Luna was astonished that Lynette would let her touch her cat ears.
She hadn't been trying to elicit Lynette's sympathy.
Betraying their promise was an undeniable truth. It was perfectly reasonable for Lynette not to forgive her.
In a world where right and wrong often blurred, one immutable rule remained:
Everyone must pay the price for every choice they make.
"Are you pitying me?" Luna asked with a faint smile.
"How could I be? This isn't pity," Lynette replied.
Lynette fell silent for a few seconds, hesitating whether to reveal her true feelings.
Finally, she confessed, "...It's just family comforting each other."
She couldn't think of any other way to console Luna.
And this gesture carried symbolic weight. Only those she cherished—such as her "Father" Arlecchino and her own brother Lyney—were permitted to touch her cat ears.
"Have you forgotten? You used to do the same to me," Lynette added.
Used to...?
Luna pondered for a moment. If she were thinking back to the past, then perhaps...
-
By then, Luna and Lynette had been living at the House of the Hearth for some time.
Thanks to Lyney's proactive efforts to mediate, their relationships with the other children had improved significantly.
Additionally, Luna often helped Freminet maintain the equipment, while Lynette assisted with cooking and other household chores. The other children now harbored no resentment toward them.
More importantly—they couldn't beat Luna.
Even ganging up on her proved futile!
Luna's progress could no longer be described as simply "rapid."
Sometimes, they even wondered if her ancestors might have been knights or warriors. Otherwise, her natural talent seemed almost excessive.
News of their earlier Duel had reached Arlecchino's ears.
However, Arlecchino merely instructed them to resolve it themselves. If they relied on "Father" to handle everything, they would never learn to grow.
Yet this short period hadn't been enough for Luna and Lynette to fully integrate into the family.
"Lynette—? Where are you?"
Lynette was missing.
To be precise, Luna had woken up that morning to find Lynette had vanished without a trace.
They always slept together and usually lingered in bed for a while after waking up, chatting before getting up.
Something's wrong! Luna thought, immediately getting up to search the House for Lynette.
When Luna couldn't find Lynette inside the House, she went outside to search.
After searching for a while, Luna finally spotted Lynette's figure.
"Lynette!"
Sitting on the rooftop, Lynette's ears twitched. "Luna? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.
"I couldn't find you."
"Ah, I'm sorry..." Lynette's ears drooped.
Luna nimbly climbed onto the roof and sat beside Lynette.
"What's wrong? Sitting here all alone?"
"I..." Lynette hesitated, glancing at Luna. "It's nothing, really. You've been so busy lately, Luna. It's just a small thing—I didn't want to bother you."
Luna bristled at this. "How could anything involving Lynette be a 'small thing'? 'Father' is important to me, and you're just as important."
"What about Brother and Freminet?"
"Friends."
Important, but nowhere near the level of Arlecchino and Lynette.
A faint light sparked in Lynette's eyes.
Though this wasn't the root of her current unease, the House of the Hearth, teeming with adolescents, buzzed with gossip.
Seeing Luna working alongside Lyney and Freminet, some speculated she was popular with men. Others wondered who Luna would eventually choose as her partner.
The thought sent a suffocating tightness through Lynette's chest.
Though she couldn't fully understand why this feeling had arisen, she deeply resented such remarks.
"Recently... someone said something that reached my ears."
Another ear thing, Luna thought.
"Who was it? Were they bullying you?"
If so, she'd draw her sword without hesitation.
Lynette shook her head. With Luna around, who would dare bully her?
"Perhaps I'm just being too sensitive... A few children were discussing my ears, not out of malice, but pure curiosity. Yet their curiosity keeps bringing up so many memories."
"I don't hate my ears anymore. With them, I can help you, help Brother, help 'Father'—but sometimes I still wonder, why am I the only one with these ears?"
Lynette's ears twitched.
She and Lyney were siblings, yet only she possessed this "atavistic trait."
"No one else in the House of the Hearth has them either. I feel like an outsider..." Lynette murmured.
Because of these ears, she found it difficult to feel like she truly belonged.
And if Lyney found out, he would undoubtedly worry again. So she had to escape beyond the House. Her instincts told her that in times like these, being alone in a high place was best.
