2 – The first meeting with Miss Holmes was disastrous (2)
The major reason behind 21-year-old James Moriarty accepting the tutoring job for Holmes’s second son was the money, but the name ‘Holmes’ also had some sway in his decision.
In retrospect, it was a foolish thought. In the Ireland where he was born, there must have been more than a thousand people who carried the Moriarty name alone, and there must be thousands more bearing the name Holmes in England.
When he had taken a train and a carriage to a small countryside near Scotland, he could not help but be somewhat disappointed.
Mr. Holmes was the boring-looking man in his fifties who served as the Anglican clergyman of the area and, with due respect, was a landlord.
As for Mrs. Holmes, she looked less tedious than her husband and was a stunning woman in her mid-thirties with striking red hair.
Seeing her appearance, still looking like she was in her twenties despite her age and red hair, it was clear she must have fairy blood. There were still descendants with fairy ancestors in Ireland and Scotland, even though the fairies themselves had long since vanished.
People with red hair or eyes, such as she, were famous for their slow aging, and Mrs. Holmes was no exception.
Still, unlike other beautiful men and women they were known for, Mrs. Holmes’s appearance was quite ordinary.
Upon arriving at the Holmes’ mansion, he was told that the family was made up of two sons and one daughter. The eldest son was not present as he was attending a theological school to follow his father’s footstep, as was the case with many country landlords in England. The youngest daughter was mysteriously absent until he had a chance to talk to his tutee.
His tutee, named Mycroft, was somewhat disappointing. Mr. Holmes, despite his dull appearance, must have had an incredibly peculiar naming habit.
Moriarty had never met anyone named Mycroft other than the boy standing before him.
“Hello, sir.”
“Oh, so, you’re preparing for Oxbridge?”
“Yes.”
The conversation ended quickly.
Mycroft Holmes was a 15-year-old boy. He was tall like Moriarty, albeit rather chubby, making him look somewhat frail.
Still, his eyes shone sharper than those of other idiots, making him an impressive boy, and while chatting casually on the first day as an informal assessment, Moriarty realized the boy was as intelligent as him.
However, he did not feel overly interested.
Mycroft, despite his intelligence, seemed to lack the passion to do anything interesting with it.
Nonetheless, teaching Mycroft was leagues better than teaching an idiot. Moriarty felt that he might be able to endure his year as a private tutor.
Just after wrapping up the first day’s light lessons, Moriarty was lost in thought in his room, contemplating his plans for the coming year.
In his haste to leave, he had left the door open, allowing for an unexpected visitor.
“Who on earth are you?”
Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, Moriarty could do nothing but freeze. He didn’t have anything to hide, but it felt as though he had been caught red-handed by someone who had never suspected him in the first place. For a moment, he was paralyzed.
If he had been a bit more rational, he would have realized that there was no need to fear an unfamiliar voice that seemed to interrogate his identity.
Any ordinary adult male would’ve thought as much. Judging by her voice alone, he could tell that this interlocutor was just a child.
Though her puberty had not yet commenced, making it difficult to distinguish whether she was a boy or a girl, he slowly turned his head toward the sound, certain she was a girl.
And, he was correct.
Someone was now standing at the door, and considering he hadn’t perceived their presence even though he was concentrating, it was clear she was a little thief.
Moriarty observed the girl quickly. But surprisingly, when he realized the girl was also observing him, he couldn’t help but let out an awkward chuckle.
She was a young girl. He would later find out she had just turned 8. A little girl, 13 years his junior.
She was wearing a dress that girls would typically wear, but upon closer inspection, he noticed she wore trousers underneath, spoiled with dirt and mud here and there. Without a doubt, she was an active, literal tomboy.
Despite Mrs. Holmes’ endeavors to grow her black hair down to the shoulders neatly, it was shiny yet untidy, perhaps because she enjoyed playing outside all the time.
Above all, what was impressive were her sharp eyes observing him. They were even more striking than Mycroft’s.
Her grey eyes, which mirrored his own, shone like jewels, in the middle of which he could see a red glow illuminating.
No doubt, she had inherited the fairy blood even more so than Mrs. Holmes.
Considering the fairy blood she must have inherited, the girl was extraordinarily beautiful. Of course, it wasn’t a fitting description for her at the moment.
However, anyone who saw the girl would be sure that she would grow up into a stunning beauty.
Moriarty himself couldn’t help but agree to that fact.
But, the reason his focus unconsciously strayed to the girl wasn’t merely because she was pretty. Oddly enough, he was captivated by a certain feeling as soon as he saw her, and he couldn’t even understand why himself.
Regardless, he couldn’t remain in suspicious silence forever. Carefully, nonchalantly, Moriarty opened his mouth.
“What sound is that, little missy?”
“I’m not a little kid.”
Brashly yet dignified, the little lady contradicted Moriarty’s statement. Yet, despite the determined look she gave Moriarty, the innocence befitting her age was palpable.
To Moriarty’s eyes, the girl seemed like a person engrossed in probing a secret as if she’s the hero in a fairytale.
“Alright, alright, Miss Holmes, my apologies. By the way, what did you mean by that just now?”
“Don’t tease, no, that’s not… Ahem, you said you’re Mr. Moriarty, right? Mycroft’s private tutor and a university student.”
“Technically I already graduated, but yes, that’s correct, Miss Holmes.”
Moriarty confirmed, and Miss Holmes lifted the corner of her lips as if she had won. Excitedly, she raised her voice.
“That’s all lies, isn’t it? Why did you hide your identity? Could it be that Mr. Moriarty is a villain plotting something? Then what’s the motive? There must be a reason for hiding your identity and coming all the way to this remote corner?”
