Becoming Professor Moriarty’s Probability

Chapter 157: The Crawling Human (8)

"Meow..."

Feeling the abrupt chill that permeated the room, Gia Lestrade slipped out under the pretext of needing to use the washroom.

"You should have chosen one of them, not me..."

Taking a moment to catch her breath, she whispered to the cat cradled against her chest in a hushed tone.

"Weren't you being raised by one of them? Why did you choose me?"

"Mreowww..."

Of course, the cat hadn’t made the choice at all. Although the small feline wanted to express its displeasure and protest, only cattish noises spilt out of its mouth; a sullen look washed over the little feline as a result.

"... Hmm."

Seeing the vulnerable, almost pitiful, look that the adorable kitten showed, Lestrade’s heart began to weaken.

"... Mreeeow!"

"Hmm..."

After seeing the small kitten’s intense reaction, she quietly sank into thought.

"I hadn't planned on keeping a cat, but..."

Ruminating on her thoughts, she made a quick sweep of her surroundings before reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small notebook from her uniform’s pocket and swiftly entered the washroom.

"I remember reading that it's not a great choice to keep pets during the honeymoon phase..."

"........"

"S-Still, Isaac and I do make a decent living, so maybe it won't be a problem…? And my siblings can take care of the kitty when we’re usually absent so…”

Crouching as she stepped inside, she thumbed through the densely noted contents of her notebook while mumbling to herself.

"The kitten looks gentle enough that it's safe to assume it won’t attack my siblings. Still, I should train it beforehand, just in case…”

"Meow?"

"... Hold on."

Lestrade bit her nails and pondered seriously, eliciting a confused look from the observing cat and a questioning meow.

"What if the baby shows an allergic reaction?"

The content scribbled in the notebook was quickly reviewed by Lestrade, who voiced her inner concerns thoughlessly.

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

Soon, a brief silence settled in the washroom.

"... I've gone mad."

In the silence, she remained crouched in stunned silence, ruminating on the absurd things she just muttered. A vigorous shake of her head soon followed, along with some slapping to get her head out of the gutter.

"I'm not even married... It's just a contract marriage he forced on me, taking advantage of my honour and values... A baby, what baby..."

"Mr-Mreeow."

"Get a grip, Lestrade. I've been overworking lately and it's making me lose my mind."

Her cheeks turned bright red from a round of harsh slaps she had inflicted upon herself. However, even her ears had reddened for some reason, even though they remained untouched.

"Yes, it does seem you've gone a bit mad."

"... Eek!?"

Just then, a nonchalant voice echoed out from her front.

"What, what, what, what is it, Miss Holmes?"

"You will pass out at this rate, Inspector."

"You just wanted to startle me, didn't you...?"

"I didn't do anything. It was all you, Inspector, getting scared by yourself."

"... Well, that's true, I suppose."

Standing up with a start, Lestrade could only show an embarrassed face at Charlotte’s blunt words and avoid her gaze.

"We don't have time to just stand around."

"What?"

"Let's leave this place."

Abruptly, Charlotte grabbed Lestrade's arm and dragged her away, urging her to get out of this place.

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"Why? Weren't you the one who wanted to leave this place quickly, Inspector?"

"That's true, but still..."

As visible discomfort marred Lestrade’s face, a sigh leaked out of Charlotte’s lips. She tried her best to explain her stance to the inspector.

"We have no reason to be considerate to Professor Moriarty, do we? She's our enemy at the moment. The less time we spend on farewells, the less time she gets to make her next move."

"What about the cat?"

"Let's take it with us. After all, that great ancient magic already told us that the professor isn’t the owner."

Saying so, Charlotte casually reached out toward the cat.

- Bzztttz...

"Ouch."

At that moment, she felt a sharp spark lash out from the cat's body and quickly pulled her hand back.

"... Ah, this must also be part of the magic."

"........."

"But it's strange, isn't it? Why it would recognize me as its owner, not you or the professor..."

For a long time, Charlotte just stared at the small cat nestled in Lestrade’s arm with empty eyes.

"It seems the ancient designer of this magic had a very rigid way of thinking."

"Is that so? Well, if you say so..."

"... Meowww."

"Eek!?"

Lestrade nodded innocently to Charlotte’s expression not thinking much of it. Abruptly, a moan escaped her lips, her body shuddering, when the cat somehow found its way inside her clothes, eliciting a frosty glare from Charlotte.

"Y-You can’t. You can’t do this kind of thing, little guy..."

"Haaa..."

Watching the scene with a twisted expression, Charlotte eventually turned away.

"Do you want to live like that forever?"

"... What?"

"Never mind."

With a cold voice and muffled whispers, she finally exited the washroom.

