Chapter 124: The Accidental Confidante

My role as Aiwa's secret keeper, combined with my position as the unwilling center of Rina and Haruka's attention, puts me in a uniquely awkward position. I am the only person Aiwa can talk to honestly (in theory), but I am also the person she is most actively avoiding. Our conversations are brief, coded exchanges, usually via text, focused primarily on keeping our respective secrets safe.

But the pressure is building on both of us. The constant scrutiny from Rina and Haruka, Kenji's well-meaning but clueless interference, and the sheer exhaustion of maintaining a double life are taking their toll on Aiwa.

I find her one afternoon in the school's rooftop garden, a place usually deserted after classes. She is sitting on a bench, staring out at the city skyline, looking incredibly small and lonely. Her usual shy tension is replaced by a profound weariness.

I hesitate, unsure if approaching her will trigger another awkward retreat. But the sight of her looking so lost overrides my caution. I walk over and sit down on the other end of the bench, leaving a comfortable space between us.

She jumps slightly when she notices me, but she does not run away this time. She just gives me a small, tired smile. "Hello, Hinamata-kun."

"Hey," I say softly. "Long day?"

She sighs, a sound full of exhaustion. "Every day is a long day," she admits quietly. "It is hard. Pretending all the time. Being LUNA is tiring. But being Aiwa… sometimes feels even harder."

It is the most honest thing she has said to me since our conversation at the beach.

"I get it," I say, surprising myself with my own sincerity. "Living a double life… it takes a toll. Especially when the people around you are… chaotic."

She lets out a small, genuine laugh. "Chaotic is one word for it," she agrees. She looks at me, her expression hesitant. "Your sister and Ito-san… they are still suspicious, are they not?"

"Their suspicion is their default state of being," I say with a shrug. "Especially when it involves me talking to any girl who is not them."

"It must be difficult for you too," she says sympathetically. "Being caught in the middle."

"You have no idea," I groan. We share a look, a moment of perfect, mutual understanding of the absurdity of our lives.

"Why do you do it?" she asks suddenly, her voice barely a whisper. "Why do you keep my secret? You could tell them. It would probably make your life easier."

The question hangs in the air. Why am I doing this? Why am I adding this extra layer of complication to my already impossible situation?

"Because," I say slowly, the answer forming as I speak it, "you asked me to. And because… maybe I understand, a little bit, what it feels like to want to be someone else. Someone stronger." I think of Starlight_Knight_01, the brave, confident persona I used to hide behind. "Everyone deserves a safe place to just be themselves. Or, you know, not be themselves, if that is what they need."

She just stares at me, her eyes wide with an emotion I cannot quite read. Then, a slow, beautiful smile spreads across her face. It is not Aiwa's shy smile, or LUNA's cool one. It is something new, something genuine and warm and full of a quiet strength.

"Thank you, Rui-kun," she says softly.

In that moment, sitting on a quiet rooftop, sharing secrets and anxieties, something shifts between us again. We are not just allies anymore. We are friends. Real friends. And that realization is far more dangerous, and far more exciting, than any cosplay rivalry.