"Luna, I'm sorry, but I have to abandon you. We never wanted to bring you into this world in the first place."
"This orphanage will be your home from now on. Live well with the other children."
Then why did you name me "Luna"?
Luna wanted to speak, but she couldn't move. She suddenly realized it was all just a dream.
Then she opened her eyes.
"Awake?"
Furina sat on the bed beside her, flipping through a novel. She was still wearing her hamster-like pajamas, which she had bought at great expense, arguing it would be a waste not to wear them. Besides, pulling up the hood made her feel cozy.
But if this continued, Furina would become a complete shut-in.
Luna didn't mind, as long as Furina was happy.
"Mm... I had a strange dream."
"What was it about?" Furina asked curiously.
"It was about my birth mother abandoning me at the orphanage entrance," Luna replied casually.
Furina was momentarily speechless. Wow, starting the day with such a heavy topic?
"And then?"
"Then I woke up."
Furina put down her novel and pondered for a moment.
Come to think of it, she didn't have parents either, since she was originally a body and spirit split from Focalors.
Or perhaps—Focalors was her mother?
She couldn't figure it out.
"I thought all the children at the House of the Hearth were orphans," Furina said.
"Yes, homeless and nowhere to return to. 'Father' only told me that half my bloodline is from Liyue and the other half from Mondstadt."
Her biological father was from Liyue, and her biological mother was from Mondstadt.
As for anything more, Arlecchino hadn't told her.
Either Arlecchino only knew that much herself, or she was withholding information.
Luna had never pressed Arlecchino for more details about her parents.
Because it was pointless.
"Why would I dream about something like this?" Luna murmured.
"Because you care deeply about it?"
"...I don't know. Maybe it's just because I saw Nana's parents the other day," Luna said casually, and it was the truth.
She wasn't sure how she truly felt about the matter.
"Envy?" Furina pressed.
"Perhaps."
Furina gazed at her intently.
"So, Luna, you can make that kind of expression too."
"What kind?" Luna asked, puzzled.
"Like the melancholic heroine in a film."
Furina nodded, looking genuinely curious.
The moment she closed her mouth, she transformed into the perfect, demure heroine.
Unfortunately, Luna's mouth never stayed still for long.
After a moment's reflection, Furina realized she still couldn't quite empathize with Luna. After all, she had been born into her current form and immediately succeeded as the Hydro Archon.
Still, Furina reached out and placed her hand on Luna's head, gently stroking it a few times.
"Does this make you feel a little better?" Furina murmured softly. "I'm not very good at comforting people..."
"Mm," Luna murmured, closing her eyes. Furina's hand, naturally smaller than Arlecchino's, still radiated the same comforting warmth.
"Even though things like this don't really affect me, I do feel a little better," Luna admitted. "But when I was abandoned, the card in the basket had my name on it—why give me a name if they were just going to abandon me?"
Furina pondered this thoughtfully.
"Perhaps they were forced to abandon you?"
"Such an optimistic perspective," Luna chuckled.
She didn't dislike Furina's interpretation.
But if Chiori were here, she'd definitely say...
"Probably just to give herself some meaningless comfort."
I knew it.
Inside Chioriya Boutique, Luna was serving as Chiori's personal model, trying on prototype after prototype. About eighty percent of the rejected designs would be slashed to pieces with a few strokes of Chiori's scissors, so many of the clothes Luna wore for fittings were disposable.
Only Chiori would do something like this.
"Inhale, cinch your waist."
Luna inhaled and cinched her waist as Chiori tightened the silk ribbons around her waist.
"How does it feel?"
"A little tight."
"Or perhaps you've gained weight."
"Ugh, you're so annoying!"
Luna pouted. Why does she always say I've gotten fat?
Her stomach was practically perfect—firm, toned, with smooth, flawless curves. It was a masterpiece.
Yet in Chiori's eyes, it was just a gas tank.
As if I'm some cat being fattened up like a pig.
Chiori added, "People always try to convince themselves. Maybe she named you Luna just to persuade herself and find some useless comfort."
(Spynote: Named u luna bc u round like the moon.)
"At her core, she still abandoned you," Chiori said.
"Such a pessimistic way of thinking," Luna murmured.
Chiori casually replied, "I prefer to call it: a realistic perspective."
"But if imagining things more positively makes you feel better, then go for it. A good mood is more important than anything."
Luna nodded.
"Let's change," she said.
As Luna changed into a new outfit, Chiori's hand moved swiftly, her blade flashing through the air. The discarded garment was sliced into pieces, ready for recycling.
This only meant one thing: it hadn't met her standards.
Unfazed, Luna asked, "What were your parents like, Chiori? You've never really talked about them."
"Because you never asked."
Chiori picked up the Kamera.
"Strike a pose."
"Yay—!"
Click. The shutter snapped, and the camera spat out a photograph.
Chiori gazed at the photo of Luna as she reminisced:
"My parents are merchants, just ordinary people. Nothing special about our family, unlike your dramatic life."
Luna nodded knowingly.
"Why take photos? Are you planning to use them?"
Chiori huffed. "Yes, every night, every day, all the time."
Her answer was utterly perfunctory.
"Should I change? Want a special 'Chiori-exclusive' photo shoot?" Luna tugged at her collar, a playful smile on her face.
"Don't be silly. I'm just using them for reference."
"Or maybe to spark some inspiration?"
Chiori crossed her arms, ignoring Luna's teasing.
After all, Luna never refused her when she really wanted something.
So what if they lived together? Or that Luna went to Poisson with Navia? She'd always come back here, as always.
"Want to go home?" Luna asked, sitting on the table again.
"Home?"
"Yeah."
