Light Yagami disliked uncertainty because uncertainty couldn't be controlled. Ever since Near had appeared, every move had become slower, every decision demanded greater precision, and every mistake carried the weight of catastrophe. Today's meeting had been proposed as nothing more than an exchange of information between the Japanese Task Force and Near's headquarters, yet Light understood better than anyone that Near never arranged private conversations without expecting them to accomplish something.

Somewhere beyond the walls, beyond the security glass and silent corridors, Near was undoubtedly watching every camera feed, waiting for the smallest inconsistency to emerge. He wasn't searching for evidence. He was studying behavior.

The person sitting across from Light was proof enough.

Dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit, black gloves and a face mask that concealed nearly every recognizable feature, the stranger had even cut their hair into a style remarkably similar to Light's own. It was clever. Facial recognition became unreliable, eyewitness descriptions contradicted one another, and anyone reviewing surveillance footage would struggle to determine even the most basic details. Near had stripped away every obvious identifier before placing this piece directly in front of Kira. Even the posture had been carefully practiced, neutral enough to invite assumptions while confirming none of them.

Ryuk, invisible as always, leaned against the wall with an amused grin. "This is getting interesting, Light. Usually you're the one making people uncomfortable."

Light ignored him, maintaining the effortless smile expected from the brilliant detective who had inherited L's position. Every answer he gave was measured, every word chosen before it left his mouth. The discussion wandered naturally through the Kira investigation, the recent broadcasts, Takada's involvement, Mikami's fanaticism and Near's increasingly aggressive tactics. Harmless topics on the surface, yet each pause carried the possibility of becoming a trap. Near understood that people rarely exposed themselves while speaking; they did so while reacting.

Then it happened.

A faint movement beneath the mask.

The slightest upward pull at its edge.

Not enough for anyone else to notice.

Enough for Light.

They were smiling.

No.

Laughing.

At him.

Not openly, not carelessly, but with the quiet confidence of someone who believed they had already stepped beneath his skin. It was almost insulting. Whoever Near had sent wasn't attempting to intimidate him through accusations or clever deductions. They were provoking him through restraint, allowing silence to do what questions never could. Light met those concealed eyes without allowing his own expression to shift, but the realization settled uncomfortably in his mind.

Near hadn't sent someone to defeat Kira.

He had sent someone capable of irritating Light Yagami.

And, much to Light's annoyance...

It was working.