CHAPTER 1: EXPOSITION

TOKYO UNIVERSITY, entrance ceremony

In the center of the country's premiere university stood a majestic hall where the year's grand opening ceremony was being held. Inside sat a new batch of promising students as well as their close relatives. Although... despite its long history, they had never received two extremely outstanding students in the same generation—let alone the same year. Hence, this was a particularly interesting entrance ceremony.

"...our student representatives: Yagami Light and Mukahi Lawliette." the proud principal announced enticing quite a bit of murmurs from the crowd. Everyone watched the two top notchers walk to the stage with blunt interest.

"Did you hear? They both got a hundred in all subjects!"

"Dear God—is that even possible?"

"That guy is cute..."

"Is that a girl... she reminds me of Sadako."

"Maybe she is Sadako."

"Yeah, Sadako with waivy hair and scarf."

"Sadako is a crazy genius girl?"

"Not impossible..."

"At least she walks like a normal girl..."

"Yeah but otherwise she's the opposite."

"But seriously... the guy is hot."

"For a student of TODAI, you sure can be shallow."

"What did you say?"

"It's true, anyway."

Someone cleared his throat and everyone lost their voices, looking up the platform to see that it was the boy, about to begin his speech. They stared at the young man with charisma and authority that a boy his age normally would not even understand. No one dared to make any noise, and they passively looked at him as he stared at them—all of them—as if ensuring that he had every bit of their attention.

They all listened intently to the boy who spoke as if he was the president himself.

...

SOMEWHERE IN TOKYO,

a few hours prior

Yagami Light woke up at the usual time he wakes up: 6:00 am; his biological clock as accurate as always. He stood up and nonchalantly got ready for the day that everyone else was making such a fuss about. Doing speeches for opening ceremonies was practically second nature to him, after all. And he had never experienced not being the top. He was rather certain that fact won't change, either.

In any case, his mother prepared an even more-special-than-usual breakfast for the family that day. She prepared his 'favorite' pancake and bacon combination; although, in reality, he never actually had a favorite food. It's either they're good or bad, but he knew at a young age that that was a very unusual thing and so he invented a list of his so-called 'favorites'.

The family chatted about a lot of things wherein he shared a lot. Despite his actual indifference in most of the topics, he loved his family and that showed. The topic, though, was mainly on him being basically the smartest kid of his generation. He took it all graciously despite the fact that he was barely flattered. He knew that fact a long time ago, to the point that he thought of it as a law.

His father, a very firm man, who was the chief officer in the Police Department soon cleared his throat to catch everyone's attention. His smile was slim and conservative, but his eyes showed the intense pride he had for his son. "Now, to commemorate our very own Light being top student. Again. Cheers!"

He just smiled and followed his father's lead. "Cheers!"

...and pretended to be as ecstatic as everyone else.

...

WINCHESTER, ENGLAND

Weeks prior

Quillsh Wammy, also known as 'Watari' by a small group of trusted persons, stared at his adoptive daughter anxiously. She had just taken an entrance exam in Japan, and he could not help but worry. No, he was not worried about her not getting the highest grade– he was worried on how she would fare. If she finally decided to go through with it, then Tokyo University would officially be her very first school.

Lawliette had been home-schooled her whole life... and he knew that the children in his orphanage were all very odd compared to those outside. Some were normal, of course, but most had such a high IQ that they simply did not perceive the world the same way. The most extreme case he would ever see was this 'little' girl, and maybe... her two most beloved friends that had already left them.

The little girl had a monstrous sweet tooth, odd habits, and she would always wear that red and worn-out scarf of hers no matter where she was. There was also the fact that people say that she looked like a fictional character from a Japanese Horror Film called 'The Ring' because of her long hair, except that hers wasn't as straight.

At that line-of-thought, Watari recalled when he let them watch the movie in an attempt to perhaps show her how people from the outside actually looked at her. But it proved to be vain– no, counterproductive in fact... since the little girl actually took fancy to the character and ended up even trying to look like the woman even more. The children even invented a game based on what they watched.

He sighed. The young girl had always baffled him. And he, Quillsh Wammy, was the greatest inventor of his time.

"Watari." A voice caught his attention and he blinked. "You told me it isn't polite to stare."

