In front of 221 Baker Street, Charlotte and Vill-V stared at each other, the atmosphere unspeakably awkward.
Their minds were filled with astonishment, yet neither believed this was a coincidence. The more of a genius one is, the more adept they become at using 'coincidences' to achieve their own ends!
This little girl / This strange woman definitely has something up her sleeve!
With the exception of a bewildered Watson, whose head was filled with question marks, Charlotte and Vill-V had arrived at the exact same conclusion simultaneously.
However, in this initial contact, Charlotte wore an expression of clear amusement, while Vill-V used her youthful appearance to her advantage, employing a 'fraudulent' facade of weakness.
Before either could make their next move, a clear, crisp voice suddenly cut in.
"Ah, well now. You must be the tenants Mrs. Hudson mentioned. Might you be Miss Charlotte and Miss Watson, correct?"
"Oh my... and you are?"
At the sound of this voice, the tense atmosphere slowly dissipated. Charlotte glanced to the side, looking at Fu Li in the hallway with a surprised expression.
At that moment, Fu Li was dressed in a clean, tidy shirt, carrying green vegetables and meat in his hands. Paired with his gentle and innocent smile, he gave off a unique impression.
If an ordinary wealthy older woman were to see such a young man, her first thought would probably be how much she wanted to tie him up and corrupt him, bit by bit.
But in Charlotte's eyes, Fu Li was a first-rate danger—a wolf in sheep's clothing.
She didn't let it show, however, merely waving a hand. "Yo, that's right, that's us. Are you the other tenant mentioned on the phone? Mr... Li?"
She glanced at Fu Li's age, finally settling on the title 'Mister' with some uncertainty.
Just as she was about to step forward for a confrontation, Watson suddenly pressed a hand on her shoulder with a smile.
"Hey, Watson, what are you doing? We're in front of an outsider!"
"Cut the crap. I know exactly what you're planning just by looking at you. I'm telling you, no way!"
Her voice was low. She gave Fu Li an apologetic smile before pulling Charlotte aside and whispering:
"You have to remember, ever since you blew up a room trying to catch someone, our savings are almost gone. A place with rent as friendly as this is practically non-existent, okay?"
"Hiss... Fine, fine, I get it. But Watson, you know that when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. The rent here is so cheap, aren't you afraid it's a haunted house or a trap set by someone else?"
At this, Watson's gaze guiltily shifted away. "But right now, we don't have a choice..."
Hearing this, Charlotte fell silent for a moment. After recalling her current bank balance, she put on a familiar, friendly expression.
"Well, if it isn't little brother Li! Since you were also asked to help, let's get down to business. It's better to get this sorted out sooner rather than later. I really don't want to sleep in another hotel."
Seeing Charlotte's abrupt change in attitude, Fu Li almost failed to keep a straight face. But it made sense—the most important thing was to lure them in first.
Even though both he and Charlotte knew that the deal was practically sealed, they still had to go through the motions.
He looked at Vill-V, speaking with a pointed meaning.
"Vill-V, why don't you go back inside and read? I'll take these two big sisters to see the apartment. I'll cook when I get back, okay?"
"Oh, no problem."
After handing the groceries to Vill-V, Fu Li took another key out of his pocket. He opened the door to the adjacent apartment while explaining:
"I'm sure Miss Charlotte saw the state of my home just now. The layout of our two apartments is more or less the same. The size, balcony, and basic living facilities are all guaranteed."
As Fu Li spoke, what entered Charlotte's view was a room with a spacious living room, a bright balcony, and two private bedrooms.
It was obvious that although the room felt a bit lifeless from being unoccupied, compared to the school dorms and hotels, this place was an absolute paradise.
Moreover, for an apartment located in the center of London, a monthly rent of only 200 pounds was simply too cheap to be true.
Therefore, just as both had anticipated, they decided to rent the apartment with almost no haggling.
