Mu Continent, English Sector. The London National Library.
Although she had received Fu Li's subtle hint before, Vill-V had paid attention to the newspapers for a while and found no meaningful information. Consequently, she had temporarily shifted her excess focus back to her studies.
In just one short week of studying high school material, she discovered that while the content of the books was rich, it was not particularly deep.
Therefore, on a weekend that others used for relaxation, she decided to immerse herself in the largest library in all of London.
"Hmm... let's see, Advanced Calculus... and Advanced Physics... which one should I start with today..."
Staring at the two books in her hands, each as thick as a Xinhua Dictionary, Vill-V hesitated for a moment before ultimately choosing the mathematics book.
After all, to learn physics well, one must first have a good grasp of mathematics. This was common knowledge even to ordinary people, so it was not a mistake Vill-V would make.
However, just as she ordered a glass of juice and headed to her usual corner table to read, she discovered that two young women were already sitting in her spot.
The one on the left had long, golden hair and eyes as clear as a blood moon. She wore an old-fashioned detective's trench coat, which, despite her youth, gave her a somewhat flippant air.
Beside her sat a short-haired girl with azure eyes and a monocle. In contrast to her companion, she seemed much more mature, possessing an old-soul quality despite her age.
On their table was a copy of that day's London Citizen's Post, with red and black circles drawn around one of the articles.
For some reason, as Vill-V's gaze fell upon the golden-haired girl, those red eyes, so similar to Fu Li's, seemed to glance over at her casually.
Then, she smiled and gave a small wave, as if greeting her.
A forward type.
Vill-V frowned. After a moment of thought, she resolutely walked to a table on the opposite side, silently vowing to find an even more secluded corner for her future reading sessions.
To her surprise, however, even after she changed seats, the golden-haired girl continued to observe her silently.
To be honest, although the gaze held no malice, it made her feel uncomfortable.
It felt as if she had encountered... a kindred spirit?
Realizing this, Vill-V's hand, which was holding the book, paused slightly. She looked up in surprise to find the other girl walking towards her.
The short-haired girl noticed her companion's movement and quickly tried to hold her back.
"Hey! Charlotte, what do you think you're doing?"
"Alright, Watson, don't stop me. You noticed her too, didn't you?"
"That's not the point, this is incredibly rude!"
Watching the willful Charlotte, Watson felt a flash of helplessness. She hurried to get in front of Charlotte and was the first to speak to Vill-V.
"Um, I'm terribly sorry, miss. My companion is just like this, please bear with her... Hey, Charlotte, why are you pushing me?"
"Oh, come on, Watson. She's no ordinary person either."
Ignoring the flustered Watson, Charlotte casually sat down in front of Vill-V, her eyes landing on the Advanced Calculus textbook in her hands. "Advanced Calculus? Isn't such a profound book a bit inappropriate for someone your age?"
"None of your business, miss."
Wary of this strange woman, Vill-V's brow furrowed. When she noticed the gazes of others in the library gathering on them, her vigilance lessened slightly.
Based on her observation, the woman before her was odd, but she didn't seem like a lawbreaker.
Still, she had no clue why she was being approached.
"Now, now, little miss, don't be so hostile. I just wanted to ask if you recognize this?"
A flippant smile played on Charlotte's face as she pulled out an owl-shaped pendant from around her neck, her eyes fixed on Vill-V.
However, contrary to her expectations, the girl's expression remained guarded as she frowned back at her.
"What are you talking about, miss? What is this thing, some new kind of scam?"
"What? A scam?"
Charlotte frowned, looking at Vill-V, who seemed genuinely bewildered.
The pendant in her hand was the token given by the [Alan Institute] to every genius it had helped. Logically speaking, if a middle school student was capable of studying advanced calculus, she should have, by all accounts, caught the eye of that organization.
This meant she was either an undiscovered talent, or she had yet to receive the organization's help.
She looked into Vill-V's wary eyes and found she couldn't detect the slightest hint of a lie. She seemed just like a normal little girl who had run into a weirdo.
Except, compared to other little girls, she was significantly calmer, and her mind worked much faster.
"I'm sorry, miss, but whoever you are, please stop harassing me. This is a public area. If you continue, I'll have to scream."
Her thoughts are meticulous, her speech is clear.
Even though she looks frightened, she quickly identified the conditions that are advantageous to her.
"Heh... is that so? Then it seems I've mistaken you for someone else. I apologize for the trouble I've caused."
Waving away Watson, who was about to apologize, Charlotte narrowed her eyes. Her previous flippancy was gone, and like a true gentleman, she stood up and offered a bow of apology.
Her behavior took the nearby Watson by surprise.
In the past, whenever Charlotte took such a keen interest in someone, she would charge straight up to them. Though rude, she almost always came out victorious in the end.
This was the first time Watson had ever seen her companion suffer a setback and return empty-handed.
"It's fine. In that case, please don't disturb my reading."
Vill-V's reply was still cautious. After watching the two return to their seat, she seemed to relax slightly, quickly gathered her books, and left.
On the surface, she really did look like a little girl who had just been harassed.
But for Vill-V, who possessed the talent of the [Conman], even as her heart leaped with excitement as she turned away, she didn't let a single trace of relief show on her face.
When she first saw that owl pendant, she had almost given away that she recognized the symbol. But thanks to her incredible reaction speed, she had played her part perfectly.
The part of an ordinary, harassed little girl who had never seen that owl pendant before.
However...
A small smile touched Vill-V's lips as she checked out her books at the counter. Without turning to look at the golden-haired girl, she mused.
