What if Ayanokoji tried to solve the Kira case?

A Move in the Shadows

Ayanokoji sat in his room, the light from his laptop flickering across his sharp, calculating eyes. His face was impassive, as it usually was, but his mind was racing. The events of the past week had set the wheels of his plan in motion, but he knew that this was only the beginning. Hiroshi Akiyama's breakdown had drawn everyone's attention, but to Ayanokoji, it was just another calculated step in a much larger, more dangerous game.

Kira was out there, somewhere, and Ayanokoji had successfully rattled the cage. His plan had worked exactly as he had envisioned. The subtle manipulation of Akiyama, the messages, the isolation—all of it had culminated in Akiyama's public breakdown. It was a masterful display of Ayanokoji's ability to bend people to his will. But as satisfied as he was with the result, Ayanokoji knew the real game was just beginning.

If Kira had been watching—and Ayanokoji was confident that he had—then he would see Akiyama's confession as a sign that someone was onto him. Ayanokoji had played his hand carefully, making sure that the entire incident appeared as though it was Kira's doing. But now, the question was how Kira would respond.

Would he attempt to silence Akiyama? Or would he try to shift his focus elsewhere?

Ayanokoji's fingers tapped idly on his desk as he thought through the possible outcomes. Kira was a killer, but he was also a strategist. He wouldn't act recklessly. Akiyama was insignificant in the grand scheme of things—a low-level school bully who had been pushed to the brink by fear. Kira might not see him as a threat. But Ayanokoji wasn't willing to take any chances.

The phone on his desk buzzed, pulling him from his thoughts. He glanced at the screen and saw a message from an unknown number.

"I understand what you're trying to do."

Ayanokoji's eyes narrowed. The message was brief, direct, and carried an unmistakable sense of menace. There was no name, no signature, but Ayanokoji knew exactly who it was from. Kira.

He stared at the screen for a long moment, analyzing the text. Kira wasn't a fool. He had realized that Akiyama's breakdown wasn't a natural occurrence—that it had been orchestrated. This message was a warning, a signal that Kira knew someone was manipulating the situation. But what Kira didn't know—what he couldn't know—was who was behind it.

Ayanokoji felt a faint smile tug at the corner of his lips. Kira was aware, but he was still in the dark. And that was exactly where Ayanokoji wanted him to be.

Elsewhere...

Light Yagami sat at his desk, his brow furrowed as he stared at his phone. The message he had just sent lingered on the screen for a moment before he closed it, leaning back in his chair.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

The collapse of Hiroshi Akiyama had caught Light's attention immediately. Kira's entire power rested on fear and control, and Akiyama's public breakdown had all the hallmarks of someone who had been manipulated by that fear. At first, Light had dismissed it as the actions of a frightened mind—someone who believed in Kira's power but wasn't directly involved in any significant way.

But the more Light had thought about it, the more something had felt... off. Akiyama wasn't important. He wasn't a criminal on Kira's radar, and his sudden outburst wasn't in line with Kira's typical targets. Something about the situation felt orchestrated, as if someone was using Kira's reputation to manipulate others. And that was unacceptable.

Light had thought that with L out of the way, his path to reshaping the world would be clear. But now, it seemed there was another player in the game. Someone clever. Someone dangerous.

He needed to act fast.

But how?

Advanced Nurturing High School: The Next Morning