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Please recommend and vote for me, arigatou.
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Tsuruta Kusuko turned her head to look at the boy standing behind her. There was no trace of the emotions one would expect from someone wanting to commit suicide.
No despair, numbness, fear, or sadness. Instead, she wore a pure and radiant smile like a baby's. Yet, that smile paired with the purple blood dripping from the corner of her mouth gave off an indescribably eerie feeling.
'Terminal stage. Dying soon. Life expectancy less than three days.'
The late-stage symptoms of the Apocalypse Virus: purple blood oozing from the lips, and purple crystalline formations appearing under the clothing. Patients suffer unbearable pain in their final three days, helplessly watching themselves die.
No cure.
Yagami Light respected and revered death, seeing it as the world's harshest punishment, convinced no one could withstand such fear.
'But why does this woman show no fear of death on her face?'
"Down there, boyfriend, down there, find him," she said with labored breathing, her brows deeply furrowed as the blood from her lips increased.
As if excited to share joy with someone, she wildly gestured toward the deep and forbidden currents beneath the bridge.
She handed her phone to Yagami Light.
'Intellectual disability?'
Her unclear speech quickly made Yagami Light realize that this beautiful woman was likely intellectually disabled.
He took the phone; the screen showed a long chat history.
Her avatar was an extremely ordinary sky scenery photo. Because of her cognitive limitations, her messages were expressed not in words but through bouquets of roses and hugging emojis conveying her feelings.
[♥️＃]
[The other party cancelled＃]
...
[The other party cancelled＃]
A string of messages received no positive response from the other side. Yagami Light's expression remained unchanged as he scrolled down.
[☺️, 👍]
[Aren't you annoying?!] A voice message.
From the tone alone, Yagami Light recognized the man on the other end—a sleazy, superficial type, his voice filled with annoyance and anger, seemingly unable to get rid of the woman in front of him for some reason.
[Why are you sending me your smile＃?! You stupid woman! I sold you and you still smile＃] This was text, followed by the woman replying with a [❓].
[A big shot also got the Apocalypse Virus. No one dares to take his orders, even with huge amounts of money, because the virus is too terrifying. I don't know that big shot's fetish—there are many unconscious woman that will be available, but he insists the woman be awake. But Kusuko, it's thanks to you.]
[After selling you to satisfy him once, the money I got was enough to pay off my gambling debts. Not only that, my status in the gang rose quickly. After throwing you to those jerks who used to look down on me and letting them have their fun, no one dares disobey me anymore... But you didn't resist being cuckolded. Such a wanton woman! You deserve to die, Kusuko Tsuruta!!!]
[Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!]
Even through the screen, the crimson text radiated deep malice. Taking advantage of the woman's intellectual disability, the man unleashed his evil openly on the chat app.
But she couldn't understand the words and thought he was angry, so she responded with a question mark, paired with tearful and hugging emojis.
[The police have their eyes on me too. If they find out what I've done, things will get complicated. So, Kusuko, use your last value~]
Finally, a voice message:
The man, deliberately softening his voice, said:
[I'm under the bridge. If you want to see me, jump down and find me. Remember to bring your phone. Hurry and come, Kusuko. Be careful not to let the police see.]
Yagami Light instinctively scrolled down, but accidentally switched to another app. The screen was playing a mother-and-baby related topic through the phone's built-in voice reading function.
The voice was clear and gentle, like a healing balm.
But healing... what healing?
When Yagami Light looked up again, the woman's expression had grown even more sinister. Her left side twisted in pain, but her right side wore a sweet smile full of happiness. From start to finish, she lived trapped in a dream of happiness spun by the man.
"Give back... going-+find him."
After the sweetness came anxiety. She reached out to take the phone back from Yagami Light, her gaze repeatedly drifting toward the deep sea currents beneath the bridge. Yagami Light complied, returning the phone.
Kusuko Tsuruta took the phone and climbed back over the railing, her body swaying.
"Drowning is one of the most painful ways for humans to die.
This process usually lasts 3–5 minutes, feeling the seawater flooding your body until it bursts."(Light)
"Death, mean?"
The woman stopped her steps toward jumping into the sea, coughed up a mouthful of purple blood, and looked at Yagami Light again with a confused yet curious gaze.
Yagami Light gazed at the bright moon in the sky and explained to himself:
"You can't breathe underwater, but the carbon dioxide accumulating in your body increasingly stimulates the respiratory center to demand breathing. At this time, it becomes extremely painful; since you're underwater, your consciousness controls your body not to breathe. But when you can't hold it anymore, instinct overpowers consciousness, and you start trying to breathe underwater."
"The mouth and nose will inhale large amounts of water, triggering related irritation reactions. The body is in an extreme state of oxygen deprivation, and this stage is the most painful for drowning victims."
"Consciousness gradually collapses, and the brain begins to shut down."
"In the end, your pain will disappear, but the most basic sensations remain. You'll feel your body becoming light and floating, thinking you're drifting in the air, and your brain will automatically start replaying the happiest moments of your life."
"The human body is quite amazing, isn't it~"
Tsuruta Kusuko nodded vaguely, then smiled happily again: "Happy, me and Makoto, happy!"
"After saying so much, you still don't understand..." Yagami Light chuckled, shaking his head. He reached into his cloth bag and took out the Death Note, opening a fresh blank page.
"His name is Makoto, right?"
"Mm-hmm!" Tsuruta Kusuko nodded heavily. It was one of the few names she could remember.
"What's his full name? Can you tell me?"
"Endō, Endō Makoto!"
Whee-whoo—
At the other end of the bridge, the urgent sound of police sirens faintly echoed.
Hearing the sound, Tsuruta Kusuko looked toward the bridge's end like a frightened rabbit, raising her head.
"Goodb-bye."
She turned her head and gave Yagami Light a brilliant smile one last time, then without hesitation let go and fell straight down toward the sea below.
Yagami Light watched expressionlessly, swiftly pulling a pen from his chest and, with his fastest speed ever, began writing on the blank page of the Death Note.
Just before she hit the water:
[Tsuruta Kusuko, immediate death upon contact with water.]
Plop—
"Police!! Damn it, are we too late?!"