Chapter 96 ~ Pizza Guy

The next day.

C.C lazed around in her room with two boxes of pizza on her bed, one with half of the slices gone and the other still closed.

She stared out onto the windows from her bed as she held a cheesy slice of pizza on one hand and hugged her favorite "Cheese-kun" plushie with the other, dazing as she ate her favorite food.

This was the second time she could eat so many pizzas in one seating while still having plenty left overs. And the best part, she didn't even buy them herself.

She didn't know where these two large-sized cheesy pepperoni pizzas came from, but this was the second time they've come to her door steps out of nowhere.

At first, she thought it was Lelouch. But when she confronted him, he denied any claim of being the one who bought them for her.

"Just enjoy it. Perhaps, it was a mistaken delivery ."

That was what Lelouch said. But both him and she knew that the chances of these two large-sized pizzas being a mistaken delivery was almost none. After all, they're living in the Ashofrd's Student Government building and the only other building around this area was the academy building. If the Student Council wasn't the one who ordered them, then these pizzas were definitely delivered correctly to their doorsteps.

And it happened not once, but twice.

Unfortunately, though C.C was curious about the identity of the "free pizza guy", she had no way to identify who gave these boxes of pizzas to her. Even when she asked the delivery man, he simply said that the pizzas were meant for the residents in the Student Government Building and didn't know who ordered it.

Thus, the identity of the "free pizza guy" remained a mystery.

She was still very suspicious of Lelouch. After all, the only one who knows about her and her fondness of pizza was him. Other than him, no one else should even know about her existence in Ashford Academy grounds.

So, although she couldn't get him to reveal the truth, she was still thankful for it. Especially on days like this when she couldn't go out.

After being seen by that handsome boy for the second time yesterday, she decided to lay low and stay in her room. So, she was very bored.

These two large boxes of pizzas were the only entertainment she had, so receiving it today was perfect. They'll be able to last her the entire day.

C.C finished the slice in her hand before taking another slice and began munching once again as her mind began to wonder and began thinking about that boy.

Before seeing him, she had heard about a super famous first year male student who transferred into Ashford Academy. He was known to be extremely smart, very friendly, and most of all, exceedingly handsome.

She didn't take much interest in him at the time. But he never left her mind ever again since he saw her for the first time.

She asked Lelouch if he knew who that boy was after telling him that someone saw her while she was roaming around the campus area. And to her surprise, he did.

His name was "Alexander Kyrielight", and he was Lelouch's classmate and, to her surprise, his close friend. It seemed that they only became close after Alexander joined the Student Council as an "honorary member".

It was a fairly new friendship. But when she told him that Alexander saw her, Lelouch surprisingly reassured her that it's fine.

Considering his personality and the amount of time Lelouch had known about Alexander, he seemed… awfully trusting of the handsome boy.

Alexander Kyrielight, huh…?

Stuffing the last bit of crust into her mouth, C.C plopped down to her bed and spread her arms out.

"I'm bored…"

Now that she was full, she had nothing to keep herself occupied anymore.

She turned to look at the clock hanging from the wall at the far end side of her room.

Lelouch was still in the academy, and there were still a few hours left before they both went to Black Knight's base together.

"Hah… I'll just take a nap 'til then…"

She closed her eyes and let darkness and whatever nightmare she will see now took her.

However, no nightmare came to her this time. The only thing she recalled before falling to a restful nap was the figure of "Alexander" looking at her from afar with a smile adorning his face.

And unknowingly, the same smile found its place on her countenance as well.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

C.C woke up from the sound of the front door opening.

When she opened her eyes, the clear blue sky was no longer there. Instead, a slightly orange-red sky that signified it being early afternoon greeted her.

With a yawn, she slowly rose and sat on her bed, stretching her arms and body, before letting out a satisfied sigh.

I haven't had such a restful sleep in so long…

She was quite in a good mood. There was no nightmare this time. Just a restful sleep, which normally came to her once in a blue moon when she was thoroughly exhausted after being chased by authorities.

She turned to look at the still opened box of pizza, took a slice, and ate it, taking small bites to truly savor each and every slice.

"Lelouch must've returned…"

The opening of the door that woke her up must've been Lelouch returning home from school.

So, she rose up from her bed and headed to the door, intending to meet him and ask when they'll head out.

