Cosette Olivier's Story

Cosette sat in the first-class train compartment, her mind racing as she stared at the tiny screen on her phone. On the small square screen of light, live news footage was playing, footage that was both horrifying and illuminating.

She'd been expecting something to happen, but it wasn't this.

Let's rewind a bit. When she first took up this unofficial case, Cosette had researched every significant heart attack case that was connected to possible criminal activity. Her findings were interesting, to say the least, and she'd rapidly came to two logical conclusions:

First: the killer (or Kira, as the media seemed so fond of calling him) was almost certainly using the media to locate potential victims. Cosette had run a quick scan and had discovered that every single "Kira kill" had been previously broadcasted on either local, national or worldwide news. This must have been how Kira found Lucien—the Olivier case had been huge news in the world since it was such a prominent family.

Second: heart attack cases seemed centered in the area around Japan, most notably in Tokyo. There were several outliers in this case, scattered around the rest of the world—her brother Lucien, for example—but those tended to be major cases that were televised around the world. What convinced her that Kira was in Tokyo was the fact that several of the heart attacks happened to minor criminals whose crimes were only broadcasted in the local media. In other words, Kira had to be in Tokyo, otherwise he'd have had no way of knowing about them.

But, back to the point—eighteen hours ago, Cosette was waiting by the boarding gate to her flight to Tokyo. Not one to dally, she took advantage of the downtime to search the news, and quickly chose several people to keep tabs on—major criminals and crime lords that had recently been identified, who were basically prime Kira targets. Takeshi Himura, head of a notorious crime family, was one of them.

Now the young detective was watching as the very same Takeshi Himura, waving his gun and cackling like a loon, began to speak. "Kira will rid this corrupt Earth of all the filth that inhabits it!" he proclaimed, slowly raising his gun. "Embrace this new god, don't neglect it!"

A gunshot fired. Himura collapsed.

Cosette's mouth set in a grim line. Slowly, she set her phone down and tried to settle her racing thoughts.

Stop. Breathe. Time to calm down and think rationally. Think, she told herself. What did you learn? What can you deduce?

Well, first of all, Himura was acting completely out of character. While the crime lord had been, up until now, anonymous, he was still notorious. In this case, Himura was known to be brutally practical, solely focused on money and influence, and apathetic toward greater abstract notions or a "God," as it was. And someone like him would never support Kira.

Which led to the obvious conclusion: he was influenced by an outside force.

Cosette impulsively folded and unfolded her fan. It was a strange nervous habit she picked up from a young age. Perhaps it was annoying to passerby, but in this case it helped her think.

What was the outside force? Was the Kira craze simply gaining more prominence, so that even criminals were influenced? No, she decided. That makes absolutely no sense at all. Himura wasn't a martyr. He wouldn't kill himself over a fanaticism. But then, the only other conclusion she could draw would be that...

Abruptly, she stopped fiddling with her fan. A chill ran down her spine as she quickly reviewed three facts:

1. Long-distance killing was a trademark of Kira's.

2. Himura died.

3. Himura was shouting about Kira.

Leading to the only other conclusion, the conclusion that Kira could control deaths beyond simply inducing heart attacks.

The train screeched to a halt; they'd finally arrived. In an almost dazed manner, Cosette stepped out of her compartment and off the train. Vaguely, she reflected that it was a good thing Pierre had gone ahead of her and gotten all her things dropped off; if she had to carry anything right now she'd probably drop it.

Suddenly, her eyes sharpened. This was no time to lose composure. If what she suspected was true, then all the more reason to stop Kira. Now was the time for action.

She flipped her phone back on and dialed Pierre.

"Allô, Pierre?" she said. "I want you to take a message for me, please."

- - - - -

Not long after, an electronic, untraceable message was delivered to the Tokyo police station. It read thus:

Greetings, officers of Japan. I am C, and I have taken interest in the 'Kira' case. This is an offer to join forces. By pooling our resources together, I believe that we stand a far greater chance of solving this mystery. If you accept, please send one trustworthy police officer as a liaison to the specified location below, and I will proceed to conduct a proper meeting.

I await your response.

