A week and a half passed by before I had realized that I shared a handful of my courses with Light Yagami. I hadn't seen the strange Hideki Ryuga since orientation, which I deemed quite strange. He wasn't a hard person to miss, and although I hadn't necessarily been looking for him, I thought I would've seen him by then. I'm also sure Light never noticed me, not even once. We'd never spoken or even made eye contact. I came to the conclusion he was going into the criminal justice field as well, since we both had forensics courses and others alike. It came as a bit of a shock to me, because while I did know that his father is also in that field due to him beings friends with my uncle, I didn't know why he preferred to major in criminal justice rather than something much more well paid, possibly along the lines of science. I brushed it off, knowing it really wasn't any of my business.
I noticed that whenever I was on the bus, or walking around the city I continued to see a man with ebony hair and piercing blue eyes. He always wore a suit of some kind adorned with a trench coat. I caught his eye at least three, maybe even four times. As much of a nervous person I was, I didn't think too much of it. It seemed coincidental. By his face alone, he looked simply innocent and sweet. He looked about ten years older than me, but he never came off as creepy. After a couple days, he stopped appearing. Once university was in full swing, I don't believe I ever saw him again. I often wondered where he disappeared to, or even why he was consistently around me.
It had been a Sunday night. I was at my desk finishing homework when I heard the front door open on the floor below me. I suspected it was my uncle so I immediately jumped up out of my chair to bolt downstairs. I hadn't seen him in three days, because whenever he came home I was on campus. I threw my arms around his neck, hugging the short man. He took a moment to hug back, but he seemed slower than usual. Maybe it was because he was tired, but it was almost like he was hesitant. When we both pulled away and I could finally get a decent look at his face, I saw an expression on his face I'd never seen before. His eyebrows were lower, his eyes had a mix of sadness and exhaustion with a slight downturn of the corners of his mouth. The look he gave me made me entirely anxious. "Are you okay? You look worried," I finally spoke. He gave me a small smile. "I'm fine; it's been a rough day on the case today," he replied, avoiding eye contact as he hung up his jacket. "Oh, are you hungry? I can make us dinner if you want. I got some groceries today—"
"No, Mei, I already ate. I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight, sweetheart." He didn't say anything else as he trotted past me, upstairs and into his room where he closed the door. Sometimes, I really wished I didn't overthink everything, and that was especially one of those moments. That brief interaction seemed strange. He was not like himself at all; he almost appeared… guilty. I didn't know the exact emotion he was conveying, because at the same time he looked disappointed in himself. In conclusion, I really didn't know. I just hoped it was easily slept off, but it continued to worry me until the next day.
The following morning, I had two of my classes that aided my major in criminal justice. At nine o'clock in the morning, I'd get to class before it'd start at 9:05 a.m. I always sat alone in that particular class, and it never really bothered me. I was simply used to it. However, when I got settled in my seat that day, Light Yagami looked directly at me as he entered the lecture hall. For a second, I didn't think anything of it. I thought he had just been analyzing the room, but instead of sitting away from me, he began to walk towards me. I finally looked at him directly when he pulled out the chair next to me so he could be seated. I gave him a friendly smile, since I assumed it could decrease the awkwardness, and I looked away. I already had my homework out in front of me, with my name neatly written at the top of the paper. As I leaned back in my chair, he looked over my shoulder to get a glimpse at my it. "Mei? I've never seen that name spelled in such a way," he said, accompanied with a seemingly flirtatious smile. "My name isn't actually spelled like that. It's actually M-a-y, but when I came here I started to spell it like Mei. I much prefer it that way," I responded, fidgeting with my hands. "Came here? To university?" he questioned. "Oh, no, not to university. When I came to Japan, I mean. I'm an international student," I continued to make small talk. "I haven't noticed many international students here. How interesting!" he continued with forced enthusiasm, cringeworthy almost. "It's nice to meet you, Mei. I'm Light," he finished with the same smile. "Trust me, I know. You're a student celebrity, Light," I responded in a joking manner. "You think? I wouldn't say so. What are you doing here in Japan, may I ask?" he pushed for a deeper conversation. "Well, I've always been fond of Japan; Tokyo in particular. On top of that, I always wanted to study abroad. I couldn't have done it without my uncle. Oh, yes, your father is in the same field as my uncle. Do you know him? His name is Ukita Hirokazu." I was surprised with the easy conversation we were having, especially since I was never much of a social butterfly. I was particularly introverted, so my social skills were a part of me that was lacking. Light somehow made me feel comfortable.
