"Ha~"

  At 8 o'clo the m, Isumi finally woke up, yawning softly.

  The events of the previous day had taken a toll ohough she was an exorcist, at the end of the day, she was still a 13-year-old girl. Apart from her spiritual abilities, her stamina was no different from any ordinary teenager.

  As she made her way to the hall, she was greeted by an unusual sight, Nagi sitting there with a red sp mark on her cheek. Nagi's eyes were slightly puffy, as though she had been g.

  This ued se left Saginomiya Isumi utterly baffled. She couldn't help but ask with , "Nagi, what happeo you?"

  "N-Nothing, hiss… It's nothing," Nagi stammered, waving her hand dismissively. "I was just… too excited when I woke up and actally bumped into something."

  But even as she spoke, she winced in pain, her sharp intake of breath betraying her disfort.

  "It doesn't look like 'nothing.' Holy, it looks more like you got spped," Isumi remarked, narrowing her eyes.

  The idea that someone had spped Nagi seemed absurd. It couldn't have been Maria, could it? No, that was impossible.

  Isumi ultimately decided to take Nagi at her word. "Alright Nagi, but you should really be more careful. Even if you're excited about your new powers, you shouldn't be so reckless when you wake up."

  "I-I know… It was just a oime thing," Nagi replied, clearly embarrassed.

  As she tried to brush the topic aside, Maria ehe room, pushing a cart den with breakfast items.

  "Good m, Miss Isumi," Maria greeted warmly. "I made milk tea this m. Would you like a cup?"

  "Thank you, Miss Maria," Isumi replied, gratefully accepting the offered tea.

  The rich, creamy taste of the milk tea paired perfectly with the subtle bitterness of the bck tea, helping Isumi shake off the lingering grogginess of sleep.

  After a few sips, Isumi turned back to Nagi, her expression serious. "Nagi, didn't you have the bodyguards look into who else might have had a stroioerday?"

  "Of course!" Nagi's mood shifted instantly. Her usual excitemeurhough she still winced occasionally from the pain on her cheek.

  "The bodyguards reported that only two families ehe amusement park yesterday: the Suzuki family and the Shinomiya family."

  "The Suzuki and Shinomiya families?" Isumi echoed.

  "But the Suzuki family be ruled out," Nagi added fidently.

  "Why is that?"

  "The sed daughter of the Suzuki family went to the amusement park to apany a friend. She was worried about her friend's date with Kudo Shinichi."

  "Ah, I see," Isumi said, nodding in uanding.

  Yesterday, she had seen a photo of Shinichi—though, at the time, he had already been transformed into a child. Now, she had only one question.

  "How did someone on a date end up gettien up by members of some shady anization and drugged?"

  It rofound mystery, to say the least.

  "If he was on a date, shouldn't his focus have been on the girl?" Isumi asked, genuinely perplexed.

  "Exactly," Nagi agreed. "It's no wonder Miss Suzuki was worried. Shinichi is the type to attract trouble."

  Nagi flipped through the report. "Acc to the bodyguards, the Suzuki family's car eve her friend home after the i."

  "He left his date behind to chase after danger…" Isumi sighed. "He's not a bad person, but he clearly cks sideration for those around him."

  Shinichi's as were brave, perhaps even admirable, but they came at the cost of ing the people closest to him.

  "If he k was dangerous, he should have called the polistead of charging in by himself," Isumi said with a frown. "The police were already on the se because of the roller coaster murder case. Why didn't he think to involve them?"

  After venting her frustration, Isumi returo the matter at hand.

  "So, if it's not the Suzuki family, it must be the Shinomiya family?"

  "Exactly," Nagi firmed.

  At this point, Maria produced a series of photographs. The images showed a motorhome with a frozeerior.

  Isumi studied the photos carefully.

  "The photos were taken after noon, around the same time as Nagi's lottery," Maria expined.

  "It seems Miss Shinomiya obtained special powers as well," Isumi cluded. "But unlike Nagi, her powers are even more untrolble, she froze the entire car."

  The timestamp on the photos provided undeniable proof. It was almost certain that Shinomiya Kaguya, the daughter of the Shinomiya family, had gairaordinary abilities.

  "So, what are you pnning to do, Nagi?" Isumi asked cautiously.

  "Hehe~ Of course, I'm going to talk to her," Nagi replied with a mischievous grin.

  "Yoing to reveal your hand?" Isumi tilted her head in fusion.

  "Is that really a good idea?"

  "It's fine," Nagi said fidently, puffing out her chest. "We're not the right people to gather intelligence ourselves, but there's no harm iing someone else to do it."

  Isumi frowned. "Miss Shinomiya attends Shu Academy. Even if you speak to her, it's unlikely she'll transfer schools. And even if she agrees, the Shinomiya family won't."

  "Hehe~ I know that, of course," Nagi replied, unfazed.

  She had already asked Maria to iigate the internal dynamics of the Shinomiya family. Armed with this knowledge, she was fident in her approach.

  "That's why I o meet Miss Shinomiya face-to-face."