The situation the National Police Agency had to confront by the series of power outages which fell across Japan was mind boggling. Communication lines and networks became unavailable to the general public, forcing people to stay caved in their homes without any alternative to access such as electricity to power cellphones and communicate with police or authority figures in case of a home invasion or robbery of any kind. Crime were certainly to take place with the dilemma put upon Japan as every subway and train station available was flocked towards by the hopeless. Transportation networks rooted into the infrastructure of Japan became unavailable and immensely difficult to access. 

It was difficult to understand why such unprecedented power outages were happening across Japan. The reason failed to stick out to Near; nor did it make sense in the localization of Japan as far as the detective knew. Assuming a passive role in the flow of the current events as an observer, Near tried to find correlation between the power outage in Japan and the outflow between the death of Touta Matsuda. As he contemplated the situation thoroughly, Anthony Rester interjected.

Anthony Rester: "I don't mean to interrupt any important thought you might be having, Near, but I believe now would be a good time to interfere or try to troubleshoot the problem going on with Japan's power grid."

Near: "...No. Not yet. We don't know what's going on just yet. I have the benefit of being able to see what's going on outside, but we don't know what we're getting ourselves into. No, let me make a correction. I don't know what I'm getting myself into."

Near uncomfortably shook in his crouched position. His eyes concentrated, peeling off specific subcomponents of importance, trying to get a proper grasp on what could've caused the sudden power outage in Japan. 

Fortunately for the SPK, operations concerning any investigating were remote and distant, mostly taking place in Los Angeles, where the Special Provision for Kira was located. High graphic computer equipment and optics that most governments would die to get their hands on or at least keep shelved away in research stations remote from humanity were the objects of Near's attention as he postulated on what could've caused power to go out around Japan. 

Near directed his attention to electric power industries and the industry in particular in Japan. His next words were quaint, sharp, and quick enough to be processed as he gave a curt nod to register his own signal of thought.

Near: "...This power outage is not natural."

Halle Lidner: "Not natural?"

Stephen Geovanni: "I think he means to say that it's not a conventional power outage."

Near: "It's not a conventional power outage, yes. I've been reviewing the data associated with the power outage with the information on these screens. It appears it's originating from several unattended to reports at power stations, but it's none of my concern. I'm not bothering with this case until something about it piques my interest."

Near adamantly stated, going back to stacking blocks up against one another, deliberately sidelining the case once again. Anthony Rester, Stephen, and Halle stared at Near from behind for a moment. His behavior as far as refusing cases was strange. When there seemed to be something to interest the detective, he made exclusive, off-the-notch comments about it, but did not bother to investigate cases.

In Japan's current state, however, Near could essentially see a prison. A prison where countless men, women, and children were entrapped.

And that was all it was, perhaps.

For the time being, anyways. A prison led by someone ― or a fixture of a group of people claiming to be more superior than a group of people in their delirium and false notion of superiority, moderating and micromanaging the moves of citizens through the power of what Near could only assume to be an object of divine power. An object such as ― say, the Death Note, the same notebook capable of exonerating several human lives of the burden of living; the burden of exerting a breath and the burden of inhaling and exhaling. The burden of existing any further to see how far Kira's influence wove strings of division through not only the economy of Japan, but the world as Kira's influence seemed to be growing to the point where it was affecting geopolitics through Near's lens of observation.

Near identified some responsibility and accountability in allowing the previous presumed holder following his solution to the C-Kira case get away with inflating Japan's economy to the point where dollars astronomically lost value with the lack of initiative; the lack of will and resistance to calculate and precisely surmise the moves of the enemy. 

Staring at the structure constructed through his creativity and handiwork, he correctly identified he was doing the same thing once again; passive, putting up little resistance, not feeling obligated or even challenged enough to want to investigate the case matter though it piqued his interest. 

https://youtu.be/WJW_ldC7sUA

Near: "If it's my passiveness so far that's turning you all away as a force, then please do understand that this isn't in my power at the moment. This is an issue which transcends me. It's a prisoner's dilemma."

Halle Lidner: "...A what?"

Near: "Prisoner's dilemma. A standard example of a game-based scenario analyzed in game theory. Two completely rational individuals might not cooperate even if it appears that it is in their best interests to do so. That happens to be the case with the Japanese Task Force and the Special Provision for Kira, which would be us."

Stephen Geovanni: "I fail to see how that relates to the current issue. It's been quite a long while since we've ever communicated with the Japanese Task Force from the Kira investigation, right?"

Near: "...Exactly. Right now, it would be in our best interests to do so. However, the prisoner's dilemma as I said describes a circumstance where two individuals acting in self-interest or the production of the best optimal outcome do not cooperate. A good example would be the political parties in the United States of America."

Stephen Geovanni: "...Hm. So, you're saying the Japanese Task Force and the Special Provision for Kira cannot work together because the result would instead be suboptimal instead of optimal?"

Near: "Yes. The National Police Agency has become crooked, bent, and unreliable in some areas as I suspect. Besides, a special new group related to Kira has taken the streets. With the note possibly distributed in so many locations, though, starting an investigation on this new 'Kira' figure that has risen of late would be insurmountably difficult. Teaming up with the remains of the former Japanese Task Force that accompanied as the original investigators of the Kira case would also be deadly as well. I'm led to believe that seeing the way that Touta Matsuda, a former constituent of that team, just died."

Near: "...Live. On TV. As soon as he wandered into headquarters, they likely taped it and likely had someone on standby with the ability to rattle and kill people with heart attacks like the original Kira. I can make that conclusion because all original members of the Japanese Task Force that we formerly worked with six or seven years ago if my approximations are correct changed their names."

Near said, proceeding to tab over to a page on one of the displays inside of the quarter room. Files and files of fake names and identities for the members of the Japanese Task Force remaining as former investigators and detectives of the past case investigating the original Kira were discovered.

Near: "This is a highly politicized and conflicting case. I believe I am 100% justified keeping my foot out of it."

Halle Lidner: "So, what will you do then?"

Near: "I'll watch. Then strike when and if the perfect opportunity presents itself. A lot can happen in times like these. I'm sure there's something happening that we don't quite understand yet. But as we watch the situation from afar, we'll be able to develop a picture-perfect understanding and assessment of how this dilemma works out for our involved parties."

Near: "Right now, Japan is like a prison. It has multiple groups and factions itching to work together with the possibility of producing either suboptimal and optimal results. In fact, Japan is a prisoner of itself. It is a victim of the prisoner's dilemma in of itself. I'm not going to partake in a prison and end up getting trapped. I'll put it lightly like that."

The rest of the SPK nodded. Near fell into silence, resuming to look at live feed and footage while Japan went through a power outage.