Saiya answered a little too quickly at the call. "It's nothing," she said, her voice light and dismissive, as she turned back toward the luggage and continued folding the last few pieces of clothing as if nothing had happened at all.
But it wasn't convincing, not to Lunar.
There was a subtle stiffness in the way Saiya moved now, a faint hesitation in her hands that hadn't been there before, and even though her expression looked calm on the surface, Lunar could feel it clearly—something was off.
She watched her for a second longer, quietly, before speaking again. "…Saichan?"
Saiya paused for the briefest moment, then hummed in acknowledgment without looking back. "Mm?" But she still didn't say anything else, her attention stubbornly fixed on the task in front of her.
Lunar's gaze softened. Without saying another word, she shifted closer and reached out, placing her hand gently on Saiya's shoulder. The contact was light, careful, but it was enough to make Saiya stop completely this time.
The room grew quieter and quieter. Lunar took a small breath before speaking again, her voice even softer now, sound and warm.
"We promised each other, didn't we?" she said. "That if something's bothering us… or if we're having thoughts we don't like, we'd talk about it instead of keeping it in."
Saiya didn't respond, and she didn't move either, so Lunar moved for her.
The hand resting on Saiya's shoulder slid upward, brushing lightly along the side of her neck before coming to rest against her cheek, while her other hand lifted to cradle the opposite side, her delicate fingers warm and melting against Saiya's skin. Then, carefully, she guided her to turn, bringing her face around until their eyes finally met.
Up close like this, there was nowhere to look but forward.
Lunar's pale yellow eyes held no pressure, no force, just quiet sincerity as she looked straight into Saiya's gaze. "So tell me," she said softly, her thumbs resting lightly against Saiya's cheeks, "what's wrong, Saichan?"
Saiya felt her resolve begin to slip the longer she remained under that sweet, unguarded gaze. There was something deeply unfair about it, she thought to herself, the way Lunar looked at her with such softness, the way her voice carried that gentle insistence that made it impossible to turn away. It wasn't forceful, it wasn't demanding, but it reached her all the same, slipping past every defense she had built without resistance.
…She really knows how to corner me, doesn't she.
A small breath escaped her as her shoulders eased just a little, the tension slowly draining out of her body. Then, almost instinctively, she lifted her hands and placed them over Lunar's, which were still cupping her cheeks, her larger palms covering them completely as she held them there for a moment longer than necessary, quietly savoring the warmth and the contact before she finally closed her eyes.
"…It's just that…" she began, her voice muted now, stripped of its usual confidence. "You have all these memories of your mother." She paused briefly, as if choosing her words carefully, or maybe just steadying herself enough to say them out loud.
"All these little things you can hold on to… moments, conversations, even something as simple as clothes," she continued, her fingers unconsciously tightening just a fraction around Lunar's hands. "And it shows, you know. The way you talk about her, the way you think about her… it's always full of so much feeling."
Her lips curved faintly, though there was no real humor behind it. "And that's what makes me… a little envious."
The admission hung quietly between them. Saiya exhaled slowly, her brows drawing together just a little as she tried to put something into words that she had never really said out loud before.
"Because I don't have any of that," she went on, her voice firmer but noticeably quieter. "There's nothing for me to look back on, no shared moments or memories that belong to just the two of us. I never had a conversation with her, not even once. Not a single second where it was just… me and my mother."
Her grip softened slightly as she lowered her gaze.
"All I have are recordings," she said. "Videos of her races, clips people kept, a few personal moments that Mom and the other aunts saved… but those aren't really mine, are they? They're not memories we made together. They're just… things I watched from the outside."
For a moment, she fell silent, as if the weight of that realization had pierced entirely through her heart, making her struggle to pour the words out. "…And sometimes," she added quietly, "when I hear you talk about your mom like that… with so much love, so naturally…"
She hesitated, just for a second, before finally voicing the thought that had been lingering in the back of her mind for far too long. "I start wondering if I'm really her daughter at all."
Her fingers tightened again, this time not out of comfort, but something closer to desperation. "Because I can't even feel a fraction of what you feel," she admitted, her voice dropping to almost a whisper. "When I think about her… there's nothing that comes up, no warmth, no attachment, no memories to reach for, nothing that feels like it belongs to me."
