《Memory Gazer》


 Geo.

    So I was standing at the back of the class, lazily looking around the room that was full of my classmates. My gaze stopped at the black-haired, glasses-wearing guy in the front seat who was reading a book at the moment. He''s the smartest student in this class. And I approached him.


    "Hey," I said as I stood beside him.


    He glanced at me and responded, "Yes?"


    "Can I borrow your pen?" I asked, smiling. "Just for a moment. I just need to fix my homework."


    "Of course," the glasses guy said as he handed me his pen. He didn''t suspect a thing. I tried hard not to grin because of that.


    "Thanks, man," I said as I walked back to my own desk.


    I sat down and grabbed my book from my bag. About fixing my homework, it was actually a lie. Look, I haven''t filled out a single one yet. I grinned. But not for long.


    With that pen in my hand, I can do it now. No, the pen is not special, but I am. I''m special.


    Holding that pen, I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them, activating my power.


    My surroundings, which were once filled with desks, chairs, and classmates, suddenly faded away and disappeared. Hundreds of floating, box-shaped objects appeared around me. They looked kind of like transparent boxes, like the holographic images you see in movies. Or like the status panels in isekai anime. On their surfaces, I saw images of past memories.


    As you can see, I have a special ability, an unusual talent. I can see other people''s memories by using objects as a proxy. And with this pen in my hand, I can see the memories of the glasses guy, including the memory from last night when he filled out his homework.


    Do you understand what that means? With this, I can easily cheat.


    I smiled and quickly filled out my book with answers.


    ***


    I yawn, and walk home alone. My hands are buried in my pockets as I stroll down the deserted street. My mind wanders as I reflect on my life. It''s far from perfect, with its fair share of hardships and difficulties, but overall, I consider myself lucky.


    Although I have this remarkable ability, nothing significant has ever come of it--well, except for that one time with Pluto. But that''s okay, I can just relax and live a quiet life. Sure, there are moments of boredom, but peace is priceless. Especially for a lazy guy like me.


    Until that happened.


    I was minding my own business when a figure in a black jacket came rushing towards me at full speed. Before I knew it, we collided and I was sent tumbling to the ground. The person also fell, but instead of apologizing, he quickly jumped back up and took off without a second glance.


    "Hey!" I called out, but the figure just kept running. I sat there, stunned, as I watched him disappear into the distance. I couldn''t believe it. He just took off without so much as a sorry. I let out a sigh and shook my head.


    As I was getting up, I wasn''t paying attention and my hand brushed against something. In an instant, my surroundings vanished and I found myself surrounded by floating boxes.


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    I was shocked as I gazed at the floating box in front of me. There was a bald teenager, who looked to be around my age, holding a knife covered in blood. Beside him was a blonde girl who appeared to be in pain and was whispering, "Mars... why?"


    As I gazed at another floating box, I saw a scene that was all too familiar to me: a school corridor. I immediately recognized the classroom board with the label "2-H" written on it. And there was the figure in the black jacket and mask, sneering.


    After taking in the surreal scene in front of me, I looked down and spotted an object lying on the ground. A bloody knife. I accidentally touched a murder weapon.


    ***


    "Dammit, we lost him!" the man with a police uniform said, there''s a scar on his face.


    "Are you sure he ran in this direction?" the other policeman with beard, who appeared to be in a higher position of command, asked.


    "I''m sorry, sir, I''m not sure," the policeman with the scar replied.


    And then, they noticed me.


    I was taken to the police office and put into a small room, where a bearded policeman sat in front of me with a table in between.


    He asked, "So, what''s your name?"


    I answered, "Geo."


    "You know how bad this serial killing case is, right?" he started. "So we need cooperation from all parties, including you as a witness.


    I tried hard not to sigh. I thought the police were stupid, just like in the movies, that''s why I answered without thinking.


    It happened a few minutes ago, when they found me.


    "Sir, look," the policeman with the scar said, pointing at a bloody knife lying not far from where I was standing. "Isn''t that the killer''s weapon?"


    They looked at me and I knew this was trouble.


    "We are from the police department," the bearded policeman said. "Can you tell me what happened?"


    "Someone collided with me and dropped it," I said.


    "That''s the serial killer!" the policeman with the scar said. "Can you tell us more in detail?"


    "I think his name was Mars," I replied. "He goes to the same school as me. He''s a student in class 2-H."


    After I said that, they started suspecting me and ended up bringing me here.


    "But I already did my part," I complained. "I already told you everything I know."


    "Then tell me, how do you know all of that?" the bearded policeman asked. "The killer wore a thick jacket with a hoodie and a mask, it''s hard to identify his identity in these kinds of situations."


    Yeah, if it was a normal person, they wouldn''t have known anything. But I''m not a normal person.


    "Just in case, I already asked my subordinates to check your claims," the bearded policeman said. "But if it turns out he has nothing to do with this, you might end up as a criminal yourself!"


    He slammed his hand to the table.


    "Now do you see how serious it is?" the bearded policeman asked.


    "I guess," I said.


    He stared at me in disbelief. "But you don''t seem to understand," he said.


    No, I do. I''m just not worried because I''m not wrong.


    "Seriously, what problems do you have with this Mars guy?" the bearded policeman said, scratching his head. "To the point where you''re willing to accuse him as a serial killer?"


    "Nothing," I said. "I don''t even know him."


    "Hey," the bearded policeman said, looking frustrated. "If you''re going to lie, make it a little more believable. You clearly know his name and his class. How exactly don''t you know him?"


    "So what?" I said. "You don''t believe what I said anyway."


    Yeah, at this point, whatever I say doesn''t matter. Even if I told him about my power, he''d just say it''s just another lie.


    Well, not that I would do that. I don''t trust them, even though they are police.


    There was a knock on the door and the policeman with the scar from before entered the room.


    "How is it?" the bearded policeman asked.


    "Sir, I''m done checking," he said. "And this is the result."


    About a month ago, the discovery of the dead bodies of young girls who had been stabbed shocked the community. Then, just a week ago, another victim was found, dead from the same cause.


    People began to realize that this was a serial killing and the killer was a bald high schooler named Mars.


    Based on the my memory I gazed, Mars'' first kill was accidental. It''s not clear, but it appears that Mars and the victim got into an argument, and the girl suddenly pulled out a folding knife and threatened him with it.


    As he tried to disarm her, he accidentally stabbed her instead. This event seemed to awaken something inside of him, and as he stared at her dying face, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. His smile was so wide, it looked like it would split his face in two.


    At first he tried to hold back for a few weeks, but the urge get the best of him and he killing for the second time.


    At first, Mars tried to resist the urge to kill for a few weeks, but eventually, he couldn''t hold back anymore. He felt exhilarated, not only by the act of killing itself, but by the fact that the police were unable to catch him.


    It was as if he was a superior being.


    But that overconfidence led to his downfall. During his third murder attempt, he was caught in the act by the police, causing him to flee and made his worst mistake, colliding with me.


    That''s what led to the current situation.


    "Mars," the police with the scar said as he glanced at his small notebook, "male, 16 years old. He doesn''t have a criminal record, but he can''t be considered a good student either. He likes to skip class and has been in a few fights with other students. At this point, just a typical delinquent."


    The policeman with the scar flipped his notebook. "But what''s interesting is his relationship with all the victims. The first victim was his childhood friend. People noted that they were not really on good terms and often fought."


    He flipped his notebook again. "The second victim was Mars'' classmate when they were in middle school. And the third victim, they knew each other not long, but people noticed that they were seen together a lot lately."


    "I see," the bearded policeman said. "That is indeed interesting."


    "There is not yet proof that he is connected to this case," the policeman with the scar said, "but he is suspicious."


    "Yes," the bearded policeman said. "It''s worth looking into more."


    With a winning smile, I said, "So I''m right, or what?"


    The bearded policeman didn''t look too happy, but he finally said, "Fine, kid. You can go home for now."


    "Can you just admit that I was right?" I said.


    "Just go!" he said.


    ***

 Luna.

    The next day people were buzzing and talking about Mars, including my classmates.


    "Hey, have you heard? Mars was captured last night by the police," said one of my classmates.


    "Really? Do you mean the bald guy? Why did they arrest him?" asked the other.


    "Apparently, he was behind the serial killings that have been going on. Can you believe it?"


    "Scary, isn''t it? And now he''s got no excuse, since they found a blood-stained glove at his place."


    "He''s an idiot. He should have gotten rid of the evidence right away."


    "Hey, speaking of solving cases, do you remember our school''s detective club? Do you think they were involved in this?"


    They both laughed. "No way! They''re not good enough for a case like this."


    And then their conversation turned to something stupid like girls'' boobs.


    I sat in the back of the room and looked out the window.


    It looks like this case has been wrapped up without any major issues. Yesterday, I almost regretted getting involved, but if it helped catch the criminal, then I guess it was worth the effort.


    Classes went on as usual, with some students still talking about Mars, but for the most part, everyone seemed to have moved on.


    And after school, I usually just go straight home since I''m not involved in any clubs. Today was no different, or so I thought. When I stepped out of the school building, I saw a familiar face standing at the gate.


    It was a policeman with a beard, and he was staring right at me.


    "What''s he doing here?" I muttered.


    "No need to put on a face like that, kid," he said. "I just wanted to chat."


    "What''s going on?" I asked, feeling a bit uneasy. "I thought the case was already settled."


    "Yeah, finally, it was wrapped up yesterday," he smiled. "I just wanted to personally thank you for your help."


    "No need to thank me," I replied.


    Just don''t come bother me again.


    "Is that all?" I asked.


    "Calm down," he said. "There''s one more thing I wanted to discuss."


    "One more?" I raised an eyebrow.


    "I had the chance to interrogate Mars yesterday," he said. "Turns out, he had no clue who you were. He didn''t even know it was you he collided with. So, I guess you were telling the truth about not knowing each other. Sorry for doubting you. But that doesn''t explain how you know about him."


    I don''t like the direction this conversation is going.


    "I''m guessing you can''t give me a straightforward explanation because it didn''t come from deduction, right?" he said. "So where did you get that information from? Some sort of supernatural ability?"


    I gulped. That was getting a little too close to the truth for my comfort.


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    "What I''m trying to say is," he continued, "work for me."


    "What?" I asked, taken aback.


    "Regardless of the explanation," he explained, "that power you have will be a huge asset to the police."


    "No, thanks," I replied firmly.


    He looked at me in disbelief as I stared at him expressionlessly.


    "Don''t you want to help people?" he asked. "To make the world a better place?"


    "Not interested," I said.


    "You''re wasting your potential," he said. "So many people would kill to be in your shoes."


    "I don''t care," I replied, turning to leave. "Are we done here? I want to go home."


    "Come on," he persisted. "Just think about it."


    "I already told you I''m not interested," I said, walking away.


    "Fine, go ahead and leave for now," he said. "But mark my words. You will end up working for me, whether you like it or not."


    He grinned. "I still have a secret weapon."


    I looked at him with unease. "Secret weapon?"


    ***


    The next day, as I made my way towards the entrance of my school, I noticed a girl standing there, searching for me.


    "Excuse me," she said, a girl around my age with pink short hair styled in a side-tail to the left.


    "Yes?" replied another student she was trying to talk to.


    "Sorry to bother you," she said with a smile. "I''m looking for someone. Do you happen to know a student named Geo?"


    The student she asked shook her head.


    "Oh, okay," the pink-haired girl responded.


    I wonder why she''s looking for me. I don''t think I know her.


    I let out a long sigh.


    "Are you looking for someone?" I asked as I walked toward her.


    "Hmm? Oh, yes," she replied. "I''m looking for someone named Geo. Do you know him?"


    He''s right in front of you.


    "Why are you looking for him?" I asked.


    "I have some business with him," she replied.


    "What kind of business?" I asked.


    "Sorry, I can''t tell you," she said with a sheepish smile.


    "Ah, I see. Good luck then," I said as I walked past her.


    I wondered what she wanted, but for now, I decided to leave her be.


    I continued to walk toward my school building while the pink girl approached another student, asking the same question.


    The day went on as usual until after school when I saw the pink girl still at the gate. When she saw me, she glared in my direction.


    Welp, the cat''s out of the bag, I thought to myself.


    "You tricked me," she said, clearly unhappy. "Geo."


    "Really?" I replied, trying to smile nervously. "But I never said I wasn''t the person you were looking for."


    "Originally," the pink girl said, "I just wanted to introduce myself. I didn''t expect you to suddenly trick me like this. You''re a cheater!" She pouted. "Cheater! Cheater! Cheater!"


    "Hey, hey, stop," I protested. "So, who are you? What do you want from me?"


    Her mood suddenly changed and she smiled widely.


    "My name is Luna," she said. "I''ve been given a mission to make sure you work under my brother."


    Brother? I thought. Does she mean that bearded policeman from before? Is this what he meant by secret weapon?


    "Listen Geo," Luna said, her voice determined. "This time I might have lost, but next time will be different! Just watch, I won''t lose again!"


    "Ah, okay," I said, feeling tired.


    ***


    The next morning, in my 2-A classroom, whispers and murmurs filled the room due to someone standing right in front of the class.


    "Who is she?" one of my classmates asked.


    "Is she a new student?" another asked.


    "I feel like I''ve seen her before," a third classmate commented.


    Meanwhile, I looked at her in disbelief and thought to myself, She can''t be serious.


    That''s right, the pink girl from yesterday was causing the commotion. She still wore the same hairstyle with sidetails on the left and stood there with a smile on her face. She was dressed in the school uniform with a pinkish-red blouse, and her bag was slung over her shoulder.


    "It was sudden," the teacher said. "But starting today, she''ll be joining you as a classmate."


    Luna greeted the class, "Hello!" she said cheerfully.


    "Her name is Luna," the teacher said, "and I expect all of you to make her feel comfortable here."


    One of my classmates whispered to his friend, "Hey, isn''t that the girl from yesterday at the gate?"


    "You think so too?" the friend replied.


    I was stuck at the back of the class, wondering. What was she thinking, changing schools like this? And moving straight into my class, too? There''s no way it''s only a coincidence. It must be because her brother pulled some strings to make it happen. I can imagine that policeman grinning annoyingly.


    Luna walked toward me, and our eyes met. She smiled devilishly.


    Now what? I wondered.


    "Sir," Luna said, "can I sit here?"


    "Sure, go ahead," the teacher said.


    Luna happily sat on the seat beside me.


    "What is it, Geo?" Luna asked, looking at me with a smile. "Is there something you want to say to me?"


