Chapter 137: The Abduction y and The y within The y


    "Good morning~"


    "Mmm..."


    The fierce thunderstorm that started a few days ago was still raging to this day.


    In other words, a few days had passed after Isaac Adler had been kidnapped by the Phantom Thief— Lupin.


    "How is it? Are you satisfied with your kidnapped lifestyle?"


    "... I have something to say about that."


    "Oh? What is it?"


    Lupin, wrapped in a bathrobe, stepped out from the bathroom into the living room of the cottage. Immediately, she asked Adler in a kind tone, to which he went on to scratch his head with an awkward expression and finally replied from his seat on the living room sofa; he had been sitting here for some time already, silently ruminating over something.


    "Is this... really a kidnapping?""........."


    On a small desk in front of him, there was breakfast consisting of fine wine and steak that had basically be his usual meal. He was also nked on both sides by maids, bowing their heads in respect, who were clearly Lupin’s subordinates.


    "Then what do you think this is?"


    "It looks more like you''re raising me..."


    "... Eh, what are you even talking about?"


    "Isn''t a typical kidnapping all about being tied up and thrown into a cab or something?"


    As a maid silently handed him piping hot tea from the side, Adler posed the question, unable to hold back any longer.


    "That''s what you do when you need information about the whereabouts of a treasure, or you’ve taken the treasure owner as a hostage.”


    "........."


    "But when you have the treasure itself; is there any reason to treat it so roughly?”


    Lupin answered back in a soft voice before gesturing the maids to step back and gently sat across him.


    "There should still be some limits..."


    "My daily routine usually involves lovingly cleaning and kissing the stolen treasures, but I''m skipping that. Want me to do that too?"


    "... No, thanks."


    In the following moment, as she narrowed her eyes and leaned in, Adler sighed and shook his head.


    "Well, the point is, now you''re a treasure under my management."


    "........"


    "You can’t leave this cottage that I''m managing under a false identity and you’ll have to live like this forever. If this isn’t a kidnapping then what else can it be?."


    "... Marriage?"


    As his faint voice struck the crux of the matter, Lupin’s eyes, which wereing closer and closer with her head leaning in, flickered for a split instant.


    "... I''m not a pervert who marries their possessions."


    "But, this is just like a honeymoon."


    "Uh..."


    As Adler struck perfectly, yet again… surprisingly, Lupin’s poker face broke down and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she avoided his gaze.


    <i>- Swoosh...</i>


    In the following instant, she got up from her seat, nced around for a moment, and sat down right next to Adler.


    "... Darling."


    And finally… she buried her flushed face near his ear and whispered.


    "When are we going to make a child?"


    Silence flowed through the living room for a moment.


    "... What, no reaction at all."


    "........"


    "Thinking about it, you''ve always been like this."


    Lupin, who had been yfully observing his reaction with her head still buried, muttered slowly as Adler showed no particr response to her teasing.


    "Isaac Adler— a gentleman who is kind to all women and never raises his hand no matter what."


    "........"


    "But you were never kind to me from the very beginning. Instead, you seemed to have an outright dislike for me.”


    A sense of disappointment surfaced on her face.


    "This whole kidnapping fiasco wasn’t because you wanted to be kidnapped by me, right? There must be a reason why you are enduring all this. No matter how much you try to hide it, it''s obvious from your face."


    "........."


    "Did I do something wrong to you? If not, why do you dislike me the most out of all the women?"


    Hearing this, Adler chose to avoid her gaze.


    "I''ll change if you tell me, okay? We have to be here for the rest of our lives, living together, so we can''t keep being awkward, can we?"


    "Do you really want to know?"


    "Yes, just tell me without feeling any pressure."


    After hesitating for a while, he finally sighed under Lupin''s urging and spoke.


    "... Herlock Sholmes."


    "Huh?"


    "No, Harlot Sholmes."


    Upon hearing Adler''s sharp remark, Lupin couldn’t help showing a bewildered expression, as though his reply waspletely out of her expectations.


    "Is it because of that? Because of the name that appeared in the novel that featured me, written by a friend?"


    "........"


    "That wasn''t my intention. I didn''t even know about it until Lenc turned it into a novel on his own."


    However, Adler''s cold gaze did not change no matter what she said.


    "... Honestly, I wasn''t very famous at the time, so I needed the name recognition. It was me who suggested it first, but still..."


    "Oh, I see."


    "Can you not just… look at me like that?"


    Lupin broke out into a cold sweat.


    "Originally, Lenc used her real name, but I changed it myself. Shouldn''t I be praised for respecting copyright?"


    "........."


    "And technically speaking, I would’ve won if we shed anyway…”


    Fidgeting with her fingers, she mumbled and looked up to gauge Adler''s mood,


    "I''m sorry."


    Before finally muttering in a timid voice.


    "I''m sorry... From now on, I''ll respect the copyright and promote it properly."


    "......."


    "So, please don''t leave, okay?"


    However, as Adler''s expression remained unamused, the anxious Lupin desperately knelt before him.


    "Do you want to hit me? Like seriously hit me."


    "What?"


    "I, I have thispulsion. If I lose or get robbed of a treasure I''ve stolen, I fall into depression for about a year..."


    "......."