Her cat tail swept across the floor as Lynette, her hair still long, lowered her gaze.
"...If I told you, you'd definitely worry."
Luna smiled gently. "Of course I'd worry. Lynette is my dear friend, after all."
She was also Luna's first friend, both before and after entering the House of the Hearth.
Lynette's ears twitched happily, and a blush rose on her cheeks.
"Luna is important to me too."
"...How about this, then?" Luna suddenly changed the subject.
How about what?
As Lynette looked at her in confusion, Luna extended her hand.
"Come here for a moment."
"Eh? Uh... okay."
Lynette hesitantly took her hand, and Luna pulled her around the corner to a nearby shop.
Luna grabbed a cat-ear headband from the shelf and put it on.
"Now I have cat ears too," she said.
"But... they're fake?"
"Even if it's a fake cat, it's still the second cat in the house. Even if I can only be a fake, I want Lynette to realize that she's not alone—there's another cat like her by her side."
Luna twirled lightly. "Even fakes have their own unique meaning."
"—That is, to ensure the real thing never feels alone again!"
Lynette's eyes widened. "To make the real one... no longer alone..."
A warmth, almost scalding, bloomed in her chest. For some reason, her eyes grew hot, and when she came to her senses, tears were already streaming down her face.
Luna panicked for a moment but quickly regained her composure, wiping away Lynette's tears with her sleeve.
"Lynette, are you actually such a crybaby?"
"No... I don't know why... the tears just came out..." Lynette sniffled.
"Then why don't you pet my ears?"
"Huh?"
Luna lowered her head. "This is how family members comfort each other! I petted your ears earlier, now it's your turn. Go ahead."
Luna must be referring to the cat ear headband I'm wearing, Lynette thought. Those are just artificial fakes, they won't feel real at all. I prefer warm, fluffy things to cold, lifeless ones.
So she reached out and gently stroked Luna's ears—her real ears.
"Lynette?" Luna's earlobes flushed crimson.
"These are ears too..."
"I know that, but..."
Luna wanted to speak, but she stopped herself.
Something felt strange.
Though her ears weren't particularly sensitive, having Lynette gently kneading them with her small hands left Luna feeling flustered.
And for some reason, she suddenly felt the urge to lick Lynette's hand. As this thought crossed her mind, a foreign yet soft sensation bloomed between them.
"Ah..." Lynette's face flushed crimson.
Luna noticed a glistening sheen on Lynette's wrist where their hands touched. She was still pressing Lynette's hand against hers, as if trying to make them fit even closer.
"I didn't mean to..." Luna blurted out, panicked.
Who would believe that? she thought to herself.
But Lynette didn't seem to mind. Instead, she whispered, "Luna doesn't look like a cat at all, yet she has this feline aura... It's so strange."
Even more cat-like than me, a real cat.
"I don't think so," Luna countered.
Afterward, she bought a pair of cat-ear headbands. Wearing one herself, she took Lynette's hand and led her back to the House of the Hearth.
Though other children stared—some with curiosity, others with surprise—Luna remained utterly unbothered.
"Luna, what...?" Lyney exclaimed in surprise.
Luna chuckled. "It's just a pair of cat ears. What's so strange about that?"
Freminet looked confused. "But aren't these accessories—"
Lyney swiftly elbowed him. "Right, right! Nothing strange at all!"
Freminet realized the truth with a sudden understanding. "Ah, so that's how it is... Hmm... Not surprising. It would be weirder if we had mushrooms growing out of our heads."
Luna chuckled. "Exactly! Let's all wear cat ears today! 'Father' will be so surprised when she gets back!"
Under Lyney's various lies and persuasions, many children had put on the cat ear headbands he gave them, though their enthusiasm was fleeting; after today, they'd likely toss the accessories into dusty corners.
But when Lynette saw so many "cat-eared people," she froze in place, momentarily stunned.
Luna smiled warmly. "Isn't it fun?"
"...Mm." Lynette nodded frankly.
Then, Arlecchino returned home.
"Meow, meow, meow, meow!"
"Meow, meow!?"
She fell silent, staring at the group of children mimicking cat sounds and movements.
The children also went deathly silent.
Only Luna, her eyes sparkling with excitement, rushed forward, offering a cat ear headband. "Father, won't you wear one too?"
