Despite Anastasia's absence from the academy, the expressions of the remaining students weren’t much brighter.

Ophelia had made the decision to leave, believing that her presence would only continue to bring trouble to the students. She convinced herself that they would overcome it quickly, even if it was difficult at first.

Her mistake lay in underestimating the impact her absence would have.

In removing the pain from the wound, she hadn’t anticipated just how severe the aftermath of the surgery would be.

"Aileen, why don’t you go outside and grab something to eat?"

"No, I’ll stay here."

"...It’s been days now, and that’s all you’ve been saying. You should get some fresh air."

"I’m fine. What if the counselor comes back while I’m gone? I’d be devastated."

Sigh.

Stella didn’t bother to hold back the sigh that escaped her lips.

How many days had passed since then? The faces of the students who had frequented the counseling room were unrecognizable.

...Truthfully, Stella wasn’t much better.

Hypnosis. The mere thought of it had thrown her mind into chaos, making her question where the truth ended and the lies began, to the point where she couldn’t even trust herself.

Everything, from breathing to blinking, became something she had to consciously think about. The headache from having to scrutinize even the smallest actions was unbearable.

The confusion stemmed from her inability to trust herself.

Based on what she had observed of Ophelia, there was no way she had acted with malice. That was undeniable.

Given her personality, there had to be a reason Ophelia had lied to them. Stella firmly believed this.

Yet she couldn’t trust herself.

What if her judgment of Ophelia had been wrong? What if her thoughts had been twisted by something, and everything she believed was the exact opposite of the truth?

Ophelia had certainly been kind, offering advice to students and being generally considerate to those around her.

But now, Stella couldn’t trust even that kindness. She wanted to, but the doubt gnawed at her, making her question her own memories.

This internal struggle left her hesitant to search for Ophelia, even though a part of her believed that she wasn’t the type of person to do something so cruel.

Was her desire to find Ophelia her own? Or had the counselor planted that thought in her through hypnosis?

She couldn’t shake these thoughts.

"...I’ll come again tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Stella wanted to tell Aileen that Ophelia wouldn’t come back on her own.

If she truly wanted to see her again, she shouldn’t sit idly in the counseling room—she needed to search for her.

But the words wouldn’t come out, so Stella left the room quietly.

Sigh.

"Ah, hello—wait, what are you doing?!"

"I thought seeing your reaction would cheer me up... It worked."

"What about my consent?!"

"If you accepted it, I wouldn’t get to see your reaction."

"That’s so mean..."

As soon as Stella spotted the familiar figure of a boy standing at the door, she cast a buff on him without a word.

Ignoring the boy’s startled yelp as he suddenly turned into a girl, Stella casually spoke to the transformed Leo.

"Don’t go in there. I just spoke with Aileen."

"...She’s still like that, huh?"

"Yes, she is."

Leo glanced around cautiously, as if checking to see if anyone else was coming. His expression darkened.

"...I should’ve gone with her back then."

"Hm?"

"I was too embarrassed to show this form... so I hid. But even like this, I should’ve asked her directly. Whether she was really that kind of person."

"Even if you’d gone, it wouldn’t have changed anything."

"Maybe, but at least I would’ve been able to accept it if I’d confirmed it myself. As it is, I just can’t believe it."

Leo stared at the counseling room with a bitter smile, as if recalling the noisy days they’d spent there.

He hadn’t been present during the event, having only heard the story afterward.

Unlike Aileen, who waited helplessly, or Anya, who avoided the topic by burying herself in work at the church, Leo wasn’t convinced by what had happened.

Orca was consumed by anger, glaring at anyone who even mentioned Ophelia’s name. But Leo wasn’t like that. He didn’t believe what the counselor had said.

In fact, he had been actively searching for her, determined to find out where she had gone.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why are you so intent on finding Ophelia? She’s a hypnotist. Even the feelings we have for her could have been manipulated..."

"But they might not have been."

"..."

"Look, I know I don’t have any proof, but... I want to believe in her. I want to believe that she’s not that kind of person."

Leo scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly, as if unsure whether it was okay to say something like that.

He soon dropped his hand from his hair, clearly self-conscious about the strands that had been bothering him.

