Hearing Luna's words, Chiori paused her movements.
"Perhaps it's my imagination, but you seem more concerned about my clothes than I am myself," she remarked casually.
"Maybe," Luna replied.
Chiori wrung the water from the handkerchief, removed her hairpin, and began drying her hair.
"Why?" she asked.
If one were to ask if Chiori was pleased, the answer would undoubtedly be yes.
This garment represented the culmination of her life's work—a masterpiece into which she had poured her entire being. For it to be cherished was even more gratifying than personal recognition.
Yet more than anything, she felt puzzled and perplexed.
"Is it because you participated in its creation? Perhaps you feel a collective sense of pride or mission, something like that?" Chiori asked again.
Luna shook her head, flicking off the remaining water droplets.
"I don't have any of that."
Concepts like a sense of honor or mission were foreign to her.
"I just feel... empty."
"Empty?"
Luna hugged her knees, her crimson eyes reflecting the dark clouds and sheets of rain.
"Chiori, you left Inazuma to pursue your own desires, but it's different for me. I left the place I knew best not to chase anything, but because of... uneasiness."
Uneasiness. This was the first time Chiori had ever associated that word with Luna.
After all, Luna had never shown anger or sorrow—at most, she had displayed occasional dissatisfaction.
"That's surprising. I always thought you were fearless," Chiori remarked casually.
"I used to think so too."
Unafraid of death.
Not scared of Arlecchino.
Even when surrounded by enemies, she could remain calm.
Luna touched her palm. The old wounds and memories of playing the piano with Arlecchino faded with each day as the scars healed.
But it was she who had chosen to leave the House of the Hearth.
"It seems that whenever I possess something, I become afraid of losing it, and when I'm afraid, I want to cut it off."
Luna drew her dagger, her fingertip gliding across the blade.
"What a troublesome personality," Chiori remarked bluntly.
"I don't deny it."
This wasn't about forcing anyone to obey her will or submit to her—that would be mere childishness.
Chiori wrung out her handkerchief again and laid it on a rock to dry in the breeze.
"So, you mean that after finishing my clothes, you'll sever ties with me?"
Luna shook her head slightly.
She toyed with the dagger, its blade reflecting her blurred face.
"I... I just think Chiori is too dazzling."
Chiori gazed at Luna's profile.
Luna turned to meet her gaze. "Dazzling and beautiful."
Chiori fell silent.
"Chiori, you know exactly what you want, what you need to do, and how to do it—and you'll never give up. Your will is unwavering and clear, like an arrow that will never break, flying straight ahead."
Luna sheathed the dagger and continued hugging her knees.
"But after leaving my familiar home, I don't know where to go anymore."
"Everything familiar has left me, and the world has become utterly alien."
If her past life had been a drama unfolding on a stage, she had now found herself in the world beneath the stage.
And she was utterly alone.
"I used to use an item with severe side effects. Even after a long recovery period, my body still has lingering issues, like being easily weakened and prone to illness."
So that's why she suddenly has a fever, Chiori thought, understanding dawning. Was this item some kind of medicine?
Chiori moved closer, raised her hand, and pressed her palm to Luna's forehead.
Still a bit warm.
"Can't it be cured?" Chiori asked, her voice laced with concern.
"They say that if I rest properly, my body can recover almost completely, but they don't know how long it will take."
"After leaving home, I rested for a long time, but there was hardly any improvement."
A child like me, who spends most of my time lying in bed, must be a burden to my family, a hindrance, Luna often thought.
No one likes being a hindrance.
Maybe they secretly resent me. Lynette and Arlecchino certainly wouldn't.
But what about the others? Luna remembered seeing some children express their discontent.
Though one glare from Arlecchino had silenced them forever.
Lynette, Lyney, and Freminet often told Luna, "Without you, we would have all died in that operation."
But once suspicion took root, it couldn't be stopped.
Maybe my parents abandoned me because they despised me too, Luna occasionally thought.
"If I stop, my mind will spiral into wild thoughts."
Perhaps she should have ended her life after rescuing Lynette.
She never regretted joining the House of the Hearth.
But she feared the House of the Hearth might regret letting her join.
"I was lost, unsure of what to do. I had learned so much beyond combat, but in the end, I chose to join the Adventurer's Guild and registered as an adventurer."
"Then I hunted monsters, battled formidable foes..."
"Only when I defeat an enemy do I feel a sliver of satisfaction. So I take on collection and hunting quests from the Guild, constantly operating in the wilderness."
"I don't want to stop."
Chiori realized, No wonder her clothes were riddled with holes when I first met her.
