Soichiro Yagami's hand tightened slightly, his face stiffening as he said.
"You just said... what's the name of your brother's friend?"
"Brother Ye Xing. He's even more handsome than my brother, though their personalities are completely different. I don't know how these two became friends..."
"From Sobu High School?"
"Eh? Dad, you know him? He's a first-year at Sobu High School, and he ranked first in Japan's joint exams too."
Soichiro Yagami had no time to answer his daughter's questions. At this moment, he felt the world spinning around him, his head beginning to swim.
His son's new friend was actually that Ye Xing?
Right now, even if he couldn't say with one hundred percent certainty, Soichiro Yagami was at least ninety percent sure that Ye Xing was the Mask who always appeared at every incident.
His own son...
Was friends with Mask?
This was simply too unbelievable!
If Ye Xing really was Mask, what was he trying to do?
Was he using his son to threaten him, to keep him from exposing the other?
Soichiro Yagami frowned deeply in thought, his heart in turmoil, but ultimately shook his head and dismissed this idea.
No.
From Soichiro Yagami's perspective, whether it was Ye Xing, or Mask, or if they were the same person, the other party wouldn't resort to such despicable behaviour as threatening him with his family's lives.
Besides, there was absolutely no need for that. Had he still not earned the other's trust until now?
While struggling to think it through, Soichiro Yagami hesitantly asked over the phone.
"Sayu, don't you think... that Ye Xing might have some ulterior motive in befriending your brother?"
"Ulterior motive?"
Sayu Yagami, on the other end of the phone, was momentarily stunned, then chuckled in disbelief.
"Come on, Dad, Brother Ye Xing was the top scorer in Japan's unified exams, and his girlfriend is that former nationally-renowned idol actress Mai Sakurajima. Why would he have any ulterior motives towards my brother?"
"Then why... would Light, who's never been particularly close to anyone, suddenly..."
"Isn't it obvious?"
Sayu Yagami provided an answer that surprised Soichiro Yagami, yet was completely reasonable.
"Isn't it perfectly normal for two outstanding people like them to understand each other and become genuine friends?"
Soichiro Yagami was momentarily stunned by these words.
Yes.
That did seem to make sense.
As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father.
Although Soichiro didn't communicate much with Light Yagami, he knew that his son, who appeared gentle and amiable towards everyone, was actually quite prideful and could even be described as arrogant.
Since childhood, Light had maintained excellent relationships with classmates and teachers.
But that was as far as it went.
He got along with everyone, yet couldn't truly be considered friends with anyone.
Soichiro was well aware of this, but couldn't intervene.
Because he genuinely didn't know anyone who was equally outstanding as his son - he couldn't even find peers who were on the same level.
Now that he thought about it carefully, setting aside the suspected Mask identity...
After exchanging a few more casual words with Sayu Yagami and hanging up, Soichiro placed his hand on the mouse beside his computer screen and began scrolling through the webpage.
The featured article displayed, also written by Natsumi Suga, wasn't the one about him.
[Top Unified Exam Scorer Chooses to Enter Sobu High School! The Genius Who Truly Understands Mask?]
This article by Natsumi Suga documented the exclusive interview with Ye Xing.
Top scorer in Japan's unified exams, who gave up the promising future at Shuchi'in Academy, unwilling to be constrained, enrolled in the ordinary Sobu High School, and defeated all first-year students from Shuchi'in Academy in the joint exams - including Kaguya Shinomiya, eldest daughter of the Shinomiya conglomerate.
And this lengthy title only covered his academic achievements.
There was far more to it than that.
Someone who had openly criticised the Sunny Doll Killer out of a sense of justice, who proposed entirely new perspectives on Mask's actions and motivations - neither hero nor criminal, acting entirely according to his own will...
Just looking at these labels, even Soichiro Yagami had to admit.
Ye Xing was exceptional.
One could even say he was the foremost among all his peers in Japan.
And his own son, Light Yagami, while slightly less remarkable, was also outstanding.
Both the same age, both possessing exceptional talents, though with completely different personalities - one presenting as the model student, the other being that eccentric fellow who held orgies in cold storage with several girls and older women...
But wasn't it perfectly normal for two such people to share common ground and eventually become close friends?
Sayu's thinking was simple, yet reasonable.
He was probably overthinking it...
Yet in Soichiro Yagami's heart lingered a faint suspicion, for as Director of the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau and head of the Special Operations Group, he possessed all the intelligence about every incident since Mask's appearance.
However...
He was completely unwilling to entertain that thought and dared not even consider such a possibility.
His own son, who aspired to follow in his footsteps and join the Metropolitan Police Department...
How could he possibly be Kira?
...
Meanwhile, at Sobu High School.
"Futaba, Mai, and Yukinoshita-san."
Watching Kaguya Shinomiya and Ai Hayasaka depart, Ye Xing stood up and stretched with a light laugh.
"This Adolescence Syndrome matter, I'll leave it to you all to resolve. Come find me if you encounter any difficulties."
