"Today will be the day I catch Kira," he would think.
"Today is the day I become number one."
He told himself that same lie every day.
He didn't care that it wasn't true. The only thing that mattered was that the false hope gave him a reason, an excuse to keep breathing.
At least until Near bested him once again.
Near.
Ugh.
Just the name was enough to give him an undeniable urge to put his fist through a wall.
What right did Near have to parade around like a cheap knockoff of L?
What right did he have to get in his way time and time again?
A part of himself was driven to surpass the white-haired demon at any cost.
A completely different part was sick of trying to prove himself over and over again.
But he would keep trying, he would keep telling himself the same lie, because it was the only thing he had left.