CHAPTER 30: SKILLED LIAR

Luna sat cross-legged on the soft, fluffy carpet, her back resting comfortably against the edge of C’s bed.

The warm, dim light from the desk lamp cast gentle shadows across the simple yet neatly organized room, highlighting every corner of C’s space.

Her blue eyes scanned every detail, as if trying to piece together who C really was just by looking at his belongings.

A bookshelf stuffed with textbooks and a few thick novels. A lone indie band poster on the otherwise plain wall. A stack of sketches neatly tucked into the corner of his desk.

Her gaze landed on the workbench. There, among small electronic parts and scattered tools, sat a homemade pistol.

The weapon looked intimidating, sharp lines, solid build, it radiated an aura of precision and cold efficiency. Luna stared at it for a long moment, her brows furrowing slightly. This wasn’t a toy. This was a real gun, meant to hurt someone.

Her thoughts drifted, connecting the gun to C’s mysterious nature. The faceless boy always seemed to be hiding something.

More questions bubbled up in her mind, innocent but curious questions that only a teenage girl could have.

What else was C hiding?

She remembered the hushed conversations between her classmates at school, stories about how high school boys stashed adult magazines under their beds.

That silly curiosity soon overwhelmed her fear of the gun.

A mischievous but hesitant smile tugged at her lips as she shifted where she sat.

She crawled forward across the carpet, her head craning up, eyes darting toward the gap under C’s bed.

Maybe there was something hidden there. Her hand reached out, ready to feel around.

Just then, the door creaked open softly behind her.

Luna jolted, almost smacking her head on the bed frame. She looked up awkwardly, and there stood C at the doorway, perfectly still, holding two glasses of water in his hands.

His eyes or the place where his eyes should’ve been, locked right onto her, like he had known exactly what she was doing. The air grew thick with awkward silence.

"What exactly are you doing, Luna?" C asked, stepping in and placing the glasses on his desk.

"D-don’t get the wrong idea! I was just... checking if you were hiding anything suspicious," Luna blurted out, still frozen in her crawling pose.

C chuckled quietly. "You’re looking for suspicious items? Yet there’s a gun right there on my workbench. That alone is more than enough to put me behind bars," he said, setting one of the glasses down next to her.

Luna dropped back against the bed, grabbed the glass, and took a quick sip, cheeks blazing with embarrassment.

C returned to his chair at the workbench, picking up the components he needed for his flashbang necklace.

"So why were you really crawling under my bed?" he asked, his hands deftly moving from part to part.

"I was just curious... whether you’re like those high school boys who hide... you know... dirty magazines."

"Pffft, so you thought I’d have some adult mags stashed under there?"

Hearing him say that made Luna clench her fists in frustration, instantly regretting what she’d just done.

C paused his work, turning slightly toward her. "You do realize it’s not the stone age anymore, right? Everything’s just a click away now. Even p—"

"Ha! I knew it! You are just like every other boy!" Luna cut him off, pointing at him triumphantly, her face a mix of victory and exasperation.

"Well, that’s puberty, Luna. It ramps up a guy’s libido, and there’s not much we can do about it. I mean, you do know what that means for you, sitting here alone in a room with a teenage boy..." C teased, his tone dangerously casual.

Luna’s eyes went wide, her pointing finger trembling as she inhaled deeply, ready to scream.

C raised his hands frantically. "Wait, wait! Don’t scream! I was just joking, Luna," he said, panic clear in his voice.

She glared at him. "Not funny," she snapped.

"Alright, alright. Back to business," C said, rummaging through a box of components. "Catch."

He tossed a small object at Luna.

She caught it swiftly and looked down at her hand. "What is this?" she asked, curiosity mixing with suspicion.

"A GPS tracker," C replied flatly.

"And what? Planning to slap this on some poor girl’s uniform again?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"No. Like I told you at school, I need you to stick that on the car of the corrupt cop who’s going to show up at Ivansia’s house. After that, if you can, try to get inside and stop her family from handing over the money," C explained, laying out the plan step by step.

If Luna could stop the payoff, maybe he wouldn’t have to chase the cop down himself.

Luna nodded thoughtfully. "Got it. Anything else?"

"Nope, that’s all," C said, returning to his work. "Actually, one more thing. Could you get me a motorcycle? I might need it to follow the cop if things go south."

Luna looked up, her pupils shifting as she recalled something. "I think there’s one sitting unused in my garage. A gift from my grandfather that nobody’s touched."

"Perfect. Now, you’re free to head home if you want. Or... you can stay here for a bit if you’d rather not go out so late," C said, a hint of worry in his voice. The last thing he wanted was Luna getting kidnapped again.

"I’ll hang around for like... ten more minutes," she said with a sigh.

"Alright, make yourself comfortable. If you want, you can lie on my bed. Don’t worry, it doesn’t smell," C teased lightly.

Luna stood and sat down on the bed, lowering her head, lips parting as if she wanted to say something.

C continued working, the room falling silent except for the occasional sound of tiny metal clicks.

"Hey, C... who are you really?" Luna finally asked, breaking the silence as her fingers traced patterns on the bed sheet.

C’s hands froze for a moment. "I told you already. I’m your bodyguard," he answered calmly.

"Liar," Luna shot back, turning her gaze directly at him. "You think I wouldn’t check? I asked my mom, she never hired a bodyguard for me. She’s never even been pickpocketed."

Her voice wasn’t sharp or accusing, just full of honest confusion.

"So why did you help me when those gangsters cornered me?"

C let out a long breath.

"To look cool in front of you, what else?" he said. "Who wouldn’t want to be the hero who saves the school idol? Maybe then you’d even fall for me."

The words slipped out casually, but deep down, he knew the real reason: if he didn’t act, the world would end.

Luna’s face turned bright red, her mouth opening and closing as she struggled to speak.

"Y-you idiot! As if I’d ever fall for someone like you!" she shouted, cheeks puffed in flustered frustration.

C didn’t reply. He just quietly returned to his work.

"Liar," Luna muttered under her breath.

Silence settled over the room once more, broken only by the quiet hum of insects outside.

Luna kept sneaking glances at C as he tinkered. Eventually, she stood and stepped closer, peering over his shoulder at what he was building.

"What are you making?"

"A flashbang. It’s a backup weapon," C replied.

Luna examined it closely, leaning in to get a better look at the design.

"You could add a small reflective layer right here—it would make the flash even brighter," she suggested, pointing at a specific part.

C paused, looking at his work. She was right.

"Huh... you’ve got a point. Well, you are the daughter of a famous Tech CEO. I guess it makes sense you’d be good with gadgets," C said with a soft chuckle.

Luna put her hands on her hips, standing tall. "Hmph! Don’t underestimate me, I’ve got plenty of skills, you know!"

"Yes, yes, praise to the amazing miss Luna," C teased. "Now... maybe you could also lend me some cash? Then I wouldn’t have to risk going out tonight for the money Ivansia needs."

Luna’s body froze.

"Well... would you look at the time. My ten minutes are up," she said hurriedly, moving toward the door.

"You’re leaving alone?" C called out.

"I came here with Sherra. She’s waiting outside in the car, probably napping."

"Ah, good. Be careful on your way back, and don’t forget our plan for tomorrow."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow," Luna replied as she slipped out the door.

C exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t going home alone—if she were, he’d probably have had to tail her from the shadows just in case danger found her again.