Ch.47Chapter 47 – Zia Lestrade

“Adler, it’s morning.”

“………”

“Wake up.”

When the probability of being murdered changed from 99 percent to 1 percent, I was quite excited about the professor.

“…I know, Professor.”

“Is that so?”

But after several days had passed, I was gradually realizing that something was definitely wrong.

“…Professor, you should get up first.”

“I’ll get up when you do.”

“But I’m still sleepy…”

It was no exaggeration to say that the professor was protecting me.

Since that day, the professor had moved my quarters to her office, and was literally spending every moment with me.

The problem was that the extent of it was quite serious.

“Aren’t you going to the bathroom soon anyway? You always take care of your bodily functions at this time.”

“………”

Studying, meals, bathroom breaks, and even falling asleep and waking up. I’ve done all of those things with the professor for the past few days, which says it all.

“Adler, why are you making that expression?”

“…No matter how you look at it, isn’t it a bit much to share a bathroom or sleep in the same bed?”

Feeling like I might never get another chance to bring this up if not now, I scratched my head and asked the question.

“Adler, if we sleep separately and you get attacked, my response would inevitably be delayed.”

At that, Professor Moriarty, who was hugging me from behind as we lay in bed, smiled and began to answer.

“That’s true, but…”

“We’re dealing with someone who can appear anywhere by dwelling in shadows. We must not let our guard down.”

Eventually, the professor held me tighter in her arms and rested her head on my shoulder.

“I said I would protect you, and I will protect you no matter what.”

“………”

“You brought this upon yourself, so I won’t accept any objections.”

Isn’t this basically imprisonment, just with different wording?

“I want to go for a walk today, Professor.”

“The outside is dangerous, Adler.”

“…Would it be okay if I’m with you, Professor?”

“I’ll allow a walk within the academy grounds.”

Hmm, I think I’m right. This is imprisonment that cleverly exploits loopholes in the system.

‘This is a bit dangerous…’

Except for a few characters, imprisonment is a risk factor that leads directly to a bad ending.

So I think I need to do something before the system recognizes this current state as imprisonment.

“Professor.”

“……?”

“This can’t continue.”

With that thought, I turned around and began to whisper to the professor in a low voice, wearing a slightly serious expression.

“I’m a man too, you know.”

The professor tilted her head as was her habit.

“If you keep making physical contact like this, I might end up pouncing on you instead.”

“Hmm.”

“You hadn’t thought of that, had you?”

As she stopped tilting her head and stared at me intently, I tried to put on the most masculine expression I could and embraced her.

“…From what I can see, you seem to have a tendency to ask for punishment.”

After I maintained a confident expression for quite some time, the professor quietly leaned her head toward me.

“Is it because you’re not normal like me?”

“Me? I’m ordinary…”

“Ordinary people don’t say with a bright expression that a new mystery has emerged when they’re stabbed with a knife and losing consciousness.”

Her dark smile, as she licked her lips like a lizard, was so frightening that my confident expression began to crack without me realizing it.

“Nor do they feel sad about errors in mysteries while dying with their stomach slashed open.”

“………”

“Nor do they make statements and actions that drive women crazy without realizing it, while maintaining an innocent expression.”

At the same time, the professor began to caress my cheek.

“I’ve deliberately done it a few times because of cases, but I’ve never done it unconsciously…”

“Adler, if you do this to people other than me, something terrible could happen.”

“………”

“People’s patience is surprisingly limited.”

Since the professor’s gaze was somehow different from usual, I quietly nodded and returned to being her assistant.

“Honestly, I still have many questions about you.”

But the professor’s atmosphere remained changed.

“Whether you’re a good person or a bad person.”

“Um…”

“What on earth did you do before becoming an actor that makes you unfazed by these things?”

As she continued to hit the mark, making me break out in a cold sweat—

– Knock knock knock…

Someone began knocking on the office door.

“I want to ask you everything, but since we have a visitor, I’ll postpone it.”

With that, Professor Moriarty quietly released me from her embrace and seated me beside her.

“Come in.”

– Creeeeak…

As I sat on the makeshift bed with my head lowered and my face slightly flushed, the door quietly opened.

“….Huh?”

When I saw the people who entered, I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide.

“Long time no see~”

“Ahem.”

I couldn’t help but be surprised because Microny Holmes, someone I never thought would appear here, was standing before us accompanied by her sister Sharlotte Holmes.

“…Who are you?”

“My, why do you pretend not to know?”

As I stared blankly at the scene, Professor Moriarty and Microny Holmes began talking while looking at each other with chilling gazes.

“Even as a professor at August Academy, I can’t identify someone I’ve never seen before.”

“If you insist on pretending not to know, let me introduce myself as the person who has been tormenting you with audits for the past month.”

“So you were the one backing Sharlotte Holmes?”

As I felt a chill down my spine at this catastrophic situation where two world-class powerful figures were already clashing—something that should never happen—

“…Huh?”

A new face began to appear behind them.

“It seems you came fully prepared?”

Professor Moriarty, after confirming that face, chuckled and muttered.

“Seeing that you brought that child as well.”

“…I’m truly sorry, but.”

The strongest combatant at August Academy, who had been following me conspicuously every day for the past month.

“You’ll have to cooperate, Professor.”

It was the appearance of Zia Lestrade.

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“So, what’s the reason for this well-prepared invasion of my office?”

“It’s simple.”

When Professor Moriarty, who had been tilting her head for a while, asked the question, Microny Holmes, who had taken a seat on the office sofa as if standing was tiring, answered in a languid voice.

“Please cooperate with the investigation of the most talked-about case in England right now.”