A small, almost self-conscious breath escaped her. "…It's just empty."
Lunar didn't interrupt her, didn't rush to fill the silence or soften the words, and instead simply listened, her hands still held gently within Saiya's larger ones as she tried to understand what she was really saying beneath all of that quiet honesty. But after a moment, she realized she couldn't quite reach her the way she wanted like this, not when there was still a small distance between them, not when her arms were still caught in that loose hold instead of being able to return the comfort properly.
So, she moved.
Taking a small step forward, Lunar leaned in without hesitation, resting her forehead and cheek softly against Saiya's collarbone, the contact gentle but certain as she pressed closer in a way that felt natural to her. "I'm sorry…" she murmured, her voice slightly muffled against her, but still warm and sincere. "I'm sorry for making you feel that way."
Saiya blinked, caught completely off guard by the sudden apology, and she shook her head almost immediately, her grip tightening just a fraction in reflex as a hint of panic crept into her expression. "No, hey… it's not your fault," she said quickly, her voice a little rushed as she tried to correct that thought before it settled. "Not even close. This is just… me, my own thoughts getting in the way again."
She let out a quieter breath this time, her shoulders easing just slightly as she looked down at the girl leaning against her. "If anything, you're the one who pulled me out of that."
Lunar shifted just enough to tilt her head upward, still resting against her as she looked up with a faint crease in her brows. "What do you mean?"
Saiya hesitated for a moment, her gaze drifting off to the side as she searched for the right way to explain it. "…Before you came here," she began slowly, "I was… really alone."
Lunar frowned faintly at that, lifting her head just a little as confusion flickered across her face. "But… everyone's here with you, right?"
Saiya gave a small shake of her head. "It's not that kind of alone," she said quietly. "Namawa, Persian, Anonym, Mom, the others… they've always been around. I was never physically by myself." Her fingers shifted slightly, loosening their hold on Lunar's hands just enough to slide down, guiding them together instead as she intertwined their fingers, holding on in a quieter, more intimate way.
"It's more like…" she paused, her brows knitting together as she tried to put the feeling into words. "Everyone was there, but it still felt like no one really saw me."
Her thumb brushed absentmindedly over the back of Lunar's hand as she continued. "I could see it, though. The way everyone else connected with each other," she said, her voice distant, like she was watching those moments play out again in her mind. "The way their emotions just… lit up around the people they loved."
A faint, almost wistful smile touched her lips as she continued.
"Like when Aunt Tycoon comes back from a long trip," she said. "Persian, who's usually so mature and proper, just drops all of that and runs to her like a little kid." There was a hint of warmth in her expression as she continued, "Or how Mom Two can take someone like Namawa, who's already so loud and full of energy, and somehow make her shine even brighter with just a single touch."
Her gaze softened further, her fingers still gently holding onto Lunar's hand to anchor herself in the present while her thoughts drifted elsewhere. "And Anonym…" she added more quietly. "You've seen it too, haven't you? The way she is around Aunt Autumn. It's like there's a spark inside her that only responds to her presence."
Lunar couldn't help the small smile that formed at that, nodding lightly in agreement. "Yeah… she really does."
Saiya huffed out a faint breath of agreement before continuing. "And Big Sis Oscietra…" she went on, shaking her head slightly. "She becomes a completely different person around Aunt Exceed. It's almost hard to believe it's the same person sometimes."
There was no bitterness in her voice as she spoke, only quiet observation shaped by years of watching these moments repeat themselves, over and over again, until they became something she understood even without being part of them.
"It's not like I don't feel it," she added after a moment. "I do. Every time mom comes home and pulls me into a hug, smothers me in kisses like I'm still a little kid… I feel it just the same."
Her fingers tightened slightly around Lunar's hand, not enough to hurt, but enough to show how much that feeling affects her. "That warmth exists in my world too," she said softly, her gaze lowering just a fraction as her voice grew quieter. "But everyone else has two of those… two people they can share that warmth with." For a moment, she didn't look up. "…And I only have one."
"Saichan, I—" Lunar barely managed to get the words out before Saiya gently cut her off, her voice soft but certain as it slipped in between them. "But then came you."
The sudden interruption caught Lunar off guard, her lips parting slightly as she looked up at her, a little flustered by how firm yet soft Saiya's voice sounded.
