The entire set held its breath.
The guilty props intern knelt on the floor, trembling like a leaf in a hurricane.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! The chicken smelled too good—I couldn't resist—I only took one bite—please don't let her end me—"
Aria stared at them quietly.
Calm.
Still.
Unreadable.
Julian stood nearby, arms crossed, watching with interest.
Daniel clutched his clipboard like it was a life vest.
Mason whispered:
"This is it… This is where my career dies…"
Aria Raises a Hand
Everyone panicked.
"OH GOD—SHE'S GOING TO DO SOMETHING—"
"RUN—!"
"DON'T MOVE—SHE HUNTS MOVEMENT—"
Aria simply motioned for silence.
And everyone obeyed instantly.
She crouched slightly, examining the half-eaten chicken leg on the table.
Then she said:
"…This is not mine."
The room froze.
Julian blinked.
Daniel blinked.
Mason stopped mid-panic.
"…What?"
Aria examined the chicken again.
"This is not my chicken leg."
The intern sobbed harder.
"I—WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT YOURS?!"
Aria pointed at the missing portion.
"The seasoning is wrong."
Mason shrieked,
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE SEASONING IS WRONG?!"
Aria continued calmly:
"My chicken leg had lemon pepper seasoning.
This one has honey soy glaze."
The entire set:
"…OH."
The Crew Recalibrates Reality
Daniel grabbed his head.
"WAIT—WAIT—SO THE INTERN STOLE THE WRONG CHICKEN LEG?!"
Julian laughed softly.
"So there were two chicken legs."
Elliot gasped.
"A second chicken leg…
A shadow chicken leg…"
Mason slapped his own forehead.
"WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT CHICKEN WITH THIS MUCH SERIOUSNESS?!"
Aria Continues Her Deduction
She stood, examining the grease on the intern's fingers.
"You stole someone else's snack."
The intern sobbed.
"But… the bag was right there—"
Aria shook her head.
"That was not my bag."
Mason screamed:
"THERE WAS A DECOY BAG?!?"
Daniel fell to the floor.
"THE CULPRIT STOLE THE WRONG SNACK—WE'VE BEEN FRAMED BY POULTRY—"
Julian stepped beside Aria.
"Meaning the real thief is still out there."
Aria nodded.
"Yes."
A quiet gasp spread through the set.
She added:
"My actual snack bag was moved elsewhere."
Elliot whispered like he was narrating a crime documentary:
"So this… was only the first crime."
Rick Brings Up More Footage
Rick checked the cloud storage again.
"There's a second clip from a different angle—uploaded ten minutes after the first."
Mason looked like he was about to faint.
"There were TWO theft events?!"
Rick nodded.
"I didn't notice earlier. The files had similar names."
Daniel screamed:
"WHY DON'T WE LABEL THINGS PROPERLY IN THIS PLACE?!"
Rick opened the second clip.
Everyone crowded around.
The footage showed—
A figure entering the back storage hallway.
Unlike the first video, this one wasn't blurry.
The silhouette was clear.
Recognizable.
Even iconic.
The room gasped as one.
Julian raised an eyebrow.
Daniel shrieked.
Mason yelled:
"NO.
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
IT CAN'T BE—"
Aria stared calmly at the screen.
"…I recognize that posture."
The Plot Twist: The Real Thief Revealed
The figure in the video was…
Director Mason.
Mason screamed.
"THAT'S NOT ME!! THAT'S NOT ME!! WHY AM I THERE?!?! I WASN'T THERE—I WAS YELLING AT PROPS—REMEMBER?!"
Daniel pointed dramatically.
"AHA!! DIRECTOR-LEVEL BETRAYAL!!"
Julian looked amused.
Aria tilted her head.
"You took my snack bag."
"NO I DIDN'T!!!" Mason shrieked.
Rick zoomed in.
There he was—
or at least someone with his exact height, posture, and dramatic way of swinging his arms—
walking into the hallway with…
A small strawberry-printed canvas tote in hand.
Daniel gasped.
"THE STRAWBERRY BAG—THAT'S THE REAL ONE—ARIA'S REAL ONE—"
Mason dropped to the floor.
"NO—NO—NO NO NO—THIS IS A FRAME JOB—A SETUP—A HATE CRIME—SOMEONE IS IMPERSONATING ME—"
Aria watched the video again.
"…You walk like this."
Mason wailed.
"DON'T ANALYZE MY WALK!!"
Julian's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.
Aria's Final Statement
She straightened.
"The first culprit stole a chicken leg.
But the true culprit took the entire bag."
The set erupted in murmurs, accusations, and collective existential terror.
Aria added calmly:
"This is not over."
Mason fainted.
Daniel screamed.
Julian smiled.