Unlike other professors, Grace Moriarty had styled her office with a quiet, refined elegance. The moment Sherlock stepped through the door, she was greeted by the unmistakable air of classical nobility, despite the woman being a mere professor of mathematics.
In her presence, Sherlock's brain experienced a rare "system crash." Because her cognitive abilities were so advanced, her mind had evolved a state of hyper-analytical perception; wherever her senses landed, descriptive text would manifest before her eyes. But before Moriarty, this logic failed entirely.
"Have you reached a decision?" Moriarty asked, a kind and gentle smile gracing her face as she watched Sherlock. She had curls that smelled as fragrant as a Blue Enchantress rose and wore round-framed glasses. Her deep blue eyes were profound and seemingly impenetrable.
Sherlock felt an indescribable sense of unease, but currently, Moriarty was the only one who could serve as her graduation supervisor. Pushing down her apprehension, Sherlock replied, "We agree to your terms, provided this student isn't too much of a nuisance."
"She won't be. She's a very good girl," Moriarty said, clapping her hands. "Come in."
The door pushed open, and a girl who looked utterly out of place in Cambridge walked in. She was dressed in rags, her aura dark and gloomy. Moriarty introduced her: "Anhe Jiang. Jiang Anhe. I found her in an alleyway; the child is an orphan with no place to call home. She is now a special-status student at Cambridge. Since I don't have the time, I'm entrusting her to you."
Jiang Anhe looked up slightly. Her dark eyes, as still as the water in an ancient well, reminded Sherlock of the specters from Eastern folklore.
Sherlock used the telephone to consult Luomiu. "Luomiu, I don't think this is a good idea. Everything is too deliberate. Moriarty is intentionally bypassing my psychological profiling."
However, Luomiu seemed completely unconcerned. "It's fine. What harm could a Cambridge professor possibly mean? Just accept it; she's only a child."
Sherlock sighed inwardly, chalking it up to Luomiu's typical carelessness. She secretly vowed to protect him if things went sideways.
After finishing the paperwork, Sherlock led Jiang Anhe out of the school gates. The girl didn't say a word, moving like an obedient machine. Sherlock gave her a cold warning: "I happen to dislike 'special cases' like you. You'd best behave yourself, understood?" Jiang Anhe simply nodded in silence.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Stop arresting me, Miss Holmes (40 Chapters, Ongoing)
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While Sherlock was buying a paper at a newsstand, a passerby recognized her. Her identity being exposed triggered a surge in the crowd. Pulling her felt hat low, she gripped Jiang Anhe's hand and fought her way through the throng, only to collide with someone in the chaos.
"Sorry..." Sherlock was about to sidestep them when she heard a familiar voice.
"Weren't you supposed to be babysitting?" Luomiu helped her straighten her lopsided hat. "Where is she?"
"What are you doing here?" Sherlock asked, relieved.
"Finished up at the warehouse and wanted to see what this Professor Moriarty looks like," Luomiu said with a mysterious smile.
"Ha. You'll behave once she has a knife to your throat." Sherlock turned and pointed behind her. "She's right behind me, right... wait, where did she go?"
Sherlock froze. The girl she had been holding onto had vanished into the crowd.
"Ah, I see." Luomiu's smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
He looked toward a figure in the crowd that had just fearfully ducked their head away—it was Jiang Anhe. She was attempting to submerge herself back into the mass of people, only to find that Luomiu's gaze had already locked onto her with deadly precision.
Luomiu thought to himself: What is this? The third time's the charm for our little thief?