Saiya didn't stop there. Her gaze drifted for a moment, as if she was looking back into a memory she hadn't allowed herself to revisit in a long time. "When you first arrived," she began slowly, choosing each words with care. "I didn't know anything about you. Not who you were, not why you were here, not even what kind of person you'd be."
Her fingers shifted slightly, still holding onto Lunar's hand, grounding herself as she spoke. "All I remember… was that pale blue around you."
Lunar blinked, the light in her eyes swirled in confusion. "Pale blue…?"
Saiya gave a small nod, her expression softening just a little. "Emotions have colors," she explained quietly. "And blue… that's the color most people carry when they're sad."
Her gaze lowered slightly as she continued. "Everyone has it in some form. Some more than others, some only at certain times, and sometimes it shows up in different shades." A faint, fleeting smile touched her lips. "Even Mom… she always carries a little bit of pale blue around her heart, no matter how much happiness surrounds her. It's like something that never really fades, no matter how much time passes."
Her eyes lifted again, meeting Lunar's. "And you had it too."
Slowly, hesitantly, Saiya lifted one hand and rested her palm gently over Lunar's chest, right where her heart was, her touch careful and warm. "When Mom told me why you were here," she continued, her voice dipping slightly, "that your mother had passed…"
She paused, her fingers curling faintly against the fabric of Lunar's shirt as her expression tightened just a little. "…I felt relieved." The word came out quieter than the rest, almost like she didn't want it to be heard, and yet she said it anyway.
"There was someone else," she went on, her voice trembling just slightly now. "Someone who might understand what I felt. Someone who might… get that kind of loneliness."
Her lips pressed together faintly. "So I went to you," she admitted. "I talked to you, stayed close to you, tried to become your friend… because I thought we were the same."
Lunar's eyes softened as she listened, but before she could respond, she noticed it.
A tear.
Then another.
They slipped quietly from Saiya's silver eyes, tracing slow paths down her cheeks as her voice began to falter. "But I was wrong…" she choked out softly. "I didn't think it through at all. I didn't even consider what it actually meant for you."
Her grip tightened around Lunar's hand without her even realizing it, her fingers curling just a little more as the emotions she had been holding back finally began to spill over. "I thought we shared the same kind of pain," she continued, her voice breaking a little further with each word, "but we didn't… not even close."
Her shoulders tensed slightly as she forced herself to keep going.
"Because I still had everyone," she said. "I had my family, my sisters… and I still have my mom, someone who's here, someone who loves me, someone I can talk to, someone I can hold onto."
Her eyes trembled as she finally looked straight at Lunar again. "But you…" her voice dropped to a whisper. "You had no one."
"You came here with nothing," Saiya continued, barely above a breath now. "From a hundred… down to zero. A place where everything familiar was gone, and you had to start all over again from nothing."
Another tear fell, this one catching on her jaw before dropping.
"And I…" she swallowed hard, guilt clear in every part of her expression, "I approached you thinking you could help me feel less alone, without realizing that you were carrying something far heavier than I ever was."
Her fingers trembled slightly where they rested over Lunar's heart, like she was trying to make amends to it. "…I hate myself so much for treating you like that"
Lunar didn't say anything right away. Instead, she slowly lifted one of her hands and reached up, her fingers brushing gently against Saiya's cheek as she wiped away the tears that kept slipping down.
Her touch was careful and natural, like she didn't even have to think about it before doing it. "…Saichan," she said softly, her voice comforting despite everything, "when did you change your mind about us?"
Saiya blinked through her tears, clearly caught benumbed by the question.
Lunar tilted her head just slightly, her gaze still gentle but searching. "When did it stop being like that… and start becoming something real to you?"
For a moment, Saiya just stood there, her lips parting as if unsure how to even begin answering. Then like a heavy rain, it came pouring all at once.
"When you ran." Her voice cracked immediately, the words rushing forward through uneven breaths. "When you ran for the first time… and then you just—collapsed right after…"
Her grip tightened unconsciously, fingers curling as if trying to hold onto that memory and push it away at the same time. "That's when it hit me," she continued, her voice trembling harder now. "How ungrateful I'd been… how shallow and stupid my way of thinking was."
