Secret chapter: The Girls' Talk

   While Sora and Bel were combing through the alleys, Luna and Lilith carried out their own investigation on the other side of the slums.

   From the moment they began, Lilith couldn’t hold back her frustration.
   “I can’t believe him! How could he be so mean to me before,” she grumbled, her crimson eyes narrowed, her hands balled into fists under her cloak.

   “L-Lilith, please calm down,” Luna said softly, glancing around at the people passing by. “We don’t want to attract unnecessary attention.”

   “I know,” Lilith replied with a sigh, though her pout lingered. “But I can’t help it. He didn’t have to be so harsh. I thought we were friends…”

   Luna’s gentle gaze stayed fixed ahead as she spoke. “Master once told me… no matter if you are family, friends, or lovers, sometimes you have to be harsh for their own good. I think he only said those words because he’s worried about you.”

   Lilith fell silent at that, mulling it over. After a while she gave Luna a sideways glance and said quietly, “I see... You really understand him well.”

   But Luna shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. 

   “That’s not true. There are still so many things I don’t know about Master. But I don’t complain, after all thanks to that, I get to discover new sides of him every single day.”

   Lilith stopped for a moment, staring at the happy, almost glowing expression on Luna’s face. Then she smirked. “You must really love him a lot, huh.”

   The words made Luna flush instantly. “W-what are you talking about?! It’s not like that!”

   “C'mon, I can clearly see you’re lying. You are red as tomato.”

   Luna’s shoulders slumped a little, her blush lingering as she murmured, “It’s really not like that… It’s just…” She paused, then looked at Lilith warmly. “I really like you.”

   "..."

   "..." 

   “EH?!”

   Luna continued without missing a beat, her voice soft but steady. “I also like Sakura, Bel, Luke, Chloe… and Miss Zephyra. I love all of you with all my heart. In my childhood, I only had my parents. I didn’t have any friends, since I am a dark elf and I had to hide for my own safety. After I lost my family, I had nothing. I was scared, alone… But after I met Master, everything changed. My life became full of new things and experiences. He’s the reason I can enjoy the life I have now. That’s why the feelings I have for him… they can’t be summarized with simple words like ‘like’ or ‘love.’ They don’t even cover half of what I truly feel.”

   Lilith’s lips curled into a smile, her expression gentle, almost admiring. She looked at Luna as if gazing at a real maiden in love. 

   “So the reason you became his maid… was to thank him for all that?”

   “That’s only part of it,” Luna replied, her cheeks pink. “The other reason… was just so I could always be close to him.”

   Lilith let out a small laugh. “Gosh! Now, I'm jealous! I want a cute maid by my side too!”

   The two girls laughed together, their voices light and genuine despite the grim setting of the slums.

* * *

   After the laughter faded, Lilith asked curiously, “So, is being a maid hard?”

   “Well... there are ups and downs,” Luna admitted. “But as long as you know how to enjoy your work, everything is okay.”

   “For example?” Lilith tilted her head.

   Luna’s blush returned, though this time she didn’t try to hide it. “For example… when I wake him up in the morning. Since Master is such a heavy sleeper, I can sneak a kiss on his cheek… or his forehead.”

   Lilith’s eyes widened with interest. “Oooooh? And?”

   “And when I cook for him… knowing that all the parts of his body are being built by my food gives me this strange, warm feeling inside.”

   “...Eh?” Lilith blinked in disbelief.

   “Also sometimes, when I watch over him while he’s sleeping… I whisper to his ear...”

   “Stop, stop, stop!” Lilith suddenly waved her hands in the air, her face red.

   “Eh? You surprised me.” Luna said, her ears twitching slightly.

   “I should be the one surprised!” Lilith huffed, staring at her. “L-Luna, by any chance a-aren’t you…?”

   But before she could finish, Luna’s phone rang. She picked it up immediately.
“Yes? …Master?”

   On the other end, Sora’s voice was firm. “Hi, we found something big. I will send you the location.”

   “Understood,” Luna said quickly, then hung up.

   Turning to Lilith, she explained, “Master and Bel found something. We need to go immediately.”

   Lilith still looked a little dazed from everything she had just heard, but she followed Luna’s lead.

   As they hurried off together, Lilith thought quietly to herself: 

   Luna... Isn't your love a little too heavy?