C

Aragawa Cafe

12:00 pm noon, Saturday

"Man, what a long morning...." Hideyeki complained as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

Sitting down at a table in a breakroom, Yoshida exhaled and rested his head between his arms, which were laying on said table. The morning had consisted of getting in a police cruiser, and driving towards set locations on patrol. "Gruntwork" as he liked to call it. Not that this was physically demanding, and maybe he would've preferred that, though it was such a sunny day, and 'The Beater' was the only vehicle he was able to take. The Beater was....ancient, and nobody in the station would be surprised if the thing fell apart in the middle of the road, as it was being driven. One of the problems was a lack of air conditioning, and that made for an unpleasant few hours.

Hideyeki sighed as he hopelessly fanned himself with one hand. The conditioning in the station was great, though he was still roasting, it felt like.

"I swear.... I'm going to kill Tsuguro next time I see him for leaving me with that piece of crap..." he mumbled to himself, unaware that that same person was behind him.

"You're going to kill me?" he asked, his eyebrow raised and his arms crossed.

Yoshida jumped as he was surprised to hear that voice. He lifted his head to face the other cop, about the same age as he, though much skinnier. "Oh! Ts-Tsuguro-san, I didn't notice you there!" his hand raised to the back of his head, scratching his grey hair nervously. "What brings you here? I thought your shift wasn't over until four?"

"That's Satomoura's schedule...." he shook his head before throwing something on the table. "Anyways, read this. You're the person," he stated before leaving the room without another word, nor waiting for a response.

"I'm the person....?" casting his gaze downwards, he saw a piece of printer paper with some writing on it. He raised his eyebrow as he read it.

Greetings, officers of Japan. I am C, and I have taken interest in the 'Kira' case. This is an offer to join forces. By pooling our resources together, I believe that we stand a far greater chance of solving this mystery. If you accept, please send one trustworthy police officer as a liaison to the specified location below, and I will proceed to conduct a proper meeting.
I await your response.

C

Aragawa Cafe

12:00 pm noon, Saturday

I am to meet this person about the Kira case? Me? Then that means..... this....... this is perfect! Ha-ha! I can watch their progress and prevent them from catching me!..... Had I believed in a higher power, I might just thank God right now! But..... wait. Does this mean that this C person suspects I'm in Japan? I mean, it wasn't like I was taking any precautions to prevent someone from figuring that out, but so far, nobody's come to that conclusion. I can't imagine C going around and asking every single police station in the world or even a country for their cooperation. I mean, besides Japan, the opinion on Kira is that it's either o hoax or someone going around a poisoning people.... I guess I'll be on my guard. Really, there's no possible way to track me if I pay attention to who and how I kill, so I feel safe for the most part. Maybe I'm just over-thinking things again.......Whatever, I'll just see what this C knows tomorrow. For now.... I should probably head home and wait for Sakura.

Pocketing the piece of paper (right next to his notebook, in fact), Hideyeki left the station after downing a glass of water and headed for home.

-------

The next morning, Hideyeki was torn from his dreams by Sakura, in a rather painful manner. A sharp eye-watering pain pulsed through a certain part of his lower body, and needless to say, he wasn't really in the best mood as he awoke with a cry of pain. His body shot up, his hands shot down, and his gaze shot forwards to a playful grin by the blue-haired, blue-eyed girl who was laying on top of him, which explained a pressure he felt on his person.

Only two words escaped his mouth, and they were forced. ".....my nuts...." he croaked, his only response was the mischievious giggling that was coming from the assailant.

"Onii-chan is finally off and all he wants to do is sleep in. What am I going to do with him?" she said as if she was speaking to someone else. Her facial expression switched to deadpan. "You know.... it's ten-thirty! Get up! How can I play with you if you just sleep all day?"

Hideyeki had recovered from the critical blow mostly, his hands still cupped around that which was precious to all males. "Sakura.... I might not be able to have kids now....."

"That's implying you could speak to a girl affectionately," she remarked, evoking a small frown from Hideyeki.

"You're too cruel...."

"I know," she giggled. "Now, showertime! You have twenty minutes to get ready! Get a move on!" she hopped off her brother and onto the floor, leaving the room.

.
.
.
.