    I let out a long sigh.


    "This is a little too much, don''t you think?" I said.


    Luna just giggled happily.


    ***


    It was break time.


    I sat in my nearly empty classroom, I couldn''t help but feel a bit exhausted. Despite this, the pink girl sitting next to me still beaming with energy.


    "So, Geo," she said. "Are you not going to eat lunch?"


    "Too lazy," I replied.


    "Because of me?" Luna asked.


    "Not really," I said. Well, probably a bit. "But, putting that aside, don''t you think moving schools is a bit extreme? I mean, it''s a serious decision."


    "Really?" she smiled. "But don''t you think it''s cool?"


    "It''s just weird!" I said.


    "I don''t think so," Luna said, twirling her finger. "My brother is really serious, you know? Maybe you can''t see it from the outside, but he''s really dedicated to helping people. And with your help, his work will be easier, right?"


    I simply listened without commenting.


    "This is the first time my brother has ever asked for my help," Luna continued. "I might be getting a little too excited, but I decided to do this to show just how serious I am."


    "Stupid decision," I said.


    "Well, maybe," she giggled. "But, since we''re talking about it, let me ask you this. Why are you rejecting my brother''s offer?"


    "Because it sounds like a pain," I said.


    "Really?" she said, looking unconvinced. "What about that Mars case from before? Didn''t that count as a pain?"


    "I didn''t have a choice," I said. "It was a murder case."


    She inched closer to me. "What about other murder cases?" she asked. "Why don''t you help in those too? Isn''t that because those cases have nothing to do with you?" she continued, her face getting even closer. "If it''s like that, then being a murder case has nothing to do with it, right? So, your reasoning doesn''t make sense, does it?"


    She was so close that I could feel her warmth, making me a bit nervous.


    "Doesn''t that mean you''re just being egoistic?" she said, pressing on. "You said you have no choice, but--"


    "Shut up!" I cut her off. I can''t take it anymore. I got up and left her there.


    "Eh? Wait, where are you going?" Luna called out. "Hey, Geo, I''m not done talking!"


    ***

 Atlas.

    I stopped in my tracks, suddenly realized a big problem. I looked back and saw Luna, with her pink hair, following me closely. She was looking at me with concern.


    "What''s up, Geo?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"


    Luna had always been by my side, whether we were in class or on a break. And now, she even insisted on walking home with me. Her constant gaze was giving me chills down my back. Did this mean I wouldn''t have a chance to cheat, especially with the mid-exams starting tomorrow? What should I do?


    "What''s the matter?" Luna asked, her annoyance growing. "You''ve been acting weird lately."


    "Nothing," I replied, trying to hide my panic.


    I don''t want to use my power in front of Luna. If I do, she''ll realize I''ve been borrowing pens a lot from the glasses guy. And if that information gets passed on to that bearded policeman, he might be able to guess what I''ve been up to.


    I need to find a way out of this situation, before it''s too late.


    Something. Anything.


    ...


    A week later, I was called to the teacher''s lounge by my homeroom teacher. She was holding my exam paper and had a look of disappointment on her face.


    "What''s wrong, Geo?" my teacher asked. "Your grades have all plummeted.


    I couldn''t help but let out a nervous laugh.


    I was struggling to find a solution and ended up doing everything on my own, but of course, I couldn''t tell her that.


    "Is there a problem?" she asked, looking worried. "You know you can talk to me anytime."


    She didn''t seem like she was going to let me go without a proper explanation, but...


    "Well, I might have run into a little trouble with Luna," I said, trying to deflect the attention from my poor grades.


    "Oh, you mean that transfer student?" my teacher said, a twinkle in her eye.


    "Yes," I replied.


    "Fufufu, it''s about love, isn''t it?" she giggled.


    "What? No!" I said, panicking.


    "Don''t worry," she said with a smile. "I won''t tell anyone about it."


    "I told you, it''s not like that!" I protested, trying to correct her assumption. But she kept giggling and didn''t listen to me at all.


    ***


    Inside a cozy house, 9-year-old Luna with long pink hair was curled up on the sofa, engrossed in a children''s detective book. As she flipped through the pages, a smile spread across her face, enjoying the story.


    Once she reached the end of the book, she closed it with a satisfying thud. "Brother!" she called out to her sibling, who was reading a superhero comic on the other sofa. "I want to be a detective!"


    Her brother raised an eyebrow. "Detective? That''s tough, you know? Are you sure you can handle it?"


    Luna beamed with determination. "I''ll do my best!"


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    Her brother grinned, setting his comic book aside. "Well, I won''t be left behind. If you''re going to be a detective, then I''ll be a police officer. That way, if there''s ever a case, you''ll be the first person I call. You better be ready!"


    "Yes!" Small Luna said excitedly, ready to take on the challenge.


    A few years later, when Luna was still in middle school, she eagerly prepared some tea and cakes, waiting for her brother to come home. When he finally arrived, she greeted him with excitement and offered him the treats.


    "Congratulations on finally becoming a police officer, brother!" Luna said with pride.


    "Thanks, Lu," her brother said, happily accepting the cake.


    As he took a bite, Luna fidgeted nervously behind the sofa. "Hey, hey, brother," she said, eager to bring up something.


    "Hm...?" her brother mumbled as he chewed on the cake.


    "Because you''re now a police officer," she said with a smile, "you''ll take me with you when you work on cases, right?"


    Her brother''s smile faded and he stopped eating.


    "No," he said, looking down.


    "Eh...?" Luna was shocked. "Wha-what do you mean no?"


    Her brother sighed before explaining, "I''m sorry, but it''s too dangerous for you."


    "I know it''s dangerous, but--" she tried to protest, but her brother cut her off.


    "No buts. You don''t understand. Dealing with real criminals, even a small mistake can put your life in danger. I can''t risk your safety. This is not a game."


    Tears welled up in Luna''s eyes. "But you said that time..." she said, her voice trailing off. "I hate you, brother!"


    Feeling hurt and betrayed, Luna ran to her room and slammed the door, crying on her bed. She refused to talk to her brother for at least a week after that.


    And then after wrapping up the Mars case, and after he paid a visit to Geo for a chat, the bearded policeman then headed over to Luna''s room, where his sister was engrossed in another detective novel.


    He knocked on the door. "Luna, are you there?" he asked.


    "What''s up, brother?" Luna asked, still sitting on the bed. "I didn''t lock it."


    The bearded policeman opened the door and took a peek.


    "Mind if I have a quick word with you?" he said.


    Luna blinked, a little surprised. "Sure," she said.


    The brother then entered the room and began telling Luna what had happened, about Mars and about Geo.


    "--and then, because of Geo, we finally caught the culprit," he said.


    "Wow," Luna said, impressed. "So someone like that really exists? A high school detective?"


    "That... might not be accurate," her brother said. "I don''t think what he does is exactly deduction."


    "If not deduction," Luna tilted her head, "then what?"


    "That''s exactly what I want to know," he said. "So, what do you think? Are you interested?"


    "Huh?" Luna said, confused.


    "Well, think of it as me giving you a mission," he said with a smile. "I want you to figure out this mystery, and it would be great if you could convince him to work for me. His abilities would be a huge help for me."


    Luna was stunned, blinking a few times as she processed what she was hearing.


    Really? My brother is asking me for help? She thought to herself in disbelief.


    "Of course, I won''t force you if you don''t want to," her brother added, seeing the look on her face.


    "No, no! I will do it!" Luna said, excitement evident in her voice. She balled her hands into fists, eager to take on the challenge.


    This is a big opportunity, Luna thought to herself. If she could show her usefulness, perhaps her brother would change his mind and let her get involved in real cases, just what she''s always wanted. She needed to make this a success!


    ***


    "Geo."


    Hmm... What''s that? I feel like someone is calling my name. At the same time, I feel like I am floating in a dark, dreamlike state.


    Did I... do something just now? I wondered, trying to remember what I had been doing, but my mind was blank and I couldn''t recall.


    "Hey, Geo."


    Again, someone is calling me. I feel like I know that voice. A girl''s voice? Right, that was a girl''s voice. That annoying pink girl that has been annoying me for some time now. Wait, what was I doing again? What about Luna was I thinking--


    "Geo!" Luna called, jolting me from my dream. I woke up to see the pink girl standing right beside my bed, fully dressed in her school uniform and carrying her bag.


    She smiled sweetly, as if nothing was wrong, and said, "Finally, you''re awake."


    I rubbed my eyes. Was I still dreaming?


    "Hello, Geo," Luna said, her face getting close. "Are you still half asleep?"


    She kept doing that, making my heart jump. This girl really had no sense of personal space.


    "What are you doing here...?" I finally asked.


    "Huh?" she said. "Waking you up?"


    "How did you even get into my room?" I asked, frustrated.


    "Oh, your dad let me in," she replied.


    I groaned. "That darn old man... Just giving me a headache," I muttered, putting my hand on my temple and rubbing it a bit.


    "So," I said, "why did you come so early in the morning?"


    "Well," she replied with a smile, "I thought it would be fun to go to school together with you."


    Fun she said? I let out a deep sigh. Luna just won''t stop, will she? This is just annoying. Running away won''t solve this problem. It''s better to just deal with it head on.


    "Hey, Luna," I said. "I want to talk to your brother. Can you arrange that for me?"


    "Huh? Why the sudden change of mind?" she replied, taken aback. "I didn''t mind, though. Sure, leave it to you!"


    ***


    As soon as school was over, Luna swiftly took hold of my hand.


    "Come on, Geo," Luna said. "My brother is waiting at home."


    "Yes, yes," I replied, trying to keep up with her pace.


    We left the school building and walked towards the gate.


    "That''s right, Geo," Luna continued. "You don''t have any friends, do you?"


    Her words hit me like a punch in the gut. I glared at her, feeling annoyed.


    "Why bring this up all of a sudden?" I asked, trying to keep my frustration in check.


    "I mean, in class, you never talk to anyone except for me. And when I was looking for you that day, nobody seemed to know who you were except for the guy with glasses," she explained.


    I couldn''t help but feel annoyed. What was her goal with this conversation? Was she trying to mock me?


    I picked up my pace, leaving her behind.


    "Wait! You''re walking too fast," Luna called out, hurrying to follow me. "Did I offend you? I''m sorry..."


    "I don''t need friends," I said firmly. "Got it?"


    Luna looked saddened. "Oh, okay. I''m sorry if I made you upset," she said.


    "Instead of that," I said, trying to change the subject. "What is your brother''s name?"


    "What?" Luna replied, shocked. "Do you mean you don''t know?"


    "I''m not sure if it''s because I''ve forgotten or he never introduced himself to me," I said.


    "Unbelievable," Luna said, shaking her head. "Even though you guys have known each other longer than I have."


    "That''s just how it is," I replied.


    Luna sighed.


    "Atlas," she said. "His name is Atlas. Don''t forget it again this time."


    ***

 Pluto.

    "Brother, I''m home," Luna said as she and I entered the building.


    Atlas greeted us from the living room, wearing a simple purple t-shirt and looking more sloppier than usual. When we entered, I noticed a paused first-person shooter game on the TV. I guessed he liked playing games, which was a similarity with me that I didn''t expect.


    "I''ll change first," Luna said as she headed upstairs to her room.


    "Alright, have a seat," Atlas said. "What would you like to drink, Geo?"


    "Anything''s fine," I replied as I settled onto the sofa.


    "We don''t have ''anything''," Atlas said with a grin.


    I sighed. "So, what do you have?"


    "We have coffee," he replied. "cola, apple juice, milk chocolate--"


    "Chocolate, please," I said.


    "Got it," Atlas responded.


    I let out a long sigh and took a look around the unfamiliar room. The sofa was comfortable enough, but I couldn''t shake the feeling of unease. I knew it was probably because of what I was about to do.


    Luna returned, dressed in more casual clothes, which gave her a different look than usual. She brought some snacks, and Atlas arrived with a few drinks, which they placed on the table.


    They both took a seat.


    "So," Atlas started, "I heard you wanted to talk to me."


    "Yes," I said. "I''ll tell you all you need to know. You guys are the first people I''ve ever told, so I trust you won''t tell anyone about it."


    Luna swallowed hard and nodded. "Of course," she said.


    "That''s the plan," Atlas agreed.


    "Okay," I said, feeling a little nervous. "Let''s begin. First, I call this power ''Memory Gazer.'' That means I can see other people''s memories using objects as a medium."


    The atmosphere in the room grew tense.


    "Wait," Atlas said, "so it''s a real supernatural power?"


    I nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but I''m serious."


    Luna looked shocked. "You can see other people''s memories?" she said. "Unbelievable..."


    "So the way you found out about Mars..." Atlas said, his voice trailing off.


    "Yeah, I saw his memories from the knife he dropped," I replied.


    "Unbelievable," Atlas said the same thing as Luna.


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    "Of course, I can show you more proof," I said. "But first, I need you to understand the risks of this power for both of you."


    "Risks...?" Luna asked, her voice filled with concern.


    "This power in a glance might not seem too dangerous, right?" I said. "But if you get too close with me, you must be prepared to lose your privacy."


    Atlas grunted, seemingly deep in thought. Meanwhile, Luna looked at me with a worried expression.


    I don''t feel good about saying what I''m about to say next,. It reminds me of Pluto. But I can''t keep dragging things out.


    "With this power," I continued, "it''s possible for me to know all of your... secrets. I can find out events that you think nobody will ever know."


    I''m scared to look at their eyes.


    "Are you guys sure," I said, "you want all of that to happen? Can you trust me with that?"


    "Geo--" Luna started to say, but I cut her off.


    "Even if you trust me enough for that, accidents can happen," I said. "I mean--we sometimes don''t remember where some information comes from, so it''s possible that I could expose your secrets without even noticing."


    "That," Luna said, "doesn''t sound like you''re just talking about possibilities. Don''t tell me... has it happened before? Is that why you don''t have friends?"


    "That''s not the point!" I said. "What I''m trying to say is, is this worth it? To give up so much for me?"


    Atlas and Luna exchanged a glance.


    "What do you think, Lu?" Atlas asked.


    "I think I trust Geo," Luna said. "He wouldn''t go this far just to lie to us."


    "Well, I agree," Atlas said. "Geo''s explanation of his ability matches what I was thinking. And it''s not like I completely don''t believe in unscientific supranatural powers."


    Luna nodded in agreement.


    "Then, as Geo said," Atlas continued, "what we need to think about are the risks. Well, for me, I don''t really care. If this will give me a chance to solve more cases, I''ll take any risks. But what about you, Lu?"


