Becoming Professor Moriarty’s Probability

While Isaac Adler was sweating over the system warning that suddenly popped up in front of him just as he was planning his next moves at Lestrade's house,

- Creeeak...

"... You’re finally here?"

Charlotte Holmes – who had been listlessly staring at the dark clouds filled with a certain someone’s fury while smoking an Arcadia cigarette by the window – turned her gaze to the guest who had just entered the boarding house.

"You don't look too pleased, Watson."

"........"

"Would you like to smoke an Arcadia cigarette?"

Quietly, Charlotte offered a cigarette to Watson as she silently approached her.

- Whoosh...

The next moment, she was forced to direct a blank gaze towards Watson. After all, for the very first time, her partner had accepted her offer and snatched the cigarette away from her.

- Click...

But Watson, not caring about her reaction, leaned closer to Charlotte's face and used the cigarette in her mouth to light her own.

"Haaah..."

"... I didn't know you were so accustomed to smoking."

"You thought a soldier deployed in the field wouldn't know how to smoke?"

"......."

"Why are you looking at me like that? I might have been a military doctor, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t engage in on-field combat. Not to mention, many doctors smoke."

As Watson, eyes heavy with exhaustion, looked out at the dreary streets of London and exhaled smoke from her cigarette, Charlotte spoke up.

"It's just, I find it strange seeing you smoke. You've never done it in front of me before."

"... Hmm."

Watson then shifted her gaze thoughtfully towards her.

"So, you knew all along and yet you hid the truth from me?"

"... Right, I knew you would ask that.”

Charlotte, a dark smile etched on her lips, began her explanation while staring straight at Watson’s eyes.

"Due to the magic Adler had cast with all his powers, there were certain… limitations in revealing the truth. But since he withdrew the magic himself, the restrictions have now been rendered useless.”

"He withdrew it, huh."

Watson pondered upon hearing her explanation.

"... What do you think is the reason Isaac Adler is revealing the truth now?"

"......."

"Was he just playing with me all along?"

Charlotte checked her dark expression and sighed, shaking her head.

"... I don't think so."

"Even now, are you covering for Isaac Adler?"

Her expression darkening further at Charlotte’s rebuttal, she lifted a half-crumpled newspaper from the desk beside her.

"I’m sure you’re fully aware of what's causing a stir in London right now, don't you?"

"... Isaac Adler might be an animal, worse than trash even, but he's not the type to charm women without a specific reason."

Charlotte quietly glared at the front page of the newspaper – it featured a large photo of Gia Lestrade with a blushed face and bowed head while she stood beside Isaac Adler – and snatched it from Watson's hands as she spoke.

"That's the least credible thing I've heard so far."

- Fttfft...

"Why tear up the newspaper?"

Ignoring Watson's question, Charlotte continued tearing the newspaper to shreds and threw it into the fireplace.

"There’s something suspiciously odd in Adler’s recent actions.”

"Odd? Adler has always been strange."

"The incidents of the past few months have concluded quite rapidly and radically. And each conclusion leads to another incident, becoming progressively more systemic..."

"Apologies but could you explain that in English?"

"... The point is, Isaac Adler now has a single goal he must achieve, at any cost."

Hearing this, Watson let out a cold chuckle.

"So, I'm just a means to an end for achieving his purpose, huh?"

"I don't think so."

But Charlotte firmly denied it with a resolute expression.

"According to my observations, there is an entity forcing Isaac Adler's actions."

"... What did you say?"

"I'm not sure exactly how or what commands are being given, but Isaac Adler must follow them unconditionally."

Charlotte added in a low voice, staring directly at Watson as a dazed look momentarily settled in her eyes.

"And this entity appeared no earlier than after his enrollment at August Academy."

"That means..."

"Yes, it’s as you think. When exactly did you and Neville first start associating with Isaac Adler?"

Stammering, Rachel Watson responded with a trembling voice.

"... It's been a little over a year, I think?"

"Then it was before Isaac Adler's admission to August Academy."

As Charlotte calmly concluded, Watson's eyes began to waver.

"Of course, the fact that he disguised his identity and deceived you hasn't changed, but at least it wasn't all just an elaborate prank to tease you..."

"This changes everything then, doesn't it….?"

"Yes?"

Charlotte’s voice was uncharacteristically gentle as she revealed her deductions to her. And then, she began quietly listening to Watson whose eyes had gone wide as though she had come to a realisation of her own.

"If your deductions are true, no... since it's you who deduced it, then I should take it for the undeniable truth."

