XLVIII –Face to Face


Some of them were tense. Others had no idea why they had to resume the meeting. The only certainty was the tension in between them as the air was becoming harder to breathe and glances were being shot like bullets – accusing, demanding answers, and looking forward to a heated argument.

Reiji knew that Shimura was aware of his agitation. However, neither decided to point out the matter just yet. Namikawa kept pretending that he knew nothing and the other kept looking at the clock. It was still 2:29.

"Someone remind me again, why exactly haven't we started already?" the youngest of them, Arayoshi Hatori asked. "And what's left to talk about? The sales are dropping. It's his job to fix it, not ours," he looked towards Reiji.

"Patience," Shimura demanded.

"If you look closer, you can easily see that everything in this corporation is related. If one of the departments has a problem, it affects my department, and his, and yours too." What Shingo Mido didn't say was that if Hatori had been fit to be in the position in which he was, he would have understood something as simple as this without having to ask for an explanation.

At 2:30 sharp, when Ooi was about to declare the meeting open again, someone knocked on the door. They all looked at each other as Reiji shot Shimura a victorious look. Not waiting for anyone's approval, Caterina walked in with the walk of a grown woman, confident, and in control of the situation.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen, Mr. Ooi," she nodded towards him while Ooi looked at Shimura. "According to the phone call I received from Mr. Shimura, we should discuss something in detail. Now, please don't misunderstand, I'm certain you already had and are still many other problems that should be debated, so I don't intend on staying too long."

Hatori was already on his feet, dragging a spare chair from one corner of the room. "Please, have a seat. Your name escapes me," he grinned. He was about to drag the chair to his side of the table, but Caterina stood between Ooi and Reiji.

"Here would be better. Thank you." Because she already thanked him, he had no right to argue – it would have been considered some desperate, unnecessary gesture. "Caterina Amadeo. Hopefully, we will meet again."

Takahashi Eiichi frowned. "How old is she, exactly? And how come she gets to assist and pick her place too?"

"The heir of the Asian branch general director," Ooi answered. He was clearly not pleased with having the girl there, but once he had agreed on it, he couldn't back away. "Back to what we were saying…"

Shimura nodded when he received the glance from Ooi. "The sales are dropping alarmingly fast because of Mr. Reiji's involvement in the recent slave labor scandal."

"And the murder investigation," Kyousuke Higuchi added.

"I hope there won't be any new scandal regarding a possible relationship with a minor," Kida Masahiko continued.

Caterina didn't seem uncomfortable, but rather amused. "That, sir, is an assumption that needs to be proved in front of the police before any such case is even considered for being open. The police don't deal with uncertainties, and neither should you. Returning to more relevant things, the case has been picked up by Mr. Koreyoshi Kitamura for its difficulty. The superintendent must have realized the gravity of the situation, so I believe it is safe to say the case will be closed soon."

"These are assumptions, though," Eiichi attacked. "Look who's making claims with no evidence now!"

Masahiko was watching her with doubt. "How would you know all this when Mr. Reiji does not?"

"He had no way of knowing. Mr. Kitamura picked up the case about an hour ago when you were in meeting. Because the lawyer could not reach him, he called me."

Namikawa nodded discreetly. She noticed, but so did Shimura. "If you don't mind, what exactly is your status? The two of you – are you related?"

"That depends on the criteria you choose. By blood, no, we are not. By interest, we definitely are. However, you should find my relationship to Mr. Ooi more interesting, if you prefer investigation in the private life of others." Caterina threw him a small, polite smile, but her green eyes were shining with fury.

"I am not interested in anything related to the private life of anyone," he defended himself, "unless aspects of this private life begin affecting the corporation."

She shrugged slightly. "I don't think you should be worried. Yes, the incomes are dropping this month, and probably during February as well, but the corporation is capable of surviving all this without external help."

Mido nodded. "True. We could keep the companies running as normal for nearly a year without any income. It's not a solution, but it is possible – theoretically speaking, of course."

To her, Mido looked very much like Light… It was almost disturbing. "Once the case is closed by the police and the real criminal is arrested, the image of the company will not only be washed clean, but also grow in popularity. The masses are always interested in such stories; which is great, because once someone is proven innocent, they feel guilty and tend to try and make up for it by preferring the brands of this corporation over others."

"How can you be so sure?" Higuchi asked. "These are all just assumptions."

