Funinna, please let me steal your heart!

"Any other questions? I can answer them all."

Navia gripped the hem of her dress.

Lynette had lived with her for a long time, and Lulu was Lynette's nickname for her. No wonder Lynette called her Lulu back then.

It turns out I wasn't the first.

She opened her mouth instinctively.

"Do you think it's better for me to call you Lulu?"

"Or would it be better for Lynette to call you Lulu?"

...These words can only linger in my heart, I can't say them out loud.

Navia pressed her hand to her chest, feeling a tightness in her chest.

"...Lulu." The voice slipped out as she came to her senses.

Luna looked at her.

"Do you think it would be better if I called you by a different name? After all, you see, 'Lulu' is how Lynette calls you, but I—"

"I like it when Nana calls me that."

"what......"

The stuffiness in my chest disappeared instantly.

Navia buried her flushed yet overjoyed face in the pillow and mumbled, "Mmm... mmm. I like calling Lulu that too, so I won't change it."

"You can call me Chiori like that too?"

Navia immediately sat up straight: "Huh!?"

What a strange sound.

Chiori sighed, "I don't want that, just call you Luna."

"Okay, Chichi."

"Tsk."

"Smacking your lips is cute too, Chichiori."

Chiori looked at Luna silently, then twisted her thigh.

Ouch! Luna complained, "Using violence all the time just makes you seem weak, doesn't it?"

"I'll hurt you if I want to, no reason needed."

"I would rather you love me more."

"It's a beautiful thought."

Navia couldn't help but ask, "Is this how you've always communicated?"

"Correct."

"Yes."

Luna and Chiori asked in unison, "Is there a problem?" "What's wrong?"

"...I want to join too!"

"what?"

Navia was in high spirits: "I'm not sleepy at all now, let's keep chatting, hehe, I don't think I'll be tired even if we chat all night."

Staying up all night? Chiori rolled her eyes.

Let her off the hook; she has to work tomorrow.

"Okay, Chiori, you're not allowed to sleep tonight. We won't let you sleep!"

"...I want to sleep."

Chiori covered her head with a pillow.

But Luna ruthlessly removed it the next second.

"I won't let you sleep, Chizuru." Luna wrapped her arms around Chizuru's sides, hugged her tightly, and said with a smile.

"I told you not to call me that."

This guy......

Chiori deeply regretted not keeping her up longer during the day.

Fortunately, we only chatted for a little longer before sleepiness came over us.

The three fell asleep one after the other: Navia first, Luna second, and Chiori last. The reason Chiori was last is simple.

“‘Father’…” Luna murmured unconsciously, referring to the name that held such great significance for her.

Her body leaned towards Chiori, as if seeking the familiar warmth she had felt in her dream.

But I am not your "father," Chiori thought.

They are not your family.

"I will not become anyone," Chiori said softly.

But she still pulled Luna over and hugged her.

Now all is quiet, all life is asleep, no one will hear her, no one will see her.

Therefore, she was able to murmur something in the darkness.

"...So go dream about something else."

"For example, a dream where only I am present. As long as you dream of it, I will make you happy."

She has this confidence.

What about in real life?

In reality... it depends on how Luna behaves.

After all, she's not some large golden retriever that would wag its tail at Luna.

144: Princess Luna Wants to Be a Queen

"Luna, you can't be 'king'."

Arecino said this.

But Luna, whose childishness had not yet completely faded, simply blinked. Arecino would occasionally say things like "King" or "Throne."

"Oh."

However, she wasn't interested.

The last rays of the sunset fell on Arecino's face; she was not surprised by Luna's answer.

"Don't you want to know why?"

"Hmm... Rather than asking why, I'd like to know what you mean by the 'king' you keep talking about."

Arecino crossed her legs and placed her hands on her thighs.

Facing Luna's curious gaze, she explained calmly, "'King' has only one meaning for the House of Hearth, whether in the past or present—the supreme one."

"You can understand the current 'King' as... the head of the family."

Now she understood.

"He's the head of the household!" Luna swung her legs. "Why should the head of the household be called 'King'?"

Why not just call him the head of the family?

"This happened a long time ago, and you can find the answer if you want. But that's not what we're talking about now."

“Okay.” Luna nodded, still uninterested.

She wanted to do something else.

Luna lowered her gaze, and after a moment's hesitation, placed her raised hand on Arecino's leg. She cautiously raised her eyes.

"Can I lie on 'Father's' lap?"

Arecino watched her quietly.

Whenever she made a similar request, Arecino would look at her like that, her expression unchanged, making it impossible to read her thoughts.

This silent gaze always makes children feel nervous and uneasy.

After all, Arecino would always watch silently like this when punishing children who made mistakes.

Children often realize their mistakes in that instant.

But Luna's nervousness stemmed from her worry.

I'm worried that Arecino will reject me.

Arecino finally lowered her crossed leg and nodded slightly. Luna's eyes lit up, and she immediately rested her head on Arecino's lap.

Through the pants, Luna could only feel the softness of Arecino's thighs, but that was enough to bring a smile to her face.

"Doesn't Father like wearing skirts? I always see you wearing pants."

"You always ask some really tricky questions, yes, I don't really like them."

Luna looked up at Arecino's face: "What a pity, you're so beautiful... I think you'd look amazing in a dress."

"........."

"What's wrong?"

Arecino said softly, "It's nothing, it's just that someone else has said that to me before."

"...Who?" Luna frowned slightly.

“You are the same age as her back then, a child who only existed in the past.”

"Existing only in the past, does that mean you're dead?" Luna was momentarily speechless, then regretted asking the question.