That night…
While everyone slept peacefully under the quiet embrace of darkness—
Ken's bedroom door slowly creaked open.
A figure entered.
Their identity was obscured by the shadows, their presence silent… almost unnatural.
Without a word—
Click.
The door was locked from the inside.
Ken remained fast asleep, undisturbed.
He felt nothing.
Not a single trace of danger.
The Next Morning
Warm sunlight filtered through the curtains.
Ken stirred.
His eyes were still closed… yet he felt something unusual.
Something soft.
Warm.
Comforting.
It took him a moment to realize—
He was… hugging someone.
And not just that—
His hand was resting on something soft… far too soft to ignore.
Slowly, his eyes opened.
And in that instant—
His entire body froze.
A girl… was in his arms.
Her back faced him, her long hair cascading down as she slept peacefully beside him.
And without realizing it—
His hand was placed on her chest.
Ken immediately shot up from the bed.
"W-What the—?!"
His face flushed bright red as panic surged through him.
He quickly moved away, his heart pounding violently.
But as he looked closer—
He couldn't tell.
Was it Luna…?
Or Lara…?
They looked exactly the same.
The girl remained asleep.
Meanwhile—
A knock echoed from outside.
"Ken! Ken! Breakfast is ready! We still have school later!" Lucy called out.
Ken didn't respond.
His mind was in complete chaos.
What happened last night…?
Did I bring her here…?
Did something… happen between us…?
Outside, Lucy frowned.
She pulled out a spare key.
She hesitated for a moment—
Then gathered her courage and opened the door.
"Ken, let's ea—"
She froze.
Her eyes widened.
Ken sat at the edge of the bed… staring at the girl lying beside him.
The atmosphere was—
Suspicious.
Shocking.
Unbelievable.
Lucy immediately slammed the door shut.
"KEN, WHAT DID YOU DO?!" she shouted from outside.
"M-M-Make me believe me! I don't know either!" Ken stammered, panic written all over his face. "And whatever you're thinking—it's not true! I swear, I have no idea what happened!"
Lucy's face turned red as her mind raced.
"You expect me to believe that?! You're unbelievable!" she snapped.
A few moments later—
The girl began to move.
Lucy quickly went back in, pulling Ken away from the bed.
"Hey… wake up…"
She shook the girl gently.
"Who is this girl you did something to?!" Lucy demanded.
"I-I told you, I don't know!" Ken replied nervously. "And besides… whoever she is, she's still Luna either way—"
THUD!
Lucy smacked him on the head.
"You idiot!!"
The girl slowly opened her eyes.
Confusion filled her expression.
"W-What happened…? Where am I…?" she asked weakly.
Lucy hesitated.
"Uh… Luna…?" she asked carefully.
"Yes… it's me… why? Wait… where am I?"
Lucy's eyes narrowed.
"Wait… which Luna are you?"
Still half-asleep, the girl tried to process everything—
Then suddenly—
Her eyes widened.
Her face turned bright red.
She became restless, unable to sit still.
Lucy immediately noticed.
Her gaze shifted toward Ken, suspicion growing stronger.
Something definitely happened…
"I-I'm sorry… I'm really sorry…" the girl suddenly said, bowing her head.
Lucy's eyes widened slightly.
She recognized that tone.
"…Lara?" she asked.
"Yes…" Lara replied softly. "I'm sorry for going into your room, Ken…"
Ken quickly stepped forward.
"Wait—let me explain first!"
But as he tried to think—
Memories flashed back.
That moment earlier…
What he had accidentally touched—
His face turned even redder.
Then—
Drip.
A nosebleed.
"The truth is…" Lara began, still embarrassed, "my mana was completely depleted last night."
She lowered her gaze.
"So… if I'm not mistaken, I sleepwalked toward the person with the strongest mana nearby."
She clenched her fists slightly.
"And since I'm still a Zodiac Fragments Vessel… I unconsciously absorbed some of your mana while you were sleeping."
She bowed deeply.
"I'm really sorry…"
Ken quickly waved his hands, still flustered.
"N-No, it's fine! Really, don't worry about it!" he said, blood still trickling from his nose.
Lucy, however—
Looked extremely annoyed.
"Hmph! You're still disgusting!" she snapped before storming out of the room.
Inside the Room
"Ken… I'm really sorry," Lara said again, her face still red. "Did anything… inappropriate happen?"
Ken froze.
"N-Nothing!" he replied immediately. "I'm sorry too, Lara…"
Lara blinked.
"Huh? Sorry? For what?"
Ken looked away.
"…It's nothing."
But in his mind—
He remembered.
And turned even redder.
At the Dining Table
An awkward silence filled the air.
"So quiet all of a sudden… Did something happen?" Luna asked, observing them carefully.
Lara avoided eye contact, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Ken looked away.
Lucy remained silent.
"Don't be shy, Lara," Ken's mother said gently. "If something's bothering you, you can tell us."
"O-Okay…" Lara replied softly.
Luna narrowed her eyes slightly.
She sensed something was off.
Especially since—
Lara had disappeared from her room.
But for now—
She chose to stay silent.
After Breakfast
As Ken and Lucy prepared to leave for school—
Luna suddenly blocked their path.
"Tell me… did something happen this morning that I don't know about?" she asked seriously.
"U-Uh… it was just a misunderstanding…" Ken replied awkwardly.
"What misunderstanding?" Lucy snapped. "I don't even care if something happened between them!"
Her tone was sharp. Irritated.
At that moment—
Lara passed by.
"Uhm… I woke up in Ken's room earlier," she explained. "Lucy saw me there, so she probably misunderstood the situation."
Luna's eyes widened.
"W-What?!"
Her expression shifted.
"That's why you weren't in your room when I woke up?!"
Lara lowered her head.
"It's my fault, Luna… I'm sorry. But nothing inappropriate happened."
She took a deep breath.
"Last night, I sleepwalked toward the strongest mana source. Since I'm still a Zodiac Fragments Vessel… I absorbed some of Ken's mana while he was asleep."
"Please… don't think badly of me."
Luna finally understood.
Ken nodded as well.
Everything made sense.
Meanwhile…
Inside the bathroom—
Lucy stood under the running water.
Her face was red.
"Tch… that idiot…"
She clenched her fists.
"Why am I even so annoyed…?"
She froze.
"…Don't tell me…"
Her face turned even redder.
"…I'm jealous?!"
A Few Moments Later
Lucy came out, fully dressed.
She walked toward them and bowed slightly.
"I'm sorry about earlier… I think I was just tired from yesterday," she said, trying to play it off.
"It's alright," Lara replied. "I'm the one who caused trouble. I'm sorry too."
"Don't worry about it, Lara," Ken said. "Let's just forget about it."
There was still a hint of awkwardness in his voice.
"Let's go, Lucy," Ken said.
And just like that—
They headed out.
But even as they walked—
The tension lingered.
Because deep down—
None of them would forget what happened that morning.
Even if they tried.