Chapter 127: Confrontation, Confusion, and LUNA's Roar

The failed library stakeout, culminating in the secret hand-squeeze seen only by me, pushes Rina and Haruka over the edge. They need answers. They need a confrontation.

They corner us the next day after school, just as Aiwa and I are leaving the classroom. They block the doorway, their expressions identical masks of grim determination. Kenji, Miki, and Hana hover nervously in the background, like spectators at a gladiatorial match they really do not want to watch but cannot look away from.

"Okay," Rina says, her voice dangerously calm. "No more games. No more secrets." She looks directly at Aiwa. "What is going on between you two?"

Aiwa flinches, looking desperately at me for help. But I am just as trapped as she is.

"We are partners," I say, trying to sound reasonable. "For the literature project. We were studying."

"Studying?" Haruka repeats, her voice dripping with skepticism. "It looked less like studying and more like… clandestine hand-holding under the table."

Aiwa gasps, her face turning crimson. "We did not-! It was an accident!"

"Was it?" Rina asks, taking a step closer to Aiwa. "Just like it was an 'accident' that you knew Rui's name at the Comicon? Just like it is an 'accident' that you wear the same pendant as LUNA? Just like it is an 'accident' that you suddenly develop a split personality whenever things get tough?"

Every accusation is a hammer blow, striking at the core of Aiwa's carefully guarded secrets. She shrinks back, tears welling up in her eyes, looking utterly cornered and defenseless.

Seeing her so vulnerable ignites something in me. Not romantic love, necessarily, but a fierce, protective loyalty. "Leave her alone," I say, stepping in front of Aiwa again. "This has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with us!" Rina snaps, her jealousy finally boiling over. "You are spending all your time with her! Whispering secrets! Sharing looks! Holding hands!"

"It was one accidental hand-touch!" I protest.

"One is too many!" Rina insists.

Haruka chooses this moment to deploy her own attack. "Maybe," she says coolly, addressing Aiwa, "you should just tell us the truth. Are you LUNA? Is that why Rui-kun is so strangely protective of you?"

It is a direct hit. Aiwa flinches, tears spilling down her cheeks. She looks trapped, overwhelmed, about to break completely.

And then, it happens.

She takes a deep, shuddering breath. Her trembling stops. Her head lifts. The tears are still there, but the fear in her eyes is replaced by a cold, hard fire. Her entire posture shifts, becoming regal, commanding.

When she speaks, her voice is not Aiwa's whisper. It is not even the controlled, articulate tone from the library. It is LUNA's voice. Deep, resonant, and dripping with an icy authority that makes both Rina and Haruka take an involuntary step back.

"My relationship with Hinamata-kun," LUNA says, her gaze sweeping over Rina and Haruka with cold disdain, "and my identity are none of your concern. You believe you are queens in your small pond, but you understand nothing of the real world." She takes a step forward, her presence suddenly immense, dominating the narrow hallway. "You focus on petty jealousies and high school drama. I focus on my art. That is why I am LUNA. And that is why you," she looks directly at Rina, then at Haruka, "will always be beneath me."

The words are brutal. The delivery is flawless. It is a declaration of superiority so absolute, so devastating, that it leaves everyone speechless.

LUNA holds their shocked gazes for a moment longer, then her expression softens almost imperceptibly as her eyes find mine. It is a look that says, 'Thank you for trying to protect me. But I can handle this.'

Then, with a final, dismissive glance at the stunned Rina and Haruka, she turns and glides down the hallway, leaving a trail of shattered egos and profound confusion in her wake.

Kenji faints again. Rina and Haruka just stare after her, their faces pale with a mixture of fury, humiliation, and a terrifying, newfound respect. And I am left standing there, my heart pounding, wondering which version of Aiwa Matsuki I am actually friends with, and how I ended up in the middle of a war between literal goddesses.