Chapter 144: A Case of Identity (7)

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

Upon hearing the groaning sound coming 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, a layer of suspicion started brimming in Watson's as she observed him.

"How did Holmes know about this place, 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 blank 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 pillar, 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 claimed 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 flawless 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."

At last, a moderately relaxed 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 massage with your mouth now, did you?"

"Watson. Judging by your rude comment, it seems you've been reading too many obscene books lately, 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 times lately."

"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?"

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

Releasing her now would surely cause problems for the wedding-related 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 place 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.

... Oh well.

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

Whatever happens, happens.

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

- Smooch...

".......!"

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

"Relax, Rachel."

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

『London's Casanova』

– Description: Have Rachel Watson uncover the sham marriage

– Progress: 0% → 20%

"... What?"

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

Warning!

– Probability of being Shot — 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.

... A tail?

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