Chapter 7 Seven Days Without an Argument

 

Day after day passed, yet for Jacob, time seemed to stand still. Teaching Luna felt like trying to break through a stubborn wall. The girl appeared far more interested in other things than the lessons he prepared for her. Every time they sat down together, Jacob found himself on the verge of losing his sanity.

“Luna! It’s been five months since I started teaching you, so why do you still not understand anything I explain to you?!” he exclaimed, tapping the small wooden stick against her forehead. “Use your brain! Do you think studying means just sitting there looking pretty?”

Luna pouted, complaining like a child being scolded. “You’re always getting angry. Can’t you teach me a little more gently?”

Jacob grumbled, placing his stick roughly on the table. “Gently? How am I supposed to be gentle when my student is as stubborn as a rock and as careless as you?!”

Luna lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers over the book. “These numbers are so difficult,” she murmured softly, her voice barely audible.

Jacob let out a heavy sigh. Teaching Luna turned out to be far more difficult than persuading a small child to eat vegetables. He stood up, rubbed his face in frustration, and walked out of the room.

The moment Jacob disappeared, Luna broke into a wide grin. “Yes! I’m free!” she whispered triumphantly.

However, before she could enjoy her freedom, Jacob returned to the room with a sharp look in his eyes. Luna immediately froze.

“You have an assignment. Read from page one to page twenty. If I come back and you haven’t finished, you’ll be punished,” Jacob said firmly before finally leaving.

“What?!” Luna gaped at him, her mouth falling open. But Jacob had already disappeared behind the door, leaving her glaring in protest.

“Argh! Why is he so annoying?! I should be playing with my rabbits today!” she grumbled, ruffling her hair in frustration.

On the other side of the door, Jacob stood still. He had heard every complaint Luna made, and the corners of his lips unconsciously curled into a small smirk.

“Don’t think you can get away with it. I’ll keep watching you to make sure you continue studying, Luna.”

---

That afternoon, Luna’s plan to relax in the garden as usual was once again interrupted by Jacob. She tried to ignore him and focus on playing with the rabbits.

Ever since Jacob had arrived and offered to be her friend, Luna had grown suspicious of him. She had never been entirely convinced that he genuinely wanted to be her friend, and it turned out the man had a hidden agenda. He intended to scold her under the pretense of being a teacher instructing his student.

“Good. You caught that rabbit. Tonight, I’ll turn it into a roasted rabbit for dinner,” Jacob remarked in a flat tone, making Luna turn toward him with a sharp glare.

Luna stared at him indignantly. “I won’t let you turn this rabbit into your dinner!”

“Oh, are you trying to challenge me?” Jacob retorted.

Luna pouted. Deliberately, she released the rabbit she was holding so Jacob wouldn’t be able to make a meal out of it. Jacob’s eyebrows shot up as he watched the rabbit escape from her grasp.

“Try catching it if you can,” she challenged him.

Jacob smirked. “So, you’re challenging me.”

Without hesitation, Jacob went after the rabbits one by one, attempting to catch them, but they turned out to be incredibly agile.

Luna folded her arms across her stomach, confident that Jacob would never manage to catch one. However, only a few seconds after forming that thought, she was startled to see him successfully catch a rabbit with his bare hands.

Her eyes widened. “Let that rabbit go!”

Jacob lifted the rabbit into the air. “I’ll let it go... after I roast it.” He turned and started walking toward the house.

Panicking, Luna chased after him. To her surprise, Jacob noticed her movements. As a result, he started running too, dodging Luna’s attempts to stop him.

Luna grew frantic. “Wait! You can’t eat it!” she cried, running after Jacob.

Jacob chuckled, enjoying the commotion he had caused. “You’re the one who challenged me, and now you’re objecting? That’s hilarious.”

Good heavens, Jacob had never imagined that fighting over a rabbit could be this much fun. Especially when he was competing with a little girl whose body was much smaller than his. Luna’s little legs bounced several times as she tried to reach the rabbit in Jacob’s hand.

But he continued running backward at a leisurely pace, deliberately teasing her. Unfortunately, Jacob failed to watch where he was going and tripped over some stones, sending him tumbling to the ground.

The rabbit slipped from his grasp, but that wasn’t the only thing that happened. The girl chasing him also lost her balance and fell right on top of Jacob, who was lying on the grass.

“A little girl like you has quite some nerve teasing me,” Jacob remarked, his voice cold despite the fact that he was only joking.

Luna’s eyes widened in shock, and she hurriedly scrambled to her feet. Rather than apologizing, she chose to make sure the rabbit Jacob had caught had escaped.

“Thank goodness it’s free,” she murmured in relief.

Jacob sat up and raised an eyebrow at Luna’s unexpected reaction. “What kind of reaction is that? You should be apologizing for what you just did,” he said.

Luna shot him a disdainful glance. Instead of apologizing, she stuck out her tongue at him mockingly before running away.

Jacob massaged his forehead. He really was playing around with a girl much younger than himself. The whole situation felt strange, and the worst part was that he actually enjoyed it.

He chuckled softly as he ran a hand through his hair.

“What a little brat.”