That was a surprise, and the emotion briefly registered on Mello's face before reverting to mild and controlled interest. He met Matsuda's eyes, narrowing his own as he judged both Matsuda's honesty and his competence. Everything seemed in line with what he already knew about the man.

Although Mello doubted that Matt was paying attention to anything other than what was under Sen's uniform, he'd caught sight of Near and knew that nothing escaped the younger one's grasp. Most likely, Near had had more experience observing Matsuda on the outside world, so it was possible that subtleties of the man's behavior were being lost on Mello. Then again, Mello knew far more about L's current condition than his rival, so even if Near gained something from this, Mello stood to gain more. The conversation would be continued, then, though Mello intended to keep it carefully controlled. Once he'd collected the information he needed, there was a chance he might be able to manipulate Matsuda into leaving a misleading trail for Near.

"Has his roommate or anyone else confirmed that he's missing?"