Peering through the foggy windows, a restless L Lawliet observes the feathery cirrus clouds of early dawn. The shadows under his eyes being ever so prominent, he drops two more sugar cubes into his already sweetened English Breakfast. It was the start of a new day, and L was going to need all the caffeine he could possibly get his hands on.
Unfortunately, the peaceful morning was rather overwhelmingly disturbed by the sudden incoming presence of Touta Matsuda, the youngest, and rather energetic "puppy dog" of the Japanese Task Force.
"Good morning Ryuzaki~!" Matsuda smiles.
L cringed at the all-too-familiar sing-song voice as if it was painful. He responds not by entertaining his foolishness with delighted conversation, but he opted for his signature seating position, knees tucked directly under his chin, and a thumb pressing against his bottom lip, his eyes remaining fixed on the clouds before him.
"Matsuda, you're here early," he expresses coldly. "This would be considered a 'rare occasion', considering your routine of daily tardiness."
Matsuda's face grew red at his statement, knowing it was all too true. Ryuzaki had mentioned before that Matsuda has only a 29% chance of showing up to headquarters on time for any meetings. "Ah- I see.. that's a habit I've had a tough time breaking, haha." He chuckled nervously.
This time, L turned to face him directly. "Hm. Well, nonetheless, you're here now. I'd say this is a step in the right direction, wouldn't you?" L offered a smile, though it wasn't very comforting. His eyes were wide and the corners of his mouth curled in a way that was… unsettling, eerie to say the least.
Matsuda glanced down, avoiding eye contact with L's uncanny facial expression, "ha.. yeah, um… would it be okay for me to have a seat?" He asked politely, gesturing towards the chair next to his colleague.
"By all means… I was actually hoping to see you around this time today, I need some advice concerning the Kira case," L confessed.
Matsuda couldn't believe what he was hearing. He is being asked for advice by Ryuzaki?! He debated pinching himself to assure this wasn't a dream, but nonetheless, he hid his surprise cleverly with a professional response.
"Of course, ask away, and I, of course, will advise you… with the best… advice." Matsuda glanced at Ryuzaki, who was far from impressed, tucking himself back into his default position.
"I suggest not maintaining this newfound overconfidence when speaking to me, you sound foolish," L observed Matsuda as the pink hue filled his face once again. "However, I'm deciding to consult you today because I believe that Chief Yagami's son, Light Yagami, is Kira."
Matsuda groaned, "You still think that? The security camera footage clearly proves he's not-"
"I disagree, take a look at this," L interrupted, handing Matsuda a piece of paper. "This is a printed copy of Light Yagami's browser history contents from this past month. Please look over each of the website URLs carefully and tell me what stands out to you." L explained, taking a sip of his disgustingly sweetened cup of tea.
Matsuda scanned the extensive list for anything outstanding. "Hmm… he seems to be on quite a bit… I've never heard of that before but, what do you think that could mean?" He inquired, handing the paper back to Ryuzaki.
"That is precisely the question," L sets the paper down before typing quickly into the search bar of his laptop. On the screen before them appeared to be a forum, complete with a brief description of the website's purpose and multiple hyperlinks below. "If you can read the description aloud for me?"
Matsuda squinted at the minute text and read aloud, "More than a forum; NoNewOrder strives to congregate those who reject Kira's self-proclaimed justice and fight against the fear-driven world he seeks to create. Our user database is growing with new entries every day, unafraid, righteous individuals who oppose Kira's despicable act of vigilantism. Together, we can build a world that seeks refuge in fairness, and the value of human life. Be a hero, join today," He pauses, thinking to himself silently for a moment. "So, it's an anti-Kira forum? Why would Light be Kira if he opposes Kira-"
"Because that is exactly what Kira would want us to think. Only Kira would hope to blend in with a crowd that opposes himself in an attempt to deter suspicion. Light is clearly aware of our voyeuristic measures, which is why he joined the website mere hours after we've installed the cameras and microphones in his room, andlikelywhyhecutdownontheporn-"
Matsuda shook his head, preparing to disagree before deciding against it, allowing curiosity to get the best of him. "Okay, so then why ask me about it?" He folded his arms, narrowing his eyes at the awkwardly positioned detective.
A smile creeped back onto L's face and Matsuda's eyes darkened with dread. "You see…" L's thumb continued toying with his bottom lip, "…I'm interested in how one might establish a romantic relationship with another user online." He inquired as Matsuda let out an exasperated sigh, he should've figured early on that L might've hacked into his personal computer and accessed private conversations, including that of his online girlfriend, Sylvia from Ukraine.
"… How much did you see…" he hesitated.
L chuckled lightly to himself, "Please do not worry, I clearly didn't see enough of your chats together for me to fully grasp the concept, nor the motive to begin a relationship of this nature in the first place. However, I will say, she way deserves better-"
"OH NO!" Matsuda exclaimed, throwing his hands onto his face in embarrassment.