"Ukita Hirokazu…" he lightly rubbed his chin, pondering, "No, I don't think it rings a bell. I'll be sure to ask my father, though. Small world, isn't it? You're from another country and we still have mutual connections." I gave him a small smile once again. "It really is. You know, I'm really dumbfounded as to how you got a perfect score on that entrance exam. That other guy as well! His name… Oh! Ryuga! You two must be geniuses," I chuckled to fill the silence at the end of my sentence. "Studying was pretty much the only thing I ever did besides eat and sleep before that exam. I'm quite hardworking. I don't know much about Ryuga, though. I didn't know him before the orientation, actually. He's a bit of a different guy, but something about him is most definitely intriguing," he mused with a forced smile. "Yes! That's exactly what I thought. I haven't seen him around much, either, which is definitely indifferent. I thought I would have crossed paths with him already, but I suppose not. Something about him really caught my attention," I expressed with great relief. He nodded in agreement and before he went to further the conversation, our professor began to teach the class.
When we were dismissed, Light chose not to go his own way. I was a bit slower in him when I collected my belongings to leave, and when I looked up he wasn't next to me, but rather waiting for me at the door. I caught up with him and we picked up where we left off. "I've seen you in a few of my classes, you know. I just felt the need to talk to you. Maybe it's fate," he said casually, as if it wasn't an extremely odd thing to say when you've just met someone. That's when I began to feel slightly uncomfortable; I really hoped he wasn't interested in me. While he was sweet, he wasn't necessarily my type, either. Then again, he could have just been playing nice. I laughed awkwardly, "Maybe you're right."
"Oh, hello, Light," an unknown but familiar voice spoke from next to me. Looking up, my eyes met no other than Hideki Ryuga. The Hideki Ryuga who had been in the back of my mind ever since the orientation ceremony. "And you must be..?" he questioned as he leaned towards me in curiosity. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Light angrily staring at Ryuga. While I didn't exactly know why, it seemed quite serious. I heard Light say under his breath, "What are you doing here, Ryuzaki?" Quickly dismissing the strange inquiry to him, I acted like I hadn't heard it. "I'm Mei. You're Hideki Ryuga, yes? It's nice finally meeting you," I responded coyly. "Finally meeting me? What do you mean?" he pried as the three of us continued to walk in unison. "I mean, ever since the orientation. It's nice to know you two are friends," I said awkwardly. "Yes, Light and I are indeed close these days," he calmly replied, with no hint of continuing our short-lived conversation. The awkwardness skyrocketed when there was a long moment of silence. "I'm sorry. I'm not the socially, you could say," Ryuga quickly apologized. I quickly felt true sympathy for him. "It's alright! I'm the same way," I grinned as I welcomingly put a hand on his arm. "So, R-Ryuga," Light uncommonly stuttered, "what are you doing here, again?" I drew my hand back as Ryuga shoved his hands in his jean pockets. "What do you mean? I attend classes here, don't I?" Another furious whisper came from Light, "I told you I'd do this myself."
"Should I leave you two alone? I was just going to run to a cafe for a quick drink before my next class—" Light briskly stopped my sentence. "No, how about we all go? I'd love to introduce you to Ryuga." He had an irritated expression on his face, to say the least.
