Chapter 144: A Case of Identity (7)"... Holmes?"


    Upon hearing the groaning sounding from the floor above, Watson, her gun on the ready, hurried up the stairs. Once she reached her destination though, she looked at the scene before her with a dazed look in her eyes.


    "Why are you here...?"


    The cause? For reasons she couldn’t fathom, her colleague and partner— Charlotte Holmes was there at the scene, that too with a flushed face while suspiciously wiping her mouth off using her sleeve.


    "Watson, this, this is..."


    "Er-hem."


    On the other hand, her fiancé— Neville, was trembling ever so subtly while standing beside Holmes, his head bowed. Again, the reason for his behaviour eluded her, just like the reason for Charlotte’s presence.


    "What on earth were you two doing here?"


    When he avoided her gaze with a nervous expression, ayer of suspicion started brimming in Watson''s as she observed him.


    "How did Holmes know about this ce, why is she in this room even, and… just what happened for you to be sweating so much?”"........"


    "Answer me!"


    Just as her suspicion was about to turn into aggression,


    "She volunteered to be a witness for the wedding."


    "... Huh?"


    The calm voice of the nun resounded from Watson’s back.


    "So there''s no need to be so wary."


    ".......!?"


    "Is, is that so?"


    Adler, lifting his head, looked at the scene of the calmly muttering nun with a bewildered expression. Meanwhile, Watson only had a nk look on her face as she inquired.


    "B, But... we’ve already brought a witness with us though."


    "You mean the person tied to the pir, muttering continuously like a lunatic? I apologize, but such a person cannot be recognized as a witness for the wedding."


    "Well, that''s true."


    "At such a time, someone who imed to be your acquaintance visited the church and readily agreed to be the witness of the wedding. Isn''t it better for both you and me to have a legally certified person as a witness?"


    "Indeed..."


    Her eyes still clouded in a haze, Watson eventually nodded in agreement to the nun''s wless logic.


    "... The nun is right. Since you were choosing a dress, I was just trying to ease the tension of the man who is to be your husband."


    "Holmes. If that was the case, you should have given me a heads-up, no? I was seriously startled there."


    Atst, a moderately rxed smile stretched Watson’s lips as she spoke to Holmes.


    "But then, what was that strange groaning sound that I heard?"


    "I was giving him a massage. I learned it back in India, and there''s nothing more effective for relieving tension."


    "I see. But I saw you wiping your mouth with your sleeve as soon as I entered..."


    However, a faint flicker of suspicion still remained in her eyes.


    "... You didn''t happen to give Neville a <strong>massage</strong> with your mouth now, did you?"


    "Watson. Judging by your rudement, it seems you''ve been reading too many obscene bookstely, haven’t you?"


    As Watson inquired about a rather scandalous detail in a whispery voice, Charlotte immediately scolded her with a stern look on her face.


    "Due to giving your loving **fiancé **a rather… intense massage, I ended up sweating a lot. So, I was just wiping my face with my sleeve and that’s what you saw.”


    "Is that... so?"


    "Yes. Honestly, I’m quite a bit offended by your behaviour just now. Shouldn’t you apologize to me?”


    "Ugh, uh-huh..."


    At her stern attitude, Watson, who had been hesitating, eventually bowed her head and began to apologise to Charlotte.


    "Sorry, Holmes. I''ve been through a lot of things recently, so I’m a bit on edge these days..."


    "Sorry, but don''t call me Holmes. It''s a word that''s been appearing in my dreams quite a few timestely."


    "Huh?"


    "... It''s nothing."


    At her sincere apology, Charlotte subtly flinched and muttered some incoherent words under her breath. Soon, however, she cleared her throat and spoke in a louder voice.


    "Anyway, that''s enough of that. You must be quite sensitive at this time, so I’m sorry for barging in unannounced…”


    "Oh, no. Holmes. Rather, I''m delighted to have you here!"


    When Charlotte muttered with a slightly sullen look on her face, Watson hastily waved her hand in a panic.


    "If not you, then who else would attend my wedding? It somehow ended up being such a modest wedding, but with you here, it finally feels like a satisfactory ceremony!"


    "..... I guess."


    At that cheerful voice, Charlotte quietly averted her gaze and nodded.


    "But, is it alright?"


    "Huh? What is?"


    "Showing the groom the wedding dress already?"


    "... Ah."


    With that question, the puzzled Rachel Watson couldn’t help but freeze on the spot in shock and realization.


    "F, Forget what you saw!!"


    Hastily, she used the nun as a cover to hide her dress before… she finally ran outside while announcing those words at the top of her lungs.


    "... I, I''ll be waiting on the first floor!"


    And with that, silence ensued in the room.


    "Your disguise skills are quite impressive."


    Charlotte, standing quietly in the room, addressed the nun in a frosty tone when she saw that she had not gone down yet.


    "... To think that can disguise yourself so quickly into someone you could have only seen for a few seconds."


    "Haha..."


    The nun scratched her head with an awkward smile on her lips.


    "But if the nun disappears, the wedding will be cancelled, right...?"


    "......."