But just as she was about to touch the door knob, she heard another voice talking with Lelouch.

Her eyes immediately widened in shock. She quickly locked her door, returned to her bed, and quietly munched on her pizza slice.

A few minutes passed and the pizza slice in her hand had already finished being eaten. And while she would normally take another slice, she didn't.

She tried her best to listen to sounds and voices that came from outside her room. Only after she made sure that the coast was clear that she could start relaxing again and go see Lelouch.

But to her shock, a knock suddenly resounded from her door.

"C.C. Are you there? I would like to introduce you to someone."

Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the door incredulously.

Why…? Why did he say her name?! The guy he came with must've still been there since she didn't hear anyone leaving!

Her frown deepened.

Lelouch wanted to introduce her to someone… That someone must be the guy he came with.

Who could it be…?

Anxiousness began to rise within her as her heart started beating faster and faster.

Did Lelouch betray her…? Did he decide to hand her over to the researchers who treated her like a lab rat?

No… That's impossible. There's no way he'll contact his enemy just to hand me over… He has no reason to do it…

Her logic was infallible. But her body refused to listen to logic as it continued to tremble in fear. The wave of trauma and fear of betrayal, pain, and suffering she had suffered washed over her as she stood frozen in angst.

"C.C… It's fine. I'm not doing anything to harm you. I'm just introducing you to an ally. To "Mordred"."

Her body stopped trembling at the mention of the familiar name.

She recalled the three mysterious men Lelouch brought with him out of the blue that even she didn't know about.

Silver. Ainz. And Mordred.

And now, he's introducing her to Mordred? The ace pilot of the Black Knights?

But why? Why all of a sudden…?

C.C slowly made her way towards the door. She raised her hand to unlock it, and froze for a moment. She took a deep breath, and finally reached for the lock and slowly opened the door.

And as it opened, her eyes widened in shock once again.

On the other side of the door was Lelouch, which C.C already expected. The second figure she expected was the jet-black figure clad in a full-body suit armor with a devilish mask hiding his face.

But to her shock, she saw the handsome boy she met gaze with twice in front of her. Alexander Kyrielight.

He was standing there before her, a smile more dazzling than the ones he had seen from rulers and members of high nobility in the past adorning his otherworldly face.

"It is a pleasure to finally speak to you in person. My name is Alexander Kyrielight… At least in this school. In my birth certificate, I am "Alexander von Morningstar". And in the Black Knights, I am "Mordred"; The Sword of Zero."

"You…"

C.C stood frozen, overwhelmed with shock for the first time in decades, unable to react to his introduction.

He was "Mordred"? The boy that almost blew her cover was also the man with the devilish mask in the Black Knights?!

She… She didn't expect any of this. She didn't even notice a thing…

"Shall we continue when we're inside? The things we're going to talk about… It'd be better to talk about them behind closed doors."

"...Sure."

The two entered, locking the door behind them, and they both froze in shock when they saw the state of her room. Or rather… Her bed.

There was an opened pizza box on her bed with crumbs everywhere on her sheets. Her duvet was a mess and there were pillows that had fallen onto the ground.

The rest of the room looked tidy and clean, as if no one was staying in the room. A stark contrast to her bed, which seemed like it hadn't been cleaned and tidied up for weeks.

"...What's wrong? Come in. You're the ones who wanted to come in, right?"

Yuuji looked at her, and turned towards the messy bed, then back at her, and sighed, which caused C.C to narrow her eyes, offended.

"Before that… Can I clean this up a bit first?"

"Of course. Be my guest."

C.C flipped her beautiful, long, straight, leaf-green hair and walked towards the bed and laid down on it, leaving Yuuji speechless.

"...How can I clean if you're laying there."

"You're cleaning out of your own free will. Why should I accommodate you?"

"...Fine, I'll do it later."

Yuuji let out another sigh before he sat down next to Lelouch on the chairs present in the room.

When he was seated, C.C raised into a sitting position on the bed and hugged her "Cheese-kun" plushie.

"Well then? Start talking."

Both Lelouch and Yuuji nodded, and they began to tell her about "Alexander's" real identity, his past, his "father's" sins, his identity as Mordred, his relationship with Lelouch barring anything that had to do with the Group Chat, and about his geass.

C.C's eyes widened in shock when they told her about his geass, but she completely froze over when they told her about "Ainz" and "Silver" also having geass of their own.

