Kamimachi Club?!
A rare stunned expression appeared on Yukinoshita Yukino's cold face. Her fragile heart felt as if an invisible giant hand was tightly squeezing it, making it hard to breathe.
What a ridiculous, vulgar club name!
She folded her arms over her chest, sitting stiffly, her thin body instinctively recoiling, her gaze growing wary toward Light.
Light said nothing to explain her confusion. With sincere and clear eyes, he said, "Helping those in need without expecting anything in return — that is my philosophy."
"Yukinoshita, would you like to experience one of our club activities?"
"Sorry, Yagami. I didn't expect you to be like this. I can't accept this kind of thing. It's hard to believe Hiratsuka-sensei would approve such a club. I'm sorry, but I'm leaving now."
Yukinoshita Yukino grabbed her bag and stood, ready to leave.
Kamimachi.
Yukinoshita Yukino grabbed her bag and stood up, ready to leave.
Kamimachi (かみま), literally "waiting for god," usually refers to runaway youths seeking a place to stay by posting messages on the streets or online boards—often implying illicit transactions.
How absurd!
As a righteous and proper young lady, Yukinoshita had zero tolerance for such a term.
Light Yagami knew she had misunderstood.
Watching her back as she prepared to leave, he didn't try to explain but calmly asked a question:
"Yukinoshita, based on what Hiratsuka-sensei just said, you also want to start a club that 'helps others,' right? If someone ran into trouble, what would you do?"
Light's words seemed to carry some magic, stopping Yukino's hand just as she reached for the door.
Though she couldn't accept the name Kamimachi, hearing Light's question, Yukino thoughtfully considered it: "There are many kinds of problems, but ultimately they stem from the inherent weaknesses in people. Changing those weaknesses would solve the problem at its root."
"What if someone was suffering from bullying at school because of a physical disability?"
Yukino was momentarily at a loss, unsure how to answer.
After a long pause, she said: "Bullying someone due to a physical disability is trampling on another's dignity, the worst kind of behavior—maliciously hurting others just for harm's sake. To stop it, the root cause must be uprooted completely."
"In that case, obsessing over one's own weakness is meaningless. If it were me, I'd report it to the teachers."
"And after that?"
Yukino was about to argue further but stopped mid-sentence, realizing discussing such a sensitive topic with a newly acquainted classmate was pointless.
She turned reluctantly and said:
"Afterwards, the bully's bad nature must be corrected, and the bullied's weaknesses changed. But Light-kun, what meaning does that have? Bullying will never be eradicated. The weak will always turn against the weaker—this is a prejudice ingrained in human bloodlines."
"I see~" Light smiled like a sunny, cheerful boy. "I think I understand what kind of person you are."
"What you pursue, Yukinoshita, is absolute correctness."
"Changing human weaknesses to change the world, eliminating prejudices, offering selfless help to the weak... Yukinoshita, you are both kind and arrogant."
Yukino frowned deeply, instinctively uncomfortable with Light's words:
"Light-kun, does commenting on someone's personality to their face bring you any pleasure?"
"No." Light shook his head. "It's just that after confirming what kind of person you are, I find it unexpectedly interesting. To use Hiratsuka-sensei's words, it's 'correcting your mistakes.'"
I don't think I have any mistakes. Also, if you only ask meaningless questions like that, the air conditioner next to you is way more useful.
"One last question."
"Yukinoshita Yukino, what do you think about the world we live in now?"
"Terrible." Without a moment's hesitation, Yukino's words froze the enthusiasm of anyone who heard them. "Just like you."
"Apologies, forget those earlier questions. Now, I'll show you what the real club activity is."
"Afterwards, Yukinoshita-san, you can decide whether to stay or leave."
Real club activity?
Yukino raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and turned around to see what Light Yagami was up to.
Light bent down and pulled out from his backpack a notebook bound in jet black with gold-foil lettering on the cover.
Though some distance separated them, Yukino clearly read the English title aloud, unable to suppress her curiosity: "Death Note?"
'Is this some kind of prank?'
Light placed the notebook against his chest and opened it flat. From his left sleeve, he took out a pen and asked kindly, "Yukinoshita, have you ever had someone you hated but couldn't do anything about?"