She could barely imagine how adorable Arlecchino would look wearing it.
"...No, thank you."
Arlecchino seemed to see through everything, her gaze settling on Lynette.
She first patted Luna's head, then lightly tapped Lynette's.
"Well done, Luna."
-
Such nostalgic memories...
The glimmer in Luna's eyes assured Lynette that she was indeed reminiscing about the past.
"You let me touch your ears before. Now it's your turn. If... if you still consider me your dear friend, your family, then please touch my ears."
Would this count as making up?
Not quite. But it was the most crucial first step.
"Lynette, you've learned to be so cunning with your words now," Luna murmured softly.
She raised her hand, her fingertip gently kneading Lynette's cat ear.
A jolt like an electric current surged through Lynette's entire body.
Luna's hands were longer and more slender than before, but their warmth remained unchanged. It felt as if Lynette's body and soul were being nourished after a long drought, her heart racing with a feverish excitement. The warmth shifted across her ears, gliding, kneading, pinching, and her breathing grew ragged.
Suddenly, she noticed something was off: the sensation of Luna's touch on her cat ears was far more intense than when they were children!
Lynette's breath came in ragged gasps, her body flushed with heat as she leaned against the railing for support, her legs weak and trembling. Yet, despite recognizing the unsettling sensation, she made no move to pull Luna's hand away from her cat ears.
Instead, Lynette instinctively reached for Luna's other hand, drawing it to her face. She leaned in, then sank her slightly sharp teeth into Luna's wrist. The pain gradually subsided, replaced by a sliding, damp warmth that left a distinct bite mark shimmering with moisture.
"I have my flaws too," Lynette gasped.
"No, you don't," Luna replied softly.
"Yes, I do. If I hadn't been so childish, letting my emotions drive me to blame you... and instead had just taken your hand, everything might have been different."
She pressed her lips together tightly.
"...Then I was being childish too."
Afraid of being abandoned, she had let her imagination run wild, leading her to leave Arlecchino and Lynette, and depart from the House of the Hearth.
That too was a form of immaturity and weakness.
Betraying her promise and then lacking the courage to face Lynette—this too was a sign of immaturity and weakness.
Luna smiled faintly. "But I'm different now."
"If Lynette still wants to see me, I'll come find you."
Lynette's gaze softened. "...Mm."
She took a deep breath.
Now, she could finally say the words she had never been able to speak to Luna alone before.
"Lulu."
"Mm."
"...Welcome back."
Lynette whispered.
Luna didn't reply, only smiled gently before turning away.
"You're speaking too soon."
"Eh?"
Luna held a card between her fingers and glanced back. "Remember to check your mailbox later. Don't miss the one-of-a-kind Announcement Letter."
"...I don't understand," Lynette said, utterly bewildered.
An Announcement Letter?
Why would she send an Announcement Letter? And was it really meant for them?
Why?
She was completely stumped.
-
Back home, Luna offered Furina a pastry, feeding her while casually recounting the day's events.
"What? You're a descendant of the Knights of Favonius?"
"And that woman... Arlecchino wants us to find your parents together? And she's inviting me to her tea party?"
Furina's expression shifted dramatically, the pastries in her mouth suddenly losing their flavor.
Yet she still managed to finish them all. Truly, she lived up to her reputation.
"Sigh, whatever..."
With Luna around, Arlecchino probably won't do anything to me, Furina thought. Besides, Luna matters more to me than any of this.
"Are you alright? After hearing all this..."
She wanted to ask directly.
But then she reconsidered. Perhaps the best approach in this situation wasn't direct questioning, but action!
Furina cupped Luna's face and kissed her lightly. "Don't worry," she murmured. "Whether it's the world on stage or the world behind the scenes, I'll always be with you!"
No matter what truths lay ahead, she would witness them alongside Luna, forever.
Luna leaned against Furina's shoulder and softly replied, "Mm."
She wasn't planning to rush off to trace her origins just yet.
First, she couldn't abandon Chiori's Fashion Week. Second, she needed time to prepare herself...
"Thank you, my lovely Lady Furina."
"You're welcome, dear." Furina smiled.
After all, she's my girlfriend.
After all, she's my girlfriend.
After all, she's my life partner.
Important things must be said three times!