owlsbooks Chapter 149: Contract Couple
Chapter 149: Contract Couple
Chapter 149: Contract Couple"Hmm hmm..."
Following the monster showdown that shook all of London and the abduction of Isaac Adler which occurred 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.
- Ding dong...!
"........!"
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, come in."
After ensuring everything was impeccable, 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.
- Swoosh...
".......?"
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 relax 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 account 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 of lawsuits 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 relationship?"
Caught in the moment, Inspector Lestrade's face momentarily flushed as she avoided Adler’s gaze and posed her question.
"By that kind of relationship, you mean...?"
"What, what do you think I am referring to."
"......."
"... A marital relationship."
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 play 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 can come back to life. Though, I might accidentally crush half of it if I can't control my strength due to anger..."
Lestrade glanced 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 blankly 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 welcome to check it in other parts of England."
"........"
"Even I can't manipulate 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."
"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.
- Smack...
"....... !?!?"
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 clause."
"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 collapse 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.