Furina, Please Let Me Steal Your Heart! (Genshin Impact)

After a moment, Furina belatedly realized she was sitting on Luna's lap.

"L-let me down!" she blurted out hastily.

Luna chuckled. "If Lady Furina wishes to be coddled a little longer, I certainly wouldn't mind."

"I'm not being coddled! Besides, it feels strange talking like this..."

Who sits on someone's lap just to have a conversation?

Before Luna could reply, Furina wriggled off her lap and settled down beside her, their shoulders nearly touching.

"Then may I sit on Lady Furina's lap?"

Furina puffed out her cheeks. "I want to talk about something serious!"

"I believe we can discuss serious matters in any position."

"That's just your opinion," Furina mumbled, twisting her fingers and looking down. "I'm serious..."

Luna stopped teasing her. She leaned back against the rock, bracing her hands against it, and swung her legs as she waited for Furina to continue.

"Um..."

"Hmm?"

Furina stole glances at Luna, whispering, "Are you... are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine!"

"Oh..."

Silence stretched between them.

What should I say? I can't think of anything!

Furina felt a wave of embarrassment. She had just been criticizing Neuvillette for being tongue-tied, and now she was just as awkward.

"Lady Furina," Luna began.

"Just call me Furina," she murmured. "The 'Lady' makes us sound like strangers."

"Then... how about Fufu?"

Why did she suddenly jump to a nickname?

Furina rubbed her arm and shook her head. "That's a little too cheesy. Just Furina is fine."

"But what if I want to call you Fufu?"

"Huh?"

Thank goodness for the crashing waves, or Luna might have heard Furina's frantic heartbeat.

Everything had happened so fast: the sudden confession, the embarrassing words she'd blurted out, and then being whisked away in front of everyone.

I hope there aren't any rumors tomorrow...

Lost in her wild thoughts, Furina fidgeted with the hem of her dress. "If you really want it that badly, I suppose it's not entirely out of the question..."

Luna lightly kicked Furina's heel.

"Hey! What was that for? Why did you suddenly kick me?" Furina grumbled.

"Furina's being so well-behaved today," Luna teased with a smile. "Usually, you'd be putting up a fight until the very end."

Furina averted her gaze. "That's because... you already know why."

I had to maintain my role, conceal my true identity, and find ways to keep my distance.

But it seemed that plan hadn't worked out so well.

"...When did you figure out who I really am?" Furina asked, lifting her eyes.

Now that she thought about it calmly, Luna couldn't have prepared such a flawless defense before the Judgment if she hadn't known her true identity. Especially when it came to the Primordial Sea reaction test.

She knew I'd never pass it, Furina thought.

"Does it matter?" Luna replied.

"How are we supposed to keep this conversation going if you keep answering like that?" Furina protested, her frustration growing.

"But it really doesn't matter, does it?" Luna said.

She was right.

Even after discovering her true identity, Luna had remained firmly by her side.

"Thank you for always being there for me," Furina said, her face softening into a relieved smile.

Even amidst the doubts of others, she would continue to fulfill her mission. But having Luna's unwavering support was an immense blessing, a source of comfort, and a wellspring of strength.

Luna simply returned a gentle smile, saying nothing more.

"Are you really alright?" Furina asked again, her concern evident.

"If you're so worried, why don't you check for yourself?"

Check?

Furina blinked. Did that mean...? Her gaze involuntarily drifted downward, settling on Luna's chest.

In the next instant, Luna lowered her head, a slightly flushed smile filling Furina's vision.

"Want to feel?"

Furina practically leaped back. "N-no! You don't have to! Stop saying things like that!"

Honestly, she looks perfectly fine. I wasted all that worry for nothing.

...But is she really okay?

She might have fooled Neuvillette and Focalors, but could she deceive the merciless Judgment machine? The Sword of Judgment was supposed to target the Hydro Archon directly. Could she truly evade it?

Maybe I should still take a look? After a moment's hesitation, Furina finally nodded.

"Let me check, just a quick look, I promise!"

I won't do anything else.

Don't expect anything from me!

"Please."

Furina wasn't wearing gloves. When Luna unbuttoned her coat and gestured, Furina, trying to steady her racing heart, reached out toward Luna's...

...back.

