Stop trying to control me, Miss Moriarty!

Chapter 17 Did I arrive at the wrong time?

My Jesus Christ—and who are you?

Erin had no time to think; he could only control his facial muscles to produce a flawless, polite, fake smile in response.

The red-haired girl's smile was incredibly radiant, as bright as a rose blooming in the Buckingham Palace gardens.

She walked briskly into the research room, lifted the hem of her school uniform skirt, and gave a standard greeting: "Good day, Professor Moriarty, I am Irina Schulto, a third-year student at the Academy of Sages."

Irina Schulto?

The name caused Erin's memories of her past life to flip through a page.

She is an original character in the game and the first female mayor in London's history.

Beneath his glamorous exterior lies a connection to Moriarty's dark forces, positioning him as a mid-game boss who will cause Holmes some trouble.

However, she is still just a student.

Irina glanced around, seemingly sensing the tension in the air. She pursed her lips and said with a hint of apology, "Perhaps I've arrived at the wrong time?"

Jessia's voice was calm and gentle, completely devoid of the sharpness from before: "No, our impromptu academic discussion has just ended."

"That's good." Irina breathed a sigh of relief, her smile brightening again.

She looked at Holmes, her amber eyes widening instantly, her face filled with genuine surprise and admiration: "You...you really are Miss Holmes?"

She looked every bit the fanatic, her hands nervously clasped in front of her: "I collect every issue of 'Seaside Magazine,' which serializes your detective stories! Those brilliant reasonings are truly captivating! I never imagined I'd meet you here one day!"

"Nice to meet you, Miss Schulte." Charlotte's attitude remained distant, as if she were looking through a glass shop window.

Her gaze swept calmly over the fan, and she nodded slightly in response.

Irina scrutinized Charlotte's school uniform: "Speaking of which, you also attend the Royal Academy?"

"Not yet. To be precise, my enrollment procedures will be completed in a week."

"Shultto," Jessia's gentle voice interjected at the opportune moment, "Is there something you need that you've come all this way?"

"Ah, yes, Professor." Irina turned around, her smile still sweet. "I'm here to see Erin."

As she spoke, she quickly walked to Erin's side, took his arm very naturally, leaned her body slightly, and intimately leaned against him.

"???"

The warmth and weight on his arm made Erin momentarily dazed. He opened his mouth, "...Miss Schulte?"

Irina looked at him strangely, pouted slightly, and said in a complaining tone, "Darling, why are you acting so strange today?"

...Darling?

She's the mysterious girlfriend from the communicator?!

Three pairs of eyes from the three women all fell on Erin at that moment.

He swallowed hard and forced a smile: "Um, Irina, I think I'm not feeling well today."

Why did it have to happen at this time?

Please have mercy on me...

In those few short seconds, Charlotte had already observed Schulte thoroughly, not missing a single detail, from his custom-made school uniform to his hair clips and watch.

It turned out to be the case.

The sudden, inexplicable irritation and unpleasantness that had just risen in her heart had dissipated.

"I'll take my leave now." She withdrew her gaze and left decisively.

Just as Charlotte was about to leave the research lab, she paused again and said one last thing: "Adler, I have to remind you—Miss Lestrade will be finishing her work and returning to the academy soon, so you'd better not do anything that will attract her attention."

Is this tone of voice a warning or a threat?

Erin was also confused.

But isn't Lestrade supposed to be a comedic character like Kogoro Mouri? There's absolutely no need to be wary of her, right?

However, the root of the trouble has indeed been eliminated.

As the oak door was gently closed, the unsettling atmosphere in the research room seemed to dissipate, and even the remaining air felt much lighter.

"Adler, is this Miss Schulto your girlfriend?"

Jessia's voice was as soft as the feathers under a swan's wing, without any hidden suffocation or coldness; at this moment, she was completely a kind and approachable professor.

"Yes, yes?" Erin stammered.

