The Reason

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

"Why won't you believe me? She underwent a Secondary Awakening, she definitely underwent a Secondary Awakening—"

"Grangua!"

Molly cut off the agitated Shawn. At the same time, the phone on her desk rang.

Molly picked up the receiver. "Hello, Office of the Order Officer."

She listened to the person on the other end, murmuring "Mm-hm" several times before finally sighing. "That's wonderful news."

Liz looked eagerly at Molly. Though she did not know who Molly was speaking to, she had a strong feeling it was the underground hospital.

"Alright, one more question." Molly's gaze swept toward Shawn. "What is Hesta's current Awakening status?"

Everyone held her breath.

"...Alright, I understand." Molly put down the phone and said to Shawn, "Hesta did not undergo a Secondary Awakening. She was merely injured and fainted."

Liz shot to her feet. "What did you do to Hesta—"

"Don't even think about slandering me again! Other than taking her beating, I didn't do anything at all!"

"Fletcher, sit down too!" Molly said sternly. "Hesta's injuries really weren't caused by Shawn."

The office fell quiet again, at least for the moment.

Shawn gave a cold laugh. "See? I told you."

"Get your tempers under control." Molly cast him a chilly glance. "No matter what, as a reserve Quicksilver Needles who had already undergone a Secondary Awakening, you always had a way to escape when Hesta provoked you—so why did you deliberately stay and get tangled up with her?"

Shawn narrowed his eyes, swollen from Hesta's beating. His whole face took on an absurdly theatrical expression.

"This is truly unbelievable, Ms. Moly..." He spread his hands. "You said it yourself—Hesta was the one who 'provoked' me. So are you blaming me now? Do you think that, as the victim, I wasn't perfect enough in the face of my attacker?"

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

"Of course it was because I was trying to figure out what was going on!" Shawn argued heatedly. "It was precisely because I knew that little bit of strength of hers couldn't hurt me that I endured the pain and tried to clear things up with her—"

Liz cut him off angrily. "You must have done something to provoke her again."

"Where's the evidence?" Shawn glanced sideways at her. "I've said it countless times already. This morning, I merely ran into Hesta in the corridor and accidentally bumped into her. Then she came after me like a madwoman and beat me up—I showed the utmost restraint and tolerance of a gentleman. I didn't hit back even once. Look!"

Shawn rolled up his sleeves and showed Liz the injuries on his body.

"Hesta wouldn't pick a fight with you for no reason—"

"She picked a fight with me for no reason today!"

"Enough!" Molly frowned. She had just received the surveillance footage from noon and Mrs. Lavette's testimony in her inbox—Mrs. Lavette, having been badly frightened, was now lying in the underground hospital as well.

Molly opened the files and watched the entire recording without a word.

12:36:14 The two met in the corridor and passed each other. Shawn bumped into Hesta. 12:36:38 Shawn raised his hand, seemingly apologizing to Hesta.

12:36:43 Hesta ignored him, and they each continued in their own direction. 12:37:21 Hesta suddenly stopped where she was. With her back to the camera, she rolled up her sleeve, though it was unclear what she was doing.

12:37:27 Hesta turned around, sprinted toward Shawn, and quickly began grappling with him.

Shawn had indeed not lied—he had been beaten from beginning to end and had not fought back, not even once.

Then there was Mrs. Lavette's testimony... Molly narrowed her eyes.

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

"That's what I've been asking all along. What keys are there in the base? Don't we all use keycards? Even if we take a step back, I don't live with her. How would I know where her key was? Just because she lost a key, she could beat me up whenever she wanted?"

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

Liz and Tulan both shook their heads in confusion. Then Tulan suddenly remembered something. "I think I saw a key tied to her arm when we were bathing before."

"What was it for?"

"...I don't know."

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

"You may," Molly replied. "But until Hesta wakes up, please remain in the apartment and do not go anywhere."

"Understood." Shawn stepped forward and stopped before Molly. "One more question, Ms. Moly. Hesta publicly used violence against me while no one else was in the apartment—the base's handling of her case will be impartial, won't it?"

"Of course." Molly's brows rose slightly as she looked at Shawn. "The base will not favor either side."

"Good. Then I'll be waiting to see it." With that, he turned to Liz. "Miss Fletcher, I hope you always remember that it was your indulgence from the very beginning that led to her excessive behavior now—sometimes, extreme protection of one side is extreme injustice to the other."

Facing the people before him, Shawn made a gesture as if removing an invisible top hat. "Please continue your chat. I'm going back to nurse my injuries."

After Shawn left, Molly looked at Liz.

"Hesta is out of danger now, but her humerus, shoulder blade, and ribs have all suffered fractures to varying degrees, Liz."

Liz froze for a moment, then immediately rushed toward the door. "That bastard Shawn—"

"This wasn't because of anyone else. It was because of you!" Molly said in a low voice. "You held her while Bullet Time was active—how could you do something like that? How could you use your full strength in Bullet Time to hold an ordinary person?"

Liz froze again.

She turned back in disbelief. "...Because of me?"

"Did you ever consider that what you did might have squeezed her entire upper body into three pieces?" Molly demanded sternly. "Why did you do it?"

For a moment, Liz did not know how to answer.

At that instant, she had felt a powerful intuition—if she had not activated Bullet Time, she might not have been able to stop Hesta.

But that made no sense... Hesta had not undergone a Secondary Awakening. How could Liz possibly have been unable to stop her?

Liz raised a hand, ran her fingers into her hair, and forcefully swept it back.

"...I don't know, Ms. Moly. Maybe... I misjudged the situation."

"You should go back and reflect on this properly too," Molly said. "Perhaps having you serve as Hesta's assistant officer was not a wise decision in the first place."

After leaving the office building, Shawn walked down the road alone, humming a tune.

The weather was wonderful, and his mood was even better. In the empty passageway, he began to dance without realizing it.

As he passed a fountain, he spun lightly and casually tossed something into the pool.

After an almost imperceptible splash, a silver key slowly sank to the bottom.