Fueled by a sense of confusion and emptiness, she swung her sword, fought, and hunted relentlessly.
Perhaps in this ceaseless running, she could find a sliver of meaning in her continued existence.
"And then you came along, Chiori," Luna continued.
Chiori raised her gaze.
"...You want to make my goal your own?" she guessed.
It wasn't surprising that someone whose heart was filled with emptiness and confusion would latch onto someone with unwavering determination and clear goals.
"I want to achieve Chiori's goal, to make your clothes the most dazzling at the Fashion Show," Luna murmured.
"I have no goals of my own, but I can realize yours."
"I didn't ask you to do this, and you shouldn't think that way," Chiori said irritably. She gripped Luna's hand tightly.
"Don't make my goal your own. My goal belongs only to me."
Luna retorted, "I'm not making it my own goal—achieving Chiori's goal is my goal. Is that so strange?"
"It's not strange, but I don't like it!" Chiori snapped, her displeasure growing.
"Why?" Luna asked, her voice low.
"Because you're not actually confused at all."
"Eh?"
That's the expression!
Chiori's mood brightened. "It seems you haven't even realized it yourself. A truly confused, truly empty person wouldn't even want to lift a finger!"
"—because they don't even know where their own fingertips should point anymore."
She pinned Luna down, her grip tightening.
The soft patter of rain on the shed's roof failed to drown out their ragged breathing.
"You're not lost, you're filled with hatred."
"Hatred?" Luna's gaze darted away.
This is way too close!
Oblivious to the suffocating proximity, Chiori lowered her head, her eyes locked on Luna's.
"Exactly. You hate your own powerlessness and weakness. That's why you crave battle, refuse to stop, and refuse to surrender to your own vulnerability."
"You and I have surprisingly more in common than I thought," Chiori said with a faint smile.
Luna stared in astonishment.
Though she desperately wanted to refute Chiori's words, she found herself speechless, her lips parting slightly but no words escaping.
Because Chiori had seen right through her.
"But you're just numbing yourself with futile effort," Chiori added.
She gently tapped Luna's forehead.
"A patient like you should be resting properly."
"Don't tap me!" Luna pouted.
Chiori scoffed, "After all the effort I went through to find you, you still dare complain?"
"Why shouldn't I? I didn't ask you to come looking for me—"
Chiori's expression darkened. "Because you're my friend! Even if you didn't want me here, I'd still come and take you home, you troublesome woman."
"...Take me home?" Luna's cheeks flushed.
Chiori snapped back to reality, feigning nonchalance. "Just slipped out."
"Didn't you also say something earlier about 'going home with me'?"
"I said 'going back with me'," Chiori corrected.
"It sounds the same to me."
Chiori took a deep breath, inexplicably irritated by Luna's smile.
Luna closed her eyes. "You just don't want to admit your weakness... Maybe it's really as you said, Chiori. I'm just too stubborn to give up, so I keep swinging my sword."
But that's just another way of numbing myself.
Chiori released Luna's hand and murmured softly, "People always think their own effort is enough. Numbing yourself might shield you from the pain and help you endure suffering."
"But an overdose of such medication will only block all sensation."
"You're one of them."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a smile playing on her lips.
"Abandon your previous goal for now. Achieving someone else's goal as your own? That's wrong. But if you're still unclear, I can guide you just once."
Luna sat up, her curiosity piqued. "How do you plan to guide me?"
"We'll take the Fashion Show together."
Chiori emphasized, "Together. As in, shoulder to shoulder, moving forward as equals."
Together meant advancing shoulder to shoulder, side by side.
Not treating her goal as your own desire—she had no need for such self-sacrificing devotion.
We're not master and servant. What need is there for devotion?
"Together..."
Luna recalled her past conversation with Arlecchino about seeing the aurora together.
Side by side.
"...Mm-hmm!"
Her heart cleared, as if a fog had lifted, revealing the path ahead. Perhaps her true intentions had never wavered, only been obscured by confusion, blurring her course.
Chiori smiled faintly. "An excellent answer."
Just then, the rain had almost stopped, reduced to a light drizzle.
Luna stood up and said, "Since we're already here, I'll help you find that Gem Flower while we're at it. Are you sure it's here?"
"Not entirely. But it doesn't matter if we don't find it."
"Exactly."
Let's just treat it as a walk.
"Tell me if you start feeling unwell," Chiori reminded her.
"Would Chiori carry me back?"
"If it becomes necessary."
The two wandered around the area for a while, eventually finding a brilliant flash of color in a small sea of flowers—the legendary Gem Flower.
Its petals were indeed crystal-clear, shimmering like precious gems.
