Sayu gasped. It was almost 3 in the morning!

"We made some progress, at least," Light sighed. "Think about all these jobs, and write them down on your employment sheet."

Sayu hugged her brother. "Thanks for helping me, Lightie. You're the best."

"Of course," Light smiled.

"You're wrong," I said, clenching the park bench.

"How do you know?" L asked.

"Because he's my brother!" I screamed. "I know him!"

My throat was hurting, people were staring, but I didn't care. L stared at me, completely nonchalant.

"You may know your brother," L replied, "but do you know Kira?"

"Light is not Kira!" I got up.

And I ran away, my feet hurting, my heart racing. I knew I'd see L again. He wouldn't let me get away. But I had to run.

I knew Light. I knew him. If I had to, I'd prove he wasn't Kira. I'd stick my heart on it. It was time to gather evidence.

I creaked open Light's door. He was at one of his study groups, so I had the freedom to check out his room.

"What about the cameras?" Guardian asked.

"It's not like Light himself is looking at them," I muttered. "If I get asked, I'll… uh, I'll just say I was looking for one of my textbooks or something."

"Hmmm," Guardian scowled, and I ignored them.

My brother's room looked the same as always: neat and orderly, boring and proper. His books were piled high, ordered alphabetically. The only bit of messiness was an empty bag of chips on his desk.

Okay, I clapped my hands. Time to look for something to PROVE he's NOT Kira!

"Look around," I told Guardian. "Let me know if you spot anything."

I approached the bookshelves, combing through the text. Nope, nothing suspicious there, just boring old academic textbooks.

I pulled out a book; some manga fell out.

What the…

I peeked inside, cringing. To save your eyes, let's just say it wasn't family friendly.

Oh, gross, Light! I thought. I guess he really is a normal teen after all…

I slipped the hentai back into its place. Aside from that, I couldn't see anything, well, Kira-y.

"You see anything?" I asked Guardian.

Guardian scanned the bookshelf. "I do not."

I turned to Light's desk. I gazed over all the stuff; textbooks, university documents, practice essays, all the usual star student crap.

I noticed a drawer under his desk. A key was in its slot.

"Try that," Guardian told me.

"I dunno," I admitted. "I mean… that's Lightie's private stuff."

"What if it is proof that he is Kira?" Guardian asked.

"Not Kira," I corrected. I sighed. "Sorry, Light. I promise this is gonna help you!"

I opened up the drawer, closing my eyes. It….

… was just a diary.

"Uh…" I tilted my head.

Huh, I didn't know Light kept a diary. The little devil on my shoulder wanted to peek inside, even if there wasn't any Kira stuff in there.

"No," I turned away. "It's just a diary. It's just a diary…"

"It is a trap," Guardian said.

"What," I stared at them.

"The diary contains a trap," Guardian replied. "Be careful, or you could explode."

"Explode?!" I asked. "Why the f- how- Huh?!"

Well, if anyone was going to have an explosive death trap in their room…

"He's hiding something, then…" I muttered.

I backed up, eyeing his desk. Shit, I could've exploded myself. What was Light thinking?!

"Thanks for telling me," I told Guardian.

"Of course," Guardian replied.

"You know…" I slumped against the wall. "Without you, I'd be fucked."

"What do you mean?" Guardian asked.

"I'm a dumbass, okay?!" I cried. "I can't figure things out on my own! I nearly died just then!"

Tears were flowing once again. I burrowed my head into my knees.

"And yet, the Life Note chose you," Guardian said.

"Why?!" I snapped. "I don't get why?! I'm the worst candidate!"

I was sobbing so hard. My throat was raw.

"Kira is gonna kill me," I sighed. "Whoever they are… they're smarter than me."

"You do not need wit to win," Guardian told me. "You only need courage."

"As if I have any of that," I choked.

I couldn't believe myself. Once again, I was crying like a baby, slumped over in my brother's room.

No. I was getting sick of this. I couldn't keep crying. It didn't help anyone, least of all me. I didn't want to be strong, but I had no choice.

I faced the desk.

