Chapter 3: The Detective in the Shadows
Securing Julian Thorne was shockingly easy. It confirmed Kenji's theory: people in this world were starving. They were starving for complexity, for darkness, for something that wasn't just nice. Julian didn't even ask about the pay. He just wanted the notebook.
"Okay, so we have the Prince of Darkness," Mike whispered as they walked away from the campus, Julian having agreed to meet them at the studio later. "Now what? Who is the 'enemy'?"
"L," Kenji said. "The world's greatest detective. We need someone who is the opposite of Julian. Someone messy, weird, socially repellant, but intellectually brilliant."
"So... a Redditor?" Mike asked.
"Basically. But a genius one."
[System Alert: Casting Radar Active.]
[Target Character: L Lawliet]
[Location Detected: The Undercity - Sector 4.]
Sector 4 was the slums of Zenith. It was where the neon lights flickered and died, where the internet cafes were dark caves filled with cigarette smoke and the clicking of mechanical keyboards.
Kenji led Mike into a place called The Byte Pit. It smelled of ozone and energy drinks. Rows of pale-faced gamers sat in ergonomic chairs, eyes glued to screens.
[Scanning...]
Subject D: Male, 24. LoL Player. Resonance: 10%. (Just angry).
Subject E: Male, 18. Hacker. Resonance: 40%. (Too energetic).
Kenji walked deeper into the cafe. In the farthest corner, isolated from the others, was a figure perched on a chair.
He wasn't sitting in the chair. He was crouching on it, his knees pulled up to his chest, his bare feet gripping the edge of the seat. He was wearing baggy jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt that looked two sizes too big. His hair was a bird's nest of black tangles.
He was typing with just his thumb and index finger, moving with blurring speed. On the desk next to him was a tower of sugar cubes.
[Target Identified]
[Name: Elias Vane]
[Profile: University Dropout. Banned from 3 Government Databases. IQ: Unknown.]
[Soul Resonance: L Lawliet - 98%]
"Found him," Kenji breathed.
He walked up to the desk. Elias didn't look up.
"Go away," Elias mumbled, his voice monotone. "I paid for the hour."
"I have a puzzle," Kenji said.
Elias's fingers stopped. He slowly turned his head. Dark circles hung under his eyes like bruises. He looked at Kenji with the gaze of a dead fish.
"I don't like puzzles. They're usually boring."
Kenji placed a photo on the desk. It was a picture of Julian Thorne he had snapped earlier.
"This man is going to try to become God," Kenji said. "He's going to kill criminals without touching them. He's perfect. He's charming. He's untouchable. I need someone to catch him."
Elias stared at the photo. Then he reached out, picked up a sugar cube, and popped it into his mouth. Crunch. Crunch.
"Is this a job offer?"
"It's a role. A movie."
Elias scoffed. "Acting is lying. I hate lying. It's inefficient."
"Not acting," Kenji corrected. "Being. I don't want you to act. I want you to be yourself. You get to hunt the smartest man in the city. You get unlimited sweets. And if you win... I'll pay off your server debt."
Elias's eyes narrowed. "How do you know about my server debt?"
Kenji tapped his nose. (The System had helpfully provided that intel). "I know a lot of things. Are you in?"
Elias stared at Kenji for a long, uncomfortable minute. Then, he slowly uncoiled one leg and kicked the empty chair next to him.
"What's the first scene?"
Two Hours Later. Golden Era Studios. Soundstage B.
The set was minimal. Kenji had used the last of the studio's petty cash to buy black drapes and a single, ornate gothic chair. He placed a desk in the center with a single lamp.
It was the "Death Note Writing Scene."
Julian sat at the desk. He was wearing his own clothes. The Death Note lay open in front of him. A pen hovered over the page.
Mike was behind the camera, looking nervous. "Kenji, we don't have a script for him to memorize. He just knows the concept."
"He doesn't need lines right now," Kenji whispered. "He just needs to feel it. Action!"
The room went silent.
Julian stared at the page. He wasn't acting. He was remembering every slight, every injustice, every moment of boredom he had ever felt. He began to write.
Lind L. Tailor.
He wrote the name with a ferocity that was terrifying. His hand moved in jagged, violent strokes. He wasn't just writing; he was carving the name into the paper.
Then, he stopped. He looked at his watch. He counted down under his breath.
"Forty... thirty-nine..."
He leaned back in the chair. A smile slowly spread across his face. It started small, then grew, stretching his cheeks, revealing teeth. It was a smile of pure, unadulterated megalomania.
He let out a laugh. A low chuckle that built into a cackle, echoing off the empty walls of the soundstage.
"I am the God of the New World!" Julian shouted, his voice cracking with ecstasy.
Mike stepped back from the camera, trembling. "Holy... shit."
"Cut!" Kenji yelled.
Julian slumped forward, panting. He looked up, the demonic light fading from his eyes, replaced by a flush of adrenaline. "How... how was that?"
Kenji walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect."
[System Notification]
[Scene Complete: The Awakening of Kira.]
[Acting Quality: S-Rank.]
[Director Bonus: +500 Points (First S-Rank Scene).]
Kenji looked at the Points counter. He didn't know what the exchange rate was yet, or what the shop contained, but seeing that number go up felt better than any paycheck.
"Okay," Kenji clapped his hands. "Julian, take five. Elias, you're up. We're doing the 'L sits in a chair' scene. Remember, knees to chest."
Elias walked onto the set, holding a plate of cake he had demanded from the craft services (which was just Kenji running to the convenience store).
"This floor is dirty," Elias complained.
"It adds character. Sit."
As Elias perched on the chair, looking like a gargoyle in a t-shirt, Kenji felt a thrill go down his spine.
The visual was identical. It wasn't just a cosplay. It was them.
"Mike," Kenji said, turning to his cameraman. "We're not just making a movie."
"I know, Boss," Mike said, checking the playback, his eyes wide. "We're making history."
[Mission Progress: 5%]
[Budget Remaining: $98,500]
[Days to Foreclosure: 29]
Kenji looked at the footage on the monitor. Julian's face, twisted in divine madness, filled the screen.
"Tomorrow," Kenji said. "We introduce Ryuk. And for that... I'm going to need to spend some of those Points."
He opened the System Shop for the first time.
[System Shop - Novice Tier]
Basic CGI Rendering Package - 100 Points
Soundtrack: 'Low of Solipsism' - 200 Points
Apples (Shinigami Grade) - 50 Points
Item: Ryuk's Shadow (Holographic Overlay) - 500 Points
Kenji grinned. "I'll take the Shadow."