Caterina smirked. "You are untrusting, it's understandable… Let's just say that I've seen similar situations before."

Eiichi began to laugh. "So a woman comes in, popping up out of nowhere, says we should rely on her experience, and do nothing?! Please… It's ridiculous! How many years of experience does she have? Twenty, at most? Including the year when she was born!"

The girl was eyeing him. She began taking the offenses personally and not even Reiji's glances could make her more calm. "Please give me your name, sir."

"And now she's demanding," he kept laughing. "Eiichi Takahashi – remember it."

The brighter of them watched both Eiichi and Caterina with interest. He couldn't say much with the files right in front of him, while the girl – although extremely young – was talking with her agenda closed. "Takahashi… perhaps it would be a better idea to leave your father dealing with the Yotsuba Homes What do you say? You've only got one brand under your direct administration and it somehow managed to be one of the most disastrous massive investments made last year. Ranked fifth from the bottom, it brought the corporation a total debt of over one million. It looks to me like you could benefit from a vacation. A permanent leave. You would have more time for surfing without the worry of missing any important calls, like you usually do."

With his eyes widened and his teeth clenched, the blond man stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "I won't tolerate this kind of attitude! You look like you could be my daughter!"

"That would be a shame. I assure you, if that would have been the case, you would retire this summer." Before he could continue the argument, she turned towards the rest of the men. "Now, if you need a detailed example of my experience – though I wouldn't call it mine – there are plenty to be discussed. Even my father had been involved in several cases of various crimes – from murder, to corruption. All of those were frauds, made up by his rivals in order to stain his image and lower his incomes. As soon as the police closed the case or the judge declared him innocent, his business flourished. Yet, just as a precaution and simply because I see that some of you are desperate to do something, I think it's a good moment to invest in publicity."

Namikawa decided to take over and keep leading the discussion away from the scandal or from Caterina's age. "There is a model willing to work for cheap as long as she receives a contract of several months."

"Cheap models don't usually do much," Higuchi commented. "We can't invest into a dumb model who can't act or some girl with an ugly face."

"I was talking about Misa Amane," Reiji continued. "She has a few successful campaigns from two years ago when she was first promoted by the designer Anastasia Rose. The only reason why she isn't currently posing for Vogue, for example, is that she lacks the financial support. It's only a matter of time until someone will notice her and promote her."

Mido wrote down the model's name on a corner of a paper. "It could be a good strategy, indeed… It would be even better if someone became her manager." He looked at Shimura.

"I suggest that we hire her for a month. If she has any results during this month, we can offer her a contract for a year."

Caterina stood up and took her agenda. "If you will excuse me, I believe we've clarified this issue."

"What? Are you in a hurry?" Higuchi mocked her. "Do you have something more important to do?"

"Actually, I do. I would have loved to stay a little longer, but there are a few problems with the European branch that need to be solved, one way or another. Despite some unnecessary offenses, it was a pleasure." Smiling the same way she did when they first noticed her, she made her way to the door. "Have a good day."

As soon as she was out, Caterina could hear them all talking, but the closed door stopped her from understanding their words. She called Yukimura immediately after and went to meet him. On her way there, she called the number that Rin sent her in a text, waiting for someone to pick up.

On another continent, near the border of a federation, a radio was playing Mexican music loud enough to be could be heard from outside. The cable was too short for the radio to ever sit on the windowsill, but its music could find the way out on its own.

The house was small, more of a cabin with a living room. Its hall and kitchen improvised into the same space, two bedrooms, and an outdoor toilet. The man was fixing the shower outside when he heard his phone ringing.

"Yao?!" he called. "Bring me the phone, will you?"

A Chinese boy ran back inside and returned with the phone. "The number is from Japan," he noticed by its prefix.

"Japan? How strange…" He took the phone and answered the call, waiting to hear a familiar voice.

'Hello?' a woman asked. 'Hello?' she insisted.

"Who is this?" he asked harshly. In the meantime, the boy sat underneath a tree and picked up the book he had been reading.

'King?' she asked, but it was too brief for the man to figure out whose voice it was. 'I need your help.'

"…Kitten? How on earth did you get this number?" he frowned.

'That's a secret,' she joked. 'Listen. You will receive the details by email. The address is the date when we met for the first time and you had that child with you. The password is the number of marbles in two languages. We need to restart the Cold War – I'm sure you understand.'

