"Elena, what are you talking about?! That annoying guy literally admitted he never set foot in the teaching building, let alone saved us!"
Hysteria shook her head vigorously, her mind and body protesting in unison against her friend's bizarre assertion.
"It's hard to explain," Elena replied, feeling a headache coming on. She quickly glanced around the infirmary, eyes pausing hesitantly on the few Shadow Knights still lingering nearby.
Hysteria immediately caught her drift and whispered quietly:
"You used your ability again, didn't you?"
Elena hesitated briefly but finally nodded.
The moment Linen had been called out by that sly female Shadow Knight captain, Elena's heart had started pounding uncontrollably. Every second Linen spent alone with that woman felt like ants crawling across her skin.
In the end, she couldn't resist activating her mind-reading power—but perhaps because she was too flustered, she couldn't pick up anything from Silva or Linen through the wall. She couldn't even sense the thoughts of the Shadow Knights in the infirmary or the black cat lounging on the windowsill.
The only mind Elena had easily read was…
She glanced at Hysteria hesitantly.
"For some reason, I feel like you're thinking something extremely rude right now," Hysteria squinted suspiciously at Elena.
"N-no, it's nothing. Hysteria, though you're a bit…slow…erm, simple-minded, your intuition is actually pretty sharp."
"You totally said it out loud! You weren't even trying to hide it!"
Hysteria puffed her cheeks, arms crossed indignantly. Eventually, her curiosity won out, and after carefully checking no one was eavesdropping, she whispered urgently:
"Elena, why are you so convinced it was that guy who saved us?"
At the mention of this topic, Elena instantly perked up and eagerly shared her reasoning:
"…No matter what, Linen has always been on our side—this is undeniable. Think carefully: if Linen hadn't come to rescue us, then where did Ken go? Teacher Millian clearly said that when she arrived, Ken-sensei had already disappeared!"
"Only Linen could've done all this. Hysteria, I know you have some misunderstandings about him, but please trust Linen—or at least trust in my trust of Linen!"
Seeing Elena's eyes glow each time she mentioned Linen's name, Hysteria staggered backward slightly, thoroughly overwhelmed.
If it weren't for the Shadow Knights nearby repeatedly casting glances their way, she would've loudly argued back. But without being able to shout her objections, she suddenly felt her argument weakening.
The real problem was that Elena was actually making sense!
That obnoxious guy had indeed helped them multiple times.
But if Linen truly wanted friendship, then why did he always bully her?!
Wait a second—he constantly bullied her, yet consistently protected Elena…
Does that mean…the clown here was only ever me all along?!
For a split second, Hysteria felt she'd uncovered a shocking truth.
Damn you, Norton! If you won't let me be happy, I won't let you enjoy yourself either!
Though she felt slightly guilty towards the annoying brat, this time she absolutely had to stop Elena.
Hysteria's brain raced at lightning speed.
"Elena, listen to me carefully. My conclusion is actually the complete opposite of yours. No matter what, we have to behave as if Norton never rescued us."
"Why?!"
Elena stared blankly, shocked that Hysteria's prejudice had reached such an absurd level.
How am I supposed to know why?!
Hysteria braced herself and hastily improvised:
"Think carefully: Norton clearly wants everyone to believe he had nothing to do with our rescue, right? I don't know why, but if you act overly concerned about him, won't that inadvertently confirm he rescued us, possibly causing him trouble?"
"That…actually makes sense!" Elena opened her mouth to object but fell silent as the logic sank in.
If Linen hadn't been forced by special circumstances, someone with his straightforward, cheerful personality would never have hidden it from them.
"Thank you, Hysteria. Without you, I might've accidentally harmed Linen again," Elena sincerely thanked her friend. "You decide what we do next. My head is all fuzzy right now—I'll follow your lead."
I'm in charge now?!
Hysteria beamed triumphantly. An evil thought flashed through her mind—maybe playing a prank on Norton would ease her irritation. If Elena was part of it, technically she wouldn't be breaking their bet about wearing the maid outfit.
Pretending profound wisdom, she smirked mischievously:
"Of course! The great Princess Hysteria already has a perfect plan. We just have to treat Norton coldly, completely isolating him!"
"Treat him coldly…is that really okay?"
"Listen, Elena." Hysteria gently patted her friend's shoulder, comforting her. "If Norton wants to keep his heroics hidden, the best we can do is play along. It's truly for his own good. Plus, after what Ken did, it's natural we'd be wary of others now, right?"
"That…does make sense. So what exactly should we do?"
Elena reluctantly nodded.
"It's simple." Hysteria grinned evilly, her little fangs flashing brightly.
Norton, this time I'll prank you until you cry!
I'm definitely not trying to avoid wearing the maid outfit—since Elena is joining, it's technically not reneging on my promise!
Her wicked plan was already crystal clear.
"We won't thank him, deliberately ignore him, give him the cold shoulder. We'll avoid eating lunch with him, walk around him back at the dorm, and definitely won't invite him along when we use the bathroom. Basically, whenever Norton makes a request, we firmly reject him! Got it?"
"I-I guess. It sounds mean, but if it's for Linen's sake, I'll do my best," Elena agreed hesitantly.
Hysteria smugly rubbed her nose. Just as she prepared to elaborate further, she spotted a familiar figure walking back into the infirmary—it was Linen himself.
She urgently shot Elena a meaningful look.
"Don't forget what we just agreed—"
"Linen! Are you okay? That woman didn't bully you again, did she?"
"Don't worry—we both completely trust you weren't at the teaching building last night!"
Hysteria: ???