"No." Yukino's chest rose and fell lightly as she exhaled slowly.
As a child, she had been too outstanding, growing up isolated. Indoor shoes and recorders were often stolen in petty acts of mischief, forcing her to carry them home every day through a difficult elementary school life.
But such acts couldn't hurt Yukino; instead, they forged a strong spirit within her.
Hatred? None.
Someone she was helpless against... Yukino's eyes flickered, a name slowly surfacing in her mind. But such things she wouldn't casually share with a boy she just met.
"None, huh?"
"Please help me plug in the TV power cord."
It was obvious Hiratsuka-sensei favored Light Yagami, assigning him a clubroom equipped with modern facilities.
Yukino obeyed, and her interest was piqued — she wanted to see what this boy would do next.
"Switch to the NHK channel. At this hour, they should be broadcasting major domestic news."
Soon, the TV screen crackled to life with a newscaster's anxious voice:
"[Yesterday, a murderous maniac injured or killed six people on the bustling streets of Shinjuku. Currently, he is holding eight children and teachers hostage in a kindergarten, refusing to surrender. The Metropolitan Police have identified the suspect as Kuroto Otohara, unemployed, 42 years old.]"
"In this situation, if a hostage asked you for help, what would you do, Yukinoshita-san?"
"What would I do?" Yukino lowered her gaze. No matter how she looked at it, this was beyond the power of any school student. "If you're trying to use this to refute my opinion, there's no need. The only solution is for Light-kun to pass the professional exam and become a police chief to command the scene."
"Almost forgot—your father is the chief of criminal investigations. Trying to prove that your childhood teachings are insightful, huh? Forgive me for saying this, but it sounds a bit childish."
Yukino's sarcasm drew no reply from Light. He smiled silently, removed the pen cap, and his expression became infinitely calm and composed.
"Now, let me officially introduce the activities of the Kamimachi Club~"
"In any era, so-called rules are made by those regarded as gods."
"Kamimachi — waiting for god — means the person who establishes the rules."
"Whether inside or outside school, for anyone in trouble who needs help, I will aid them. Whether they are criminals outside or bullies inside, if their actions provoke the wrath of both gods and men..."
"Laws of the mundane world don't matter."
"I will eliminate them."
"These are the rules I set. To criminals, I am a god!"
"All you need to do is write their real name in this notebook. The person whose name is written will die of a heart attack within ten seconds."
Of course, there was one thing Light kept to himself and did not tell Yukino:
If she tried to pass any information about the notebook to anyone else, Light would immediately sense it. Then, her memories about the notebook and Kira would be instantly erased or altered—
(Author's aside: If reading this makes you uncomfortable, feel free to skip to the "Chatter" section after Chapter 12. If you really can't accept it, it's better to part on good terms or2)
Yukinoshita Yukino's pupils suddenly contracted. Despite how absurd the claim was, she found herself unable to doubt it.
Perhaps it was because of first impressions—her intuition told her that the man before her was not lying.
Her fair face paled, but she still defiantly said,
"Is this some kind of 'bad news' trick? I didn't expect Yagami-kun to play such games."
"The name is Kuro Otohara." As he spoke, Yagami wrote the name carefully into the Death Note.
He sat up straight, glanced at his watch, and a magnetic countdown echoed through the clubroom:
"3, 2, 1, 0..."
["We really worry about the hostages' safety; there's been no news so far."]
["Yes, let's hand it back to the anchor."]
"Yagami-kun, nothing happened." Yukino shook her head with slight boredom. Honestly, what was she expecting?
There was no way something like this could be real.
["Ah, wait a moment! There's movement inside! The hostages are coming out! Everyone seems unharmed!"]
["At the same time, the bomb squad is rushing in! Have they arrested the criminal?"]
["Yes, just got word—the criminal appears to be dead?!"]
["Police emphasize they did not shoot the criminal, so it must have been suicide out of desperation. According to hostages, he suddenly collapsed."]
Yukino suddenly lifted her head; reflected in her pupils was the bright smile of Yagami Light.
"Yukinoshita-san, now, how about experiencing the real club activities?"