught anyone following Penber but it's likely Kira intently pursued him and evaded the cameras while doing so.'

'Perhaps.'

'But something about it doesn't add up. All twelve FBI agents die of a heart attack seconds after each other. How could Kira be able to focus one, possibly control his every action and still manage to kill the others? Unless…Kira was able to get some information off Penber. Maybe it solves the envelope mystery.'

How is he killing these people? Ryuzaki is right. It wouldn't make sense that someone would kill themselves with heart attacks. In fact, when most people do kill themselves, it is often through the more expected ways: drowning, hanging, overdose, etc. not even inhaling dangerous chemical substances would cause a sudden heart attack. Poisoning won't produce it either. But even if Raye Penber was killed by Kira, the question remains that Kira can kill with heart attacks, but how? Is there even a possibility that Kira can kill some other way? Some way that may cover up his track with a heart attack?

'Of course there's a chance that Kira doesn't have to resolve to heart attacks, but that is the way all of the FBI agents were killed.'

'What do you mean?'

Ryuzaki returns to his seat on the couch, placing his finger into his mouth as he thinks. This man sure is weird. He's a classic embodiment of a mad genius. I'm surprised he shows no signs of insanity. I let out a yawn, covering my mouth to be respectful. One of the detectives, the young one, takes the now vacant seat beside me. 'Ms Sofer?'

'Frejda.'

'Sorry, Frejda, um—can I ask you a question?'

'Sure.'

'Um—why did you decide to take on the case? Knowing the risks and all.'

'I'm familiar with dangerous cases. This one's just complicated.'

'So you've worked cases before?'

'You really think that they'd hire me if I had no experience?'

'But—are the French police okay with this? I mean, we lost a lot of people who used to work with the Task Force, but…'

'They were reluctant to send me, considering what happened to the FBI agents. But I insisted. I know I needed to do this.'

'Even at the cost of your life?'

'Yep.'

He nods, understanding. 'You're really brave.'

'So are you.'

Chuckling, he puts his hand at the back of his head nervously. I work the courage to ask him a question, hoping not to sound too rude: 'I forgot, what was your name again?'

'Matsuda.'

'Right. Sorry. I'm not all too good with names.'

'That's fine.'

'You're really young too.'

'Uh…' he chuckles, 'well, I guess.'

Have I flattered him?

'Haven't you found this to be a bit overwhelming?'

'A little. It's a lot to catch up on but I think I'm getting the hand of things already.'

'Well that's good.'

'But I could sure use some caffeine now.'

'Yeah. But with a lot to review I doubt that—'

'Frejda?' Ryuzaki calls.

'Yeah?'

'You have to take entrance exams to get into Toho don't you?'

'Yeah, why?'

'I suggest you start studying now.'

'Right.' What a jerk! Does he not want me to talk to Matsuda?

Still he has a point; I shouldn't neglect my studies if I want to pose as a student. Matsuda smiles at me and returns to his original spot while I neatly organise all the files and set them aside so that I can start studying. The exams consist of maths, reading and writing, basic biology and chemistry as well as an essay. It sort of reminds me of some exams I've had to take to get into other schools. In fact, this one is no different from almost all of the British and American exams I've had to take. Lucky that I have time to study while working on the case. I focus most of my efforts on the maths and science related questions, starting with answering some questions freely then timing myself while answering questions. At the end of each round I check my answers with the provided answer key to see how many I got wrong. What I do get wrong; I work on until I get right. Every opportunity I have to do well in this entrance exam may give me all I need to make this job easy. It's no guarantee that the student who could be Kira is going to Toho but at least this masquerade will get me closer to him. That being said, I need to make myself a believable student. Too focused on my studies, I don't hear Ryuzaki approach me; it's no surprise that I jolt while acknowledging his presence. 'Ryuzaki!'

'You're so focused,' he whispers, 'you love studying.'

'Right.'

'I wanted to give you this,' he produces a plate of chocolate cake. 'For your studies.'

'Uh…thank you.'

'You're welcome.'

I take a bite of the cake, it's not just chocolate. Other flavours include peanut butter and hazelnut. Wherever he gets his sweets, they certainly make them real good.

'So are you ready for them?'

