5 – The Encounter with Miss Holmes was the Worst (5)
Maid Sally, who almost single-handedly tended to all the house chores of the Holmes household, could only be surprised at the rare sight of Miss Sherlock.
Being 17 that year, she, like many other maids, was the sole caretaker of Reverend Holmes’ mansion, earning 15 pounds a year as a housemaid.
While the work was tough, thankfully, the Holmes family was kind, especially Mrs. Holmes, who was inherently gentle and could not be cruel.
However, each of Reverend Holmes’ children had their own peculiar quirks. Mycroft, for instance, was generally indifferent, which made him less of a concern. But the youngest daughter of the house, Sherlock, was somewhat problematic.
Sherlock wasn’t malicious by nature. In fact, through living together, Sally could tell that she was a decent person.
However, there were times when she acted in ways unbecoming of a girl, and there were certainly some strange things about Sherlock.
Running around caked in mud like a tomboy was not uncommon. After all, Sherlock was still only 8 years old, a time when the lines between boys and girls were blurred.
Sherlock occasionally made suspiciously accurate judgments about Sally, almost as if she were casting spells.
At first, Sally thought Sherlock might belong to those who are born witches.
Holmes and Mrs. Holmes even had Sherlock tested, as if to show Sally she wasn’t the only one who entertained such thoughts. However, it turned out Sherlock was just an ordinary human, albeit with fairy ancestors.
Seeing the slightly peculiar Sherlock quietly waiting for someone in her room today was truly surprising.
“…So you’re waiting for Mr. Moriarty?”
“Yes, since there’s still 20 minutes left for Mycroft’s class to end, Sally.”
Unable to help herself, Sally smiled at the sight of Sherlock quietly sitting at her desk, waiting for Moriarty.
Sally herself had admired a cool, young college student when she was Sherlock’s age.
“Indeed, Mr. Moriarty is handsome, and did you know? He will become a professor at Oxford soon! Handsome and promising, it’s impossible not to be interested in him.”
“…Sally, you?”
For a moment, Sally missed the spark in Sherlock’s eyes. It wasn’t her fault. Even Sherlock herself was unaware of her emotions.
But just like someone who had their doll stolen, Sherlock had no choice but to grumble at Sally, who was full of understanding. Sally finished cleaning and left Sherlock’s room as planned.
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The scheduled time arrived.
Sherlock, who was well aware of the Holmes family’s habits and footsteps, instantly knew that the knock from the firmly shut door was Moriarty.
She was ready to jump up and welcome him with a hearty smile, but realizing the childishness of her actions, she put on a poker face and greeted Moriarty, pretending she hadn’t been waiting for him.
“Welcome, Mr. Moriarty.”
“From today on, you should call me ‘Teacher’.”
However, the girl was still just a child. Her voice betrayed her excitement as she welcomed Moriarty in, causing Moriarty to smile as he noticed it.
“Now, Teacher, Moriarty Teacher! Is that right? Then please tell me quickly, how do I know that my mother won’t buy candy?”
“You’re still curious, Holmes? Did you not figure out the answer?”
“……Call me Sherlock. I didn’t not figure it out, I…I just wanted to hear the answer directly from you, Moriarty!”
“Is that so? Then let’s hear your deduction first.”
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Moriarty found this small girl fascinating, there was no denying that. She really was fun to provoke.
She was definitely an intelligent girl, but she was immature. Of course, there was no reason to blame her for that. Besides being foolish, she was just young.
That didn’t mean he stopped teasing her. Seeing her hesitate, trying to figure out how to counteract Moriarty’s teasing, made Moriarty smile.
But, the unique girl eventually admitted in an unchildish way that she couldn’t figure it out. Her curiosity won out in the end.
“Whew… Okay, I couldn’t figure it out. So please tell me, teacher. After all, it’s your job to teach me, isn’t it? So please, hurry and teach me.”
“…Before that, how about we formally introduce ourselves, Sherlock? There is a correct order for everything, no matter how voluntarily I agreed to tutor you for free. We should follow the proper etiquette, right? I’m James Moriarty, 21 years old this year, I’ve graduated from college and I plan to become a mathematician. I don’t particularly like anything… Of course, I despise fools and boredom.”
“That last part is the same as me. Indeed, you’re quite special, teacher.”
Children delight in discovering similarities between themselves and others. Sherlock would have continued acting like an adult, chiding Moriarty, if only she were able to perceive her thoughts.
But the girl who simply smiled and nodded her agreement was undeniably an 8-year-old girl.
“So, your introduction?”
“Well, as you know, I’m Sherlock Holmes, and I’m 8 years old. I like observing, running outside, and adventure novels. Even though my mother disapproves because I’m a girl, I still secretly read them with my allowance. I hate the same things as teacher Moriarty.”
“Yes, you seemed to enjoy it anyway. You seem fond of detectives and their stories, don’t you, little detective? Even accused me of being the villain. Ah, let me say this again, I’m not the villain, Sherlock.”