"Hehe..." Jessia let out a soft, chiming laugh.

She walked slowly to the two people standing side by side, her eyes narrowing into beautiful crescent shapes: "Since your girlfriend has gone out of her way to see you, as a reasonable advisor, I can't continue to take up your graduate students' private time."

Her smile remained flawless, and there was not a trace of darkness in her violet eyes.

"I'll give you a day off today, Adler. Enjoy some time alone with Miss Schulte."

Erin was completely bewildered.

Moriarty... is this the right reaction?

Irina, her face beaming with delight, released her grip and thanked Moriarty, saying, "Thank you so much, Professor Moriarty! You are such an enlightened and considerate teacher! I'll be leaving with Erin now. Have a wonderful day."

She took Erin's hand, and they left the research lab one after the other.

The door closed again.

Jessia picked up the still-warm cup of coffee on the table and took a small sip.

A slightly bittersweet taste slid across her taste buds, and a slight smile curved her lips as she talked to herself in the empty research room.

"Girlfriend? What a terrible, third-rate comedy."

.

Erin followed Schulto through the corridors and stairs.

The morning sunlight streamed through the stained glass, casting fragmented spots of light on the floor, like a jigsaw puzzle in disarray.

Meanwhile, Erin was piecing together everything that had happened in the short period of time in his mind.

Moriarty's reaction was definitely not normal; he also sensed something was off.

"arrive."

Irina spoke softly, taking out her key to open the door to a classroom.

The light in Erin's eyes suddenly turned from bright to dim, and all the curtains were drawn tightly.

The smells of watercolors, plaster... all sorts of art supplies mingled together, and in the corner, you could still vaguely see a few easels and sculptures.

Why did you bring me here?

Click.

A clear click of a lock clicking shut came from behind.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of magical energy, like a drop of ink on white paper, rapidly spread and diffused until it covered the entire room.

—A fourth-order "stealth" type of spell.

Erin quickly determined that it was probably a "Silent Curtain," whose main function was to prevent others from eavesdropping on conversations.

What's going on?

He could barely make out Schulto's expression through the crack in the door and the dim light filtering through the high-rise window.

Her face was flushed with an unusual redness, her breathing was heavy and rapid, and her amber eyes gleamed in the darkness as she stared intently at him.

This place? This technique? This expression?

wrong!

An alarm sounded in Erin's mind.

He swiftly and discreetly activated his magic, connecting it to the earring, ready to summon Moriarty at any moment.

At the same time, take two steps back to create a safe distance.

"Erin Adler".

Irina's cold, hard voice rang out, a stark contrast to her soft tone in the research lab just moments before.

She crossed her arms, her expression serious, exuding an aura of authority.

"Now, there are no professors or detectives around to bother us. You'd better give me a reasonable and convincing explanation—"

She took a step closer, her amber eyes fixed on Erin, her tone like a judge questioning a defendant, "Why weren't you at the 'usual spot' last night at seven o'clock?"

Are you angry because I stood you up?

No, if that's the only reason, her change in attitude is a bit too drastic.

Connecting everything that had just happened, a vague guess, like a bubble in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, slowly surfaced in my mind.

"I'm sorry," Erin said, maintaining her magic, her face full of helplessness.

"You know about that fire; my magic communicator was damaged because of it. It was only repaired this morning, and I hadn't even had a chance to contact you before you arrived."

As he spoke, he took out a communicator with charred and repair marks from his trench coat pocket and handed it over.

Irina squinted, took the communicator, and carefully monitored the situation in the dim light of the room.

She touched the repaired dents and cracks, then infused them with a trace of magic to test them, confirming that these marks were not fake.

"……I see."

Irina's expression softened, and she handed the communicator back to him: "This was indeed an unexpected accident."

Erin breathed a sigh of relief, just about to say something to ease the tension—

Then Irina reached out her hand, her voice even lower: "Now, give me that photo."

……photo?!