“… Why do you say it’s a lie?”
Moriarty quickly realized that the girl was engrossed in an adventure.
This is why those cheap mystery novels were a problem. Paying just one penny to read all kinds of trashy adventure stories, and acting out the cocky boy-hero pursuing the villain, Miss Holmes was brushing her shoulder off.
And, the girl snapped her fingers in response to Moriarty’s question, and opened her mouth toward Moriarty as if she was making a fool out of fools, just like Moriarty himself sometimes did.
“You said you’re a university student, Mr. Moriarty, but you’re actually a soldier, aren’t you? You may fool Mom, but you can’t fool my eyes. Ah, to be precise, you’re a retired soldier. But nevertheless, when such a person pretends to be a university student and works as a private tutor, there’s obviously something suspicious. There’s no need to be surprised; everyone does it. Frequently failing to see what’s evident.”
Perhaps, Miss Holmes was expecting Moriarty’s anger at his exposure, just like the villains in the novels would.
However, unfortunately, Moriarty had no plans to indulge little Miss Holmes.
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More than anything, Miss Holmes was expecting the startled face of Moriarty questioning how she figured it out. Just like the dumb adults around her surprised by her pointing out the evident, she expected the same from this emerging villain.
Then, like always, she would cockily explain how she deduced his appearance and show off her intelligence.
However, for the first time in her life, Miss Holmes experienced Moriarty doing exactly the opposite, opening his mouth with a laugh.
“Hmm…… So, it was this coat. Officers often attach insignia, so inevitably, there are marks left on the shoulder. Also, they often wore their clothes differently, so they’re more perfectly fitting. But a retired officer…… Given the traces of something once abandoned to fake your identity and being from a much earlier past, so that’s why you thought that way. Am I correct, Miss Holmes?”
Moriarty got up from his seat, walked towards Miss Holmes with a shocked expression, and looked down.
Being taller than most, of course, Miss Holmes had no choice but to look up at him.
Moriarty had to admit that Miss Holmes’ response was indeed interesting. There was frustration that he had blurted out what she was supposed to say, surprise as well, and even astonishment and joy at meeting someone similar to her for the first time in her sparkling grey eyes.
Almost like that joy was burning red and brightly, Moriarty could somewhat empathize with that feeling.
Because he too, always surrounded by idiots, was always bored of life.
“Wh…what? You…you’re not a normal villain after all!”
“Miss Holmes, I am not a villain.”
Moriarty laughed and responded to Holmes who rather let out cries of joy and surprise as if she had met a sworn enemy.
Of course, she couldn’t help but to step backward at his subsequent words.
“But if I were really a villain, isn’t it foolish for Miss Holmes to come looking for me like this? Knowing what I could do?”
“Ah……!”
But like a frog being stared down by a snake, she could only sigh and was unable to move any further. She was too young, with too little experience to handle the cold and insensitive gaze that looked down on her.
However, despite all this, she was seriously contemplating on how to deal with the puzzling villain that has emerged in her life. It was strange, but it was a strange pleasure that had entered the boring life of a little girl, hence she ended up half-smiling without realizing it.
Of course, she was momentarily disappointed by Moriarty’s subsequent words.
“Well, it’s all a joke, Miss Holmes.”
“Ah…….”
“It’s a fun thought, kiddo.”
“I’m not a kiddo!”
“You’re a kiddo because you think like a kiddo. Well, the owner of this clothes is indeed a soldier, not a retired one though. He’s still a soldier.”
“Then it’s true!”
Moriarty had to acknowledge that it is entertaining to deal with Holmes, unlike the other boring and stupid ones. Although she was small and young, she had a uniqueness different from others, even if he was just mocking her.
So he could unusually be talking more than usual. He smiled and opened his mouth to the girl who was looking up at him with a full of discontent expression.
“But sometimes, you shouldn’t just believe what you see, kiddo.”
“……What does that mean?”
“You based your deduction solely upon this overcoat that I wore. If we stick only to the given clues, you would be right.”
He was explaining his worn-out overcoat he inherited as if lecturing to Holmes. Surprisingly, the girl was still concentrating on his explanation, whilst glaring at him under her eyelashes for treating her like a child.
“But what?”
“But you wouldn’t have been able to see where this overcoat came from. This coat was originally bought by my brother, a soldier if your deduction was correct. But I inherited it and wore it all the way here, kiddo. In a family that is not as affluent as ours, passing down clothes is common.”
Holmes nodded her head as if she had never expected Moriarty’s explanation. Moriarty had to hold his laugh.
Somehow he got to understand a bit why professors are interested in students who are attentive during lectures.
More than anything, Holmes was very prideful, as if she was a special child.
The girl tried hard to grumble as if Moriarty’s story was somehow unfair.
“Of…of course, I couldn’t predict that. But it’s obvious that I can’t deduce that, because I couldn’t see that you inherited those clothes, Moriarty!”
“That’s why usually you should judge that kind of thing by intuition. You are lacking in that aspect.”
“What did you say?”
“Well, observation is good, but try to develop your intuition, little detective. You need to nurture that to avoid juvenile mistakes like this, won’t you”
“……Tsk.”
She was a stranger, but it was the first time in his life, that he had a conversation this deep and familiar. Moriarty was quite surprised.
Thus, he wondered about the girl’s name. He usually didn’t remember names, but the girl in front of him was instinctively worth remembering.
“Come to think of it, it’s rude of me not to have introduced myself in front of the lady. My apologies, Lady. I’m James Moriarty. May I know your name?”
However, Moriarty had to be surprised at the girl’s self-introduction that followed. Because that was something he couldn’t grasp with his intuition.
“Holmes……Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Moriarty.”
