Chapter 161: A Change of Perspective
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 161: A Change of Perspective
“Ugh... hurgh...”
The pain in my head was agonizing. I felt like I was going to vomit at any second.
“...Ugh.”
But for some reason, a primal instinct warned me that throwing up right now would be a very bad idea. Forcefully suppressing the urge, I slowly pried my eyes open and took in my surroundings. I was immediately greeted by a sight that was far too familiar.
“This is...”
Judging by the decor and the furniture, I was lying in the professor’s office at August Academy.
I hadn’t been able to visit much lately, but this place was one of the few familiar anchors I had in this strange, accursed world.
“Ah...”
My body felt unusually heavy. When I lowered my gaze, I immediately understood why.
“Professor...”
Professor Moriarty was clinging to me as I lay on the bed, her head buried deep against my chest.
If I had actually vomited earlier... I shuddered just thinking about the consequences.
“........”
The chill running down my spine was fleeting, replaced by a wave of unidentifiable emotion as I looked down at her.
“...You saved me again, didn’t you?”
My memory was still a bit hazy, but the figure who had appeared in the study just before the tentacles ensnared me was definitely Professor Moriarty.
“The Professor really is incredible.”
Just how strong was she? I couldn’t even fathom why a being like her was masquerading as a mere professor of English, but for all intents and purposes, she was an existence that transcended human comprehension.
With a single gesture, she had fended off a creature that was moments away from devouring me.
“Lately, I’ve only thought of you as cute, but...”
Swish...
No matter how adorable Moriarty seemed to me now, the final boss was still the final boss.
I vividly remembered the beta test. In the final moments, she had manifested like a demon god, reducing everything to a void of nothingness.
“...You really are beautiful.”
And I had gone and fallen in love with a being like that.
“........”
If this all came to an end—if the destruction of this world was somehow thwarted—I would eventually have to return to my original world.
As long as I remained here, the monsters and supernatural phenomena would never cease. Fundamentally, I was a beacon that continuously attracted all forms of anomalies.
Swish, swish...
But if I left, what would happen to Professor Moriarty and Charlotte?
Upon reflection, they weren’t the only ones.
There was Watson, whom I had used from start to finish; Lestrade, whom I had somehow ended up marrying; and the three minions who had been trailing after me for days.
Not to mention all the other characters whose lives had been altered by my presence, whether significantly or by the narrowest of margins.
“...Haaa.”
What would become of them once I vanished?
“Adler, why are you making such a face?”
“It’s just... something has been weighing on my mind for a while...”
As I gently ran my fingers through the professor’s hair, lost in the concerns that had been haunting me, I instinctively responded to the voice echoing from below.
“...Huh?”
A sudden dizzy spell washed over me. I slowly lowered my gaze.
“It seems you’re finally coming to your senses.”
“.........”
“So, did you enjoy your little escapade?”
Professor Moriarty was staring up at me with dark, bottomless eyes. Her voice was dangerously low.
“Tha-That’s...”
“Adler. Do you have any idea?”
A chill raced down my spine at the tone of her voice. I hurriedly tried to scramble out of bed, but my weakened body was no match for the professor, who had already moved to straddle me.
“...Just a few days ago, when you struck me, it was the first time in my life anyone has ever beaten me so one-sidedly.”
“.........”
“There have been very few who even succeeded in attacking me. All of them are currently in the afterlife.”
Murmuring this while pinning me down, the professor slowly leaned her face closer to mine.
“I thought we were married. I called you by your name. Was that so displeasing to you?”
“It’s not that...”
“Was it so displeasing that you brutally assaulted me with such violence, and then went so far as to marry that brutish brat?”
“Professor...”
I was shivering from head to toe, paralyzed by her cold aura. Yet, despite the terror, I couldn’t help but look dazed for a moment as I processed her words.
“Do you dislike me...?”
“..........”
“If you hate me that much, just say it...”
As she spoke, her eyes remained fixed on mine, trembling with a kaleidoscope of emotions.
It looked as though she would burst into tears the moment I admitted to disliking her. It was an expression utterly unbecoming of a transcendent, detached being.
“...I like you.”
“Then why? Why did you abandon me?”
“Urgh.”
Bewitched by her gaze, the confession slipped out of me in a daze. However, the professor immediately increased the pressure, her grip tightening on my shoulders. A muffled groan escaped my lips.
“I even cast aside my pride to give you that childish document called a marriage certificate first. So why on earth...?”
“...M-My marriage with Lestrade, it’s a contract marriage.”
