Chapter 201

“Fang Li, be my partner!”

The moment these words came out of Aria’s mouth, they echoed all around in the surrounding, resounding like a reverberation. Fang Li also stopped in his tracks and the expression on his face got frozen in astonishment.

Partner? What did that mean?

Looking at Aria, and the serious expression on her face, her crimson eyes fixed on him as if she had found the most precious treasure in the world, Fang Li struggled to grasp the situation. However, seeing Aria becoming somewhat uneasy, he finally spoke up, “What… What do you mean by ‘Partner’?”

“You… Why aren’t you saying anything?” Aria grinned, revealing a pair of cute tiger-like teeth, it was as if she wanted to pounce and bite Fang Li. “Is there something wrong with my Japanese? Or can’t you understand what I mean?”

“No, your Japanese is perfect, very standard,” Fang Li replied. He couldn’t understand Japanese himself but relied on the translation ability granted by the Main God’s Dimension to comprehend Aria’s language.

So, he had no idea how Aria’s Japanese actually sounded. But since he could understand the translated version, it meant Aria’s language was correct. He just couldn’t comprehend the meaning behind her words.

“Then what does ‘Partner’ exactly mean?” Fang Li asked. “Are you suggesting we form a team together?”

In Butei High, it was not uncommon for Butei to form teams. In fact, by the time students reached their second grade, if they hadn’t formed a team yet and were still conducting Independent Action, it would be considered unusual.

By the end of September, students in their second grade had to form teams of two to eight members and register them with the school.

This team system was vital because Butei all had their specialties, and Butei High cultivated them accordingly, dividing them into various disciplines. In the future, if they wanted to work as Butei in society, it was essential to have a partner who could cover for their weaknesses, or else they could encounter danger at any moment.

Thus, by September, second-grade students needed to form teams based on their circumstances and register with the school. The registered teams would also be logged into the International Butei League’s database, and in the future, they would undertake activities as a team.

Even if team members later went their separate ways, according to the International Butei Law, team members could surpass their organization’s framework and prioritize team cooperation when executing missions.

Given this context, in Butei High, Independent Action was only common among first-grade students. Second-grade students would operate in teams after September.

As it was already April, it wasn’t strange for someone to ask Fang Li to join their team. After all, Fang Li was an S-Rank Butei with a considerable reputation in the Butei world; it would be rare for someone not to want him on their team.

While thinking about this, Fang Li couldn’t help but remember how Aria had always been inquiring about him.

Finally, Fang Li let out a sigh of understanding and said, “So, you’ve been asking about me all this time to form a team with me?”

“That’s only one of the reasons,” Aria locked eyes with Fang Li and continued, “When I talk about ‘Partner,’ I don’t just mean a teammate in a team.”

With her head lowered, her voice somewhat subdued, she continued, “I must have a partner; only with a partner can I unleash the true power of my family.”

“Family?” Fang Li closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, his gaze toward Aria became extremely calm.

Then, he said, “In that case, I shall say this.”

“Kanzaki-Holmes-Aria.”

As Fang Li uttered this name, Aria suddenly raised her head, her young and charming face filled with surprise.

“You… You know my real full name?” Aria exclaimed in astonishment.

“Is it so strange?” Fang Li looked at Aria’s surprised expression and smiled faintly. “After all, since the start of the third semester, you’ve been inquiring about my whereabouts and collecting information about me. Since I know this, I naturally wouldn’t pretend not to have heard of you.”

Indeed, during the third semester, Fang Li had also gathered information about Aria through his own sources.

“Your full name is Kanzaki-Holmes-Aria, and your ancestor is Sherlock-Holmes,” Fang Li stated, looking directly at Aria. “So, you are the fourth generation of Holmes.”

Sherlock-Holmes.

This name was undoubtedly familiar to most people, even to those who weren’t familiar with the Butei world. In fact, it was recorded in the textbooks of Butei High.

He was a famous detective who was active over a hundred years ago in the United Kingdom. Known for his extraordinary marksmanship, Accuracy, and exceptional combat skills, he was not only a famous detective but also a Butei Prototype-like character, possessing remarkable martial abilities.

But the main ability he possessed was his remarkable and out of the world Deduction ability.

The descendant of that famous detective still remained active in the United Kingdom’s detective world today. He was even ennobled, enjoying privileges and treatment that ordinary wealthy families couldn’t match, including owning a fiefdom.

Aria was the descendant of that famous detective.

Due to her British and Japanese mixed blood, Aria carried the Kanzaki surname. As for “Holmes,” its pronunciation in French was “Olmes.” Thus, in Aria’s full name, the letter “H” stood for “Holmes.”

Therefore, Sherlock-Holmes was Aria’s great-grandfather, and Aria was the fourth generation, carrying the blood of the famous detective and that of nobility.

“When I first received this information, I was quite surprised,” Fang Li shrugged and said, “They say the Holmes family is still very active in the United Kingdom, living up to the name of the famous detective. For generations, they have demonstrated extraordinary performance and have always identified themselves as detectives. I never expected you, as the fourth generation of Holmes, to become a Butei.”

“…I couldn’t inherit my great-grandfather’s extraordinary deduction ability, so I am only considered a flawed member of the family,” Aria said, her gaze becoming resolute.

“So, I chose to become a Butei, to approach my great-grandfather in a different way.”

Hearing this, Fang Li fell silent.

She couldn’t inherit the extraordinary deduction ability?

So, that’s why this petite girl had such remarkable action capabilities but lacked a bit in her judgment of situations?

……