The tower of sugar cubes on the screen collapsed completely.
The sharp clatter echoed through the deathly silent room.
L ignored the sugar cubes scattered across the table.
He curled up in the spacious swivel chair, his thumb pressed against his lower lip, watching Kannazuki through the camera.
The feed suddenly switched without warning.
A dark, damp, abandoned warehouse came into view.
Droplets of water clung to the mottled sheet-metal walls.
Overhead, a cheap tungsten bulb swayed in the wind, casting a dim yellow light over the iron chair at the center.
Jiang Shiyu was tied to it.
Coarse hemp rope bound her hands behind the chair, digging angry red marks into her skin.
Her usually smooth, carefully tended hair was now a tangled mess, with several strands of sweat-soaked bangs stuck to her cheeks.
She wasn't crying, but her eyes were red, and blood had begun to seep from the lower lip she was biting.
Kannazuki sat before the screen.
His gaze fixed on Jiang Shiyu's small, pale face.
For three full seconds, Kannazuki didn't even blink.
L's voice came through the screen.
L said, "She's safe right now."
"As long as you cooperate, she'll stay safe."
Kannazuki raised his right hand from the desk with agonizing slowness.
His knuckles had turned deathly white from the force of his grip.
He stared at the screen, his Adam's apple bobbing with a difficult swallow.
Kannazuki's voice was low and hoarse. "L, what are you doing?"
L tilted his head slightly. "Conducting an experiment. There's something I need to confirm."
Kannazuki asked, "Confirm what?"
L replied, "Whether you, Kannazuki, really care about this woman."
Kannazuki didn't answer immediately.
He stared darkly at L's bloodless face on the screen.
Ryuk, the Shinigami hovering in midair, suddenly let out a grating, bizarre laugh.