Almost everyone dispersed, some went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, some went upstairs to rest, some invited other guests out for a walk, and some went to work on the roof.
Suzuki Sonoko took Ichijō Mirai to the second floor to pick up a delivery box.
Inside the delivery box was a white cell phone case a few inches larger than the palm of your hand.
Suzuki Sonoko opened the box when she received it, and only brought the cell phone case with her when she stood by, waiting nervously and expectantly for Ichijō Mirai's password.
The code word was 'delivery'.
"Didn't you send me this delivery?" Suzuki Sonoko rummaged through it and handed it to Ichijō Mirai, "I received it on Valentine's Day, and just after I arrived home, I received a call from the courier asking me if I was Mr. Mirai and that there was a delivery for me."
"A few words were written on the delivery note, here."
The delivery note was printed out uniformly, and in the notes below the addressee [Mr. Mirai], there were a few very small notes to the effect of requesting Suzuki Sonoko to keep the delivery a secret and not to tell anyone about it, and not to show the delivery until we met again and Ichijō Mirai said the key word 'delivery'.
The point: request.
It's not just a request, not just a sweet talk, it's a request that's short and to the point.
Ichijō Mirai looked at the delivery slip and scanned the note on it.
"There was another letter in the box," Suzuki Sonoko added, "that was a bit more detailed than the note on the delivery note."
"I put it in the bottom of the cell phone box."
She watched Ichijō Mirai's expression, "This delivery, isn't it yours?"
"Of course it is," Ichijō Mirai smiled, "I just didn't expect it,"
He spun the cell phone case and smiled, "Ms. Suzuki actually kept it a secret."
Since he wasn't sure if there was any reason added to the letter that was more detailed than the delivery note, he tried to avoid some of the details as much as possible, and his tone of voice was a bit more relaxed, using a tone of voice that didn't seem to be a break from the letter even if there was a break from the letter, but rather a joke, "Thank you very much."
And he excused himself, "I'm sorry, auntie said she'd call me again some time later, so I'm sure it's about time now."
Ichijō Mirai gave a rather helpless smile, "Japan and Spain's desserts don't have the same texture, and she's more interested in improving the current desserts in the store, so..."
Suzuki Sonoko sends Ichijō Mirai out while complimenting Ishida Eiko, "I feel like all the desserts in the store are delicious? They're sweet! Just the way I like it!"
She thinks she's just the right amount of sweet, even the bitter coffee is just right.
Ichijō Mirai didn't say anything, only smiled.
He went back to his room, and after a few seconds of contemplation in a room that had been thoroughly checked and confirmed to be 99% safe, he first considered the question: why Suzuki Sonoko?
Why did 'Ichijō Mirai' send a delivery to Suzuki Sonoko?
Moreover, the words on the delivery note are very short and straightforward, not a perfunctory attitude towards ordinary passers-by and unimportant NPCs, but...
"There's not even a hint of a hint of a hint of a hint of an insult."
Ichijō Mirai was very grave, "There's no room for casual insults, and it's normal to be decent, but I'm not going to become a decent adult, am I?!"
He was shocked: 'Ichijō Mirai can't be without its eccentricities and off-the-cuff slurs, just like the West can't be without Jerusalem!'
System: [...]
[No,] it was tempted to say that Ichijō Mirai was really self-aware, but didn't dare, [You still have Jerusalem.]
"Oh," Ichijō Mirai nodded, 'I know, I know when I think of you, 'I' am definitely not serious."
He opened his cell phone case and casually said, "Serious people don't lie to fools."
System: [????]
Inside the box was a white flip phone, which looked brand new.
Ichijō Mirai looked at it for a few moments, then removed the phone and pulled out the letter at the bottom of the case.
He looked at it uncertainly, then again, then again, and then again, in awe, "A handwritten letter."
The letter was only half a page long, and it was handwritten.
Ichijō Mirai's handwriting was clearly visible, and at the end of each paragraph there was a handwritten check mark.
It's...
Ichijō Mirai never left any handwriting, and everything that needed to be written, such as suicide notes and delivery notes, was printed out.
At least Ichijō Mirai didn't find any of his own handwriting in the dessert store area, and he himself had a habit of leaving no traces of his own handwriting, jotting down whatever he could and disposing of it later.
However, Suzuki Sonoko had received a handwritten letter...
Is she a member of the organization?
That's impossible. She doesn't smell of blood, but only the fighting spirit that burns in the sunlight, and that's against Ichijō Mirai.
Ichijō Mirai ticked off the guess, his brow furrowed in uncertainty, "Ms. Inuo...?"
Had something like special training at the police academy come up, and he'd had to make friends with some ordinary people, including Suzuki Sonoko?
Something was too awkward, a sense of emptiness that there was a huge gap in the chain of logic, Ichijō Mirai frowned in thought for a moment and opened his cell phone to check it.
The phone was clean, with no contacts or messages, but there was a video in the photo album.
The video was ten minutes long and had a black cover.
Ichijō Mirai stared at the black cover and the white time in the lower right corner for a moment, then tapped play.
The blackness of the screen flowed and quickly faded, revealing a scene that looked like a living room.
In the center of the shot was a table and sofa, and 'Ichijō Mirai' was sitting on the sofa.
He is wearing a suit underneath, and instead of a suit jacket, he is wearing a wide white coat, and he looks like a young and energetic researcher.
From the outside, the researcher looks almost identical to Ichijō Mirai, with the same appearance, the same height and build, the same eyes, and only a slight difference in his hairstyle.
But when anyone sees 'Ichijō Mirai' in the video, they don't say to Ichijō Mirai, 'When did you record that video, it's so cool!' but rather, 'Wow, is that your brother or something? It's so cool! .
Because of the expression.
In the video, the researcher is expressionless, sitting on a sofa, leaning forward slightly, elbows on his knees, staring expressionlessly at the camera, and locking eyes with Ichijō Mirai, who is smiling before the camera.
Ichijō Mirai has a sense of subtlety.
"Hello," The researcher greeted expressionlessly, not as if he were greeting himself, but as if he were greeting his subordinates at a high society party, "Mirai."
He and Ichijō Mirai spoke at the same time, "I'm so proper," / "You're so proper,"
"So upper class," ⨉2
"It's kind of gross," ⨉2
"You can lie to your brother, but don't lie to yourself. Be disgusting to others, not to yourself."⨉2
"...Don't imitate me." ⨉2