He leaned against the bath tub. "I was thinking of retiring, actually. Yao studies well. I want to adopt him and shape him a better future than this."

'Alright. But I really want you beside me right now. You were a great ally of Padre. You grew up in the association, right? What if I promise you a clean, safe job that will allow you to raise that child any way you want?'

The King chuckled. "Kitten, you're not the owner of those affairs."

'I will be in summer. Until then, I can convince the administrator. Trust me. I owe you for everything you've done – I wouldn't dare think of letting you down.'

After a moment of thought, he finally made up his mind. "Just this one time. After that, I'm going to retire, Kitten. Time's come for me to back away. I want to live my last years in peace and quiet. But just for one last time… What is it that you want me to do?"

'First, please come meet me. I'm also going to pay for your flight and the rent for the first month – just until all of the details start falling into place. I have my… issues with public communication services. I'm sure you know…'

The King nodded, glad to have a chance to a normal life. He signaled for Yao to come closer as he covered the phone and grinned. "Pack your things. Don't forget your books and the summaries you made. We're going to move to Japan for now, and in a couple of months, we can go anywhere you want."

"And I can go to a real school? With uniforms and taxes?" The child quickly understood that the King didn't send him to a prestigious school because he couldn't afford it, so he began taking books from the library and writing summaries as he kept reading. This way, he could educate himself more.

"Yes! Now hurry." He uncovered the phone. "Kitten? Are you still there? When do we have to be at the airport?"

'Any time you want. I'm sending you five hundred to your bank account in a moment. Please call me once you've got your tickets.'

Back in Japan, Caterina met with Yukimura to make sure that Kitamura would eventually close the case and declare Reiji innocent. After that, she went to a bank and sent the equivalent of five hundred dollars to the account number she had from Rin, an account that she guaranteed was used by the King. By the time she finally got home, Reiji did too.

Early the next morning, they both woke up and went on their ways – Namikawa had to give a statement for the police while Caterina went to the Yotsuba headquarters to talk to the head of personnel, Shimura.

Just then, Light was entering the exam room. It was a huge classroom with many candidates. It was absolutely full. There wasn't one seat empty.

'Wow, and to think this is only one of the three rooms… I wonder if the other two are just as big,' Ryuk said as he floated beside Light.

One of the supervisors indicated the seat he should take. Light then sat down and took his pen out of his jacket's pocket. He received the answer sheet, like everybody else, and shortly after, the exam questions. However, someone was warned to sit 'properly' and that caught his attention. When he looked back, Light saw an odd student just a few rows behind him with sickly, pale skin, wide eyes with dark circles underneath, bushy eyebrows, and messy black hair. The candidate was chewing the nail of his thumb and staring blankly ahead… or was he staring right at him? Light couldn't be sure.

However, he decided it would be best to ignore him and start working on the exam.

Caterina was just as nervous on the inside when Shimura kept staring at her. The man had those wide eyes ready to pop right out and a blank expression most of the time. All that topped with his black hair so rounded over the edges that it looked like some sort of bowl or helmet was enough to creep her out.

"Is it mandatory for her to come here personally? My mother worked with her before. Her stage name was Anastasia Rose, and as you know, she was promoting Misa at the time of her… Um…"

Shimura nodded, spearing her from finishing her phrase. "It is. I understand that you know her personal data, but it has to be her handwriting. It serves as a sample for comparison in case anyone tries to fake her signature in the future."

Caterina thought he was paranoid. Who would even think about faking the signature of a model? She wasn't a president or a director, so there was no way someone would risk prison time for that. "…Alright then. I'm going to call her here."

In the meantime, Light began feeling more and more uncomfortable. Whenever he threw a quick glance over his shoulder, he saw the same strange candidate staring at him. This couldn't be just his imagination – the guy sitting with his feet on the chair and hunched over his knees was spending more time staring at him than writing the exam.

After half an hour, the first few candidates turned their sheets in, then left. Some were relaxed, others seemed troubled or on the verge of tears. Light breathed, took a moment to calm down, then resumed his writing.

The longer that other student kept staring, the more it was giving him the creeps. After an hour, the students in between the two of them had left, leaving the other with a clear view of Light's back. It even crossed his mind that he could ask one of the supervisors to do something about this – either watch the odd one and force him to look down at his papers or just offer him a different seat. Light was willing to move as well – anything would have done, as long as he had a chance of leaving the visual area of the other.

