Emily fell into a slump that everyone experiences.

She didn't want to work, didn't want to get out of bed, just wanted to be a slacker, lying in bed eating snacks, and scrolling through TikTok and YouTube short videos.

To zone out and let her overworked brain rest, accepting her own helplessness, turned out to be such a relaxing experience.

Now, the only exercise she did was to move her thumb to swipe away the videos.

Okayama Buji peeked through the crack in the door at Emily in this state, sighed to himself, and closed the door again.

"How long will it take for Emily to recover?"

As Katerina did deep squats with a barbell, she answered, "It's no use. Emily is now in a state of brain burnout. The more spirited she was before, the more useless she becomes now. To get her back on her feet, we'll have to wait quite a while. Until then, we wait."

"What kind of habit is this?" Okayama Buji grumbled. He'd finally gathered more intelligence, only for it to depress Emily—the leader of the special investigation team—to the point where she'd become a listless girl, just lying in bed and slacking off.

Normally at this time, if Emily hadn't worked late into the night yesterday, she would have already been up, fully engaged in the case, rather than staying in bed without even washing her face or brushing her teeth. She lay there like a salted fish, scrolling through her phone. This Emily was completely different from the vibrant Emily he remembered.

DING-DONG, the doorbell rang from outside.

Okayama Buji went to open the door.

The enchanting scent of perfume wafted through the crack in the door, letting him know who it was without seeing her. "Good morning, Morimoto."

The door opened to reveal a tall figure. Her long black hair reached her shoulders; she wore an off-shoulder floral T-shirt, with tight denim shorts below and sandals on her feet.

"Good morning, Okayama. Did something big happen last night?"

Morimoto Chiyoda entered the living room, glanced around, and didn't spot Emily. Odd, Emily should normally be in the living room.

Okayama Buji smiled wryly and said, "Last night, at the Northern Star Swordsmanship Sword Dojo in Okubo, Hazama Michio killed fifteen people, including the head instructor. Then Dio appeared and killed Hazama Michio."

"Isn't that a pretty normal occurrence?" Morimoto Chiyoda had gotten used to Dio killing people in Tokyo; it would have been strange if a day went by without a killing. Killing only one person tonight was actually less than usual. The number of people Dio killed on Monday night was especially high. Even when Dio killed that many people, Emily was still full of zest to investigate. "How come she has become so disheartened when only one person was killed last night?"

Morimoto Chiyoda was so sure Emily was in the house because she saw Katerina. Based on Emily's personality, if she truly went out to do something, she would definitely take Katerina with her, never going out alone.

"From last night's case, Emily came up with a very disheartening conjecture: Dio gains a new Superpower every so often. In other words, all our efforts might be in vain, and it becomes increasingly difficult to target Dio. Realizing this, Emily has turned into a useless shut-in girl."

Okayama Buji spoke and opened the door to Emily's Bedroom.

Morimoto Chiyoda glanced inside.

On the pink bed, Emily lay on her side in bunny pajamas, the light from her phone shining on her fair cheek. Even when hearing the door open, Emily didn't look up, just moved her thumb to swipe away the video. A sense of despondency and uselessness emanated from her, permeating the air.

While Emily full of gusto could be a headache, this utterly deflated state was even more of a headache.

She might slack off, but the special task force couldn't afford to. Because Emily herself wasn't part of the official staff. She could quit, and at most the Metropolitan Police Department wouldn't pay her. But if the members of the task force didn't do their jobs, they might very well get transferred by the Police Director to some remote area to watch over a fishpond. Just thinking she might get a new boss and more work, Morimoto Chiyoda immediately realized she was facing a very serious situation. If Emily didn't get her act together, a lot of work would end up on her own plate.

"No! I can't let her continue to be this dispirited!"

"Morimoto." Okayama Buji said with some surprise, "I didn't expect you and Emily to have such a deep relationship."

"What nonsense are you talking about? If she continues like this, not doing anything, won't that work just fall on our heads?"

"That's what I thought." Okayama Buji smiled wryly. Expecting Morimoto Chiyoda and the other members of the team to have any deep feelings was a bit much for this slacker. Even he was able to have such a conversation with Morimoto Chiyoda only because of some connections from their student days.

The student days were really great. Okayama Buji reminisced about his years at Tokyo University, feeling a deep nostalgia.

Morimoto Chiyoda walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. The next scene wasn't suitable for Okayama Buji to see.

Okayama Buji also didn't say anything. He had already said everything he could to Emily, but she just wouldn't listen; she just wanted to slack off. Katerina had also spoken to her. According to Katerina, once Emily entered this burnout state, she could only self-regulate. He only hoped that Morimoto could create a miracle.

