World's Greatest Detective

"A detective?" Vince repeated with an expression of disbelief.

His teenage son nodded.

"Almost like you, father," Sirius supplied helpfully.

Aria stood from her chair and stalked forward, grabbing her son's shoulders as she whispered, "I will worry all the time, my dear Siri. Have you any idea just how dangerous it is to be a detective? I don't want to bury my son, you know?"

Sirius wanted to reassure her, to tell her that he would be alright. He could not die, after all. His immortality was something which had, just like his eyes, no reliance on the existence of chakra. If anything, he was the safest of them all.

Yet he knew that his parents were extremely rational people. Such a baseless statement would only serve to worry them further. He would never be able to explain to them that he could not die. In the first place, Sirius was not that sure whether he wanted to tell them anything at all. It was not that he did not trust them. He just feared that his knowledge could put them in danger. He knew about how much humans craved eternal life. If they knew about how he would be able to stay however young he wanted forever, they will desire to use him for their selfish reasons. He did not want his parents to be put in danger if that ever happened.

Vince had other concerns.

"You already sleep little enough as it is! Knowing you, you'll aim impossibly high and reach it. As the world's number one detective, you will receive a multitude of cases! How could you possibly cope?" Vince exclaimed.

The man was right.

Ever since he first entered university at the age of eight, Sirius had stopped sleeping altogether. It was not an essential activity for him, so he had stopped doing it. As such, he started to tease Cairn for sleeping so much. The kitsune was lazy and they both knew it. Naruto always spared a shadow clone to teach his friend languages, but Cairn prided himself in his ability to run away from it. What with his new ability to float, Cairn would often escape to the skies. However, he all too often forgot that water droplets were reflective too and would get dragged back whenever he strayed too close to a cloud. As such, the former bijū managed to learn three new languages thus far — English, British Sign Language and French. Cairn had requested to learn French and had been obsessed with it for a duration of time. The kitsune would speak only in French for that period and Sirius had the hardest time correcting his pronunciation due to the kitsune's sheer stubbornness.

"I will get myself an assistant," Sirius tried to reason.

Aria met her son's gaze for a long moment.

"That will only happen after you complete your PhDs, correct?" she confirmed with a firm look.

Sirius nodded. PhDs were research-based. He would be able to complete them in two years if he wanted to make it seem realistic. Although he could do it within a single month if he went all out with his shadow clones, no one would be able to believe it. As such, he had to take it easy so that less suspicion would be drawn to himself.

People were already marvelling at how Simeon Noir had managed to complete so many degrees and write so many books at such a young age. He did not like the idea of drawing attention to his alias like that. Although there was no harm in it, he did not want anyone digging further or being able to find his true identity.

"I will bring him to you, too," he promised just to sweeten the deal.

With two years to get everything ready for his debut, he needed all the help he could get. Having his parents' support will only be a blessing. Their connections had been his desire at the start when he had first become a part of this family. Although Aria and Vince meant much more to him now, it did not mean that he did not wish to make use of their network.

Sirius gave Cairn a pointed glance, causing the kitsune to wince.

Although Sirius could easily use a blood clone, which would continue to work even without any chakra, he would rather make use of the idle bijū that had tagged along on his isekai journey.

However, he knew that he had to manipulate things a little and fiddle with the memories of a few individuals — including Cairn — so that the kitsune would be qualified to act as his assistant.

"Why me?" Cairn whined as he floated closer to his former jinchūriki.

"I trust you," Sirius finger-signed back.

Cairn flushed and spluttered, flustered by the abrupt confession.

Sirius did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Should that not have already been an obvious fact?

Anyway, the fact that just this was enough for the kitsune to feel so touched was just both sad and amusing.

It did, however, make things easier for Sirius.

💣

Sirius stared blankly at the piles of folders that covered his study.

He had only just gotten rid of everything he had studied with in the past two years — he would have burned them too, for good measure, had Cairn not stopped him. He had been relishing in the emptiness and simplicity of the room. When did this appear? He certainly did not recall ever seeing them before retiring to his bedroom just the night before.

"I pulled some strings to get these sent over," Vince spoke up from behind Cairn — not that the man in question noticed.

Sirius watched his father walk through Cairn, a strange sight that he had never seen before. It was like his father had fox ears for a second. He could not help but find it hilarious, though the fact that he could not laugh openly was torture. If only he could have snapped a picture of that sight to share with his mother later. Aria would have loved to see it.

