Became the Academy Romantic Phantom Thief chapter 250

250 – Questions and Answers

“Is it here?”

The destination we arrived at after wandering around and comparing it to the address written on the note.

A quiet residential area located on one side of a dark London street after the sun has set.

As I adapted to life at the academy, I thought London had become familiar to me, like my neighborhood, but the scenery around Sharon’s house was so deserted that it felt unfamiliar even to me.

If you think about it, she’s never been to her house.

It was quite unexpected when I remembered that I had visited not only Rachel and Julia, but also Gina’s house.

She was a friend and rival whom he had met for the first time at Rapano’s mansion and had known for the longest, but she was also a very secretive person who was still full of things he did not know.

According to the Count, Sharon is not an ordinary human being. She said, although she wasn’t sure yet, that it was an artificially created life form, a homunculus.

Juliet was trying to tell her something by calling her her sister.

She also seemed to have a connection to Franken, who was nothing short of a mystery.

I was going to reveal all these questions that day, but Sharon postponed her promise to come to her house and tell me everything.

And finally now.

I was already ready to listen.

“Whoa…”

After taking a short deep breath, I rang the bell on her door.

After a while, the door opened and Sharon, dressed comfortably, appeared in front of her.

“Sorry for being late.”

“No. “It’s okay, come in.”

Same friendly and calm tone as usual. Even after going through something like that, Sharon still remained the same.

Anyway, Sharon’s house, which she finally entered, was more ordinary than she thought.

Except for the fact that the lighting was a bit dark, it was the same as a typical home scene that can be seen anywhere.

However, as I looked closely at the surroundings, I soon realized that there was one peculiarity that made it different from a typical house.

There is no trace of anyone else.

It does not simply mean the presence or absence of a cohabitant. Living alone is not that unusual for an academy student.

What I want to talk about is something more fundamental than that, in fact, a being so close that it cannot even be classified as a stranger.

In other words, it meant family.

No matter how much you live alone away from your home, it is normal to have at least one or two items that convey the warmth of family. For example, things like family photos.

There was no such trace at all in Sharon’s house.

No, to be exact, there wasn’t a single photo in the house.

Now I understand why this space felt desolate from the beginning.

Because there were no memories in this place at all. There were no warm elements that an ordinary girl would have accumulated since childhood, that would make even the viewer feel warm.

“This is my room.”

“Oh, excuse me.”

Sharon casually guides me to her own room.

She stopped her complicated thoughts for a moment and hesitantly followed her into her room.

Even though she’s experienced it a few times, she doesn’t easily get used to going into the room of a girl her age.

The slight tension and excitement disappeared as soon as I entered.

Because the inside of the room was no different from the outside.

No, I should say that it is even worse.

‘This is not a girl’s room…’

It’s just like an office.

However, there was something special about this place. A dizzying number of scrap articles and piles of various materials were pinned to the wall at the back of the room.

As I was looking at that scenery, I unconsciously thought with a smile on my face.

‘So you’re a detective, not a girl.’

I felt strangely proud that he was indeed a rival that I recognized, but at the same time, I felt a slight sense of bitterness.

Of course it’s good to live as a detective, but I wish we could enjoy other happiness as well.

It’s as if I value my life as a phantom thief but also enjoy other lives as well.

“This is my home, but it is also my office.”

“Office?”

“Yes. “A detective agency where I receive requests as Detective Sherlock.”

As she said that, she showed me a sign that she assumed was usually hung outside the door.

[Homs Office]

“Hey.”

As soon as I saw it, an exclamation of admiration naturally came out.

Yes. When you say Sherlock, of course Holmes has to come along.

“Actually, there are very few clients who come to visit us. “Excluding you, there is only one other guest who has visited recently.”

“Who was it?”

“You know someone too. “Detective Gadget.”

“Ah.”

That passionate female detective. She always says she will catch me, but when I see her fail every time, I feel sorry for no reason.

If she came here in person, there must be only one reason.

In fact, when I looked closely at the posters and articles on the wall, I saw that most of them were about me. It felt like an avid fan had collected a lot of goods.

Of course, it wasn’t just about me. Although it had a much smaller role, it also included various crimes and unsolved cases that occurred in London.

“Are you okay with coffee?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

After sitting across from each other at the table and having refreshments, it was finally time to get to the point.

She hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to get her story out, and she calmly opened her mouth first.

“You probably have a lot of questions. Feel free to ask me anything. Unless I can’t answer because I don’t know, I’ll tell you anything.”

After she said that, I had no reason to hesitate anymore, so she immediately asked a question.

“Do you know who Juliet is?”

“Are you talking about the secretary who looks like me and worked at your foundation?”

“Yes. ···Wait for a sec. “How can I be a director of the Lupine Foundation?”

I don’t remember telling Sharon that much?

The question was asked so naturally that I was fooled and fell for the Judo newspaper.

But she answered, sipping her tea as if it was no big deal.

“I guessed that you were the same person as Lupin. “You were very suspicious at the casino to begin with, and when you kidnapped the princess, you casually used a fake identity.”

“······.”

I really can’t beat you. It was fortunate that we entered a temporary truce after revealing our identities, but I felt that if the relationship had continued to be hostile until now, we would have been helplessly defeated.

Anyway, that’s not important right now. I came back to my senses and focused on the flow of the conversation to hear Sharon’s answer.

“I have no idea. “I only heard about it from Julia and Rachel, but it was the first time I saw it in person.”

Sharon said she first saw Juliet when she was kidnapped. On the other hand, Juliet knew Sharon so well that she even called her her sister.

Are there two possibilities that you can think of?

Either one of them is lying, or one of them is misunderstanding.

···Let’s move on to another question.

“Do you know about magic engineering?”

“To some extent. It’s a new technology created by combining magic and science. “I heard that the technology is very difficult to utilize and is only used in limited areas.”

This was just at the level of general knowledge known about magic engineering.

Actually, even this was something I could learn because I was an academy student, not an ordinary person.

Until recently, I only knew that much. Until I met the operator and heard the hidden story. Things like the disappearance of Dr. Franken, the existence of White, and technology that will destroy the world.

If Sharon is truly a homunculus created through magic engineering technology, shouldn’t there have been at least something beyond the information known to others as an answer?

Then, how about changing the direction of the question slightly this time?

“Do you know what an apostle is?”

I was also an apostle chosen by the Goddess from the beginning, but until recently, I did not know exactly what an apostle of God was. If there is one thing I have come to realize now, it is that the apostles are all beings who act on God’s behalf to fulfill God’s will.

In other words, there was a high probability that the magic engineering technology completed with the power of the Goddess of Time also contained her intentions.

If so, we cannot completely rule out the possibility that Sharon is also related to God in some way.

“No. I have no idea about that. “I’m sorry for not being able to answer you.”

“Then have you ever heard of the Goddess of Time?”

“Hmm… “I don’t think there is one.”

She really seemed to know nothing about God.

Although her questions and answers were repeated several times, Sharon’s answers maintained a consistent direction.

I thought she was the key to solving all my questions, but contrary to my expectations, she was almost unable to answer anything.

But I did not feel regretful.

If Sharon was truly an innocent victim who had nothing to do with it, there is no way she would have offered me this position.

I don’t know how much of what the Count and Juliet said was true, but it was highly unlikely that it was a fabricated lie from beginning to end.

In other words, it is clear that Sharon is closely involved in this incident in some way.

Moreover, considering the scenery she saw upon entering this house just now, her past must have been quite different from that of others.

There will be an answer in the past.

I was confident and asked the most important question that I had put off until the last minute.

“Franken… “Do you know who it is?”