(Chris' POV)

'I gotta say, you seem really dedicated to this,' I hear from Rugo, who's sitting on my bed eating from a bag of chocolates.

'Why shouldn't I be? I mean, this is a serious job I have to do, and I don't have much time to waste. It's too loud and distracting for me to sleep in class, so I can't push my bedtime too far, and I can only reduce the amount of homework and assignments I do by so much without getting in trouble.'

'Well, yeah, but it doesn't sound very time-consuming to write names.'

'Rugo, every evening I have to look through all my news websites to see which new criminals have popped up, and then use all the information I can get to ensure that there's been no false accusation. And then I need to look through the archives of all said websites, as well as additional sources such as Wikipedia, to see criminals that did their thing before I became Kira, or ones I've missed, and repeat the process. And I need to keep up the pace of writing fifty names each day, to make things easier to keep track of.'

For the last four days I have been getting to know my Shinigami a lot better. He may appear demonic in appearance (like most Shinigami I assume), but he's very strong-hearted, very efficient at what little work I have given to him, and he knows many different wurst recipes. When I am asleep or busy he has spent his time reading the Death Note manga, and together we have been watching the anime, to better understand our situation with so many parallels to the fictional story. I have occasionally been surprised by what he does and doesn't know about the human world, and based on how much he's told me about his past (almost nothing other than a few vague hints) I can assume that he is much older than he looks.

His name is Rugo. He will not confirm nor deny if that's his full name, but it doesn't seem to be a problem since "Rugo" on its own is an extremely unique name which I doubt I'll ever see in someone else. When I first met him I expected him to be neutral like Ryuk, but he does seem to be interested in what I'm doing and what I hope to accomplish. We've had many intellectual conversations on the topic, and it's almost as if he cares about the human world as well.

So right now I'm on my laptop, looking through my news feed to look for criminals and to see if anything else important is happening right now. I'm also closely checking online communities like those of the ICPO or Death Note's reddit to see if anyone has picked up on the heart attacks yet. Already there is some speculation on the latter, but no official crime organization has said anything yet… alright, forget what I just said.

'Rugo? Come look at this.'

As Rugo comes closer I start the news report video.

'Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Following the deaths of over 200 criminals around the world, the International Committee for Universal Protection has joined forces with the UN Security Council and General Assembly to open a case investigating the deaths and the possibility of a killer behind them.'

'Wait, you've killed over 200 people already? I mean, I've seen many cases of Death Notes being dropped into the human world, but I haven't seen anyone write so many names so fast.'

'Well maybe that's because they're STILL READING THE FUCKING 29 PAGES OF RULES, RUGO!'

'The case is already being discussed with careful observation, and despite the extremely unusual circumstances surrounding the deaths, the strongest theory being put forward is that an individual or organization is responsible. And in order to centralize control of the investigation, full command of the world's police forces and investigation units will be given to a single detective, who world leaders including Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, 11 Jinping and Benjamin Netanyahu have endorsed as the world's greatest individual detective.'

No way. NO FUCKING WAY!

The world's greatest detective, and the entire world's police forces are at his beckon call? This story doesn't add up. Such extreme measures would only be taken if the world's major powers already established that the deaths were unnatural, and if they already thought of me as a potential threat to those in power. Well, their suspicions are certainly not wrong… but even then, they'd have dozens of super-detectives on the case, not just one. There must be something else going on here.

'Don't miss tomorrow! At 4:30PM the world's greatest detective will finally show himself to the public in a speech that's sure to surprise anyone who wants to know who is behind these killings! All that and more will be broadcast live on Tomorrow's Today Tonight!' And then the video ends.

'Looks like someone's in trouble,' I hear behind me.

'What makes you say that? Since the beginning I knew this would happen, and I'm fully prepared. I won't make any impulsive moves while we watch the broadcast, if that's what you're worried about.'

'But still, you're basically declaring war on the entire world. And that never works out well.'

'Rugo, how are-'

'CHRIS! INDY!' I hear from downstairs. I open the door slightly to respond.

'Yes, mum?'

'There's ice cream here in case either of you want any!'

'Alright I'm coming down!' Rugo quickly responds.

'Wait, what about your-'

'Ice cream first, world saving later.'