'Eh,' I shrug. 'I need to take my time studying. That coffee ice cream I had earlier helped me wake up.'

'Hmm. Frejda…, what do you think of Soichiro Yagami's family?'

I'm taken aback. Where's that coming from? 'Well…I thought that they were a nice bunch. But I did just meet them last night.'

'That's true. And first impressions are often wrong. But I guess that's the beauty of getting to know people.'

'Right. Um—are you going anywhere with this?'

'No. Not really.'

Is he okay tonight?

'Here,' Ryuzaki gives me a phone.

'Uh…'

'Everyone has a phone that directly ties them to my line and also, you'll need this at all times,' he produces something else.

'A belt?'

'It has a button in the centre that you can use to make an emergency call.'

'Cool.'

After slipping on the belt I reach for the phone next to turn it on but Ryuzaki stops me. 'I'd rather you don't turn it on here, not unless you must.'

'Okay…?'

'This is a file that I've prepared for you to get caught up on the way investigations are done. You can take tonight to review them, when you are not studying. Also, I suggest that you get some sleep to have your body get used to the time difference between here and France. I was well informed on how you do things back in France, particularly your branch. While you��re here, you may proceed only in certain situations with those methods.'

'Got it.' I can't argue with him there. There are things I could get away with in France as the government can cover up. Japan is a different story. I'm good at covering my tracks but I can't be over confident here.

'You're taking a great deal with this Kira case though. You're sure you're not in so much risk as we are? I know your head won't appreciate a dead body returned.'

'I have my own chances of survival. But that also means I can't spend too much time here.'

'That's true. But that also means that you may have to start your own investigation, with little to no contact with me.'

'It doesn't need to come to that. I can keep working with the Task Force but I may need to focus on my role as a student as well. I can't afford to make it obvious to Kira that I'm working with you guys yet, never mind let him know what's really going on.'

'I might jeopardise that.'

Jerk! 'I'll be prepared for it then.'

'Is this one of the reasons your branch is France's most successful?'

'It's also why it's the most secretive.'

He nods.

We conduct more investigations as the days progress but there is little development. I switch between studying for the exams and helping Mr Watari compile and organise important documents. Due to my background in Forensics, I also give my input regarding some of Kira's new victims as well as the victims of other killings where they are important to the organisation. Ryuzaki was not fond of the idea that I had my suspicions based entirely on something that has been bugging me, what he and I discussed regarding Raye Penber. I take it upon myself to review the whereabouts of Penber as he was investigating the families. One of those days involved a busjacking and an inevidable death of a criminal. While the Task Force has not looked deeply into it, I wonder if Ryuzaki wonders that the death of that criminal could be a killing of Kira. That day, according to the log book found in Penber's possessions, he was following Light Yagami before the criminal died. If Kira was on the bus on that day and then on the train with Penber, maybe it's possible that Kira could kill in ways other than a heart attack. But it's quite a jump. In fact, it's a huge jump. There's no way Kira could have been able to do that in that amount of time. According to the log book, no one suspicious of being Kira was even on that bus. But still…I'd asked to go to the coroner's office to inspect the body of the criminal but because I represented no official power, they would not let me. If there are signs of mind control on this victim, I'd like to be able to tell. But even if there weren't any signs, it begs the question: when did Kira discover that he was being followed?

'Frejda?'

'Yes?'

The chief looks at me sympathetically. Oy! I must look like a mess to warrant such a look.

'Perhaps you would like to take a small break.'

'I'll be fine. No need to worry.'

'No, he's right.' Ryuzaki says. 'You should go home, in fact I insist that you go home.'

'What are you, my mother?' I snap.

'All for play's sake, Frejda.'

'Jerk,' I mutter.

'I beg your pardon?'

'Nothing.'

'Mr Matsuda, can you please take her home?'

Matsuda jolts, clearly not expecting to be called for the job. 'S—sure,' he nods.

'Will I get word on when I get back, Ryuzaki?'

'I'll let you know. But I will be keeping in touch.'

