爆発！« explosion »

XXVII

Kira

Es stood by as Yagami Light pocketed Rem's notebook.

L's body was nowhere to be seen, and Light had no idea what Es had done with it, but no one thought to dispute its whereabouts.

L was dead, as was confirmed by Kira himself, after all.

Es' eyes were deep as they bore into the back of Light's head.

The person in question was unaware of how the blond was close to grabbing him by the neck.

Light called the rest of the team over to inspect what was left of the evidence.

"Whatever it is... Whatever happened... Whether a shinigami, a human or Kira himself... I swear to avenge Ryūzaki's death. Solving this case will be our gift to Watari and the other victims... For everyone," Light said gravely.

Es smiled darkly at that proclamation.

"I am grateful for your cooperation," he said lightly.

His blasé countenance failed to betray the dark emotions brewing within him.

In a sense, he felt more strongly about Watari's death than he had Vince's. Compared to how he had been able to calmly receive his father's passing by Kira's hand, his elderly tutor's death had left him stricken. Although he should have anticipated it and made precautions against anyone who sought to act against Watari, Es had foolishly presumed that Kira would not go that far. The untimely demise of another of his most important people could be totally attributed to him. Es should have prevented it. He had the ability to do so.

He was absolutely lacking in foresight.

"They wouldn't blame you," Cairn said softly, the words a whisper in Naruto's ear. "Neither L nor Watari would think you neglected to do your utmost."

Indeed, they would not blame him.

Es knew what Watari would have told him.

"It's alright," he would have said. "It just meant that my time had come."

Es could only be glad that he had been able to spend more time with Watari than he had with his father.

He might have not expected Watari to go so soon, yet it was undeniable that the man had but a short ten years left anyway. He was long prepared for them to part. He had held the thought in his heart since their first meeting. He should have had sufficient psychological preparation to be able to accept it all.

However, this did not do anything to soothe the dull ache of loss within his chest.

Already, he missed them.

Both L and Watari.

'I should have just killed that brilliant honour student before he became Kira,' Es found himself thinking.

💣

Watari's identity as the inventor Quillsh Wammy whose fortune, built on numerous patents, had opened orphanages around the world was exposed to the Japanese team ten days after the two allegedly died by Kira's supernatural killing method.

Es stiffly walked out of the room and into a full-length mirror that he had installed at one of the few blind spots in the surveillance camera arrangement.

Once there, he made a call.

For the first time, he dialled the number with which he had been provided to reach Watari through Wammy's House. It was ironic that he was only doing so now. In the end, the one he needed the contact information to find was already no longer of this world when he finally took the initiative to extend his scope to the institution that Watari had deemed him the founder of.