The café's espresso machine hissed like a dying animal. Dean's fingers drummed the countertop in sync with the **STATUS SCREEN** STATUS SCREEN** flickering at his wrist:
**CURRENT WORLD: [DEATH NOTE AUXILIARY TIMELINE]**
**SP: 6000 → 5500 (SHINIGAMI EYES ACTIVATION)**
**NEW OBJECTIVE: [ELIMINATE KIRA - 8000 SP]**
**WARNING: [L DETECTED - 00:03:17]**
Loki slid into the seat opposite him, licking powdered sugar off a stolen donut. "The detective's here."
Dean didn't turn. His Shinigami Eyes painted the café's patrons in floating death-dates—*2 years, 47 days* above the barista, *3 months, 12 hours* above the salaryman by the window. Then: *???*.
L's lifespan was a void.
Dean sipped his black coffee. "He's behind me. Third table. Fake coughing into a napkin."
Loki's grin was all teeth. "Want to play?"
The **STATUS SCREEN** pulsed:
**RECOMMENDED PURCHASE: [PSYCHOPASS PRECOGNITION - 4000 SP]**
Dean swiped *Confirm*. The world split into branching timelines—L rising in 4.3 seconds, L pulling a gun in 6.1, L triggering hidden snipers in 8.9. Dean chose *Option 12*: he flipped his coffee cup upside down.
The liquid froze mid-air.
L's spoon clattered to the floor.
Dean stood. "Game over."
—
The safehouse stank of burnt circuitry. L's restraints were duct-tape and Nen-charged wire. Loki lounged on a server stack, tossing a Death Note page like a frisbee. "He *bit* me."
Dean ignored him, watching L's pupils dilate as the **STATUS SCREEN** updated:
**KIRA IDENTIFIED: [LIGHT YAGAMI - 98% MATCH]**
**SP REWARD: [8000]**
**SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: [CORRUPT DEATH NOTE - 2000 SP]**
L's voice was raw. "You're not Kira."
Dean pressed a pen into his palm. "But you are."
The door exploded.
—
Light Yagami stood framed by firelight, the Death Note tucked under his arm like a textbook. His smile was a scalpel. "L. How... disappointing."
Dean's Precognition short-circuited—too many variables. The **STATUS SCREEN** blared:
**WARNING: [SHINIGAMI KING INTERFERENCE DETECTED]**
Ryuk's laughter echoed from the rafters.
Loki sighed. "I *hate* contingency plans."
Dean's Quincy arm reformed—a reishi scalpel humming with stolen Hollow energy. "Welcome to the endgame."