"Behave yourself."

".......?"

Gia only showed a puzzled look at Charlotte’s odd behaviour, but she soon followed behind. Seeing the cat shiver all of a sudden, she gently stroked its head, a look of sympathy in her eyes.

"Is this what maternal instinct is?"

"Meow...?"

"No, why am I spouting so much nonsense today..."

.

.

.

.

.

"........."

"Excuse me, Miss Holmes?"

After leaving the research lab, Charlotte and Lestrade had been walking down the streets of London for some time,

"Why does it feel like we're going back the way we came?"

"Well, because we are quite literally going back the way we came."

"What?"

Lestrade silently followed behind Charlotte while stroking the cat as its head peeked out of her uniform. Suddenly feeling a sense of déjà vu, she cautiously posed a question to the detective, in response, Charlotte stopped in her tracks and responded in a subdued tone.

"I have a general idea of what really happened. I know where we need to go next."

"But, the police station is the opposite way. We're running out of time to get police backup before we lose track of Professor Presbury’s fiancé..."

"What if we already know where we need to go?"

Immediately, a puzzled look marred Lestrade's face.

"But... is that possible?"

"Professor Moriarty and my sister gave us subtle hints. It would be strange to not notice."

"... When did they give us hints?"

Glancing toward her continuously wriggling top, she leaked out a sigh before explaining.

"I’m certain that Professor Moriarty made Gregory Freud flee the lab before we arrived."

"Yes, I know that too."

"But the professor herself, and even my sister – who seems to have lost her sanity and doing things without thinking – said that the professor committed no crime."

Lestrade nodded, keeping her silence.

"They moved the person we were chasing at a crucial moment, and there's no way to charge them with concealment of evidence. That means Gregory Freud isn't running away."

"Then...?"

"He's not moving to a location unrelated to the case to avoid the situation, but rather, he's moving somewhere vital to the case with a distinct purpose.

Finally, a light bulb went off over Lestrade's head.

"Could it be, Gregory Freud is heading to Professor Presbury’s mansion...?"

"Your deduction skills have improved lately, Inspector Lestrade. I must commend you on that."

"But, why would he...?"

"There are many possibilities. For instance, if we assume he's the culprit, he could be on his way to hide or destroy evidence."

Hearing so, a grave look appeared on Lestrade’s face.

"Or he might be aiming to go further, commit a murder even? Hiding in the mansion, just waiting for the professor to return and then do the deed."

"That would be disastrous!!"

The moment Charlotte laid her predictions, Lestrade eeked out in a thundering voice.

"Let's catch a carriage now!! No, jump on my back. I'm confident I can get us there faster than a carriage if I run with all my might!!"

"Calm down."

"How can I calm down after hearing that?"

An air of urgency exuded out from every pore of her body, ready to sprint to the mansion if she had to. However, when she heard Charlotte’s nonchalant voice, urging her to calm down, a heated voice escaped her lips.

"Isaac is in the mansion, dammit!"

"........."

"Even his mental state isn't normal, and he's even tied up, isn't he? There’s no telling what might happen to him if we leave him there alone..."

"... In the end, Isaac Adler has become someone important to you too, hasn't he?"

Her words caused Lestrade to pause, unable to get her words together for some time.

"... We are just using each other. There are no personal feelings involved."

"... You call him by his first name and even mumble about making a baby with him."

"That, that's a misunderstanding!"

Charlotte pressed on, making her blush and stutter as she avoided Charlotte's gaze.

"The baby plan is just a last resort, in case Adler gets out of control.”

"........."

"That's why, even if I were to have a baby with him, I won’t fall in love with Adler. I'll only love my offspring..."

Charlotte could only direct at her with an incredulous look, shaking her head in disbelief at her response.

"Let's hurry along. Time is really running out."

"So, are you going to the mansion to stop him?"

"That's the plan, but..."

Suddenly, her steps veered to the side.

"I need to make a stop somewhere first."

"... What?"

.

.

.

.

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"We’re already short on time, just where do you want to stop first…?"

"To end this childish farce, there's someone I must bring along."

Meanwhile,

"Meow...?"

Huddled between the lower chest and stomach area inside Lestrade's clothing, Isaac Adler, who had been overhearing the conversation with a blush started looking forward with a panicked gaze.

Warning!

Erosion Rate — 40% → 45%

Warning!

Erosion Rate — 45% → 50%

Warning!

Erosion Rate — 50% → 55%

He thought his noble(?) sacrifice was enough to resolve the situation. But the flood of system messages made him realize it was only his misconception.

"Wait a minute. The cat is suddenly shivering again..."

"... Does it really matter?"

… I'm fucking screwed!