When the meeting concludes and the Yotsuba executives begin leaving the boardroom, the atmosphere is brittle. With some satisfaction, Kyosuke notes that Hatori is perspiring more than usual. Disgusting, he thinks, trying not to smirk. Now he matches Shimura.
The elevator ride from the nineteenth floor to the lobby stretches on in an uncomfortable silence that Kyosuke drinks in like a demigod sipping ambrosia. The grey specter of death looms overhead waiting to snatch one of their numbers into its jaws — waiting for its master to write a name. Tension has been high ever since that idiot Matsui snuck into their meeting and Kyosuke is all too eager to relish every single moment that control is snug within his grasp.
“You don’t really think… Kira would seriously kill one of us, do you?” Hatori laughs unconvincingly. His bravado disintegrates by the second as the numbers flash down. 18…17… 16,,.
Unable to resist, Kyosuke replies with a cruel nonchalance. “You’re head of marketing, aren’t you? What do you think about the optics of the scene you caused, Hatori?”
Hatori pales. “B-but I said I wasn’t - I wouldn’t-“
“If I were Kira,” Namikawa interjects, “I’d kill you for insisting on talking about this outside the boardroom.” Both Hatori and Kyosuke stare, but Namikawa’s eyes remain focused on the closed doors.
Incensed and humiliated into silence, Kyosuke grits his teeth. Was Namikawa trying to advise him to keep his mouth shut? Did Namikawa know? A bead of cold sweat drips down the back of his neck.
“If you were Kira…” Kyosuke laughs, trying desperately not to sound as pathetic as Hatori did moments earlier. “Is that a confession?”
“Hardly.” Namikawa’s bored tone doesn’t falter. “But it hardly takes a genius to work out what’s in Kira’s best interests.”
Hatori whimpers from between them. “Let’s talk about something else, ok?”
Cursing internally, Kyosuke forces yet another laugh. “Fine. We’re almost at the ground floor anyway.” And in just a few more minutes, Hatori would be meeting a sticky end. Perhaps the others would too, once this L situation reached a proper resolution..
With powers like his, fear was obsolete. There only needed to be …1.
This is a preview of my fic for @deathnotetarot! This project has been amazingly fun, and there’s an incredible amount of passion and talent involved in making it a success!
Pre-sales are currently open and the store can be found here! Proceeds will be going to charity. so definitely check the project out!