"Wait, I'm Supposed to Become a Goddess?! But I'm a Guy!"

The school was practically a ghost town at this hour.

Silent, empty. No one stayed overnight—everyone had somewhere to go, a warm bed in a little corner of the city. Even the orphans got taken care of. It was the 21st century, after all, and homelessness here was unheard of.

But maybe that's what made Mize feel so oddly… at ease being carried princess-style through the school corridors and out toward the gate. It was quiet, weirdly peaceful even. Liam's grip around his waist was firm but gentle, and the warmth of his body was almost… comforting.

Still, one question kept nagging at Mize's brain like an itch he couldn't scratch. Why is he doing all this for someone he barely knows? As the horizon faded into night and the moon rose higher, that question burned stronger. Finally, Mize tilted his head, his eyes catching the moonlight as he looked up at Liam.

"Hey… "

"Hmmm?" Liam hummed back, his eyes and movement remained unabated, and yet his attention had focused entirely on Mize's call.

"why are you doing this?" he asked, voice quiet but clear.

"We met like—barely this morning. It's weird, you know? One moment you're shy, and the next…" He shook his head, flustered.

"You're just… all of this. It doesn't make any sense."

Liam met his gaze, cold and calm, but the second he looked into Mize's eyes, a flicker of something softer broke through, just for a second.

Then his face cooled back down as he looked forward and muttered, "You don't need to know. But just remember…" he paused, his voice dipping lower, "you're mine."

The words hit Mize like a brick.

"I-I see…" His face turned crimson as he buried it back into Liam's chest, feeling like steam was practically whistling out the top of his head.

If he ever finds out I'm a guy, I'm so dead, he thought, praying this little secret would stay buried. Because if it didn't… ugh, he didn't even want to imagine the fallout.

They reached the school entrance. Mize felt like his heart might just leap right out of his chest. "Y-you can drop me here," he mumbled. "You don't even know where I live anyway." But Liam just shook his head, a faint, almost… chilling smile on his face.

Mize felt a shiver crawl up his spine. "W-what?" he asked, shrinking back a little. Liam only held his gaze, smile lingering in a way that had Mize ducking his head to hide again in Liam's chest. That low, familiar chuckle escaped Liam's lips as he answered, "I know…"

Mize peeked up, brows furrowing. "You know?" he echoed, hoping he'd misheard.

"Yes," Liam said, a little too casually. "I know where your house is."

A cold, creeping feeling spread through Mize's chest.

Why is he smiling like that? he thought, panic flickering in his mind.

How does he even know where I live? Mize bit his lip, trying not to hyperventilate.

This week had already been wild enough. First, he'd met the normal school delinquent, then the random redhead freak, and now this guy—a calm but utterly terrifying pervert who somehow knew way too much.

Mize squeezed his eyes shut, practically melting into Liam's chest. This guy is on another level of creepiness. I'm doomed.

Please, someone, end this, he thought, suppressing a groan.

"W-why do you know where my house is?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper, practically lost in Liam's hoodie.

He thumped a weak fist against Liam's chest, hoping some show of protest might make this guy think twice about being a total creep. But Liam didn't even flinch.

"Knowing your address is important," Liam said simply.

"Huh?"

"In case something were to happen to you," he went on, voice as calm as ever. "I'd be there to take care of it."

"HUH?"

Please, just kill me already.

And he'd said it with a straight face, leaving Mize half-sure he'd somehow slipped into a nightmare.

Holy crap, Mize wailed internally, feeling his heart pound as they approached his apartment building. The familiar facade looked so close, yet every step seemed to draw out the moment. Around them, people were casting amused glances, a few even whispering things like, "What a cute couple!"

Mize was desperate. He'd tried everything—shoving, protesting, even a few barely biting attempts on Liam's shoulder—but nothing fazed this guy.

He's unstoppable, Mize thought miserably, his eyes darting back and forth from the looming entrance to Liam's icy, resolute face. I get that the protagonist's system boosts confidence, but… this is insane!

This isn't just a confidence boost, but a whole new personality or even a different person using the same body.

Liam's grip around Mize's waist tightened, almost possessively, as he asked casually, "So… what's your apartment number?"

Mize practically recoiled, his voice sharp. "No! You're not coming inside my place."

But Liam didn't miss a beat. "Can't do. I need to make sure you're safe—"

"No," Mize said firmly, his voice louder than before. "That's my private space… you don't get to invade that."

Liam's expression darkened, his voice a low murmur.

"So you don't trust me?" He pulled Mize closer, leaning in just enough that Mize could feel his breath, warm against his neck.