    "Hmm..." Luna tried to think, but she didn''t seem to be putting in much effort. "If you''re okay with that, brother, then I am too."


    Atlas looked at his sister with concern. "Are you sure?"


    "What do you mean?" Luna asked, confused.


    "Look, my little sister," Atlas said, "Geo can see our memories. Any memories. Doesn''t that mean... he can see memories of you changing clothes or something? Are you really okay with that?"


    "Eh?" A blush crept to her cheeks. She immediately looked at me. "So that''s what you mean when you said privacy...?"


    Well, that''s too. But I was thinking of something darker. Everyone has dark secrets, right? Like bad things you''ve done in the past or something.


    Luna hid her blushing face behind her hand. She looked cute. No, that''s beside the point.


    I smiled. "That means it''s a no, right?"


    Atlas sighed. "I guess that''s how it should be."


    "What?" Luna asked.


    "Sorry, Lu," Atlas said. "I''m at fault because I forced you to get involved in this."


    "Wa-wait a minute, brother," Luna said.


    "You''ve helped me a lot," Atlas said, "but let''s end it here--"


    "No!" Luna yelled. "Not again! Don''t exclude me again like this!"


    "But your reaction from before tells me everything," Atlas said. "You don''t need to force yourself--"


    "No," Luna said. "I will take the risks."


    "I told you not to force yourself--"


    "I said I will take it!" Luna said with full conviction. Her eyes stared directly into Atlas''s soul. "If you dismiss me again this time, I will hate you forever."


    "Fine," Atlas sighed. "But what about your privacy?"


    "I don''t care about that anymore," Luna said. "Geo can look at me changing clothes as much as he wants."


    "Hey, hey," I said, looking at the pink girl in disbelief. "Don''t say something unnecessary like that."


    "I get it already," Atlas said. "Let''s just calm down." He then looked at me. "So that''s how it is, Geo. We will take the risks."


    "Are you guys crazy?" I said. "I don''t think you''ve thought this through. And not to mention, I never said I agreed to work with you."


    "Oh, come on," Atlas said, clearly frustrated.


    "What''s up with that?" Luna asked, also annoyed. "Then what''s the point of us talking about this in the first place?"


    "I told you so, you''ll give up," I said. "I didn''t expect you two to agree with such a thing."


    "Is there anything that can change your mind?" Atlas asked, hoping for a different answer.


    "No," I said.


    "Anything?" Atlas asked again.


    "No," I repeated.


    "I will pay you," Atlas said. "Big time."


    "Deal," I said.


    ***


    I used to have a friend named Pluto.


    But now I''ve lost him.


    Will that happen again? I wondered.


    The next day, Luna pouted all day. We walked home from school in silence. It would have been a peaceful walk if Luna hadn''t kept avoiding my gaze.


    "What''s up with you?" I asked, trying to get to the bottom of things.


    She looked at me with disdain. "I''m disappointed in you," she said.


    That shouldn''t hurt me. I mean, who cares if she''s disappointed in me or not? But, to my surprise, I still felt a pain in my chest.


    "Why?" I asked, trying to understand.


    "About yesterday," Luna began. "You accepted my brother''s offer just for the money? I never thought you were the type of person who only cared about money."


    "What''s wrong with that?" I asked, a little defensive.


    "Everything''s wrong!" Luna exclaimed.


    "Is that so?" I asked, trying to understand her perspective. "But isn''t it normal to get paid for work, even if it''s a job that''s supposed to help people? Like a firefighter, doctor, or a policeman like your brother. Are you telling me I don''t deserve to get paid?"


    "That''s not what I mean!" Luna replied. "I just don''t want you to work for money alone."


    "That''s a weird thing to say," I said, a little taken aback. "Most people work for money. Ideally, we should choose a job we like, but the world isn''t that kind. If they don''t work, they can''t pay. Are you suggesting they would be better off just dying than working for money?"


    "No, that''s not right!" Luna protested. "That''s not what I mean!"


    "So what do you mean?" I pressed on.


    "Well, that was..." her voice trailed off.


    "Well, that was..." her voice trailed off.


    "And I think you''re wrong about one thing," I said. "Just because I get paid for my work doesn''t mean I believe money is everything."


    "That''s true, but..." she began.


    "Then what?" I asked, eager to understand her perspective.


    She sighed. "Fine," she said. "I''m wrong. But I still don''t like that you agreed just because of money."


    ***

 Closer Look.

    As I walked with Luna back to her home, I knew I would soon be meeting with Atlas again. I agreed to work with him, so first I need to demonstrate my ability. To do that, I asked him to prepare something for me first, which is why I need to wait a day before I show him my special power.


    "But I can think about that later. Right now...


    " Anyway," I said, looking at the pink girl beside me. "You don''t plan to transfer back to your old school?"


    "Huh? Why?" Luna asked.


    "You don''t really need to stay at my school, right?" I said. "Your so-called mission is over anyway."


    "Well, that''s true," Luna said, thinking for a bit. "But no, I will stay."


    "You had friends there, right?" I asked.


    "Of course," Luna said. "At first, they were surprised that I moved suddenly, but now it''s okay. Luna pulled out her phone and looked at it. We still message each other every day."


    "That''s not going to last forever," I said.


    "What do you mean?" asked Luna.


    "Like I said, they won''t keep doing that forever," I said.


    "How do you even know that?" Luna asked, doubtfully. "You don''t even know them."


    "I don''t need to know them to figure it out," I said.


    "Then how?" she asked.


    "Well, for example," I said. "Do you still keep in touch with your classmates from elementary school?"


    "Well... that has nothing to do with this," Luna said, nervous.


    "Is that a no then?" I asked.


    "Probably not all," Luna said quickly. "But sometimes I still talk with them!"


    "Sometimes just isn''t enough," I said. "Doesn''t that mean your relationship isn''t as strong as it used to be?"


    "Don''t say that," Luna protested, clearly upset. "We''re still friends, even if we don''t see each other as much anymore."


    "That''s what I mean," I continued. "What connects you with your friends is the fact that you''re in the same class. Without that, the connection becomes weaker. You still have around two years left to spend with them, don''t waste it."


    Luna was quiet for a moment, then she spoke up, "I understand what you''re trying to say, but... "


    Luna looked at me and I could sense a bit of tension. "I don''t know why, but I feel like you''re trying to push me away."


    I gave an awkward smile. "That''s just your imagination," I said.


    She stepped closer and stared at me intensely, clearly annoyed.


    "So that''s your plan," she said. "Why? Do you dislike me that much?"


    "Not exactly dislike," I replied, trying to clarify. "More like annoyance."


    "Annoyance...?" she muttered.


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    Probably I shouldn''t have said that.


    "I''ve made up my mind," Luna declared, clearly agitated. "Not only am I going to stay, I''m going to stick with you as much as possible! I''ll annoy you as much as I can!"


    "Great," I said, feeling defeated.


    I should have seen this coming. In retrospect, it was clear that she was a sore loser.


    We arrived at Luna''s home, where Atlas was already waiting inside.


    Atlas said, "As you requested, I prepared five things."


    He showed what was on the table: a pen, a game controller, a book, a small dead clock, and a smartphone.


    I sat down, and Luna did the same, beside me.


    "It''s your turn now," Atlas said.


    "I know," I replied as I picked up the pen.


    I used my power and floating transparent boxes appeared around me. I saw a box that displayed Atlas''s memory from a few hours ago. It showed him writing in a book and saying, [Can you see this?]


    I turned off my ability.


    "Are you already using your ability?" Atlas asked.


    I nodded.


    "Oh," he said. "From outside, nothing seems to be happening. There''s no special light effect or anything." He sounded disappointed.


    Luna nodded beside me, agreeing. "I thought so too, but I didn''t see anything," she said.


    "I won''t be able to use it freely if such a thing happened," I snorted. "Anyway, I saw you write something like [Can you see this?] in a book."


    Atlas''s eyes widened. "That... That''s exactly what I wrote in my notebook," he said.


    "Do you believe me now?" I asked.


    "Let''s continue," Atlas said, pointing at the broken clock. "This clock, what time was it showing before I changed it?"


    I picked up the clock and used my power. I saw a floating transparent box that displayed the moment Atlas changed the position of the clock hands.


    "Three fifty-five," I said.


    "That''s right," Atlas said, not seeming surprised anymore. "I guess this is proof enough, but let''s just try everything just in case."


    He passed me a book, a novel titled [Metamorphosis.]


    "What page did I stop reading?" he asked.


    I used my power and said, "Page ten."


    He then passed me a game controller. "What game was I playing?"


    I said, "It''s the original Borderlands," as I put down the controller.


    Finally, he passed me his smartphone.


    "Unlock that for me," he said.


    I used my power and saw in his memories the combination to unlock it, which I did.


    "Well, I guess we really don''t have privacy anymore," Atlas said as he gazed at his unlocked phone.


    I smiled bitterly and said, "I said so."


    "Well, I trust you 100% now," Atlas said. "It still feels crazy though. Anyway, Lu, why don''t you try it too?"


    "Eh...?" Luna was surprised. "But I didn''t prepare anything."


    "It doesn''t need to be something special," I said. "You can lend me your pen, for example."


    "Oh, okay," Luna said, as she nervously pulled out her pen from her bag and handed it to me.


    I used my power to see her memory from last night, and saw that she had written something in her book.


    "Last night, you wrote...my name in your book?" I said. "But why?"


    Luna grabbed her pen back, her face reddening a little. "No...no reason," she said.


    "I guess that''s settled then," Atlas said with a smile. "You''re a real deal. To see other people''s memories, I still can''t wrap my head around that. So, can I ask more about it?"


    "Sure," I said. "That''s the point of today, right?"


    "Sure, but to be honest," Atlas said, smiling apologetically, "even though this whole thing was my idea, I feel bad about it. I never thought that this ability of yours would be connected so deeply with your life. I carelessly wanted to know, putting your feelings aside. So if you don''t want to, you don''t have to tell me."


    I sigh. "Isn''t it too late for that?"


    "Probably," Atlas laughed. "Sorry to have forced you into this situation, but I will try to pay you back for this huge debt."


    "I''ll do something too," Luna said, eager to join the conversation.


    "Stop it," I said, embarrassed. "It''s fine already. So, what do you want to know?"


    "Can you explain in more detail how your power works?" Atlas asked. "If I understand it better, we can think of a way to use it more effectively."


    "Well, first, I said, I can use my ability if I touch an object directly. If I wear gloves or something covering my hand, it won''t work anymore," I explained.


    "What about other parts of your body?" Atlas asked. "Like your feet or knees for example?"


    "I shook my head. So far, it only works with my hand," I replied. "And for the most part, I have control over when it will activate or not. But sometimes, if I don''t focus, my power will activate by itself."


    Atlas nodded in understanding. "Then how exactly do you see the memories?" he asked. "Is it something like a flashback or a dream?"


    "Not really," I said. "It''s more like I see hundreds of floating, transparent screens all around me. Each box or screen contains one memory. Since it''s based on someone''s memories, the easiest memories to see are the ones that happened recently or the strong memories that contain important events."


    "That makes sense," Atlas said. "So, is it impossible to look at obscure memories?"


    "Not exactly impossible," I said. "It''s kind of like trying to find a certain page from a bunch of papers. It''s possible, but it will take more time and effort. I need to manually check each one. That''s a pain. I prefer not to do that unless it''s really necessary."


    "That reminds me," Luna said. "I talked to that glasses guy from our class sometime ago. He said you used to borrow his pen a lot, especially when exams happened..."


    Atlas laughed. "So, you used it for cheating, huh?"


    I smiled nervously. "I didn''t plan to hide it anymore, but they figured it out for themselves."


    Luna stared at me. "What?" I said. "Do you want to say you''re disappointed in me again?"


    Luna didn''t say anything, but it was clear she was disappointed. Well, whatever. At least I can now cheat in peace.


    "Putting that aside," Atlas said. "Is there more you can tell me?"


    "Hm..." I murmured, trying to think. "I can''t see the memory from an object that''s too big. For example, I can see a memory from touching the wall of a building, but I can''t see a memory from a car. But I can see a memory from a car key."


    "I see," Atlas said. "So it''s more nuanced, not that simple. I guess you can''t see memories from parts of big objects either, like a brick from a building or a car tire."


    "Yeah," I said. "It has to be its own thing. Small parts of big objects don''t count."


    "What about living things?" Atlas asked. "Humans are obviously too big, huh? But what about something like rats or insects?"


    "No, I can''t see memories directly from living beings," I said. "And before you ask, I can''t see memories from their dead bodies either."


    Luna looked disgusted, probably imagining dead rat bodies. But it seemed to give her an idea.


    "But what about a book?" Luna asked. "Or even a pen? Isn''t that technically made from the dead bodies of a tree?"


    "True," I said, surprised that Luna was thinking that far. "Maybe it needs to be processed into something else first? I don''t know."


    "You don''t know?" Luna asked.


    "Hey, just because I have this ability," I said. "doesn''t mean I know everything about it."


    "Fair enough," Atlas said. "Just like if you''re talented at running, you can run fast, but that doesn''t mean you know everything about running."


    "Exactly," I said.


    ***

 First Case.

    A few days had passed and I lost in thought about my current predicament.


    Atlas and I had discussed about my payment a while back, and as I suspected, he planned on compensating me based on the cases I solved for him.


    It was a clever move on his part--he knew that cases weren''t a daily occurrence, and even if they did happen, it didn''t necessarily mean he would always need my help. By doing this, he could keep his payments to a minimum.


    I regretted having agreed to these terms.


    POPIPOPIPOPOPIPO! Luna''s phone was ringing. She picked it up, putting her earphones in her ears.


    "Yes," she said, "what is it, brother?"


    I looked at her.


    Luna''s expression suddenly brightened as she received a reply. Her eyes widened and her lips formed a smile.


    "Really!?" she said in disbelief. "I finally get to be involved in a case?"


    But as fast as the click of a button, her expression turned to disappointment and confusion in an instant. "What do you mean, ''don''t get too excited''?" she asked, pouting. "So do I get to be involved in the case or not? An old lady? U-huh. U-huh. Okay, I will tell Geo."


    The pink girl turned to me, her eyes shining.


    "Geo, we''ve got a case!" Luna said excitedly.


    "Yeah, I know," I said. "And I bet you''re wearing earphones because you''re copying a detective movie. Sometimes the characters use them so other people can''t hear what they''re talking about, even if there''s a listening device attached to their clothes."