Looking at the elegant handwriting on the contract, Fu Li smiled and placed the document in a folder, extending his hand. "On behalf of Mrs. Hudson, I thank you both for moving in. You can move in today, but please note, you'll need to register with the community tomorrow."
"Mhm, I know. Thank you for your help."
After the two sides shook hands, officially completing the transaction, Fu Li extended an invitation as if he had expected this all along.
"Heh, ladies, you must be tired from moving into your new home today. If you don't mind, why not join us for a simple meal later? Think of it as a party to welcome our new neighbors. How about it?"
"That's... not quite..."
"Of course. It would be our honor, Mr. Li."
Before Watson could finish her refusal, Charlotte cut in and accepted the invitation.
From the look on her face, she was clearly interested in the mysterious brother-and-sister pair next door.
"Then it's settled. Please, ladies, rest for a while. I will come and invite you over once dinner is ready."
"Okay, we'll be troubling you then."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Fu Li left.
After he was gone, Watson frowned. "Charlotte, what are you...?"
"Shh." Charlotte placed a finger to her lips. Under Watson's strange gaze, she walked a full circle around the room.
The vase, the tables and chairs, the electrical outlets, the chandelier on the ceiling, and so on.
After Watson had waited patiently for over twenty minutes, Charlotte finally completed her initial inspection. After confirming there were no cameras or listening devices, she sat down on a chair and looked at the silent Watson.
"Watson? What do you think?"
"Ah, me?"
Hearing the sudden question, Watson thought for a moment before answering, "Without a doubt, there's something wrong with that brother and sister. And it seems they calculated that we wouldn't refuse this apartment."
"Yeah, that we wouldn't refuse."
Charlotte placed her hands behind her head, propping her legs brazenly on the chair as she stared at the ceiling.
"Watson, in my opinion, they are unquestionably connected to the [Alan Institute]."
"The Alan Institute? But Charlotte, didn't you observe the little girl's reaction and confirm that she was fine?"
"Yes, and that's what puzzles me the most."
Charlotte frowned, but a smile hung on her lips. "My intuition tells me they're suspicious, but no matter how I try to profile them, I can't read their psychology."
"You have to understand, there are very few people I can't profile. Besides Professor Moriarty, I've encountered less than three people in my entire life who I couldn't read. And today, I suddenly run into two of them, along with an apartment this cheap. Don't you think there's a problem?"
"What?" Watson's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "So you knew they were suspicious and still accepted their dinner invitation? Seriously? Aren't you afraid they'll poison us?"
"Of course not." Charlotte shot her a sidelong glance, speaking with confidence. "If everything we're experiencing now is part of their plan, killing us would be a piece of cake. They wouldn't resort to a lowly method like poisoning."
"...Fine. So? Why are we going to dinner?" Watson sighed helplessly. In front of Charlotte, she always felt like an idiot.
Fortunately, when it came to business, Charlotte rarely hid anything.
"To verify whether they are friend or foe, of course. It's just like with the [Alan Institute]. We only know they once helped Moriarty, but we don't know if they are ultimately good or evil."
Charlotte held up the owl pendant on her chest, a peculiar light flashing in her beautiful crimson eyes.
"I love puzzles more than anything. Whether it's the [Alan Institute] or Moriarty, they're all very interesting, aren't they?"
This girl...
Looking at Charlotte, who was lost in her own world, Watson remained silent for a moment before finally deciding to give up.
As a B-rank detective's assistant, she shared a certain trait with Klein: unconditional trust in the person she was assisting.
Klein's object of assistance was Mobius, and Watson's was Charlotte.
---o---
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Clack! Clack!
The sound of a kitchen knife hitting a cutting board echoed through the room. Ever since Fu Li had returned home, Vill-V, having said nothing more than a basic greeting, was hugging a Snakey plushie, staring resentfully at the kitchen.
Damn it, damn it, that idiot Li!
Vill-V puffed out her cheeks, her hands angrily kneading the Snakey plushie she had won as a prize, as if it weren't a toy but a certain someone in the kitchen.