Her head lowered slightly, her shoulders beginning to shake as everything she had been holding back finally surfaced all at once. "I thought I understood loneliness," she said, her voice carrying a quiet bitterness that wasn't directed at anyone but herself, "but watching you like that… seeing you push yourself so hard, giving everything you had, and then just… falling like that without warning…"
She swallowed, her throat tightening as the memory pressed harder against her chest. "I was terrified," she admitted, her voice softer now but far denser with grief. "Absolutely terrified that I was going to lose you too before I even had the chance to really know you… just like I did with my mother."
Her voice broke completely by the end of that sentence, and she squeezed her eyes shut as more tears slipped free, unable to stop them anymore. "I just kept apologizing," she continued, barely above a whisper now. "Over and over again while you were unconscious… even though you couldn't hear me, even though it didn't change anything… I just couldn't stop."
Lunar's expression softened even more at that, something warm and almost aching settling in her chest.
Without saying anything, she stepped closer, closing the distance between them in one smooth motion before lifting her arms and wrapping them gently around Saiya's neck, pulling herself closer until their bodies met. She rose slightly onto her toes to make up for the height between them, but she didn't seem to mind at all, not when she could press her forehead softly against Saiya's like this."Then what are you so mad at yourself for, silly…?" she murmured quietly, her voice warm and gentle, her breath brushing softly against Saiya's skin.
Saiya blinked, stunned by how close she suddenly was, but the words still came out in response. "Did you not hear anything I just said?" she replied, her voice still shaky. "I befriended you to use you… aren't you angry?"
Lunar tilted her head slightly at that, her expression calm and unoffended. "Then do you still want to use me now?" she asked simply.
Saiya froze for a split second before immediately shaking her head. "N-no! Of course not!" The answer came out quickly, almost panicked, like the idea itself is venomous for her.
Lunar let out a small breath, and then a quiet laugh slipped past her lips, the cheerful sound brushing right against Saiya at this distance. "Then what's the problem?" she asked, a faint, helpless smile forming. "You don't feel that way anymore, so what is there for me to get mad about?"
Saiya opened her mouth, flustered, words tangling in her throat as her thoughts spun in knots. "B-but I—"
Before she could finish, Lunar's hands moved with surprising swiftness, gentle but secure, covering Saiya's mouth and cutting off the spiral she was about to descend into. "But what?" Lunar said, her tone still soft but carrying just a bit more insistence now. "You were a kid—no, we are still kids."
Her eyes held Saiya's so passionately that it made the muted girl stumble just being in its sights. "And kids are allowed to mess up," she continued. "We're allowed to be selfish sometimes, to think the wrong things, to make mistakes we don't understand yet."
Her hands slowly lowered, but she didn't move away. "I've made mistakes too, you know," she added, a small self-aware smile tugging at her lip as her expression shifted into something more sheepish. "Remember when I broke Aunt Autumn's favorite teacup that my momma gave her?"
Saiya let out a muffled sound, somewhere between a sigh and a reluctant laugh. "…Yeah."
Lunar huffed lightly, clearly embarrassed just recalling it. "I spent an entire week apologizing for that," she said, her tone loosening just a fraction. "And you were there when I tried to learn how to make a ceramic teacup online to replace it…" She paused, a wry smile forming. "…Which, somehow, ended up as some kind of… unidentifiable thing that I call a 'cup.'"
Saiya couldn't help it this time, a small laugh escaping through her lingering tears.
"And yet," Lunar continued, her eyes softening again, "Aunt Autumn still accepted it and uses it to this day, even with how ridiculous it looks." She looked back at Saiya, her gaze embraced the girl in a meaningful way. "So really," she finished gently, "if she can forgive that, I think I can forgive you for something you don't even feel anymore."
Unfortunately, Saiya still didn't look convinced. Even after everything Lunar had said, even after all the reassurance and warmth she had poured into her words, there was still that stubborn trace of guilt lingering across her features, a shadow she couldn't shake, deeply rooted and unwilling to be brushed away so easily.
Lunar noticed it, and she let out a soft sigh, a breath that carried just the faintest hint of exasperation, a quiet impatience with the walls Saiya still kept up between them. Then, without warning, she did something completely unexpected. She loosened her stance, leaned forward deliberately, still holding lightly around Saiya's neck, and let herself fall.