Yukino Yukinoshita frowned slightly, puzzled.
"And what about you?"
"Me?"
Ye Xing waved a hand dismissively.
"I have more important matters to attend to."
"I suspect..."
Haruno Yukinoshita gazed at Ye Xing with a smile, speaking softly.
"Among these so-called important matters of yours, helping me enhance my power isn't included, is it?"
"Uh... well... how about in a couple of days?"
Haruno Yukinoshita nodded with a smile.
"That's acceptable, but when the time comes, you'll have to make up for all the missed time with me."
"Hey, hey, hey."
Mai Sakurajima had heard enough, rapping her knuckles on the table with a displeased expression.
"Why should all your time be reserved for her?"
Haruno Yukinoshita countered with an enigmatic smile.
"Then how about we all join in? I'm fine with that either way."
Mai Sakurajima's face flushed crimson upon hearing this, immediately defeated.
Yukino Yukinoshita looked completely bewildered.
"What exactly are you all talking about?"
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses, a trace of helplessness appearing in her eyes as she sighed.
"It's about saving the world. You don't need... at least for now, you don't need to know."
...
Later that afternoon, inside Suga Editorial Studio.
Natsumi Suga sat at her computer desk, watching the heated discussions online sparked by the two articles she had written, feeling utterly delighted.
This feels amazing, absolutely amazing!
Since becoming a media professional, Natsumi Suga had never experienced such satisfaction as during this period.
As a proper university graduate, finding employment in Japan was somewhat challenging, but if Natsumi Suga truly wanted a job, after some initial setbacks, she could most likely find a company that offered salary conditions that met her requirements.
She became a self-media writer more out of interest.
However...
This path wasn't easy to walk.
Before meeting Ye Xing, Natsumi Suga had even considered completely changing careers, as her recent income couldn't even cover basic survival needs.
But now, that was no longer a problem.
The exclusive interview with Sunny Girl herself, along with coverage by Ye Xing and others of the Sunny Doll Killer, sparked heated discussions from the very beginning.
After Mask publicly sanctioned the Sunny Doll Killer during a live television broadcast, the popularity of these reports surged even further.
Subsequently, there were exclusive interviews with Ye Xing himself and Chief of Criminal Investigations Soichiro Yagami.
The popularity of these two reports was roughly comparable.
Judging solely by achievements...
Soichiro Yagami clearly attracted more public attention.
But there was a very practical matter at hand.
Ye Xing was very handsome.
When his face was placed next to a stern, square-jawed countenance...
As a woman, Natsumi Suga deeply understood why the exclusive interview with Ye Xing had become so popular.
Good looks equated to justice.
Just as Natsumi Suga was thinking this, the studio door suddenly swung open.
She looked up and immediately stood up upon seeing who had entered, a smile spreading across her face.
"So it's you, Ye Xing. Long time no see."
"Not really that long."
Ye Xing familiarly settled into his usual sofa, smiling.
"About half a month? Less than that, I can't remember exactly."
"Well, you're a very busy man."
Natsumi Suga took two cans of beer from the refrigerator, placed them on the coffee table, and then rested her chin in her hand while smiling at Ye Xing.
"By the way, regarding the interviews with Sunny Girl, yourself, and Chief Yagami - I haven't had the chance to properly thank you yet."
"Hmm? Chief Yagami's interview?"
Ye Xing frowned slightly, looking somewhat puzzled.
"You mean Kyoto's Chief of Criminal Investigations, Soichiro Yagami? You interviewed him, too? Why would you thank me for that?"
"Oh, my apologies."
Natsumi Suga smiled meaningfully.
"I mixed them up, sorry."
Mixed them up?
Had she really?
Though not the most professional media professional, Natsumi Suga possessed one exceptional talent.
That was her nose for picking up subtle clues.
The day after the blackout and earthquake, Natsumi Suga called Ye Xing.
Not for any particular reason - just using the excuse of sharing daily collected information to check on his condition.
But what Natsumi Suga hadn't expected was...
Ye Xing's phone gave an unreachable tone.
She tried calling daily, but always got the same response.
Normally, Natsumi Suga would have assumed Ye Xing might have been injured in the earthquake, or that his phone was broken.
But another coincidental matter was...
After the earthquake and blackout, Natsumi Suga gathered information from various sources and discovered that, throughout these events, Mask, who usually played the hero, hadn't appeared until finally showing up during the Kyoto Tower incident.
Connecting Ye Xing with Mask based solely on this might be too far-fetched.
But Natsumi Suga's job relied precisely on following her intuition to search for information.
That's why she had just used this seemingly casual, slip-of-the-tongue approach to test whether the other party might reveal any flaws.
However, she gained nothing.
Ye Xing's reaction was completely normal.
Yet it was precisely this normalcy that made Natsumi Suga feel something was amiss, because Ye Xing himself was far from normal.
"Anyway..."
Natsumi Suga didn't pursue the topic further, instead changing the subject with a slight smile.