    "Ehehe, so you know," Luna said, blushing.


    "But it''s meaningless if I can tell what you''re talking about from your one-sided conversation," I said.


    Luna blinked. "You can tell?"


    "Of course," I said. "It''s about an uncertain case from an old woman, right?"


    "Wow, so your deduction skills are good too?" Luna said. "That''s unexpected."


    "Why unexpected?" I asked, a little offended.


    "Well, I mean," Luna replied uncomfortably, "considering you don''t like studying..." Her voice trailed off.


    "You think I can''t use my brain?" I snorted. "I just hate studying. Just because academic study is pretty boring to me doesn''t mean I''m stupid."


    Luna giggled. "Sorry."


    "Whatever," I sighed. "So what exactly did Atlas say?"


    "Right," Luna smiled. "My brother said there''s an old woman reporting a case of theft. But the problem is nothing was stolen."


    "Doesn''t that mean she just lied?" I said. "or not. It wouldn''t be an uncertain case if the reason was that obvious."


    Luna nodded. "The old woman said she had proof, so my brother asked us to check it out. He already sent the address to me."


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    "Just the two of us?" I asked. "Atlas won''t come?"


    "Yes," Luna said. "He''s busy with another case. Is that a problem? Are you not going to accept this?"


    She looked at me with a disappointed look.


    I''m not too sure about dealing with a case without Atlas. What if we mess up? No, probably that''s why. This case is probably low in priority and low in danger. That''s why he''s fine letting us handle it. After all, it might be just one big lie from the old lady.


    I''m not exactly eager to do this, but I already agreed to work with him, so I just need to do it.


    "Alright," I said. "Let''s go there after school."


    "Yes!" Luna replied with a happy smile.


    ***


    After school, we walked for several minutes until we arrived in front of a big, old house.


    "Is this the place?" I said.


    Luna looked at her phone and said, "Yes, the address matched."


    We entered the courtyard of the house, and as we walked in, we saw a man with black hair busy cutting leaves from the bushes.


    He noticed us.


    "Good afternoon," Luna greeted him.


    "Good afternoon," he replied. "Are you two here to see the old lady, Mrs. Belinda?"


    "Yes," Luna said with a smile.


    "I see," he said. "Good luck then."


    Good luck? I raised my eyebrows. That''s a weird thing to say. I immediately feel like something will go wrong.


    We walked towards the door, and Luna began knocking.


    "Excuse me," she said.


    Not long after, the door was opened by a young blonde woman wearing a maid outfit.


    "Hello," she said, smiling warmly. "Do you two need something?"


    "Right," Luna said. "We have some business with Mrs. Belinda. Is she at home right now?"


    The maid looked at us for a moment before responding, "Yes, she is. It''s unusual for Mrs. Belinda to receive visitors as young as you, but please come in and follow me. I''ll take you to her."


    Luna nodded and walked inside, while I followed in silence.


    The maid led us to the living room and told us to take a seat. Luna and I sat down as the maid went to inform Mrs. Belinda of our arrival.


    A few minutes later, an elderly woman with completely white hair and half-moon shaped glasses appeared. She was slightly overweight and had wrinkles all over her face, with two large marble-shaped earrings in her ears. As soon as she saw us, she scowled.


    She walked with a cane, sat down on an empty sofa, and said, "What do you want? I''m busy. What brats like you need from me? I''m not interested if you want to sell something to me!"


    Luna tried to smile and said, "No, that''s not it."


    I sighed, realizing why the gardener had wished us good luck earlier.


    Luna cleared her throat and introduced us, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Belinda. My name is Luna, and this is my friend Geo. We''re here because my brother is a policeman. He asked us to come here in his place. It''s about your report."


    "What!?" the old lady yelled. "This is humiliation! I''m reporting a serious crime, and they send two brats to me?! Do you think I''m a joke!?"


    "Actually, it''s the opposite," Luna quickly interjected. "My brother can''t come, so instead of waiting, he sent us because he knows how important this case is."


    The old lady grunted, but her anger seemed to dissipate. "Fine, I guess I''ll have to be satisfied with just the two of you."


    Not bad, Luna. But you lie so easily, almost as natural as breathing. Aren''t you a little bit of a hypocrite then? Considering you didn''t like me getting paid and cheating at school. But lying was okay?


    "What?" Luna asked, noticing me staring at her.


    "Nothing," I said quickly. "So, Mrs. Belinda, can you tell us what happened?"


    "As I reported before," she said, "it''s a serious theft case! Last night, I woke up because I heard a sound, and when I checked, my safe''s door was open!"


    "But when you checked, nothing was missing?" Luna asked.


    "That''s right," the old lady confirmed.


    "Maybe you just forgot to close it?" I suggested.


    "Of course not!" the old lady yelled. "You think I''m old? Hah!?"


    Uh... yeah? Have you looked in the mirror?


    "What we''re trying to say is," Luna interjected, "if you can check it immediately, the safe was in your room, right?"


    "That''s right!" the old lady confirmed. "And I''m sure one of my workers did it!"


    "Why do you think that?" Luna asked.


    "There''s no damage on the door or windows," the old lady explained. "It''s impossible for the culprit to be from outside, right?"


    "I guess," Luna replied. "And who are these three workers you''re talking about?"


    "I see," Luna said, nodding. "And who are the three workers you mentioned?"


    "The gardener, Draco, who brought you in, my maid, Bela, and my chef, Pegasus," the old lady replied. "I''m sure one of them is the culprit. If I hadn''t woken up, I would have lost all my precious jewelry!"


    "Do you share the combination with them?" I asked.


    "Of course not!" she replied. "Why would I?"


    "Perhaps you wrote it down somewhere--" I started to say.


    "I''m not old, you brat!" she interrupted, raising her voice. "My mind is still sharp! I don''t need to write it down to remember the combination!"


    "Okay," I said. "But if you have it memorized, how could they figure out the combination?"


    "I don''t know how, but they must have found a way!" the old lady insisted. "I know they did!"


    "But how do you know that?" I asked, feeling frustrated.


    I let out a sigh. "Never mind. Can we at least check your safe?"


    "No way!" the old lady yelled. "Why would I let two stinky brats touch my precious safe? Don''t tell me you two are trying to steal from me too?!"


    This freaking old lady...


    "Be patient," Luna whispered, smiling and encouraging me.


    "Fine," I said. "At least can I ask a few questions about that safe? If you can''t even do that, then we can''t do anything."


    The old lady stared at me. I stared back.


    "Okay," the old lady said, giving up. "What do you want to know?"


    "What kind of combination does it have?" I asked. "Is it just a number?"


    "Yes, specifically four numbers," the old lady replied.


    "Just four? Isn''t that too weak?" I said.


    "I know that!" she started yelling again. "That''s why I also installed a fingerprint scanner!"


    A fingerprint scanner? I thought. This house didn''t have a bell, but she installed something like that on her safe? I wondered if someone gave her the idea.


    The maid entered the room with three cups of tea and some cookies.


    "Please enjoy," the maid, Bela, said with a smile.


    "Enough," the old lady said. "Go now."


    It was obvious she didn''t want the maid to listen to our conversation. Bela nodded and left the room.


    "Drink it, brats," the old lady said. "Don''t waste food."


    Luna happily accepted the offer, picking up her cup and taking a sip. She also grabbed a cookie and took a bite.


    Meanwhile, I was lost in thought, pondering how to bypass the fingerprint scanner. I stared at my cup, deep in thought.


    An idea came to my mind. I pick up my cup.


    ...


    As I thought.


    I drank the tea and put down my cup.


    "Let''s go," I said to Luna. "Our job here is done."


    "What? Why?" she asked in confusion.


    ***

 Long Time No See.

    "I know my brother just told us to check," Luna said, "and Mrs. Belinda wasn''t really a great host, but I hope it won''t end so absurdly. I want to solve the case."


    She was complaining on our way back from the old lady''s house. We walked side by side, following an empty road.


    "Calm down," I said. "First, let me ask you: how do you think someone could open that safe? How could they find the combination and bypass the fingerprint scanner?"


    "Um... I''m not sure, but I think I saw this in a movie," Luna replied. "You can get fingerprints from common things like a door handle, using some sort of white powder and tape. My brother must know more about it."


    "Yeah," I said, "but I was talking about when the owner of the fingerprints and the safe were in the same room."


    Luna stopped and looked at me.


    "Do you mean..." Her voice trailed off.


    "Yeah," I said, looking at my own hand. "There''s a simpler way. You just need to use the owner''s hand itself."


    "But how?" Luna asked. "Without waking her up..."


    "Sleeping pill, I guess," I said.


    "I see!" Luna exclaimed. "Then the culprit was either the maid or the chef."


    I smiled. "Why?"


    "Because it''s suspicious for the gardener to get close to Mrs. Belinda''s drinks or food, right?" Luna said. "On the other hand, the chef was the one who made it, while the maid most likely was the one who brought it to her. They had a lot of chances."


    "Yeah," I said.


    "Oh!" Luna seems to be on a roll. She has another idea. "The maid doesn''t seem too strong," Luna said, "while Mrs. Belinda isn''t exactly thin either. Can she even lift her to bring her to the safe?"


    "That might not be necessary," I said. "Plenty of people store their safe right beside their bed."


    "That''s true," Luna said. "Wait, if Mrs. Belinda was sleeping because of a sleeping pill, why would she wake up then?"


    "She said nobody knows the combination, right?" I said. "Then how did the culprit find out?"


    "Um... checking her notes or something?" Luna said. "She might have written it somewhere."


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "She said she memorized it," I said.


    "Oh right," Luna said. "Then... probably they were just guessing? Something like her birthday or something?"


    "What if it fails?" I asked.


    "I don''t know!" Luna said, frustrated. "What are you trying to say, anyway?"


    "There''s one last choice you can pick if everything else fails," I said. "Brute force. In other words, try all combinations from 0 to 9999."


    "That''s crazy!" Luna said. "How many hours do you think you need to do that?"


    "That''s exactly why," I said. "It would take so long that the sleeping pill''s effect would already have worn off when the safe was successfully opened. When the old lady heard the sound of the opened safe, she immediately woke up."


    "But... can the culprit be that patient?" Luna asked. "I just can''t imagine myself spending hours entering all these combinations."


    "If it''s for a huge amount of fortune, why not?" I said. "Have you heard about prisoners who made holes using spoons for years?"


    "That was real?" Luna said, in disbelief.


    "Don''t underestimate human resilience," I said. "Plenty of people are capable of doing something crazy."


    "Fine," Luna said. "But then, who is the culprit? If you figured out this much, you must know, right? Is it the chef?"


    "No," I said.


    "The maid? Bela?" Luna said.


    "Yeah," I said. "When I touched the cup, I saw a memory of the maid putting something into Mrs. Belinda''s drink. Most likely a sleeping pill."


    Luna stopped walking. "So that''s why you suddenly said our job was finished," she said.


    I nodded.


    Luna suddenly fell silent, prompting me to ask, "What''s wrong?"


    "It''s just... hard to believe," Luna replied. "I mean, she was nice to us. To think she''s actually the culprit."


    "Well, some people wear masks," I said. "We can''t judge someone solely based on first impressions. Plenty of people hide their ugly side by acting nice."


    Luna sighed. "I know," she said. "I know that, but sometimes I forget how ugly humans can be."


    "Yeah," I said, "but you can complain about humanity later. We have more urgent things to do."


    "Huh?" Luna blinked, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"


    "Don''t you find this case from your brother weird?" I asked. "He told us to investigate without supervision. I mean, really?"


    "What?" Luna said, looking even more perplexed.


    "If two high schoolers tag along with real police, that might still be acceptable," I explained. "But letting us go alone? No wonder Mrs. Belinda was angry. Even if you''re super nice, I''m sure you would be upset if your report was being handled by high schoolers. Anyone would think the police didn''t take this case seriously."


    "I see," Luna said, beginning to understand. "But so what?"


    "You said it yourself," I replied. "Unlike how he appears on the surface, Atlas actually cares about helping people. So no matter how stupid the case may seem, isn''t it weird for Atlas to let us handle it by ourselves? He''s a good cop, right? There''s no way he did it just because he was too lazy or busy."


    "You''re right!" Luna exclaimed. "This doesn''t sound like my brother at all. Not to mention, he was always against me getting involved in cases before. Why the sudden change of heart? There must be a reason."


    "Yeah," I nodded. "From the beginning, Atlas knew that this was either nothing or a failed attempt at stealing."


    We continued walking, and I said, "If it turns out to be nothing, then there''s no problem. But if it was a failed attempt at stealing, then a problem arises."


    "Why?" Luna asked.


    "If the police handle it," I explained, "the culprit might change her mind. Even if we know the maid was the culprit, we don''t have any proof. Without anything missing, we can''t catch her."


    "I see!" Luna said, beginning to understand. "So my brother is trying to make the culprit believe that the police don''t care about this case?"


    "Exactly," I confirmed. "Thanks to that, she will make another move. Now that she knows the combination, she won''t need hours to open it this time."


    Luna nodded, looking nervous. "That makes sense. But won''t she do it now then...? Aren''t we too late?"


    "I''m sure she wants to hurry up and do it," I replied. "But I doubt she will do it right now. She''s patient, as we can see from how she figured out the combination. She won''t risk it by acting hastily. She will wait until nightfall."


    As we were walking, someone wearing a beanie hat approached us, but I didn''t really pay much attention to him.


    "Still," I said, "it''s better to tell your brother as soon as possible, so he can prepare for the worst-case scenario."


    "So that''s why you''re in a hurry," Luna said, beginning to understand.


    "Yeah, and I don''t really want to spend much time there anyway," I said.


    Luna smiled. "I get it."


    As we continued walking, a guy wearing a beanie hat getting closer. When we passed each other, he said to me with a grin on his face, "Long time no see, Geo."


    I was shocked, stunned in my step. That voice...I recognized that voice. I immediately looked back, but the guy with the beanie hat had already walked too far for me to see his face.


    But that voice was...


    Cold sweat began to fall down my cheeks.


    "Pluto?" I whispered to myself.


    ***

 Another.

    This happened back then. The first time I met him.


    "Pluto?" I said as he told me his name. "That''s your name? Like a dog?"


    "No!" he said, clearly offended. "Like the planet!"


    That''s how it began. That''s how I met my best friend.


    ***


    We arrived at Luna''s house, and Atlas was already waiting there.


    Luna immediately began telling her brother everything we had discussed earlier, while I couldn''t stop thinking about my encounter with Pluto.