"H—hey—?!" Saiya shouted, caught completely off guard, her voice trailing off as there was no time to react. The momentum carried them both backward, toppling onto the bed with a soft, muted thump. Saiya landed first, the mattress dipping under the combined weight, and she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut for a brief second from the sudden impact.
When she opened them again, Lunar was right there, sprawled directly on top of her, laughter spilling freely from her lips, filling the room with a kind of unrestrained joy that felt impossibly bright that it blinded the morning light. For a moment, Saiya's mind simply… froze.
It was such a small thing, that laugh, so effortless, so genuine, and yet to Saiya, it struck her as breathtakingly pretty. That thought crept in uninvited, and with it came a strange, flustering weight that left her completely paralyzed for a moment longer than she should have allowed.
"Seriously," Lunar said, her laughter tapering into a grin, her voice carrying that same soft amusement, "stop making that face already. You're way too cute to be looking so sad."
Saiya's brain short-circuited at the words, and a faint heat rose instantly, spreading across her cheeks faster than she could control. In a reflexive panic, she lifted both arms to cover her face, like hiding there could erase the sudden rush of embarrassment that hit her so sharply.
"…Says you," she muttered under her breath, voice barely audible.
Lunar blinked, clearly not catching it. "Hm?"
But Saiya didn't repeat herself. Instead, Lunar simply shifted her weight and rolled off to the side, landing beside her on the bed while turning slightly so she was facing her. For a few seconds, she just watched Saiya quietly, her expression soft but thoughtful, as if she was searching for the right thing to say next, willing to wait until Saiya was ready to meet her halfway.
Then she spoke again. "Hey… do you remember when I ran off to buy flowers for Momma, and Aunt Nel scolded us for it right there in the flower shop?"
Saiya stayed quiet for a moment, the memory slowly surfacing before she finally lowered her arms from her face and turned her head to look at Lunar. "…Yeah," she said softly, the words carrying a mixture of nostalgia and a faint embarrassment. "I remember that like it happened yesterday." A small, reluctant smile tugged at her lips. "Mom was terrifying back then…"
Lunar let out a quiet chuckle, her gaze softening as the memory warmed her. "She really was," she agreed. "But she said something important that day, didn't she?"
Saiya blinked, her brow furrowing slightly as she tried to recall it. "What.. was it..?"
Lunar answered gently. "She said that if even adults can make mistakes, then children are expected to make them too… so we shouldn't let ourselves sink into negativity just because of it. Instead, we should learn from it, grow from it, and move forward." She leaned slightly closer. "So… don't beat yourself up over it, okay? That's what I'm trying to say."
Saiya stared at her, her expression softening, yet still hesitant, as if the idea of forgiving herself didn't come easily. She shifted slightly, her shoulders easing just a little as she tried to let Lunar's words sink in.
Lunar didn't push, didn't rush her. She just waited, patient, letting the silence stretch long enough for Saiya to gather herself.
Finally, Saiya let out a slow, tentative breath, her eyes drifting slightly as she struggled to find the right words. "But…" she began, her voice trailing, unsure of how to continue.
Before she could finish, a sudden thud interrupted her, followed by a soft, muffled sound.
WHUMP.
A pillow, soft and flying through the air like it had been guided by fate itself, landed squarely on her face.
"Mmph—?!" Saiya squeaked, the unexpected impact knocking her off balance for a moment as she wriggled under its weight, flailing slightly in surprise, as her hands immediately grabbed at the pillow as she struggled to push it away, her voice completely muffled underneath it.
After a few chaotic seconds of struggling under the soft onslaught of the pillow, Saiya finally managed to shove it off, gasping for a breath as she tried to steady herself. "What was that for—?!" she demanded, still panting, her words tangled between frustration and confusion.
And then she looked up.
There was Lunar, perched directly on top of her again, straddling her waist this time with an almost triumphant grin, the pillow once again in hand like a well-trained weapon, her cheeks puffed out in mock annoyance that made her look impossibly mischievously cute.
"No more 'buts,'" Lunar declared, her tone carrying authority despite the teasing curve of her lips, leaving no room for argument.
Before Saiya could even recover, Lunar swung the pillow with renewed vigor, each soft thump landing in rapid succession against Saiya's arms and shoulders, relentless and playful at the same time.
