The moment she finished speaking, Cross and Wilson exchanged glances.
Of course, they knew Mary Morstan, and the name Russell Watson had reached them even earlier than hers.
Before Russell's name appeared in The Times, Mary's name was known to everyone at Imperial College London.
She was the freshman representative of Imperial College London, the daughter of a businessman, and the top girl in her year.
The fact that she sat next to Russell was no longer much of a secret.
Even before The Times published its article, many people had been speculating about the relationship between her and Russell.
After all, Russell was the only person who had asked her to dance during the icebreaker.
Cross's gaze moved back and forth between Mary and Russell, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
—There must be some kind of story between these two!
She immediately engraved this observation in her heart, but maintained a professional smile on her face.
"Of course, of course I don't mind."
She said.
"If Miss Morstan wishes to participate, it would be an honor."
Mary gave a light nod and said nothing more.
"If that's the case, let's go."
The four left the lecture hall.
The hallway was quieter than before.
Most students had already gone to the cafeteria or the library, and now there were almost no people in the hallway.
Cross walked in front with light, quick steps, as though afraid Russell would change his mind if she fell even one step behind.
Wilson followed behind her, tightly gripping his notebook and pen with a nervous expression.
Russell walked in the middle, and Mary walked beside him.
Neither of them spoke, but Russell occasionally felt the girl's gaze turning toward him.
The empty classroom was soon reached.
It wasn't the secret base where he and Mary had stayed — just an ordinary empty classroom.
"Let's do it in this room."
Cross was the first to push the door open and turned around to wave her hand. "It's very quiet here. No one will disturb us!"
Russell and Mary entered and took their seats.
The two sat in the same row, while Cross and Wilson sat across from them, separated by the desk.
Sunlight streaming through the window divided the desk into two halves of light and shadow.
Cross opened her notebook, Wilson raised his pen, and the two exchanged glances to confirm they were ready.
Russell looked at their attitude and suddenly felt like laughing.
"No need to be so nervous," he said. "I'm not a big shot."
"Of course!"
Cross blurted out, but then realized her tone was far too enthusiastic and quickly cleared her throat twice to hide it.
"I mean... you're on the front page of The Times, visited Buckingham Palace, and... still..."
"Still wanted to escape during the Imperial College freshman opening ceremony."
Mary added. "I'm curious how the principal reacted after reading the report."
Cross was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Wilson also laughed, and his previously tense expression finally relaxed a little.
Russell glanced at Mary.
The girl answered with an innocent expression.
"Are we cooperating?"
"How could that be possible?" Mary tilted her head and spoke in a tone that included a smile. "I'm just helping to liven up the atmosphere."
Cross's gaze once again moved back and forth between the two, and the flames of gossip burned even more fiercely.
She cleared her throat, desperately trying to appear professional.
"In that case..."
"Shall we begin?"
Cross took a deep breath and opened the first page of her notebook.
She first asked questions very similar to those she had asked during the Times interview.
Regarding these questions, Russell had answered Myers at The Times back then, and now he answered Cross in the same way.
This included how he met Charlotte, their later collaboration, and their daily interactions.
When asked about Charlotte's professional abilities, Russell fully affirmed them, and his tone carried something even he himself hadn't noticed.
A kind of trust that was taken for granted.
Mary's gaze lingered on his profile for a while, and something flickered in her eyes.
Cross didn't notice this detail. She was desperately writing while muttering to herself.
"…Trust is taken for granted."
Wilson added from the side. "By the way, how do you usually interact with Miss Holmes?"
"Are you getting along well?"
Russell thought for a moment before speaking. "She handles the cases, and I help.
She talks, I interpret, and when she stays up late and forgets to eat, I remind her to eat."
"Yeah," Wilson carefully chose his words. "You..."
"Are you properly taking care of her?"
"It's just a matter of convenience."
Russell shrugged. "Actually, all the questions you asked, I already answered in The Times, so there's no need to confirm anything further."
Mary's fingers stopped again.
This time, the pause was longer than before.
"Just a matter of convenience."
She softly repeated those words.
Russell looked at her.
Mary raised her face, met his gaze, and smiled slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
The girl withdrew her gaze and looked at Cross across from her.
"Any other questions?"
She asked in a casual tone.
Cross quickly flipped through the pages of her notebook.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
She said. "The next question is——um... three months later, entering Imperial College."
She raised her face and stared straight at Russell.
"How did you do it?"
Russell was silent for two seconds.
"Just..."
"Just read books, memorize the content, and take the exam," he said.
"That's all?"
"That's enough."
Cross and Wilson exchanged glances.
"But" Wilson gathered his courage and said.
"Three months until the Imperial College entrance exam, that's really... really unbelievable.
Do you have any special study methods?
Or... any secrets?"
Russell thought for a moment.
"Yes."
The eyes of both lit up at the same time.
"What kind of secret?"
"Read more books, read more newspapers, eat fewer snacks, and sleep more."
The moment he finished speaking, Cross's pen hovered in mid-air.
Wilson's mouth opened slightly, and the two stared at Russell as though a pause button had been pressed.
The two were silent for a while, as though waiting for Russell to continue.
But Russell didn't pursue it further.
"You... are you joking?"
Cross couldn't help but speak.
"No, I'm not."
Russell had a serious expression.
"That's my secret. You heard it, I said it, but you didn't believe it. Then there's nothing I can do."
He shrugged with a helpless expression.
Seeing this, Wilson gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head.
"This secret is a bit... very plain."
"Let's go back to basics."
"Simplicity is truth."
Russell leaned back in his chair and spoke seriously.
"So, does that mean I only sleep two hours a day and memorize all the books? Do you guys really think that?"
Or maybe I stole Imperial College's reports early and memorized the answers——you decide for yourselves."
Hearing this, Cross and Wilson exchanged glances and fell silent.
Only Mary, sitting beside them, laughed softly. Her silver laughter rang out particularly clearly in the quiet classroom.
Cross's gaze quickly turned to Mary, and she lowered her head, pretending to flip through her notebook.
—There must be some kind of story between these two.
…