Queen's Sacrifice
For Matsuda Touta, in the event of my death.
When you read this letter, you may wonder how I knew that my death was imminent. The truth is I didn't know; I suspected. This letter is a piece of insurance that must be put in place in the event that such suspicions are not unfounded.
But the purpose of this letter is not to elaborate on such suspicions. I have already made the implications of my death clear. This letter, while pertaining peripherally to the case as a whole, is written directly to you.
Have you ever played chess, Matsuda Touta?
I don't suppose you have. It might do you well to learn, but I will not be the one to teach you, unless I can construe some way of doing so from beyond the grave. But I will assure you of a few facts. Kira has not won the game. I believe he will think he has; in fact, I have no doubt. But he is making a crucial mistake.
You see, in the game of chess, the purpose is to protect your king at all costs while targeting your opponent's king. Kira is his own king-when he has been arrested, we have won. But Kira has confused the pieces. You see, in addition to the king, who must be protected at all costs, there are many pieces on the board. The pawns are the weakest pieces-both sides will lose many before the game is through. The knights, bishops, and rooks are stronger, and more valuable. Both sides ran out of pawns a long time ago; you and the rest of the task force were an admirable court. But I digress.
The most powerful piece on the chess board is the queen. This piece can move in any direction, any number of spaces. Taking the queen can be akin to checkmate, it puts the other side at such a disadvantage. So, then, it might surprise you to know there is a tactic known as the Queen's Sacrifice. The player allows their queen to be taken in order to lure the opponent out and achieve victory.
I am taken, but I am not the king, and even now the pieces are shifting. How long our victory will take only depends on how long it takes a new pawn to cross the board. Our king is not one man-our king is justice. And a Queen's Sacrifice is sometimes the only move that can be taken to win a game.
Be careful who you trust. Do not forget the object of the game. Do not make my sacrifice pointless.
And above all: good luck.
AN: I literally have no idea when or why I wrote this, but I found it and figured I might as well post it.