Yotsuba (chapter)

"It's a fact that a Yotsuba employee was Kira. There's nothing we can do about that."

- Shingo Mido

Yotsuba (四葉, Yotsuba) is the fiftieth chapter of the Death Note manga series.

Plot
Three members of the Yotsuba Group, Reiji Namikawa, Shingo Mido, and Suguru Shimura, meet at Mido's house for a private conversation. They want to be free of the intimidation of Kira but are concerned with suffering the same fate as Arayoshi Hatori, who was killed after voicing the same desire. Comparing notes on each other and their colleagues, they conclude that Kyosuke Higuchi is most likely Kira.

Namikawa receives a call from Light Yagami posing as L. Confirming their suspicions of Higuchi, Namikawa agrees with their request to call him and take no further action. His colleagues are concerned that they might face prison for their complicity, but Namikawa assures them that L believes that they were coerced into joining the group and will be spared any charges.

At home, Higuchi receives a call from Namikawa telling him to turn on Sakura TV. Two men, hidden by tinted glass panels, are discussing the Kira affair and the guest reveals that he has evidence that will expose Kira's real identity. One of the tinted glass panels falls over and the guest is revealed to be Taro Matsui, who once overheard a meeting between the eight members.



Namikawa explains to Higuchi that Matsui faked his own death and then began investigating Yotsuba. Higuchi had taken the precaution of writing his name in the Death Note and realizes that the name is a fake.

With a deadline of two hours until Matsui reveals Kira's identity, Higuchi is desperate to kill him. He cannot contact Misa, and Mido, whose father is a member of the Japanese parliament, dismisses Sakura TV as sensationalism that no one can take seriously. Misa's current manager Moji denies knowing Matsui's real name, and the head of Yoshida Productions claims to be on holiday but tells Higuchi where he can find Matsui's personnel file. Higuchi takes a gun and the notebook and sets off in his car, unaware that Wedy is following him on a motorbike and Misa, Light, and L are watching from Task Force headquarters.

Plot Points

 * Higuchi calls Mido during a TV commercial advertisement for lipstick being modeled by Misa and naming her, indicating her career is on the rise.
 * When Higuchi calls Mogi and the head of Yoshida Productions, his calls are intercepted by Watari. The head of Yoshida Productions is never seen in the manga and it could be assumed that Higuchi is talking to Watari himself, who has been communicating with the Task Force via computer since chapter 33, "Removal."

Conception
Tsugumi Ohba said the chapter's title, "Yotsuba," simply refers to Namikawa's explanation about how the Yotsuba company should behave because of its being a large company.

Chapter Guide
Yotsuba (luku)