𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄

三十七 | 𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍
𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍

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Near drummed his fingers against his knee as he tried to process his complex thoughts, feeling nothing but irritation as he looked at the data presented before him, not even a second later throwing the paper down and scattering the sheets all over the floor.

Biting his thumb nail, his eyes narrowed.

After (Y/N)'s disastrous last meeting with him where he learned nothing and she just did as she pleased, he decided to listen to Aizawa's concerns and stop bringing her to Headquarters. But the more he thought about it, the more it seemed to him that that was exactly what she wanted, everything before him presenting the evidence that there was only one Successor, a contrast to his previous theory.

It aggravated him to no end.

What was more, there was a constant, nagging thought in his head that he couldn't get rid of.

Why wasn't I able to answer her question?

He thought back to how she had looked in that moment: her hair falling past her ears and framing her face, her eyes glittering with mischief, her lips curved into a smile. He stopped, remembering her lips and the way they looked so full, swallowing thickly when realizing just what he was thinking about.

He couldn't help it though.

She had this way that ensnared him.

And he had no clue as to how to escape such a thought out trap.

Running his hands through his messy white hair, Near decided that he was going to find out exactly what was wrong with him, and if he couldn't bring (Y/N to Headquarters, then he would go to her. Almost as of she could somehow know what Near was planning, a sudden shiver ran down (Y/N)'s back. Glancing around the classroom of her school, the teacher lecturing in the front, she found nothing out of place.

But her eyes still narrowed.

Something's wrong.

I don't know what it is... but it's making me uneasy.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she let out a breath of air before her eyes traveled down to the two Death Notes that she had secured in her bag. After ordering Arata to pause killing people so she could make it look like there was only one Successor, she then took his notebook as well. He didn't mind, relinquishing it to her without a second thought even if it meant losing his memories. But since she knew it was likely that he would be interrogated by Near, she wanted to make sure that there was absolutely no chance of him cracking.

He would do anything for her.

She knew that for certain.

So as his memories faded along with his ability to see people's names and lifespans, she smirked, confident that when she gave the notebook back, he would just make the deal again.

So what if it halved his life span in half again?

As long as it was for her.

All for her.

"Hey, (Y/N)," Arata smiled at her, his way of referring to her having not changed in the slightest despite his slightly altered memories. "You seem a little distracted. I hope it's because you're thinking of me." He chuckled softly at how she rolled her eyes, his smirk broadening as he continued, "Oh, well. One day I'll make you crazy for me since I'm already completely crazy for you."

"Hayato-san..." she turned to him with a twitching brow. "Don't you have a girlfriend? Namely my dear friend, Ayako?"

"Hm?" He raised a brow.

After (Y/N) practically forced the two to spend time together, Ayako finally had the nerve to confess to Arata, and he, of course, said yes only to amuse himself. He didn't care for Ayako, and he also knew that (Y/N) couldn't care less about her either. He just assumed it would be fun to play around.

Besides, he had someone else in mind.

"Ayako-chan is cute and all..." he hummed as he slid his eyes away, his finger tapping rapidly against his desk. "...but she's not as fun as I thought she'd be."

"That's what you get for being an asshole."

"Could it be that you really do care for her?" He mocked her, loving the way her glare cut through him sharply.

"Shut the fuck up."

"Maybe if you kiss me, I just might."

(Y/N) groaned.

It's like he's gotten bolder and hornier now that he's lost his damn memories.

Fucking weirdo.

Packing up her bags quickly when the bell tolled, she didn't waste a second to remove herself from Arata's annoying presence, flipping off Edu who was cackling beside her. Just as she was about to exit the front gate's of the school to walk home, someone calling out her name made her falter. Glancing back, she spotted Ayako jogging toward her, her brown curls in a slight mess while her pale cheeks were a bit flushed from moving so quickly.

"What is it, Ayako?" She asked with a tilt of her head as soon as she was within earshot.

"I-I just wanted to speak with you for a moment," Ayako breathed out a bit shakily as she tried to catch her breath, giving (Y/N) a crooked and rather bittersweet smile. "Do you think we could go to a nearby cafe and chat for a bit?"

(Y/N) smiled, responding, "I don't mind at all!"

Internally, she scowled.

It wasn't that she despised meeting with Ayako, she just had more pressing things to do.

Now sitting down with Ayako at the nearby coffee shop, (Y/N) crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair as she sipped her drink, gesturing with her hand for the other girl to begin speaking. She was a little curious about why Ayako called her out so suddenly, but she had a pretty good idea about what it could be about.

Or, who it could be about.

"(Y/N), I have to confess..." Ayako trailed off, clearly upset as her hands scrunched into fists. "Even though you introduced us... I think I have to break up with Ara— with Hayato-san... because I believe that he... that he likes you more than me."

(Y/N) blinked.

"I-I'm not confronting you about it, or anything," she immediately stammered out when seeing (Y/N)'s rather lackluster response. "I just couldn't help but notice... and I know that no matter how much I like him, I can't force him to like me back." She bit her lip, wondering how to continue before saying, "And if it's okay... could I ask if you also have feelings for him? I just... I want to be prepared."

"Oh, is that it?" (Y/N) laughed, feeling her amusement pique ever so slightly. "Don't worry, Ayako. I don't have any feelings for him at all."

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To be continued...