"Then call the police!"
Sonoko felt that her deduction was perfectly sound and directly confronted him. "A shameless owner like you, stealing from your own store, should be arrested by the police!"
"Who are you calling a shameless owner?! Do you have any evidence that proves I did it?"
The offensive and defensive positions reversed just like that, and Lady Sonoko began butting heads with the Convenience Store manager.
Neither of the two stubborn hotheads would back down.
It could be called an evenly matched showdown.
"Alright, you two..."
Fujino stepped in as the mediator. "One of you suspects Aya of stealing without any evidence, while the other suspects him of being a shameless owner without any evidence. Shouldn't the priority be figuring out how these things actually disappeared?"
As he spoke, Fujino pulled Sonoko aside and explained quietly, "The current situation is very unfavorable for Nanase. After eliminating all other possibilities, she may be the culprit. The police will reach the same conclusion if they come. If the investigation turns up nothing, she'll be considered the real culprit."
A high school student committing a crime might not have been a major case, but it would clearly leave a serious stain.
It would have a tremendous impact on her future.
Although Sonoko understood what Fujino was saying, she was still unconvinced. "It's obvious that guy is trying to bully Aya... Senior Fujino, don't you agree with me too?"
"Even if I do, do you have evidence?"
"No..."
"Exactly. Without evidence, neither side can do anything to the other."
Ran stood to the side with her chin in her hand, thinking hard about how to clear her good friend of this injustice.
Following Great Detective Sonoko, Great Detective Ran also felt like she had what it took and planned to try