"What for?" Sirius asked, confused.

He had not had his debut as a detective yet. Even if he solved these cases, they would not be under his name. Was this meant to be practice for the actual thing? He did not like the idea of his work being accredited to the efforts of others. If it was just for his father, Sirius would not have minded as much. However, the way his father had described it implied that it had been sent over by his colleagues. Sirius was not magnanimous enough to do unpaid work for people that he did not even know.

"They are case details for you to study. They include old case reports and new ones. There are many types of them, some solved while others have been left unsolved as the trails had gone cold. You can think of it as homework," Vince explained with a small smile.

Sirius blinked as he processed this.

"I don't need to submit anything, do I?" he asked his father warily.

"Just share your findings with this father of yours, alright? I would like some insights into your point of view. After all, some of the completed closed cases might have arrived at the wrong conclusion and you would probably discover the true culprit that we have not found before," Vince said with a sheepish laugh as he scratched his head.

Sirius smiled slightly.

"Very well. I plan to debut in a month, so help me secure some good cases for then," he sighed in a put-on manner.

Vince grinned. "I take you will tell me everything as long as you are satisfied?"

Sirius nodded while picking up a folder.

"Feel free to use my academic qualifications as leverage," the blond supplied.

Vince shook his head as he sighed in disappointment, "You do realise that it would be so much easier for both of us if you chose to debut as Simeon Noir, right? People are so impressed by you that they would probably send you tough cases just to test you. That would have been a perfect opportunity."

Sirius frowned. "How many times must I say it? I'm debuting as S."

"I knew we should have named you that," Vince said melodramatically as he threw his hands into the air.

Sirius rolled his eyes.

His father was just so childish sometimes.

Sirius turned around and called, "Cairn!"

With a scowl, said kitsune stepped out from his hidden location beneath Sirius' desk.

"What?" the redhead grumbled, unhappy at how he had been forced into visibility by Sirius through his mirror dimension.

He looked just like he usually did in his human form, minus the fox ears and tails, and with his claws shortened into blunt fingernails.

"Are you sure that fellow is reliable?" Vince asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius chuckled.

"Perhaps not, but I trust him."

A glare from his jinchūriki had the kitsune rushing to sort through the piles of documents.

"Well, his organisational skills are good. I'll have to give him that," Vince admitted while they watched Cairn zip through the room.

Sirius snickered while Cairn's frown deepened even further.

"You're right," Sirius answered, adding more oil to the fire and causing the kitsune's eye to twitch.

Revenge was truly sweet.

The damned kitsune had so much fun teasing Sirius before. It was about time he had a taste of his own medicine. Sirius would make sure that his friend suffered just as much as he had before.

💣

Sirius had received his certifications on the morning of the day of his debut.

Afterwards, he had bid goodbye to his parents and left the house for good.

Where to? Well, Sirius did not need a proper physical base. He had his mirror dimension. Even so, he had to prepare a cover and he had done so in the form of the basement of a building that resembled an abandoned warehouse but could have functioned as a bomb shelter. He had set up equipment and security features that were so advanced that no one would have expected that it could be false and made sure there were sufficient reflective surfaces. He had gotten a few cases from his father — ones that already were deemed hopeless — thanks to his credentials and had solved them before leaving. Though he could have submitted them already, he did not want to do so from his parents' home. He had long decided that no link should be found between himself and his parents.

It was all for their sake.

He did not want any vengeful individuals targeting his family for revenge against him.

He submitted his findings that evening and, only two months later, he had established a network across the globe in the form of his blood clones.

L had already become known as the world's greatest detective by then, having amazingly reached the top of the rankings by completing so many cases that even those that have had experience in the profession for years lost to him. He had gained the illustrious reputation of a detective to whom no case was unsolvable. In just two years, L had become unparalleled. Even so, instead of being daunted by his rival who had gotten a headstart on him, Es — he had decided to leave the name Sirius behind with his parents — was thrilled.

Another eight months and without any cheating using mirrors on Es' part thanks to his drive to compete fairly, S reached the world ranks as well.

S was twenty-third on the world ranks by the number of completed cases, an impressive feat considering how he had only joined the detective world less than a year prior. Not even L had accomplished such an unbelievable record. At this time two years ago, the one and only L had been sixty-first.

As such, preposterous rumours even more incredible than those about L began to spread about S.

Even so, Es did not care about them.

His goal was to compete with L again, after all.

What others thought about him did not matter.

