161 Not Talk By Rule?

Miya went to Chenric happily, with a huge smile plastered on her face. It disoriented the young guard, who was used to looking at Jimmy's poker face so well that anyone smiling too close to him made him nervous. The guard took a step back, careful to maintain the seven meter distance that he had been ordered to put between him and the madame. The Chairman had looked rather barbaric too, when he had said that Chenric must maintain the seven feet at any cost, or Senior Hunter himself would come and make him do it.

Chenric was not one bit ashamed to admit that he was afraid of Simon Hunter.

As Miya approached him with rapid speed, Chenric stepped back in equal hurry, urgently measuring the distance in his head. She frowned at that, and finally rolled her eyes.

"Will you stop?" she asked the man agitatedly, when he kept moving backwards. He halted for two seconds, and Miya took advantage of that to rush to his side at full speed. Then pulling an annoyed face, she huffed, but still stretched out her hand.

"M-Madam –" Chenric began to retort, but the girl cut him off.

"I'm just trying to say thank you for earlier," she said in exasperation, "For taking care of Ben when we took him to school!"

The young guard looked positively lost. Torn between shaking her proffered hand and blushing nervously, he simply looked at the floor and fidgeted on his feet.

Wow. Miya couldn't help the wonderment on her face.

From the look of utter respect that the young man gave her, Miya confirmed that what Jim had told her was true indeed. For some strange reason, the guy did seem to hold her in high regard. It also sent a very creepy feeling through her body.

Did this person mistake her for some highly efficient lady belonging to a majestic background? It made sense if he respected her because she was married to Jimmy. Else…

Meanwhile, it took Chenric quite a while to figure out a response, and Miya waited for him to speak. The guard finally took her hand, shook it as awkwardly as he could, then resorted to looking at the ground again.

In some small corner of her mind, Miya also wondered if the Chairman actually wanted her dead. This person did not look reliable at all! How would he protect her from anyone?! He couldn't even shake hands!

But then, Jimmy had mentioned him too…

Shrugging, Miya let go of the doubt. She didn't have to care either way. As long as she could lose him on the road, she didn't mind.

So in execution of her plan, the girl said loudly to the guard, "Shall we go?"

The young man nodded, and then hurriedly began to put the said distance between them, when Miya lost her patience. Giving him a furious look, she said, "Quit that, okay?"

Chenric seemed worried. But he nodded quickly in compliance, "Yes ma'am."

"Call me Miya."

"N-No! I can't do that madam."

"It's an order."

"Chenric."

He shut up.

Chenric still made sure he was a few steps behind Miya as they walked along. He wondered why she wasn't taking a car for the ride, but then his mind jumped to more important things.

This was the opportunity he had been looking for!

Madam was before him, and the young master wasn't around!

Chenric was a man of few words, so when the opportunity to speak presented itself, he had to think twice as harder than any normal human. He began to repeat sentences in his head, framing and reframing them again and again, wondering if they sounded alright.

Meanwhile the silence had grown heavy on Miya, especially when she was working so hard on walking side by side with the silent man.

"Chenric?" she called out.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Do you not talk by rule to people you protect?"

"N-No. By rule, I don't talk to anyone madam."

Miya rolled her eyes, then muttered under her breath, "No wonder Jimmy likes you."

They had finally walked to the main road in complete silence, with Chenric still struggling to speak. Miya too was panicking with each passing minute. If the guy didn't talk, how would she lose him on the road?!

Focussing, she tried again.

"You know Chenric," she said, "I've always wanted to work as a bodyguard at least once. I couldn't because of Ben, but I think your job must be thrilling and dangerous. Super cool!"

He was surprised by her words.

Chenric gave the madame a careful look, then finally said, "I think you'd make a good one, miss."

Somehow, that lifted her mood.

"You think?"

"Yes… I saw you fight at the public library during Madam Storm's incident… You were spectacular."

Miya was surprised at that. She gave Chenric a curious smile, then recalled that he was the one that Jim had stationed to protect Rebecca. He was also the one who had brought an ice pack for her later.

On Jim's order, of course, but she remembered it was him.

"Thanks," she whizzed, and the young guard finally saw an opening.

"E-Ever since then, ma'am," he said nervously, unable to match Miya's eyes when she stopped and turned to face him, "I've thought you were very good. No… t-that is an understatement. I saw you fight Madam Storm too. I think you'd be unparalleled in street fighting. Have you had much practice, ma'am?"

Miya flinched for a second, but then, she broke into a smile again.

So he did know she was from the streets, and not some young miss!

Could it be the respect he had was because of her fighting skills? How unique!

Happily, Miya chirped, "Yes."

"Madam…"

"Yes?"

"M- Er…"

"Come on! Speak up!"

"W-Would you teach me?"

Whilst Chenric blurted out the words in one go, his face reddened deeper than a tomato's when he said them. He closed his eyes, and now wanted to swallow his tongue whole.

Miya observed the tall, barely threatening, red faced man and wondered all over again how he had come to be a personal guard.

Or maybe, her life really didn't amount to that much.

According to her husband and his father, anyway.

Pouting, she agreed to teach him. She also couldn't control herself and asked, "But aren't you supposed to know this stuff?"

Chenric immediately jumped to defend himself. He didn't want her to get a wrong idea, "Yes, ma'am! But improvisation is what I'm not very good at. But you –"

"Oh, got it! Fine, I'll give you your first lesson on the way! Or is it something specific you want to ask?"

"I'm not clueless… I just need some pointers."

"Okay! Good, you can ask now!"

"-------"

The conversation went on, till Miya was tired of walking, and afraid that she would have to walk the rest of the ten kilometres on foot too. She was certain they had already walked a full five! But because Chenric was so enthusiastic to learn, and he was easier to deal with while he talked, she finally unleashed her ultimate move.

Run!

Miya challenged the guard into aiming with a blindfold on, once they had turned a corner and reached to a public park. The place was almost vacant, and Miya decided it was the perfect time. While Chenric very seriously nodded and wrapped a cloth around his head, that Miya had hurriedly produced from her bag, she let him aim about with a stick for a few seconds, praising him out loud.

In the next minute, while Chenric took a turn and aimed behind himself, she ran like the wind, removing her sandals so they won't make a sound. She knew the alley that ran directly behind the park well. Climbing over the wall with an agile leap, she rushed to the alleyway, mounted up the wall of an abandoned old house, and then finally made way to its roof.

Within minutes, she had disappeared.

Too pleased with herself, while she tried to pay little heed to the fact that she would be in deep trouble when she returned, Miya beamed.

It had been a while since she had run this freely!

And that, there, was some good improvisation on her part!

The girl quickly made her way through inner city routes, promising to give the young man a call back when she finally returned. She didn't want him to get into trouble unnecessarily, and he could go back home with her once she had visited Tao alone. When Miya had reached the main road, she hailed a cab. She was sweating profusely when she did, and her appearance was rather haggard when she got to the Avante hospital.

Her mood fazed a little at the sight of it, and what she might find out now.

But she didn't let it bother her for long.

It was what it was.

She knew se could handle it well.