The special case team's lunch was exceptionally lavish; each person had four dishes and a soup, half meat and half vegetarian.

Aozawa watched from the side, noting that aside from Morimoto Chiyoda, the team had gained three new members.

There was an unkempt man whose hair and beard were in complete disarray. Then there was a clean-cut young man, sporting a buzz cut that gave him a sunny disposition; his robust physique suggested proficiency in hand-to-hand combat. He ate his food in large mouthfuls, as if afraid someone would snatch it away from him.

Additionally, there was a beautiful woman with long, straight black hair dressed in a white lab coat. Her pale complexion had a slightly sickly air. Instead of sitting with the others, she had set up a small table in the corner. Perched on a stool, she leisurely ate her meal with an air of isolated elegance.

It was clear that this beauty in the white coat didn't communicate well with the other team members.

Aozawa observed the scene. It felt different from watching someone's life through Catalyst Induction.

Schrödinger's Cat provided a strong sense of immersion, lacking the emptiness of watching a movie.

After all, he was directly in the room observing Morimoto Chiyoda and the others chatting, like a silent eighth person who said nothing.

This perspective was quite interesting.

Aozawa chose to float, ghostlike, dancing in the air. He positioned himself upside down in front of Morimoto Chiyoda, staring closely at her face.

Her eyes, black as gems, showed no sign of noticing the floating, upside-down Aozawa before them.

Morimoto Chiyoda picked up a piece of meat and said, "After lunch, I need to sleep a bit to give my brain a rest."

Emily nodded. "No problem. I feel like most of those people in Tokyo are swindlers. You sleep for an hour, then come take over for me. Keep questioning them until five this afternoon, then you can head off."

Okayama Buji, surprised, asked, "Then what do we do if Dio commits a crime tonight?"

"When the time comes, the four of us—Otome, you, Katerina, and I—will handle it."

Emily distastefully picked out the white radish strips and continued, "Morimoto, Iwaki, and Kitanotake, you three can rest. We have enough manpower now; there's no need for everyone to be so tired."

"Emily, you really are my favorite." Morimoto Chiyoda put down her bento box and hugged Emily from the side, the soft feel of her ample flesh pressing directly against Emily's cheek.

Emily's lips twitched; she disliked such intimate gestures. "Morimoto, I recall you saying behind my back that I'm a cold and heartless boss."

She saw through Morimoto's fib and continued to painstakingly pick all the white radish strips out of her bento with her chopsticks.

She'd said it before: stir-fried pork with white radish strips should not contain white radish strips, but the chef just wouldn't listen.

Although this way of ordering was a bit preposterous, Emily just liked the taste of the meat in stir-fried pork with white radish strips; she disliked eating the radish strips themselves.

"In my heart, you've always been a very considerate boss," Morimoto Chiyoda said, blinking innocently, then glanced over at Okayama Buji opposite her. She offered a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

She had only complained about Emily being short and petty to Okayama Buji; she hadn't expected this thick-browed, big-eyed guy to snitch to their boss.

Okayama Buji awkwardly lowered his head, pretending to eat. He hadn't wanted to betray Morimoto Chiyoda either, but Emily wasn't easy to fool.

"Just don't slack off this afternoon. Show some serious attitude, and that'll be enough," Emily said, not dwelling on Morimoto Chiyoda's two-facedness. She adopted a leader's tone. "Dio isn't easy to catch. We need the patience for a prolonged battle—don't lose heart! As long as we persevere, we will definitely catch Dio!"

This pep talk was almost enough to sate Morimoto Chiyoda. She released her grip and said, "The current question is, is Dio the only Superpower User in Japan? Or does he have accomplices?"

Emily frowned slightly. "Initially, I thought the pink-haired man from the World True Love and Peace Church was Dio in disguise, but now it seems it might be someone else. It's just that person's killing methods are too similar to Dio's. Could it be that finding an enemy's vital points is a basic ability for Superpower Users?"

Okayama Buji swallowed his food and voiced his doubts. "Does a Superpower User have only one Superpower? Various TV shows and movies depict them having one, but is it really just one in reality? If Dio has multiple Superpowers, won't it be even harder for us to catch him?"

When the discussion turned to the case, Iwaki Kususuke stopped shoveling down his rice and voiced his confusion. "If there truly is a gang of Superpower Users, why haven't they surfaced before? Or have they only become more aggressive since Dio joined?"

There was no answer.

Actually, the more they discussed Dio, the more mysteries and questions seemed to arise.

Emily's frown deepened, and even the rice in her bento seemed less fragrant.

Question after question surfaced in her mind, impossible to ignore, impossible to answer.

Were Superpowers a recent awakening? Or had they existed before? If they had existed before, why did Dio only start committing crimes this year?

Her eyebrows were knitted so tightly they almost formed a sharp V.

Morimoto Chiyoda lightly tapped Emily's brow with her finger, smiling. "Alright now, if you keep frowning, you'll turn into a little old lady. Let's not talk about work while we're eating. Let's just enjoy the food."

"Yeah." Emily relaxed her eyebrows and began to eat.

Watching the special case team's daily routine, Aozawa felt a strange sensation, as if he were in a detective TV show.

Except, the main villain the characters were discussing was him.

