The soft crackle of the fire filled the cozy little house as Kazuki sat on the floor, wrapped in a warm blanket. The place felt surprisingly comfortable despite the eerie mystery surrounding the village. Luna moved about, her energy much lighter than before, her usual guarded nature replaced by something… playful.
"I love reading books," she said suddenly, holding up a worn novel with a cheerful grin. "And sleeping. Sleeping is my second favorite thing."
Kazuki chuckled. "Sleeping is a hobby now?"
"It totally is!" she insisted, plopping down beside him. "Especially in this house. It's so quiet and peaceful… well, except when someone decides to jump into a freezing lake." She gave him a teasing look.
"Hey, that was for a good cause!" Kazuki defended, smiling back at her.
Luna laughed softly, then turned to her desk, picking up a small sketchbook. "Oh! Watch this!"
She flipped through a few pages before finding the one she wanted—a simple drawing of a tiny rabbit with flowers growing from its back. She held her hand over the page, and the drawing began to glow softly. A moment later, a tiny creature hopped right off the page, its little nose twitching as it looked up at Kazuki.
"Ta-da!" Luna said proudly, cradling the rabbit in her hands. "Pretty cool, right?"
Kazuki leaned in, wide-eyed. "Whoa… that's amazing!"
Luna's cheeks flushed with pride, her eyes lighting up. "Really? You think so?"
"Of course! You can draw something and bring it to life. That's incredible."
Luna beamed, gently setting the rabbit down as it disappeared in a small puff of light. "Hehe… you're easy to impress, huh?"
Kazuki shook his head, grinning. "No way. I've never seen anything like that before. You've got a gift, Luna."
She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, suddenly shy again. "Well… I'm glad you like it. Most people don't even look at me long enough to notice anything like that."
Kazuki reached out, his hand resting on the table between them. "I'm not most people."
Luna stared at him for a moment, her usual quiet demeanor breaking into a soft giggle. "Yeah… I guess you're not."
The warmth between them settled into something calm, something safe. For the first time in a long time, Luna felt like she didn't have to hide.
"So," Kazuki said, leaning back. "Any other tricks up your sleeve?"
"Well…" Luna grinned mischievously. "You'll have to stick around a little longer to find out."
The fire crackled softly as Luna flipped through her sketchbook, showing Kazuki more of her creations. She had a carefree smile on her face, but something in her eyes flickered with unspoken thoughts. Kazuki leaned in closer as she stopped on a page with a beautifully drawn tray of pastries—cupcakes with little stars on top, donuts with colorful sprinkles, and cookies shaped like animals.
"When I was a kid, I tried to create these," Luna said, pointing to the pastries. "I was so excited because, in my head, they were going to taste amazing. I mean, look at them—they're adorable, right?"
Kazuki nodded. "Yeah, they look delicious!"
"Well, turns out they tasted like pure ink," Luna said, breaking into laughter. "I tried to eat a cookie and ended up coughing black ink everywhere. It was a disaster. My whole mouth was stained for hours."
Kazuki laughed along with her. "Wow. That's… honestly kind of impressive. At least you gave it a shot."
"Oh, I didn't stop there," Luna said, grinning. "I tried to create juice next. Thought I'd make a cute little lemonade stand. But nope—same ink problem. It was like drinking paint."
Kazuki shook his head, smiling warmly. "You're really something else, Luna."
"Yeah, something," she teased, though her voice softened as she looked down at the sketchbook. "I was always messing around with my abilities back then… but I guess I just wanted to make something real. Something I could hold on to."
Kazuki noticed her tone shift. She was smiling, but it was the kind of smile someone wears when they're trying to hide their true feelings.
She flipped another page, showing him a silly sketch of a chubby cat wearing a wizard hat. "See this one? I tried to make a pet. But the poor thing couldn't even walk straight and kept falling over. It lasted about five minutes before it poofed out of existence."
Kazuki laughed again, but this time he kept his eyes on her, seeing the way she talked faster, her hands gesturing wildly as she shared more stories. He could feel it—the way she was trying to make him happy, to keep things light.
That's when it hit him.
She knows. She knows he'll eventually leave the village.
Luna was holding on to these moments, trying to make the most of the time they had left.
"Luna…" Kazuki said softly.
"Hm?" She looked up, her smile lingering.
"I'm not going anywhere right now. Let's just enjoy this, okay? Together."
Her eyes widened slightly before softening into something more vulnerable, more real. "Together… yeah. I'd like that."
For the first time, she wasn't trying to hide behind jokes or stories. For now, it was just the two of them, sharing a fleeting moment of peace in a world caught in an endless cycle.
And for Luna, that was enough.