    I''m sure that guy was Pluto. But...he should have moved somewhere far away. Does that mean he was back? Why?


    "I see," Atlas nodded in response to his sister''s explanation. "Good job, you two. Now let me handle the rest. Hm? Something wrong, Geo?" he asked, noticing I''m distracted. Luna also looked at me expectantly.


    "It''s nothing," I replied. "Can I go home now?"


    The next day.


    I found myself sitting on my sofa opposite a bearded policeman. It was unusual to have Atlas inside my house, so I asked him, "So why have you come here?"


    "It''s Sunday, and I''m certain that Luna hasn''t told you about how the case from before ended up," he explained. "I''ve come here to give you a quick rundown about it."


    Okay," I said. "And?"


    "As you predicted," Atlas said, "the maid tried to steal again last night. But this time, we caught her red-handed. After that, everything ended up smoothly."


    "I see," I said. "Is that all? I mean, it''s good if the case was solved smoothly, but I doubt you came just for that."


    Atlas chuckled. "Aren''t you smart? Yes, I had something else to talk about."


    "So what is it?" I asked.


    "First, I want to apologize," he said. "Without your permission, I ended up trying to look up information about you, your powers, and people like you."


    I stared at him. Actually, I''m not that surprised. After all, I''m sure it''s not an everyday occurrence to meet someone with a special ability like me. And I''m not surprised he''s trying to look up information about me either.


    "Still," I said, "you should have asked me first."


    "I know," he said. "That''s why I apologized."


    "Apologizing doesn''t make it better," I said.


    He sighed. "I know... What do you want me to do then?"


    "Forget it," I said, not really wanting to make a big deal out of it. "So what do you want to tell me? The reason you wanted to talk was because you found something, right?"


    Atlas looked at me with a serious expression. "It was possible that I found two other people that can use power like you," he said.


    "Two?" I said, feeling uncomfortable. "That''s a lot."


    Considering I never knew someone else had this kind of power, that''s quite surprising. So this power... It''s not as rare as I thought?


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    "Okay," I continued, "so have you talked to them?"


    "No," he said. "And I never will."


    "What?" I said.


    "They both already passed away around ten years ago," Atlas replied.


    I felt my throat go dry. "They''re... already dead?" I said, my voice barely above a whisper.


    Atlas nodded grimly. "They were both killed by the same person."


    Cold sweat dripped down my cheeks.


    "I think you can probably guess already," Atlas continued. "They were both killed because they had the same ability as you."


    I slumped back in my seat, stunned. I hadn''t expected such devastating news when Atlas said he wanted to talk. What was happening?


    "But don''t worry too much," Atlas said, noticing my uneasiness. "The killer has already been captured and imprisoned. What I''m trying to say is, please be more careful. Your ability is useful, but some people might see it as a threat."


    "I know," I said.


    This news had to come up just when Pluto was back. I can''t help but think it''s not a coincidence. It might be a sign that I''m in danger, especially now that Pluto hates me.


    I paused, considering the implications. Though, will he go as far as to kill me? I''m not sure. Last time all he did was greet me, but who knows what will happen the next time we meet.


    My mind raced with possibilities, and I couldn''t help but feel a sense of dread settling in.


    ***


    A few days later, Luna and I were walking down the school corridor when something on the message board caught her attention.


    "There''s so much stuff posted here," Luna said, scanning the board.


    There''s information about the test schedule, a clipping from the basketball team who made it to the semi-finals, some random short stories, and a few posters.


    Luna pointed excitedly at one of the posters.


    "Look at this, Geo!" she exclaimed.


    I followed her finger to a poster with a silhouette of a man wearing a Sherlock hat and magnifying glass.


    "I had no idea we had a detective club in this school," Luna said, her smile growing wider. "The poster says they''re looking for new members."


    "This school gives students the freedom to create whatever club they want," I explained. "As long as they have a minimum of three members. A lot of random clubs like this appear every year."


    "I see!" Luna said. "That''s sound fun!"


    "I''m not really interested, though," I admitted. "Joining a club sounds like a pain. I prefer to just go home and waste my time playing games or something."


    As I turned to leave, Luna grabbed onto my clothes.


    "Geo, let''s check it out!" she exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with excitement.


    "Don''t you hear me?" I said. "I''m not interested."


    "But I am!" Luna said, still holding onto my clothes.


    "Then go by yourself," I said, trying to free myself from her grip.


    "No way!" Luna protested. "Going alone is scary!"


    "Why is it scary?" I asked. "It''s just a club activity. Don''t say something stupid."


    "Come on, Geo," Luna pleaded, holding onto my clothes even tighter. "Please, I beg you."


    "No," I insisted.


    "Geo...please," Luna continued.


    "No," I repeated. "And stop calling my name."


    "Geo, Geo, Geo, Geo, Geo, Geo," Luna continued to say.


    "Stop it," I said. "You''re being annoying."


    "I won''t stop until you agree, Geo," Luna declared. "Hey Geo. Hey Geo. Geo. Geo."


    This girl was incredibly stubborn, I couldn''t believe it.


    Eventually, I gave in and went with her to the detective club room at the end of the corridor. Inside, there was a fairly spacious room with a bookshelf filled with mystery and detective books on the wall.


    Three people were already inside, apart from Luna and me. There was a chubby guy with short hair who was silently eating and listening to music in the corner, a girl with purple hair who was reading an Agatha Christie book, and a blonde guy with an annoying grin.


    "Welcome to the detective club," the blonde guy said. "So, you two want to join?"


    "Yes--" Luna started to say.


    "No," I interrupted her.


    Luna glared at me.


    "What?" I said. "I only agreed to accompany you here. I''m not becoming a member."


    The blonde guy laughed and said, "It''s fine, we can talk about that later. Because we''re not going to accept random members either. There''s a minimum requirement for acceptance. You must have at least some deductive ability."


    I stared at him, not liking his attitude.


    The blonde guy smiled and continued, "So, whether you guys want to join or not, it doesn''t matter yet. First, you need to pass my test, and then we can talk more. Don''t worry, though, this won''t be hard."


    "A test?" Luna said.


    "That''s right," the blonde guy said. "It''s simple. I will give you a case, and your job is to solve it."


    Luna tilted her head. "Huh? Well, this is a detective club, so I guess that makes sense," she said.


    I sighed.


    No, this doesn''t make sense. They''re the ones looking for new members, so why do we have to pass their test?


    Luna seemed to be hooked, and I now doubted that she was willing to leave just like that. It seemed that she really likes detective stuff.


    "Okay," Luna said, looking excited. "So, what kind of case do you have?"


    "It''s a murder case," the blonde guy said, looking just as excited as Luna, if not more. "A high school girl was found dead inside a classroom. From her wounds, the police predicted that she was killed by a sharp object. Unfortunately, the police failed to find the murder weapon. All they had was a dying message written in chalk by the victim."


    The blonde guy pulled out a well-made illustration on a piece of paper. It showed a drawing of a pool of blood at the top of the paper, with the number [308] written in chalk below it, and a girl lying on the floor. Close to her hand was a piece of chalk.


    I immediately noticed something peculiar about the message [308], three zero eight. But the "0" was kind of off. It was smaller than the other numbers and it stuck out at the top instead of at the bottom.


    "So, the pool of blood was at the top?" I asked, just to make sure.


    "That''s right," the blonde guy said, as he pulled out three more illustrations.


    "Her friend, Opal, resident of room 38," he said, showing us a sketch of a short-haired girl.


    "Her neighbor, Boero, resident of room 80," he continued, displaying a sketch of a man with a mohawk.


    "And her boyfriend, Abdel, resident of room 30." Finally, he showed us the last illustration - a man with messy black hair.


    As I looked at them, I noticed that their room numbers had a close similarity to the dying message written in chalk by the victim. This kind of coincidence was unlikely to happen in a real case, so I assumed that this case was not based on a real incident.


    Perhaps the blonde guy had created it himself? But if that was the case...


    "The three of them had motives," he said. "None of them had an alibi, so one of them must be the culprit. Your job is to figure out who did it."


    Luna nodded eagerly, "I get it," she said.


    I looked at her, wondering if she really got it.


    "That''s great," the blonde guy said. "But let me say this: I hope you don''t just pick one randomly. Even if your choice is right, if you don''t have a solid reason why you picked it, I won''t consider it solved. That would be luck, not deduction."


    "Of course," I said.


    "And one last thing," he added. "I''d like to give you two as much time as possible, but we don''t have that kind of time, do we? So let''s see..." He checked his phone. "We have around fifteen minutes until break time is over. I hope you can solve it before the bell rings. Good luck."


    ***

 Detective Club.

    We sat down and Luna studied the illustrations intently, seemingly deep in thought. However, after five minutes had passed, she still hadn''t found anything to say.


    As I gazed at the poster on the wall that depicted a silhouette of a detective, which they seemed to use as their club logo, I couldn''t shake the feeling that something was off.


    It was already past the halfway point of the semester, and not the best time to be looking for new members. Most students had already settled into their own routines or found their place in a club.


    So why were they doing this? Especially since they already had three members. They didn''t really need a new member, at least not right now. Usually, clubs like this were busy recruiting new members at the beginning of the school year.


    Even if I assumed that they just wanted a new member, their actions were strange and contradictory. Apart from the blonde guy, the other two didn''t seem excited to see us. One was engrossed in her book, and the other was busy eating and listening to music.


    I gazed at the blonde guy. It''s possible that he might be the only one who cares about the club''s success. After all, he looked like the leader of the club. It would be understandable if the other members didn''t care as much. But even he was acting strangely.


    If he really wants new members, why go through the trouble of creating a test? Even if he is looking for someone with strong deduction skills, his previous words contradict that.


    [Don''t worry, this won''t be hard.]


    Why did he say that? I could tell that he was trying hard to make this case difficult to solve.


    It was as if he wanted us to not take this seriously and make mistakes. It felt like he wanted us to fail from the start.


    As I suspected before, his annoying grin held a hidden meaning. He didn''t really care about getting new members. All he wanted was to feel superior when people failed to solve his test.


    "Um... I think I solved it," Luna said suddenly.


    "Really?" the blonde guy said, looking surprised. "Please tell me then."


    "What caught my attention the most," Luna continued, "was the position of the victim''s blood. Why is it on top of the illustration? I think the culprit moved her body to hide the actual message she left."


    Luna then turned the dead school girl illustration upside down. "In other words," she said, "like this. This is the actual message. See? The actual message was not a number, but the word [BOE]. I think the victim was passed away before she managed to finish her message. So the culprit was someone with a name that started with [BOE] It means Boero."


    "I see," the blonde guy said. "So Boero is the culprit?"


    "Yes!" Luna exclaimed.


    The blonde guy grinned, but his expression was unpleasant.


    Look at him, if he''s that pleased with Luna''s answer, it''s pretty clear that her answer was wrong. Personally, I didn''t really care if we failed or not, but I don''t like the way he''s acting.


    "That''s what the real culprit wants us to think," I said.


    "Huh?" Luna turned to look at me.


    "You said that the culprit moved the victim''s body to hide the dying message, right?" I asked. "But we''re talking about chalk here. It''s easier to just remove it. Chalk isn''t permanent."


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    "That''s true," Luna said, hesitantly.


    "And just leaving a dying message like that is still risky," I continued. "Even if you manage to make it look unreadable at first glance, it doesn''t mean the culprit is in the clear. The police could see it from another angle."


    Luna nodded. "Okay, you''re right, but then why...?"


    "The only reason the culprit left the dying message there was to point suspicion towards someone else," I explained. "There are two possibilities - either the culprit altered the message, or they wrote it themselves."


    Luna picked up the illustration and examined it closely. "So, the culprit wrote this themselves?" she asked.


    "No," I replied. "If the culprit wrote the message, it would be easy for the police to compare their handwriting with the victim''s. If the handwriting is different, then it couldn''t be the victim''s message."


    "But what if the culprit tried to copy the victim''s handwriting?" Luna suggested. "They were close to the victim, so they might be familiar with how she wrote."


    "That''s true," I said. "But copying someone else''s handwriting is not an easy task, especially in a panic situation. I imagine the culprit would have made mistakes before getting it right. Plus, if they kept writing and erasing so many times, it would leave marks on the floor. Chalk residue."


    I saw the purple-haired girl who was sitting near the bookshelf, glancing at me. She stopped reading and seemed to suddenly take an interest in me.


    "So the culprit tampered with the message?" Luna asked as she examined the illustration closely.


    "Yes," I replied. "There''s also a hint in this illustration."


    I moved closer to Luna and pointed at the message. "Look," I said. "The alphabet ''o'' here is smaller compared to the other two. What alphabet has a small ''o'' if some part of it was erased?"


    "Um, you mean like ''p'' or ''q''?" she guessed.


    "No, look at the illustration, the circled part needs to be below," I explained.


    "Oh, like ''b'' or ''d''?" Luna guessed again.


    "Yeah," I said. "But nobody has a name with ''b'' in it, so it''s not that. Now we have the actual message from the victim, or part of it anyway. Compare it with the suspects'' names and you''ll get it."


    Luna looked at the illustration. "So the actual message was [BdE]?" she said as she checked the other illustrations. "And the suspects'' names are Opal, Abdel, and Boero. Oh! That was the middle part of the boyfriend''s name! Abdel!"


    I''m smiled.


    "Yeah, but we must be wrong, right?" I said. "I mean, this was too complex to be called an easy case, right, Mr. Club Leader?"


    I turned to the blonde guy, who was sweating profusely


    "Err... Haha," the blonde guy laughed nervously. "No, no, you''re right. The test was actually just about noticing the word [BOE]. The other part was just extra, I didn''t expect you to be able to solve it."


    What a pathetic excuse.


    I didn''t want it to end just like this, but I had no proof that he was trying to trick us. What should I do?


    "Anyway," he said, "you two passed the test. Congrats! The new member application forms are over there. Please follow me."


    He walked over to the corner of the room, close to the chubby guy.


    "Come on, Geo," Luna said as she stood up from her seat.


    "You go ahead first," I replied, not wanting to stand. I knew she would force me to do it if I said I didn''t want to.


    "Umm, Okay," she said, a little hesitant, but finally walking towards the blonde guy.


    As I watched her, the blonde guy handed her a pen and paper.


    "Here you go," he said. "Please write your name, your class, and your phone number. Your social media is optional."


    The girl with purple hair, who had been quiet from the beginning, closed her book, making a soft poof sound. I didn''t pay much attention to her until she stood up and stand next to me.


    I turned to face her. "What?" I asked.


