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.]

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

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.

***