Ryuzaki mentioned that I'm not allowed to take stuff out of the room regarding the investigation. I've committed a lot of things to memory, enough to keep in my head while I pay attention to the news. I have no primary suspects yet but with the way the investigation works, I can't say that I could even compile a list of suspects that match up to whatever the NPA already has. At least this way, I'll give my studies more attention. As soon as Matsuda drops me at my street, I make a stop at the grocery store for a light frozen meal. Maybe I can use this time away from the Task Force Headquarters to shop for food. My bank account attests to allowing me to buy food to last a month. But it's late and I can't to buy proper groceries. I look for something I can bake in the oven and eat. A few stand out but what catches my eye is a box of vegetarian spring rolls. I pull one out of the freezer. The entire box contains six packs. I wonder how many each. I also get two large bottles of mango and apple juice. Of course, I'll get some dessert thing as well. I find a packet of fruit salad. Perfect. Now all I need is some ice cream to go with it. Picking out a chocolate-vanilla flavoured ice cream, I pay up at the front. It's not exactly the healthiest of choices but this will do for tonight. Tomorrow, I do the real grocery shopping. Grabbing my bag of goods I walk towards the house. My thoughts run with information I got from working at headquarters the last few days. I don't know how Ryuzaki does it but if he has narrowed it down to one suspect then maybe I'll have to go with it. If it means going against the ways I've been trained though, I don't think I'll be able to follow through. I don't trust people blindly. The results of the case though, going down with whomever Ryuzaki suspects, may make sense.

'Frejda?'

That voice. I turn around. Behind me is Chief Yagami's son. 'Oh hi. Light, right?'

'Yeah.'

'Whew. I'm not good with names. Sorry.'

'It's quite alright. I haven't seen you around the last few days.'

'Yeah…I've been busy.'

I see, you've been out shopping.'

'A little.'

'Here,' he comes closer, 'let me help with that.' He takes the bag.

'Oh you don't have to—'

'It's alright, I got it.'

'No really Light—'

'It's okay.'

I sigh. 'Alright. If you insist.'

We walk in the direction of home. For a while it's quiet and a comfortable kind of quiet. The neighbourhood remains quiet for the most part, a few people coming in and out of their houses. 'So…what were you doing out late?' I ask him when I sense the silence becoming a little awkward.

'I had cram school tonight.'

'Oh really?'

'Does that surprise you?'

I assess him for a bit. 'Actually no.'

Light chuckles. 'Well. I guess I should ask why you're out late too.'

'I'm sure the bag gave you an idea.'

'Right, but, it's a little late at night to go shopping.'

'I was away at someone's place. Hadn't had the time to shop for food before going.'

'Oh so…you know someone here?'

'S-sort of.'

'And you just got back?'

'Yep.'

'Oh.'

I slip the key into the lock as soon as we reach my house. Turning on the lights, I direct Light to the kitchen. He drops the bag on the island. I place the food in the fridge or freezer. 'Thanks for the walk, Light.'

'Sure. You have a good night now.'

'Thanks.'

As he turns to leave I spot something looking at us through the window: a pair of red eyes, glowing. They look like the ones I thought I saw at Light's house. Before I have the time to process for anything else, the eyes disappear. Wow. I must be really tired tonight. This Kira case is taking years off of me and I haven't even started school yet.

In the morning I decide to do my real shopping. After getting dressed and eating some fruit for breakfast, I head to the store to buy the food I need. The shopping takes about an hour but my main problem is taking all this stuff back home. I ask the clerks for larger non-paper bags. Thankfully there are some but I need to buy that too. Oh well. I leave for home when I'm finished. I take my time, washing the fruits and vegetables, setting up the pantry, making sure that there is enough of everything for me to last a month. The leisure stuff I have is mostly from back home in France but I might need to get a new book supply. I can probably get that from a mall somewhere but I doubt I have the time. I spend the rest of the day moving between studying for the entrance exams and keeping track of any new criminal deaths. In so far, there are definitely a lot from Kira. As much as I'm interested in following the case, I'm interested in following the case, I'm also glad I get to break from Ryuzaki for the next full day. However, on my third day off, there's a knock on my door. I'm in the dining room working when it comes. Dropping my pencil, I walk over to the door to answer it, surprised to find Light. 'Hi,' I smile.

'Hey Frejda,' he smiles. 'How are you?'

'Fine and you?'

'Fine thanks.'

