Cooperation

“You were cursing so boldly earlier, why are you acting like a corpse now?”

“Shut up, I’m not in the mood to talk right now···.”

“Hey, I’m uncomfortable too. Did you forget we’re sharing the same body? Even if I can’t read your emotions, I can feel your physical sensations.”

I wish you’d just shut up.

Orca suppressed the urge to hit herself as the parasite borrowing her mouth spoke so nonchalantly.

If she hit herself, Haze would definitely feel the pain too – but she’d also feel the recoil herself.

Even if she desperately wanted to strike, the moment she did, Orca herself would feel the pain too.

No matter how infuriating Haze was, she couldn’t hit them.

As Orca fumed alone, Haze’s voice reached her ears.

“By the way, I’ve been watching quietly··· Why are you just lying there?”

“What’s with you all of a sudden? Why are you picking a fight?”

“Well, I thought you could just go find her. That woman didn’t seem to particularly dislike you.”

“···What?”

Just as Orca’s anger was rising at Haze’s condescending tone implying she was looking at an idiot-

A shockingly impactful statement escaped Orca’s lips, blowing away all her rage.

“There’s no evidence but you have circumstantial proof, right? Others might not know, but you should realize that person has been deliberately pushing you away.”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“···You really didn’t know? It was obvious she was deliberately provoking you.”

“What?”

The moment she heard Haze’s voice suggesting they’d lied to push them away, Orca slammed her head against the wall.

“Ouch! That hurts! What the hell!”

“···Explain that statement in detail. Unless you want to experience something more painful.”

Orca stared intently at the mirror.

Though blood streamed down her forehead with throbbing pain, such trivial things didn’t bother her at all.

The only thing that mattered now was verifying the truth of Haze’s story.

That was all.

“Really, I would’ve told you even without the threats.”

“Speak. Now.”

“So impatient. ···It’s nothing special, but unlike others, you have one way to verify the counselor teacher’s truth, right?”

“What is it?! I don’t know so tell me now! Speak!”

Unable to bear the frustration, Orca tried smashing her forehead against the wall again.

She might have done it if the voice hadn’t come from her own mouth.

“That incense.”

“···Incense?”

“Yeah, what you’re smelling right now. I heard last time it has efficacy in subduing demons?”

“What about it.”

“Seriously? You’re hearing me talk normally right now and still don’t get it?”

“···Huh?”

“It’s fake, you idiot. Fake.”

···Fake? This?

Orca blankly stared at the incense emitting familiar smoke in her palm.

“B-but··· After smelling this, you stopped trying to take over my body…”

“Ah, that? ···Tch, do I have to say this?”

Haze briefly hesitated about telling the dazed Orca.

But only for a moment.

Haze decided to tell Orca about their experiences.

No particular reason.

Just because doing good deeds feels nice.

If they revealed the true intentions of the teacher Orca adored so much, she’d surely feel good.

···Plus, they could mess with that teacher who placed this curse-like contract.

“Though I hate to admit it, I lost.”

“What do you…”

“Don’t make me say it twice. I lost a bet. To the counselor teacher.”

Orca blankly stared at the incense emitting faint smoke while all her nerves focused on listening to and understanding Haze’s words.

She paid no attention to the pain in her forehead or the blood dripping into her eyes.

“The reason I didn’t take your body is because I couldn’t. I told you I lost the bet, right?”

“···.”

“That counselor exercised the winner’s right. The condition was to never commit evil deeds again. But something was strange.”

“What was.”

“Even before making the bet, my perception had already changed to prefer good deeds over evil ones. ···Meaning, it’s true that counselor has hypnotic abilities.”

The teacher really had that ability.

As Orca bowed her head upon hearing this-

Her mouth opened again.

“It’s true she hypnotized you. But did you never consider that the content might be different from what you thought?”

“What do you mean?”

“If she really disliked you, there’d be no reason to go through that act. She could’ve just hypnotized you and left.”

A lie.

Haze said the teacher had lied to her.

What could that possibly mean?

Normally she’d dismiss complicated things as bothersome, but countless assumptions flashed through her mind so fast she wondered if her brain could handle it.

“···.”

Both the hypnosis and the repeated lies were certain.

But the content of the lies was different – Teacher were deliberately pushing her away.

The moment she realized this, it felt like lightning struck her mind.

“Fuck···.”

She wanted to deny it, but no matter how much she thought, there was only one answer.

“The hypnosis teacher said she used… was it to help me sleep better···?”

“Well, probably more than that. Like helping you study better? You’ve been doing well in studies lately. That’s not like you, right?”

“···.”

There’s no way she’d use hypnosis for such trivial things.

Even trying to rationalize it was impossible. Anyone could see it with a little thought.

Somehow noticing her sleep-deprived state, the teacher had taken measures to help her sleep comfortably.

The fact she’d only helped her get slightly better sleep.

Orca smashed her head against the wall again.

How could she have missed even this small thing···!

“Owww···! I told you so why are you hitting the wall again!”

“Haaa···.”

This is insane.

If what she just thought was true, she’d become unspeakable trash.

Though she hadn’t known, she’d driven away someone who’d been secretly helping her.

What had she said again? That she’d kill them if they didn’t disappear from her sight immediately.

Orca covered her eyes and blankly looked up at the ceiling.

If she could return to the past, she felt like killing her past self.

***

“···You couldn’t find them?”

“Yes. Due to insufficient information, precise location is extremely difficult.”

“That’s··· No, fine. Understood. Please continue your efforts. Contact me if found.”

“Understood.”

Stella barely suppressed the urge to shout at the knight bowing in report.

How could they fail such a simple task when ordered to find someone?

Though she desperately wanted to yell, she knew doing so would only demoralize them further.

Feigned encouragement was a hundred times better than letting things drag on.

“Sigh···.”

Still, she couldn’t hide her frustration.

How many days had passed since Stella started searching for the teacher after seeing Leo’s efforts?

Though merely days without results was natural, Stella grew increasingly anxious.

“···Where could they be?”

The reason was simple.

···She knew far less about Teacher Ophelia than she’d thought.

Exact age, birthplace, family – all unknown.

She needed more specific information to narrow the search, but all she had were basic details anyone could know.

“What kind of next emperor am I? Damn it.”

Frankly, she hadn’t expected it to be this difficult.

Because she was the next emperor.

The person expected to become the highest in the nation.

With her father expected to pass away soon, Stella was effectively the highest authority in the empire now.

Yet despite this position-

A position where she could obtain any jewel with a word, she clicked her tongue at being unable to find one person.

“Halt! Who goes there! This is where Princess-nim resides-!”

“Move. I need to talk to the person inside.”

“How dare you!”

How could she find the counselor teacher?

As she pondered this deeply-

A commotion arose outside her door with a familiar voice.

“What’s happening.”

“Apologies, Princess-nim! An uninvited guest arrived. We’ll send them away immediately.”

“Uninvited guest?”

“Yes. They insisted on meeting you. A strange one with black hair and white speckles.”

“Let them in.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“···Yes! Understood!”

Black hair with white speckles.

Only one person Stella knew matched that description.

Orca, undoubtedly.

This was the first time she’d come seeking Stella first.

···Whatever the reason, Stella decided to let her in.

They were friends, after all.

“Lucky you. Having annoying folks like that around.”

“I am the next emperor, you know.”

“Right. Since neither of us likes beating around the bush, let’s get to the point. Help me find Teacher Ophelia.”

Without hiding her bleeding forehead, Orca made her demand to Stella.

To help find the teacher.