Sensing that one wrong word would result in me being eaten alive, I began to sweat coldly as I scrambled for an excuse.
“I-It’s a sham marriage we arranged for mutual benefit...”
“......”
“We haven’t even talked about sex or having children... I think that was the first time we even kissed...? Haha...”
“...A kiss?”
The bone-chilling frost in her voice returned with a vengeance.
“Did you really lock tongues with that brat?”
“...You didn’t know?”
My mouth went dry as I whispered the question.
“Professor... aren’t you always watching...?”
“Recently, the connection with your vision has become somewhat unstable.”
“Aha.”
That meant I had just screwed up. Badly.
“...Are you prepared?”
“Wha-What do you mean...?”
As I struggled to collect my thoughts, the professor leaned in, whispering into my ear in a voice that made my blood run cold.
“Why ask when you already know?”
Just then.
Um, I require your attention for a moment.
I wanted to ruminate on this a bit more, but...
I felt it was necessary to inform you of this matter...
A system message written in a timid, hesitant font appeared before my eyes.
[Warning!]
– Probability of … — 99.99999999999999999%
I thought 100% would be too grim, so I maximized the system display value as much as possible.
Seeing the ridiculous message, where the preceding words were truncated due to the sheer length of the number at the end, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
I mean, you do realize we are headed straight for a Bad Ending at this rate, right?
“Ah...”
In a situation that was nothing short of a death sentence, how was I supposed to escape?
“Wait.”
They say the human brain shines brightest in the face of a crisis. In the few seconds it took for the professor’s face to close the distance to mine, my mind raced through countless possibilities before finally settling on a brilliant plan.
Let’s look at this from a different perspective.
.
.
.
.
.
“Why haven’t I thought of this until now...?”
“.......?”
Until a moment ago, Adler had been trembling like a herbivore under the gaze of a lioness. Suddenly, his demeanor shifted drastically. A look of genuine confusion washed over the professor’s face as she straddled him.
“Professor.”
“What is it?”
“Forgive me for this.”
With a bright, clear voice, Adler reached up and wrapped his arms around her back.
Smooch...
“.......!?”
The next moment, his warm lips pressed against the professor’s neck.
Nibble, nibble...
“...Huh?”
He didn’t stop there. As Adler began to lightly nibble on the skin of her neck, a confused, airy groan escaped her lips.
Swoosh...
“Ad-Adler.”
As the assault continued, a stunned Professor Moriarty tried to pull back, but Adler surprisingly hooked his legs around hers, trapping her in place.
“What are you doing...? What on earth is this...?”
“I’ve just realized something.”
The professor asked with a baffled expression. Adler pulled his mouth away from her neck and whispered in a voice barely audible.
“If I’m the one taking the lead, then it’s an affair, isn’t it?”
“.........”
“...So, Professor.”
He pulled her body—already beginning to heat up—even tighter against his and whispered shyly into her ear.
“Are you prepared?”
A heavy silence descended upon the office.
“I, I am...”
“...Yes?”
“That wasn’t my intention...”
Adler listened intently as the professor’s words, shaky and barely audible, cut through the silence.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you very well.”
Swoosh...
“...Could you please speak clearly and slowly for me?”
While tenderly stroking the frozen professor’s hair, he leaned his head toward hers.
Smooch...
The moment he cautiously pressed his lips to hers—
Bam!
“...Khuhuk!?”
Struck by a palm to the face, Adler was sent crashing back into the bed.
“...........”
“........???”
He coughed and gasped for air for a moment before sitting up. When his eyes settled on the professor, who was looking down at him with a frigid gaze, he was utterly puzzled.
Creeeak...
“What’s going on?”
Emitting a cold chill, she clenched and unclenched her fists before angrily storming out of the office, leaving a bewildered Adler behind.
“S-Something’s off...”
Still perplexed, he rose from the bed and began scrolling through the system messages that had appeared.
“...Ah.”
Then, Adler stopped moving altogether.
[Warning!]
– Probability of being Killed — 99.99999....
“...It was actually the probability of being killed.”
His face instantly turned grim.
“So this is how it ends......”
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, at that same time...
“.........”
After fleeing the office, Jane Moriarty dashed into a nearby restroom and sat on the toilet with a vacant stare.
“Ugh...”
Her hands clasped over her face, which was already burning a deep, brilliant shade of red. She murmured to herself in a whisper.
“How despicable...”
For a brief, infinitesimal moment, her serpentine gray eyes flickered to a brilliant gold before returning to their usual dull hue.