Okayama Buji looked at the tightly closed door, a flicker of anticipation stirring within him. Morimoto Chiyoda had always managed to challenge his perceptions.

「...」

Emily's Bedroom had a fragrance that aligned with what a boy would imagine a woman's scent to be. This scent didn't originate from Emily. It was carefully sprayed by Katerina. Emily's daily life was taken care of by Katerina.

She lay on her side, treating the entering Morimoto Chiyoda as if she were mere air, engrossed with her cellphone. She would watch a short video if it was interesting and swipe it away if it was dull.

Morimoto Chiyoda sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze shifting from Emily's cheeks to her small feet. Her feet were tiny, so delicate one might playfully imagine taking a bite, and as white and tender as tofu.

Morimoto Chiyoda reached out her index finger to tickle the sole of her foot.

"What are you doing~" Emily drew back her foot and glared at her irritably. "Don't be a pervert here."

"As the leader of the task force, you're just slacking off here. Who's going to do the work if not you?" Morimoto Chiyoda said with a stern face, her tone containing a thread of severity.

Emily hunched her shoulders and muttered softly, "What's the use of working? We can't catch Dio. It doesn't matter how hard we try or how much information we gather, it's all useless. It's better to relax a little."

"Emily, haven't we known this fact for a while now?" Morimoto Chiyoda said, her expression unchanging. "Dio is a Superpower user. It's difficult for us to deal with him. But that doesn't mean there's no way. It's precisely because we believe in you that we continue to work hard here, gathering various pieces of information, inching closer to Dio bit by bit."

At this point, continuing to berate Emily could very likely lead her to despair; only relentless flattery could revive her spirits.

Emily hugged a life-sized pillow, her azure eyes shimmering with doubt. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"Look at my eyes, my expression. Do I look like I'm lying? I've always believed in your abilities!"

"Liar! You're clearly deceiving me. Do you think I didn't hear what you said at the door? You're saying all this just to coax me back to work so you can relax!" Emily rolled her eyes. She was just slacking off, not deaf. Angered, she threw her pillow at Morimoto. "Stop slacking off and get out!"

"That was just to deceive Okayama Buji. You know, I've never liked to express my true feelings to others. If others knew about my trust in you, wouldn't that make me look weak?" Morimoto Chiyoda caught her pillow, her eyes brimming with sincerity. "If I really wanted to deceive you, I would have just closed the door and told Okayama Buji, not blatantly spoken in front of you about believing in you. Even I feel a little embarrassed to say such cheesy lines in front of others."

Her cheeks, slightly flushed, were different from usual.

Emily paused, looking into her sincere eyes, feeling a warmth inside her as she laughed. "Haha, so you're all really that troubled without me?"

"Yes, without you, we wouldn't know what to do." Morimoto Chiyoda's gaze and expression conveyed genuine sentiment.

A smug look appeared on Emily's face, her hands on her hips, and somehow she felt her backbone stiffening. She wasn't one to enjoy flattery, but Morimoto Chiyoda, who never indulged in it, had suddenly "opened her heart" and spoken a few words of candid truth. This made her feel slightly pleased.

She rubbed her nose and mumbled, "Since you all depend on me so much, I really have no choice but to help you out."

"Hey, Team Leader Emily, need help changing clothes?"

"I'm not a child; I can change by myself!" Emily retorted as she felt newly invigorated.

A mere Superpower user... as long as she kept on the pursuit, there would always be a way to deal with them. Probably.

Morimoto Chiyoda put down the pillow, and as she turned away, the corners of her mouth rose slightly.

If it hadn't been for Aozawa, she thought, she might have become a very unfaithful woman. Lying was as natural to her as eating and drinking. Yet it was Aozawa who limited her proficiency.

Thinking of that little antagonist, Morimoto Chiyoda's eyes lowered, contemplating what dinner she should prepare to satisfy him.

This thought dissipated the moment Morimoto Chiyoda stepped outside the door; now she needed to fully commit to her work.

Outside the door, Katerina shrugged. "I told you, nothing works now. Once Emily gives up, it will take a long time for her to recover."

"Katerina, that's only true for the rest of you. I've already persuaded Emily. Get ready to work," Morimoto Chiyoda said with a smile. Emily was intelligent, but her emotional intelligence wasn't particularly high. When deflated, she needed cajoling and encouragement, not persuasion to work. Morimoto Chiyoda was very skilled at manipulating people's hearts.