As he spoke, Shiromoto Hidehiko glanced at the empty front hall and asked worriedly, "Did Chizuru come downstairs at all?"
Haga Kyosuke shook his head.
Shiromoto Hidehiko hesitated, then helplessly headed upstairs. "I'll go check on her. Honestly, if she keeps cooping herself up in her room, her mood will only get worse."
Behind the surveillance monitors.
Watching this unfold, Curacao's heart skipped a beat. He had said he would be out fishing until evening, yet he had quietly returned to the hotel alone midway through... Wasn't that far too suspicious? Could he be the murderer?
"No, being overly suspicious makes him less likely to be the murderer—this must be Uzo's smokescreen. That had to be it!"
As she thought this, Curacao looked again at Haga Kyosuke, who had been watching television in the lobby. Her gaze rested on him like he was a sapling she had chosen herself, silently hoping he would grow with care—though for now, there was still no sign that he intended to make a move.
Just then, Curacao remembered something. Feeling guilty, she shifted slightly and looked around.
—She had already finished reporting her work and left Rum's side.
But whenever she thought of Rum now being in the Passerby Mutual Aid Association, Curacao felt like she had a bone stuck in her throat. It was like slacking off and playing games at work, only to look up and discover her boss was on her friends list.
"Fortunately, the little app Vodka made doesn't show who's online. I just need to stay quiet and place my bets discreetly."
At the mention of this, Curacao could not help feeling resentful. Vodka really was something else—why had he added Rum the moment Rum asked? He was the second-in-command, not Vodka's direct superior. Couldn't Vodka have firmly refused