"Her, ta."
Screwllum approached Asta and spoke calmly.
"I'm delighted to see you too, Mr. Screwllum," Asta said with a slight smile. "Lady Herta is waiting in her office. Shall we go now?"
Screwllum nodded. "Sure."
Asta was clearly used to Screwllum's speech patterns. Just as she was about to lead him to Herta, she seemed to remember something, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. "Mr. Screwllum, before that, I'd like to introduce someone."
She stepped behind Stelle, placing her hands on Stelle's shoulders, and said with a bright smile, "This is Stelle, a Nameless from the Astral Express."
Screwllum looked at Stelle. "She, been, dark?"
Asta nodded. "Exactly."
Screwllum: "Why, she, free?"
Asta: "You know how she is."
Screwllum: "Understood."
Stelle: ???
Though she couldn't understand a word Screwllum was saying, her instincts told her these two were definitely discussing something about her.
They might even be plotting something right in front of her.
Sure enough, after their brief encrypted conversation, Screwllum turned to Stelle. "I, Screwllum, go."
Arlan helpfully translated for Stelle, "Hello, Miss Stelle, I'm Screwllum. Could I trouble you to come with us?"
Stelle instinctively stepped back, a bad feeling rising in her chest. "What do you guys want?"
"Relax~"
Asta pushed Stelle forward by the shoulders, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "We're just going to Lady Herta's office. No trouble at all."
"Mr. Screwllum is a very important person. Help us out, Stelle, and I'll make it worth your while, okay?"
The warm breath tickled Stelle's ear, and she turned her head, asking suspiciously, "Why do I feel like this isn't going to end well?"
"How could it not?" Asta hummed playfully, shaking her phone. On it was her chat with March 7th. "If March 7th finds out you snuck here to have fun and ignored her calls… you know what to do, right?"
Stelle's eyes widened. "Let's talk this out! That's really not okay."
You can guard against a thousand things, but a traitor within is the hardest to stop. March 7th was one excuse away from soloing her, and if Asta spilled the beans…
That absolutely couldn't happen!
"Leaving your best friend behind is a big deal, don't you think?"
"Asta, I-I'll make it up to her! Just take me to the office, and that's it, right?"
"Heh~ That depends on your performance, Miss Stelle."
And so, under Asta's "coercion and temptation," Stelle nervously followed Asta and Screwllum to the door of Herta's office.
Compared to her last visit, the office door's security system had clearly been upgraded. There were now three password locks, not to mention a slew of biometric authentications.
It was clear how much of a psychological shadow Stelle's trio had left on Herta last time.
Screwllum stepped forward, went through a round of identity verification, and soon, the dozen or so defense systems disengaged one by one. The office door slowly opened—
Beyond the door was a world of darkness. Herta sat at her desk, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on her laptop.
Was Herta's social anxiety so bad that even her private space was kept in the dark…? Stelle silently snarked to herself.
"Her."
Screwllum's voice was neither loud nor soft, uttering a single syllable.
"Eek…!"
Herta, engrossed in whatever she was looking at, didn't notice them at the door for several seconds. When she did, she nervously slammed her laptop shut, instinctively about to bolt.
"La—dy—Her—ta?"
Asta put her hands on her hips, her drawn-out tone carrying a hint of mischief. "Mr. Screwllum and Stelle are here. Don't be so rude."
"Eep!"
Herta's steps froze instantly. She stiffly turned around, head lowered, walking pitifully toward them like a child who'd done something wrong.
Something… felt off.
Stelle furrowed her brow, sensing this wasn't so simple.
Was Herta that scared of Asta? No, it felt more like Asta had some dirt on her.
This Asta… was not to be messed with.
"Sc-Screwllum, and… Stelle, hi."
Herta's voice was soft and mushy, paired with a teary-eyed expression that made one want to tease her mercilessly.
But Stelle didn't, because this Herta wasn't a puppet—it was the real deal. She couldn't reconcile this face with Herta's current behavior.
The contrast was too much.
Considering Herta's social anxiety, Stelle decided to keep her tone as gentle as possible, smiling. "Hi, Herta, long time no see! Hey, last time we met here, we were—"
She stopped mid-sentence, realizing the last encounter wasn't exactly a fond memory.
Asta was already facepalming with a sigh.
"Eek, eek, eek—You, you still remember what happened last time?!"
Herta's mouth gaped, and she looked at Asta in distress. "Asta, didn't you say she wouldn't remember something from so long ago? You lied!"
The last meeting with Stelle was one of the memories Herta most wanted to erase from her long life!
All her little secrets had been exposed!
The worst part was, the person who uncovered her secrets not only remembered but was actively bringing it up… Oh no, she couldn't breathe. She had to, had to escape!
With that thought, Herta's body acted on instinct, rushing out of the office without looking back, leaving only one sentence: "I-I'm not feeling well. I need some air!"
Stelle, Asta, and Screwllum watched her retreating figure, a bead of cold sweat sliding down their heads.
Asta pulled out her phone. "Looks like I should tell Miss March 7th…"
"No!"
Stelle grabbed Asta's leg, pleading desperately. "I-I can make it up! Please, this is really important to me. March can't know!"
"Oh?" Asta tilted her head, a sly smile curling her lips. "So it's that important?"
"So, as long as I don't tell Miss March 7th, you'll do anything I ask?"
Stelle answered nervously, "Y-Yes, Lady Stationmaster."
"I see." Asta extended a slender finger, lifting Stelle's chin lightly. "In that case, go chase down Lady Herta first. As for the rest… hehe, we'll talk later."
"After all, we have plenty of time."