"Hey—wait—!" Saiya sputtered, half-laughing, half-struggling as she tried to block the incoming flurry.
"Did you have any other motive in mind—" Lunar pressed, each word punctuated by a gentle but firm thump, "—when you literally passed out helping me figure out my running?"
"No! Of course not!" Saiya shot back, barely managing to fend off another swing, her hands flailing to defend herself while also trying, in vain, to grab the pillow.
Lunar didn't relent. "Were you lying—thump—when you said we'd be partners in crime—thump—when we snuck out to buy flowers?"
"No! I meant that!" Saiya yelled, laughter mingling with exasperation as she lunged again for the pillow and failed.
Lunar paused for only a fraction of a second, the assault slowing as her expression softened, shifting into something more serious. She tilted her head slightly, her voice quieter now, but no less insistent. "Is it true," she asked, "that I'm your first, best, and most dearest friend?"
That single question broke through Saiya's defenses completely. Without hesitation, she moved, her instincts taking over. In one fluid motion, she reached forward, grabbed Lunar's wrist mid-swing, and steadied her, while her other arm wrapped around Lunar's waist to hold her close as their positions shifted, reversing the situation completely.
The sudden reversal left Lunar blinking in surprise. Saiya held her there, their faces close again, her grip firm but not rough. "YES, YOU ARE!" she blurted out without hesitation, her voice loud and completely unfiltered.
Both of them froze for a second, caught in the intensity of that response, neither quite expecting how direct it would sound once it was actually said out loud.
Then Lunar blinked once, a soft smile spreading across her face as warmth radiated from her voice. "Well then," she said brightly, almost laughing through the words, "let's forget all about the past wrongs… and focus on the right now, okay, Saichan?"
There was a pause, a quiet hesitation as Saiya blinked at her, and then the corners of her lips twitched, breaking into a laugh she couldn't hold back. "…That was terrible," she muttered, shaking her head, but the sound of her laughter slipped out anyway, light and genuine.
Lunar laughed with her, the two of them collapsing into shared mirth, the pillow forgotten for the moment, their bodies relaxed, their hearts lighter, and for a while, it felt like nothing else mattered in the world beyond that soft, joyous laughter filling the room.
And then—
The door swung open.
"Lunar, sweetheart, sorry for not knocking but what are those nois—" Her words died in mid-sentence. Standing in the doorway, Black Caviar froze, her expression caught somewhere between utter shock and bewilderment mid-step as her eyes took in the scene before her.
Lunar was straddling Saiya on the bed, her nightgown slightly rumpled from the earlier chaos, hair tousled just enough to hint at the frantic energy from before. Their faces were close, hands still clasped on one another in ways that could very easily be misread, lingering with a familiarity that was innocent in intention but dangerously ambiguous in appearance.
For a single suspended moment, time itself seemed to pause. Black Caviar's mouth slowly formed a perfect, tiny "O," her gaze locked on the tableau, unsure whether she should intervene or simply step back and observe.
Saiya's brain caught up first. "Mom—! It's not what you think—!" she blurted out, panicked and flustered, her voice cracking as she tried to salvage the moment.
At almost the same instant, Lunar realized the predicament a beat too late. She pressed her face into Saiya's shoulder, cheeks burning bright with embarrassment, a futile attempt to hide that only served to make the situation look even more intimate than it already did.
Black Caviar blinked a couple of times, as if confirming that what she was seeing was actually real. "…Oh—" she said softly, a faint, almost amused smile tugging at her lips. Without another word, she began to turn away, her composure effortlessly reclaiming the space she had just invaded.
"Sorry for disturbing you girls," she murmured, voice calm but lightly teasing. "Please, just pretend I wasn't here." And with that, she stepped out and closed it just as smoothly as she had opened it, leaving behind a silence that was somehow louder than all the noise from before.
For a while after the door closed, neither of them moved.
Lunar remained exactly where she was, her face still buried against Saiya's shoulder as if hiding there might somehow undo what had just happened, while Saiya sat frozen beneath her, one arm still around Lunar's waist and the other loosely holding her wrist.
Outwardly, she looked calm. Inside, however, her thoughts had completely spiraled out of control.