She had seen it. The newspaper those two strange women were looking at was today's edition of the London Citizen's Post, and the annotated article was the front-page headline.
And she hadn't had a chance to read today's paper carefully yet.
So, she now had one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
The good news was, she seemed to have found the people and the event related to Li's secret.
The bad news was, these two people connected to the secret looked like they would be very difficult to deal with.
---o---
Meanwhile, after Vill-V left the library.
Amidst the strange looks from the surrounding people, Watson's face turned beet red. She slammed a hand on the table and hissed in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Hey, Charlotte, do you have any idea what you just did? I let it slide before, but now you dare to approach a little girl like that in public?"
"Don't you realize how reckless and inconsiderate your actions are?!"
Seeing Charlotte ignore the stares and lower her head in deep thought, Watson felt as if she had just punched a bale of cotton—completely useless.
In the end, she could only let out a long sigh and slump back into her chair, disgruntled.
Suddenly, she heard the silent Charlotte mutter to herself, "Something's not right... that little girl, something's not right about her."
"Huh? What's not right about her?"
"..." Charlotte was silent for a long moment before she said reluctantly, "I don't know what's not right. I just feel that... her reaction was too normal."
"So... normal is what's right, isn't it? Charlotte, have you gone crazy from all your recent cases? You can't just assume everyone you see is connected to Moriarty."
Looking at her companion, Watson sighed, feeling even more helpless.
If she weren't Charlotte's only friend from high school, she really wouldn't want to be playing these detective games with her right after starting university.
Moriarty was the youngest professor at their school, with a brilliant future ahead of him. How could he possibly be connected to the recent string of crimes?
Thinking about it, Watson couldn't help but recall that when the little girl first approached, her gaze seemed to have unintentionally swept over their table.
"Say, Charlotte, it seems that girl saw you before you saw her."
"Mm, that's right. Her observation skills are very sharp. What about it?"
Charlotte looked up, puzzled, and saw Watson pick up the newspaper. "Come to think of it, I have a feeling that the first thing she saw wasn't you, but the newspaper."
After she said this, she received no reply from Charlotte for a long time. When she looked up in surprise, she found her companion looking somewhat dazed.
She was all too familiar with this state. Sure enough, the next second, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder.
"Haha, you're truly worthy of being my best partner, Watson! You did it, you did it!"
"Hiss... Charlotte, what is it now? And please, don't hit me so hard next time."
Seeing Charlotte once again draw the attention of the entire library, Watson felt goosebumps all over her body. She was so ashamed she wanted to find a crack in the floor and shove her head into it.
However, compared to her embarrassment, Charlotte clearly wasn't thinking about any of that. She just snatched the newspaper from the table and began dragging Watson towards the exit, saying excitedly:
"Do you know, Watson? Thanks to you, I finally figured out what was wrong!"
"Ugh!! I get it, Charlotte, but before that, could you please pay attention to your surroundings?"
"Ha, surroundings? What are you talking about, Watson?"
Charlotte strode forward excitedly, completely oblivious to the cold-faced librarian who had appeared in front of her at some point.
She walked straight into the librarian, a collision that brought her face to face with a pair of very large... obstacles. Looking up at the librarian's frosty expression, Charlotte's smile gradually stiffened.
"You two guests, if you ever patronize this library again, please remember one thing: you must be quiet in the library!"
With a loud "BANG," the doors were slammed shut. Watson, who had been "escorted" out of the library, had a grim expression on her face. She looked at the sheepish Charlotte and smacked her on the head.
"Charlotte! If you do that again, I'm never going out with you!"
"Ehehe, my dear Watson, I was wrong, okay? Oww, a sneak attack!"
After expertly placating Watson, Charlotte looked at the passing crowd and couldn't help but say helplessly, "Well, it seems we lost her."
"Hmph, good thing we did. Otherwise, I would have had to call the police on you. Charlotte, you're a detective, not a stalker!"
"Well, well, some parts of a detective's job are essentially stalking, you know."
With that, Charlotte took out her phone. Under Watson's disgusted gaze, she eagerly started dialing a number. "That young lady is definitely still a student. With such distinct features, it should be easy to find her with a little digging."
Just as she was about to take the first step toward committing a crime, Watson grabbed her by the ear, pulling her back from the brink.
"Didn't you promise me? You wouldn't use these methods unless you had definitive proof that the person was the culprit. Also, have you forgotten we've been kicked out of the dorms? We need to find an apartment to rent!"
"Waah!! I know, I know, I won't do it, just let go, Watson!"
Charlotte's zany behavior left Watson feeling helpless, but at least she still listened to her, which made it hard to say anything more.
She simply took out her own phone and found a contact.
"Anyway, I made an appointment with Mrs. Hudson to see an apartment before six. We have to secure a place today, or we'll have to find another hotel, understand?"
With that, she dialed the number, and the call was quickly answered.
"Hello, Mrs. Hudson? This is Watson. I had an appointment with you to view the apartment."
"What? You have an urgent matter today and need to reschedule? That's not what we agreed on."
"Oh, you can have the tenant next door show us the apartment? That... I suppose that's fine. Thank you for your trouble."
Hanging up, Watson looked at the still-pouting Charlotte and shook her head helplessly.
---o---
That day, at six in the evening.
Vill-V, who had just returned home not long ago, was holding the newspaper and reading the front-page story about the mysterious death of a local wealthy merchant when she suddenly heard the doorbell ring.
She put down the paper, assuming Li was back. She threw open the door, ready to leap into his arms, only to be met with two faces that were just as surprised as her own.
"What are you doing here?!"