Chiori shook her head.
"What if I came back to Inazuma with you?" Luna persisted.
"Inazuma's not much fun. There's no reason for me to go back."
Unless a certain Fat Cat had no choice but to leave Fontaine.
Luna asked, concerned, "Aren't your parents worried about you?"
"Why would they be? I write them every month. Besides, once I make a splash in Fontaine, they'll hear about it anyway. Inazuma's been open to the world for quite some time now."
"ChiChi, you're so heartless. If you were to leave me, would you never contact me again?" Luna asked with a smile.
Why does this conversation feel so familiar? Chiori thought for a moment before realizing it was a topic they had discussed before. It's amazing how clearly Luna remembers all these details.
"You don't need to worry about that," Chiori said bluntly. "If I'm chasing you, you won't be able to escape. And if you're chasing me, I'll wait right here for you."
"Can I take that as a yes to my confession?" Luna asked with a gentle smile.
"Yes."
Luna's eyes widened slightly. That was unexpected. She actually said it.
"Dare you?" Chiori stepped closer to Luna, returning her smile.
"Why wouldn't I? As long as you let me be the one to devour you," Luna said softly, caressing Chiori's cheek.
Chiori's gaze swept across Luna's face, searching for any trace of falsehood or jest.
Why have I always rejected Luna before?
The reason was that this Fat Cat's words were too seductive, making it impossible to tell if she genuinely meant them—if she was simply being casual.
I still can't tell.
But now Chiori had made up her mind: she wouldn't let herself regret this.
She leaned in and pressed her lips against Luna's neck.
A sharp sting alternated with warmth—a brief pain followed by the lingering heat of teeth against skin...
Luna stared at Chiori until Chiori finally looked up.
Chiori nonchalantly wiped the glistening water from Luna's neck.
"You know that's impossible. If you ask me whether I prefer to be the one eating or the one being eaten, I'll always choose to be the one eating."
"Looks like we disagree then."
Perhaps it would come down to who could make the other submit.
"Chiori."
"What?"
Chiori ran a hand through her hair.
"I want to hug you."
Chiori wasn't surprised. "Playing cute, huh? Can I take that as you wanting to be the one being eaten?"
"Forget it then. If you're going to analyze everything I do like that, I might as well just be a lazy, good-for-nothing salted fish."
Luna's interest waned.
"Unfortunately for you, I don't like salted fish. Too salty," Chiori replied.
"I don't care."
Chiori sighed softly. A simple hug was no big deal. After all, they'd done it countless times before.
"Come here. Do as you please," Chiori said.
Luna sat up and beckoned Chiori closer, seemingly too lazy to even walk the few steps herself.
The moment Chiori stepped closer, Luna wrapped her legs around Chiori's waist.
"...Didn't you say you wanted a hug?" Chiori asked.
"I was thinking, if hugging with your arms counts, then hugging with your legs should too."
"Sigh..."
Chiori fell silent for a moment.
"We'll go back someday," Chiori said, "after all, our parents should meet you."
In truth, they were quite curious about Luna, the girl who had been by Chiori's side all this time.
If only they knew their daughter had fallen for her, Chiori mused absently. Their reaction would be priceless.
"When do you mean by 'someday'?" Luna asked.
"When my name returns to Inazuma before I do," Chiori replied with a confident smile.
Luna swung her legs off the table and slid down.
"I'll write a letter right now, addressed only to 'Chiori,' and send it to Inazuma," she said with a mischievous grin.
"...You win this round."
A moment later, the doorbell rang.
As expected, Luna had sensed someone approaching and gotten off the table. Her ears were truly sharp, Chiori thought, turning to greet the customers.
"Welcome. Ready-made or custom?"
"Custom."
Another group of young women who looked like noble ladies.
"Oh, Miss Luna is here too! How fortunate! If you're free, we'd like to invite you to our ladies' tea party—"
"She's busy," Chiori cut in immediately.
I hadn't even said anything yet, Luna thought to herself.
"Eh? But she looks perfectly free right now?"
"She's busy. I've claimed her time," Chiori said without a hint of politeness.
"Alright..."
After all, everyone knew that Luna was Chiori's exclusive model.
Their invitation rebuffed, the noble ladies swiftly changed the subject, diving into gossip.
It was the usual fare: scandals involving high-ranking officials, noble children being dumped...
But then a more intriguing tidbit surfaced.
"I heard they're unveiling a new humanoid Clockwork Meka soon."
"Something called the 'Pinocchio,' I think?"
"My uncle works there! It's a product developed independently by his Confrerie. Apparently, there's even a 'Blue Fairy' model..."
"What's it for?"
"Supposedly for combat, specifically to counter Phantom Thieves..."
"Will it even work?"
"Ugh, that's how development goes. They make grand promises first, then hope someone will pay! That's all that matters."
"Exactly! My uncle says the core of this thing is totally different from other Clockwork Mekas, even though it uses the same energy... And apparently Lady Focalors herself will be attending the unveiling ceremony!"
"What about Lady Furina?"
"She hasn't been seen much in public lately..."
"What a shame."
"Ah! I think I read in a magazine that the core is called..."
"Puppet Heart?"
"Yes, exactly!"
Treasure Information Discovered: Puppet Heart
As expected, treasures lurked everywhere around Chiori, even in her boutique. Just sitting here, Luna could uncover clues about them.
Luna glanced at Chiori and subtly tucked away a fashion design sketch.
She knew Chiori would give it to her if she asked directly. But where would the surprise be in that?
"After making so many clothes for me, it's my turn to make one for her," Luna murmured.
Just in time, Chiori's most important event, Fashion Week, was coming up soon.