Oh god… oh god—what if Lunar thinks this is weird? What if she starts avoiding me after this? What if she thinks I'm taking advantage of her—no no no no that's not what this is—what do I even say—what do I DO—
Her fingers tightened slightly on Lunar's waist without her even realizing it, a subtle, subconscious gesture born from her flustered anxiety.
And if Mom just ruined this for me, I swear I am going to storm out and eat every single carrot pudding in this house—every last one—
The thoughts only grew louder, more frantic, echoing relentlessly in her head until suddenly—the weight on her shoulder shifted.
Saiya blinked, startled. Lunar had lifted her head. The warmth that had been pressed against her neck a moment ago vanished, replaced by a small but tangible emptiness as Lunar leaned back just enough for their eyes to meet.
And just like that… everything felt awkward.
They stared at each other, frozen, acutely aware of how close they still were, both unsure of what to say next, the earlier ease between them replaced by something far more fragile.
Saiya opened her mouth, closed it again, then opened it once more, but no words came out.
Thankfully, Lunar intervened first. "…Well," she said softly, her voice just a touch lighter, as if trying to smooth things over, "at least it was Aunt Nel."
Saiya blinked at the statement.
Lunar tilted her head slightly, a faint, teasing smile tugging at her lips. "If it had been Aunt More, she'd probably be screaming across the whole house right now while recording a video."
Saiya let out a small, awkward chuckle despite herself. "…Yeah," she admitted quietly. "She definitely would."
"I should probably go shower," she said, wrinkling her nose just slightly. "I probably don't smell the best…" She glanced back at Saiya, a small, apologetic smile playing across her features. "Sorry if I got that on you."
Saiya immediately shook her head, flustered and stumbling over her words. "It's nothing," she said quickly, the words tumbling out faster than she could control. "You always smell good anyway—"
And then she froze. Her brain finally caught up to what she had just said, and her face heated instantly as she realized how awkward it sounded. Why did that sound so… weird…
But before Saiya could even think of how to respond, or even begin to process what had just happened—Lunar leaned in again, this time moving dangerously closer to her neck.
Saiya's entire body froze, every muscle locking up as she felt the faint brush of Lunar's breath against her skin, slow and warm, gentle enough to be unintentional but intimate enough to set her pulse racing. It was like Lunar was trying to study her, taking in every little detail without even realizing the effect it was having.
For that entire moment, Saiya forgot how to function at all—not as an uma musume, not as herself, nothing. Her thoughts scattered, her heart thundering as if it were the only thing keeping her in touch in reality.
Then, just as effortlessly as she had leaned in, Lunar pulled back, stepping away with the same natural ease, completely unbothered or aware by the chaos she had just left in her wake.
"Hm…" Lunar hummed thoughtfully as she stretched lightly, slipping off the bed. "Now I know what you smell like too, so we're even."
Saiya didn't respond. She couldn't. Her brain had short-circuited somewhere between "smell" and "know," leaving her incapable of forming coherent thoughts—or words—for the moment.
Lunar, entirely oblivious to the storm she had unleashed, began walking toward the bathroom, before pausing at the doorway.
"Oh," she added casually, glancing back over her shoulder with that same easy, innocent tone. "You smell like lemongrass… and a little bit of vanilla. I really like it. Tell me what shampoo you use later."
And just like that, she disappeared behind the bathroom door. The click of the latch echoed in the quiet room.
Silence.
Saiya sat there for exactly one second before the momentum of everything finally hit her. With a barely audible groan, she collapsed, sprawling flat onto the bed face-first. Her hands clawed at the sheets as if she could somehow contain the overwhelming storm of emotions crashing through her chest, rolling slightly from side to side in a futile attempt to ground herself.
Her face burned red, heat radiating from the tips of her ears down to her neck as she muttered, her voice muffled against the pillow, "…This girl… my heart can't take this anymore…"
She shifted slightly, burying her face into the exact spot where Lunar had been lying just moments ago, the faint lingering warmth of her presence still there, almost intoxicating in its simplicity.
And without thinking, without any extensive thought at all, Saiya inhaled, slowly and deeply. Her tense muscles relaxed almost instantly, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, her expression softened, her breath calmed, her heartbeat finding a peaceful rhythm.
"…Smells like someone I love."