Chapter 15

おそらく〜だろう／に違いない

probably / very likely (expresses a strong assumption based on evidence or intuition)

どうやら〜ようだ／らしい

it seems / apparently (speaker infers from clues; medium certainty)

まさか〜ないだろう

no way / it can’t be (expresses strong disbelief or doubt)

一体

(what) in the world / (how) on earth (used to emphasize confusion or questioning)

果たして（はたして）

really / indeed (used when questioning whether something is true or will happen)

次第に

steadily (small changes over time)

徐々に

gradually (more gentle, step‑by‑step progression than 次第に)

先ず先ず

increasing (-er)

一段と

even more / further (compares to before; noticeable increase)

大して〜ない

not particularly / not very (downplays degree)

何も〜ことはない

there’s no need to / you don’t have to (soft reassurance)