(Kairi's POV)
I watched the screen, halting my research to observe Gyumi Naomi. She had been my rival for top grades in elementary school. I can actually admit that I hated her. But now, I realize how childish that feeling was. I was fuming with envy at that age.
I turned on my headset as I watched Near sit across from her. She was sitting with her legs crossed, fingers laced together and resting on her knee. She was unsure of what he had come for and felt uncomfortable.
With a slight adjustment to the camera, Near began to speak. I ignored most of the conversation, focusing mainly on her reactions and body language, just as he had asked. She seemed to be nervous, as nervous as anyone else would be when being interrogated by a stranger. I decided to tune into the questions in case her response was unnatural.
"Do you know why I am here?"
She shook her head. Confirmation, she wasn't lying.
"I am here investigating the current Kira case. Do you know anything about the Kira cases?"
"No, Sir," she replied. That was obviously a lie. Everyone knew something about the Kira case. I told Near this, explaining that the news gave reports including information about Kira.
"What about what comes on the news?"
"Oh, I didn't think that would count," she said with a small laugh. I noted this, continuing to watch to see if this was merely nerves from regular fear or if she was being deceitful.
"Is that all you know?"
She nodded. Her expression fading to a more serious look of confusion.
"Can you tell me about your recent work?"
"Excuse me?" she asked, tilting her head. That was believable.
"You are a retired actress, if I remember correctly, but you still seem to make a lot of money. Have you taken up a new job?"
She took a moment to answer. Hesitation. I made sure to tell Near this. "I have a few small jobs on the side, but nothing full time. I haven't had a job in a few months."
"Might I ask what these jobs were?"
"Just minor acting jobs. They paid well, too, though I never understood why he had hired me. The character was a male." This answer was somewhat coincidental.
"Near, ask her who the man that hired her was." He did as I said.
"I don't know. He did it indirectly, sending out his camera crew instead of coming himself. They wouldn't tell me his name or what the recordings were for. Only that I would get paid for each showing of my clips."
"Do you remember your lines?"
"Oh, I never forget a line." She smiled confidently, sitting up a bit straighter. "What would you like to hear?"
"Start from the beginning."
"Very well." She cleared her throat. "N, my dear enemy. I know you are trying to find me. I am not like the last Kira; I think everything through. I have eyes and ears everywhere, and you will never be able to get ahold of my forces. They are, after all, supernatural and impossible to stop. I am killing off every threat to a perfect world: my perfect world. I will not fail in this plan. If you fail to answer me, I will dispose of your assistant, Tagoku Kairi."
"Thank you, that is plenty." He stood up, and three more men entered the house. "Gyumi Naomi, you are under arrest as an accomplice of Kira. You have the right to remain silent, as anything said can and will be used against you in this investigation."
I sat back with a puzzled expression on my face. "Near, it's clear she doesn't know what she did."
"If I let her stay by herself, she could be endangered or used again," he elaborated. I suppose that made sense, but couldn't he tell her that instead of arresting her? The poor (well, rich) girl was probably scared to death. Near removed the camera and turned it to his face.
"You have a different approach to your case than I am used to. But I suppose it will work."
"What would you have suggested?"
"It doesn't matter now. If you did it after arresting her, you would just confuse her. Let me talk to her when she gets here," I stated. He nodded as he walked out of her house behind her. "Oh, and one more thing."
Near raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.
"Don't scare her too much, or she won't talk."
(Near's POV)
I pocketed the necklace Kairi had given me and had Gyumi placed in the back of the car. I sat across from her, watching as she put on a mask of a calm demeanor. "Can you explain to me why you believe I am an accomplice to Kira?"
"Your voice was scrambled and used in Kira's broadcasts," I stated. I stopped at that, leaving her to ask more questions.
"Hey, Near, I have an update from the officers sent to capture Kira." I waited silently for Kairi to continue, being the only one that could hear her. "The building was void of the man with the mask. I believe he removed the mask and hid it right after the broadcast had ended, allowing him to leave without being noticed.
"I scanned the security footage and noticed three individuals that have the same shoulder width as Kira. I then ran facial scans on the men and found their names. One of them has many aliases and attends the same college as Gyumi Naomi," she finished.