"How could there be so many…? Lelouch, where did you find these geass users…?"

"I didn't. We met… coincidentally. And we've become close friends after a while."

"..."

C.C didn't believe a word he said. After all, it was simply too… unbelievable. Geass were an extremely well kept secret, and geass users that could live outside of research facilities were either on the run, like her, or were used by their countries as a weapon.

They were simply that rare and that powerful.

And now, here she was, in the presence of not only one or two, but four geass users.

"This… is a bit unbelievable…"

"It is understandable. But we're not lying."

"...I can believe that. The things you said were just too bizarre that it could only be the truth, or you're both insane."

Yuuji smiled at her wryly. If she's already labeling them as insane, he wondered what she'd call them if they told her about the Group Chat and the existence of other worlds."

C.C shook her head tiredly and looked at the both of them with exhaustion clear in her eyes.

"So? Why are you telling me these things now…?"

Her eyes shifted between the two, clearly waiting for answers. There must be a reason why these two revealed such an enormous secret to her.

"One of the reasons for us to reveal Alexander's identity to you, as well as Ainz and Silver's in the future, was to allow us more freedom and time to convene."

Lelouch answered.

"With you knowing about our relationship, we'll be able to meet and discuss our plans more openly and frequently even outside of the base."

"...I see."

A pragmatic and logical reasoning. It was something she expected from Lelouch. After all, though he was, at his core, a boy driven by his emotions, Lelouch's mind still operated logically when it comes to things other than his sister and his past.

Though, even after knowing this… She couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment.

"But that's not the only reason…"

C.C turned towards Alexander and saw him smiling helplessly at Lelouch before turning towards her.

"The real reason that Lelouch was too shy to tell you was because he trusted you and he wanted you to feel more comfortable, knowing that you'll have people you can talk to who you can trust and knows of your situation."

In the end, although Lelouch had set his heart on Shirley, C.C was still an extremely important person to him.

She was the one who gave him the power to change his destiny, the one who saved him when he was powerless at the face of death, and his partner. He cared for her deeply, and he didn't want her to suffer more than she already has.

So, he wanted to introduce his friends to her so that she too could have friends that could be trusted. People she could confide in. Someone who could be with her when she was lonely.

Tatsuya and Satoru might not be the most appropriate type of people for the role, but Yuuji was perfect for it. That is why he decided to introduce Yuuji to her first.

He put his hope on Yuuji to melt the frozen heart of the immortal "witch" and give her a chest she could lean on in her time of need.

C.C's eyes widened in surprise. She turned towards Lelouch, who was now narrowing his eyes at Alexander for revealing it prematurely.

And when he noticed her gaze, Lelouch let out a sigh.

"Yes… It's true. I wanted you to have someone to talk to when I'm not around. Someone that could be trusted and someone who could also protect you from harm. And Alexander was the perfect person for it. So I introduced him to you."

"I see…"

C.C slowly nodded her head. She was still unconvinced that she'd be able to become friends with the handsome boy before her as Lelouch hoped she would. But, at the very least, she appreciated his intention.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get along with him quickly. After all, he's the one who brought you pizza."

"Eh?"

C.C immediately turned towards Alexander, her eyes widened in shock at the revelation.

"Y-You're the pizza guy…?!"

"A-Ahahaha… Pizza guy, huh…? I guess that's appropriate…"

Yuuji chuckled a bit and turned to look at the half empty box of pizza on her bed.

"I'm glad you're enjoying the pizza. They're my apologies for spotting you while you're on your walk around the academy. I hope you can forgive me."

"I see…"

Her eyes widened in realization as the truth of the mysterious free pizza came to light. Though… does that mean that she wouldn't receive any more free pizza?

After all, they know each other now, and from what Lelouch said, they'll be meeting each other more frequently.

If Alexander was only giving her free pizza to apologize for ruining her outing, then… he'll stop now, right?

A look of disappointment flashed across her eyes as her arms unconsciously held onto her plushie a bit tighter.

"Ah, but don't worry. If you want more pizza, you can just tell me. Or, I can always buy a box or two for you if we were to meet."

Her eyes immediately light up. And like a child who was enticed by her parent's promise to buy her new toys, she nodded excitedly.

"Great. I'll be looking forward to seeing you, C.C"

"Mm… Likewise."