"...I see. Then you should probably go to the 'Old Lady.'"

"The old lady...?"

"The principal. If anyone knows anything, it’ll be her. Ophelia was a staff member here, after all."

"...!"

Was it right to say this?

If Ophelia truly was a bad person, then Leo might end up losing a friend he had fought so hard to keep.

Even with that thought in mind, Stella told him the one method she had been too afraid to try herself.

"Thank you! I’ll let you know what I find out!"

"Wait, hold on—...he’s gone."

Watching Leo rush off, Stella sighed.

Had he forgotten that the buff was still active?

The old lady was already on edge with all the recent incidents. Stella couldn’t imagine how she’d react to an unfamiliar student asking sensitive questions.

...He’ll undo the buff before he gets there, right?

"I don’t know."

"What?! Why not?!"

"Before I answer that, may I ask you something first?"

Veronica stared at the unfamiliar student who had barged into her office, demanding to know where Ophelia had gone.

"I don’t recognize you. What’s your business?"

"As I just explained, I wish to speak with Ophelia. I know it’s an imposition, but I would really appreciate it if you could tell me where she went."

"That’s not what I’m asking."

"Then...?"

"I know all the students in this academy. And yet, you’re not one of them, are you?"

Not a student?

Leo tilted his head, confused by her words. The long strands of hair brushed against his face, tickling his eyes.

Squinting in discomfort, he pushed the hair back and suddenly realized what the principal meant.

"Oh, this... I mean... I’m not usually like this! I’m, uh, normally an academy student!"

"...Is that so? And who might you be?"

"Uh..."

"If you don’t answer, I’ll assume you’re an outsider."

Tell her? Now?

Leo’s eyes wavered with uncertainty.

He really didn’t want to explain this. He had no idea how she would react.

...But if he didn’t say something, things would only get worse.

She was already looking at him suspiciously.

If this kept up, the principal might even treat him as a potential threat.

And if it came to that... force might be used.

At that thought, Leo blurted out, "I’m Leo! It’s me, Leo!"

"I know Leo is male. And taller than you. Stop spouting nonsense."

"Th-the princess! Princess Stella used her buff on me, and this is what happened!"

"...What?"

"It’s a long story, but..."

In his desperation, Leo began explaining everything, starting from the morning of the day they fought the prince alongside Princess Stella, recounting every unnecessary detail.

"So that’s why Princess Stella occasionally does this to me..."

"Enough. I understand."

"Thank goodness..."

"I thought you were some cross-dressing pervert, but I see now that’s not the case."

Mortified, Leo shouted, "That’s too much!"

"It was a joke. I understand why Stella enjoys teasing you. Your reactions are amusing."

"That’s so unfair..."

Am I really that easy to tease?

Leo’s expression turned sullen as he realized that ever since receiving Princess Stella’s buff, people had been teasing him more often.

"But, putting that aside, I can’t tell you what you asked about."

"...Why not?"

"I already told you. I don’t know where she went."

"But..."

"As it is, I’m too busy dealing with the aftermath of the recent attack. I haven’t had the time to look into Ophelia’s whereabouts."

"..."

Ophelia was supposedly behind the attack. The terrorists had claimed she was the mastermind behind everything.

And yet, the principal, who had personally beheaded the leader of the attackers, insisted she didn’t know where Ophelia was.

"It’s been a chaotic time since the traitor at the start of the term, and we can’t afford to let the public find out that another potential threat was within the academy. ...Don’t repeat what I’m about to tell you. Officially, we’re claiming that Ophelia is in hiding due to being falsely accused by the terrorists."

"...Should you really be telling me this?"

"You helped that arrogant brat. I figured you deserved to know."

The principal let out a weary sigh.

Leo couldn’t begin to guess what emotions lay behind it.

"I only know what Stella told me, so I can’t give you much more. ...If I remember anything useful, I’ll let you know. But for now, you should leave."

"...Understood. Thank you."

Realizing he had overstayed his welcome, Leo reluctantly left.

If even the principal didn’t know where Ophelia had gone, then where could she be?

The one clear path he had seen had just closed before his eyes.