Chapter 11
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Episode 3 - Anomalous [2] ─────────────────────────────────
Ten minutes before six, I walked toward the reception of the building next door.
The blonde woman from earlier was looking at herself in a hand mirror, fixing her eyebrows and hair.
As I opened the door, Charlotte, the receptionist, lifted her gaze and, upon seeing me, smiled calmly.
"Good morning… Mr. Sherlock."
"Good morning, Miss Charlotte."
Greeting casually, I arrived in front of the reception desk, smiling somewhat nervously as I asked,
"Do you know what I have to do right now?"
I asked this question because the leader of Dawne School did not specify what I would have to do on my first day in the Supernatural Registration Department.
The receptionist nodded slowly, lowering her voice as she said,
"The leader of the Black School said for you to go down to the hall; it's where you met with him yesterday. Once you arrive, he'll most likely introduce you to the members of the School and then tell you what to do."
Nodding, I said,
"Thank you."
Charlotte nodded with a smile as she began walking toward the back of the reception area, where there was a double wooden door.
On the other side, there was a stone spiral staircase. As I went down, some people wearing masks and formal suits came up the stairs and passed by me.
They all nodded when they saw me as a form of greeting, as if welcoming a new member of the department.
Nodding, I went down the stairs and walked along the hallway, then arrived at a double door. I opened it and walked to the left, where there was a single door.
Before opening the door, I looked around.
I noticed there was a huge chained door, guarded by two men wearing masks.
'I wonder what's on the other side of that door.'
Sighing, I took a deep breath and then opened the door.
On the other side awaited the members of the Black School, as well as the leader of Dawne School.
Slowly opening the door, the first person I saw was the leader of Dawne School.
"You arrived ten minutes early."
Smiling awkwardly, I said,
"Uh, I'm used to arriving ten minutes early when I'm given a schedule."
The leader of Dawne School nodded with a stoic and cold expression as he said,
"It seems you have consumed the Supernatural Fragment. Congratulations on entering the Supernatural world and officially becoming an Anomalous."
"Thank you."
Then the leader of Dawne School turned around and pointed at the people sitting on the sofas, observing in silence.
There were a total of four people who seemed to be the main members of the Black School and four teenagers.
Just then, I saw the teenage girl I had been with alongside Sohel.
When she saw me, she smiled without showing much emotion.
'Could it be because I let that woman die.'
Shrugging my shoulders, the four main members were two women and two men, followed by the four teenagers.
"We have a new member in our Black School. Greet him and introduce yourselves."
A woman with black hair and red eyes stood up and, smiling, said as she shook my hand,
"Hello, I'm Aria Dante. It's a pleasure to have a new main member in the Black School."
"I'm Sherlock Holmes. I hope to work with you from now on."
The next person was a tall man with a moderate build. His expression was calm as he nodded and simply said,
"I'm Merlin Sorian."
"Sherlock Holmes."
Both of us felt as if we had reached a conclusion of equality.
Next was a short man with brown hair and brown eyes; he had a stoic expression and reminded me of the leader of Dawne School.
"I am Abraham Soras."
"Sherlock Holmes, it will be a pleasure to work with you."
The short man nodded with a slight smile.
Lastly came the final woman; she was quite tall, at least five to eight centimeters taller than me.
With blonde hair and golden eyes, she smiled, placing her hand on my shoulder, and said,
"Incredible, so you really are that Sherlock Holmes, the most wanted criminal in the entire empire."
"..."
I did not know how to respond to her simple statement; still confused, I nodded without saying anything.
The woman burst into laughter and said,
"Haha, don't get tense, idiot. I'm Aysel Victoria Isambard."
This woman named Aysel reminded me of gangsters.
The image of a gangster and Aysel overlapped in my mind as I took two steps back, smiling awkwardly.
"It's… a pleasure, I'm Sherlock Holmes. I hope to work… calmly with you."
Aysel nodded and returned to the sofa, then sat down.
Then the leader of Dawne School looked at the four adolescents and said,
"They are assistants to the main members. I suppose you already know Stella Dante; as her surname indicates, she is Aria's younger sister, and they are Adrian Daily, Soras Simone, and Stephen King."
The three adolescents greeted with their hands while remaining seated with the main members.
The leader of Dawne School said,
"You will also have an assistant. He should be here in a few minutes; he went to get a coffee for you."
'A coffee for me…'
Unexpectedly, this assistant of mine acts quite quickly to make a first impression.
However, I did not understand why the main members need an assistant or aide.
"Why do the main members need assistants?"
When I asked the question, the leader of Dawne School nodded and said,
"The reason is nothing major. Because you have to visit a real estate agent and work for the Supernatural Registration Department, you will have a lot of work such as paperwork. Of course, the assistants are also Anomalous, but as main members they are of higher status."
After answering my question, the door behind me opened.
A boy who appeared to be around 15 to 17 years old came in, dressed in a brown vest and plain trousers, wearing a Deerstalker hat that many detectives usually wear, with black hair and light brown eyes.
He carried two coffees in his hands.
