Charlotte Holmes.
Upon realizing that this was a parallel version of London, Russell had considered making a pilgrimage to 221B Baker Street.
However, this world had absolutely no Arthur Conan Doyle, nor did it have those world-famous detective novels.
Similarly, 221B Baker Street housed no Sherlock Holmes, so he naturally assumed that there was no Moriarty either.
The only one there was Mrs. Hudson, who was renting out spare rooms.
And so, he was taken for a tenant and simply went with the flow, moving in.
But now, a living, breathing Sherlock Holmes—one whose gender had even changed—was sitting right beside him.
Did that mean that in this world, there was actually a real...
The moment this thought arose, Russell suddenly felt a chill down his spine, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
If there really were a Moriarty, there was no reason the other party wouldn't know about the things he had done under that name.
Yet, up until now, he hadn't received any Malice Points from Moriarty, which was enough to explain the issue.
Either that Professor of Crime simply didn't care about his petty mischief.
Or, this parallel version of London didn't have a so-called Moriarty.
Regardless of which possibility it was, for him, it wasn't actually a bad thing.
If it were the former, that Professor of Crime would surely be eager for someone to help him draw fire.
If it were the latter, then that was even better.
Russell nodded as if consoling himself.
For the remaining time, Charlotte did not speak to Russell again, but Russell found himself becoming a bit interested.
He really wanted to know how this great detective viewed Moriarty.
Of course, he was referring to the Phantom Thief Moriarty.
Thus, he cleared his throat, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, using a tone as if sharing gossip:
"Miss Holmes, since you are so good at deduction, what is your opinion on that... Moriarty in the recent newspapers?"
Hearing this, Charlotte's grey-blue eyes finally moved away from the intricate carvings on the ceiling. She turned her head and glanced at him.
"A fellow with an excessive desire to perform," she said indifferently.
"Although Lestrade keeps asking me to find a way to catch him, I have no interest in catching a performance artist."
That's wonderful.
Russell breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
It's good that she has no interest; it would be bad if she did.
·
·
The lengthy and tedious opening ceremony finally came to a close amidst the Principal's dry coughs.
The students stood up as if granted amnesty, and the auditorium was instantly filled with the noise of human voices.
"Well then, see you later, new neighbor."
Charlotte stood up and waved her hand at him casually. The hem of her large trench coat sketched a sharp arc in the air as she merged into the dispersing crowd without looking back.
Leaving Russell alone in his seat. He waited until most people had left before slowly standing up.
So, where to next... back to Baker Street, or should I go return the item first?
Russell planned his next itinerary in his mind.
Mary Morstan should still be at the school right now; this would be a good time to return the item.
But his phantom thief outfit was still at Baker Street. If he went back now, he could easily bump into Charlotte.
A bit troublesome.
Just as he was brainstorming, a soft sound suddenly rang out beside his ear.
"Hello, Mr. Watson."
Russell's footsteps paused. He subconsciously turned around and met those azure eyes that resembled the Aegean Sea.
Mary Morstan.
"Hello, Miss Morstan."
Russell put on a business-like smile. "Is something the matter?"
"Just a bit curious," Mary's gaze lingered on him for a moment.
"Someone who can make Charlotte Holmes initiate a conversation shouldn't be an ordinary person."
"Charlotte Holmes... is she very famous?"
Russell raised an eyebrow, with a mix of pretense and genuineness.
"Today is my first time meeting her. She's also my new neighbor."
He had lived in this London for over a decade but had never heard any news regarding Sherlock Holmes.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought that Charlotte Holmes didn't exist in this world.
But listening to Mary's tone, she seemed quite familiar with this name.
"It seems you don't care much about London's high society or academic circles." Mary smiled faintly.
"She is the younger sister of Mycroft Holmes, the man who can control the entire British Empire's intelligence network just by staying in his office.
"As for Charlotte herself, before entering Imperial College, she had already assisted Scotland Yard in cracking over a dozen cold cases as a Consulting Detective.
"Of course, she never takes credit, nor is she willing to let her name appear in the public eye, so it is quite normal that you don't know."
That makes sense then.
Russell suddenly understood.
"No wonder she could tell at a glance that I wanted to skip class," he shrugged half-jokingly.
"Looks like life at Baker Street won't be too boring in the future."
Hearing this, Mary seemed a bit surprised by Russell's relaxed attitude, but there was more of a scrutinizing look in her eyes.
"You don't seem afraid of her?" she asked softly, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Why should I be afraid?"
Russell asked in return, wearing a matter-of-fact expression.
"She's my neighbor, not my creditor. Besides, I'm a law-abiding good student; what is there to fear from a detective?"
"She is a high-functioning sociopath, you know?" Mary reminded him.
"I don't really like summarizing a person's entirety with a single label," Russell said.
"Moreover, in my interaction with her just now, I didn't feel there was anything that required me to specifically keep my distance."
This watertight answer seemed to please Mary.
The curve of her lips softened slightly, no longer holding that formulaic, polite detachment.
"True enough," she nodded. "That Miss Holmes is only interested in criminals and puzzles. As for ordinary people... she probably doesn't even have the patience to remember their names."
The implication being—you have already been remembered by her, so you are not ordinary.
Russell understood this underlying compliment, but he just smiled and said nothing.
Mary tacitly did not continue this topic either. She took two steps forward, walking side by side with Russell, merging together into the stream of people leaving the auditorium.
A brief silence fell between the two, with only the noisy chatter of the surrounding students serving as background noise.
Russell was thinking about how to naturally end the conversation and slip away to execute his plan to return the stolen goods.
However, Mary broke the silence first.
"Speaking of which, Mr. Watson," her voice was pressed very low, as if it were just casual small talk.
"What is your view on that Phantom Thief Moriarty, who has been causing such a stir lately?"
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