Chapter 149: Contract Couple"Hmm hmm..."


    Following the monster showdown that shook all of London and the abduction of Isaac Adler which urred shortly thereafter,


    In the morning after the series of events had finally concluded, a young girl was sitting at the dining table in the living room, peering out of the window with an anxious expression.


    <em>- Ding dong...!</em>


    "........!"


    An unknown amount of time went by as she sat there, waiting. Just then, the sound of the doorbell echoed from the entrance, causing her to open her eyes wide and stand up from her seat.


    "Ah..."


    As she walked, she paused for a moment and began to tidy her appearance in front of a mirror on the wall.


    "... Pl-Please,e in."


    After ensuring everything was impable, to the extent that even the most critical and vain person in existence wouldn’t be able to find any faults in her, she spoke in a meek voice while opening the front door.<em>- Swoosh...</em>


    ".......?"


    A blond-haired boy peeked inside through the gap. Squinting his eyes, he made a cursory survey of the inside of the house.


    "What are you doing, Adler...?"


    "Making sure there aren’t any assassins, monsters, or Holmes lying in ambush."


    "... Do you think that’s possible in my, Gia Lestrade’s, house of all people?"


    "Well, if you say it like that."


    Only then did the tension in his eyes rx ever so slightly, and the boy, Isaac Adler, stepped inside.


    "Why are you overreacting so much?"


    "......."


    "The witness investigation has already concluded. I heard that there’s another witness who provided a detailed ount of the incident, aside from you, of course. Thanks to that, you were deemed a one-sided victim."


    "... Is that so."


    "Of course, there are dozens ofwsuits still pending in the court in your name, for several years now too, but you are not yet in a position to be arrested."


    Gia Lestrade quietly observed him as she processed the situation and then silently stared at Adler with a subtle glint in her eyes.


    ""........""


    A strange current soon began flowing between the two.


    "I couldn’t ask properly yesterday due to the strange incident and Lupin''s involvement, but now I''ll ask again at this moment."


    "... Go on."


    "Are we really... that... in that kind of rtionship?"


    Caught in the moment, Inspector Lestrade''s face momentarily flushed as she avoided Adler’s gaze and posed her question.


    "By <strong>that</strong> kind of rtionship, you mean…?"


    "What, what do you think I am referring to."


    "......."


    "... A marital rtionship."


    At the sight of her dishevelled look, a far cry from her usual robotic and frigid demeanour, Adler, unknowingly, averted his gaze just like her.


    "If this is just a lie to tease me, or merely a y staged to achieve some sort of purpose, then I suggest that you confess to me right now."


    ".........."


    "If you do so, I''ll leave your head intact so you cane back to life. Though, I might identally crush half of it if I can''t control my strength due to anger..."


    Lestrade nced at him and suddenly began to interrogate Adler with a terrifying intensity in her voice and gaze.


    "Isaac Adler, are you really married to me?"


    "........."


    "Am I really, really your wife?"


    Blushing, Adler fidgeted with his fingers before pulling a document from his coat.


    "What''s this?"


    "I picked up our marriage certificate from the town hall on my way here."


    "Ah..."


    "What does it say there?"


    Lestrade, staring nkly at the document Adler handed her, let out a voice that mirrored her stare.


    "Spouse, Gia Lestrade..."


    "... I brought the family register too, in case you wouldn''t believe it. If you still don''t believe it, you''re wee to check it in other parts of Ennd."


    "........"


    "Even I can''t manipte an entire national institution now, can I?"


    Finishing his words, Adler only stared at her in silence. Quietly, Lestrade lifted her head to meet his gaze with a vacant expression.


    "... We are now legally married."


    "Ah."


    "Even officially recognized by the state as a newly married couple."


    "Ne-Newlyweds."


    "Does it feel real now...?"


    Her already flushed face deepened to the hue of a ripe, red apple.


    "Ooh..."


    "... In that regard, I have a proposal for you."


    Adler, who had been staring intently at her, suddenly slid a nk contract that had been under the newspaper towards her.


    "A proposal?"


    "We draft a detailed contract about our sham marriage."


    His head quietly tilted to the side.


    "You weren''t seriously nning to live a married life with me now, were you?"


    "That, that is..."


    "I am a vile devil intent on taking over London, and Miss Lestrade, you are forced into this marriage to stop me."


    "........"


    "Knowing the decision you’ve made, I am making this proposal for your convenience."


    As Lestrade silently closed her mouth, Adler pulled out a pen from his pocket and began scribbling on the contract,ying out his proposal.


    "You must protect me above all else, regardless of the circumstances. Moreover, you cannot betray me under any circumstances, and you must fully cooperate with me in driving out the supernatural beings in London."


    "........."


    "And this contract will end in one year from now, by mutual divorce."


    He had written all that content on one side of the contract and then lifted his head to look at Lestrade and then spoke,


    "This is what I ask of you in our contractual marriage, Inspector. Now, it’s your turn to propose any demands you might have."


    "... Is that so?"


