The atmosphere in the living room was subtly tense.
Clorinde glanced back and forth between Furina and Focalors, exclaiming, "They're absolutely identical!"
If there was any difference, it lay in the auras they exuded.
Focalors wore a serene smile, much like Furina before her abdication, yet her every glance and smile carried an air of composure and playful charm.
As for Furina...
One word: soft.
Furina crossed her arms, her expression nuanced. "Clorinde, are you thinking something impolite?"
"No, absolutely not! I definitely wasn't thinking Furina is more..."
"More?"
"...Mhm."
"Mhm? What does mhm even mean?!"
Though it was just a single syllable, Furina felt deeply offended, yet she merely huffed in response.
Chiori leaned against the wall, saying, "I never expected Lady Focalors to come here. Who are you looking for?"
Was she here for Furina or Luna?
She must be here for Furina, Navia thought. Focalors isn't particularly close to Lulu.
Or could they have become friends behind my back?
Just like how I only found out today that Furina and Luna are living together.
"I've come to see Furina," Focalors said with a gentle smile.
"To see me?" Furina's eyes flickered as she murmured, "I-Is there something you need?"
"Can't I visit you just because I miss you? You're my creator, after all. You're so heartless," Focalors said smoothly, without a hint of blush or hesitation.
It's the other way around! You created me, Furina thought.
Focalors had already explained everything during her apology and explanation earlier. Furina felt neither resentment nor concern about her status as a "person" who had been split off. Every decision she had made over the past five hundred years served as absolute proof that her will belonged solely to herself. She was simply a human named Furina.
"Just kidding," Focalors added. "You don't need to play along."
"Hmm..."
This lie only needed to be maintained between them.
"Are you going to step out and chat with her?" Chiori asked.
Perfect timing—she had something to discuss with Luna as well.
Focalors smiled serenely. "There's no rush."
"In fact, I have some personal acquaintance with Miss Luna. I heard she hasn't been feeling well lately, so I was planning to visit her sometime."
And it was a rather deep personal connection, at that.
After all, she had directly reached into her body and taken her Authority of the Hydro Archon.
Navia asked, "Personal connection? Does that mean you're friends?"
"That depends on Miss Luna's perspective. I noticed her long ago, and we once shared a very close bond."
Shared a bond as accomplices in deceiving Celestia.
"Close..." Navia's expression was nuanced.
"Close?" Furina's brow furrowed deeply.
Could it be... Luna kissed her too?
No, no, that can't be right. She probably just means they were Focalors' collaborators.
Luna murmured softly, "That phrasing is bound to cause misunderstandings."
"But it's not entirely wrong, is it? It's just that you later decided to withdraw."
Any further discussion would only make things worse.
Focalors glanced at the three women.
Miss Chiori seemed to have already pieced together the truth, but the Miss President of the Spina di Rosula and the Miss Champion Duelist were still in the dark.
"So, Miss Luna, are you feeling any better?"
"Almost fully recovered."
Focalors smiled. "That's wonderful to hear. By the way, what were you all discussing just now?"
Why did she have to steer the conversation back to this?! Furina thought in alarm. Is she really not here to stir up trouble?
Clorinde stated bluntly, "Furina is currently cohabitating with Luna. Navia and Chiori seem to have some reservations about it."
"E-eh? I... I actually don't mind it, ha ha..." Navia forced a smile. She cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'm just curious! Yes, just curious about why Lulu would be living with Furina! Clorinde and Chiori are curious too, right?"
She glanced anxiously at the other two women.
Chiori snapped impatiently, "Yes, so get on with it. How can Furina even tolerate you?"
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Luna huffed.
Furina couldn't help but interject, "Luna is actually quite nice. Sure, she has her little quirks, but she also accepts my flaws and shortcomings."
Chiori immediately fixed her with a piercing stare.
So terrifying!
Furina immediately shrank back, her voice fading to a whisper. "Ahem, isn't that how cohabitation works? When you live together, you have to accept each other's flaws."
Besides, apart from Luna's habit of kissing and biting her, there were no other behaviors that particularly bothered her.
Chiori averted her gaze, falling silent. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
"So, what's the reason?" Focalors asked, equally curious.
Not you too... Furina sputtered, momentarily speechless.
She couldn't possibly reveal Luna's true identity, let alone confess how she had chased Luna across the land. That would be utterly mortifying—absolutely not!
Luna chuckled. "No particular reason. I just saw she was living alone in her apartment and seemed lonely, so I invited her over."
"And Furina accepted?"
"Yes."
Focalors nodded meaningfully.
