"Yes. The postal worker hasn't seen anything either.

...The Sonozaki main house has their seal hanging from their mailbox so that anyone can stamp their mail or parcels with it and drop it in."

"Na-ha-ha, that's rather careless of them.

...So when was she last seen?"

"She was last seen at the Watanagashi opening ceremony greetings.

She apparently returned home right after that."

"Well, she is pretty old.

...From what I've heard, she goes out a few times a week to take lessons, right?

Have you found anything out about that?"

"Every Monday she goes to the assembly hall to practice the taishougoto, but she didn't go this week."

"Any calls to say she wasn't going to be there?

Has anyone confirmed it?"

"No, nobody.

She apparently takes days off once in a while, though, so no one thought it was strange."

"Tomorrow, why don't we pretend we're the town hall and call around ten o'clock?

Please figure out whether she's at home."

"Ten o'clock? Got it!"

Ever since it started to seem more and more like ancient Hinamizawa traditions had something to do with all this, he'd been keeping a careful eye on the Three Families.

At this point, the leader of the Kimiyoshi family and the leader of the Furude family had disappeared.

There was only one leader left.

Oryou Sonozaki, the leader of the Sonozaki family.

She was apparently a pretty old woman.

Her dignity hasn't waned, but she still only appeared before people rarely, so it was difficult to confirm where she was at any given time.

...She, the last leader, hadn't been seen since the day of Watanagashi.

Was she still alive and well within the Sonozaki main house?

...Or had she...?

"According to Mion Sonozaki, she had fallen ill and was sleeping it off."

"I wonder if she's really sleeping.

I'd like to take a look at her face—and her pulse..."

"............You can say that again."

The two of them breathed out a big puff of cigarette smoke...

"Ooishi-san... About the search warrants for the Sonozaki main house and the Furude shrine.

Do you think we'll get them?"

Ooishi didn't respond, exhaled another cloud of tobacco smoke, his surroundings now as foggy as his mind...