The most popular question, however, was how Kai — that was what Cairn had called himself accidentally the first time while fumbling over his introduction on his very first mission — was able to get from one end of the world to the other in such a short amount of time. Kai was just the link between S and the rest of the world. It was a similar role as what Watari was to L. Many realised this but to Es, it hardly mattered. Rather than having taken a page from L's book, Es just preferred not to be seen. He did not even know about how Watari had taken the role of L's butler and assistant.

Then came a rather tough case from Italy.

Cairn had handed over the file like normal as he stepped through the mirror with a shadow clone as an intermediary. The file was of normal thickness and nothing had seemed odd on the surface. Had it been an ordinary detective, they would have deemed it a fairly easy case with an obvious conclusion.

However, Es was not an ordinary detective.

He saw it right away that not all was as it seemed.

"Let's head over to Italy," Es announced.

"Legally this time, you mean?" Cairn asked with a raised eyebrow.

Es rolled his eyes.

"I would like to ride on a plane at least once in my lifetime," he told the kitsune with a sigh.

"I don't see what's so amazing about those metal flying things," Cairn replied, wrinkling his nose.

"We have a jet," Es reminded his friend.

"So?" Cairn asked with a scowl, as he always so seemed to be doing these days.

"It will be a shame if we just leave it there to gather dust, don't you think?" Es replied with a smirk.

"I don't like flying on anything," Cairn hissed as he backed away.

"You aren't even corporeal," Es snorted as he shot an unimpressed look at the kitsune.

"Says the one who can escape anytime with his mirrors! Besides, you're immortal. I can still be killed, you know. I just don't have a lifespan. Nothing can indeed harm me in this world but once we return, you'll discover that there are a lot of ways to end my existence," Cairn sulked.

Es frowned while reminding his friend, "Hello? Remember the Kagami sacrificial jutsu?"

Cairn sniffed. "At least you'll be the one making the decision."

"You reform when killed anyway, don't you?" Es asked as he recalled that fact.

Cairn snorted, "That's because my body is all chakra. My consciousness changes a little each time that happens. I will retain my memories and abilities, but I will no longer be myself. For example, you are dear to me now and I think you a close friend of mine. However, if I reform, I might see you as a master instead. Even if it were an insignificant change, it still affects me."

Es found his eyebrows furrowing.

He never knew that.

The kitsune has never mentioned it.

"Then..." Es finally murmured, "will you prefer to stay here?"

Naruto still had many loved ones that he had to leave behind when he came to this world. Even if he had grown attached to this place, he could not possibly betray them by not going back. He had searched for the mask to no avail. He could not use his mirrors since he knew not what the mask was called, but none of his blood clones ever caught a glimmer of a hint towards where it might be. However, Cairn had no such ties. If he wished, he could stay in this world forever.

Cairn started and spun around to stare at Es incredulously.

"As if. Wherever you go, I follow," Cairn said firmly without any hint of doubt.

Before Es could protest about the kitsune's lack of hesitation, Cairn covered the blond's mouth with a hand and leaned in close enough that their foreheads were pressed together.

"Listen," Cairn spoke exasperatedly, "Es. You're my friend. I have watched you grow up. Twice."

Es blinked up at Cairn uncomprehendingly.

"You are more important to me than something like maintaining my current state of mind. Who cares if I can live forever here when there won't be anything to entertain myself with when you are gone? Even if I do end up dying because of it, I will remain by your side to support you. No matter what happens, I'll be here," Cairn spoke sincerely.

"You cannot... I'm not worth it," Es whispered, pulling away as he looked down.

Cairn, too, was dear to him. If it meant that his friend would be safe, he would have hardened his emotions and parted from the former Kyūbi even if it pained him to do so. He only wanted a long and happy existence for those that he held dear. Even if it meant he would never see them again, Es would still do it.

"I will always be on your side, Es, so... Rely on me more," Cairn assured, stepping forward and hugging the blond close.

At those words, Es felt a spark alight in his eyes.

"Promise," Es spoke, a touch of possessiveness within his tone.

Now, he suddenly did not want to let go of the ones he held dear.

Those that he cared for and that he felt interested in Es would keep close to himself. He would not let anyone separate him from those that he deemed precious to himself. Whether it was for the better or the worse, however, no one could say for certain. Perhaps it was rather selfish, but Cairn would not deny that it made him a little happy. Unlike before, he finally felt that he was needed.