    "Excuse me," she said with a smile. "Can we talk for a bit?"


    I looked at her with suspicion, but quickly reminded myself that she might have nothing to do with the club leader''s actions. It wouldn''t be fair to judge her based on that. So I tried to be friendly.


    "Sure," I said. "What do you want to talk about?"


    "Thank you," she said as she sat down in the chair Luna had occupied before. "My name is Libra, but you can call me Libby if you want."


    I nodded. "I''m Geo."


    "I''m going to be honest," Libra said. "You know our leader wasn''t really looking for new members, right?"


    I blinked in surprise. She knew?


    "When you confronted our leader about the test being too easy," Libra continued, "it made me think that you knew everything. What our leader''s actual goal was."


    "Okay," I said, observing her expression. "Then what are you trying to say?"


    "Well, about that," Libra said, "do you know about the serial murder case involving a student named Mars?"


    Of course I do. I''m basically the one who sent him to prison.


    "What about it?" I asked.


    There''s a real criminal in this school, yet we know nothing about it," Libra said. "As a detective club, that''s humiliating. We get laughed at and people call us trash, and we can''t say anything back because we don''t have anything."


    I think that''s normal. Even if they call themselves a detective club, it''s not like they''ll be involved in real cases, especially if they don''t have connections with the police. Even Luna, who has a police officer for a brother, had a hard time getting involved in cases.


    "Well, I''m trying not to think about it too much," Libra said. "I joined this club because our leader has a huge collection of books. I can read as much as I want here. If you''re wondering why I don''t just go to the school library, it''s because their collection is bad. They don''t have many mystery or detective books."


    "You do seem like someone who likes to read a lot," I said.


    She smiled. "Thanks. And that senior who''s a little chubby," she said, gesturing towards the guy who was currently eating bread. "He''s more interested in eating and listening to music than anything else. I guess he joined because he''s friends with our leader."


    "That makes sense," I said.


    "But our leader is different," she continued. "He takes everything to heart. That''s why he came up with this plan. He thinks that if people find out how hard it is to join this club, they''ll stop looking down on us."


    So that''s the reason.


    "Still," I said.


    "Wait, no, don''t get me wrong," Libra quickly said. "I''m not trying to make excuses for him. What he did was stupid, and I tried to stop him, but he was the leader, so there wasn''t much I could do about it. And I don''t want you to think that I''m trying to making excuses either."


    I smiled. "Okay, so what are you trying to say then?"


    "What I''m trying to say is," Libra said, "I''m sorry if we offended you. And I understand if you don''t like this club. But, um...if it''s possible, I would really like you to join this club."


    Libra toying with her purple hair and looking a bit embarrassed.


    I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"


    "Because I think I like you."


    ***

 Libra.

    I blinked, taken aback. What did she say? Did I hear her wrong?


    Libra blushed furiously, hiding her face behind her book. "Erm...I-I mean," she stuttered, "you''re pretty smart, so I thought maybe I could learn something from you. And we''re from different classes, so it will be hard to meet again or something. Umm...th-the point is, please think about it."


    This was awkward. Despite her best efforts to hide her face from me, I could see her ears peeking out from behind the book, red as a tomato. I wasn''t sure how to respond.


    Finally, I let out a long sigh. "Okay," I said. "I''ll think about it."


    As the bell rang, marking the end of the break, Luna finished submitting her membership application form. We walked out of the room and headed back to our class.


    "In the end, you didn''t join," Luna said, sounding disappointed.


    "Oh shut it, I only agreed to accompany you," I said.


    Luna giggled. "I meant accompany me to join, silly."


    I gave her a glare.


    "Okay, okay, I get it," she said. "I''m sorry. Please don''t look at me like that."


    I sighed, and we continued walking.


    "So, what were you talking about with the purple-haired girl earlier?" Luna asked, trying to change the subject.


    "Nothing," I replied.


    "Come on, tell me," Luna insisted.


    I''m not sure if I should tell her, but this is really bothering me. Maybe she''ll have an answer.


    "In your opinion," I asked Luna, "is it possible to love someone you just met?"


    "Of course it''s possible!" Luna said. "Isn''t that what people call love at first sight?"


    "Well, I guess so," I said, still unsure.


    But the thing is, at first Libra didn''t seem interested in me. Is it because I can solve the test? So, is she more interested in my skill then? But doesn''t that mean she respects me more than she likes me? I don''t know.


    Luna looked at me with a worried expression but seemed hesitant to continue discussing the topic.


    We didn''t say anything more until we arrived at our class.


    ***


    After school, Luna and I walked home together as usual, but something seemed off about her. She was silent and lost in thought the entire time.


    "Something wrong?" I asked, couldn''t bear the silence any longer.


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    She looked at me briefly before quickly averting her gaze.


    "Nothing," she said. "It''s just..."


    "Yeah?"


    "About that purple girl..." Luna continued.


    "You mean Libra?" I asked.


    "Oh, so you already know her name," Luna said, sounding disappointed. "I get it. So that''s how it is then."


    "What? What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.


    Luna looked away from me. "Nothing," she said.


    "What do you mean?" I insisted.


    "I said it''s nothing," she said, still avoiding looking at me.


    "Hey, look at me when you talk--"


    Before I could finish my sentence, I noticed a single tear rolling down Luna''s cheek. She began to cry.


    "Why...?" I managed to say, barely getting the words out.


    "Huh? Why am I crying?" Luna said, as if she had just noticed. She quickly wiped her tears and forced an awkward laugh. "Sorry, I''m showing you something weird."


    "Are you hurt?" I asked, concerned. "Or is something bothering you?"


    Luna shook her head. "I''m fine," she said. "Anyway, I have something to do today. See you tomorrow!"


    "Hey--" I started to say, but Luna didn''t listen and just ran off.


    I stood there, stunned and confused, wondering what had just happened.


    "What''s that all about?" I murmured to myself.


    Later, I tried to call her but she didn''t pick up. Then, I tried to message her. At first, she only left me on read, but after I insisted on sending more messages, she finally replied. However, she only said that she was okay and didn''t explain anything.


    I stared at my phone with frustration. I don''t understand girls at all.


    The next day, Luna arrived later than usual. I only had a chance to greet her before class started, and when I tried to talk to her during the lesson, she ignored me. It was starting to annoy me.


    When the lesson ended and the break started, most of my classmates began to leave the room, but Luna and I remained inside.


    "Hey, Luna," I said, trying to start a conversation. "Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine," Luna replied.


    "Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Really," she said.


    I stared at her in disbelief. Was she really not going to explain anything? Even after crying in front of me like that? This was even more annoying than when she talked too much.


    "Are you not going to the detective club?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "You''re already a member now, right?"


    "I don''t feel like it," Luna replied.


    "But yesterday you were really excited about it," I pointed out.


    "I just don''t feel like it, okay?" Luna said, raising her voice.


    "Why are you getting angry?" I asked, feeling confused. "I was just asking."


    "Sorry," Luna apologized avoiding my gaze.


    I scratched my head.


    "Is this all because I didn''t become a member?" I asked. "Fine, if that''s what you want, I''ll join--"


    "No!" Luna cut me off, getting close to me and looking at me with pleading eyes. "No, I don''t want that."


    "What? Why?" I asked, feeling more confused than ever.


    "I was wrong," Luna said. "Don''t do it, okay?"


    I looked at her with disbelief. Yesterday she was so eager to make me join, but now she was so opposed to the idea.


    I don''t understand her at all.


    "Geo, please don''t do it, okay? Please," Luna pleaded.


    "Fine," I said. "I didn''t really want to join anyway. But what is this all about? You''ve been acting weird for a while now."


    "It''s nothing," Luna replied.


    "It''s obviously not nothing!" I said, feeling frustrated. "Just tell me already."


    Luna sighed. She mumbled something, her cheeks turning slightly red.


    "What?" I asked, her voice was so quiet that I couldn''t hear her at all.


    "I said I''m jealous, okay?" Luna blurted out, her face getting even redder.


    I blinked, still confused. "Jealous of what...?" I asked.


    "Forget it, you dummy!" Luna pouted. "It''s nothing. I don''t want to talk about it anymore."


    "Hey--" I started to say, but was interrupted by Luna''s phone ringing, grabbing our attention.


    POPIPOPIPOPOPIPO!


    Luna picked it up, as usual, with her earphones on.


    "Hello, brother?" Luna said. "What is it? Huh? Where am I? At school, of course. Why are you asking me that? Are you doubting me? I didn''t skip class or something like that, you know?"


    I looked at Luna, trying to piece together their conversation from the one-sided talk Luna was having. She was obviously talking with her brother, Atlas. But the context was still too vague.


    "Yes, Geo was with me," Luna said, briefly looking at me. "Where is my class? Why do you want to know that? Fine, geez, it''s on the second floor at the end of the corridor. So what is this all about?"


    But instead of explaining, it seemed like Atlas just hung up. Luna stared at her phone in disbelief.


    "Stupid brother," she murmured.


    Not long after, I heard the sound of someone running from the corridor. The sound slowly got closer and closer to our classroom until it stopped abruptly at the door. A police man with a beard was standing there. It was Atlas who looked out of breath.


    "Brother!" Luna exclaimed in surprise as she saw him. "What are you doing here?"


    "I don''t have time to explain," Atlas said, glancing at Luna and then at me. "You two, grab your bags and follow me."


    "Why?" Luna asked.


    "Just follow me," Atlas replied, his breathing starting to slow down. "I''ll explain on the way."


    Reluctantly, Luna started packing her books into her bag, and I did the same. As we walked out of the classroom, students from both our class and other classes stared at us, some murmuring to each other.


    We walked down the school corridor for a while, and when we reached the stairs, there weren''t many people around. I thought it was safe to ask now.


    "So, can you explain what happened now?" I asked as we descended the stairs.


    "You still remember Mars, right?" Atlas asked back.


    "Of course," I said.


    There''s no way I could forget about that bald serial killer, not this soon at least. Not to mention, for better or worse, he was basically the trigger of all that happened in the first place.


    We reached the first floor and then Luna asked, "So what''s up with Mars? Is there something wrong with him?"


    Atlas nodded. "I just received a report," he said. "Mars has escaped from prison."


    Luna gasped. "That''s bad, isn''t it?"


    "Yeah," Atlas said, turning to me. "And the worst part is that he''s most likely targeting Geo now."


    I blinked. "Me?"


    ***

 Mars.

    Outside the school building, there was a police car and a few policemen standing beside Atlas.


    "You guys stay here," Atlas instructed his colleagues. "I will take Geo with me, but there''s still a possibility Mars will come here."


    "Understood, sir," they replied simultaneously.


    I noticed that one of the three policemen was the same guy from before, the one with a scar on his face. Though I still didn''t know his name.


    "Alright, follow me," Atlas said to me and Luna, and then started walking, leaving the school grounds.


    "Where are we going?" I asked.


    "Just follow me," he said. "The most important thing is that you don''t go to your usual places, like school or your home."


    "Okay," I said.


    "And don''t worry about your father," Atlas reassured me. "I''ve already sent some police to your home and your father''s office, just in case Mars shows up there."


    "Thank you," I said. "But how does Mars know about me? I thought you were keeping me a secret."


    "I was," Atlas replied. "But that doesn''t mean I can keep everyone silent forever. I can''t keep an eye on them all the time."


    "Okay, but how did you figure out that Mars was targeting me?" I asked.


    "I found out because before Mars escaped from prison," Atlas said, "he asked one of the prison guards if it was true that someone named Geo had made him get captured. From that question alone, it was obvious that he had heard about you from someone."


    I nodded.


    "I agree," I said. "And I guess their relationship wasn''t close enough for Mars to just believe what this someone said. That''s why he needed to confirm it by asking the prison guard."


    "Right," Atlas said. "Luckily, that prison guard didn''t know anything about you, so he didn''t give away any unnecessary information."


    I nodded, and we continued walking.


    "Actually," Atlas continued, "we have a lead on who might be telling Mars about you."


    "Really? Who?" I asked.


    "For the past few weeks, there''s been someone visiting Mars daily," Atlas said. "He''s the only one visiting him, which is already suspicious, even without what happened now. It''s highly possible that he''s the one giving Mars information. The problem is, we don''t know who he is. That glasses guy was using a fake identity. It''s such a humiliation, right? He had the guts to use a fake identity right under our noses. It really pisses me off."


    "Glasses guy?" I couldn''t help but think of my classmate, the smartest guy in our class who I also called ''glasses guy''. But there was no way it could be the same person, right? I mean, a lot of people wear glasses.


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    Anyway, I keep calling him ''glasses guy'' in my mind. I kind of forgot what his name was.


    Was it Ariel or something? Ha, he was a mermaid princess.


    I shook my head. That''s not what I should be thinking about right now.


    "I guess this is what happened," Atlas said. "There are five other policemen who know about you. One of them was telling the ''glasses guy'' about you, and then the ''glasses guy'' told Mars about it. It''s hard to tell who did it because he didn''t talk to Mars directly, and obviously nobody admits they did it. Nobody wants to be blamed for helping a criminal, after all."


    Although I knew my classmate couldn''t be the ''glasses guy'' Atlas was talking about, I needed to make sure.


    "Say," I said, "when does this ''glasses guy'' usually meet with Mars?"


    "Hmm... if I remember correctly," Atlas said, "he does it randomly. There''s no fixed time, unfortunately. But the last time he visited was on Tuesday around 10 AM."


    Of course, I thought. At that time and day, Ariel was in class with me and Luna. So he really had nothing to do with this.


    That''s great. I''m not sure if we''re friends or not, but I don''t want to be enemies with him. It probably reminded me of... Pluto. I didn''t want to make another enemy like that.


    "I''ll check on this more later," Atlas said, looking at me. "For now, let''s focus on making sure you''re safe."


    I nodded.


    And then we arrived at the supposed safe place. I looked up at the building.


    "Let me make sure of one thing," I said. "When you say safe place, you mean your home?"


    "Yes," Atlas said. "Let''s go inside."


    "What do you mean ''yes''?" I said. "I''ve already been here a few times!"


    "I know," Atlas said, walking to the living room. "But still, I think this is the safest place I can think of. It''s somewhere close to me."


    "Okay, but--"


    "I can''t really trust others with this, can I?" Atlas said. "They''ll need an explanation as to why Mars is targeting you. Not to mention we''re lacking people to do this anyway. Besides your school, your father''s office, we''ve sent some police to Mars'' house in case he asks for help from his family. We''ve also sent some police to where he usually hangs out, to his friends, and more. Not to mention this isn''t exactly the only case we''re dealing with--"


    "Fine, I get it!" I said, sighing.