After plucking the flower, Luna walked over to Chiori, smiling as she offered it. "I can't believe we actually found it! This one's for Chiori."
"I'm surprised too..." Chiori carefully took the flower.
Gently pinching a petal, she expected it to shatter like glass, but to her surprise, it proved remarkably resilient.
This would make excellent material, she thought.
"Chiori."
"What is it?"
Luna whispered, "I still want to help you achieve your goal, after all."
"You..." Chiori sighed, her voice tinged with affection.
"But this isn't a wish or a goal of mine—it's my genuine intention."
Chiori's eyes widened slightly. "Intention?"
A gentle breeze rippled through the small sea of flowers, causing Luna's hair to sway. With her hands clasped behind her back, she smiled.
"Yes. I like you, Chiori."
Chiori instinctively held her breath, her gaze flickering, and a hint of panic crept into her voice.
"You—what do you mean by that?"
"What other meaning could there be besides the literal one?" Luna smiled faintly.
Seeing her reaction, Chiori regained her composure.
So, she's just expressing her affection? Tsk, using such words to startle me. Chiori narrowed her eyes slightly, her displeasure evident.
"Chiori is a friend I cherish, so I want your clothes to be the most dazzling at the Fashion Show. Is that so strange?"
"...No, not strange."
Chiori casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to appear unconcerned.
Just that, then.
Chiori sighed and smiled helplessly. "Fine, I accept. You really don't listen, do you?"
Even if Chiori explained everything clearly, Luna would likely still follow her own instincts and speak her mind, act on her own accord.
The wind picked up, and as Chiori held down her skirt, she caught a glimpse of a tear beneath Luna's outer robe.
"Why is your inner robe torn too?"
"Ah... it must have gotten snagged during the battle."
Luna finally noticed it too.
She lifted the hem of her robe, muttering, "Another tear... Oh well, it probably doesn't matter—"
"It does matter," Chiori retorted, displeased.
She grabbed Luna's hem and examined it closely.
"You might think clothes are just something you wear to cover your body, merely fabric for concealment."
"That's certainly one function of clothing, but it's far from its only purpose."
Chiori released Luna's hem, pressed the flower against Luna's chest, then draped her outer garment over it, buttoning it closed.
Now, the flower became a splash of color near Luna's heart.
Chiori retrieved her makeup compact from her bag and opened it.
The Luna reflected in the mirror looked slightly unfamiliar even to herself.
Though it was just a single flower added as an embellishment, it completely transformed the overall impression.
"Clothing isn't just about external beauty," Chiori said in her clear, melodious voice. "It can also brighten the heart within."
Seeing herself properly dressed in the mirror would make her heart feel dignified. Conversely, when dressed lavishly, her heart would brim with vitality, eager to show herself off. Clothing was a part of the heart itself.
Chiori closed her makeup box.
"When your clothes are tattered, your heart won't remain unscathed either," she said earnestly.
Chiori took another step closer, gazing into Luna's eyes, her smile soft and warm.
"Let me mend your clothes."
And let me mend your heart, too.
"In exchange..."
She raised her hand and gently stroked Luna's cheek.
Indeed, she's breathtakingly beautiful.
Chiori couldn't tear her gaze away. Her heart raced inexplicably. She could smell the delicate fragrance of Luna's hair and feel the weight of her gaze on her skin, stirring an indescribable sensation within her.
"...lend me your beauty," she murmured.
Luna responded softly, "...Mm."
Their gazes locked for a long moment before Luna's lips parted slightly.
"Chiori."
"Hmm?" Chiori snapped out of her daze.
"May I kiss your cheek?"
May I?
Yes.
Why do I find Luna beautiful?
Because I might be falling for her.
When did this start?
I don't know. Definitely not at first. At first, I just thought she was a strange girl. Maybe it's because of the time we've spent together lately?
But whatever it is, Luna's confession of love just now... it's changed something within me, Chiori thought.
What a cunning woman.
A kiss would be fine, and even going further wouldn't be a problem.
But...
Chiori studied Luna's expression.
She's asking so casually, so naturally, as if she's made this request to countless women before.
"...No."
So no.
You're being too casual. And I'm serious.
If you want to kiss me, you'd better start seriously thinking about marrying me first, Chiori thought, her gaze lingering on Luna's lips before she forced herself to look away.
Then, feigning indifference, she said, "Alright, let's head back. I'll make sure you shine at the Fashion Show."
"Of course, you need to take your medicine first."
If Luna were to participate in the Fashion Show in her current condition, we might as well just concede defeat.
-
Spy- New Cover By WiseTL!!!
See we are not the same person!!!