It was the first time in several months that L went outside. His eyes automatically closed shut as the light of the sun overpowered him, and for the first time in a while he felt the rays go through his shirt and to his skin. It felt incredibly uncomfortable, but the doctor said that he needed to go outside at least once for his own health. All the children rushed outside to the playground, but L didn't see why. It's not like the playground wasn't going to wait for them, what's the hurry? He took one step onto the pavement before stepping right back. The concrete was steaming! It would burn his feet off!

"Hehe, looks like you can't play unless you have your shoes on!" One of the girls sneered at him as she rushed to the swings. L just made a "hmph" sound. Girls…how useless. What seemed fun out here that didn't require stepping on the pavement? Across the playground were the monkey bars, something he could hang off of and keeps his legs off the ground. Swiftly, he hopped across the hot cement and towards the monkey bars.

"Ouch. Ouch. Ouch!" He whimpered as he made each step. He was relieved to hop up on the metal bars and swing himself upside down and hang his feet mid-air. It was a funny feeling with all the blood rushing to his head. He could feel the force of gravity pulling on his body, and he had a very strong feeling he would fall. As always, he was right. His legs couldn't hold on to the bars anymore and he came crashing down.

"Ugh, that really hurt. Maybe I should get stronger by taking up some sport like martial arts…or tennis." He said to himself as he rubbed the new bump on his head. Across the playground, he saw an older man in a dark coat dealing with some paperwork. Why would that man wear such a dark coat in this heat? He must've been trying to hide his identity. Was he a criminal? No, after a few more moments of analyzing he realized it was none other than the founder of Wammy's House, Quilish Wammy himself. He recognized the picture from the lobby and heard about his amazing success in the business world. He figured this man was smart enough to entertain him, so he dusted himself off and slowly strolled over to him. At first, Mr. Wammy didn't notice him, but after a while, it was as if he felt his presence and looked up from his paper work.

"Oh, hello there young man, can I help you in someway?"

"I'm bored, Mr. Wammy."

"Well, why don't you go back to the playground and play with your friends?" Wammy encouraged the boy, although intrigued on how he recognized him.

"They're not my friends. None of those children wanna play the anagram game with me."

"The anagram game? Isn't that the one where one person says a word and the other person has to say another word using the same letters?"

"Yes, that one. Like for example, 'dormitory' can be rearranged into 'dirty room'."

"Is that so? Hm…I say, that's right!" Wammy chuckled, genuinely amused by this young child.

"Of course it is, now give me one."

"Alright then…How about 'listen'?"

L sighed. "'Silent,' obviously. C'mon, give me a very difficult one!"

"Elvis"

"Lives"

"Hot water"

"Worth tea"

"Mother in law"

"Woman Hitler."

Wammy laughed at the boy's precociousness. Joking aside though, this was a very intelligent child. He couldn't be older than eight years old and he was already a master of wordplay. I wonder what potential this boy has. He was already able to recognize who I was even though no one else here has. I wish I could investigate this boy further…hm; well I do have that case I've been working on that's been giving me trouble. Perhaps if I had the case seen through a child's flexible perspective…no, its way to exhausting on a child's brain. However, this child seems like he can handle it. Well, it's a long shot, but it's worth a try. Besides, he did say he was bored.

"What is your name, young man?" Wammy asked gently.

"I don't want to tell you, it's a little strange."

"Oh come now, my name is Quilish; it can't possibly be any more bizarre than that." Wammy tried to comfort him.

"Alright…my name is…L."

"Is that a nickname?"

"No, it's the real name on that ashy scrap of paper that is my birth certificate."

"I see…well that is a mysterious name, but I think it suits you. You have a mysterious aura about you, L." Wammy said. He saw L wrinkle his toes and turned away as if in shame.

"And I find that a good thing. It shows me that you're different from everyone else. You are a special child. A gifted child." Wammy encouraged him. L looked up at him and did something he rarely ever did; he smiled.

"Now, can you please meet me in my office? There's something I want to discuss with you." Wammy asked. L nodded and followed the nice man inside. He followed him into a nicely-decorated office filled with books and files. It looked more like a library than an office.

"Would you like some cheesecake samples, L?" Wammy offered.

"I'd like that very much. Thank you, Mr. Wammy." L gratefully thanked this man for whom he was growing more respect for every minute as he inserted a small bite of cake into his mouth.

"Now L, I called you in here because there's something I want your opinion on. You see, there is this case I'm working on…"

"Is it the Winchester Mad Bombings?"

"You really are a bright one, aren't you?"

"It's all over the news!"

"Indeed. Well the situation is…I don't know any other way I can look at it. I can see the evidence and read the reports again a hundred times, but I still cannot find anything else that can help me. I needed a different perspective, a child's perspective, to help me find some clue that will help me progress this case."

"You need me to help you solve the case?"

"I want you to try your absolute best."

"I will do all in my power, Mr. Wammy."

"Please, from now on, call me Watari."

And with that, a special partnership was born. Not only did L help with the case, he actually solved the case by the end of the week! Watari was amazed at this boy's abilities, and exercised his potential by giving him more cases. One after the other, the child solved these cases just like a simple puzzle. Soon after, Watari took L out of the orphanage rooms and moved him to his own household, basically adopting him as his ward. L decided that instead of choosing a nickname, he would call his real name a fake name and make people believe that his real name was something else. After all, the best lie is the truth, right? With Watari's aide, L rose above all other detectives to win the title of "The Detective of the Century."