It was a little childish, a far cry from Es' usual maturity, but Cairn grinned at the blond genius whose progress he had watched from the very beginning.

"I promise. Feel free to stop me if I ever try to run away," Cairn answered.

Es stared at the kitsune and, for the briefest of moments, Cairn regretted having said the last part. There was a fleeting yet dangerous light that had glowed in those bright azure eyes. A look more intense than he could remember the boy ever giving had been directed towards him. It was such that he almost feared that he would get scorched by those usually icy eyes.

"I will remember that," Es spoke quietly as the fire seemed to diminish and fade away.

Those impossibly clear eyes were suddenly as cool and unreadable as they had been before.

Like the surface of a still lake in winter — there was no way of knowing whether the ice was fragile or strong, thick or thin. Dangerous yet beautiful. Tranquil, yet concealing depths that drowned even the most experienced swimmers.

Perhaps it was more appropriate to liken it to a mirror.

One would not be able to see anything except themselves in those eyes — it felt as though Es could see into one's very soul. They looked so expressionless and cold. However, the mirrors were dangerous. When they are shattered, they will cut deeply into one's flesh.

At moments like these, Cairn could not help but hate the fact that it was Namikaze Minato who had caused this boy the most pain. Naruto had genuinely respected the man as a shinobi even if he hated him as a person. The boy always did know how to separate matters of this nature. It might have torn him, Kurama feared, to despise the very man who raised him.

Thankfully, Naruto had ventured into this world where he was able to experience what he had missed in his previous.

A childhood.

The mood was ruined when Es added, "I'll take it that means you volunteer to pilot the plane."

Cairn's face became ashen.

Although Es had inputted the relevant know-how into his mind, the kitsune would never feel ready to get on an aeroplane, much less fly one.

"Don't worry," Es assured, "I'll make sure we do not crash."

Somehow the youth had found the chance to undergo flight training through a simulator in an academy for air pilots. Although never had he the chance to take to the skies, the controls were familiar to him. Even without that, Cairn knew that Es would have been able to figure it out in less than ten seconds.

Despite knowing this, Cairn did not like the idea of being on a plane.

💣

Es chatted Cairn's ear off about modifications that would improve the flight throughout the journey from England to Italy. The kitsune had not been given a break — though he could have sworn that he saw the blond skydiving when he disappeared for several minutes. Nothing went wrong during the trip, much to Cairn's relief.

Somehow, Cairn had convinced himself that they were going to be struck out of the sky by lightning.

It was a long story, but there was no doubt that Es' meddling was the reason for this.

They alighted at a private airport — Cairn was sorely tempted to kiss the ground as they had stepped off the plane — and transited through customs with ease. The identities with which it was done were false, naturally, but Es was just so good at counterfeiting and falsifying records that there was virtually no difference. By that point, his blood clones had already infiltrated far and wide after all.

"Let's head over now," Es spoke decisively as he stepped into a taxi that Cairn had hailed.

He spoke in fluent Italian to the driver while the kitsune lugged their luggage onto the backseat.

As the taxi began its journey through the famously chaotic and bustling roads of Italy, Es struck up a casual conversation with their driver in rapid-fire Italian.

"I don't understand how you can learn so many languages so well so easily," Cairn muttered from his position in the backseat with the luggage — which was honestly just for show.

Es ignored his friend, delving deep into his talk about gossip regarding recent events occurring throughout the city. He did not come here for a vacation, after all. Cairn's senseless talk would not get him any closer to solving the case. Their case material had not covered local hearsay, an important factor in this particular case.

💣

Whether or not it seemed like it, they were not here on holiday.

Cairn could only watch in dismay as Es toured the attractions of Rome with a camera in hand while speaking animatedly with a local guide. Es did not even pay the fellow and yet the tour guide was taking them around the area while introducing the history of the places they visit. Cairn understood nothing, but it was clear just looking at how the two continued to laugh at something or another that the Italian man said.

Cairn rolled his eyes for the hundredth time.

"Are you sure that you need to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa?" Cairn asked exasperatedly in French, in which he was honestly more fluent than English.

"Did you not read the case details?" Es replied for the first time in the day.

"Yes, I did! I distinctly recall reading that this case was supposed to be about some party in a hotel of some sort! People disappearing as the night went on until there was only one left? We should be questioning that guy instead!" he shouted while throwing his arms into the air.

He blinked at Cairn before laughing out loud.

"This is why you're not the detective here, Kai," Es spoke in amusement.

