Makeshift

Makeshift (姑息, Sonobashinogi) is the twentieth episode of the Death Note anime series.

Synopsis
The investigation team installs wiretaps and surveillance cameras and continue to watch the Yotsuba Group meetings, learning of Hatori's death in the process. They are disgusted by how openly they discover the methods of killing by using Kira, and how the board members, particularly Reiji Namikawa, don't seem to care about Hatori at all. Higuchi then starts complaining about Coil's lack of progress in exposing L, but Takeshi Ooi states that Coil has noticed the concentration of deaths on the weekends, so the group makes plans to balance out the deaths. They then decide to target officials at various companies. Despite the Task Force's interests to save those people, L tells them that they can only be fully sure once the people they named have been killed. Soichiro tries to call them and get them to stop, but L says that will only cause everything to cave in on itself.

Light comes up with a substitute plan. He poses as L and calls up Namikawa. Light claims to be L and reveals that there are cameras and wiretaps there. He then blackmails Namikawa, telling him to delay the deaths in exchange for the pardoning of everyone's crimes with the exception of Kira's. He then forces Namikawa to not tell anyone of the call or they will be arrested. After the call is over, Namikawa gets the group to postpone the deaths by one month on the pretext that Coil needs to expose L's identity by then. If he hasn't, the deaths can be done randomly, and the process repeats all over again. Once L is killed they can go back to the regular schedule, so this lessens the suspicion. The group agrees and ends the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Task Force hopes to use Namikawa as a mole. L congratulates Light for his work, then says that if he were to die, Light could succeed him, shocking Light. L also says that Light may be more capable than he is, and directly asks Light to succeed him as L if he were to die. Light realizes after a bit that L still suspects Light to be the first Kira, and is playing mind games with him: if Light were to say yes, he would more likely be Kira putting on an act; if not, then Light's memory probably was erased as previously thought. And if the latter case is true, then it would have been done as a plan by Kira, with the power going back to Light once his name is cleared entirely, and if Light were L, he would be able to kill as many people as possible. L confirms this. Light then says that he doesn't want the title, but L says that that proves nothing since Light just revealed "his plan". Light swivels L's chair around and asks L if he thinks he is Kira. L says he always has thought so. This nearly results in another brawl which Matsuda breaks up ordinarily. Soichiro then asks to use the footage as evidence to arrest the Yotsuba Group, but L says that that will cause Kira to kill them if he is not among those seven men, and that they are looking for Kira, not those with him. L then says that they can arrest the men if they wish on the condition that he conduct his own investigation and have nothing to do with the arrests.

L (and Light) then go to Misa Amane's room. There L approaches her up close and personal, asking her who she would choose: Light or Kira. Misa immediately chooses Light, and will support him in catching Kira. L then asks her to join the investigation. At Light's insistence, L reveals his plan: Aiber as Coil will tell the Yotsuba Group that while investigating, he discovered that Misa may be the Second Kira and that L brought her in for questioning. This will cause the group to want her even more as a lead to find L, allowing Misa to infiltrate the organization and obtain info. Misa accepts, but Light argues with both of them, thinking it's too risky and that Kira could manipulate Misa. L says that that won't happen, and if he dies, so will Light. Thinking L only has Misa's love for Light in mind, Misa promptly takes back anything negative she said about L, even kissing him on the cheek. L then reveals that Light is on another investigation, but Misa is undeterred. Soichiro Yagami, meanwhile, is worried that even if they do gather information on the group it will be difficult to capture all the members at the same time.

Rules Learned

 * How to Use: XV #2: If written the same name on more than two Death Notes is completed within a 0.06-second difference, it is regarded as simultaneous; the Death Note will not take effect and the individual written will not die.
 * How to Use XVI #1: The God of Death must at least own one Death Note. That Death Note must never be lent to or written on by a human.

Episode Guide
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