'What brings you here?'

'I was thinking,' Light looks around him, 'that uh…maybe I could show you around.'

'Uh…oh?'

'Yeah,' he pauses. Something looks wrong.

'You okay?'

'Yeah. Uh…would you like me to show around a bit? Get you used to this part of Tokyo.'

'Sure. Come on in. Just let me get changed.'

'Sure.'

Light closes the door behind him as he walks in. as I walk away I get the feeling we are not alone in the house. Ignoring it I walk over to my room. That feeling that I got earlier strengthens. It's harder to shake it off but I proceed to grab a change of clothes: a black long-sleeved lace knee-length dress with black tights to go with it. After changing, I work through to fix my hair in a ponytail. As I fill my purse with my phone, keys and wallet, the sense of some other presence in the room becomes stronger. I wonder if I should get used to it or consider myself a bit too paranoid because of the Kira investigation. Dealing with a culprit who only needs a name and a face to kill, it explains a lot that being said I breathe and walk back downstairs. 'I'm ready.'

'Alright. Let's go.'

I follow Light outside. Locking the door behind me I ask where we are going.

'To Aoyama. It's a really great leisure place if you are interested.'

'Huh. Sounds fun.' I remember him telling me about it.

A smile appears on his face as he leads me away. His hair moves at the base of his neck, as guided by a small breeze. A noticeable black marque rests on his neck hidden beneath his hair. Huh.

'You coming?' Light asks.

'Yeah. Sorry. Spaced out there.'

'You've been studying all day. I can understand that.'

'How do you know that I've been studying all day?'

'Haven't you?'

'I took a break to eat and watch TV.'

'What did you watch?'

'Mostly the news.'

'Right. You really need this outing.'

I narrow my eyes at him.

'So anything interesting on the news?' he asks.

'Nothing apart from the Kira craziness.'

'Of course. It's the only thing the news can talk about regarding Japan lately.'

He's not wrong.

'What about France? How are they receiving the rise of Kira?'

'They're every bit as scared as you can imagine.'

'Of course.'

'So how are we getting there?'

'We're taking the light rail there. It's not too far from here.'

'Alright.' There's a pause…and then I chuckle.

'What's funny?'

'I just realised that this is my first time going out. With people.'

'You've never gone out with friends?'

'Was raised in a boarding house so…it didn't provide much for outings.'

'That's…a little odd.'

'It's not as bad as it sounds.'

'Really.'

'Well that sounds like a crappy life to me.'

What the—who—

'Are you alright?' Light asks.

'I thought I—'

Who…who said that? There aren't really any other people walking with us. On top of that there's not a person within earshot. My mind must be playing tricks on me again. 'Never mind.'

'Are you okay? You look a little stressed.'

'We both have an entrance exam coming up. How are you not stressed?'

'I manage by time.'

'That's fair.'

I walk with him towards the nearest light rail. On the way over our conversation is mostly small talk. Hobbies, favourite school subjects, etc. Things get interesting when I tell him that I'm interested in pursuing forensic analysation for a job. 'So you want to go into police work?' he asks.

'Yep. You could say it's in my blood.'

'I can say the same.'

'Oh yeah?'

'Yeah. I've worked with the Japanese Task Force. That's where I'd like to work after I graduate.'

'Cool.'

'Especially with the Kira investigation.'

'Ooh. Good luck with that.'

'What do you mean?'

'You know, with how Kira works, your life is danger.'

'Right,' he chuckles.

The ride to Aoyama doesn't take very long. When we get there, I'm surprised to see that most of the people there are all our age, if not a little younger. This is like a place for young people to hang out. Boy, do I feel a little awkward.

'I don't quite see you hanging out with girls a lot, Light. What are you planning on doing here?'

That voice again! Who said that? I look around to see if anyone has approached us, maybe Light invited a friend. None are around. I can't decide if I should be confused or a little scared.

'Hey, maybe you can buy souvenirs for France,' Light says.

'That—that's not a bad idea.'

'Well, now there's an idea.'

I turn in the direction of the voice. It sounds like it's coming from everywhere. I end up spotting a small store that sells snow globes. To escape from Light thinking that I'm crazy, I walk towards the store. Snow globes are a bit overrated but they are an affective collection. Buying one won't hurt. I promised my friend Martha some souvenirs anyway. I pick me out one that has a miniature of a tower in the centre. 'The Kyoto Tower. Impressive.'

