The twelfth hour after the ceasefire took effect.
Kannazuki was eating lunch in the cafeteria.
The cafeteria television hung in a corner. It usually showed campus news and weather forecasts, but today it had been switched to CCTV's international channel.
The anchor was reporting, "According to multiple foreign media outlets, both sides in the conflict officially implemented a ceasefire across the entire front early this morning. So far, there have been no new reports of shelling from the front lines.
"Meanwhile, the emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council remains in recess.
"The parties have yet to reach any consensus regarding the 'recent anomalous deaths'..."
The cafeteria was quieter than usual.
Not because there were fewer people-there were more than usual. Many held their bowls without touching their chopsticks, staring at their phones.
Two male students sat diagonally across from Kannazuki, one wearing glasses, the other a plaid shirt.
The one in plaid turned his phone sideways. A video was playing on the screen.
The student with glasses leaned over to watch for a few seconds, keeping his voice low. "Holy shit, this Kozlov guy was still reciting ledger numbers while they dragged him away..."
"Did you see the live comments?
"The whole screen's full of 'Long live Kira.'"
"Watch what you say."
The student with glasses glanced around. "What if Kira's real?"
"If Kira's real, isn't that a good thing? Look, there's a ceasefire."
"A good thing? Aren't you scared?"
"I haven't done anything wrong. What the fuck would I be scared of?"
On the G7's public schedule, the emergency summit originally slated for December 23 in a certain country's capital had changed its status to "postponed."
Not canceled. Postponed.
But in diplomatic language, "postponed" meant "it's not happening, but I don't want to say so outright."
He