I made a slight hum, loud enough for her to hear but not for Naomi. "Gyumi-san, when is your first class tomorrow?"
"Ten. Why?"
"I need to send your teachers an excuse so that they don't worry. I need you to give me your schedule when we get to our location."
It took Kairi a moment to understand, which disappointed me. "You're sending me as Gyumi-san? But what about her classmates? They will recognize me."
I blew a soft puff of air into the microphone, again inaudible to Naomi.
"But being a movie star, she probably doesn't let people know who she is. So I won't be any different to them than she would." I was pleased she understood my lack of words. Perhaps she would understand my intentions sooner the more she works with me. I gave another soft hum in confirmation.
"Might I ask where we are going?" Gyumi-san asked. I looked at her, shaking my head. "Then how much longer until we get there?"
"Any moment now," I replied. She nodded, turning to look out the window instead of at me. "Do not speak until we arrive and are inside the building," I prompted. She gave another nod.
We arrived not long after her silence began, and I helped her out of the car. I had her handcuffed in case of any resistance, but she seemed to be calm enough. Then again, she was an actress, a dangerous asset when investigating a suspect. I led her into my building, having Nemura remove any cell phones or other electronic devices before allowing her further into my investigation premises. I took her to a room void of windows and allowed her to sit on the couch. "Make yourself comfortable. I will have my assistant join you in a moment."
Gyumi-san merely nodded, taking a seat once I removed the handcuffs. I left the room and joined Kairi in the security room.
"Any new developments?"
"None, aside from my research of the college campus security footage. She took on a shy character at her college, and she goes by the alias 'Masano Kyomi' in all of her classes."
"I would suggest you not change her character so that she is able to return without any suspicion," I stated. Kairi look up at me from her computer. I could see a strange emotion in her eyes. One that I haven't seen in years. For a moment, she resembled L, with the completely vacant, indifferent expression.
It was unnerving, to say the least.
But the hatred from before soon flooded her soft brown orbs, and I released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. She didn't seem to notice. "Gyumi-san is sitting in the interrogation room down the hall. You can join her at any time, but I must require you to record your conversation. Do not, however, let her know she is being recorded."
"Very well, but won't she suspect that I am recording her?"
"Convince her. It doesn't matter how you get the information she doesn't wish to share. I just need it."
"Very well," Kairi stated, placing a small microphone under her shirt. She would remove her jacket to avoid suspicion, I suppose, so I didn't question her. She started the recording before leaving the room. I sat down in front of her computer, deciding to do a little bit of my own research.
Just as I was about to scan through her documents, I noticed a small slit in the side of her computer. I turned the device sideways, an out fell a small razor blade. It looked as if it had been removed from a shaving razor. I knew what this meant, seeing the dried blood on the sharp edge.
Kairi had participated in self-harm. I called Ryuuzaki on my laptop, setting up the microphone. He would be upset that I didn't call with the blood test results, but considering how close he was to this girl, I knew he would want to know something like this as soon as possible.
"Near."
"Ryuuzaki," I replied before holding up the razor blade. His eyes widened only slightly, but I knew how to tell what my old mentor was thinking. "I found this hidden in the side of her computer."
"Has she recently cut?"
"Given the amount of dried blood on it, it seems that last time was…approximately four days ago."
He audibly sighed, a sound I was not used to hearing from him. "Where is she now?"
"Interrogating a suspect down the hall. Do you want me to get her?"
"No. Just get rid of the razor, hide all scissors, and keep an eye and ear out for her," he stated. "She has agreed to call me once a night, so I can find a way to check up on her."
"Very well," I replied, pocketing her blade. "I wouldn't suppose you have had any new discoveries with your case, have you?"
"I am about to interrogate the writer of my source and see if he has any other information."
"You have confirmed that the writer is male?"
"No, but I do believe when one does not know the gender of another, he is spoken of as if he were male," Ryuuzaki said.
"I know. I was just wanting to see how much you have changed," I replied, smiling slightly. "You used to expect me to understand. Now you elaborate without a second thought. Perhaps Kairi needed you to elaborate more often, therefore you just began to do it on your own."
"Ah, she said something similar. Apparently I have changed a lot since I left."
"Indeed you have."