The World Only The Devil Knows

The Girl, The Book, The Victim

Chapter 1

The Girl, The Book, The Victim

It was raining, and the gentle patter set the background noise throughout the classroom.

Skinny and straight with small, beady eyes, the teacher droned on at the front of the class, fully aware that no one was listening to her. She lulled a fortunate few to sleep while the rest, although fully awake, felt content to let her words go in one ear and out of the other. Hatori, a dim figure in the back, was one of those students, more focused on the soft thumping sound her nimble fingers made as she tapped against the desk softly.

She absolutely hated the rain. Seldom did rain bring anything, but when it did, it was never pleasant. Like its presence could drum up any lingering misfortune in the world and triple it, only to dole it out to the most misfortunate. And Hatori, unfortunately, was nothing if not misfortunate. She had broken her leg in the rain, got mugged on the eve of a thunderstorm, and lost her family during a particularly brazen downpour. Yes, if rain accompanied anything, it was misfortune, and today, the thick petrichor seeped through the panes lining the schoolroom windows.

Hatori's musings are interrupted when a small, almost unnoticeable thing hurtled through the air and smacked against the pavement four stories down. She found herself leaning forward to peer at the object as it fell. From what she could tell, it was a thin, sturdy object. It was probably small enough to fit in her hands.

It was curious, but after it fell, nothing of note happened. The rain slowed to a drizzle and she could see it better without the hindrance. She realized it was a book.

How odd.

She was on the highest floor of the high school, only topped by the roof above her, which the school had closed down access to after an unlucky student 'fell' off the edge of it. Her name was Hana. She was lovely, and since her departure, the roof was blocked off. No one had been able to grace the top of the high school for the last half year, not even faculty. Accidents could happen to anyone, after all, teachers were no exception.

So where did the book come from?

Students cluttered the yard as the school day ended, some on their phones, most clustered into smaller groups, and the rare few walking with their heads down in a book.

The book remained untouched.

Students walked past the book, next to the book, and one even ran through the grass and right over it, but they never seemed to notice it. It wasn't until the rush dwindled, and after detention officially started, that someone stopped in front of it. A boy wearing the same cream-colored uniform as her, with chestnut hair and a particularly amiable face. His cuffs met his wrist, folded back and over the sleeves of his blazer neatly, the button-up he sported tucked in just as meticulously, quite unlike Hatori's rolled back sleeves and messy half-tucked uniform.

Light Yagami walked like he knew exactly where to go. Strolling into the courtyard, his head turned toward the spot where the book lay off the sidewalk's path. Hatori frowned , her eyebrows crinkling at her brother as his outstretched hand lifted the Death Note into his arms.

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"Tadaima," she called out, slipping her shoes off in the doorway.

Her mother called back from the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of running water as she scurried around the kitchen.

Hatori grunted in reply as she brushed past the living room, slowing to ruffle the head of hair that peaked over the couch and giggling as Sayu gave an indignant shout. She smiled to herself as she stomped up the stairs to Light's room.