A fresh Hideyeki wearing his uniform came downstairs to Sakura, who had been using the television to entertain herself as her brother got ready. As if she was just listening for him to come down the stairs, her head turned to face him instantly and she smiled widely. "So what are we going to do today? Read? Go to the park? Go to the mall? Bikes? Walk? Huh, tell me!......why are you wearing your uniform?" it was possible that she was too excited to notice the uniform until now. At least that's why Hideyeki would like to think.

"Sakura, I've got to meet up today with someone," he told her.

"Oh...." she her face betrayed her disappointment. "....okay..."

"I'm sorry. Hang out with your friends today, and keep your phone with you. I'm not sure when I'll be back," he said, heading out the door.

Looking down at his watch, he figured he had too much time before the meeting....unless he walked to the cafe. Actually, he might be right on time if he walked instead of driving, and since they'd be meeting in a cafe, he could purchase something to quench his thirst there. So, onwards he walked through the streets, juggling a few names in his head as he did so.

In the end, nobody lost their life during the walk to the cafe, and once Hideyeki saw the sign displaying 'Aragawa Cafe', he longed for a drink. Before he entered, he looked at his watch, which told him it was 12:03 pm. Three minutes late shouldn't be too bad, so as he opened the door, he glanced around the cafe, unsure of who or what he was supposed to be looking for.

Cosette's new house was a pleasant, modest (by her standards) little thing. It was also terribly normal—not something you'd expect a super-rich super-secret detective to be living and operating in.

In terms of furniture, equipment, and official papers, Pierre had already arranged and unpacked everything, so Cosette really didn't have to do much. Right now, she was sitting in a spacey, well-lit room full of technological equipment, staring at the screen and contemplating her recent actions.

Contacting the Tokyo police department had been a bold move—risky, even, since there was always the possibility of an information leak—but in the end the possible benefits outweighed the costs. Besides, there was something Cosette wanted to find out, and the police would surely have the records and the means to help her.

Ever since the attacks began, Cosette had wondered how exactly Kira was going about killing people. There had to be restrictions. Rules. Even supernatural methods had to have limitations that defined the technique.

So the question was: what were the prerequisites that Kira needed to kill?

It was a deceptively simple question. The possibilities in this case seemed almost endless, especially given the extraordinary circumstances. Perhaps Kira needed a personal possession of the victim's? A sample of the victim's DNA? Maybe he needed obscure occult artifacts, or a strange ritual?

Or maybe, it something more simple, like eye contact or physical contact. Or even just a name and a face, like voodoo dolls.

Mentally, Cosette crossed off the more complicated requirements like personal possessions or DNA samples. Those would require too many resources to be plausible; after all, some of the attacks had occurred on different continents just minutes apart. On that note, she supposed things like physical contact and eye contact wouldn't make sense either. That left the simpler, more impersonal conditions like names and faces.

So voodoo magic it was.

"The liaison is here," came Pierre's slightly scratchy voice. He was connected to her via a tiny microphone.

"He's late," Cosette murmured, glancing at the clock. Three minutes. Cosette was a stickler for punctuality.

"Shall I greet him?" the butler asked politely.

"Oui," Cosette said, watching the computer screen intently. From the crowd of people it showed, she could make out one young man in a police uniform. Undoubtedly, he was the one the police had sent. "But no names."

"Of course."

- - - - -

There was no way Cosette would be showing up in person. That would just be stupid. After all, there a high chance she'd be recognized, since her family was so famous, and if it ever got out that Cosette Olivier was hunting Kira then her life would instantly be in grave danger.

So to preserve confidentiality, Pierre was sent in her stead.

To facilitate the meeting between 'C' and the police liaison, the butler was wearing special sunglasses that had a tiny camera installed between the lenses, and a communication device disguised as an earring. This was so that Cosette could see and hear the proceedings, as well as direct Pierre on what to do and say, despite not being there herself.

Right now, Pierre was making his way easily through the cafe. He was a tall, imposing man with sharp features and a stern expression, and people were quick to get out of the way to make room for him.

"Hello," he rumbled to the young officer. "You must be the one the department sent. Please, come this way."

With that, the butler gestured for the young man to follow him to a table tucked into the corner of the cafe.

"Please, make yourself comfortable," Pierre continued. "Order anything you like and do not worry about the cost; I will pay."

"I would assume that C would be attending this meeting, in one way or another, no?"