    "So, hit me till you don’t feel angry anymore, let it all out... And then stay with me a bit longer, okay?"


    Thus spoke Lupin, her head bowed and eyes closed.


    <i>- Brrrrrrr...</i>


    With a slightly frightened expression, her body began trembling non-stop.


    "......."


    Isaac Adler frowned slightly at the sight— a sight that evoked his pity, vastly different from her usual masochistic demeanour.


    <i>- Swoosh...</i>


    As he stretched out his hand, Lupin bit her lower lip hard, bracing for the impact.


    ".......?"


    However, when his hand merely gently caressed her cheek, she couldn’t help but show a puzzled look.


    "... It seems that you are reflecting."


    Subtly avoiding her gaze, Adler continued to stroke Lupin''s cheek.


    "I''ll hold off on hitting you seriously."


    "....... Hey."


    As she felt his warm touch while kneeling before him, she unconsciously grabbed his hand and said,


    "Shall we date?"


    "... I must decline."


    However, as Adler immediately expressed his refusal, she stood up, eyes widened.


    "I think I''ve just fallen for you."


    "... Your acting is too obvious."


    "It''s true."


    She squeezed back to his side and sat down, leaning her head on Adler''s shoulder while murmuring,


    "A man who usually beats you like he’s dealing with a puny insect, but when serious, he bes gentle and kind? If this isn''t a confession, what is?"


    "... That, youngdy, is called perfectly rational behaviour. You were the one who demanded I assault you in the first ce.”


    ncing at her briefly, Adler asked,


    "Is there a reason your personality became so twisted?"


    "........."


    "Come to think of it, you mentioned that you have a curse."


    "... That''s a secret."


    Immediately, she lowered her eyes and murmured with a distant look— a look that seemed to be holding innumerable tales… that can only be felt, never spoken.


    "Thieves have many secrets… secrets that they can never divulge to anyone."


    "Hmm..."


    "But one thing''s for sure."


    In the next moment, however, her eyes began shining in a different light.


    "You’re the only person in the whole world who neutralised my curse, even if only by a slight margin.”


    She slowly lifted her gaze, beginning to scrutinize Adler.


    "... But now that I think about it, it''s a bit strange."


    "What is?"


    "I insulted Harlot Sholmes, right, yet why are you the one who''s angry?"


    At that, Adler closed his mouth shut.


    "... Also, those eyes."


    Only then did Lupin realise Adler''s left eye had turned , and with a slight smile, she caressed the corner of his eye and murmured,


    "Ah, I see."


    "........"


    "I haven''tpletely stolen you yet."


    Simultaneously, Lupin gently climbed onto Adler''sp.


    "If there''s a surefire way to steal a married man, it would be..."


    "Uh..."


    "It seems like, I almost stored a gem I worked so hard to obtain without even processing it."


    Adler, looking up at her as she reached a horrendous conclusion faster than he could even process anything clearly, started leaking beads of cold sweat from his forehead.


    n


    Let me remind you that the return ticket is only valid until you reach the ending.nnn


    Fortunately, a warning message popped up just in time.


    n


    By the way, you do know that being raped means an immediate bad ending, right?nnn


    "... I''ve said it many times, but you seduced me first, okay?"


    As Lupin spoke, she threw off her top and revealed a body covered in bruises, causing Adler''s mind to spin faster than ever before.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "...... Cough."


    "Uh...?"


    In a split second, Adler’s mind began to race at superhuman speeds, and in the next moment, blood suddenly burst forth from his mouth.


    "Cough, cough..."


    "What, what''s going on? Why are you like this?"


    Lupin, who was unbuckling the belt of her bathrobe, stared nkly at Adler as he continued to vomit blood with a face that was growing increasingly paler with each cough.


    "...... Ugh."


    "Adler...?"


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    .


    "What’s wrong with you all of a sudden...? Hey,e to your senses..."


    "........"


    It has always been said that a crisis is also an opportunity.


    "Doc, doctor. I''ll call a doctor, just wait a moment. I''m going straight to the city right now and..."


    "... Rachel."


    Now that it''se to this, let''s clear thest quest that I’d been putting off all this time.


    "Call Rachel Watson..."


    "... What?"


    A sham marriage while being kidnapped, conducted secretly behind the back of a wife and a girlfriend.


    n


    <strong>『Lady of London』</strong>n


    <strong>– Description:</strong> Complete one sham marriage with Watson.n<b>– Progress:</b>???nnn


    It looks ridiculous no matter how I see it.


    <i>… Just how did I end up in this messed up situation?</i>


    n


    Are you seriously feeling wronged right now? After everything you’ve done?nnn",akezmZmaAOMmegnQAlkRnalAJnr:"8ed3591396fd6bb4:"",notes:null,premium:{unlockable:void 0,rmendedMembership:void 0,loginRequired:void 0,membership:void 0}},"uses":{"search_params":["bypass_token"],"params":["id"],"parent":1}}]; Promise.all([ import("../_app/immutable/entry/start.D2tDEQf0.js"), import("../_app/immutable/entry/app.DN63GPRu.js") ]).then(([kit, app]) => { kit.start(app, element, { node_ids: [0, 16, 66], data, form: null, error: null }); }); } /genesisforsaken