Novels published in so-called ‘Penny Dreadful’ magazines.
These mass-market novels were often referred to as Penny Dreadful due to the reason that one could read an issue of the serialized magazine by paying just a penny. They were obsessed with sensational stories to sell to people, and thanks to this, all sorts of weird tales, or crime, murder, detective novels which would disgust any cultured person, still dominated the British publishing industry.
Although sometimes they were criticized as vulgar, even Moriarty was not ignorant of the fact that these kinds of novels sold better than the best-selling books of the renowned Charles Dickens.
Especially since Sherlock, pretending to be a junior detective, acting similar to those detectives in those stories, was suspicious and interrogating Moriarty as if he were a villain.
But Sherlock was well aware of the teasing. Despite the blush on her face, Sherlock grumbled.
“Well…that’s not what matters! Anyway, now it’s time for me to know. After all, you have already introduced yourself.”
“What I have to teach you is reading and writing, and some knowledge of mathematics —”
“Oh, Professor!”
As Moriarty was about to change the subject and tease again, Sherlock, unable to bear it, stood up and raised her voice.
Perhaps in her mind, this could be interpreted as anger. Of course, to others, it only looked like the tantrum of an eight-year-old girl.
Moreover, since Sherlock herself was a pretty girl, rather seemed cute like an animal making an empty threat pose.
Moriarty had to hold back his laughter. But he could tell that Sherlock was on the verge of getting genuinely angry.
It’s not good to be too hard on her. There had to be a proper tease and a reward that followed. Moriarty finally opened his mouth with ease.
Sherlock, knowing that her tutor was finally about to reveal what she wanted, the secret, quietly sat back down, and focusing on every word of Moriarty, her eyes sparkling.
“It was because of your eyes.”
“My eyes?”
Sherlock unwittingly blinked her eyes and asked back.
Her eyes, which anyone would describe them as gem-like. Although they were of grey color, thanks to the fairy blood, sometimes fiery red aura would rise around her pupil depending on her emotions.
Moriarty continued speaking.
“The attitude of wanting to observe is good, but it seems that you still do not understand that sometimes someone can observe you when you observe others. When you quickly came out and looked at my room, for a moment, you focused your gaze on my desk. Other than my materials and a bottle filled with lemon candies, there was nothing else on the desk.”
“…I might have wanted to observe the materials. Even though I look like an eight-year-old girl, I’m an adult inside?”
“Don’t you think the words you just said make no sense?”
“…Please continue.”
“I’ve been able to meet your mother since the first time I came here. She’s an ordinary person, well, she might be a good mother to you, but she’s boring, and she doesn’t match with you. Also, this is a pastor’s family, living somewhat ascetically. There’s a strict side so, up until this point, relying somewhat on intuition, followed me?”
“…Intuition…Indeed, you are the kind of person who can become my tutor, Mr. Moriarty. But it’s hard to relate that to my mother forbidding me to have candies, isn’t it?”
“Think about the first time you and I met, not about my appearance, but yours, Sherlock. You were covered in mud from running outside. Also, your actions could be seen as rude. Directly calling a guest a villain and entering their room. Even from this, it seems like you’re the youngest daughter in the family who can’t be disciplined, right, Sherlock? It’s clear that an undisciplined young daughter in a strict pastor’s family isn’t a great match, and that’s not a rare case either.”
“So what about the candy?”
As Moriarty remained silent for a moment, he locked eyes with the girl who was staring at him. And then, he nonchalantly spat out the words.
“I just guessed that one through intuition.”
“…What was that?”
“But it was right, wasn’t it, Sherlock? Little detective, you are still too young. Don’t try to counter-argue, it is indeed young to be eight years old. So, even if our time together doesn’t even add up to a year, we can continue learning such things like this, what do you think?”
In response to Mr. Moriarty’s words, Sherlock nodded her head instead of replying.
The girl couldn’t help but do so. Without knowing, she was simply staring at the man in front of her, as if she had lost her soul.
It was truly childlike. Just like a child that discovered a superhero, or genuinely met Santa Claus, she was gazing upon the young man in front of her all the while trying to take everything in.
He is special, really special.
Sherlock thought. And because of that, she wanted to learn, to get to know him, and to understand him. It was a childlike thought.
Of course, it wasn’t necessarily childlike. But as Moriarty said, the eight-year-old girl was too short on time and experience to know that.
Moriarty seemed satisfied with Sherlock’s reaction and nodded his head. Of course, he couldn’t know everything.
After all, it often went that the smart ones made the most foolish mistakes.
In reality, if Moriarty was truly Holmes’ adversary, he would have known how foolish his current actions were.
What he was doing was nothing less than nurturing his greatest enemy, one who might end up destroying him.
But he had no intention of becoming such a villain. Absolutely none. It was just too dull.
Compared to teaching the girl in front of him, it was dreadfully boring, worthless.