'…Is he staring at you or at me?' Ryuk asked after an hour and half. 'I know he can't see me, but it kind of feels like he does.'

Since both took their time, the two of them and a girl with dark, short hair had to remain in class until everyone was done writing or the time was up. Light was used to these kinds of security measures and it normally wouldn't have bothered him. He usually took all the time that he had on his hands to write an exam, then double-check everything just to be sure his paper would be perfect.

And yet, the time seemed to have slowed down. He didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable with security cameras and microphones all over his bedroom and his bathroom, but something about the other's intense glance made him feel uneasy. For a moment, a memory crossed his mind of how he took a live bug from the windowsill during one of the first classes of biology in middle school, trapped it in a glass container and placed the poor bug under a microscope. The only reason why he got away with that was because he knew absolutely everything the teacher tried to ask him for the rest of the year.

He went home after the exam. On his way, Light stopped to buy himself a cold can of soda, well aware that his brain was rare and brilliant. Alcohol, even drank occasionally and in small quantities, was dangerous for the nervous system, among others. Neurons seemed to 'commit suicide' after the consumption of alcohol – even from a single beer. All that made him keep drinking soda.

It wasn't the healthiest option because it made blood sugar levels go way over the normal values, but considering he was still stressed by that creep's stare, he decided it wouldn't be such a tragedy. In fact, it might be beneficial, to some degree – stress over lengthened periods of time would lower blood sugar concentration, which was also detrimental to his health.

He remembered his fascination in middle school when they first got to study the human brain. For a year or two, he wanted to become a neurologist. The thought brought a small smile on his lips even now, but he had a much more important mission.

'Hey, Light?' the shinigami drew his attention.

"Mm?" He looked both ways before crossing the street.

'Did you know that guy? The one who kept staring.'

"I've never seen him in my life. I think I'd remember if we met – he's not exactly the most boring character. He stands out in the crowd… I doubt I'll forget about him anytime soon." Light passed by the boulevard that lead to the business quarter of the city where he usually went to meet with Caterina. For a few seconds, he felt a lump in his throat.

'Then what did he want with you?'

"…I don't know, but you do have a point there," he mumbled. "I don't know him, but he could know me. It's a creepy and small possibility, but I must admit it's possible… Ryuk, if you want any apples during the next month, you're going to do what I say."

Ryuk widened his eyes, flying in front of him. 'What?! But… what did I do? I did everything you asked – I checked for cameras every single day! What more do you want?'

Light stopped at a store to buy a few apples, choosing only the biggest and the reddest. When he walked out, Ryuk was already drooling. He held one apple in his hand so Ryuk could eat it and it would look normal. "Yes, you did what I asked – this is your payment right here. All this and a sincere thank you. But I want you to do more in order for me to provide you with more entertainment, and more apples, of course."

Ryuk devoured the apple and its core. 'You know, you haven't been so kind to me lately… Perhaps I will write your name in my Death Note.'

"You wouldn't do that," he laughed. "You're enjoying this way too much."

'True…' the shinigami mumbled. He had to admit that Light was interesting.

Light kept feeding him one apple after another all the way back home. Ryuk devoured almost 2 kg of fruit in less than ten minutes, finally feeling full. "Ryuk… Find Caterina. Watch over her and make sure she doesn't see you. Find out what she's up to and where she gets her information. But Ryuk – don't let her see you! Be very careful – she doesn't have to know about this," he said just as he was nearing the door of his house. "I'm going to reward you when you return with something useful."

The shinigami left as soon as he received the order – because it did sound like an order to him, but he decided to let it slide. Light was offering more entertainment than any other human being could have offered him in a lifetime, and he also promised him apples – lots and lots of apples.

Ryuk found Caterina and Namikawa in the business quarter, driving a man and a boy to a five-star hotel. Her boyfriend was driving and Caterina was sitting in the front with him while the guests were sharing the back seat.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I heard about your relationship with the Dragon," Namikawa said as he was parking the car. "Please, enjoy your stay."

"I'd like that, but I don't want any debts," the other man answered him. He looked a few years older, dressed in a flaming red shirt that made him stand out. "I'm only going to accept your help for now and only because Kitten insisted."

Caterina laughed. "You know, you don't have to call me that. And you wouldn't be in any kind of debt – it's me paying my debt to you. Feel free to ask for anything you need." Even if she was making the promise counting on Namikawa's money, it really didn't matter anymore. He gave her access to all of his resources, for which she will do the same once she will be given full control over her father's fortune. It was just a momentary situation, even it if looked unbalanced.