"That interview with the Sunny Girl was my first successful report. I know that without your suggestion, that girl called Hina Amano would never have agreed to be interviewed by me... so I still owe you a favour."
Ye Xing picked up the can of ice-cold beer from the table, opened it and took a sip before smiling.
"How do you plan to repay it?"
Natsumi Suga stood up and moved to sit beside him, deliberately leaning forward slightly to reveal a glimpse of pale softness beneath her camisole, a smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"Do you like... older sisters?"
"This emperor... naturally appreciates them."
Ye Xing nodded with complete seriousness, then shifted slightly away before changing the subject.
"However, I have other, more important matters today. We'll discuss this another time."
He then added with great emphasis.
"Please don't mention this to anyone; otherwise, if people found out I chose to remain chaste in such a situation, my harem king persona would be completely ruined."
Natsumi Suga: "...You have that kind of persona?"
Ye Xing nodded with utmost seriousness.
"Of course I do. My harem protagonist persona is too pure to be tainted by even the slightest impurity. This is what we call supreme purity."
Natsumi Suga couldn't tell whether Ye Xing was simply uninterested in her or genuinely had serious business to discuss today. She could only sigh helplessly, gazing thoughtfully at the shallow basement window leading to ground level, watching the rain beat against the earth.
"The rain in Kyoto hasn't stopped since the earthquake... I've heard many areas are already flooded, and even transportation has been affected."
Hearing this, Ye Xing's expression remained completely unchanged as he said softly.
"I'd like you to write a few reports."
"Reports?"
Natsumi Suga agreed readily, asking with a smile.
"No problem, about what?"
"What do you know about female spectres from urban legends? The kind with high recognition, where people would be interested in their background stories."
"Female spectres?"
Though Natsumi Suga didn't understand why Ye Xing was suddenly asking this, she still thought carefully, murmuring.
"According to current trends... young people aren't particularly interested in things like Hyakki Yagyō or Japan's traditional yokai anymore, since they're not novel enough."
"But when it comes to those urban legend-type horror stories, people still seem quite enthusiastic about discussing them, and they can add various settings to them - what's called derivative creation."
"If I had to say... the most famous urban legend right now... would probably be Hachishaku-sama, right?"
Ye Xing immediately replied.
"Already got that one, suggest something else."
"Eh?"
Natsumi Suga made a puzzled sound, then cautiously suggested.
"Then... Kuchisake-onna?"
"Perfect, that's the one."
Ye Xing nodded with satisfaction.
"I want you to write a report about Kuchisake-onna. The more terrifying, the better. And you'll need to add some new settings while updating others. No problem, right?"
"That's hardly important anyway. It's just an urban legend someone made up, not something that actually exists. All fabricated by people."
"Good. There's one more thing."
"What?"
"Since you've written reports about the Sunny Girl, you must have done some research. You know that to restore Japan's weather to normal, a Sunny Girl must become a living sacrifice, right?"
Hearing this, Natsumi Suga shook her head with a wry smile.
"I've heard that, but those are just legends."
As she spoke, Natsumi noticed Ye Xing's expression and hesitated.
"They're just legends... right?"
"Right, just legends."
Ye Xing nodded softly.
"However, I want you to compile this legend and write a feature article about it."
"Why?"
"Because..."
Ye Xing looked directly into Natsumi Suga's eyes, his gaze reminding her of how Mask had looked at the Sunny Doll Killer that rainy night.
"I want to test whether everyone in Kyoto is still worth saving."
...
That evening.
"Sis."
"Sis!"
Hearing her brother call her twice in succession, Hina Amano finally snapped out of her daze while staring at the rain outside the window. She turned and forced a faint smile, looking at her younger brother Nagi Amano.
"What is it?"
Nagi pouted with a helpless expression.
"Why have you been spacing out so much lately? Are you thinking about that special someone again?"
Hina's face flushed red at his words, and she waved her hands in panic.
"Wh-what special someone? Don't talk nonsense! He's just an ordinary classmate."
Nagi wore an all-knowing expression, speaking meaningfully.
"But I haven't said who it is yet."
"You... don't you dare say anything! Otherwise..."
Seeing how flustered his sister was, Nagi sighed helplessly and shrugged.
"I can understand, though. After all, he's helped us so much - got you back into high school, found you that Sunny Girl commission that gives us enough money to support ourselves."
Nagi looked completely understanding.
"If I were a girl, I'd definitely like Brother Ye Xing too."
Hina's face remained flushed as she sat cross-legged on the floor, a hint of loneliness appearing in her eyes as she murmured to herself.
"What good does it do if only I like him... and... never mind."
Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Hina breathed a sigh of relief, walked over and peeked through the peephole. Her expression froze for a moment before she immediately straightened her hair and clothes, looking slightly nervous as she opened the door.
"Um... Ye Xing, what brings you here so suddenly?"
Ye Xing stood outside the door with a smile, speaking slowly.
"Are you free? Let me treat you to McDonald's."