"Um..."
"Let's change the topic then."
Cross cleared her throat and tried to steer the conversation back.
"Regarding Miss Charlotte Holmes——you mentioned in The Times that she enjoys playing the violin.
Does she have any other habits besides the violin?"
Cross asked.
"Charlotte Holmes is also a student at Imperial College, but she's always absent... right?
So many students are quite interested in this legendary detective. Could you tell us more?"
Hearing this, Russell thought for a moment.
"Does liking to stay up late count?"
He asked.
"And when she stays up late, she likes to drink coffee——the stronger, the better."
Wilson was momentarily stunned.
"Ah," Russell nodded. "I've seen her get up from her chair at 7 a.m. and say she just woke up several times."
As he spoke, his tone already carried a familiar sense of helplessness.
Cross immediately wrote in her notebook: [Miss Holmes likes to stay up late, drinks strong coffee, and has the habit of staying awake until late.]
"Try to persuade her?"
She asked.
"I tried to persuade her, but it didn't work," Russell said.
"Useless?"
"She said," Russell cleared his throat and imitated Charlotte's tone.
"Sleep is a waste of time. The brain can only maintain optimal efficiency when it's awake."
Cross couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Wilson also laughed.
Mary also smiled, but her smile was a little lighter than the other two.
"What about you?"
Cross looked at Russell and asked, "How did you get through it?"
Russell raised an eyebrow.
"That's right... Miss Holmes probably won't sleep, so what are you going to do?"
"I make breakfast, and she drinks coffee."
Russell shrugged. "Anyway, when she gets hungry, she'll come down to eat something."
"That's all?"
"Otherwise, I can't force her to do anything."
Russell shrugged.
At that point, Cross wrote another note in her notebook.
[Watson prepares breakfast for Miss Holmes. The two's habits complement each other.]
She raised her face and stared at Russell's face for a while, carefully choosing her words.
"Um..."
"Mr. Watson, there's something a bit presumptuous..."
"Speak."
"Miss Holmes and you live together, right?"
"Yes."
"So..." Cross bit her lip. "Usually, when you're..."
What do you talk about besides work?"
Russell was momentarily stunned.
"What are you talking about?"
"Exactly that——" Cross desperately tried to make her question sound more professional.
"How do the two of you interact when you're alone? Like, what do you talk about when you have dinner together?
Or what do you do on weekends?"
"Generally speaking, everyone is busy with their own work."
Russell said.
"Sometimes I help with documents."
"What about weekends?"
"For her, weekends are actually no different from ordinary work.
The only difference is that she doesn't have to go to school, so it's easier to give instructions."
Hearing this, Cross nodded and wrote in her notebook: [The two maintain a relationship like old friends.]
Mary, sitting nearby, moved slightly.
She seemed to want to see what Cross had written, but from this angle, she could only see the back of the notebook.
"Then," Wilson suddenly spoke, gathering his courage. "Watson, what kind of person do you think Miss Holmes is?"
Russell looked at him.
Wilson felt a little nervous under that gaze, but still forced himself to continue.
"It's just... everyone knows she's very capable and has solved many cases.
But what kind of person is she behind the scenes?
Since you've spent so much time with her, you should know best, right?"
Hearing this, Russell fell silent for a while.
"She..."
He raised his face and looked out the window, as though remembering something.
"She's a troublesome person."
Cross's hand stopped for a moment.
She felt like she had heard these words somewhere before.
By the way, during the Times interview, Charlotte Holmes had also described her assistant in the same way.
Did these two evaluate each other the same way?
"Troublesome?"
Wilson asked cautiously and excitedly. "Specifically, ...…?"
"Exactly like that," Russell withdrew his gaze and smiled helplessly.
"She says it's unnecessary, but in reality she remembers everything.
She says she doesn't care about me, but when I ignore her, she stays awake until dawn.
She says sleep is a waste of time, but every time I prepare breakfast and bring it over, she ends up eating it after all."
He spoke very casually, as though he was just having an ordinary conversation as usual.
But as Cross listened, for some reason she felt something was a little strange...
Something was off.
She lowered her head, looked at the notebook in her hand, and furrowed her brows.
After thinking for a bit, the girl picked up her pen and crossed out the words "old friends" and added "old married couple."
Yes, that's it.
Cross nodded with satisfaction and raised her eyes to look at Mary.
It seemed like she had almost finished asking about Russell and Charlotte.
So Cross thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Um, Miss Morstan?"
"Hm?"
"If you don't mind, may I ask you a few questions?"
Cross gathered her courage and spoke.
Hearing this, Mary was momentarily stunned, but then nodded and smiled gently.
"Of course you can."
"..."
Cross paused for a moment before speaking.
"What do you think of Russell Watson?"
Wilson's pen tip stopped on the paper, and he instinctively looked up at Mary.
Russell was also momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected the flames to reach him as well.
He turned to look at Mary beside him.
The girl simply maintained her perfectly composed smile and showed no signs of being flustered by the sudden question.
"Russell..."
She quietly repeated the name, as though savoring it.
And then Mary slightly turned her face, lowered her gaze to the person beside her, and looked him up and down.
Then she withdrew her gaze and looked at Cross with a slight smile.
"Probably... he's a very special person."
Cross's pen tip immediately danced across the paper.
"Special?"
She pressed further, afraid of missing even a single detail. "Can you be more specific?"
"Hmm..." Mary thought for a while, as though searching for the right words.
"He's always lazy, not interested in anything, likes to sleep during class, and likes to say annoying things."
As she spoke, she glanced sideways at Russell with a tone that included dissatisfaction.
"But he... how is he...
"Well, he's very smart."
The girl said.
"Not the type who studies hard and gets into Imperial University in three months."
Mary paused and said, "That kind of...
When he talks, he listens carefully, thinks deeply, and gives surprising answers."
Cross nodded and immediately memorized it.
"Also, he's a very interesting person.
"Interesting?"
"Exactly," Mary said with gestures.
"When I'm with him, there's never a dull moment. He always makes ordinary things fun and interesting."
As she said this, her gaze couldn't help but turn toward Russell.
"Anything else?"
Cross pressed further, her eyes burning as she listened to the gossip.
Mary thought for a moment.
"And..."
He's reliable."
Her voice was a little softer than before, but also carried a hint of seriousness.
"Something so reliable, like something out of a fairy tale——if you need help, he'll definitely appear.
Like the warm flames of a winter fireplace."
She spoke quietly.
"But when you really need that warmth, he's always there, quietly burning and driving away all the cold."
When he finished speaking, the classroom fell silent.
Wilson's mouth was open, barely holding onto his pen.
Cross's eyes were wide open, and she desperately stared at Russell and Mary with her sharp reporter's eyes.
Suddenly, she felt as though she had accidentally stumbled upon something.
In this moment, besides excitement and thrill, the only thing left in her heart was one question.
Can I write about this?
…