Why? Because she's her mother... sister... uh, anyway, they're basically the same! Perfect looks, and her acting is, of course, perfect too.
But what if Luna really gets attracted to Focalors...? That shouldn't happen, right? She's not someone who judges by appearances.
If it comes to that, Furina will just have to resort to drastic measures.
As the rightful girlfriend, it's her duty to keep Luna in line!
-
Soon after.
Knock, knock— The entrance door rang.
When Furina opened it, there stood Focalors.
"As promised, I've arrived," Focalors said with a radiant smile.
"...Are you planning to stay in that outfit?" Furina asked.
Focalors glanced down at her attire, identical to the one she'd worn when she first met Luna.
The outfit was breezy and elegant, and she didn't seem to mind going barefoot.
"Yes, what's wrong with it?"
Furina sighed helplessly. "At least change! I haven't dared to walk barefoot in 500 years!"
Luna chuckled. "Shall I wash Miss Focalors' feet first?"
"Then I'll trouble you. Please take good care of my feet," Focalors replied calmly.
Luna wanted to tease her? Not impossible. Conversely, she could tease Luna too, couldn't she?
"Hey!" Furina protested, annoyed.
Just like before, suddenly kissing my ankle... Does Luna have an unexpected foot fetish? Furina thought, a subtle shift in her gaze.
And what happened to your supposedly excellent morals?! Is this woman's morality at zero?
...Seems that might actually be the case.
"I know, Furina will always be first place," Luna said with a smile.
Furina placed her hands on her hips. "Good to know."
That's exactly the first place she wanted to be.
"But as Furina said, Miss Focalors, it's not appropriate to go out dressed like that. Why don't you change into some of my clothes?"
Furina and Focalors both glanced at Luna's chest.
"...It might be a bit loose. Never mind," Focalors chuckled.
The difference between having and not having is significant! Furina thought in fervent agreement.
Furina snapped her fingers. "Hmph, I can't win with you. Just this once, I'll lend you my clothes."
Besides, she had something she wanted to try out.
Furina pulled Focalors into the bedroom, instructing Luna to wait outside for now.
"No peeking!" she called out.
She didn't mind being seen herself—after all, they'd done this several times before, and Focalors' body was virtually identical to hers.
But they were still separate individuals. Different souls meant different identities.
"Okay, okay," Luna replied casually.
"'Okay' only needs to be said once!" Furina retorted as she closed the door.
A while later, the door swung open again.
"Ta-da! Luna, look!"
Luna, who had been dozing on the sofa, lifted her head and rubbed her eyes.
What greeted her was Furina... and Furina.
Identical hats, identical clothes—even the hairstyle distinguishing them had changed. Without her usual waist-length hair, they were now virtually indistinguishable at a glance.
Double Furina, that was the most fitting description for this spectacle.
"Can you tell us apart?"
Naturally, their voices and expressions were identical.
The "Moon's Embrace" necklace wasn't on either of them; a closer look revealed they were even wearing the same perfume, making it virtually impossible to distinguish between them.
"Surely the renowned Phantom Thief White Cat can recognize her own prized treasure, right?"
"If not, that would be so disappointing!"
So that's it. Another challenge for me. Luna accepted with a smile. "Of course I can tell you apart. I would never mistake Furina."
"Then—"
"Choose one 'Furina' to go on a date with you!"
Huh? How did it become a two-choice scenario?
Furina tensed up immediately, thinking, Luna would never pick the wrong person and mistake Focalors for me, right? No...
She shook her head inwardly.
My amazing Miss Phantom Thief would never make such a mistake! Furina was brimming with confidence.
Luna approached the two Furinas, both wearing identical smiles.
Their every glance and smile were eerily identical.
An ordinary person would undoubtedly be fooled, but even without using her powers, Luna knew perfectly well which one was Furina and which was Focalors.
She reached out and gently placed her hand on Furina's head.
"This is my lovely Lady Furina, isn't it?"
Furina's ears flushed, and her smile softened. "I knew it—"
"Wrong! I'm Furina!"
"Eh?"
Focalors, a master of acting, puffed out her cheeks. "Luna, how can you not tell us apart? You're the one who took my first time!"
Furina's face burned crimson.
How do you know about that?!
She was certain she hadn't told Focalors such trivial details.
The answer was simple: it was obvious at a glance.
How could Furina possibly be the dominant one?
If Luna hadn't initiated first, Furina would have remained in a platonic, spiritual romance with her until they grew old together.
If Furina could ever assert herself, it would be more shocking than the Prophecy crisis itself.
"No, Luna! I'm Furina!"
