If she wrote something like this, she would probably be shot in the back multiple times and die within days, right?
Cross said nothing in response to Mary's words and simply lowered her head, pretending to organize her notebook.
"Um..." After a while, she cleared her throat twice and broke the suffocating ambiguous atmosphere.
"Well..."
Then, Miss Morstan, what do you think of Miss Charlotte Holmes?"
She quickly changed the topic, steering the burning flames of gossip toward another battlefield.
Hearing that question, Mary's eyes, which had carried a faint trace of gentleness, immediately returned to their usual calm.
"Charlotte Holmes..."
She picked up the glass on the table and gently took a sip with an elegant, composed movement.
"Honestly, I'm actually not very close to her. At least, our interactions aren't that frequent."
Mary spoke very naturally, without any intention of looking down on or distancing herself. She was simply stating facts.
"But I do know she's really amazing."
She calmly acknowledged.
"It wouldn't be a problem to call her the smartest at Imperial College London."
She placed Charlotte on a high pedestal.
Cross nodded, wrote something in her notebook, and raised her face again.
"So, what do you think about the partnership between Miss Holmes and Watson?"
"Opinion?"
Mary tilted her head, seeming a little surprised by the question.
"I don't have much of an opinion on that, but if I had to say, I think they're a very well-coordinated team."
Mary said.
"Just like The Times said, one handles solving cases, the other handles interpretation, and they cooperate very well.
Also, she's very lucky."
"Lucky?"
Wilson asked with interest.
"To be able to meet an assistant who understands her so well with such an eccentric detective——isn't that lucky enough?"
Mary smiled as she countered.
Cross's pen tip drew a heavy horizontal line under the word "luck."
A woman's intuition told her that this word wasn't as simple as it appeared on the surface.
She wanted to ask more, but whether it was sixth sense or survival instinct, she remained silent.
So Cross took a deep breath and decided to follow her will to survive and her sixth sense.
"Then, Watson——"
At this moment, Russell was leaning back in his chair with a completely indifferent expression.
When he heard Cross call his name again, he raised an eyebrow.
"Hm?"
"One last question."
The girl smiled at him. "Then our interview will be over."
"Ah, okay."
Russell nodded. "May I ask what it is?"
"I want to know," Cross took a deep breath, "what do you think of Miss Morstan?"
The moment he finished speaking, Russell was completely stunned.
Even Mary was stunned. She still maintained her perfectly composed smile, but her body instinctively tensed slightly.
"Mary..." Russell opened his mouth, and countless adjectives immediately came to mind.
"Dignified, generous, beautiful, elegant... smart?"
He said these adjectives, and Wilson also cooperated by taking notes while occasionally glancing at Mary's posture.
The girl still sat with her back straight, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, as though satisfied with those adjectives.
But if one observed more carefully, one would notice that with each adjective Russell added, Mary's ears grew a little redder.
"Is this enough?"
Russell asked. "If that's not enough, I can say two more."
"Um..." Cross thought for a while and then shook her head.
"Watson, what you said is very good and completely correct. It perfectly matches the words of Miss Mary Morstan."
She carefully chose her words as she spoke.
"But similarly, these kinds of things can be used anywhere, for any woman, in any social setting.
But that's not what I want to ask——what I want to ask is..."
She glanced at Mary and then quickly looked away.
"You and Miss Morstan are desk mates, right? So you should know each other quite well...
So what I want to know is, what kind of person is Miss Morstan in your eyes?"
"Um... Perfect?"
Russell said.
"Not social formalities."
Wilson gathered his courage and spoke.
"Just... what you really feel... you know?"
He couldn't continue. There were some things that couldn't be said too clearly.
But Russell understood what he wanted to say.
In other words, do you want to kill me?
The classroom fell silent for a few seconds.
And then Russell turned his face to look at Mary.
Mary was also looking at him.
Those blue eyes were filled with curiosity and expectation, and a trace of nervousness could also be felt.
She didn't rush him and simply looked at Russell, waiting for the real answer.
In that moment, Russell couldn't help but recall what had happened in the classroom yesterday afternoon.
That was an absolute secret that couldn't be revealed to anyone.
At least, there hadn't been any major progress in their relationship since then.
The relationship wasn't confirmed, but their usual interactions remained unchanged.
So... well, let's call them friends.
Russell thought to himself.
No matter what happens in the future, it's not a problem right now.
Finally, he took a deep breath and looked away.
"She..."
As he spoke, he immediately drew the attention of the other three.
Cross's pen tip hovered in mid-air, and she was almost afraid to breathe.
Wilson tightly gripped his pen, his knuckles turning white.
Mary still maintained that posture, but her breathing seemed to stop for an instant.
"For me... Mary...…"
Finally, under the three's eager gazes, he took a deep breath and gave his answer.
"She's a very good friend."
He said sincerely.
"A friend who makes time feel like it passes in the blink of an eye."
The classroom fell silent for a few more seconds.
Cross's hand hovered in mid-air while gripping the pen, and her expression was somewhat complicated——as though her expectations had been dashed, yet at the same time she let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, I can write it.
She quickly glanced at Mary and then looked away, lowering her head and pretending to organize her notebook.
A very good friend.
Sometimes a friend who makes time feel like it passes in the blink of an eye.
She quietly savored these entences in her heart, and then neatly wrote them down in her notebook.
Next to it was a small asterisk, which was her own note.
This part is safe to write. Nothing will happen.
Wilson looked at Russell and then at Mary. He didn't quite understand why this answer created such an awkward atmosphere.
He opened his mouth to say something, but seeing Cross's expression, he wisely closed it.
And Mary——that girl——simply smiled gently.
She said nothing about Russell's words and instead turned to face Cross.
"Any other questions?"
"N-no, that's all!"
Cross hurriedly closed her laptop, moving so quickly as though she was afraid that staying here even one more second would cause something uncontrollable to happen.
"Thank you both for your cooperation! This interview is going to be really exciting!"
Wilson also stood up and lowered his head, muttering "Thank you, thank you."
Russell stood up and glanced at Mary.
Mary also stood up, straightened her skirt, and moved with elegant composure.
"Well then, let's head out first."
Russell nodded to the two and left the empty classroom together with Mary.
The two walked side by side, their footsteps quietly echoing in the empty hallway.
"Good friends."
Suddenly Mary spoke. Her voice was soft, carrying an almost imperceptible smile.
"So that's the kind of person I am to you."
Her tone was unreadable——whether she was happy or dissatisfied.
Russell stopped walking.
He turned his face to look at her.
"…Anything else?"
Mary finally turned her face to look at him.
Those blue eyes were still filled with gentleness and a smile, and there was something Russell couldn't understand.
"Nevermind."
She gently shook her head, withdrew her gaze, and continued walking.
After taking a few steps, she stopped again.
She turned around, and sunlight poured onto her profile, casting a faint golden glow on her silver hair.
"But,
She paused.
"A friend who makes time feel like it passes in the blink of an eye——maybe that's not so bad?"
The moment she finished speaking, before Russell could answer, she turned around and continued walking.
Friends...…
People you really liked can never become friends.
Just seeing them once makes you want that.