This is going to be difficult... I guess I have to start now, Vera thought to herself.
She glanced toward Ellen and reached out through telepathy.
I'm going to the third floor to inspect that painting. You and Roxanne stay here on guard. If you notice anything that could jeopardize the plan, call the others.
Understood. Focus on your task—leave the rest to me.
Ellen replied telepathically.
Vera took a quiet breath, steadying her resolve.
Alright... time to move.
"Ah, I just remembered—I think I'll head up to the third floor. I heard there are a lot of famous paintings displayed there," Vera announced aloud, her tone light and casual.
"The third floor? What a coincidence—I was planning to go there too. I heard there's a cursed painting on display." Kanna stepped closer, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips. "How about we go together?"
Vera's stomach tightened. A bad feeling washed over her instantly.
Wait—if I accept, my movements will be restricted. But if I refuse, Kanna will definitely get suspicious and come up anyway. She's not the type to listen to me.
She realized it didn't matter which choice she made—the outcome would be the same. Either way, Kanna would be watching her every step.
"Alright. Let's go upstairs," Vera replied, forcing a composed smile toward Kanna, who was now standing right in front of her.
"I knew it. You really don't have a choice, do you?" Kanna said with a knowing smirk. She then turned her head toward Eri. "Eri, do you want to come along?"
"No thanks. I'll stay here with Roxanne and Ellen," Eri replied, flashing her usual gentle, carefree smile.
"Fine by me." Kanna turned and began walking toward the staircase without hesitation, her footsteps echoing softly. "Come on, Vera. Time to head up. I don't like wasting time," she added, climbing the steps one by one without looking back.
"Alright—alright, I'm coming," Vera muttered, following closely behind her, already bracing herself for whatever Kanna had in store.
---
"Okay... so now what are we going to do?" Roxanne asked once the two had disappeared from sight. She turned to Eri with a curious look. "Got any ideas, Eri?"
"Of course," Eri replied cheerfully, already making her way toward the large crowd gathered around a certain display. "How about we take a look at *that*?" She pointed toward the artifact at the center of the commotion.
"The Nexus Sapphire... a Relic-class artifact. Oh, right—this *is* the Nexus Sapphire exhibition, isn't it?" Ellen realized internally, mentally slapping herself. *I completely forgot... She's definitely going to find it strange that we don't know about this.*
"What is it?" Roxanne asked bluntly.
*Oh no, Roxanne—don't make it worse!* Ellen groaned inwardly.
"You really don't know? To put it simply, the Nexus Sapphire is a legendary artifact," Ellen explained aloud, keeping her tone measured.
"Ohh, a legendary artifact... What does it do?" Roxanne pressed, her eyes sparkling with genuine curiosity.
*Roxanne, seriously?! We're on a mission—don't make Eri suspicious!* Ellen hissed through telepathy.
*But I'm actually curious too!* Roxanne shot back mentally.
"As for its abilities... if I remember correctly, the Nexus Sapphire is used to create an inventory box. So maybe spatial manipulation, or something along those lines," Eri said, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she tried to recall.
"That's it?" Roxanne tilted her head.
"No, probably more than that. The artifact's abilities aren't fixed—they say the Nexus Sapphire can even alter information," Eri added.
"That's so inconsistent," Roxanne remarked with a puzzled frown.
"Well, my teacher once told me that the artifact can adapt its function based on the user's logic—but exactly how it works... I honestly don't know," Eri admitted with a small shrug.
Maybe I really should start skipping fewer classes from now on,
Ellen thought to herself, slightly embarrassed by her own lack of knowledge.
"I see... so that's how it works," Roxanne murmured, nodding slowly. Then, in a quieter voice, she added, "No wonder Alcrypna's abilities work differently when senior Vera uses it."
Eri's head snapped toward Roxanne in an instant. "What did you just say?"
Before Roxanne could react, Ellen clamped a hand over her mouth. "Nothing. She didn't say anything."
"No—I definitely heard her say Alcrypna," Eri insisted, her expression shifting into something sharper. One eyebrow rose as she studied both of them intently, her gaze cutting through them like she was trying to read a hidden script.
*Roxanne! Why did you bring that up?!* Ellen shouted telepathically.
*I slipped!* Roxanne replied, panicked.
*I told you—we're espers! If you're going to mutter, do it inside your head! Look at her now—she's obviously suspicious!* Ellen's mental voice was laced with frustration.
"Do you two have some kind of connection to that artifact?" Eri asked, her voice calm but pointed.
"No—none at all," Ellen said quickly.
"Don't lie to me. I know you know something. I'm not that easy to fool," Eri replied coolly, crossing her arms.
Ellen felt the trap closing in. Her thoughts raced. *Damn it—I forgot that just because she can't read my mind doesn't mean she can't detect lies. At this point... I have no choice.*
"...Yes. We do know something," Ellen admitted quietly.
"Finally. Now tell me what it is," Eri demanded.
"That artifact... is what turned me into a woman," Ellen confessed.
"I knew it. So Vera was right—that artifact really does have strange abilities," Eri said, her expression shifting into something almost thoughtful rather than hostile.
Ellen blinked, caught off guard by Eri's calm reaction. "Wait... that's it? You're not going to interrogate us further?"
"No. I just wanted to confirm whether what Vera told me outside was true. She said you could change from a mage into an esper—and even from a man into a woman—because of the artifact. I just needed to verify it," Eri explained, her tone matter-of-fact.
Ellen's expression hardened with suspicion. "Vera told you all that?"
"Yeah. I'd heard a rumor about an Etheria Academy student who transformed into a woman. At first, I assumed it was magic—but then I also heard she became an esper and planned to transfer to Asteria Academy. So it couldn't have been just some ritual effect," Eri said, meeting Ellen's gaze directly.
*I never expected her to be this sharp... She's not nearly as naive as Vera made her out to be,* Ellen thought, her wariness deepening.
"Oh, by the way—if you can become an esper, could that process turn me into a witch?" Eri asked, her tone suddenly bright and curious.
Ellen blinked again, dumbfounded. "It... should be possible. But why would you want to become a witch?"
Eri's smile returned, soft and dreamy. "I just want to be like the characters from the books I read."
For a moment, Ellen was speechless. And in that silence, she realized—maybe Vera's assessment of Eri wasn't entirely wrong after all.