In Molly's office, Molly faced Sean, Liz and Turan.
"Why don't you believe me! She has awakened for the second time. She must have awakened for the second time -"
"Gringoire!"
Molly stopped the emotional Sean, and at the same time, the phone on the office desk rang.
Morley answered the phone: "Hello, Order Officer's Office."
She listened to the other end of the phone and said "hmm" several times in succession, and finally sighed, "That's great."
Liz looked at Molly eagerly - although she was not sure who the other party was calling now, she felt that the call was most likely from the underground hospital.
"Okay, let me ask one more question," Molly glanced towards Sean, "What is Hesta's current awakening state?"
Everyone held their breath.
"...Okay, I understand." Molly put down the phone and said to Sean, "Hesta did not awaken for the second time, she was just injured and fainted."
Liz stood up on the spot and snapped at Sean: "What did you do to Hesta-"
"Don't even think about falsely accusing me! I did nothing but get beaten by her!"
"Fletcher, sit down too!" Morley also said sternly, "Hesta's injury is indeed not due to Sean."
The office returned to temporary tranquility.
Sean sneered on the side, "I said so."
"Stop your temper," Molly glanced at him coldly, "No matter what, as a reserve Mercury Needle who has awakened for the second time, you will always have a way to escape when Hesta takes the initiative to provoke— —Why did you stop there on purpose to tangle with her?"
Sean narrowed his eyes, which were swollen by Hesta, and his whole face showed a kind of dramatic absurdity.
"It's incredible, Ms. Morley..." He spread his hands, "You said it was Hesta who 'provoked', so are you blaming me now? Do you think that as a victim, I am facing Didn’t you behave perfectly when you were the perpetrator?”
Molly remained unmoved, "Please answer my question directly."
"Of course it's because I've been trying to figure out what happened!" Sean argued, his voice very excited, "It's because I knew that her little strength couldn't hurt my bones, so I endured it. In pain, I tried to clarify with her——"
Liz interrupted angrily, "You must have done something to provoke her again."
"Where's the evidence?" Sean glanced sideways, "I've just said it countless times. I just accidentally ran into Hesta in the corridor this morning. I accidentally bumped into her, and she chased me like crazy and beat me. ——I have maintained the utmost restraint and tolerance as a gentleman, and I didn’t fight back at all, look!”
Sean rolled up his sleeves and showed Liz the scars on his body.
"Hesta won't trouble you for no reason—"
"She is causing trouble for me today for no reason!"
"Shut up!" Molly frowned. She had just received the noon surveillance footage and Mrs. Lavitt's testimony in her mailbox - Mrs. Lavitt was already lying in the underground hospital because she was too frightened.
Molly opened the page and watched the entire surveillance without saying a word.
12:36:14 The two people met in the corridor and passed each other. Sean bumped into Hesta.
12:36:38 Sean raised his hand, seeming to say sorry to Hestad
12:36:43 Hesta ignored it, and the two of them walked in their own directions.
12:37:21 Hesta suddenly stopped on the spot. She turned her back to the surveillance camera and rolled up her sleeves. She didn’t know what she was doing.
12:37:27 Hesta turned around, ran towards Sean, and soon got into a struggle with him.
Sean really wasn't lying - he was being beaten from start to finish and didn't fight back even once.
Looking at Mrs. Lavitt's confession again...Molly narrowed his eyes.
"Hesta has been asking you for her keys?" Molly looked at Sean, "Did you take any of her keys?"
"That's what I've been asking. Where is the key to the base? Don't we all use key cards? Back off, I don't live with her, how do I know where her key is? She lost it. You can just beat me up if you get the key?"
"Do you know?" Molly looked at Liz and Turan, "Is it something important to Hesta?"
Liz and Turan both shook their heads in confusion. Turan suddenly remembered something, "I thought I saw a key tied to her arm when she was taking a shower."
"What is it used for?"
"……have no idea."
Sean stood up, "May I leave, Ms. Morley?"
"Okay," Molly replied, "but please stay in the apartment and don't go anywhere until Hesta wakes up."
"Understood." Sean took a step forward and walked up to Molly, "I'll ask one more question, Ms. Morley, Hesta blatantly used violence against me when no one was in the apartment - the base's handling of her should be Will they treat everyone equally?"
"Of course." Molly's eyebrows raised slightly, and she looked at Sean, "The base will not favor any side."
"That's good, I'll just wait and see." After that, he turned around and looked at Liz, "Miss Fletcher, I hope you will always remember that it was your initial indulgence that led to her current extremes. Behavior—sometimes extreme protection of one party is extreme injustice to the other party.”
Sean faced the people in front of him, took off his air hat, and said, "Let's chat slowly, I'm going back to recuperate."
After Sean left, Molly looked at Liz.
"Although Hesta is out of danger, her humerus, scapula, and ribs all suffered fractures to varying degrees, Liz."
Liz was startled at first, then immediately stood up and rushed out, "Shaun, this kid——"
"This is not because of anyone else, but because of you!" Molly said solemnly, "You hugged her while bullet time was on - how could you do such a thing, hug her with all your strength during bullet time? An ordinary person?"
Liz's movements froze again.
She turned back in disbelief, "...Is it because of me?"
"Have you ever thought that your behavior might directly cut her entire upper body into three pieces?" Molly said sternly, "Why exactly?"
Liz didn't know how to answer for a moment.
At that moment, she had a strong intuition - if she didn't turn on bullet time, she might not be able to stop Hesta.
But this doesn't make sense... Hesta has not awakened for the second time, so how could he not be able to stop it.
Liz raised her hand, inserted her fingers into her hair, and pushed it back hard.
"...I don't know, Ms. Morley, maybe...I made a mistake in my judgment."
"You should go back and reflect carefully," Morley said. "Perhaps it was not a wise decision for you to be Hesta's auxiliary officer."
…
After leaving the office building, Sean walked on the road alone humming a song.
The weather was very good today, and he was in a better mood. He unconsciously started dancing in the deserted aisle.
When passing a fountain, he spun lightly and threw something into the pool.
After a very light splash of water, a silver key gradually sank to the bottom of the water.
