The Reason

In Molly's office, Molly faced Shawn, Liz, and Tulan.

"Why won't you believe me! She Secondary Awakened, she definitely Secondary Awakened—"

"Grangua!"

Molly cut off the agitated Shawn. Just then, the phone on the office desk rang.

Molly picked it up. "Hello, Officer's Office."

She listened to the other end, murmuring "Mm" several times, finally sighing. "That's great news."

Liz looked eagerly at Molly. Although she wasn't sure who Molly was talking to, she had a strong feeling it was the underground hospital.

"Alright, one more question," Molly said, glancing towards Shawn. "What is Hesta's current Awakening status?"

Everyone held their breath.

"...Understood. I get it," Molly said, hanging up the phone. She turned to Shawn. "Hesta did not Secondary Awaken. She was injured and fainted."

Liz immediately stood up, glaring at Shawn. "What did you do to Hesta—"

"Don't you dare frame me again! I didn't do anything to her except take her beating!"

"Fletcher, sit down!" Molly said sternly. "Hesta's injuries were indeed not caused by Shawn."

The office returned to a temporary silence.

Shawn sneered from the side. "See? I told you."

"Control your tempers," Molly said, giving him a cold glance. "Regardless, as a reserve Quicksilver Needle who has already Secondary Awakened, you always had a way to escape when Hesta provoked you—why did you deliberately stop and get entangled with her?"

Shawn narrowed his eyes, which were swollen from Hesta's beating, his entire face contorted into a dramatically absurd expression.

"It's truly baffling, Ms. Moly..." he spread his hands. "You just said Hesta 'provoked me first,' so are you blaming me now? You think that as a victim, I didn't act perfectly enough when facing my aggressor?"

Molly remained unmoved. "Please answer my question directly."

"Of course, it's because I was trying to figure out what was going on!" Shawn argued heatedly. "It's precisely because I knew her strength wouldn't hurt my bones that I endured the pain and tried to clarify things with her—"

Liz interrupted irritably, "You definitely did something to provoke her again."

"Where's the evidence?" Shawn countered, looking sideways. "I've already said it countless times. This morning, I just happened to run into Hesta in the hallway and accidentally bumped into her, and she went crazy, chasing after me to beat me—I maintained the greatest restraint and tolerance of a gentleman. I didn't fight back even once. Look!"

Shawn rolled up his sleeve, showing Liz the bruises on his body.

"Hesta wouldn't bother you for no reason—"

"She bothered me for no reason today!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Molly frowned. Her inbox had just received the noon surveillance footage and Mrs. Lavette's testimony—Mrs. Lavette, due to extreme shock, was now also lying in the underground hospital.

Molly opened the page and watched the entire surveillance footage without a word.

12:36:14 The two met in the hallway and brushed past each other. Shawn bumped into Hesta.

12:36:38 Shawn raised his hand, seemingly apologizing to Hesta.

12:36:43 Hesta ignored him. They walked in their respective directions.

12:37:21 Hesta suddenly stopped in place. Her back was to the camera. She rolled up her sleeve, doing something unknown.

12:37:27 Hesta turned and sprinted towards Shawn, quickly engaging in a brawl with him.

Shawn hadn't lied—he had been taking a beating the entire time and hadn't fought back at all, not even once.

Looking at Mrs. Lavette's testimony... Molly narrowed her eyes.

"Hesta kept asking you about her key?" Molly looked at Shawn. "Did you take any of her keys?"

"That's what I've been asking! What keys are there in the base? Don't we all use access cards—and even if, I don't live with her, so how would I know where her key is? She can just beat me up because she lost her key?"

"Do you guys know?" Molly looked at Liz and Tulan. "Was it something very important to Hesta?"

Liz and Tulan both shook their heads blankly. Tulan suddenly remembered something. "When I was showering before, I think I saw her with a key tied to her arm."

"What was it used for?"

"...I don't know."

Shawn stood up. "May I leave now, Ms. Moly?"

"Yes," Molly replied. "But until Hesta wakes up, please remain in your apartment and do not go anywhere."

"Understood." Shawn took a step forward, approaching Molly. "One more question, Ms. Moly. Hesta openly used violence against me while the apartment was empty—will the base handle her impartially?"

"Of course." Molly's eyebrows slightly raised as she looked at Shawn. "The base will not favor any party."

"That's good. I'll be waiting to see." With that, he turned and looked at Liz. "Miss Fletcher, I hope you always remember that your initial indulgence led to her current extreme behavior—sometimes, extreme protection of one party is extreme injustice to another."

Shawn faced the group, performing the gesture of tipping an imaginary hat. "You all enjoy your chat. I'm going back to nurse my wounds."

After Shawn left, Molly looked at Liz.

"Hesta is out of danger, but she has fractures in her humerus, scapula, and ribs to varying degrees, Liz."

Liz was stunned for a moment, then immediately got up and rushed out. "That Shawn kid—"

"This isn't because of anyone else, it's because of you!" Molly said gravely. "You hugged her while Bullet Time was active—how could you do something like that, using full force to hug a normal person during Bullet Time?"

Liz froze again.

She turned her head back in disbelief, "...Is it because of me?"

"Did you ever consider that your actions might have directly severed her entire upper body into three pieces?" Moly asked sternly. "Why on earth?"

Liz didn't know how to answer for a moment.

In that instant, she had a strong intuition—if she didn't activate Bullet Time, she might not have been able to stop Hesta.

But that didn't make sense... Hesta hadn't undergone a Secondary Awakening, so how could she possibly not be able to stop her?

Liz raised her hand, stuffed her fingers into her hair, and pulled it back forcefully.

"...I don't know, Ms. Moly. Perhaps... I made a misjudgment."

"You go back and reflect on this too," Moly said. "Perhaps appointing you as Hesta's aide in the first place wasn't a wise decision."

Leaving the office building, Shawn walked down the road, humming a tune.

The weather was great today, and his mood was even better. On an empty corridor, he unconsciously started dancing.

As he passed a fountain, he spun with nimble grace and casually tossed something into the water.

After a very light splash, a silver key gradually sank to the bottom.