Mize's face flushed red, hot as a furnace. But he knew he had to stand firm.

He could practically see the moment Liam would start camping out in his apartment if he didn't set boundaries. Swallowing his nerves, Mize spoke up, awkward but determined. "Look… I get it. I know I'm… yours." He cringed as he said it, and sure enough, Liam's gaze sparked with a glint of satisfaction.

Mize barely managed to keep his cool, swallowing as he tried to ignore that intense look in Liam's eyes. "But I need my own space. If you start trampling on that… I'll hate you."

"Hate me?" Liam's brow lifted in surprise, his arms still holding Mize snugly. "You'd hate me?"

"Yes!" Mize blurted, his grip tightening on Liam's shirt. His eyes were set with the best determined look he could muster.

In that moment, though, Liam saw something different.

He gazed at Mize with a knowing smile, thinking, She's something. Those wide, ruby-like eyes, the cascade of hair catching in the moonlight, that fierce little pout—Liam found it hard to look away. No wonder the system chose her, he thought, suppressing a grin.

"What are you smirking at?" Mize demanded cheeks puffed out in defiance.

Liam just chuckled, reaching out to tap his nose before finally letting him go. Mize blinked in surprise, feeling the lingering warmth on his nose as he watched Liam step away. Without another word, Liam strolled off into the night, casting a final, amused glance over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner.

As soon as he was gone, Mize let out a deep breath, a triumphant smile creeping onto his face. "Good, that creep finally left." He turned and hurried inside, relieved beyond measure.

What he didn't notice, though, was the faint shadow that lingered behind him, watching silently as he disappeared into the building.

===

Mize didn't remember much about what had happened last night, groggily making his way towards his apartment on godforsaken floors high up above the sky. He barely remembered whether he had taken a bath or not, or he just slipped into his house by locking the door, and he knew nothing of it.

But what he didn't know was that, yes... he did enter his house exhausted, the door unlocked, and he not taking a bath. He was directly slumped on his bed as he slept there peacefully, and God knows what would happen to a young girl like him with the door opened just like that.

And his door was closed... by no one else but Liam himself.

He was tucked into bed but no one else but Liam himself, and he was accompanied throughout the night by no one else but Liam himself. If he were to know this, his heart would drop, or even he might directly die on the spot. After all, there might be some clues that he was a boy in his house.

Luckily enough, he was the type that would always clean and tidy up his house almost every single moment that he got out. The closet was closed, and most of his male clothing was just plain oversized shirts, hoodies, and oversized jeans and pants. And the other half of his closet was filled with female clothing, so there was nothing to be worried about.

In his bedroom, the shoes were clustered in the corner in an orderly manner. Most of them were just common daily wear suitable for both women and men. The decoration of his room was monotone, but he was fond of plush toys, as he had bought a lot of them and piled them up on the top corner of the bed against the wall.

If he were to realize how foolproof his house is, there would be no need to worry about his real gender being exposed to this freak king yama of a freak lord show.

And also, Liam was too busy looking at his cute sleeping face throughout the night, as he sat down next to his bed, one hand over his chin as he observed the way Mize slept for the whole night until the next morning arrived. What a dedicated pervert lover he is...

Especially the occasional cursing and murmurs that were directed at his name from Mize's mouth during his slumber... it was... 'Cute' In his perspective.

"Go and have a talk with that Derek guy" Liam suddenly spoke, and with a swish, a cold voice responded as a shadow lurked and vanished into the window.

"Yes, my lord"

It was early in the morning, the light seeped through the crack of the opened window on the side, slowly falling onto the soft cheek of the figure below, lying on the bed still, unmoving.

The blanket wrapped his body in full, leaving only the head and the legs dangling open. The sunlight that fell onto his face braced against his soft skin a little, like a prickle against a soft hand that eventually awoken him from his deep sleep.

He grumbled, head groggy with the long hair that fell beyond his legs shuffled under his body ever so slightly. The white sheet of the bed beneath, the contrast of the skin color, the pale of the paper, and the white of the fabric beneath his skin.

The red veins cruising through his neck and hands, the collar was still there, undetached...

And under the bath of the soft sunlight from the window on the side, the dust particle of the early morning swirled, as Mize shuffled yet again, his body turning sideways, overlooking the human-sized mirror on the corner of the room, reflecting the scene that was occurring on the bed.

It was a doll-like looking figure, a girl even if one didn't know his true identity. With the porcelain-like skin, pale white as the cold snow in the winter. The long black hair was unusual, at least by conventional length, it wasn't normal or even common to be said so.