I sat across from both Light and Ryuga. Taking a sip from my green tea, I waited for one of the two to spark a conversation. From over the table, I could see Light mentally scolding Ryuga for an unknown reason. Clearing his throat, Ryuga finally spoke up. "To be frank, Mei, Light had come up with an elaborate plan to befriend you. Now, I know this is going to be quite shocking, but we are both from the Japanese task force. More specifically, for the Kira investigation," he said as he dumped two sugar cubes into his tea and stirred. He said it so casually, yet it made my heart drop. What the fuck does the Kira investigation have to do with me? I've stayed clear of even peeking at the public information on the case, and now people directly from the task force are trying to speak with me. What did I do? "What? I don't understand," I quietly said, looking at Light for confirmation. Light hid his eyes from embarrassment, I assumed. "We, more importantly, Light suspects you as being Kira," Ryuga continued. "Now, I've been conspicuous of the idea since he'd brought it up. From my deduction, you just seem like a quite normal person. Now, there is something I must tell you, Mei. I am L." My heart dropped even more. I was the last person who could possibly ever be Kira, and now Light is framing me. What could I ever have done to him. On top of that, the strange boy I've seen weeks ago is actually L? I didn't believe it. I couldn't have believed it. "I don't know how to respond to this. I've been minding my own business for weeks, and especially staying away from the Kira case. Now, I'm being blamed as a serial killer. Please, enlighten me on the evidence as to how I could possibly be Kira," I frantically said. "Well, a couple weeks ago, I had sent out twelve FBI investigators to watch both members of the task force, along with their close family. As you are extremely close to Ukita, you were one of those people. A man by the name of Raye Penber was investigating both you and Light. Soon after, Raye Penber died under suspicious circumstances along with the rest of the FBI investigators," he took a sip of his tea.
I pondered for a moment, slightly calming down. "To be fair, that makes sense. So you believe if I were Kira, I'd most definitely have cause to kill both Raye Penber and the remaining investigators. Wait, doesn't that mean Light is also a suspect?" I switched my focus from Ryuga, or L, to Light. "Indeed, you both are suspects. You both are entirely similar in this situation, it is just that I suspected Light more than you. However, now that Light has joined our task force, I must hear out his ideas, as well. Though, this made me hesitant from the beginning. Now that I've met with you, I feel that the likeliness of you being Kira is down to… One percent," he put his thumb to his lips, "But it is still a possibility, and I'm not sure I can ignore that. It's too convenient that you were also one of the people Raye Penber was investigating, along with the fact that it's very likely Kira is a student…" he trailed off in thought. I nodded. "Ryuga, or, L? I—"
"Please, refer to me as Ryuzaki. It is only for protection," he responded quickly. "Ryuzaki," I corrected myself, "I think it's odd that, while Light is a suspect, you let him onto the task force. Is there a reason behind that? I have an idea as to why." Ryuzaki rested his hands on his knees. "I believe that whether he is or isn't Kira he could still be helpful in our investigation. There are other reasons, as well, but I am sure you know of them as you've stated. You're a bright girl, Mei." I never took compliments well, so I immediately turned red at the sly comment on my intellectual skills. Moments after, Ryuzaki's cell phone began to ring. Fishing it out of his pocket, he held the phone up to his ear as he had held up the paper at the ceremony, only by his index finger and thumb. "Yes? Alright. I'll be there momentarily," he flipped the phone closed. "I'm afraid Light and I must get back to headquarters. I apologize for the brief end, but, Mei?"
"Yes?" I responded, my blush finally fading. "If you don't mind, could we meet tomorrow, here? Say… twelve o'clock. Oh, and," he turned to Light, "alone." Light immediately looked bewildered. Clearly Ryuzaki was not very predictable. "Sounds good to me. I look forward to it," I bowed my head as both Ryuzaki and Light stood from their chairs. "Likewise," Ryuzaki ended with a hint of a smile.