At his inquiry, Cosette's lips quirked up one fraction of a millimeter. He's a sharp one, she thought approvingly. That was good. She hated dealing with idiots.

"You are correct," came Pierre's swift response through the speakers. "I am not C; I am merely an intermediary. I hope you do not mind."

Then the young officer—Yoshida—politely asked for legitimate verification. Cosette nodded to herself; she'd expected as much. Back in France, 'C' was relatively famous and had garnered a lot of respect from the French authorities. But since her dealings usually stayed within the nation's borders, her influence didn't extend much over the rest of the world. It was only natural for the Japanese police to be wary.

"Show him the files," she said quietly into the comm. "Then confirm identity."

- - - - -

At the cafe, Pierre nodded at Yoshida's statement. "Understandable," the butler said smoothly, before pulling out a few papers from his suitcase and handing them to the young officer. "These are the official documents. They show that we are legally entitled to operate here as private investigators. You may have not heard of 'C' here in Japan, but rest assured that C has been working with the law for many years. The claim to the case is legitimate."

After waiting for Yoshida to inspect the papers, the butler continued. "I will ask you, of course, to verify your identity as well. Would you perhaps have any sort of identification on your person?"

The policeman's face was blank, but Cosette could see the hesitation clearly in his movements as he pulled out his badge; it did not escape her notice, either, that he had deliberately covered up his name. So he was still suspicious. That was...good. And bad.

Good, because it implied a reassuring level of competence in the Japanese police force.

Bad, because it might make negotiations more…problematic.

Well, no matter. She'd deal with that when it came to it. Nodding to herself, Cosette waited for Pierre to finish introducing himself ("Yes, that will suffice. You may address me as Peter, Mr. Yoshida.") before once again taking charge of the conversation.

Time to begin.

- - - - -

"What we are proposing," Pierre explained as he returned the papers to his briefcase, "is essentially a partnership. The police provides us with data—criminal and civilian records, temporal statistics, et cetera—and we will provide the police with our discoveries and results of our investigations. An exchange of information, if you will."

The butler paused. "However, this is highly confidential, you understand. It is imperative that this information—especially the information we provide, in addition to other details—is only circulated within the higher-division police, such as the Chief and, I assume, yourself. You may have wondered why we've gone out of our way to ask the police department to secure a liaison. This is because we want to reduce the possibility of an information leak that can potentially make its way to Kira's ears, and it is why we ask that you remain as the 'mediator' of our correspondence, should you accept."

The butler allowed Yoshida a slight pause to take it all in. Then he continued: "We also ask that, as partners, we are allotted permission for certain…executive functions. Although law enforcement and running of the police department will still, of course, be overseen by the police."

Pierre pulled out another document. "This is the official contract for the partnership. Please bring this to your Chief. I ask that you notify me of his response by noon tomorrow, in this very cafe." The butler gave a slight bow. "Thank you for your time, Officer Yoshida. If you have any questions, you need only to ask and I will answer it to the best of my ability."

The man explained the specifics of the deal, which was basically information trade under the name of partnership. Nothing unexpected, save for a part about 'executive functions, which he was definetly going to ask for an elaboration about. But, all in all, a simple deal.

After folding his wallet and placing back into his pocket, Hideyeki accepted the contract that was given to him, and placed it on the table face-down, his hands resting on it. Hideyeki was allowed the weekend off, which is why he wasn't too happy to hear that once again, his time was to be spent in the cafe. At least it was noon though, and he could spend some time relaxing rather than working. Still though.... his sibling would be unenthusiastic about this. Ah well.

"Thank you for your time, Officer Yoshida. If you have any questions, you need only to ask and I will answer it to the best of my ability."

Even though he wasn't sure if this Peter was stealing sentences on purpose or not, he simply asked exactly what he wanted to ask. "Executive functions... I would like an explaination on the exact meaning of this," he said sternly. Asking for that without showing your face was.... bold, to say the least, even if you're known in another country. "And, to sate my own curiousity, what is your reason, C?" he asked the individual behind the moniter, having figured out (though at this point it would take an idiot not to have seen through this) that those sunglasses were doing more than making it hard for this man to see and raising an eyebrow from a stranger every now and then.

