Becoming Professor Moriarty's Probability

Chapter 35: The Wrong Encounter

– Are you going to open the door when I'm still asking nicely?

"...Huh?"

– I've seen everything you're doing in there.

As I stared wide-eyed at the violently shaking door, a voice came through from beyond.

– Before I break the door and come in, it'd be better if you just opened it willingly.

"..........."

– Just so you know, I'm armed right now. You know what that means, right?

In other words, the message was, "Don't resist and just open the door."

'...Who is it?'

Just by listening to the cold voice coming from behind the door, it was nearly impossible to identify the intruder.

After all, it wasn't like there was just one or two people who bore a grudge against Isaac Adler.

Could it be one of the ex-girlfriends of his? Was it just another one of those regular attacks?

'Wait, but I'm in disguise right now.'

As I was pondering how to handle the situation, I suddenly remembered that I was currently in disguise.

Meaning, there was no reason for me to be targeted as Isaac Adler.

'... Was my disguise undone?'

I wondered for a moment if my disguise had slipped off temporarily, but recalling my memories told me that wasn't the case.

I vividly remembered the relief I felt when I was momentarily freed from the usual icy or piercing gazes directed at me.

And decisively, the reflection in the mirror showed that my lips were still twisted, as they had been.

'Then why the hell...'

– Cracklecrackle...

I was momentarily lost in a daze, but as an unsettling sound began to come from the doorknob, I snapped back to reality.

'... Maybe even in this disguise of mine, I've accumulated quite a bit of bad karma.'

It was none other than an alias identity of Isaac Adler after all.

A regular person would have managed their reputation but there was a chance that Adler, being Adler, would have gone around committing even more reckless acts under this alias.

Although it was quite hard to believe, given that an unidentified assailant had come looking for me just because I revealed this identity of mine for a moment, there was no room for doubt here.

– Cracklecrackel...

So, what should I do to get out of this shitty situation?

'No other way.'

As I was quickly racking my brain, I eventually reached a single conclusion.

'The only option was to undo the disguise.'

It was a simple solution.

If this disguised form of mine was being targeted by someone then all I had to do was revert back to being Isaac Adler.

Of course, revealing my true identity in the middle of this opium den would be akin to suicide.

I could just briefly show my true self to the woman who sought me out. Then, once her misunderstanding was cleared, she would leave and I could put my disguise back on.