Damn it! What other lies do I have to make up now…
"H-Hey, be honest with me," Luna said, her voice shaking. "You're my stalker, aren't you? Maybe I should be calling the police, not my driver."
"I-It's not like that, Luna!" C quickly replied. "I can explain. Please, don't think weird things about me."
"Then explain it. Now!" she snapped, still glaring at him like he was the world's most disgusting bug.
C opened his mouth, but nothing came out—just a faint, humiliating squeak.
He clenched his fists, then gently placed one hand on Luna's shoulder. After a couple of silent seconds, he finally spoke.
"I-I'm… your bodyguard. Secretly assigned to protect you from the shadows."
Thank god he had no face—if he did, this lie would've cracked wide open the second she looked at him.
Every word out of his mouth felt like walking a tightrope over fire.
Luna blinked, her angry brows now raised in confusion.
"...Bodyguard? W-Wait, you're my bodyguard?! Who told you to guard me?"
"...Your mom," C lied smoothly. "Yeah, your mom hired me. I ran into her on the street one day—someone tried to snatch her purse, and I stepped in. After that, she saw my school uniform and offered me a job to protect you. She said it pays well—so, of course, I agreed."
As he spoke, C's fingers moved subtly, crushing the GPS tracker hidden on Luna's shoulder—erasing the one piece of truth that could destroy him.
Luna narrowed her eyes.
"Since when did you become my bodyguard?"
"Two days ago," C replied quickly.
"Huh?! Two days ago, my mom was—"
"Sorry, I meant three days ago. I forgot. My bad!" he cut her off before she could finish.
"You're lying! It's obvious—you're stumbling all over your own words!" she shouted.
"Come on, Luna," C said, rolling his eyes. "If I wasn't your bodyguard, why would I fight six gangsters to save you? What kind of crazy guy does that for free?"
Luna glanced at the aftermath—six gangsters lying on the street like they just went through a meat grinder. C, standing in front of her, had done all that.
"...I'll have to ask Mom later," she muttered.
C let out a small sigh of relief. She was starting to doubt herself—and that meant he had a chance to win her trust.
After patching up his own wounds, he turned his attention to Luna.
"Hey Luna, give me your leg. I'll take care of that injury."
She pulled her leg back, alarmed. "Y-You idiot! Are you a doctor or something?!"
"Even worse. I'm a guy who's broken thirty-six bones in his life." C grinned.
Luna looked at the neatly wrapped bandages on C's own limbs. After a moment, she gave in and extended her leg.
C carefully began to wrap it to stop the swelling.
"Ouch! That hurts, you know."
"Tch, don't be a baby, Luna. You're a strong woman, aren't you?" he said without looking up.
Luna stared at him, an odd urge to smack him growing inside her chest.
Suddenly, a black sedan came speeding toward them. It stopped abruptly.
A woman with brown hair stepped out. Her outfit was stylish but practical—navy polo shirt made of breathable fabric, slim-fit black chinos, not too tight, just neat.
But the most striking feature? Two small beauty marks beneath her eyes—strangely enough, they made her look even more captivating.
She rushed toward them, eyes wide with worry.
"M-Miss! What happened?!" she yelled, panting.
"Calm down, Sherra. I'll explain," Luna said calmly.
Sherra crouched next to her, looking at Luna and the wrecked car behind them.
Luna sighed, briefly summarizing the accident and the attack by the gangsters.
"T-This is unacceptable, Miss! We need to find out who's behind this—immediately!" Sherra barked.
"Enough, Sherra. I'll take care of this myself. Please, don't tell my mother."
"But Miss—"
"Please, Sherra. You're my most trusted maid… and my friend."
Sherra's mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to argue. But she eventually nodded.
Then, she turned her sharp eyes to C. "And who is this guy, Miss?"
"Ah, he's—"
"I'm Luna's friend," C quickly interrupted. "I just happened to be nearby when I saw the gang surrounding her, so I stepped in."
Sherra raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. C gave Luna a look, silently pleading for her not to blow his cover.
"Y-Yeah… he's my friend," Luna echoed awkwardly. "He… helped me when things got really bad. I would've been in serious trouble without him."
Why did I cover for him? He might be a liar. A stalker. But… something about his eyes—no, his presence—made me trust him. Just a little.
Sherra's expression slowly changed. One eyebrow lifted, her forehead creasing slightly, and the corners of her lips tugged into a small smirk—like she'd just heard a really bad joke.
She looked at C, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "A random high schooler taking out six gangsters? Wow. Real convincing."
"I didn't do it alone," C said calmly. "Luna helped. And I'm not just any student—I'm very experienced at beating people up."
"Sure. And I'm the queen of England."
"Whatever. You should be thanking me for saving your tsundere master over there." C pointed at Luna.
Luna's face turned red. "W-What do you mean by that, you idiot?!"
Veins popped on Sherra's forehead. Her rage exploded. "Watch your damn mouth, punk!" she snapped, grabbing C's collar with surprising strength.
"Let go," C said, his voice suddenly cold, heavy.
Sherra froze, her hand recoiling as if burned. She stumbled back, eyes wide.
Luna sighed deeply.
"C, are you done treating my leg?" she asked, looking at him.
C didn't answer. He just stayed focused, wrapping her injury carefully.
For some reason, warmth stirred in Luna's chest as she watched him. She didn't understand why… but it made her feel strangely safe.
Tch. Is it just the adrenaline? Or… is something wrong with my heart?