"I never asserted it that strongly..."

"Then it’s definitely possible that the one he actually liked wasn’t you, but me..."

"What the hell are you talking about now...?"

As she asked coldly, furrowing her brows at her statement, Watson, still looking dazed, began to mutter in a whispery voice.

"After all, you received a confession from Adler after he enrolled at August Academy."

"........"

"He approached me before that..."

Watson's hand, holding a cigarette, trembled ever so slightly.

"The person who approached he approached of his own free will, not compelled by some unknown entity, was actually just me…."

"Look, I think you're misunderstanding something."

Charlotte sharply glared at her for a moment before raising her voice in rebuttal.

"Adler's eyes were dyed in my colour. You, yourself, were the first to mention the mana erosion phenomenon."

"........"

"And I apologise, but do you think anyone would believe that Adler turned into a playboy only after joining the academy?"

However, Watson’s mind had already drifted far away from the conversation— so lost in her own world of reasoning and delusions that goosebumps started trailing all over her skin.

"Ugh, I must be insane... Why am I defending that bastard who deserves to be shot dead..."

"Excuse me?"

"Fucking hell... I had just managed to settle my feelings... This shouldn't be happening..."

"Watson?"

"But if what happened yesterday wasn't of his own free will th..."

"Watson!"

Charlotte, looking ominously, finally shouted into her ear to bring her back to her senses.

"Since It's not certain yet, could you stop spinning in your own delusions about that man?”

"........"

"... No, I mean him."

As she hurriedly changed her way of addressing Adler, blushing quietly at the mistake and turning her head to the side, a brief silence began to flow through the boarding house.

.

.

.

.

.

"... So why did you call me? The letter said to come over immediately."

"Ah, yes. That's because..."

The silence-filled awkward atmosphere settled between them for a while until… Watson broke it with a somewhat complicated expression.

"There's a new case."

"... A case?"

"As you know, I don't enjoy deducing without an assistant. That tendency has become several times stronger recently."

"Is that because of Adler?"

Hearing this, Charlotte quietly glared at Watson.

"... In the past few months, Isaac Adler has become like a habit to me."

"A habit?"

"Kinda like playing the violin, strong tobacco, scissors for cutting newspapers, and the intoxicating fumes from mana stones, among other things."

"Are you saying that he was like some sort of stimulant?"

After pondering the question for a moment, Charlotte quietly nodded.

"But Watson, I've decided to respect your opinion as a doctor."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Too much stimulation can cause problems. And Isaac Adler has been a more stimulating presence to me than any drug or hallucinations that mana stones could induce."

"I suppose it's fortunate that you've realized that now."

Charlotte quietly sighed, laid down her cigarette on the windowsill, and picked up her coat that was hanging next to it.

"Right now, I'm overdosing on that man."

"... And you're already experiencing a lull in the relationship, even though both of you haven’t started dating yet?"

"No, it's more accurate to say I'm addicted to him."

She then put on her coat, which she only wore when working as a detective, and started walking towards the door.

"So, I'm planning to take a break by solving complex and supernatural cases for a while."

"... You're not thinking of giving up, then?"

"Watson, do you think I could quit smoking?"

As Watson immediately shook her head, Charlotte let out a quiet chuckle.

"Only the ending matters, not the process. In the end, the one holding the reins at the last moment is the winner.”

"So was it also deliberate when you let Adler and Lupin go?"

"... If the opponent has a bigger picture in mind, you just have to draw an even bigger one."

Confidently grabbing the doorknob, she finished speaking.

"Whatever happens, Isaac Adler will be my assistant within a year. I assert that here and now."

"... I see."

Watson, smiling faintly as she watched her from behind, suddenly looked a bit gloomy.

"But then, what about me..."

"Hm?"

"... It's nothing."

However, Charlotte glanced at Watson – a quizzical smile on her partner’s face, acting as if nothing was wrong – before quietly turning the doorknob with a pondering expression.

"... Something definitely feels off."

.

.

.

.

.

In the next moment, however, Charlotte Holmes had no choice but to forget the feeling of uneasiness that was rising in her heart.

"Hehe."

"......."

After all, she was facing the two beings she least wanted to encounter at the moment.

Isaac Adler and Gia Lestrade were standing in front of Charlotte, arms linked, as she opened the door.

"Miss Holmes, where are you off to all alone..."

Speaking to Charlotte with a bright voice, Adler soon noticed Rachel Watson behind her, coldly glaring at him in silence.

""...........""

Then, an even colder silence began to settle at 221B Baker Street.