    "You see, from the perspective of someone who finds life''s meaning in taking things away, that would be a bit problematic."


    Momentarily, Lupin’s true voice leaked out from the disguised nun and she smirked subtly before muttering.


    "... Although, I do have to say that I have no sympathy for someone who can’t even keep their familiar puppy in control.”


    "........."


    "Well, then I''ll be waiting for you guys on the first floor."


    Smiling at Charlotte, who had begun ring at her with a chilling gaze, Lupin started descending down the stairs.


    "I don''t know what kind of scheme you have in mind by being the witness at the wedding of someone you like."


    "Yes, that''s right. It''s none of your business anyway..."


    "Don''t get too cocky just because you''ve had a little taste now."


    Leaving those words behind, she disappeared down to the first floor.


    "... I''ve heard that half the women in London already know that taste."


    "......."


    Silence settled between the two as they remained on the second floor.


    "... I thought you said it was your first time?"


    "Y, Yes, it is."


    "You''re going to lie till the very end, huh..."


    For some reason, Charlotte''s eyes began losing their shine as she stared at Adler— his body staggering momentarily due to the sudden loss of mana.


    "I''ll make another mistake today, it seems."


    "P, Please spare me..."


    They came back down to the first floor just as Watson was about to climb the stairs again, when she heard the moans that resounded once again from above, unable to be suppressed.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "Darling, if you liked massages so much, why didn''t you say so earlier..."


    "Yes, haha..."


    "From now on, I''ll do it for you every day."


    Seeing him descend down the stairs alongside Charlotte, Rachel Watson hurriedly snatched her fiancé away, keeping him close. Noticing him bing several times weaker than before, she whispered in his ears as they descended side by side.


    "... But what about the dress?"


    "Yes, the nun hid it with magic for a moment. She said it’d be the best to show my most beautiful self at the perfect moment."


    "Ah..."


    Adler nodded his head with a slightly guilt-ridden expression as he observed her.


    "The day has finallye..."


    Whether Watson knew his feelings or not, she just continued chattering excitedly beside him.


    "Let''s go to America for our honeymoon, darling."


    "......."


    "I have already prepared the transport. You just need to tag along."


    However, Adler was not in a situation to pay attention to those words,


    "........."


    Since he had realized that… Professor Jane Moriarty, who was tied to a pir with a leash all this time, was now staring at him with an emotionless gaze.


    _ ...I''m sorry, I''m so sorry, I''msosorrrrrrrrrrrry._


    Releasing her now would surely cause problems for the wedding-rted quest, however, he also deeply feared the consequence of not releasing her. He was in a dilemma.


    "Darling, where are you looking?"


    "Uh."


    Thus, when he stared at the professor for a bit too long, mind muddled in indecisiveness, Watson grabbed his cheeks and turned his head towards her.


    "From now on, you should only look at me."


    "........"


    "If you look elsewhere, then I will shoot you, okay?”


    Her words, whispered shyly, sounded quite cute in conjunction with her innocent appearance.


    "... I got first ce in marksmanship when I was a soldier."


    "Uh, hmm."


    "Have I ever told you about the time I caught an enemy scout at night with only a pistol?"


    Perhaps… if the speaker of those words hadn''t been a former military medic decorated with medals, it might have sounded even cuter.


    "So, you shouldn''t think about running away this time, understand?"


    "........."


    "If you run, I''ll chase you to the ends of the earth, is that clear?"


    And with that, Watson''s bittersweet conversation came to an end.


    "The bride and groom, please enter."


    Lupin, dressed as a nun, squinted at the scene and soon started raising her voice in a clear voice.


    "Shall we start the wedding ceremony?"


    "Ah..."


    Immediately, Watson’s nonstop chattering stopped and a look of extreme nervousness settled on her face.


    "What should I do, darling..."


    "......?"


    "I''m so nervous..."


    As she, quite literally, started shivering beside him in nervousness and anxiety, Adler, who only knew one way to calm a woman, subtly looked at his surroundings.


    <em>… Oh well.</em>


    """..........."""


    <em>Whatever happens, happens.</em>


    Then, ignoring the stares from Charlotte, Lupin, and the professor all focused on him, he raised himself on his toes.


    <em>- Smooch...</em>


    ".......!"


    As he kissed her on the cheek, the shivering Watson stopped trembling and stared down at Adler.


    "Rx, Rachel."


    At that moment, Adler whispered to her with an innocent smile.


    『London''s Casanova』


    <b>– Description:</b> Have Rachel Watson uncover the sham marriage


    <b>– Progress:</b> 0% → 20%


    "... What?"


    However, an unwee system message just happened to pop up before his eyes at that exact moment.


    <strong>Warning!</strong>


    <b>– Probability of being Shot —</b> 50%


    "...... ???"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    As Adler stood there with a bewildered expression amidst the suddenly changed progress in the quest and the probability rates,


    "........?"


    Watson, who had been staring down at her fiancé with a loving gaze after being kissed on the cheek, noticed something that shouldn''t have been visible.


    <em>… A tail?</em>


    Indeed, protruding above her fiancé''s trousers and swaying gently was a tail— a tail that was oddly familiar to her.