- 19 hours later -

This is it. The day that, if all goes to plan, I make my debut. The "world's greatest detective" may expect me to make any number of moves during his speech, but I doubt he'll expect me to go this far. I've already written up a script for myself and finished making my makeshift "Kira suit" (Rugo actually helped a lot with the latter), so while I'm just writing down some criminal names while I wait for the broadcast to begin.

'Tell me, Chris, aren't you getting scared from using the Death Note so much?' I swivel my chair around to reply.

'Why should I be?'

'It's just that I've never seen a human so comfortable using one before. But even though you know you're about to be chased by some mysterious detective… doesn't that scare you?'

'What are you talking about? That's what makes it fun!'

'Fun?'

'Yeah, fun.'

'Fun?' Does this Shinigami really not understand what that word means?

'Do you need me to spell it out for you?' I clear my throat, and give the best definition I can.

'F is for Friends who do stuff together, U is for-'

'I know what it means, okay, just… please don't sing, okay? Like, never again.'

'Do you really think I was that-'

'We interrupt this dialogue to bring you a live, globally televised internet broadcast from the ICUP.' It's starting already? Apparently the clock says its 4:30 already. That was quick. The screen switches to a man on a podium, much like the one POTUS makes his speeches on. The man himself looks pale, and has blond hair going about halfway down his neck. I can't see a single wrinkle in his suit or tie.

'Hello. I am Lewis Larsson, more commonly known as L, and I am the sole person able to mobilize police forces in every relevant country worldwide. This is not a trap.'

Wow, I seriously wasn't expecting them to do everything exactly the same as in the anime, even the alias is the same! Like seriously, do they really think they can replicate the exact same scene and hope I don't notice? What do they expect to accomplish here?

'Criminals around the world have been the target of a global killing spree, which has turned into the biggest mass murder case in history. This monstrous crime must be stopped at all costs. 'Kira', as the perpetrator is commonly known, will be caught. I guarantee it.'

Yup. Totally a trap. Still, without writing a name I'll write down some specific death conditions in case I'm wrong with my assumption.

'He guarantees you'll be caught, Chris.'

'Yeah, well so far I'm hearing nothing to suggest his guarantee is anything more than an empty threat. In any case, we both know what happens next in Death Note and I'm not falling for the same trap as Light did.

'On the contrary, I think this guy is the real thing. Think about it. In this modern world, would the public really support someone if their debut involves using another person as human bait? And the only way this trap could even be set up is if whoever is in charge of the investigation seriously thinks you have the same capabilities as the fictional Kira, and I doubt they'd think that, at least not this early on in the game.'

Rugo has a point. From a logical perspective, this trap would be a PR nightmare regardless of the outcome. I look down at what I've written into the Death Note.

- Heart Attack

Does his best to disband the Kira investigation by November 22 after slowly changing his views on the topic. Finally dies painlessly on November 23.

All I'm missing is his name. Now, I need to make a decision. Should I-

'Kira, listen to me. I think I have a pretty good idea of why you're doing this. But what you are doing is wrong. I know how you must feel about our society. There are some good things and some bad, some right things and some wrong. But if you think you can change that, you are gravely mistaken. In the end, you can't change things, and you're no better than the criminals you kill.'

…

…

'Umm, Chris, are you oka-'

'WHAT THE FUCK L!? ARE YOU EVEN LOOKING AT HOW MUCH HAS IMPROVED IN JUST A FEW DAYS SINCE I GOT THIS POWER!? I'M TRYING TO IMPROVE THIS WORLD, WHILE ALL YOU WANT IS TO KEEP THE STATUS QUO! AND THE STATUS QUO IS UNACCEPTABLE! I CANNOT JUST STAND BY AS THE WORLD-'

'Chris, calm down!'

'OKAY, Okay, but I am going to get rid of this asshole detective.'

'You know, if you're going to be like this every time someone goes against you, perhaps-'

'Gimme a break, this is the first time I've been publicly denounced in front of hundreds of millions of people. And I'm still getting used to even being Kira in the first place!'

Rugo looks over my shoulder to see what I have written.

Lewis Larsson -Heart Attack

Does his best to disband the Kira investigation by November 22 after slowly changing his views on the topic. Finally dies painlessly on November 23.

'Well, we won't see him die but that's fine. Let's just watch the rest of the broadcast.'

Lewis, or "L" as he calls himself, is still standing on the- wait, if this is a trap then he'll die in less than 40 seconds, right? Because not only would he have no actual control over the investigation, but if he's on death row then he'll probably be dead long before the 23rd. And if the specified situation can't happen, the default death scenario is a heart attack after 40 seconds. So ironically, right now his death would be the worst possible scenario for me.