“…You mean the Gil the Reaper case?”

“Her Majesty the Queen has personally commanded that he must be arrested no matter what.”

“But what does that have to do with me?”

The professor asked with a darkening gaze.

“Because Gil the Reaper’s primary interest is your assistant.”

“…Are you saying you want to use my graduate student as bait?”

A chilling air descended upon the office.

“Bait? That’s harsh. Issac Adler will simply be a partner working with us on the investigation.”

“I fail to see how that’s any different from using him as bait.”

In that terrifying atmosphere, the two continued their conversation, exuding a fierce aura.

“Bait is used once and discarded, but a partner is protected until the end. That’s the difference.”

“If it’s a question of whether you can protect him or not, it still seems no different to me.”

Professor Moriarty broke into a cold smile and opened her mouth.

“Is there anyone in England besides me who can face that shadow?”

“As it happens, by coincidence, Miss Lestrade was looking for a high-paying part-time job. So I thought, why not hire her as Issac Adler’s bodyguard?”

“…That’s true.”

Lestrade, who had been quietly bowing her head between them, finally spoke up.

“I was posting a part-time job advertisement on a nearby bulletin board when I was dragged here without knowing what was happening.”

“…Posting materials without a teacher’s permission is against school rules, Miss Lestrade.”

“I apologize. But I understand the situation.”

After Lestrade replied and looked at Microny with an expressionless face, Microny smiled languidly at Professor Moriarty.

“I hope you understand as well, Professor.”

“And if I refuse?”

When Professor Moriarty asked with a hint of amusement in her voice, Microny Holmes slowly opened her narrowed eyes.

“There are hundreds of ways to destroy a mere professor like you.”

“Is this how you treat an ordinary, good citizen?”

“A good citizen who has obtained and uses Issac Adler? That’s amusing in its own way.”

Her eyes were piercing through Professor Moriarty.

“Please don’t make me take an interest in you, Professor.”

“Likewise.”

“I don’t particularly want to turn the England I’ve cultivated into a battlefield.”

“It’s best to avoid fights where there are no winners.”

Thus, their battle of wills continued for a long time.

“…I’ll cooperate with the investigation, Professor.”

“Adler.”

What ended this silent battle was Issac Adler, who stood up with a determined expression.

“You and I have only one goal, don’t we?”

“………”

“I don’t want to ruin that because of some psychopathic murderer.”

Professor Moriarty’s gaze, which had been staring intently at Issac Adler, suddenly turned cold.

“…And I don’t want to keep being a burden to you, Professor.”

Adler blinked at the slight hint of disappointment he felt in that gaze, then thinking he must have misunderstood, he left the office.

“Well well, situation resolved~”

With that, Microny Holmes clapped her hands and stood up.

“This big sister is bored now, so I’ll be going.”

“…Already?”

“By the way, my little sister must have been desperate, asking even me for help.”

She said to Sharlotte with a hint of amusement in her voice.

“You’re the surprising one. You’ve never granted such requests before.”

“Well then, enjoy your intimate time with the rescued prince, Sharlotte.”

“…Shut up, you lump of flesh.”

“Hehe…”

As Sharlotte’s inevitable abuse flew at her, Microny covered her mouth and laughed as she passed by her.

“It’s just one day you haven’t seen him, and you’re already having withdrawal symptoms.”

As she paused beside Adler, who was standing outside the office, she whispered in a barely audible voice.

“…Come to my house this weekend.”

At those words, Adler flinched momentarily, then nodded with a blushing face.

“Let’s go, Mr. Adler.”

“…Miss Holmes.”

“You should thank me for rescuing you, you know?”

Microny Holmes, who had been walking down the corridor with a satisfied expression, heard the innocent voice from behind and muttered with her face tinged with guilt and a sense of transgression.

“…I can never quit this now.”

Between the folds of her clothes, which she had slightly lifted where no one could see, the teeth marks that Adler had left over the past month were clearly preserved.

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‘…Perfect.’

Despite some complications, Sharlotte Holmes had succeeded in extracting Issac Adler from Professor Moriarty’s grasp, where he had been virtually imprisoned.

‘No matter how I think about it, it’s a perfect plan.’

Sitting with her reliable ally Lestrade at the coffee house she often visited with Adler, she smiled triumphantly and became lost in thought.

‘With Zia Lestrade, I can trust and leave it to her.’

Who was Zia Lestrade?

The undisputed strongest combatant at August Detective Academy. Despite being an academy student, she was given the position of inspector by the Queen’s order—a talent said to appear once in a thousand years.

Moreover, because of her cold and cool knight-like appearance, countless men had confessed to her, but she had never accepted anyone’s feelings in her life—a wall of lamentation.

In addition, she never tolerated injustice and had an innate righteous nature that extremely detested anything delinquent or evil.

Even for someone like “Issac Adler,” it would be impossible to conquer her, nicknamed the Holy Knight who had descended upon England.

In other words, she was the perfect personnel choice for both guarding and monitoring Issac Adler.

“Mr. Adler.”

‘…But what if she refuses because she dislikes it too much?’

As Sharlotte Holmes was smiling with satisfaction, she began to worry when Lestrade, who had been sitting there, opened her mouth with an extremely cold expression, and she quietly began to listen.

“I like you.”

“……..?”

Immediately, she began to doubt her ears.

“Let’s date.”

“…Excuse me?”

And the same was true for Issac Adler, who was sitting there blankly.

[Don’t Move!: Receive a confession from Inspector Lestrade]

[0% -> 100%]

“Why not?”

[Chapter 1 Clear]