Stop trying to control me, Miss Moriarty!

Chapter 21 You Londoners really know how to have fun.

"……professor."

"Um?"

"Can you let me go?"

Upon hearing this question, Jessia turned her head, her golden braid brushing against her shoulder: "No, this is a reward for you."

She raised her left hand and gently touched Erin's cheek with her fingertips: "Are you feeling unwell? Your hands are sweaty and your face is hot."

Erin hurriedly looked out the window, where the pine branches in the courtyard were swaying erratically in the wind.

Although he knew that both he and Moriarty possessed "cognitive interference" magic, they simply couldn't control their bodies' natural reactions.

"That's not true..."

Jessia's smile deepened; her shy, flustered, and even somewhat clumsy reaction was quite amusing.

Is this also a side effect of amnesia?

It's as if jade has shed its acquired disguise, revealing its original lustrous texture.

She chuckled softly: "How unexpected... The person who's rumored to be able to take a stranger to a hotel room after just three minutes of eye contact actually has such a cute reaction."

Which tabloid reporter has fabricated this outrageous rumor?

Erin looked at his hand, which was being held tightly by Moriarty, and sighed helplessly:

"...Professor, this is also sexual harassment."

After hearing Erin's answer, Jessia tilted her head: "You clearly showed shyness—your heart was racing, your body temperature was rising. Yet you resisted physical contact with me, why is that?"

"Professor," Erin could only offer Moriarty a basic lesson in biology: "This is just a normal physiological response to the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system."

Jessia stopped in her tracks.

She no longer tilted her head as usual, but turned around to face Erin.

Those violet eyes darkened again: "If that's the case, why don't you reject Charlotte Holmes?"

"..." Another alarm sounded in Erin's mind, and he felt a strong sense of crisis.

So, almost without thinking, he shook his head: "Professor, I immediately pulled my hand back."

So, in that sense...

He subconsciously recalled the feeling of Holmes grabbing his hand.

Aside from the initial surprise, there didn't seem to be many other emotions.

When he picked her up from the fire after she had fainted, it was at most an attitude of admiring a beautiful young girl.

Hmm... thinking about it carefully, it seems to make sense.

Holmes was definitely safer than Professor Moriarty, so it was perfectly reasonable that he didn't feel any aversion towards her.

Jessia didn't ask any further questions.

She simply started walking again, pulling Erin along as they continued down the busy corridor.

After walking a short distance, she suddenly spoke up: "Adler, do you know what the simplest reasoning in the world is?"

Erin was taken aback.

Didn't this conversation happen once yesterday?

"What is it?" he asked.

Jessia still didn't answer directly: "Look around."

Although Erin was somewhat confused, he did as instructed.

There were still ten minutes before the start of the first class in the morning, and the course schedule of Royal College of London was almost exactly the same as that of the university in the previous life.

Therefore, the main corridors of the teaching building are filled with students heading to different classes.

And Erin noticed—

Almost all the boys, and a small number of the girls, would show expressions of disgust, disdain, or jealousy the moment they saw him, and then quicken their pace to leave.

As for the other girls—

Some people will shyly look away the moment their eyes meet, secretly glancing at you out of the corner of their eye.

Of course, some of the bolder ones didn't hide their enthusiasm at all. If Moriarty hadn't been there, they probably would have rushed up to chat with him.

"..."

Erin remained silent for a few seconds.

He roughly understood what Moriarty meant.

"The simplest line of reasoning is—does a woman like me?"

"That's right." Jessia nodded. "Even I have to admit that you have a beautiful face that naturally evokes affection and a protective instinct in women, especially older women."

"This is perhaps one of the key reasons why you're still alive after causing so much trouble. There are a significant number of women in London who, deep down, don't want anything to happen to you."

Is this...is this logic correct?

"Wait... Professor, wait..." Erin's expression suddenly turned strange. "You don't mean... that Charlotte Holmes is one of them?"

"Otherwise what?" Jessia retorted matter-of-factly, "Otherwise why would she want to take you away from me?"

Are you kidding me?

That's Sherlock Holmes, who claimed that "love is the greatest distraction from precise thinking, and only a fool would be obsessed with it!"

In the original work, Sherlock's special attitude towards Irene was ultimately just driven by his competitive spirit and obsession.

Ultimately, Erin simply couldn't imagine that a sixteen-year-old genius detective in this world would develop an irrational emotion called "love" towards the opposite sex.

This is as absurd as Big Ben being destroyed by a plane piloted by an Islamic pilot.