"If I recall correctly, France as well as the majority of Europe disbelieve any of this ranting about Kira. In fact, the world seems to just think this is some huge prank being played by Japan. Judging by the documents you presented me earlier, you hail from France, do you not? So, my question is: Why has the Kira case attracted your attention?"

"Executive functions," Yoshida repeated, sounding less than pleased. "I would like an explanation on the exact meaning of this."

"Ah, but of course," Pierre said evenly.

It was a fair question, after all. Put like that, it did sound rather fishy.

"Perhaps I phrased that a bit too strongly," he continued. "'Executive functions' simply refers to participation in the execution of plans and other decisive strategies. In essence, we will be allowed a voice in your planning sessions regarding anything related to Kira. This is not to say that we are granted major executive powers, however—the final decision will of course rest in the hands of your Chief."

Then Yoshida put another question forward, this time directly towards C. At that, the corners of Pierre's mouth twitched downwards in a barely perceptible frown. Perhaps the officer was simply curious, but the way he put the question was just a tad…presumptuous.

"I am afraid—" he began, but was cut off by a tiny crackle of a voice from the communication device in his ear.

"It's fine, Pierre. Allow me."

The butler gave the briefest of hesitations before complying. Raising a hand to his ear, he turned on the speaker.

"Bonjour, Officer Yoshida," a mechanical voice—deep, droning, flat—said from the speaker. "I am C, and I apologize for the inconvenience and the impersonal nature of this meeting. Unfortunate, but necessary. I do hope you understand.

"To answer your question, I am indeed from France," the robotic voice continued, "although by now I expect this fact to be rather painfully obvious. Regarding the situation in France and other areas of Europe, I'll take the liberty of informing you that the circumstances there are not so bleak as you may fear. The last time I had been present, I had observed a rapidly growing faction of people who do in fact believe the Kira situation to be true, and who are aware of the very real threat Kira poses to the world. I would, in fact, be very surprised if the majority of Europe hasn't already converted by now, especially taking the Himura incident into consideration.

"My point is, your 'huge prank played by Japan' comment simply isn't true. It ceased being viable the moment heart attack cases began to show up internationally.

"Which brings me your other question. How did the Kira case attract my attention? Simply put, it was these 'international' cases that brought the case to my awareness."

The voice allowed a brief moment of silence before it continued emotionlessly: "If that is all, then this meeting is adjourned. I thank you for your time, Officer Yoshida; it is much appreciated. Au revoir."

At those words, Pierre's arm once more reached upwards in a smooth, sweeping motion. After switching off the speaker, the man turned to the expectant police officer.

"As C has already stated," the butler said, ever polite, "your time is greatly appreciated. Thank you for coming today, Mr. Yoshida. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Perhaps I phrased that a bit too strongly," he continued. "'Executive functions' simply refers to participation in the execution of plans and other decisive strategies. In essence, we will be allowed a voice in your planning sessions regarding anything related to Kira. This is not to say that we are granted major executive powers, however—the final decision will of course rest in the hands of your Chief."

So they want to be involved with what we do? Figures, but asking for that means they should be willing to give something up. Well, I have tomorrow afternoon to speak more about this, I'm sure.

Instead of speaking, Hideyeki simply nodded and allowed the man to go on. However, he could only start before somebody else began speaking with a hidden voice. He wanted to smile, but instead didn't, and listened as C themself informed him that Europe was beginning to see that Kira wasn't a joke played on the media, but an actual threat. This was good, very good, though the fact that C themself told him this instead of just relaying it through the medium, Peter, raised some suspicions. How Peters began did so also. There must've been something they were leaving out, or so he thought.

Finishing her speech, C handed over the end of the conversation to Peter. Hideyeki smiled as he stood up, downing a water that had been placed next to him earlier. "It was a pleasure to meet you both." he said. "However, in regards to the 'excutive functions', I've got doubts that anything being planned will take any risks, and I'm afraid that the meeting shall be in person. You're welcome to send Peter, though, knowing my chief, you won't be able to communicate through the glasses, regardless of how safe you believe they are." he was now standing straight up, and he looked down on the sitting Peter. "In any case, I look forward to tomorrow's meeting, and I'll make sure these documents get to the chief."

He began to leave, only stopping as he remembered something. "Sayonara, watashi no tomodachi." With a wave, he left the cafe.

