"Sanga and Batz, you say?"
"Yeah. I know it probably leaves a bad taste in your mouth to have your old friends suspected, but I just can't shake the feeling... The timing was just a bit too convenient, wasn't it?"
The Master spoke to En with an apologetic look, clearly hesitant to speak ill of her friends.
Melt didn't say it aloud, but she agreed with him. She, too, wanted to hear En’s take on the situation.
En knew Sanga and Batz better than anyone. Was it possible they were involved in the robbery incident? In response to the question, En looked down and spoke.
"I understand where you're coming from, Master, and I’ve thought about it myself... but I really don't think that’s it."
"Why not? Do you have a reason for being so sure?"
"...The Security Force suspects me because of the eyewitness reports from the victims, right? But the physical difference between me and those two is night and day. There’s not a chance in a million that anyone could mistake us for one another."
"But the skinny one was wearing a ring that looked like a Magic Item. Couldn't they have used its power to trick people?"
Hearing the Master's words, Melt recalled the story En had told her the night before.
En had explained that when they were thieves, Batz would use his Magic Item to support her while she carried out the job. Melt had wondered if those same powers could have been used to frame En for the crimes.
However, En shook her head, dismissing the idea.
"That’s impossible, too. It’s true that Batz's Magic Item is good for deceiving people, but... at most, it can only create small illusions."
"Create illusions? Then wouldn't that—"
"It’s really not that impressive of a power. His ring can only make a stolen wallet or a piece of jewelry look like it’s still sitting on a table or tucked inside a bag. Using it to pull off a robbery... it’s just not possible."
En explained that while Batz's Magic Item could mislead people, it was limited to generating small, stationary objects.
She told them that it was physically impossible for him to project an image of her over himself or Sanga, let alone move around while doing so. She took a sip of her coffee to steady herself before continuing.
"To be honest, I had my doubts about them at first, too. But in the end, Sanga and Batz just couldn't do something like this... and I don't think they're the type to try. I can't quite explain it, but they aren't bad people at heart."
Listening to her, Melt finally understood the source of the slight dissonance she had felt from En the previous night.
Even while harboring suspicions, En knew it was technically impossible—and more than that, she believed they weren't the kind of people who would frame her or hurt others without reason.
Deep down, she still considered Sanga and Batz to be her friends.
The Master nodded, satisfied by the opinion of the person who knew the pair best. Just then, the bell chimed, and a man stepped into the cafe.
"Excuse me, sorry to intrude."
"Ah! It's Jinba!"
"Oh, Melt. You're here too? Is Yugo with you?"
"No, he's not here. It's just me. Did you need him for something?"
"Yeah, there was something I wanted to discuss with him..."
The man who had entered wasn't a customer, but Jinba from the Security Force.
When he explained he was looking for Yugo, the Master spoke up as if suddenly remembering something.
"If it's Yugo you're after, he was here right when we opened. He was showing me something that looked like a Compact and asking if it had been dropped in the shop. I told him I hadn't seen it, and he went rushing back outside to search for it..."
"A Compact? Do you mean that communication device he got from Ann?"
"Yeah, he mentioned her name as he was bolting out the door. He said something about how if he didn't find it, Ann was going to turn Fee into a modified human...?"
The group, understanding exactly what sort of trouble Yugo had gotten himself into, burst into laughter as they imagined his panicked face.
Even in his absence, Yugo had managed to sweep away the heavy atmosphere. As Melt offered a silent thanks to him, Jinba gave an exasperated smile and turned to the Master.
"He's a hopeless case. Well, if I wait here, he might show his face eventually... And since I'm already here, I might as well get some lunch. Master, could I see a menu?"
"Coming right up! En, break's over. We've got work to do!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Master and En set to work, clearly delighted to finally have a customer.
Melt watched with a smile as the two of them went about their work with newfound energy... but then, the shop’s peace was shattered by the arrival of several uninvited guests.