    Great," Atlas said. "And we have this room over here."


    He walked over to the door beside the living room. He opened it and revealed a room filled with boxes, stacks of papers, and other items. "Right now, it''s being used as storage, but we can clean it up quickly."


    I took a quick glance around the room.


    "This is the only door it has," Atlas said. "And the windows are small. Not even a little kid can come in using that. At night, I''ll stand guard outside the door. Unless he takes me down, Mars won''t get his hands on you. At least, that''s what I can promise you."


    Atlas stared at me with strong confidence as he spoke.


    "Of course, if you don''t like it," Atlas said, "we can look for another place--"


    "Fine, I will stay here," I said. "But you said you lack manpower. Does that mean you alone will protect me?"


    "What? You think I''ll lose?" he said, offended.


    "I''m just asking," I said.


    "Oh, really? Want to give it a try?" he challenged me.


    "No, thank you," I said.


    "Wait!" Luna suddenly exclaimed.


    "What?" Atlas asked. "You don''t believe me either, Lu? I can handle one or two criminals easily! Don''t underestimate your brother!"


    "That''s not it!" Luna replied. "Doesn''t that mean Geo will have to stay here all day?"


    Atlas nodded. "And Night too. That''s the most dangerous moment."


    Luna blushed. "I... I mean..."


    Atlas blinked. "Oh, right. We need to do something about the bathroom. Probably buy new soap and all so Geo won''t peek into your memories."


    Luna blushed even harder. "That''s not what I mean, you stupid brother!" Luna threw her bag at him and ran to her room.


    "What''s with her?" Atlas said, picking up the bag.


    I looked at him annoyed. "It''s fine to take precautions," I said. "But I don''t appreciate you assuming I''ll definitely be peeking."


    "What? But you''re a guy, right?" he asked.


    "I have principles!" I said.


    "Fine," Atlas sighed. "I''m sorry. Why don''t you help me clean this room? Luna doesn''t seem like she''s going to come down soon."


    "Do it yourself," I said as I sat on the sofa instead.


    "Hey!" Atlas protested.


    "This was your idea," I reminded him.


    He sighed. "So I have to do everything myself?" He looked inside the spare room, defeated.


    I pulled out my phone and started playing games, ignoring him.


    ***


    Night came, and Atlas was cooking in the kitchen after he had done a big cleaning on his spare room. It turned out that he was really good at house chores and could even cook.


    I sat on the sofa, feeling uncomfortable staying so long inside someone else''s home. I couldn''t even distract myself because my phone had run out of battery, so I was charging it now.


    I looked at the console game near the TV, wondering if I should ask Atlas to let me play or something since I had nothing else to do. But then the door opened, and Luna entered the room.


    She was still wearing her uniform, and her hair was a mess, indicating that she might have just woken up from a nap. When she saw me, she froze in place, blushing.


    "Why are you here?" she asked, immediately hiding behind the door.


    I smiled. "Have you forgotten already?" I said. "Or are you still half asleep?"


    "Oh, right," Luna said, seeming to remember our previous conversation. "Wait a second!"


    She went back to her room and returned around five minutes later, dressed in more casual clothes, with her hair no longer messy. She nervously stood at the door.


    "So, is that how you usually are at home?" I grinned.


    "Forget about it!" Luna said, flustered."


    She sat across from me, but neither of us said anything after that. For some reason, I couldn''t think of anything to say at the moment. As I took a glance at her, she looked even cuter with more casual clothes. No, that''s not what I should have been thinking.


    It was silent for some time until Atlas came from the kitchen.


    "Alright, dinner''s ready," he said, entering the room. "Come, let''s eat."


    ***

 Anxiety.

    First night at Luna House, I lay on the mattress and looked at the unfamiliar ceiling. I was tired, but I couldn''t sleep. My mind was going all over the place. Who knows how things will turn out like this?


    I don''t think I regretted it, but this was the consequence, huh? The more I help Atlas, the more criminals will know me, and they might target me like this. Obviously, that doesn''t sound so great, and it might not be too late to go back on my words and just go on with my life like I always did, not getting involved in dangerous and annoying things like this.


    But...


    I looked at my hand. I didn''t feel like doing that right now. This whole thing was a pain most of the time, but I guess I didn''t enjoy being alone as much as I thought I did. After all, getting ignored by Luna annoyed me so much.


    The door was knocked.


    "Are you asleep yet?" Atlas asked from behind the door.


    "Not yet," I said, waking up.


    The door was opened.


    "Good," he said as he entered with a bunch of clothes in his hand. "I forgot to give you these. Sleeping with your uniform was not comfortable, right? It''s my clothes, so they might be too big, but they should be better than your uniform."


    "Thanks," I said, receiving the clothes.


    "Anyway," Atlas said, "I just checked with my colleagues, and they still haven''t seen Mars anywhere. It''s highly possible that he''s waiting for night to come so that we will be less vigilant. Don''t worry, some of my colleagues are already here outside. We will definitely protect you."


    "Okay," I said, putting the clothes on the mattress.


    I knew he was trying to make me feel safer, but instead, knowing that something might happen tonight made me more anxious.


    "And unfortunately, we still don''t know how Mars managed to escape from prison," Atlas continued. "There was no damage to the cell bars, and we didn''t find any holes or signs that he forced his way out."


    "And Mars was only recently imprisoned," I said.


    "There''s no way he had time to make a hidden escape route. So someone must have helped him."


    Atlas nodded, looking angry. "Most likely," he said. "Right now, we''re trying to dig into the prison guards who were working when Mars escaped, especially the one who was on duty that day. Unfortunately, we still haven''t found any connection between them and Mars. No friendship or family ties."


    "What about money?" I guessed. "Maybe whoever helped him was bribed?"


    "I thought so too," Atlas said. "So we''re checking their bank accounts, but we haven''t found anyone who received a large amount of money recently."


    "They might have been paid directly, not through a bank transfer," I suggested.


    "Of course," Atlas said. "I''ve thought about that too. But nobody seems to have suddenly come into a large amount of money. They haven''t bought expensive things like cars, for example."


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    "But just because they have the money," I said, "doesn''t mean they''ll use it right away."


    "That''s exactly why I''m frustrated," Atlas said, gritting his teeth. "If they do that, we can''t do anything about it! For now, all we can do is watch them."


    I nodded.


    "Anyway, is there no camera in that prison?" I asked.


    "There is," Atlas said, "but obviously, the cameras didn''t record directly to Mars'' cell. And the videos on that day were corrupted for some reason."


    "Isn''t that proof then?" I said.


    "Yeah, we''re trying to look closely at that," Atlas said, "but still nothing. They''re prison guards after all, they know all tricks to hide evidence."


    "So the worst enemy of law enforcement was law enforcement itself?" I said.


    Atlas smiled. "Pretty much."


    Well, that sucks then.


    "I have an idea," I said. "What if I go there and check it myself?"


    "What?" This obviously shocked him.


    "There should be some stuff Mars left there, right? If I touch it--"


    "No," Atlas cut me off. "I get what you mean, but I won''t allow that. And for some reason, most of Mars'' stuff was not there anyway, as if he knows your power."


    "But there''s maybe still something," I said. "And we must move fast. If a few days pass, I might have a hard time looking for the correct memories."


    "I said no," Atlas said. "Your safety is more important. I can''t take this risk, Geo! Just let us do our job. We can handle it even without your ability."


    "What''s the point of making me work with you then?" I said.


    "We''re talking about a serial killer here," Atlas said. "Do you want to die that much?"


    I snorted. "Of course not. But--"


    "Enough," Atlas said. "Just go to sleep. We will do our best to handle this."


    He then got out of the room and closed the door.


    I sighed.


    "As if I can sleep tonight," I muttered to myself.


    I looked at the clothes Atlas brought me - a black t-shirt and long pants. There was nothing else I could do, so I changed into the clothes and lay down on the bed once again.


    ***


    Surprisingly, I actually can sleep. And not only that, nothing really happened last night. Mars didn''t even appear, as far as the lookout team said. Did he figure out that it would be hard to reach me? Or does he even know where I am right now? More questions without clear answers.


    We then ate breakfast. It was such a strange feeling to eat breakfast with them, and I think I wasn''t the only one who thought so, because Luna barely looked at me.


    "I don''t know why Mars didn''t make a move yesterday," Atlas said, "but still, we must keep vigilant. It''s still not safe yet."


    I nodded.


    "You stay here too, Lu," Atlas said to his sister. "No need to go to school yet. It will just give us more problems if Mars ends up changing his target to you."


    "Okay," Luna said.


    So we spent the rest of the day at Luna''s house. To pass the time, Atlas offered us to play some multiplayer games.


    "No need to be overly tense either," he said. "I will keep watching. Both of you can relax a little."


    He gave a controller to me. I looked at Luna, and she nodded.


    So we ended up playing a roguelike platformer called Spelunky and died a lot. It made me think that human life was like that too. If things didn''t go in my favor, I could easily die, and there was nothing I could do about it. What a stupid thought.


    "Ahh! I''m done!" Luna said, frustrated, as she died again. "Let''s just watch a movie instead."


    "Sure," I smiled.


    We watched a few random movies that had been released a while ago, like a spinoff of an old cartoon or a remake of a successful movie from the past. But they were all boring. And it didn''t seem like I was the only one thinking that, because Luna, who was sitting beside me, ended up sleeping.


    She looks cuter when she''s calm like that.


    I shook my head and stopped the movie, even though it was only halfway through. I know it sucks, so there''s no point in keeping watching.


    "Finish watching?" Atlas asked.


    I nodded. "Anything happened?" I asked back.


    "No," Atlas said. "All the reports said nobody saw him. It seems like he''s hiding seriously."


    "That... doesn''t sound like him," I said. "I mean, at least from how he acted before. He acted more recklessly."


    Atlas nodded. "Of course, there''s always a possibility that he learned his lesson and changed, but I doubt it," he said. "Most likely, he met that guy with glasses and is being forced to hide instead. He hasn''t gotten in contact with his friends or family yet, but his escape was so smooth. Usually, escaping from prison alone is hard. He needs a place to hide, new clothes to change out of his prison uniform, and food so he doesn''t need to go out in the open. Otherwise, people will immediately alert the police about him."


    I thought the same thing. And another idea has been bothering me.


    "Hey," I said. "I''ve been thinking about this, but is it possible that Mars wasn''t really targeting me? I mean, even if the prison guards knew about me, it''s not like they would just tell him about me when he asked. Then his actions don''t make sense. So, I thought that it was a clever ploy they did. They planned this whole thing where Mars targets me so the police will focus on me instead. That''s why Mars can move more freely."


    Atlas sighed, "It''s possible," he said. "Still, that''s just one possibility. Unfortunately, we can''t be sure of anything unless they make a move. The best thing we can do right now is to keep you safe. So we will keep doing this at least for a week."


    "Okay," I said, suddenly feeling tired.


    He looked at me. "Hey," he said. "Are you regretting this? Things have turned out to be more problematic for you, right? If you didn''t get involved..."


    I smiled. "That''s funny because yesterday I was just thinking about that."


    "And?" he asked.


    "It''s fine," I said. "Every action has consequences, right? I guess this is simply just that. I don''t think what I did was wrong."


    "Is that so?" Atlas grinned. "That''s great. And don''t worry, we''re in this together. I''ve got your back."


    ***

 Criminals Blood.

    After a week had passed, Mars had still not shown up. And right now Atlas, Luna and I were standing in front of Luna''s house.


    "I guess he''s not really targeting me," I said, as I was about to leave.


    "Don''t be too sure," Atlas replied. "It''s still possible that he''s waiting for the this moment."


    "But so what?" I asked. "It''s not like you can keep locking me up forever."


    "That''s true," Atlas sighed. "But at least make sure to call me immediately if he does appear. And don''t engage with him."


    "I know," I said. "I can''t fight anyway."


    Luna murmured something, and I turned to look at her.


    "Please be safe," she said. "And... see you tomorrow?"


    I smiled. "Yeah."


    Maybe our efforts during the past week had been in vain, but at least Luna was back to her usual self. And with that, I headed home.


    I lie on my bed, feeling kind of weird even though I just left for a week. But the familiar feeling of my bed, my surroundings, and the ceiling make me suddenly feel so tired. Without noticing, I already fell asleep.


    Thankfully, Atlas'' worries were for nothing. I slept like a log, so if Mars were to attack me, I might not even wake up when it happens.


    I sighed.


    I didn''t feel like moving; I didn''t want to get off my bed. The thought of going back to school made me even lazier. However, I eventually got up, took a quick shower, changed into my uniform, and ate some breakfast. I expected Luna to come and pick me up, but she was nowhere to be seen.


    My phone rang, and I received a message from Luna:


    [I overslept!]


    I grinned and quickly replied.


    [Nice.]


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    After finishing my breakfast, I looked around the empty house, realizing that my father had already left for work. It was a typical morning routine, but for some reason, the house felt emptier than usual.


    Heading to school, a part of me couldn''t shake the feeling that Mars might suddenly jump out and attack me, but I knew it was just my overactive imagination. There was no sign of the bald guy anywhere near me.


    As I arrived at school and walked down the corridor towards my classroom, I saw a familiar face. No, not the pink girl, but the one with purple hair from the detective club, Libra.


    What is she doing here?


    As she noticed me, she walked towards me.


    "Good morning," she greeted me with a smile.


    "Morning," I replied.


    "I''ve been looking for you," she said with a relieved expression. "Thank God you finally showed up."


    "Oh, sorry," I said. "For the last week, I have been busy with... something. So, you''re looking for me? Why?"


    "Well," she said, a little bit embarrassed, "I want to hear your answer, I guess."


    "Oh, about joining your club, right?" I said.


    To be honest I had no time to think more about it since my mind was filled with Mars. And Luna. And I never interested to joining in the first place.


    To be honest, I haven''t had time to think more about it since my mind has been preoccupied with Mars and Luna. Plus, I wasn''t interested in joining the club in the first place.


    I sigh. "I''m sorry."


    "I see," she said, sounding disappointed. "So, it''s a no then? I guess that makes sense."


    "Sorry, but club activities are just not for me," I said.


    "I understand," she smiled. "I''m sorry too if I was being a bit pushy. Especially because I''m in the club just for the books too."


    "You sure do like reading," I said.


