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!"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

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."

***