'Police worldwide have launched a coordination under my…' At that moment, the man clutches his chest and collapses.

...

...

'I fucked up.'

'Yeah, you fucked up.'

'Well it was your idea for me to write down his name!'

'Heh, oops.'

I turn my attention back to the screen, which is now filled with a black letter L over a white background.

'Well, well, well. This was rather intriguing, Kira.'

So this is the real "L", huh?

'I must say, I never expected everything to go so smoothly. Kira, in case you haven't figured it out already, Lewis Larsson, the man you just saw drop dead, was a convicted criminal on the death penalty. His arrest and conviction were kept absolutely secret from the media and the internet, and even you have been unable to kill those kinds of criminals. I mean, surely you know about "it" by now, so why didn't you see the trap immediately? Or did you try to do something differently, and fail? Or are you really this dedicated to acting out your part?'

What does he mean by "It"? Is he referring to Death Note? He must be.

'Oh, and if you didn't notice the giant letter L on the screen, I should tell you that I'm the real L, and I am 80% sure I exist. So come on! Kill me if you can!'

'AAARGH FUCK YOU L!'

'What are you waiting for?! Come on! Go ahead and kill me! I'm still here! Can't do it, Kira?!'

This is not happening…

'Oh, it seems, you aren't able to kill me. A bit of a shame actually, my backup plan would've been so fun to watch. So there are people you can't kill. That's a valuable clue. Now I'll give you some information in return. Although it was announced that this internet-wide broadcast was being televised globally, I lied. Actually it was only broadcast in Sydney, Australia. The plan was to broadcast in other areas in turn, ensuring the broadcast isn't leaked out of the targeted regions, but that's no longer necessary. You are in Sydney, Kira. I know where you li-ive! I know where you li-ive!'

Well, there are nearly five million people in Sydney, so I may still have a shot at getting through this.

'And, although the police have missed this, your first victim after Justin Bieber was a serial killer who most recently took 12 people hostage in a preschool. His crime, compared to those of your other victims, was not very serious. Moreover, the case was reported only in Australia, nowhere else. That was all the information I needed. Combined with the fact that a majority of your victims were either Australian or Japanese, I knew that you were in Australia! And that your first two victims were nothing more than guinea pigs for testing your powers! We broadcast first to Sydney because it is the city with the highest population in the country, and because both of your first victims died there. I never expected this to work so perfectly, but now, I dare say it will not be so long before I send you to die. Kira, it would interest me greatly to know how you carry out your murders, but I'm a very patient person and that's something I can find out after I catch you!'

'Send me to die, you say? L…'

'Kira…'

'I WILL FIND YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE AND I WILL ELIMINATE YOU! I AM… JUSTICE!'

'You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.'

'Shut the fuck up Rugo.'

'This was fun. We should do it again some time. Well, see ya later!'

And just like that, the L overlay disappears and the screen returns to the criminal database I was looking at before.

'Well, Challenge accepted, "L".'

'So you're both trying to find someone you know nothing about, not their name, face or anything else. And whoever is found first is most likely going to die…'

'So this is how it's gonna be? Fine then. Let the games begin.'

'May the odds be ever in your favor.'

'… So, L, huh? I knew something like this would come up, but I never thought it would be the exact same. He has the same alias, the same symbol, the same voice scrambler, the same vibe… coincidence? Of course not. There are only two ways this could happen…'

'And what are they?'

'Scenario one: Inspired by the manga and/or anime when he was younger, L chose to copy him in as many ways as possible. But I find that unlikely.'

'What else could it be?'

'Scenario two: Shortly after finding about Kira, L quickly made the connection to Death Note and knew that choosing the alias 'L' would be a massive intimidation and provocation. I find that that's the most likely scenario, but that also means L must have gone by a different name before. Perhaps his name and face are public knowledge, but he's only known as an ordinary detective with no connection to L. In that case, L could be any known detective in the world!'

'So how are you going to find him?'

'For now I'll just sit back and see what happens, but I'll also look through every major accessible detective database in the world compile a list of everyone that could be L.'

'What if L is completely unknown to the public, like in Death Note?'

'If that's the case, then I suppose that'll just make things more interesting. In any case, we've got no time to waste. Let's give our reply.'