    "Yes," she replied, reaching into her bag and pulling out a book. "It''s fascinating to me, especially detective or mystery books like this one. Unlike real life, good books usually have a satisfying answer behind them. I just can''t get enough of that."


    "I see," I said, nodding in agreement. "I know what you mean. Mysteries in real life, like crop circles or Bigfoot, are usually just man-made. That can be pretty disappointing."


    nodded in agreement, but there was a hint of hesitation in her expression. "Yes, but I''m kind of worried too," she admitted.


    "About what?" I asked, curious.


    "Reading detective stories, actually," she replied, looking away from me. "My dad... he was a criminal."


    I was taken aback. "What?"


    "I''ve... always had this worry," Libra said. "What if it''s in my blood? What if the reason why I like detective stories is that I''m sympathizing with the bad guys?"


    My unease grew as she spoke.


    "Ah, what am I even talking about?" Libra said, tried to smile. "Sorry, it''s a weird thing to bring up."


    "It''s fine," I said. "And personally, I don''t believe that."


    "Really?" Libra asked, sounding surprised.


    "Yeah," I said. "While it''s true that children sometimes follow in their parents'' footsteps, I still think the ultimate decision lies with the individual. Sure, their upbringing may influence them, but they''re the ones who choose their own path."


    "I guess..." Libra didn''t seem convinced.


    "You''re worried about this," I said. "Isn''t that a good sign? Doesn''t that mean you don''t want to be like that? If you don''t want to, then don''t. It''s that simple."


    Libra smiled. "I see, thank you."


    "Sorry if I''m talking nonsense," I said.


    "No, no, I really feel relieved now," Libra said. "I know at the end of the day it''s all dependent on what I do, but still having someone validate it was nice."


    I''m smiled. "That''s great then," I said.


    "Anyway," Libra said, a little nervous and blushing a little. "Can we talk like this again sometime? Is that okay?"


    "Sure," I said.


    "Thank you," Libra said, hiding her wide smile behind her book. "Then... see you later?"


    I nodded, and she was gone to her own class.


    I walked into the classroom and took my seat. As I looked around, I noticed a few of my classmates staring at me and whispering amongst themselves. They were probably wondering why I was absent for a week or why the police had taken me away. However, nobody had the courage to ask me directly, so I just ignored them.


    Just then, Luna walked in.


    "Good morning," I greeted her.


    But instead of responding, she glared at me.


    I let out a sigh. Was she angry again? I had a feeling it was because she saw me talking to Libra. This was becoming a real pain.


    "So, Luna," I said, "is your problem with the whole detective club or just with Libra?"


    Luna didn''t answer.


    ***

 Detective Club Return.

    A few days had passed and things had gone back to normal. Mars never showed up, and Luna was no longer upset. There were no new cases from Atlas either; either he didn''t need my help, or he knew I wasn''t in the mood to deal with anything like that at the moment.


    During break time at school, I was wasting time playing games on my phone while Luna had nothing to do decided to watch me olay. Everything was peaceful until three people walked to our classroom - a blonde guy, a chubby guy, and a purple girl.


    "Wh-what are you guys doing here?" Luna asked, clearly surprised.


    "We''re here for you two, of course," the blonde guy replied.


    I closed the game I had been playing and looked at them.


    "We''ve been waiting and waiting," the blonde guy said. "But you guys never show up."


    "I never agreed to join," I replied.


    "And I''ve changed my mind!" Luna said. "I don''t want to join anymore!"


    "I can''t accept that!" the blonde guy said, looking offended. "You guys passed the test, and yet this is what you guys are doing? It''s an insult to us."


    "That''s... not what we''re trying to do," Luna said looked uncomfortable.


    "That doesn''t matter!" the blonde guy said. "Whether you did it on purpose or not, it is what it is!"


    "So what do you want?" I asked, staring at him.


    "I want a rematch!" the blonde guy said.


    "Oh, you''ve come up with another case?" I asked.


    "That''s right," he smirked. "Do you think you can solve it this time?"


    I sighed. "I can''t tell without hearing it first," I said.


    "Ha! You''re not so confident, eh?" he said, looking as if he had already won. "Doesn''t that mean what you did before was just you being lucky?"


    "Whatever," I said. "Just tell me the case already."


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    "Aren''t you in a hurry?" he asked, smirking. "Fine, let''s begin," he said as I and Luna stared at him.


    Some of our classmates got interested and started watching, murmuring and questioning what was happening. We ignore them.


    "There''s a murder case at two different places," he said. "But with the same wounds, and according to the police, they were killed at the same time too. And these are the suspects," he continued.


    "The first suspect is someone named Tony with his friend," he said, holding up one finger. "The second is a man named Andrew with his lover," he continued, holding up two fingers. "And lastly, there are Brian and his twin brother," he finished, holding up three fingers.


    Luna furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "That''s it? No hint at all?"


    "That''s right," confirmed the blonde guy.


    "But that was weird!" protested Luna. "How do you even solve it if there are no hints at all?"


    "Oh? Just like that and you''re giving up already?" mocked the blonde guy.


    Luna was obviously angered, but she couldn''t say anything anymore. Meanwhile, the purple girl, Libra, mouthed at me, "Good luck."


    So is she on my side? I can''t really tell yet. As for the chubby guy, he seemed to blend into the background and didn''t say anything. But when our eyes met, he smiled. That surprised me because it seemed like a genuine smile. I didn''t expect him to be nice, considering he was friends with the blonde guy. But maybe my thoughts were wrong, he became his friend because he was nice.


    "What about you?" the blonde guy asked me. "Are you giving up too?"


    I looked at him, understanding what he was trying to do. He was trying to trap us using limited information. Unlike before, he didn''t even bother creating illustration like he had before.


    This was sad. Was he really trying to make us guess without any logical reasoning?


    "I agree with Luna," I said. "This case can''t be solved."


    "Eh?" Surprisingly, Luna was the one who was surprised the most. She looked at me with disbelief.


    "What is it?" the blonde guy said, almost laughing. "So you''re saying you can''t get anything out of it?"


    "I didn''t say that," I replied. "I have a guess. There''s something called ''synchronicity,'' which is a weird phenomenon when you experience something exactly the same as other people. Do you know Dennis the Menace?"


    I looked at Luna.


    "Oh, that''s an old cartoon character?" Luna said. "I think I saw it when I was little."


    I nodded. "There are actually two fictional characters named Dennis the Menace. But they were created at the same time, not because one stole from the other. It''s a famous example of synchronicity."


    The blonde guy gulped, which made me smile.


    "And some research suggests that this kind of phenomenon is more likely to happen to twins," I said. "I once read about twins who married a girl with the same name, or who died at the same time even though they were in different places doing different things."


    "So, you mean the culprit was Brian and his twin?" Luna asked.


    "Not exactly," I replied. "Yes, there''s a possibility that this case was one of those synchronicity phenomena, but that''s just a possibility, not proof."


    "I guess so," Luna said.


    "Yeah, and not to mention," I said, "it''s possible that if other suspects know about synchronicity, they can purposely do this with the goal of blaming the crime on the twins."


    "I see," Luna said. "But there''s no proof of that either, right?"


    "Exactly," I said. "So that''s why I said what I said before. This case can''t be solved because we''re lacking too much information to make a deduction. But that might just be me. I could be wrong. So, Mr. Club leader, why don''t you explain how to solve this case to us?"


    I smiled at him, and he started sweating again.


    The blonde guy started laughing. "Haha, so that was too easy for you, huh?" he said, a hint of awkwardness in his voice. "So your skill is real? I guess I was going too easy on you this time. But that doesn''t count. Next time, I''ll make it more challenging, something befitting of a real duel. Just you wait."


    I looked at him in disbelief. Was he serious? Was he really going to do it this way?


    Suddenly, the detective club leader bolted out of the classroom, with Libra following closely behind. I had almost expected Libra to talk to me before leaving, given what had happened before, but she didn''t. Maybe it was because Luna was here? That was probably a good thing, otherwise Luna might have gotten angry again.


    And then the chubby guy came to me and gave me some of his chocolate snacks and said, "You''re pretty good."


    "Thanks," I said.


    He nodded and then he too was gone.


    "So...what did they come here for again?" Luna asked, confused about what had just happened.


    "Who knows," I said. I looked at the snack in my hand and opened it. "Want some?"


    "Sure," Luna said, grabbing some.


    She ate it and smiled. "Sweet," she said. "This is the taste of winning."


    "Winning what?" I asked. "You didn''t do anything."


    She kicked my leg.


    ***

 Orion.

    As always, I''m going home with Luna. Since we left the school building, she has been deep in thought. I don''t want to interrupt, so I haven''t said anything. I don''t have anything to talk about anyway.


    "Just as I thought, you''re different," she suddenly said.


    "What?" I asked.


    "I mean the way you think," Luna continued. "No matter how hard I try, I don''t think I can guess what the club leader is thinking."


    "Oh," I replied.


    Is she bothered by what I said before? Maybe I shouldn''t have said she didn''t do anything.


    "I mean, I guess it''s because our way of thinking was just too different, huh?" Luna looked disappointed. "But still... I''m not satisfied with just that explanation."


    "It''s not such a big deal," I said. "I just read some articles about it. I think you will get the idea too if you read them."


    She stared at me.


    "What?" I said, feeling uncomfortable.


    "As I thought, it was weird!" She said. "You''re smart, and you read too. So why are you even cheating then?"


    "Where did that come from?" I asked. "And just because I can do it doesn''t mean I will do it."


    "But why?" She said.


    "I hate studying," I said. "Is it hard to understand?"


    "Is that all?" Luna insisted.


    "I''m lazy," I replied. "And maybe you''ll disagree, but to me, the lessons we learn in school are useless. All the theories and formulas we learn, we can''t use them in real life. Even if I don''t know anything about them, my life will still go on. So, why bother? At most, the motivation I might have is to get good grades."


    "Maybe so," Luna said. "But what''s wrong with that?"


    "There''s nothing wrong with it," I said. "We do a lot of pointless stuff in life, so I guess it''s fine. But I had an easier way to get good grades, so even that didn''t motivate me."


    "But what you did was cheating," Luna said.


    "No, if nobody knows," I said.


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    "But I know!" Luna said.


    "Okay," I said. "So why don''t you try to stop me?" I smiled at her, but she looked at me with weak eyes.


    She sighed and said, "But I think you''ve wasted your potential."


    "It''s not a big deal," I replied. "Everyone does it."


    "I''m not!" Luna said.


    "Okay, but just you," I said.


    "The glasses guy?" Luna asked.


    "Okay, him too," I said. "The point is, for me, I don''t mind doing something a little bad if it means making my life a little easier. If you don''t like it, then give me a good reason to stop."


    Luna hung her head, looking defeated. For some reason, her expression looked uneasy too.


    "Did I... just make you annoyed with how I act?" Luna said, looking sad. "I know this wasn''t my business but..."


    "Not really," I said. "It''s not like I completely disagree with you. People like me need someone like you so I won''t cross the line."


    I smiled at her. And Luna, a little embarrassed, smiled too.


    ***


    I entered my home and saw a message on a piece of paper on the table. Beside it was a black flash drive. I picked up the paper and read it. It was from my father.


    He said, [Your friend left this for you.]


    Friend? Who?


    I picked up the flash drive and walked to my room. Turning on my laptop, I pulled out the cap from the black flash drive and put it into my laptop.


    This might not be a good idea. I once saw a video talking about illegal items that look like normal flash drives but are actually some sort of virus that can damage your laptop if you insert it.


    I didn''t really know how that actually works, but the lesson is to not just randomly insert unknown flash drives into your laptop or PC. But obviously, my curiosity was winning.


    Thankfully, it turned out to be just a normal flash drive. I clicked on the flash drive folder and found only one video file inside it.


    Just staring at it won''t make me understand what actually happened, so I played the video. The video player program appeared, and then the video started playing. But it showed me nothing but black.


    [Hello, Geo.]


    A voice came from the video. The voice was garbled and distorted, obviously using a voice changer.


    [You don''t know me, but who I am is not important.]


    The voice continued.


    [What you need to know is that we have the same enemy.]


    Enemy?


    The video suddenly showed me a photo of a guy with glasses. His hair was black, his eyes were sharp, smirking arrogantly. He wore a black necklace. He reminding me of the glasses guy from my class, Ariel, if he were older, his hair longer, and generally more hostile.


    [This guy''s name is Orion. You might never have met him, but he was the one who helped Mars escape from prison,]


    The voice continued.


    I gulped. I had expected as much, but this was still quite shocking information.


    Who is this guy? Why is he telling me this? And why does he know me? How much does he know about me?


    But these questions were less important because I had a bigger question the moment the voice from the video said his next line.


    [And like you, he can see other people''s memories using objects too.]


    What...?


    Reflexively, I stood up. He even knows that?


    My whole body started to feel cold. Not only does he know where I live, he knows about Mars'' case, Orion, and even my ability?


    This is really bad.


    How? What happened here? This is starting to spook me.


    [Orion is starting to get interested in you, but obviously not in a good way as you can see from him freeing Mars.]


    So, does that mean not only the guy who sent me the flash drive knows a lot about me, but also Orion? If what this video said can be trusted, Orion had the same ability as me. Then I guess it''s not impossible for him to figure out about me using Memory Gazer.


    But this whole thing is making me feel so defenseless. They all know about me but I know nothing about them? This is the worst possibility.


    [You might have already guessed, Orion is really dangerous. Especially because now he has gained two allies.]


    Allies?


    [The first one is obviously Mars.]


    The video is showing me photos of Mars. The familiar bald guy is there, but something has changed. Now he has a black star tattoo on his bald head.


    [He was highly indebted to Orion so I believe he will do anything Orion says.]


    I guess so. That''s why he''s suddenly hiding so well. Most likely following Orion''s orders.


    [With Orion as the brain, he will be 100 times more dangerous than before.]


    I know. I can tell.


    [And the second ally he got was...]


    I was startled. The video showed me another photo of a familiar face, a guy with a beanie hat. I stared at the screen in disbelief.


    [This guy''s name was Pluto.]


    I was stunned in place. Pluto, why...?


    [I can''t tell you much about him. The information I have on him is limited. But what I can say is that he joined forces with Orion because he has a grudge against you.]


    The screen showed me another photo of Pluto.


    [So I guess you know more about it than I do. That''s all I can say about him.]


    The screen turned black.


    [Anyway, that''s all I can say for now. And I have one final message for you: they''re all dangerous, so please be careful. And don''t die.]


    The video ended. I continued to stare at the screen, trying to process all the sudden information I had just received.


    ***