"You misunderstand, Professor." He shook his head, his tone certain: "Holmes's long-dormant competitive spirit was only stirred by my first defeat. At most, there's also the curiosity that every detective has."

Jessia gazed into Erin's eyes.

She couldn't see any trace of hypocrisy in it.

"Okay." She looked away, her voice suddenly becoming cheerful. "I have a good plan."

"What?" Erin couldn't keep up with her jumping thoughts for a moment.

"The plan to successfully obtain 'that key'."

Jessia took a photograph out of her jacket pocket; it showed a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old.

She had short, dull blue hair, like a faded sky. Her head was down, her lips tightly pressed together, and she exuded a melancholic air reminiscent of the London fog.

"Is she Estelle Morstan?" Erin looked at the photo. It seemed that she was the only woman Moriarty would mention at this time.

"That's right." Jessia nodded. "According to my investigation, after her father disappeared, Miss Mostan developed severe autism and depression. She has no friends, refuses to communicate with outsiders, and never leaves the house except to attend classes."

Erin frowned. "Won't that make it extremely difficult for us to get close to her and enter the Morstan's house?"

Jessia quietly shook her head: "Nothing is impossible, Adler."

Erin smiled and nodded in agreement: "That's right, you're absolutely right. With you here, no problem is too difficult..."

"No," Jessia interrupted him. "The key to this plan is you."

"...Huh?" Erin looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"First of all, we must be clear that no matter how serious Miss Mostan's mental illness is, she is essentially just a seventeen-year-old girl in her adolescence."

"Wait a minute." Erin had a bad feeling.

"Without a doubt, you are Britain's number one expert when it comes to dealing with women."

"Please wait a moment!"

This is completely wrong, isn't it?

"You know, I have amnesia! All that mess..."

"I'll give you a week." Jessia held up one finger. "Gain Miss Morstan's trust within a week."

It's pathetic, but I didn't have a single romantic relationship during my three years of high school, four years of college, and the year I worked!

Now, how am I supposed to win over a woman with severe autism and depression in a week?

This isn't some backwater, how could it possibly be done?

"Professor, you should have other..."

Jessia completely ignored his weak protests, and simply smiled: "Even without the memory, I believe you can do it. Besides, you can't refuse me."

at this point.

It seems there's no other way.

Erin gritted his teeth, wishing he could punch himself for promising Irina he would mind his own business.

In the end, under Moriarty's watchful gaze, he could only nod silently.

Jessia smiled pleasingly, leaned down, and whispered in his ear, "Of course, as my 'possession,' you have no right to fall in love."

She gently traced the carotid artery on Erin's neck: "If you dare become someone else's 'thing,' I'll kill you."

Erin didn't know how many times he had heard similar threats, and the initial horror had begun to be replaced by an inexplicable calm.

"Please give me one more day; I'd like to ask for a day off today."

"Where are you going?"

"This time it really is because of you." Erin shrugged helplessly. "The toxins in my body haven't been completely cleared yet, so I can only have that alchemy master take another look."

"Am I not good enough?" Jessia asked, her tone slightly dissatisfied.

"Consider it a break for your dear assistant who's working herself to death."

Jessia looked at him for a few seconds, and finally nodded slowly: "Okay."

She released her grip on Erin's hand.

"Professor, see you tomorrow."

Erin finally caught his breath, waved goodbye to Moriarty, and turned to leave.

A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone biasedly on him.

Jessia's gaze fell on Erin's neck, where a silver necklace reflected a pure white light.

"Is there any special meaning behind the silver jewelry you're wearing?"

"Oh, you mean this?"

Erin reached out and took the pendant, which was pressed against her skin, out of her collar.

It was a small piece of exquisite jewelry, with the main body featuring the elegant cursive letters "A" and "W," and the edges engraved with delicate lavender patterns.

"This was found by the police in the wreckage of a safe in the ruins of the mansion."

He traced the two letters with his fingertips, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Although I don't remember, this should represent one of the few memorials left by Adler and Winslet."

Jessia's gaze lingered on the pendant for a moment, a faint light flickering in the depths of her purple eyes before returning to calm.

"Since you've already made plans with someone, hurry up and go, don't be late."

"Okay, goodbye, professor."

Jessia stood still, and after Erin had walked a distance away, she slowly raised her hand and dispelled the perception interference magic.

She looked at her right hand, which had been clasped with Erin's since earlier, and extended her index finger, gently licking it.

A subtle, salty and astringent taste.