-I’ve got it, Kotori, Miku”

““............!?””

When Shidou said that quietly, Kotori and Miku gasped--------Natsumi twitched the side of her eyebrows.

“Yo-you’ve got it.........you mean who Natsumi is disguised as?”

“I-is it true, Darling”

“Aah. It’s thanks to everyone. If it was me alone.......I will definitely not have found it”

“........Who on earth is it?”

Kotori made a doubtful face and asked. Shidou took a deep breath before continuing.

“We made a mistake in the first condition. Natsumi did not move herself to the safety zone quickly. In the first place........she was already in the safety zone”

“........what do you mean?”

“I was convinced from Natsumi’s reply just now. Natsumi---------not once has she said there were 12 suspects at all”

“Eh........?”

Miku opened her eyes wide and started counting the lined up photos. But of course, there were only 12 photos lined up there.

Shidou slowly swung his head.

“Yes. There are only 12 photos. But, the one who defined the number of suspects were us, not Natsumi. The real suspects were 13 people-------no, more specifically,?there were 12 people and 1 existence......!”

“..........!”

Kotori made a surprised face from Shidou’s words.

She then looked towards a certain photo.

“Impossible, there is no way.........but, it’s true that if that was the case then------“

“Darling, there is no time left, there are 30 seconds left!”

Miku raised a shrill voice. After Shidou took a deep breath, he slowly raised his right hand and-----------*pin* erected his index finger and directed it to <Haniel>.

And then,

“You are-----Natsumi”

He pointed his fingers at <Haniel> and continued.

“Am I right,?Yoshinon........!”

After saying that, Natsumi being shown by <Haniel> made a serious face different from the fearless smile until now and stared back at Shidou.

“.........Yoshinon, huh. Is it the puppet Yoshino-chan wears”

“Aah, that’s right. You were disguised as Yoshinon, these past few days”

“.............Can I hear the reason?”

Natsumi stroke her chin with hand while asking. Shidou stared at her emerald eyes while resuming his words.

“--------It was thanks to Origami and Miku I could notice that. The possibility of Natsumi disguising as something else other than humans......and, the fact of objects being worn on the suspects will disappear along with the suspect. When I combined both of it and think, the only thing I could think about was Yoshinon”

“............”

Natsumi was expressionless while folding her arms. Shidou did not mind that and continued.

“And, I noticed that possibility.........I recalled back something strange”

“Something strange?”

Kotori asked. Shidou did not avert his sights away from Natsumi and made a small nod.

“Aah. The first day of the investigation, when Yoshino and Yoshinon were dressed up and came to our house-----------I was surprised from Yoshinon appearing from the gap of the door at first and accidentally threw my cellphone at it”

“Now that I think about it............I think I've seen that video before”

“But, Yoshinon dodged it perfectly. It was as if, it saw the cellphone flying towards it.-------Yoshino’s eyes were clearly at the opposite side of the door”

“Ah......!”

Kotori opened her eyes wide.

Yes. It was forgetful since he always talks to it normally but, that is a personality that will only appear through the puppet, when Yoshino wears the puppet [Yoshinon] on her left hand. All of its senses should be dependent on Yoshino.

Thinking normally----------it should not be able to evade.

“Also.........there is one more. When I threw a conversation about an event before to confirm, Yoshinon said that it was in Origami’s house. It’s true that, when Yoshino lost Yoshinon, I found Yoshinon inside Origami’s room. But------------ there was no way it could know. Yoshinon is just a puppet, when it is separated from Yoshino”

Yes. There is no way Yoshinon would know. Something likes the place where it was being kept.

But, Natsumi knew about it. Maybe she traced back the memories when she was transformed as Shidou............or maybe, during the time she was trying to make an assessment on who she was going to transform as, she might have found out about Yoshinon from Origami’s memories but, she was holding an information that Yoshinon should have not known.

“You accidentally let out your voice. Your movements and voice, you should have left it all to Yoshino........! Maybe you were trying to clear the suspicions away from complementing the information, or maybe you planned to give hints feigning in composure, I don’t know about that but, for just one word, you accidentally let out your words.........!”

After saying that, he pointed at <Haniel> once more.

“Well, how about that, Natsumi! Are you disguised as Yoshinon or not!?”

“........That’s--------“

Being shown on <Haniel>, Natsumi stumbled on her words and had sweat flowing down her cheeks.

---in an instant.

Being pointed by Shidou, <Haniel> started wriggling.

Next off, the same time with the shaking immediately intensifying, there were cracks starting to appear on <Haniel>’s mirror tip part. And, the mirror released a strong radiance different from the pale light released until now.

The light that looks like several giant search lights collected together, was filling the room. Shidou covered his face in reflex.

“Kuh-------“

“Wha-what is this........!”

“Kyaaa!”

The radiance calmed down after a while and his slightly burned out eyes have finally gotten used to the brightness.

At that moment, Shidou noticed. Inside the room, there were several people who were not there a moment ago, lying on the floor.

Yes. All of them---------were his comrades erased by <Haniel>.

“! Everyone!”

After Shidou shouted, a few number of them pressed their heads while slowly raising their body.

“Wh-where.....is this.........”

“! Did I........come back?”

“.............uh”

Tohka, Kaguya, and Origami, each of them blinked their eyes in order. In the next moment, maybe Kaguya understood the situation; she looked around and ran towards Yuzuru who was senseless.

“Yuzuru! Yuzuru!”