There it is again. This time it sounds like it's right above me. Best if I don't make it obvious that I know it's following me. Whoever or whatever it is though, he has such a hoarse voice.

'Heh. I knew it.'

'Find anything interesting?' Light asks.

'This looks good.'

'A snow globe?'

Oy! 'It's for my friend okay?'

'Alright.'

I pay for it at the front.

'Alright. Where to next, monsieur?'

Light shrugs. 'There's a more antique souvenir store down that way if you want.'

'Sure.'

'I come here often with some of my friends. I'll admit I haven't been here lately though.'

'Too busy with school?'

'Yeah.'

'Yeah that can get in the way.'

He chuckles. 'You know how to make a guy laugh.'

'Why thank you,' I bow.

It earns me another chuckle.

My phone vibrates but it's not a call. I pull it out and find a text from Ryuzaki to come to Task Force Headquarters tomorrow. I make a note to respond later. That text alone brings back the memory that Light and his family were under investigation by Raye Penber. I'm not allowed to say anything regarding my involvement with the Task Force but part of me aches to ask Light if he heard about the deaths of the FBI agents, maybe to see how he reacts. But even if he does react—say with a suspicious fear—what would that tell me? I mean, anyone would respond with fear, given that we are talking about Kira. But I wonder what would happen if he responded with the right kind of fear. Maybe there is something I can—

'You said you watch the news right?'

I nod.

'Did you hear about the U.S. disposing 1500 investigators to Japan for the Kira case?'

'They did?'

'It was on the news.'

'Must have been local. I don't speak Japanese, never mind read it.'

'Right. Sorry.'

'No worries.'

'Anyway, now that you know, what do you think about it?'

Personally I think that that is Ryuzaki's doing. There's no way the U.S. would do something like that. If I know other government opinions, they'd back out when they have the chance. But Light doesn't need to know any of this. 'I think that they wouldn't.'

'Why do you say that?'

'A lot of things have placed Japan on the map, but this tops it. I just came from France. Kira's making the world nervous.'

'You think so huh? So are they bluffing?'

'Who knows? Or maybe…maybe that's what they want you to think.'

'Announce it and they make us think that they're bluffing. But they're really serious. Weren't there twelve FBI agents in Japan just weeks ago? Around Christmas?'

Light nods.

'All twelve of them are reported dead, most likely killed by Kira. The United States is brave for sending in more.'

'Y-yeah.'

A glance at Light and I can see him look a little nervous. It disappears just as quickly. 'This sure is a lot of work to go after Kira.'

'Can you blame them? This is a battle of justice.'

'Oh. You think so?'

'The Kira case is an interest of mine. A vigilante ridding the world of both serious and petty criminals? I sounds like a pursuit of justice. A twisted one anyway.'

'So you're not a Kira supporter?'

'I can't say.'

'Why not?'

'I have my own experience with death of wrong doers too. I need to be careful how I think about this.'

Light pauses our walk. 'You've killed people?'

'I never said that. I said I've had experience with the death of wrongdoers. So I have to be careful how I judge Kira. For starters, I can say that this battle between him and L proves that he's quite childish if not an egomaniac.'

'So you know about the broadcast of L vs Kira.'

'Yep.'

'Oh. But didn't L say—'

'I came across it on the internet.'

'Right. Of course,' Light nods as if that couldn't have been more obvious.

'What?'

'Nothing. You were saying?'

'I was…? Oh! Anyway, in the broadcast, Kira didn't hesitate to kill the L decoy. Like he didn't care about the repercussions. The only advantage Kira has at this point is that he doesn't have to show at the scene of the crime to kill. Without it, that could have gone wrong for Kira.'

'Right. So…?'

'Kira let the threats of L get to his head. That hubris, if anything, will be his downfall.'

Light nods then turns to face a building. 'Well, here we are. Have at it.'

'Thanks. I may need your opinion if you don't mind.'

'Sure,' he turns his head and smiles.

I walk ahead of him just as I hear the hoarse voice release a chuckle.