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XVIII

Meeting the Detectives

"What? Twenty-three deaths within yesterday alone?" Yagami Sōichirō, chief of the police investigation bureau exclaimed in disbelief.

"Y-Yes, sir..." stammered a subordinate meekly.

"When will it end...?" lamented another.

"The same thing happened on the day before. Every hour on the hour, one after another," Sōichirō said shakily.

"For this to happen two weekdays in a row..." mumbled one member.

"I think our student theory has a hole," another officer muttered.

"Wait, couldn't he have just skipped school those days and..." suggested yet another.

"That's not it," the voice of L could be heard throughout the room. "Kira is trying to tell us that he can kill whenever he wants."

However, the one who had said this was S.

He was just using L's mic.

"He has access to our data!" L said agitatedly to Es. "He's challenging us directly."

Es just sighed, "Challenging you directly, perhaps. He still doesn't know I exist."

L ignored Es' dry remark.

"Are you sure that he is a student, though?" L asked.

"Very. He was likely hoping this misdirection would throw you off. He wants you to continue investigating the members of the police investigation bureau so that we will be pitted against one another so he can pick you off after," Es said resolutely.

L sighed.

This was more complicated than it seemed at first glance.

L contacted Watari through his headset.

"Watari, it's me," L spoke. "I want you to leave the room."

Watari's confused voice could be heard as he collected the laptop and stepped out of the room, "Alright. What's going on, L?"

"Get someplace where the investigation team can't observe you and get me the director of the FBI," L stated.

"You sure you want to have the FBI on their tails? We are better off using my people," Es questioned while lying on the ground face-down and flicking a cat's toy in front of Noel.

Noel batted at the feathery toy that dangled before him, and Es jerked it out of the way lazily.

"You said to rely on them," L replied easily.

"The reason why S is so amazing is that he does not rely on others to achieve results," Es replied with a frown.

"Well, this is L asking and L has limitations. L is an individual with nothing besides deductive capabilities," L spoke dryly.

"Fine," the current number one, S, huffed in response. "You go do your stuff and pressure the FBI. I will have mine do their job without getting caught."

L scowled but did not argue.

💣

"Light, I need to tell you something."

Es was surprised to notice the shinigami speaking with the human owner of the death note in public and tuned in to the conversation.

"I told you not to talk to me in public," Yagami Light said in annoyance with his head down. "People can hear my voice, you know."