Kaguya shook Yuzuru’s body. And after an instant, Yuzuru made a small cough.

“Hazy. Kagu........ya. You sure are noisy........as usual”

“! Yuzuru.......!”

Kaguya’s face was mushy from tears while, hugging Yuzuru. Yuzuru was surprised for a while but, she immediately hugged Kaguya back gently.

Tama-chan-sensei, Tonomachi, Ai Mai Mii were still out cold. Judging from Tohka, Yuzuru and the rest waking up, rather than the sequence they were captured by <Haniel>, it might simply be because of the difference in Reiryoku resistance.

“Thank god.......everyone.....is safe........”

After Shidou made a big sigh, he collapsed to the ground weakly.

Although he designated the criminal impressively, honestly speaking, his heart was beating violently until it was as if it was going to explode.

“Shidou!”

Tohka ran towards Shidou.

“Wha-what happened? Where is this place?”

“.............ou”

However, because the thread of nervousness has snapped, Shidou does not have the spare energy left to replay Tohka’s question in detail. He made a powerless smile and pats her head.

“Nu.........., what’s wrong Shidou..........mu---......”

Tohka’s face was suspicious at first but, not long later, she started ringing her throat comfortably.

It somehow turned fun so, Shidou’s mouth relaxed.

But------at that moment.

On the side of Shidou’s view, he discovered a certain silhouette.

“! That’s.......!”

Just like everyone else, there was one girl squatting on the floor.--------the girl wearing a big witch hat.

“Natsumi.......!”

After Shidou’s body once again made into tension, he borrowed Tohka’s hand while standing up. He then slowly walked towards the foresaid girl.

It would seem, everyone in his surroundings has noticed Shidou’s destination. Origami, Kotori, Miku, the Yamai sisters moved towards Natsumi as if to surround her.

“-------it’s my win. Give it up”

“..........uh”

When Shidou said that, Natsumi twitched her shoulders and slowly lifted her face.

And, the moment he saw Natsumi who was covered by the visor of the big hat,

“......eh?”

Shidou, forgotten the nervousness from just now and made an idiotic voice.

The reason was simple. That’s because the girl right now sinking down on the ground right now in front him, was different from the Natsumi in Shidou’s memories.

She has a thin and small body. Her pale skin looked quite unhealthy and her small body height looked even smaller due her being hunched back. She has servile eyebrows and her eyes were distorted making it gloomy, there were no traces of confidence at all in that expression. Narrowly, her hair was the same color as the Natsumi inside Shidou’s memories but, it wasn’t the silky long hair but instead, it was a messy hairstyle which has not been tended to.

Over there was a small girl that doesn’t look like that sexy Natsumi at all.

“Are......you......Natsumi?”

Natsumi immediately touched her face and made a shocked face when Shidou said that while raising his eyebrows.

“A-a-aaaah.........!?”

She then raised a voice filled with despair and bends her back even further to hide her figure by grabbing the visor of her hat.

“What......is going........”

“..........I see”

When Shidou tilted his head, Kotori made a small snort.

“-------------the one Shidou met before was the form she transformed into by using reiryoku.”

“Ah..........”

Shidou opened his eyes wide, and *pon* hit his hands.

“-------------------!”

Natsumi then raised a voice that could not become a scream and while hiding herself with her hat, she raised her right hand.

“<Haniel>.........!”

Responding to Natsumi’s voice, <Haniel> floating on the center of the round table was gathered at Natsumi’s hand. During that occasion, the broken mirror parts started recovering automatically.

In the next moment, Natsumi’s body glowed and her figure transformed into the adult Onee-san which Shidou has seen before.

Natsumi hatefully, glared at Shidou and everyone before, releasing an oppressive voice from her throat.

“You found out......huh. You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out You found out you found ouuutttttttttttttttt------------!”

She then twisted her body in rage while continuing.

“Not once but twice...........you saw my secret........! I-I won’t forgive you. I will never forgive you. Every one of you, I won’t let everyone of you off the hook easilyyyyyyyy!!”

After Natsumi raised a scream, she held up <Haniel> she was holding in her hands.

“<Haniel>------!!”

“Wha.....!?”

The moment Natsumi shouted, <Haniel>’s tip once again shined and---------and the room was covered with a dazzling light.

“Kuh--------“

He reflexively closed his eyes and frown his face.

Although the light calmed down after a few seconds. His eyes immediately got used to it and the room turned back to its dim self.

But.

“Shidou! Shidou!”

A higher pitched voice than usual was echoed from Tohka.

Shidou looked over there and--------his body froze.

“Shidou, what is this. I can’t move my body accordingly........!?”

While saying that, she dragged her loose pajamas and Tohka who has an outer appearance of an elementary 3rd grade student, flapped her arms and legs.

“Wh-wha.........!”

But, the strange occurrence wasn’t limited to that.

When he tried looking at everyone around him, leaving the unconscious people aside, everyone was turned younger just like Tohka.

“What......the hell is.........”

“Fufu-fufufufufufufufufu..........”

After Shidou raised his eyebrows, Natsumi who was holding up <Haniel> in the middle of the room made a dark laugh.

“Serve’s you all right........! Allll of you, should just stay as a chibi[8E 2]?forever.......!”

After Natsumi raised a loud laugh, she straddled onto <Haniel> and made a hole in the ceiling before flying into the sky.

“Wa-wait! Natsumi! Natsumiiiii!”

Even though he shouted, that high-pitched voice only fruitlessly echoed inside the room.

To be continued