"No, I am Furina!" Furina insisted urgently.
"But you're clearly Focalors!"
"No, you're Focalors!"
The two Furinas began repeating each other like bickering children.
Luna stood nearby, watching the scene with a bemused smile.
"Luna, what are you laughing at?!"
"Yeah, tell us!"
"Just pick one already!"
"Don't use 'one'! I'm human!"
"Me too!"
Furina and Focalors glared at each other, one genuinely indignant, the other putting on a flawless performance.
It was clear Focalors was having a blast.
"Hey, Luna," Furina and Focalors said in turn. "Who are you choosing?"
For Luna, recognizing Furina was easy. She could never mistake the adorable lady who, despite her frail frame, had tried to protect her and had ultimately shaped her life.
But choosing one?
Luna hugged both Furina and Focalors, blinking innocently. "If you're asking me to choose," she said, "then of course I'll take you both."
"After all, you two are Fontaine's greatest treasures, and I'm the Phantom Thief who wants to claim all treasures for herself."
Focalors' eyes widened slightly.
Furina, however, wore a displeased expression. "Fine, I get it already. You have absolutely no redeeming qualities!"
"Treasuring treasures is my redeeming quality."
Furina pursed her lips. "Oh."
"Mm-hmm."
"Ha..."
Furina sighed deeply.
She was utterly annoyed. Luna was indeed the type to be drawn to other women, and this test was already over before it began.
What irked her even more was that she could actually accept this side of Luna.
"First."
"Hmm?"
Furina raised her index finger. "No matter what, you'll always be first in my heart. So you have to do the same—put me first. No problem, right?"
"Of course."
Furina relaxed slightly, then added, "And there's no such thing as a 'shared first place'!"
I'm the true main heroine!
"I understand."
"...And no category-specific firsts either. None of that 'XX is the one I want to spend my life with, but I'd definitely die alongside YY' nonsense!"
Furina had read a light novel from Inazuma where the male lead had said something similar. Luna was far too cunning to leave any loopholes.
First place meant first place.
Luna gently stroked Furina's hair. "So cautious, aren't you?"
"It's all your fault..." Furina muttered, tugging at Luna's necklace.
Focalors, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
"So, does that mean the test is over?"
"Yes," Luna replied.
"What score should we give Luna?"
Furina smiled sweetly. "Zero, of course!"
Luna retorted, "Didn't you say I'm the world's greatest Phantom Thief?"
"True, but that doesn't change the fact that you're also Fontaine's number one Lesbian. Don't feel too honored—other women might not be as lenient as I am."
Who would feel honored by such a title? Certainly not Luna.
The world's greatest Phantom Thief, huh?
To Furina, that was true enough. Luna had stolen her sorrow, her pain, her predetermined future, and her very life.
But to Focalors, Luna was far from being the world's greatest Phantom Thief.
Focalors touched her chest, unable to forget the sensation she had felt that day. Yet what she couldn't forget wasn't the pain itself, but the sight of Luna's final performance—her dying act as the Phantom Thief.
Focalors pulled Luna's face closer.
"Luna."
"Hmm?"
"I'm giving you zero too."
Luna chuckled. "Then I'll give myself one point, making it a perfect 100!"
"What kind of 100 is that?!" Furina scoffed.
Focalors let out a soft laugh.
"You were clearly my accomplice, yet you betrayed me at the last moment and unilaterally altered the plan. That deserves a zero too, but—"
Focalors felt her heart race.
"You remain my most magnificent accomplice, Miss Luna."
She leaned in close to Luna's ear and whispered, "You can claim this treasure of mine whenever you dare."
With those words, Focalors departed.
"Since the test is over, I'll be heading back."
Left alone were Luna and Furina. Only after the door closed did Furina realize—
"That's my line!"
Plagiarism!
And where's my outfit? How did she just walk off with it?Though letting her wear her original clothes might not have been ideal...Never mind, I'll deal with that later.
Furina's gaze fell on Luna.
"My most magnificent accomplice, Miss..." she mused, raising an eyebrow.
Luna tilted her head slightly. "Is something wrong?"
"Ah, nothing."
Furina had expected Luna to be completely smitten by those words, but her calm demeanor suggested otherwise.
Even if that did happen, I wouldn't panic anyway.
Because I'm still the first!
Outdoing me from behind? Impossible.
Meanwhile, Focalors strode briskly back to the Palais Mermonia. Pressing a hand to her pounding heart, she mused:
This feeling is so strange, yet so wonderful.
If we went out together now, it'll definitely cause trouble.
Better savor this feeling properly first.