In the middle of solving the mystery, Mitra turns to Nujah and says:
"Why is it that the first man has such a short explanation in the text, while the other two speak as if they witnessed everything firsthand?"
Nujah, in a serious tone:
"I can only answer with yes or no."
Mitra, slightly irritated but determined to reach the answer, asks directly:
"The two guilty ones are not suspects, right?"
Nujah:
"No."
He raises an hourglass in his right hand.
"You have five minutes. Or your punishment increases to two weeks."
Before Mitra can lose her temper, Nujah sharply adds:
"Don't waste your time on things that don't matter. Focus your mind. Now."
Mitra, stressed and uneasy, tries to think.
Nujah raises his voice:
"Come on. It's not that hard. The answer is inside the story!"
Mitra immediately grabs the book.
"The culprit is the grandmother."
Nujah clasps his hands together and smiles.
"What's your reason?"
Mitra, after a fast but intense thought, suddenly shouts:
"The police!"
Nujah opens his mouth slightly, watching with curious eyes, but says nothing.
Mitra continues:
"Despite supposedly being asleep, she described everything as if she was watching it live. That makes no sense.
And the security station accepted this nonsense explanation—
the only one who could approve such a thing would have to be one of the top security generals responsible for big cities.
In short, someone wanted to eliminate the two guests and used the grandmother as a decoy to erase their own tracks."
Nujah, with a proud face, begins to applaud—then suddenly bursts out laughing.
"Wrong!" he says loudly.
Mitra looks down, disappointed, ready to accept her punishment.
But then, Nujah stands up.
"Not exactly right... but not wrong either."
He continues:
"High-ranking people at the station did help cover it up, but the one who made the plan and pushed it through wasn't them."
Mitra, now drained of energy, asks:
"Then… who?"
A dramatic tone sets in. Shadows rise from behind, playing eerie instruments as if revealing a grand secret.
Nujah, slowly, with theatrical flair:
"The real culprit... was… B— Be—"
Mitra yells:
"Who?!"
A sharp "dun-dun-dunnn" plays.
Nujah snaps his fingers, making the illusions vanish, and begins to explain:
"This happened in the middle of a massive snowy mountain. The identity of the elderly woman was never revealed.
She was tried under a false name, kept hidden.
The guests who came to her house were 'relatives' — strangers to each other, united only through her.
Even if she was old, she was a cruel person.
I won't share too many details…
Let's just say she had powerful connections in high places.
She knew her time was ending. So she plotted to get rid of the guests before Ren arrived.
She had her allies help erase her traces."
Nujah, proudly:
"Ren, as always, solved the case and freed them both."
Mitra, with a sad but gentle tone:
"I get it… It's okay."
Nujah, with a smirk, gently:
"I told you to find the culprit. I never said to find both of them.
So technically… you did great. Be proud of yourself."
He helps her stand up as she falls to her knees in guilt.
"So get up. There are still more boxes to explore.
You've got more fun ahead."
Just then, a small voice whispers into Nujah's ear.
Nujah, serious now, chuckles lightly.
"I see. Alright."
As the conversation ends—
Mitra, before he can speak again, says:
"You should go. You've stayed long enough."
Nujah, eyes welling with tears:
"But I wanted to stay tonight…"
Mitra tries to stay composed, walks up, and gives him a tight, sudden hug. Then pulls away:
"There are people out there who need you more right now. Go."
Just then, the Worldbreaker — a creature from a special mission — jumps onto Mitra from afar.
Mitra laughs:
"I'm not alone anymore. You're here."
> Nujah's cat meowed in agreement, almost like saying, "She's not alone. I'm still here."
Nujah smirks faintly, then gets serious. He gently pulls Mitra close and kisses her forehead.
Despite Mitra blushing and yelling, Nujah laughs and says in a warm, hopeful tone:
"Once my mission ends, I'll come back.
Even though I want to say 'tonight'...
It might take longer.
I don't want to lie to you —
So I can't promise…
"But I swear, I'll be here tomorrow!"
He gave her a soft wink, a quiet promise behind it — then vanished into the dark with a snap of his fingers.
His final words echo:
"See you soon… princess."
Left alone in the silence, Mitra softly smiles with a trace of sadness:
"See you… Dad."
---