Chapter 86: The Private Interrogation

The photographer calls a thirty-minute break. The three queens retreat to their corners. LUNA, as before, is completely alone, sitting quietly on a chair and sipping water, her expression a mask of cool professionalism. Rina and Haruka are on the other side of the studio, deep in a hushed, intense conversation, clearly strategizing about the upcoming group shot.

This is my chance. My suspicion is a frantic, buzzing hive in my brain. I have to know.

My heart is pounding, but my resolve is firm. I walk over to LUNA, my steps feeling unnaturally loud in the cavernous studio. She looks up as I approach, her expression neutral.

"Can I help you?" she asks, her voice the deep, resonant tone of LUNA.

"I just had a question," I say, trying to keep my own voice steady. I gesture to the bracelet on her wrist. "That pendant. It is from an old anime, 'Starlight Paladin.'"

Her eyes do not flicker. Her expression does not change. "Is that so?" she says, her voice a cool, disinterested melody. "It is simply a design I found aesthetically pleasing. It holds no special meaning to me."

Her denial is flawless. But it is a lie. The spark of passion I saw in Aiwa's eyes when we talked about that show was real. This cold dismissal is a performance.

I decide to abandon subtlety. The direct approach is the only way.

"You are Matsuki-san, are you not?" I ask, my voice a low whisper so only she can hear. "Aiwa Matsuki, from my class at Sakuragaoka High."

For a split second, a flicker of pure, animal panic flashes in her eyes. It is there and gone in an instant, so fast that if I had blinked, I would have missed it.

Then, she throws her head back and laughs.

It is not Aiwa's shy, gentle giggle. It is LUNA's laugh- a cold, melodic, and deeply condescending sound that makes me feel like a complete and utter fool.

"Matsuki?" she repeats, looking at me with an expression of amused pity. "I am afraid you have me mistaken for someone else. My name is LUNA." She gestures to her elaborate costume, to the professional studio around them. "Do I look like a common high school student to you, handler-kun?"

The way she says it, the casual insult, the dismissive tone- it is a perfect performance. She is so convincing that for a second, I doubt my own senses. The physical tics, the pendant- could they all just be a massive, improbable coincidence? Did I just make a complete fool of myself, accusing an international cosplay star of being my shy classmate?

A hot flush of embarrassment creeps up my neck.

"I- I am sorry," I stammer, taking a step back. "I must have been mistaken."

"You were," she says, her voice final. She turns away from me, dismissing me completely, and takes another sip of her water.

I walk away, my theory in shambles, my mind a swirling vortex of confusion and humiliation. LUNA watches me go, her cool, professional mask perfectly in place. But underneath it, her heart is hammering against her ribs. It was too close. He knows. Or at least, he suspects. As she looks at my retreating back, a profound, aching guilt mixes with her panic. Lying to the one person who has shown her a moment of simple, genuine kindness feels like a betrayal.