Cosette lifted the cup of tea to her lips. Tisane. A favorite of hers. It was steamy and soothing and helped her think. After a delicate sip, she set down the little teacup and took out her ever-present fan, folding it open with a quick snap of her wrist. As she idly fanned herself, her mind drifted towards the Kira case and the upcoming meeting with that young police officer—what was his name, again? Yoshida, wasn't it? She thought for a moment, then nodded to herself. That was right, Yoshida was all he gave. Probably his last name, or even just an alias. Though I suppose it hardly matters in the end, Cosette mused to herself. He wouldn't be the only one covering up his identity, after all, and it wasn't as if she had any room to talk.

It was unfortunate, all this suspicion and mistrust. Unfortunate and tiresome. But if Cosette's hunch was by any chance accurate at all, then names were very dangerous things indeed.

Ding. The soft peal of a mechanical bell sounded on the computer. An alert. Cosette checked her messages, and then closed her eyes, pleased. Speaking of names…

"Oh, Caron," she murmured. "You really do have the best timing."

James Caron, National Police Chief from back home, had sent her the materials she'd requested. She scanned the file, checking the background information, and then nodded. Three people. Two names. It was absolutely perfect for her needs.

The first files displayed the Harman twins, Charles and Brian, recently convicted of the kidnapping and murder of two five-year-old children.

The third file depicted a large man with a face riddled in knotted scars. There was no name; all the scars on the man's face made it hard to identify who he was. They did, however, get a clear snapshot of him, courtesy of a security camera—hence the photograph. He was a brutal man—nicknamed Le Vautrin—and was wanted for a litany of crimes including drug possession, rape, and robbery.

Overall, it was ideal. High profile criminals, yet to be broadcasted to the world. Not only that, but these criminals had committed heinous crimes—the kinds that Kira never ignored. Now, Cosette normally liked to retain judgement on matters she had limited knowledge of, but some of the things these people had done were truly atrocious.

It had crossed her mind, of course, that notifying Kira of their existence could potentially be condemning them to death. She didn't exactly like it, but sometimes these things had to be done. As the old saying went, one couldn't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, and she'd definitely choose these particular people over an innocent any day. It wasn't her style, all this gambling upon lives, but then again Kira was a special case. Another day he or she continued to operate uncaught was another day fraught with death and fear and unrest.

"C, the liaison has arrived," came Pierre's steady voice through the speaker. "Shall I greet him?"

"Please do," she said. Unlike yesterday, the police officer had arrived exactly on time today. Better, she thought grudgingly. Taking another sip of her tisane, Cosette observed the young man enter Aragawa Cafe through the camera on Pierre's glasses. They—namely, she and Pierre—had decided to continue this particular approach, despite Officer Yoshida's admonishments. It was best to err on the side of caution for now, at least until they were sure the police would cooperate. Of course, Cosette was largely unconcerned on this front. There was, after all, very little reason for the police not to cooperate with them. The Kira case was going to be a tricky one, and warranted all the help the police could get.

Cosette was mildly surprised that she was looking forward to this impromptu little partnership. Normally, she preferred working alone, perfectionist that she was. But this Yoshida fellow was very sharp. He was observant, meticulous, professional. It spoke well of the Tokyo police department. Implied good things about the future.

On the screen, she watched as her faithful butler rose to greet the officer and usher him toward a secluded table. She glanced to the screen on her left, letting Pierre handle the social niceties while she gave the files another once-over.

For now, this will be enough. Now to see the officer's response.

"Peter." Hideyeki nodded as he took a seat in the same chair he had the day prior. The lack of honorific was only because he knew that 'Peter' was not from Japan, and it probably wouldn't mean anything to him if it wasn't included. If anything, it'd just be a waste of breath. Getting as much done in as little time as possible was a good thing in Hideyeki's book, and so he found himself pulling out the contract that he had picked up on the way and set it on the table for Peter to pick up and go through.

He then looked at Peter and spoke. "Seems we agree with the partnership." he began. "And it sounds like we'll be getting used to these meetings as well." he added without showing his distaste for the arrangements in his voice. Kira had to have some time to himself, after all. Police work and meetings with someone trying to catch you do sound like they'd get tiresome. But, he couldn't complain about the fact that he was able to moniter everything. Of course, if he made it obvious that Kira knew stuff he shouldn't, then that would be the same as announcing that Kira worked in the police station, and Hideyeki was not comfortable with that scenario, not one bit. He'd play it safe for now.