"Please attempt to contain yourself, this is still a professional setting we're in." Quipped L, taking another sip of his tea.
"AND THAT'S YOUR DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONAL?!" Matsuda argued.
"Like I've said before, please maintain your way of conduct to ensure that you are expressing yourself accordingly, Chief Yagami has arrived." L maintained his deadpan stare into nothingness as Matsuda looked over at the entrance of the surveillance room, sure enough, his gaze was met with Chief Soichiro Yagami, head of the Kira investigation, and Light Yagami's father with a perplexed expression sitting on his face.
"What's the meaning of this commotion?" The older man demanded.
"RYUZAKI WENT THROUGH MY PRIVATE MESSAGES!" Matsuda wailed, pointing a finger at L, much like a small child would when 'telling on' a sibling. L only glanced over at Matsuda in response, his pointer finger pressing against his lips.
Chief Yagami sighed and massaged his temples, hoping to somehow alleviate future stress the two kids he's babysitting which he calls "associates" will inevitably inflict upon him. "Matsuda, please contain your composure, and Ryuzaki… just… stop."
Matsuda opened his mouth to protest before being interrupted by Chief Yagami who continued his concerns. "Now please," He gestured towards L, taking a seat between the two. "If Ryuzaki would explain the meaning of this commotion."
Matsuda puffed his chest, "Well I-!"
"Ah-" Chief Yagami held a finger to Matsuda's lips, "I said Ryuzaki." He stated, causing Matsuda to sigh in defeat, now hanging his head low.
L tapped a finger on his chin, deep in thought, formulating the best way to articulate the situation at hand. "Chief Yagami, as you know, I suspect your son, Light, to be Kira."
Chief Yagami raises an eyebrow, "Even with the security footage reporting no suspicious activity?"
"Hey that's what I said!"
"Shut up Matsuda."
L continues to state his argument, "You see, Light's browser history, specifically his frequent visits to a site called points to clear evidence of him being Kira. Though it is an anti-Kira forum, the Kira we know would be hiding in plain sight by joining a group that opposes him to throw off suspicion. Moreover, Light had joined the site right after we installed surveillance in his room, suggesting he's aware of our monitoring," L hands Chief Yagami the paper containing the contents of Light's search history. "I've decided to consult Matsuda's expertise on how to navigate this realm of the online world, more particularly, online dating."
Chief Yagami looks up from reading the paper momentarily, narrowing his eyes at the detective, "What exactly does that have to do with the investigation?" He asks skeptically, his brows knit together.
"It is merely the investigation itself. On this forum, I will create a false identity and pose as any other user. I've already analyzed every detail of Light's online behavior, how he chooses to curate his presence. Therefore, the persona I adopt will align with his perception of the 'ideal person', someone who might intrigue him, perhaps even draw romantic interest. If Light believes this person is genuinely interested in him, he will inevitably lower his defenses, and in doing so, reveal his true identity as Kira."
Both Chief Yagami and Matsuda shared a guffaw. L narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Is this amusing?" He questioned.
Matsuda spoke up, "Ryuzaki, don't you think that might be… inappropriate? Your plan is to essentially catfish the Chief's son-"
"I can't take this seriously!" Exclaimed Chief Yagami as he jumped from his seat and threw his hands in the air.
L silently observed him with curiosity.
"This is still my son you're talking about! You are attempting to manipulate my son's feelings! Now I'm not saying he's foolish enough to fall for such a thing, but the principle of your methods are… are… repulsive to say the least!" With that, Chief Yagami turned on his heel and walked out the door. "I will NOT stand for it! Do NOT proceed or there WILL be consequences." He allowed the door to shut behind him with a slam, leaving the two other Task Force members to their own devices.
L stared blankly at the door, smiling to himself, "I think that went well." He stated, taking a sip of tea.
Matsuda faced L, "R- Ryuzaki, you don't plan to continue with your plan despite the chief's orders are you?" He inquired hopelessly.
"That's exactly what I plan to do." L replied.
Matsuda sighed heavily before delivering his final thoughts, "Well, if you are," He briefly looked around the room before leaning in close to L, "I want in!" He whispered, a goofy smile plastered on his face.
L smiled at his colleague, "Delightful." He took another sip of tea before carefully placing his cup back on its delicate china saucer. "For the sake of confidentiality and your tendency of frequent slip ups, only I will be monitoring the chats between Kira and I. Not a word of this investigation is to be spoken to anyone else on the Task Force, am I understood, Matsuda?" L faced the younger man expectantly, his eyes wide with no emotion behind them, his legs curled tightly against his chest, hands resting on his knees. This alone was enough to intimidate Matsuda into compliance.
"Y- Yes sir." Matsuda managed, sweating a bit.
L smiled robotically, "Good. This should be fun."