Neuvillette said she was desperately eager to chase after Luna.
But to be fair, she did look lonely and pitiful. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked Neuvillette to deliver the message.
Focalors glided behind Furina and gently placed her hands on her shoulders.
From this angle, they could almost pass for twin sisters, Luna mused.
"After all, Furina is such a crybaby—she gets lonely easily. And after pretending to be an ordinary person for so long, it's only natural she'd feel isolated."
Furina's face flushed crimson. "Hey! Who are you calling a crybaby?!"
It's just that her Hydro Element... her tear ducts are a bit overdeveloped, that's all!
"Ordinary person..." Navia muttered under her breath.
Regardless of official explanations, Navia believed this much was true.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have suspected and even put Furina on trial.
Chiori sighed softly. "Never mind."
"Never mind what?" Clorinde asked.
"Let's drop the questions about their cohabitation."
Navia lowered her gaze. "Indeed..."
First, now that things have come this far, how could I possibly separate Luna and Furina? It's just cohabitation, like sharing an apartment...
Second, Furina and Luna were already close when Furina was serving as the Hydro Archon. It's not illogical for them to live together after Furina stepped down.
Most importantly, Furina finally deserves a break after carrying such a heavy burden for so long. She's just living with her friend.
If I keep prying about their living arrangements, I'll feel like the villain.
Navia reasoned with herself.
After reluctantly convincing herself, Navia smiled.
"Speaking of which, since Lulu's feeling better, why don't we all hang out? Clorinde has the day off, and Chiori doesn't seem to have any orders to fulfill..."
"Of course, Furina and Lady Focalors are welcome to join us too, if they don't mind."
The more, the merrier!
Chiori pinched Luna's cheek as she spoke, "I have no objections."
"I do," Luna retorted, pointing at Chiori's hand still pinching her cheek.
"You don't," Chiori retorted, her expression darkening.
"Resorting to violence at the slightest disagreement."
"Consider this mercy," Chiori said.
Luna huffed softly, "I invited you to stay at my place before, but you refused. Now that Furina's staying here, you're not happy about that either. You're such a troublesome woman—"
Chiori leaned down without a word, pressing harder.
Ow!
"Regretting it already?" Luna whispered in her ear.
Chiori never did things she would regret.
But this time was different.
"...Yes."
Luna looked slightly surprised.
The next moment, Chiori murmured close to her ear, "But this will only happen once. There won't be another time."
"Then show me what you've got?"
Chiori stared into Luna's eyes before straightening up.
"Just like that. I'm free today, so we can do whatever you want," Chiori said casually, completely ignoring the stares from the others.
Furina felt a pang of dissatisfaction. Even though she couldn't hear what they were saying, it didn't stop her from feeling irritated.
Why does it seem like all the women around Luna are so comfortable with her?
Focalors asked with interest, "What shall we play?"
"As expected?" Clorinde asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Navia puffed out her chest.
Navia winked playfully, raising her index finger. "Of course, we're playing Tabletop Troupe! And since this is a rare opportunity, we'll need some snacks and drinks too."
Clorinde asked, "Luna, I remember you keep wine here. Can we have some?"
"Of course!"
Clorinde walked to the cabinet with practiced ease and retrieved a bottle of wine.
Furina hesitated. "Um... by 'Tabletop Troupe,' do you mean a tabletop game we all play together?"
"Exactly."
"I... might not be very good at this..."
I could end up ruining everyone's fun.
After all, I've never done anything like this before—gathering to eat, drink, and play. I've never had that kind of experience. Furina couldn't help but glance at Luna.
Luna smiled warmly at her. "You have to try! Don't worry, I'll be here with you."
"Alright then..."
It'll be fine if Luna's there.
Chiori clicked her tongue. "Tsk..."
Navia remained silent, her expression unreadable.
Clorinde commented, "They're so close."
Focalors looked on with a satisfied expression.
Under the intense gazes of the four women, Furina couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
Even though Luna was also being watched, she remained completely composed. Furina couldn't help but admire her.
Is this the legendary composure of a Phantom Thief?
"Furina, do you want some wine? Even though it might make playing Tabletop Troupe a bit tricky, I'll host a simpler scenario so you don't have to worry," Clorinde offered.
"Me? I'll have a little... but I'll save the rest for later tonight."
Come to think of it, I haven't had a drink in ages. I had to stay sharp and couldn't risk exposing my identity through carelessness, Furina thought to herself.
But there's no need to worry. My alcohol tolerance is definitely excellent! Furina declared with unwavering confidence.