"Whatever you say, Kitten," the King smirked. "Tell us about the association. I'm sure Yao wants to hear about it as much as I do, right?"

The Chinese boy nodded vigorously. "Please! I want to know everything about it!"

They entered the elevator and took off to the eighth floor, where an apartment with two bedrooms had been rented in Namikawa's name. He let the King unlock the door himself.

"Padre created this non-profit association in order to offer orphans and poor children the chance for a better life. He picked many of them off the streets of Italy, in the beginning. It's called St. Nicholas and I intend on keeping its name. There are several orphanages in Italy, Ukraine, France, and the United States, and a few familial houses meant for those who are 18 years old, respectively 21 for the USA, and still studying. Anyone with a criminal record is kicked out – that includes everything, from drug possession, alcohol use, prostitution, stealth and so on to more serious crimes."

Yao was listening to Caterina and trying to maintain eye contact while the King was looking around the apartment. "What about school? Any rules about that?" the child asked.

"You must attend school – it's your choice which one. The association pays for everything you need, but you must have at least average results. If you're barely passing the year or repeating it, you will be sent to a psychologist for support and asked if you want to change your school. Are you an orphan, Yao?" she asked, watching the boy looking away.

"…Not exactly. Is it a problem if my parents are still alive?"

She looked over to the King for details. "You could say he ran away. He had his reasons."

Caterina nodded. "Then, you can declare that. Say the reason why you ran away and you will be considered an orphan in the papers with this mention. If your family tries to contact you in the future, you are under no obligation to return to them. You can decide if you want to keep in contact with your family or not."

"I don't," the boy replied briefly. "Actually, I don't ever want to see my father again."

His words hit her hard, but Caterina kept a small smile on her face. "I'm sure you've got your reasons. My father didn't want to see his either… He ran away, like you did, but he didn't have any support from anyone. He was all alone in the world… And he paid for that, in many ways."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Namikawa held her closer to him. "It's just another reason to admire everything that he managed to create. He started lower than most people, but he became a legend."

The boy kept looking away, his dark eyes cold. "I won't waste your help, alright? Just trust me. I'll make it – and when I do, I won't forget about you. I don't believe in saints or religion, but as long as they don't force me to learn those stories, I'm going to use every form of help this association of yours is willing to offer."

The King smirked. "He's already sure the world doesn't have any gods or saints," he said with a hint of amusement. "Don't mind Yao. He sometimes says some disturbing things, but that's not what he means. He's just very open and honest about his opinions."

"That's great," Caterina said. "He's going to fit right in, I'm sure. Also, I was thinking about opening a house here in Japan. What do you think? It would be done in less than a yea with an orphanage and three or four familial houses."

Yao refused to go with the King just yet. "What are those? Do we get to live with a family?"

"No, it's different from that. You can live there for as long as you're a student, with three or five others close to your age and who you know from the orphanage. Many buy themselves apartments when they move out or marry and make their own family right away. Some keep living there until they get their master's degree, working and saving money. All you have to pay is the utilities – you know, water, electricity, and so on. You pay for one part of every bill, either a quarter or the sixth part. There are two or three rooms at the top floor with two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room at the ground floor."

The boy nodded, finally going with the King to choose the room he liked best. He kept holding a bag that seemed a little too heavy for him until he finally took it into one of the bedrooms.

"What is he carrying in that bag, if I'm not being indecent?" Namikawa asked the King.

"Summaries. I couldn't buy him books, so I got him empty notebooks and I told him to borrow books from the library or from his friends. He writes summaries of those books he reads so he can go over the information again. It's his own library, in a way…" he laughed. "It's too much of an effort, if you ask me, but he loves his collection of summaries."

Caterina looked after Yao for a long time. "…Maybe it would be better to send him to that orphanage for gifted children from the UK. What was it called? Warner? Wesley? Something…"

"Never heard of it," the King shrugged. "He's a smart kid. He studies on his own and beats his teachers in arguments during classes. I think he'll be fine wherever we send him, as long as it offers him something to learn. The kid is the happiest when he studies." The man began to laugh. "I don't even understand half of what he says he likes."

Both Reiji and Caterina smiled in amusement. "I think it's a good idea to bring the association in Japan. I'm going to speak to my father about a donation that will cover the expenses for that."