Cairn glared at Es, but the blond made no move to elaborate.

It was only at mid-afternoon that Es bid their guide goodbye. Considering how they started walking around at dawn, Cairn was mentally exhausted. Although they did not walk all that far, the journey had been filled with suspense and frustration as his friend refused to tell him what exactly they were searching for.

Turning around with a grin, Es proclaimed, "I think I know who the suspect is."

Cairn could only stare at Es blankly.

Just what could the blond have gained from this senseless tour of Rome?

They never even visited the scene of the crime!

Sure, they had checked-in at the same hotel but all the blond did there was speak briefly with an attendant before setting off on their tour.

This was madness!

Cairn almost screamed when all Es did after he said those words was to walk towards a nice cafe that the kitsune had to admit he had glanced towards several times during the long tour.

"Es!" Cairn hissed while chasing after the detective.

The glass door was pushed open as the bells on the doorknob chimed with a pleasant tinkle.

Es ordered coffee for himself, leaving Cairn to his own devices as he began to hunt for a seat. The tables were all filled with people already, some chatting and others reading. The music was fairly soothing, but also happy. There were no empty tables at all.

He then noticed a familiar figure sitting in the oddest position.

It could not have been so coincidental, right?

Es was shocked when he discovered that it truly was the person he first thought of.

"L," Es greeted the other detective while sliding into the seat opposite the black-haired youth.

L looked just as surprised as Es had felt when he looked up from his tiramisu.

"S!" the black-haired male exclaimed in disbelief, dropping his napkin in his surprise.

L had his feet on the seat, his legs pulled to his chest with his shoes abandoned on the ground. He donned a plain white long-sleeved shirt with a round neckline which was too loose with the sleeves a little too long. He wore a pair of dark slacks which were baggy and unflattering, not at all looking the part of number one detective in the world.

Es chuckled at the shocked expression of the other detective. He did not expect that he would ever see such a look on the usually-impassive face of L. It was both amusing that L would have such a reaction to his appearance and flattering because he knew that it meant that he was not entirely insignificant to L.

"Please call me Es," the blond spoke while sipping at his cappuccino.

It sounded no different, but the other detective seemed to understand anyway and nodded.

Both were quiet for a while before Es broke it while watching L devour a cassata after finishing the tiramisù and add about ten cubes of sugar to his tea, "You will get diabetes. I am saying this to you as a doctor."

L paused in his eating, swallowing the food in his mouth before answering for once (though Es at that point had no idea about the significance of this), "Not my fault the brain runs on glucose."

Es laughed a little incredulously.

"Hyperexcitation does induce cell death, you know?" Es remarked.

L looked down at his tea and stirred it with his teaspoon before drinking it defiantly.

"Sixty per cent of the body's glucose consumption is by the brain," L argued with a frown.

"Excessively high blood glucose levels can cause your brain to atrophy or shrink," snorted Es.

Thankfully, however, L seemed to have a decently long life ahead of him. Es simply felt it was a pity that his only rival in intelligence in this world was limited by a human lifespan. He then had a thought. Would his ability to alter reality through his mirrors enable him to artificially extend one's lifespan?

It was a fairly ridiculous notion but it did not seem nearly as implausible as it should have been.

"As if you are one to talk. I can deduce from the fact that your attendant, Kai, is consuming such a large amount of food that you must have skipped breakfast and lunch. Low blood sugar results in symptoms such as confusion, which will affect your investigational capability. In the long-term, it can result in seizures, loss of consciousness or even death," L shot back with a glare.

It was more fun for Es than it should have been.

"I am biologically predisposed to not require much food or rest," Es huffed indignantly.

"That sounds like anorexia and insomnia to me," L argued in turn.

"At least I look healthy," Es made a jab at L's physical state — which seriously spoke of insomnia and malnutrition.

L scowled and added, "You didn't even get any food."

"I'm fine," grumbled Es, who felt almost like a child getting scolded by his mother.

"Eat," L said while pushing a panna cotta towards the other detective.

Es only blinked, not quite knowing how he should react to the sudden offer.

"Take this too," L added while placing the plate of cannoli in front of Es.

Es did not quite understand what kind of situation this was.

Reluctantly, although he honestly never tried a single dessert in his entire life be it in Konoha or England, Es picked up an unused spoon and scooped some pudding into his mouth. He never had anything besides healthy food, the only time he had fried snacks being when he had gone to the zoo with his father. He hesitantly swirled the smooth pudding around his mouth as he tasted the surprisingly mild and pleasant sweetness of milk and berries. He never knew he would enjoy it so much and, before he knew it, he had finished the entire panna cotta. He never expected to discover that he had a sweet tooth as well, much less so that the way he would find out would involve L of all people.

