Whiteout (chapter)



Whiteout (ホワイトアウト, Howaitoauto) is the 1st chapter of Volume five and 35th chapter overall.

Plot
As Light is confined to his cell, L watches him from a camera. He wonders, if criminals start dying, if he should then release Light, but doesn’t rule out the possibility that this may all be part of Light’s plan.

Then, a desperate Soichiro begs L to confine him along with his son. He doesn’t trust himself to be part of the investigation when his son is the prime suspect. L agrees but tells him that he will be in different cell where he will have outside contact. After seven days, no new criminals have been killed. L wonders if Light is Kira, and he is purposely trying to curtail suspicion, he would make it so that the killings continued even when he is in confinement. Then, Light subtly tells Ryuk to “get rid of it”. Ryuk disappears, and Light suddenly wonders what he is doing in a cell. Light screams at L telling him that he was wrong for wanting to be put under confinement because he now realizes that he can’t be Kira. He tells L that something was wrong with him, and he doesn’t really understand why he thought he was Kira. Light believes that he has been framed and begs L to let him go. L tells him that he can’t do that because the killings have not stopped, and he is still under suspicion.

On the 15th day, Matsuda tells the investigation force that two week’s worth of criminals died that day. An excited Matsuda tells an overjoyed Soichiro in his cell. However, L is still convinced that Light is Kira and refuses to let Matsuda tell Light that criminals are being killed once again.

L now wonders why Light and Misa suddenly seem to have no memory of any of their previous actions.

Conception
The title of the chapter refers to Light losing his memory. Ohba thought that it was a bad title since it reveals part of the plot. However overall he added that it doesn't spoil the series completely if the title reveals only some of the plot.