Without a doubt, even without asking, she knew perfectly well that those two strange women with the owl pendants were sent here by Fu Li.
But, why did they have to be girls?!
Vill-V's mind replayed the image of that well-endowed blonde girl, recalling those red eyes so similar to Fu Li's. Finally, she looked down at her own underdeveloped figure, and the inexplicable fire in her heart burned even hotter.
The young Vill-V did not yet know what jealousy was. She just felt extremely annoyed, especially when she learned that those two girls were coming over for dinner.
And that was the main reason she was, for once, not bothering Fu Li.
'Damn it, damn it! Even though I know those two are part of Fu Li's plan, I'm still so annoyed! Should I play a prank on them later?!'
After stewing in her anger for a while, Vill-V finally managed to temporarily suppress her malicious thoughts. She tossed the misshapen Snakey plushie onto the sofa and picked up today's newspaper.
As everyone knows, work is an effective form of entertainment for relieving frustration.
Vill-V opened the newspaper and, following her memory, quickly found the report that took up half a page.
[Shocking! A mysterious bloody-word murder in London! Business tycoon found brutally murdered at home! Is this a perversion of human nature or a collapse of morality?!]
Do all newspapers use headlines like this nowadays?
The sun shone brightly outside, its golden rays illuminating the newspaper and casting a layer of mysterious color over its plain surface. Vill-V raised an eyebrow, her annoyance pushed aside as she focused on the content.
The case was simple. A wealthy merchant from a distant region had died in her home. At the scene of the crime, a mysterious word had been left behind, written in blood.
'RACHEL'
It looked like a name. Vill-V remembered that on Charlotte's newspaper, they had circled this word in red and added some question marks after it.
Wait... question marks?
If they were the killers, or were involved, why would they mark the clue with question marks?
Although it was possible they were just reviewing the case, another theory formed in Vill-V's mind.
Namely, that while Charlotte and her partner were involved, they weren't the perpetrators. On the contrary, they might be victims, or perhaps one of this city's specialties: detectives.
Recalling Charlotte's remarkably sharp powers of observation, Vill-V felt that her latter guess had a 70% probability.
Thinking back on Fu Li's unspoken but meticulous protection of her, Vill-V believed that even if he wanted to test her, he would absolutely prioritize her safety.
He wouldn't be at ease placing people next door who could pose a threat to her.
In that case, assuming Charlotte and her companion were connected to the [Alan Institute], this seemingly ordinary case must have some hidden, unknown truth behind it.
And that hidden truth was very likely what Fu Li really wanted her to discover.
The event, the clues, the deductions, and her grasp of Fu Li's character allowed Vill-V to infer Charlotte's alignment before she had even formally touched the case.
However, she still had too little information. She could either use them or cooperate with them after she had a clearer picture of the situation.
For the part of Vill-V that leaned towards the [Expert] persona, emotions and responsibilities were two completely unrelated units.
Although she was emotionally annoyed with those two, when it came to her current responsibility—solving Fu Li's puzzle—she had to keep things separate.
"Are they the 'bridge' to the truth that Fu Li has prepared for me, or are they something else?"
Vill-V was still pondering when her peripheral vision caught sight of Fu Li, carrying plates of sumptuous dishes and walking happily towards the dining table.
For him, is he just enjoying this, or is it something else?
Vill-V found that whenever Fu Li was in front of her, her thoughts would often go blank as her attention shifted to him.
This was a bad habit, Vill-V thought.
She had a feeling that she would only get busier in the future. And if she needed Fu Li to stay away from her every time she worked, she would never be at ease.
Therefore, she had to get used to it!
Just as Vill-V was thinking this, she saw Fu Li say to her, "Alright, you can go invite our neighbors over for dinner now."
Author's PS:
This can also be considered a tribute to the detective trio of Vill-V, Pardofelis, and Raiden Mei from the story. Ehe.