When he saw me, his eyes lit up as he said,
"Are you Sherlock Holmes? It is a great pleasure to be your personal assistant. When I looked at the newspapers and how admirable you are, sir… ahem, I don't mean the murders as such, but rather how you have managed to escape the police and the Anomalous who chase you daily. Ah, here, I brought you a coffee, and one for you as well, leader of the School."
"...."
From the point of view of an introverted reader like me, this type of person who talks too much is easily the most annoying.
Looking at the boy of 15 to 17 years old, I said,
"Thanks for the coffee."
"..."
There was a silence, and as if he remembered something, he said,
"S-sorry, I haven't introduced myself."
'You took a long time.'
Then he said hurriedly.
"Mr. Sherlock Holmes, my name is Doyle Lewis. I might be a bit talkative, but I can't help it, I'm very curious… Ah, that reminds me of the time I was at the orphanage. Because I talked too much, the children there and even the teachers used to hit me, and even though I fainted and sometimes didn't eat anything, when they kicked me out they told me to stop talking so much. Anyway, when I went to other places they would kick me out or simply beat me. Sometimes I didn't have money and no one wanted to give me any, but one day I saw a newspaper in the trash, and that was when I learned your name…."
Doyle continued for several more minutes, talking about his daily life and how miserable his life had been before learning about the existence of the Anomalous and the Supernatural Registration Department.
While he spoke without stopping that mouth of his, the leader of Dawne School said,
"Enough, Doyle. You finally have a superior, so avoid bothering him during his working hours, and less chatter."
A vein throbbed on the forehead of the leader of Dawne School; however, for some reason his expression was the same as always.
'That is… I don't know whether it should be funny or frightening.'
Doyle nodded energetically while nodding.
"I'll keep it in mind, School Leader."
The leader of Dawne School nodded, then turned to the others and said,
"Aysel and Abraham will enter the Passage that the Registration Squad couldn't enter yesterday, and Merlin and Aria will go investigate some ruins from the reign of Palaon."
The four nodded as they moved together with their assistants.
As main members, they gave instructions and explained what their assistants had to do.
After they left, Doyle, the leader of Dawne School, and I were the only ones left in the hall.
"Doyle, guide your superior Sherlock to the offices of the real estate agency and explain what he has to do, as well as have him attempt the Record Test."
Doyle raised his hand to his forehead and nodded.
"Yes, School Leader."
Then the leader of Dawne School turned toward me and said,
"For now, get used to your Supernatural powers. In three days, I'll send you together with Aysel and Merlin into a Passage. I'll tell you the details in three days."
Nodding, then Doyle told me to follow him.
On the way, Doyle suddenly said,
"Sir, may I ask you a question?"
'A question.'
I looked at Doyle walking ahead while nodding with curiosity.
"Yes."
Doyle didn't stop as he asked the question.
"Why did you decide to join the Supernatural Registration Department? Of course, I also have my reasons, but they're really nothing important, like hiding from pursuers, simply helping people like me or following admirable people—nothing important or admirable in the eyes of others—so I'm curious about your purpose, sir."
This Doyle really talks a lot; however, his question also made me curious myself.
The reason was that when I woke up in the body of Sherlock Holmes, not only was his surname a coincidence, but also the real estate agency job.
Aside from that, and the fact that he was a criminal, I knew nothing.
I didn't even inherit his memories.
'Why did Sherlock Holmes join this place? Well, the answer at first glance is easy, but there might be a specific purpose.'
Thinking for a few seconds, I came to a simple conclusion when I remembered the words of the leader of Dawne School from yesterday.
"I joined because an investigator from the Visionary Path of Pathway 5 is pursuing me, and she wasn't even an Anomalous. That answers your question."
Doyle nodded and said with shining eyes,
"A Pathway 5 is pursuing you, sir? And how did you manage to escape from her?"
After thinking about it for a moment, the image of that woman entering Sherlock Holmes' house and shouting his name came to mind.
Then I looked at Doyle and replied,
"Luck."
Doyle raised an eyebrow.
"Luck… well, I also rely on luck. However, once you are an Anomalous, it isn't reliable to depend too much on luck. Many have lost their lives because of that, since luck can turn against oneself. That's why the Supernatural Registration Department does not recommend having Supernatural objects linked to luck…"
While Doyle talked without stopping, we arrived once again at the reception. As I looked around and Doyle guided me toward a staircase leading to the second floor,
a familiar voice said my name.
"Sherlock."
Looking back, Sohel was smiling while waving her hands happily upon seeing me.
Seeing her, the first thing that came to my mind was,
'Transmigrator.'
"Hello, uh… Sohel, good morning."
"Good morning to you too. Hey, can we talk? It'll only be a few minutes since I also have to work as a house seller."
The first thing I suspected was that she would probably say she was a transmigrator or try to confirm something similar.
Nodding, I looked at Doyle and said,
"Doyle, I'll go talk to her. Is there a café where the staff usually go?"
Doyle nodded and said,
"Of course, sir. I'll guide you."