He did not realize the girl had already walked towards him, looking at him with that characteristic deadpan expression. He only smiled. "Ah, you're right. My apologies."

She nodded and resumed to what she was doing: studying the cases her supposed predecessor has left. He had allowed her to peer into them for the first time after years of keeping them in her reach (in the condition that she would only look at them as if they were one of the mystery novels that she had been fond of as a child), and the sight made him remember the first time he laid eyes on her.

When he saw her all those years ago, he knew immediately that she was the perfect child he was looking for to raise to become what he called the 'greatest detective' in the world. But due to certain... events that he did not dare recall, he had lost hope for that dream and did his best to keep her from doing any sort of detective work. It was ironic, really, but he wanted her alive and well. To ensure that, he needed to keep her from what he had wanted for her in the first place. It was his way to take care of the only daughter that he had ever had.

Admittedly it was his fault he was having such a hard time letting her go. He had been too over-protective of the girl, and he refused to expose her to the world. He knew it was a very unintelligent decision– but he could not help it. He had cared for her parents deeply and he promised them her full safety.

He just took it to a different level altogether.

Lawliette had been happy with the kids of the Wammy House, so he didn't see why she needed to go to a public school of sorts. But when those two almost simultaneous events happened, he started doubting himself and the orphanage that he had created.

Alas, it was already too late to change things. The idea of her venturing into the world and becoming a normal person was no longer an option; she had been the way she was during her most critical formative years that it was next to impossible to make her change.

For years, it went on. She had indulged herself in activities that normal brains would not be able to even visualize. At the age of 15, she was able to recreate most of the inventions that took him years to comprehend.

One day, however, for a reason she had yet to tell him, she suddenly wanted to know more about her parents. Apparently, she had been unsatisfied with what he knew about them and wanted to find out more herself.

And so, she took the entrance exam of the school where her parents had studied, met, and fell in love.

It was touching, true, but he still found that a huge part of him did not want her to do that. Lawliette... was still too innocent for her age, and he was troubled for he knew that people could easily take advantage of that. Despite her deductive skills and inhuman ability to empathize, she still didn't have an accurate concept of immorality.

But she was almost 18 years of age, now... customs state that she can do whatever she wants by then.

He sighed.

There were many customs the wammy house had ignored. However, Lawliette took it upon herself that the house did not follow that one.

In the end he had to agree, begrudgingly, that she would go and study in Japan...with a couple of body guards, naturally.

And perhaps he should come with her, too.

....

TOKYO UNIVERSITY

Present

Strong applause was heard across the stadium for their speeches. They both had wonderful content catching the willing and full attention of the audience. Sadako was a bit monotonous, though... which made her odd charm all the more impressive.

Well not for Light, though, or so he thought.

How could someone possibly be on par with him? And such a disheveled-looking person, as well. She had her barely-combed hair uncomfortably cover a huge part of her face, she was wearing inappropriate gray-on-gray informal attire over-arched by a very worn-out scarf, and... she was sitting Seiza on a chair.

Light, of course, did not deny her capabilities. She was smart, he could tell, despite that bizarre appearance of hers. But she was also a woman. Women are supposed to be rationally inferior to men... not that he's extremely sexist for his mother was a smart woman, but to be on the same level as him?

He was Light Yagami, and all his life he had been far superior to anyone he had met. He would not expect the person who will challenge him would be someone like her.

He frowned. He knew he had an ego—but it's not like it showed, and he certainly had the right to think so. Light stared at her with his peripheral view, and to his surprise she noticed him. His eyebrow arched, even if only a moment, and she made a slight but polite bow in response.

"Nice to meet you."

"Ah. Likewise." He replied, smiling his usual automatic smile. And in reply she only stared at him, and he looked forward as if he did not see her do so. A minute or so passed and he could sense his irritation grow. She was still staring at him, with an almost analytical eye that he had always used on other people. Others, on the other hand, could only look at him admiringly, and that was a fact. Until now.

He mentally glowered into thin air.

He disliked her already.

.

.

END OF CHAPTER 1

Coming Soon:

CHAPTER 2: THE BEGINNING OF AN ODD FRIENDSHIP