My daughter really can't lie… Kisaki Eri couldn't help but mutter inwardly.
Since Ran was willing to listen to a boy's suggestions and even revealed certain secrets to her, Kisaki Eri could already tell that her daughter's relationship with that boy was likely not ordinary.
Given that Ran was also part of the superpower group, such a close bond was to be expected… Kisaki Eri wasn't particularly surprised by this conclusion. She had already begun to suspect it the moment she heard about the group.
Furthermore, she had deduced that the boy might be the one who helped Ran gain her powers. Considering that, it wasn't hard for Kisaki Eri to infer that the boy played a central role in the team.
In addition, Ran had said that apart from her and Sonoko, the others in the team were all young ladies. It wasn't difficult to conclude that the boy was likely the only male member.
The timing also lined up. Kudo Shinichi, that annoying brat, had done plenty of ridiculous things lately and clearly caused Ran some emotional fatigue. Then suddenly, a boy who could provide Ran with superpowers, and even emotional comfort, appeared. With frequent interaction, feelings were bound to develop.
Kisaki Eri arrived at this conclusion quite naturally.
Looking at her daughter's slightly flustered and dazed expression, Kisaki Eri was about 80 percent certain of her guess.
"Ran, I want to hear more about your team."
"Okay."
After a simple explanation from her daughter, Kisaki Eri—who had prepared herself for the worst—was still shocked.
Among them, the powers of Shinomiya Kaguya and Hayasaka were the most dangerous and bizarre.
Freezing and space.
At first glance, freezing didn't seem to be on the same level as space manipulation. But this freezing power came with elementalization, allowing the user to become intangible, which meant physical attacks were essentially useless.
The added ability of elementalization was downright shameless. Kisaki Eri even doubted that standard firearms would have any effect on someone who could do that.
And to avoid firearms, elementalization wasn't even necessary. The space ability alone was more than enough.
They could open rifts in the air and travel freely to other worlds, even set coordinates and teleport between them at will.
That ability was equally shameless.
Compared to that pair, the abilities of the Sanzenin master and servant duo were much simpler and more straightforward. But they were by no means weak.
Then there was Sonoko's ability—being able to meet anyone without an appointment. Kisaki Eri fully grasped how terrifying that power could be.
If used properly, the barriers of communication would essentially vanish, and even unfathomable abilities could be unleashed through conversation alone.
But the most dangerous ability in Kisaki Eri's eyes was the Sequence Pathway.
So far, the only two members who had taken that path were Fujiwara Chika and Ren.
Fujiwara Chika had chosen the Spectator Pathway, and the summary of the Spectator's powers was... deeply concerning. Initially non-aggressive, its strength escalated rapidly in the mid-stages and became downright abstract by the late stages.
At the same time, the Sequence Pathway introduced the concept of demigods.
There wasn't much detail given about Ren's path, only that it involved divination, theft, and door-related abilities. But if the Spectator Pathway became that abstract by the mid to late stages, then Ren's path probably wouldn't fall short either.
Kisaki Eri felt like her worldview had been completely overturned. And this shook her even more than the Black Organization's immortality drug or the fact that Kudo Shinichi had become an elementary schooler.
"Leaping straight into the domain of gods is a bit much..."
Kisaki Eri couldn't help but sigh.
"Yeah, I also think it's a bit of a leap. Talking about demigods all of a sudden is too much, even for people with strong mental endurance. But to truly reach that level still requires a long period of accumulation."
"Good thing it takes time."
If she didn't know her daughter's personality, Kisaki Eri would've thought she was showing off.
"I think I've got a basic understanding of everything now. Do you want me to tell Kogoro about this?"
Kisaki Eri still respected her daughter's choice on this matter.
Ran thought for a moment, then gently shook her head.
"Let's not tell Dad for now. With how he is, he might blurt it out to Shinichi while drinking or even in his sleep..."
"Even if all this sounds like fantasy, if Shinichi catches wind of it, it'll bring us a lot of unnecessary trouble."
Kisaki Eri agreed with her daughter's concerns. Kogoro's behavior after drinking was always a pain to deal with.
"Alright then."
"Luckily, you're living with me now and not with Kogoro. That reduces the chance of him noticing anything. That guy's brain is usually slow when dealing with regular cases, but the moment something involves his family, it suddenly starts working fast."
Saying that, Kisaki Eri let out a helpless sigh.
"Why is it that he's only flexible when he shouldn't be, and stiff when he should bend?"
Though she was grumbling, a hint of smugness still lingered under her tone.
Ran also quietly sighed in her heart.
Mom, you're still thinking about Dad, aren't you?
You say you're complaining, but deep down you understand exactly how he thinks, right?
But even with all of that, the two of them still chose to live separately.
In the past, Ran had worried about this, but as time passed, she began to understand something.
Was the separation itself just another kind of "game" between her mom and dad?
This idea first came to her when she realized that even after separating, her parents still occasionally met up.
On the surface, they acted like they didn't get along and had constant arguments, but deep down, they seemed strangely in tune with each other.
It made Ran very suspicious. When Dad claimed to be drinking and going to clubs in the past… was he actually going to meet Mom?
Back then, when Dad came home looking exhausted, she thought he must've done something to hurt Mom. But now, she wasn't so sure anymore.
If Dad had really done something, would Mom not have known?
So maybe… it was Mom who exhausted Dad?
That possibility made Ran wonder if she had unwittingly become part of their elaborate, ongoing game.
(To be continued.)
***
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