"What…" I trembled. "… is Light hiding."

I wasn't going to risk getting blown up, so I was going to have to find a new way to snoop around.

Perhaps Naomi can help…

"Sayu!"

I gazed over my shoulder; Mei was running towards me. We were standing outside the school, just like two regular students who didn't know a thing about Kira.

"Oh, hi," I greeted, casually.

We stood there, staring at each other. My heart pounded in my ears. Suddenly, Mei reached out, grabbing my arms.

"Sayu, I'm so sorry about what I said," she bowed her head. "I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine," I cut her off. "If I'm the Anti-Kira… then I have to be stronger. I have to…" my voice trailed off.

"Sayu?" Mei asked.

I placed my head on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Mei," I told her. "I'm going to prove you wrong."

"Huh?" she asked.

"You have nothing to worry about," I looked into her eyes. "I'm going to prove that my brother is not Kira!"

Mei swallowed. She took a step back, before breathing out.

"Okay," she said. "I believe you, Sayu."

But she was still shaking. I clenched my fists. Maybe she didn't believe me yet, but…

"I'm not alone," I breathed out. "I've got you, and Miss Misora…"

"Who's that?" Mei asked.

"She's a detective from the US," I replied. "She's going to help me find the real Kira. Plus, there's L…"

"You're getting involved with scary people," Mei shivered.

I laughed, but my throat hurt.

"No one's scarier than Kira," I muttered.

My phone buzzed. A text from Naomi.

Come over to my house, now. We will discuss your brother.

"Naomi?"

I creaked the door open, gazing over the text message. Strange that it was unlocked. This was the right address, according to Naomi. She'd been pretty urgent.

(She trusted me that much, inviting me over to her place? I got all hot in the face.)

She lived in a cute little apartment, nice furniture, a decently-sized television. I saw art on the walls, a dining table set up with cutlery.

My smile vanished when I saw a man crying on the floor. Uhhh, talk about awkward. Who was this guy?

Wait. No. He was familiar… he was the guy that had been following Light and I at the mall!

Naomi's fiancée!

"You?" I gasped.

The guy stared up at me. "You…"

He stood up, towering over me. (Which was the case with a lot of people…)

"What have you done to my fiancée?" he demanded.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Shouldn't you know?" he sneered. "You're the one responsible for her death."

"Naomi's dead…?" I whimpered, falling to my knees.

Kira… no wonder she was so urgent… she was dying, wasn't she?

"I know you are to blame," he snapped. "After all… why else would you come here? She trusted you."

"She can't be dead," I sobbed, pathetically.

"You're innocent act won't fool me," he sat up. "You're going to pay for this… Kira."

"No…" I flopped down. "Kira did this…"

"I know you're involved with Kira, if not Kira themself," the guy huffed.

"I'm Not Kira!" I insisted. "I…"

I flopped down. Kira had taken away someone I cared about. This hurt. It really fucking hurt.

The guy was glowering at me. "Could this be one of Kira's tricks?"

"I mean, she sent me her address, so…" I tapped my chin. "Oh. Kira's messing with us, pulling us into another one of their schemes."

"What is Kira planning?" the guy asked, holding up his gun. I backed up.

"The Anti-Kira could revive her…" I whimpered.

He slowly lowered his gun.

"… no, you're the Anti-Kira," he realised.

I stared at his ID. Raye Penber. That's right. I'd revived him too… it was only fair to bring back Naomi.

"Stay here, Mr Penber," I stood up. "I'm going to save your fiancée!"

I opened the Life Note, writing down Naomi's name.

"Is this a good idea?" Guardian asked. "This is what Kira wants."

"I need her," I told them, "so I have no choice."

I couldn't do it alone. Even if I was falling for Kira's trap, I needed lots of smart people on my side.

Smart people… who was the smartest guy I knew? I closed the book, dashing out of my room. No. I wasn't smart, but I was honest, and I needed Light's help. I couldn't beat around the bush.

"Sayu?" Light asked, watching over me. "What's wrong?"

"Light…" I stared up at him. "What are you hiding in your room?"