Pierre gave a swift nod. "Excellent." Not one to waste time, he opened his briefcase and withdrew from it a manila folder. "Here," he said, sliding the folder over to the police officer's side of the table with one crisp motion of his fingers. "You'll find enclosed the data that C has compiled and organized. Statistics, if you will, concerning variables such as time, crime committed, broadcasted location, and location of death.

"You may find these useful. C certainly did, as it was what led her to conclude Kira's whereabouts in the first place—Tokyo, as you may have already presumed."

That said, Pierre reached into his briefcase once again took out a laptop. He set the device carefully on the countertop, opened it, and then typed in a few passwords. Following C's murmured instructions in his ear, he opened a certain file she had sent to him not even five minutes ago.

Three faces popped up.

The butler smoothly rotated the laptop so that Officer Yoshida was allowed a decent view. Once he had the man's attention, he spoke. "In addition, C has a proposition. You are welcome to decline, although we feel that this will help vastly in the Kira case. There are concerns, of course, on the exact nature of Kira's method of killing. After much deliberation, we've concluded that it is most likely to be some sort of supernatural ability."

He gave the officer a wan smile before continuing. "Ridiculous, no? And yet, the only feasible explanation…

"Plausibility notwithstanding, a reasonable first step on this front would be to discover the requisites of this supernatural ability. C suggests starting with something basic—simply put, names and faces. That is where these three criminals come into play. The acts these people have committed are things that Kira won't ignore. If the police publicly broadcasts their crimes, we are guaranteed a reaction. Based on what happens, we'll be able to surmise if Kira needs a face or a name to kill.

"Of course, this is only a suggestion. Nonetheless, we hope you will take it into consideration."

Hideyeki opened the folder and glanced into it as he listened to 'Peter' speak. Indeed he did recognize some of the names in this folder as he had written them down in the Death Note himself. He was never intending on being too cautious about what country or state he was in, so it didn't surprise him too much that this C found out that he was here in Japan after taking the dates and times of death, as well as when and where they were broadcasted into account.

The young police officer raised his brow and attention from the folder as he was shown the screen of a laptop and three faces. They were criminals, and bad ones too. The kind that made his blood boil a bit with the things they have done. They definitely shouldn't be allowed to taint this planet any longer with their horrible stenches, or so he would think. His opinion might be too similar to Kira's, but that was obvious.

"Yes, it seems that even the part of me that laughs at any claim of supernatural power is in agreement with you on that one." he said as he moved his gaze to Peter. "I can't see any poison doing this kind of work, and any other weapon I can possibly comprehend is out of the question." he closed his eyes and took a small breath in before opening them, allowing Peter to continue before speaking again.

This plan was great, he had to admit. They were catching on, and quick. He needed someway to convince them not to use this, for it would only help them in the end. Outright denying it would not bode well for him. Either they'd think he wasn't too bright, or they would possibly even suspect him of justifying Kira's actions - which of course he did, but nobody could know that - so what option was there left? Appealing to their morality? That, though as flawed as it could turn out to be, was the only feasible option in this situation.

"You would have us offer up people to Kira?" he asked, his eyes narrowing a bit. "I will admit that it sounds like it may turn out to be effective if Kira does in fact have limitations to his supernatural abilities. But can we honestly do such a thing?" he questioned. "Would that make us no better than Kira himself? We could just be giving him free bait and I'll admit that there's probably nobody else who deserves such a thing more than them, but it would feel wrong." he mentally cursed in his head, for he knew that the chief would have no problem accepting a plan like this if it sounded like it'd produce results, and it did. This argument had barely any means in which to support it, so he feared it would be smacked down and he would end up having to watch these criminals on live television.

What should I do now? There's no way the chief's going to decline a plan like that - it's brilliant. Too brilliant. I could simply just kill all three of the men, couldn't I? No, then they might come back to suspect me in the end if they figure out the name and face requirement for the Death Note. Then do I simply let them find out? No, I can't.... can I? I might have to at this rate. They're bound to put up precautions if they discover that flaw. I can think of a plan later, right now I need to focus.