Aozawa felt a mix of emotions. He didn't stay any longer, disappearing from the room with a single thought.

He wanted to see what other people were doing. There was something fascinating about secretly observing familiar people and what they did when he wasn't looking. Truth be told, it was quite interesting.

The next person he decided to check on was Ayatsuki Ayaka.

「...」

The midday sun was scorching, as if summer had arrived early. This made the shaded areas of the school particularly sought after.

The tall osmanthus tree cast its shadow on the ground, covering a bench meant for resting.

Ayatsuki Ayaka tilted her head back against the bench, her eyes fixed on the azure sky as she sighed, "So boring. Why do we still have classes this afternoon?"

Takahashi Saeko examined herself in her shell-shaped compact mirror, ensuring her makeup was flawless. Snapping it shut, she glanced sideways at Ayaka. "Heh. So, ever since you met Aozawa, spending time with us has become particularly boring for you?"

Hearing this, Ayatsuki Ayaka reached out, wrapped an arm around Takahashi Saeko's fair neck, and playfully poked her cheek with an index finger. She smiled and said, "Saeko, listen to yourself! How could I ever get tired of you guys? You're my best friends. Aozawa? He's just a backup plan."

Aozawa hovered behind the bench, his smile gradually fading.

It seemed eavesdropping wasn't always a good thing.

He knew Iroha had a sharp tongue, but he didn't expect her to be this harsh behind his back.

Calling him a backup plan...

Tama Chan said leisurely, "You bring Aozawa vegetable juice every morning. From where I'm standing, it doesn't look like he's your backup plan. If anything, you look like his."

"Iroha, when are you finally going to snag Aozawa?" Miyahara Kaoru, genuinely curious, tucked her golden side-swept bangs behind her ears, revealing a row of sparkling silver earrings.

Ayatsuki Ayaka was a bit flustered by her two friends' sudden interrogation, but she feigned composure and declared confidently, "I've told you. Aozawa is already completely smitten with me. He begs me every day to bring him vegetable juice. You know, he acts like he can't live without me."

When did I become the male lead in a sappy romance drama?

Aozawa watched Ayatsuki Ayaka lie without batting an eye. He really wanted to reach out, pinch her tanned cheeks, and then vigorously rub her mouth to see if she could still be so defiant.

"That being said, isn't your progress a bit slow? You still haven't even had a proper kiss. The closest you got was nearly touching lips when you shared an egg tart at the Maid Cafe. Iroha, when did you become so innocent?" Tama Chan tilted her head, her tea-brown wavy hair sliding off her shoulder.

In her eyes, if it took more than an hour to win someone over in a romance, it was already too slow.

Considering Iroha's personality, Tama Chan had given her plenty of time. But lately, she'd realized Ayatsuki Ayaka was the type who wouldn't make a move unless pushed. Being too easily satisfied wasn't a good thing either. Iroha needed some external pressure to choose to move forward instead of staying put. Her lack of ambition was infuriating; just bringing Aozawa vegetable juice and chatting for a bit in the morning was enough to make her happy for half the day. It was so pathetic that Tama Chan couldn't bear to watch.

Moreover, Tama Chan wasn't very fond of Aozawa herself; she always felt he was the type to make Iroha sad. Rather than dragging it out and getting hurt more deeply, it would be better to end this budding romance sooner. Whether it worked out or not, it was time for a decisive outcome. If this continued to drag on, Tama Chan felt Iroha could delay things until graduation.

Ayatsuki Ayaka felt a flutter of panic.

Upon reflection, considering the 'Ocean Empress' persona she'd crafted, this slow progress over several weeks—not even a kiss—did seem a bit sluggish.

"Um... how should I put this? I haven't really thought it through. Besides, you know what they say, a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its own burrow," Ayatsuki Ayaka said, finding an excuse and quickly twirling the colorful tips of her hair with her finger. "Think about it. With my personality, I'd probably get bored after a few days. Then what? We're classmates. Wouldn't it be awkward if I dumped Aozawa then?"

A trace of helplessness flickered in Tama Chan's eyes. This girl had definitely chickened out. She said, "Iroha, you're really something else, you know? Adorable."

"Maru, you're not so bad yourself," Ayatsuki Ayaka responded cheerfully.

The smile on Tama Chan's face suddenly vanished as she stated expressionlessly, "Do you think I was complimenting you?"

GULP. Ayatsuki Ayaka nervously swallowed. She sensed that Maru, with this kind of aura, was quite intimidating.

"I *am* praising you." Tama Chan couldn't maintain her stern expression and broke into a smile. She really didn't know what to do with Iroha.

"Maru, you're so mean! Take my Dragon Paw!" Ayatsuki Ayaka ignored Takahashi Saeko, who was between them, and lunged with both hands straight for Tama Chan.

Miyahara Kaoru's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Sneak attack!"

"Defense!" Takahashi Saeko grabbed Miyahara Kaoru's hands, trying to prevent her from reaching Ayatsuki Ayaka's 'fortress.'

"Haha." Miyahara Kaoru laughed heartily. Internally, she was cursing, but she continued to struggle, trying to break through Takahashi's defense.

Aozawa watched this unfold. He couldn't help but sigh; this was the essence of girlhood.