Chapter 121: The Unveiling of the Past

The fragile peace holds. Knowing Aiwa's secret, knowing the vulnerability hidden beneath the LUNA facade, makes it harder for Rina and Haruka to maintain their pure, unadulterated hostility. They are still rivals, both professionally and for my attention, but a layer of grudging understanding has been added to the mix.

Aiwa, for her part, seems lighter. The burden of her biggest secret has been lifted, at least within our small, chaotic circle. She is still shy Aiwa at school, but around us, she starts to show flashes of LUNA's quiet confidence, her sharp artistic opinions. She is slowly, tentatively, integrating her two halves.

But one secret remains: our shared past.

It comes out, as most things in our lives do, in a moment of pure, accidental chaos. We are all gathered at my apartment again, supposedly studying for exams, but mostly just procrastinating and eating snacks. Aiwa is showing Hana some pictures on her phone- photos of her cat back in Korea.

"He is so cute!" Hana squeals.

Aiwa is smiling, scrolling through the photos, when her thumb accidentally swipes one picture too far. It lands on the photo. The blurry image of the two of us as kids in the park.

Before Aiwa can snatch the phone back, Rina, who has been shamelessly looking over her shoulder, sees it.

"Hey!" Rina exclaims, her eyes narrowing. "Who is that little boy with you? He looks familiar."

Aiwa freezes, her face instantly turning a shade of panicked crimson. "N-no one!" she stammers, quickly trying to hide the phone. "Just an old childhood photo!"

But it is too late. Haruka, her curiosity piqued, leans in for a look. Kenji scrambles over too. Now everyone is staring at the picture of seven-year-old me and six-year-old Aiwa.

"Wait a second…" Kenji says slowly, squinting at the photo. "That plastic sword… the serious expression… the slight resemblance to Rui's current grumpy face…" His eyes go wide. "NO WAY! IS THAT YOU, RUI?!"

All eyes snap to me. I feel like an insect under a microscope. My carefully guarded secret, the one piece of the puzzle I thought I could keep hidden, is about to be exposed.

"Well?" Rina demands, her voice dangerously quiet. "Is it?"

I look at Aiwa's terrified, pleading face. I look at Rina's suspicious glare. I look at Haruka's intrigued smirk. I look at Kenji's vibrating excitement. My life is already a five-alarm dumpster fire. What is one more explosion?

I sigh, a sound of profound, weary resignation. "Yeah," I admit quietly. "That is me."

The room explodes.

"YOU KNEW?!" Rina shrieks, whirling on me. "You knew her from when you were kids?! The promise! The magazine! That whole stupid look you shared! It was about THIS?!"

"YOU PROMISED TO MARRY HER?!" Kenji bellows, clutching his chest dramatically. "MY BEST FRIEND IS ENGAGED TO LUNA-SAMA?! WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED?! AM I STILL THE BEST MAN?!"

Haruka just stares at me, a slow, calculating smile spreading across her face. "So," she purrs. "The plot thickens. The loyal handler and the mysterious new queen have a secret, shared past. How deliciously dramatic."

Aiwa just looks like she wants the floor to swallow her whole. "I- I did not know it was him!" she whispers, her face buried in her hands. "I just had a photo! I did not remember his name!"

"But I remembered," I say softly, meeting Aiwa's tear-filled eyes. "When you told me the story of the pendant. I remembered."

The full truth is finally out. All the secrets, all the lies, all the misunderstandings are laid bare. Aiwa is LUNA. I am the boy from her past. Rina and Haruka are both furious and confused. Kenji is planning our wedding. Miki and Hana look like they need a very stiff drink. The chaos has reached its absolute zenith.