She nodded. "Alright. Well, we're going to let you rest for now. Please call me when you wake up tomorrow, King."

The man smiled widely. "Sure will. Have fun, you two!"

Ryuk watched them from afar, staying behind Caterina and making no sound. He followed the two outside and then looked after the car as the man drove away to the rich side of the city, with many residential areas and luxurious cars parked in the front yard in order to let the neighbors know where they were. That was the pretty side of Tokyo, with houses owned by important people and private security companies patrolling side to side with the police in order to assure the safety of the inhabitants.

He was surprised to see that Caterina had switched the ripped jeans for dress pants and the platform sandals with thin heels that looked painful even to the god of death. He watched her undoing two buttons of her dress shirt as she walked straight to the kitchen, complaining about the warmth in the house.

"Didn't you open a window, Rin?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of water. "The air is too stuffy. And why is it so hot in here?"

"I was cold when I walked out of the shower," the Japanese girl said without even looking up from her laptop. She was playing a game, pressing buttons on the keyboard without looking and watching a character on the screen as it climbed and jumped between hyper-realistic ruins, fighting giant spiders and panthers.

"You turned up the heat? All you had to do was put on a pair of pants and wrap your hair in a towel. Of course you're going to feel cold if you walk around with your hair wet." Caterina sighed, turned the heat down, and then opened a window. "Pause the game and go dry your hair. Rin? I'll put a password on the Wi-Fi."

The girl paused the game immediately. "Alright, alright, jeez…" She dragged her feet upstairs and went to dry her hair in the bathroom.

Namikawa heard the talk between the two and sighed, shaking his head. "Maybe it would be better to have her joining the association as well, just to avoid another possible scandal."

She nodded. "Perhaps… I'm going to talk to Ooi about it tomorrow."

"He is leaving to meet with members of the European branch tomorrow morning. I think his flight is at 10 am, but if you want, I can check."

Caterina leaned against the wall, sipping from her water. "No… It's alright. I'll call him when I wake up. If he's on the plane, he won't answer, but otherwise, I'm sure he will. Ooi doesn't have this number I'm using now, so he won't know who is calling him. Once he picks up, I'm going to ask him to invest the donation made by your father into a new St. Nicholas complex somewhere near Tokyo."

Namikawa nodded. He unbuttoned his shirt at the neck and loosened his tie just as Rin was dragging her feet back down. The girl had also put on a pair of shorts. "Rin, did you manage to find anything new today?"

"Uh… no, not really. I played this new game and it's fantastic, but I guess you wouldn't understand." Her enthusiasm was draining fast as Namikawa frowned. "I'll look after I finish this stage, alright?"

"Rin, do you know what time it is?" Caterina asked her. "It's almost midnight. It was two hours ago when we were at the airport and I called and asked you to check if there were any new threats coming from the Russian mafia, especially through those three reporters you found earlier. You said you would look it up in five minutes then."

"Well, I didn't notice it, alright?!" Rin crossed her hands over her chest. "All I ask is that you let me finish this one stage – that's all, I promise!"

Reiji sighed. "It's alright. Caterina, do you want to come upstairs?" He was tired, having been up from earlier than any of the girls. "Rin can leave us a note for tomorrow morning."

Caterina nodded. "Then, finish this stage and the whole game, or whatever. If you find anything, write it down and leave it on the table." She followed the man upstairs and into his bedroom, where they both changed and went to bed.

As soon as she saw herself alone, Rin closed the window in the living room and turned the heat back up. She threw her shorts on the other couch and went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee with a generous spoon of ice cream on top. She lit a cigarette there and smoked it quickly, then closed the door to the kitchen, leaving that window wide open. Rin went back to her seat, put on her headphones, and resumed the game. Out of curiosity, Ryuk stayed behind her to watch - it was so very interesting!


Author's Notes:

Chapter proofread by AbandonedSock, my faithful beta!

If you haven't already, check out the guidebook for this story at /s/12600457/1/Gospel-for-the-Wicked-Guidebook fore more details about the OCs and other original content added.

As for the Yandere Simulator names, it must be a coincidence. I looked it up and it seems to be a game with many characters and more to be added, but I haven't heard of it until now. However, my inspiration when creating a character, references that I tried to make obvious (but may not have been so) and other aspects are explained in character sheets, so I encourage you to browse through the guidebook. I'm going to add a lot more to it as soon as it's polished and proofread.