Seeing how L picked up a cannoli of his own with one hand and bit into it, Es gingerly picked up a cannoli with a napkin and carefully bit into one end with a satisfying crunch. He could feel sweet creamy cheese ooze into his mouth as he chewed the dessert slowly, the faint hint of pistachios, orange and chocolate spreading over his tastebuds. It was a delightful experience and Es felt like he finally understood why type 2 diabetes and obesity were such common problems in this world.

Not even he would be able to resist indulging in these desserts.

Es quickly finished his cannoli and looked up, only to notice L staring at him with a small smile and flush slightly in embarrassment.

"Thank you," Es mumbled out.

"Your welcome," L replied, sounding almost smug.

"Anyway," Es hurried to change the topic, "why are you here? Did you receive a difficult case?"

L nodded, his smile disappearing as his eyebrows knitted.

"The Colosseum case," L stated simply.

Es raised an eyebrow.

"What a coincidence. I received a request for the hotel disappearances," Es replied in surprise.

L blinked and leaned forward.

"They are connected," L agreed with a nod.

"How far are you on your investigations?" Es asked curiously.

L sighed as he poured himself another cup of tea, "I only just discovered the link between these cases today. I arrived in Italy two days ago. If only I heard about the disappearances sooner, the case might already be solved by now."

"Colosseum, entrance, Sunday, cleaner, incense, arson, event, cruise," Es listed in succession, watching L expectantly for his reaction.

L's eyes widened.

"So that was the final link!" the black-haired detective exclaimed, his teaspoon landing on the table with a clatter as he jumped to his feet.

L reached for his laptop which he had strewn on the side where it remained on the empty seat beside him and quickly opened it. He clicked on one particular folder with the case details and opened up an image of the scene of the crime. His eyes darted across the screen as he quickly examined the picture, noticing details that he had not before.

Finally, he sat down on his seat once more in his habitual peculiar position with his laptop shut once more next to him.

"I concede this case to you. If not for your hint, it would have taken me a few more days to solve it," L admitted with a sigh.

"I cannot possibly accept that," Es tried to protest.

He did not want the other detective to simply hand the case to him. The reason why he had chosen to become a detective was so that he would be able to compete with the brilliant mind of this black-haired youth who sat across the table from himself. He had wanted a challenge.

"You have conclusive evidence for a suspect you have in mind already, don't you?" L pointed out as he picked up his fallen spoon and stirred sugar into his tea.

"Right," Es answered while sipping at his cooling coffee.

"I have nothing of that sort. I've lost this match already," L replied with a shrug, alluding to their tennis match in England.

Es bit his lip, staring at the other detective apprehensively.

L sighed, "Just take it as a gift from a senpai to his kōhai. You started two years after me, after all."

Unwilling but being left with no other choice, Es relented, "Very well."

L drained the last of his tea and smiled at Es.

"I look forward to continuing to play against you in the future. You can finish the cakes," L said as he stood.

The blond blinked and smiled back.

"With the world as our stage," Es agreed softly.

With a wave over his shoulder, L left the Italian cafe.

Es could only sigh as he watched his rival go.

"Until I arrive at the same level as you on this playing field, L, that will not happen."

It seemed that he had to redouble his efforts to be able to properly compete against L.

After all, Es intended to challenge the world's greatest detective.

💣

"Watari, what kind of person do you think Es is?"

"He's an incredibly perceptive person who puts a lot of effort into things that he is interested in. He cares deeply for his loved ones and would never stand for it if anyone tried to hurt them. If you are asking about him, I take that you met him today?"

He was silent for a moment.

"L?"

"Watari," L spoke at last, "do you think Es and I could become friends?"

Watari chuckled warmly.

"I think that Es would love that."

L smiled.

"Thank you, Watari. I think I would love that too."

💣

In recent months, the number of cases solved by L began to rise at a rate incomparable to before. None of the other detectives could keep up with the increase despite their efforts. This was not even taking into account the difficulty of the cases.

In reality, only one could be said to surpass L in the rate of completion of cases.

S.

Then, a little over a year since Es had begun his profession as a detective, he overtook L for the first time.

Sixteen years have passed since Es first arrived in this world.

And he had already left his mark.