    Suddenly, aplexity of emotions swirled in Lestrade’s eyes, but soon… she started murmuring in a subdued voice,


    "I didn''t know..."


    "Inspector?"


    "Never mind. I understand what you are saying."


    But soon, her usual cool expression reappeared on her face, and she began speaking with a rigid tone, straightening her back,


    "Then, I will now propose my demands."


    "Yes."


    "From now on, Isaac Adler must look only at me and me alone."


    "......?"


    "He shall not flirt with any other woman, nor let his mind wander toward other women."


    As Adler wasfortably scribbling the contents with his pen, his eyes widened upon hearing her proposal.


    "From now on, all expressions of love and acts of affection must be directed solely to Gia Lestrade, Inspector of the London Metropolitan Police. This applies to everything, from casual conversation to physical affection."


    "Um..."


    "Gia Lestrade promises to ept all these acts obediently without any objections. In return, if Isaac Adler breaches this use, Gia Lestrade is permitted to inflict physical harm on him."


    "Mi, Miss Lestrade..."


    Adler had stopped writing by then, but Gia Lestrade had already snatched the pen from his hand and was inserting her demands into the contract.


    "Lastly, the ending date of the contract can be extended by mutual agreement, emphasizing the <strong>mutual agreement</strong> point.”


    “... The emphasis on that word makes me somewhat uneasy.”


    “And the specific uses can also be modified by <strong>mutual agreement</strong>. These are all my demands."


    After filling the contract thoroughly with her demands, Gia Lestrade finally put down the pen.


    "I have decided on this marriage to protect the women of London from you, so if you wish to borrow my strength, you mustply."


    "... But, can you handle it?"


    Adler began to question her with his eyes narrowed.


    "I wonder if Miss Lestrade, no different from an apostle of justice, can endure the sticky affection of a human trash like myself."


    "........"


    "To me, it seems like you wouldn''tst a few days before begging me to modify the details..."


    "... Do as you please."


    At his tacky tone, she crossed her arms with a slightly displeased expression.


    "For the peace of London, I have no intention ofpromising on this use."


    "... Hmm."


    Quietly watching her, Adler then picked up the pen and elegantly finished signing himself.


    "So, does it start now?"


    "It seems so... Hmm?"


    And as Lestrade took the pen and engraved her name beneath his, Adler suddenly leaned close to her neck.


    <em>- Smack...</em>


    "....... !?!?"


    As his lips and tongue touched the smooth centre of her pristine neck, Lestrade began to twitch all over, sporting a dazed expression.


    "A-Are we starting this already?"


    "... If you dislike it, we could just agree to modify the use."


    "Uggh..."


    However, following Adler''s words, she gritted her teeth, unable to protest.


    "Inspector."


    "What, what is it?"


    "You haven’t even touched a man, let alone have your first kiss, right?"


    Adler, holding her chin with his hand, slowly leaned towards Lestrade''s lips, which she had unknowingly started to squirm in anxiousness.


    "That''s..."


    "... I’ll take your first kiss, okay?"


    At that moment, with a voice sweet enough to paralyze her senses, she felt a heat rising from within as she tightly closed her eyes.


    "... You animal."


    "... Sister!!"


    ""........ !?!?""


    Suddenly, a familiar yet cheerful voice was heard from behind them.


    "Did we have guests?"


    ""........""


    "Hey! It’s Brother Adler!"


    As Lestrade''s younger sister appeared, grinning and walking towards them with her hands behind her back, the two contractually bound couple quickly separated and started to cough.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "Brother, what brings you here?"


    "Ah, well..."


    At that suspiciously perfect timing, Gia Lestrade''s younger sister appeared with a beaming smile, heading towards us.


    "Sister, please get a grip already."


    "Eh?"


    "You''ve been following Adler around for days and even got taken in by the police as a witness in a kidnapping case... Ugh?"


    "... Shut your mouth before I sew it shut for you."


    Fortunately, it seemed she was distracted by the approach of her younger brother, so I leaked out a sighed and turned my attention back to Lestrade.


    "... So, you''re not here just to unload the desires of half the women in London, on me now, are you?"


    "......."


    "What can I do to help you?"


    Then, sighing in the same manner, Gia Lestrade asked in a stiffer tone.


    "That''s the thing..."


    Seeing her cheeks still slightly flushed, a stark contrast to her usual demeanour, which I found quite cute, I pondered what to do next.


    Probability Warning!


    At that moment, a bright red warning message appeared before my eyes, and I immediately decided what needed to be done.


    The following case has the potential to cause a serious probability copse of the world, in turn leading to its destruction.


    CASE: The Creeping Man


    "Ah, damn it."


    The darkest stain in the Sherlock Holmes series. A taboo among Sherlockians. Despite being an official short story from the Sherlock Holmes series, it was nothing short of a cheap sci-fi that could be hardly called a mystery.


    "... Monsters aren''t the problem right now."


    "Adler?"


    That was my rough assessment of the episode I now had to overhaul, risking my life.