After Ryuk finished laughing, his smile faded.
For once, something approaching a "serious" expression appeared on his grotesquely crooked face.
The Shinigami turned the apple in his hand twice, then tucked it back into the void without taking a bite.
"Moon, I honestly feel pretty sorry for you."
Lying on the steps, Kannazuki shifted his eyes at those words.
Ryuk crouched beside him. His huge yellow eyes had lost their usual mockery and actually looked a little earnest.
"You discovered three hidden rules of the Death Note."
"I lied."
There were actually four hidden rules.
Ryuk counted them off on his withered black fingers:
"I thought you'd never find out.
But you're about to die anyway. No point hiding it now."
Kannazuki's breathing had grown very shallow.
The rise and fall of his chest was barely visible, but his consciousness still clung to one last breath.
"Tell me."
He squeezed that single word out of his throat, flecked with blood.
Ryuk tilted his head.
"When the notebook's owner kills someone with it, he can take the victim's remaining lifespan."
Silence hung over the steps for three seconds.
Then Kannazuki laughed.
It wasn't bitter laughter or a laugh of acceptance. It was the kind that came after fate slapped you hard across the face and you thought the slap was just too fucking brilliant.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me."
Ryuk shrugged, his wings swaying twice with the motion.
"Every person you killed with the notebook-all the years they had left were added to yours.
Zhao Gang, Wang Hu, Zhang Wei, L... and those arms dealers, gang bosses, battlefield commanders-at least several hundred years altogether."
Ryuk's tone was flat, as though he were reading a supermarket receipt.
"So there was no reason to agonize over that deal for the Shinigami