Misunderstanding

"Now show me how you kill."

- L

Misunderstanding (誤認, Gonin) is the fifty-first chapter of the Death Note manga series.

Plot
Higuchi races through the streets unaware that cameras and bugs have been hidden in his car and that images are being sent to the main computer screen at the Kira Task Force HQ where Light, L and Misa are watching him.

Higuchi has a small television in his car on which he can follow "Matsui's" interview at Sakura TV. "Matsui" explains how he discovered that Kira requires two things in order to kill people and, in "Matsui's" case, he is missing one of those elements.

Higuchi knows that the missing element is "Matsui's" real name and wonders if he took the precaution of destroying all his records including his CV at Yoshida Productions. He asks Rem what she thinks. At HQ, Light and L, who cannot see Rem, wonder who he addressing.

Higuchi is having second thoughts. It was all too easy to get the head of Yoshida to allow him access to the empty office, though if anything is stolen they will know it was him. On the other hand, he might just end up with another false name.

Rem guesses that Light and Misa want Higuchi to go to the office and encourages him to proceed before his name is revealed on national TV in an hour's time. Higuchi decides that she is right, but then he will have to kill the head of Yoshida, Misa and her manager.

At HQ, Misa panics but L tells her not to worry since Higuchi's priority right now is killing "Matsui". Rem, meanwhile, advices Higuchi not to kill the others since there will be phone records which will be traced back to him. Higuchi replies that he will manipulate them into deleting their phone histories first, though the phone companies will still have the records.

At HQ, Light is bewildered by Higuchi's strange conversation. He appears to be actually talking to someone called "Rem" and not just to himself. L suggests that it might be a Shinigami. Misa discreetly gulps.

Back in the car, Rem suggests that Higuchi give up ownership of the Death Note and return it to her. This will also cause him to lose all memory of Rem, the Death Note and how he used it. However, "Matsui" is due to produce evidence which could include how Yotsuba profited from the Kira killings. Even if he himself is not named as Kira, Higuchi's career and hopes for wealth and social advancement will be over. He resolves to continue.

He arrives at the Yoshida Productions offices and lets himself in using the entry code the head of the company gave him. He makes his way to the desk where he was told the CVs were kept and finds "Matsui's". His every movement is picked up by cameras hidden in the office. At HQ, Light and L watch the screens with bated breath: finally, they are going to find out how Kira commits murder!

Outside the office door, hidden behind a corner, Mogi and Aiber await L's signal to seize and arrest Higuchi!

The CV gives "Matsui's" real name as "Taichiro Yamashita". Higuchi takes a notebook from his bag and notes the name down. Then he puts everything back in its place and leaves. Light and L are surprised by these simple acts, none of which indicate how he kills from a distance.

Seeing him emerge from the office, Mogi asks L for clearance to seize Higuchi but L replies that they have not yet seen the killing method so they will wait and see if he does anything in the car.

Higuchi returns to his car and watches the program on the TV. He waits forty seconds but nothing happens! "Matsui" is still alive and well and continuing his interview! Higuchi openly vents his frustration, which surprises L and Light since this must mean that the killing method was used at some stage in the past minute. Light suggests that Kira kills through mental abilities after all, but L discounts this since "Matsui" is still alive.

L hesitates: Without knowing how Kira commits murder, how can they get a confession out of Higuchi? Higuchi tries calling Misa again on her cell phone, but gets no answer since she has it turned off.

It's 50 minutes before Kira's real identity will finally be revealed on Sakura TV. Higuchi considers another option. "Matsui" once broke into Yotsuba's main building: If he was picked up by the security cameras then Higuchi could watch the tape and then get his name—if he has the Shinigami Eyes!

Obtaining them means giving up half his remaining lifespan, but if his name is made public then his life will effectively end anyway. Turning to Rem, Higuchi announces that he will make the trade.

A sudden change overcomes Higuchi and he sets off with great excitement. Wedy, who has been tailing his car on her motorbike, goes after him, as do Mogi and Aiber in their own car.

Carried away, Higuchi exceeds the speed limit and a traffic policeman on a motorbike gives chase and orders him to pull over. Approaching the parked car, the officer demands to see his driver's license. With his Shinigami Eyes, Higuchi can see the officer's name: Yukito Shiraba. He opens his bag, pretending to be searching for his license, but instead writes the name on the Death Note, with "accident" as the cause of death. He then speeds off again.

Officer Shiraba sets off in pursuit but then collides with a lorry! Witnessing the horrible crash, Mogi informs L at HQ. From the cameras in Higuchi's car, L knows that he reached for something in his bag before racing off. But then how did he get the name of the officer, and if he could then why is "Matsui" still alive?

Through the radio, L then addresses all the members of the Kira Task Force! Although they still do not know how Higuchi can kill from a distance, they will have to assume that he has enough evidence on him to justify his immediate capture! But they must now assume that he has acquired the power of the Second Kira: The ability to kill by just looking at a person's face!

Conception
Tsugumi Ohba said the chapter's title "Misunderstanding" refers to when Light and L see Higuchi write a name in a notebook and don't realize that it is, in fact, the method of killing people.

Chapter Guide
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