"Seiss."
"Uncle Ryo, operunk. I o load something."
"Uood."
With a press of a button, the trunk of the car slowly opened.
"Amamiya, thanks for your help."
From the rearview mirror, the driver, Uncle Ryo, caught sight of a boy walking behind the car.
Bang!
A series of four heavy thuds sounded as something substantial ced into the trunk. Even the car visibly sank uhe added weight.
Uncle Ryo had no idea what had just been loaded.
"I'll tell my dad when I get home."
"Don't worry."
"Rex, I ha."
Before Uncle Ryo could make sense of the situation, the trunk was shut.
Sonoko slid into the back seat.
"Amamiya, call me when I get home."
"Alright."
"Uncle Ryo, let's go."
The car pulled away smoothly.
As a seasoned chauffeur for the Suzuki family, Uncle Ryo knew his pce.
He didn't involve himself in the private matters of his employers.
He didn't ask unnecessary questions.
Interfering too much could bring unnecessary trouble.
Outside the car, the cityscape passed by in a blur as they made their way toward the Suzuki residence.
The ride was smooth, and before long, Sonoko began feeling drowsy.
Leaning bato the seat, she let her eyes drift shut.
---
After what felt like only a short nap, the car came to a geop.
The subtle shift in momentum stirred her awake.
"Mmm~~"
Stretg slightly, Sonoko blihe sleep from her eyes, feeling more refreshed.
She had been far too excited all afternoon.
Not to mention dealing with dating matters.
The only dowo her day was running into that idiot Kudo aing dragged into another mess.
They had nearly been ered by the remnants of the rang.
Yeah, that was a bad memory. One she would rather fet.
With a deep breath, she sat up, feeling more alert.
"Uncle Ryo, thanks for today."
"Just doing my job, Miss."
"Then could you call a few people to help move the things from the trunk?"
"Of course. I'll have some extra hands brought over, those bags looked heavy."
"Good idea."
Sonoko stepped out of the car while Uncle Ryo moved to operunk.
Inside, fe bags sat heavily in the space.
He reached out to lift one.
And immediately realized just how heavy they were.
What the…?
Just moments ago, that boy had loaded them with ease.
Realizing he couldn't move them alone, Uncle Ryo called for help.
---
"Dad! Mom! I'm home!"
Sonoko strode into the house cheerfully, as usual.
But the moment she stepped inside, she was met with an unusual sight.
Her father, mother, and even her sister all wore serious, ptive expressions.
Sonoko frowned, curiosity piqued.
"What's going on? Is there a problem with the business?"
"…"
Suzuki Tomoko, who had been deep in thought, rolled her eyes at her daughter's bluntness.
"Sonoko, could you at least have a little faith in us?"
"Seriously, twiow, you see us looking troubled and immediately assume something's wrong with the pany."
"Well, what else am I supposed to think? You all look so gloomy."
"This time, even my sister looks worried."
"Sonoko."
Her older sister, Suzuki Ayako, called her over.
Curious, Sonoko walked over and took a seat.
Without a word, Ayako handed her a photograph.
"A… frozen RV?"
The image was grainy, but Sonoko could make out peared to be an RV.
But something about it felt… off.
It looked like it had just been removed from a deep freeze.
Sonoko flipped through the other photos spread across the table.
And suddenly froze.
The location in these pictures…
Was Tropical Land.
Her eyes darted back to the frozen RV in the photograph.
Now she uood.
Among the various images, she quickly found the inal, ued version of the photo.
It hadn't been taken ihe amusement park.
Which expined why that guy and the ice queen had mao avoid being noticed.
But still…
It was impressive that her parents had found this at all.
Even from such a minor detail, they had mao pick up on something.
Sonoko couldn't help but admire their determination.
A photo like this, hidden among so many, would have been impossible to find without careful scrutiny.
No doubt, it had taken siderable manpower and resources.
But she kept those thoughts to herself.
"So, a supernatural event happe Tropical Land that day?"
"An RV was mysteriously frozen?"
"Then, Dad have you figured out who it belongs to?"
Suzuki Shiro sighed, rubbing his temples.
Despite the photo being a clear clue, the image was still too unclear.
And with the entire vehicle encased in ice, identifying the owner became even more challenging.
"No."
"The picture was taken from too far away, and the resolution is poor."
"With the ice c everything, it's even harder to determine who owns it."
That was expected.
Sonoko knew her father wouldn't have had any crete answers yet.
Still, the clusion was already being obvious.
She decided to say aloud what her father was thinking but hadn't voiced.
"There aren't many people who freeze aire RV and then ceal it from sight."
"sidering who was at Tropical Land that day… the ice queen seems like the most likely culprit, right?"
Shiro had reached the same thought.
But he still hesitated, shaking his head slightly.
"If this has to do with Sanzenin helping Shinomiya… then how did Sanzenin even know about it?"
"Sanzenin Nagi approached Shinomiya Kaguya the day."
"Which means she already knew Shinomiya Kaguya's identity beforehand."
"If Sanzenin Nagi immediately locked onto Shinomiya Kaguya, then that suggests they shared some kind of on experience."
"What a mess."
Suzuki Shiro massaged his temples again, frustrated.
"There's no clear e."
"And all we have to go on is this single blurry photo, it's not enough to prove anything about Shinomiya Kaguya."
It was a weak link.
Shiro knew his reasoning wasn't built on solid evidence.
Rather than dedug from factual clues.
He had worked backward, assuming a e based on the cooperatioween Shinomiya and Sanzenin.
But without further proof, it remained just that.
A guess.
"So basically, this is all specution, with no actual proof?"
"…"
Sonoko sighed.
"Dad, let me give you some advice."
"Don't get obsessed with this."
"Even if you do firm a e between Shinomiya and Sanzenin, what does that have to do with our family?"
"You 't just wave a photo in front of them and say, 'I know your secret, so let's talk.'"
"So, Dad, my advice?"
"Be realistic."
"Don't waste time chasing shadows."