There's no way I could touch her front.

Her palm slipped beneath the hem of Luna's coat, gliding upward as she searched for any scars or wounds on her back. But all she found was smooth, delicate, and warm skin.

"Anything?" Luna's breath brushed against Furina's hair.

Lifting her head, Furina realized she was once again cradled in Luna's arms.

"...No."

"Should I keep looking?"

"No, no, that's enough."

This feels like I'm doing something strange!

Furina withdrew her hands, her fingertips and palms still warm with Luna's body heat.

But she had no time to dwell on this. There were still so many questions she hadn't asked.

"You're not being the Phantom Thief anymore?"

"I need a break for now. As for later... we'll see."

Luna gently stroked Furina's head.

"And you? Are you no longer the Hydro Archon?"

"You already know the answer. I'm exhausted. At least, for now, I don't want to play any role, any character... But if you ask me what I'll do next, I honestly don't know."

The curtain had fallen on her performance, yet as the protagonist stepped off the stage, she found herself adrift, uncertain where to go.

Given the choice between being trapped on stage in an endless solo performance and embracing freedom, Furina naturally chose the latter.

But for someone who had lived for five centuries without a past or future, only an endless present, sudden freedom brought only bewilderment and confusion.

The world beyond the stage felt overwhelmingly vast.

"Want to become a Phantom Thief?" Luna suggested.

"In your dreams," Furina replied wryly. "With a notorious Phantom Thief like you around, who would dare be your accomplice?"

Luna chuckled softly and withdrew her hand.

"You might think the world beyond the stage is boundless, but the reality isn't quite so dramatic. What you can truly touch and experience will always be just a handful of sand from that vast expanse."

"Still, true freedom lies in choosing those grains for yourself."

"Consider this a belated celebration."

Luna gently smoothed Furina's hair, tousled by the sea breeze, and straightened her hat.

"Welcome to the world beyond the stage, Furina."

Gazing into Luna's gentle eyes, Furina couldn't help but lower her head.

"What about you? Have you stepped down from the stage?" she whispered.

"Perhaps not," Luna replied.

The crisis of the Prophecy had passed, and Phantom Thief White Cat was presumed dead. Yet Luna knew her own drama hadn't reached its final act.

Arlecchino had once declared her desire to uncover the truth. While the outcome might seem to grant her wish, betrayal isn't measured by results, but by the process itself.

Protecting Furina's secret and concealing the truth meant defying the will of "Father"—no act of betrayal, however small, escaped his notice.

Every transgression against the House of the Hearth came with a price.

Luna Snezhevna's ultimate adversary was none other than her "Father," Arlecchino. She pressed a hand to her chest, her smile unwavering.

"Now you know the truth about Phantom Thief White Cat's death. Are you satisfied, Furina?"

Luna stood up. "Come, I'll take you home."

She extended her hand, but Furina didn't grasp it. Instead, she stared intently at Luna.

"Is this... a farewell?"

"...Yes. Truthfully, I was planning to visit you today. I didn't expect you to find me first," Luna murmured.

"Why are you saying goodbye?"

Furina abruptly stood up, seizing Luna's wrist. "I can't think of any reason you'd need to say goodbye to me. Or are you hiding something from me again?" she demanded.

She's right. I am hiding something.

But what else could Luna say? She had known all along that any child who betrayed Arlecchino would face execution. Any slip-up, any hint, and Furina might uncover the truth, realizing Luna was no longer a member of the House of the Hearth.

The price of concealing the truth from Furina was losing the one place that had promised never to betray or abandon her. Luna would never regret her decision, not this time either. But if Furina found out, she would undoubtedly blame herself endlessly, Luna thought.

"Do I need a reason?"

"Yes! I do!"

Furina tightened her grip on Luna's wrist. It didn't hurt, but it firmly restrained her. Pressing a hand to her chest, Furina protested, "If you're leaving, then what was the point of everything you've done for me?"

Do I need a reason? She didn't want to hear that answer. At that moment, Furina felt a fire rising in her heart.

"What about all those things you said to me?"

Her nails dug into Luna's skin, leaving a faint stinging sensation.

"Even during the final Judgment, you didn't say a word, just made the decision on your own."

Then you casually stole someone else's future.

"Even though you already took my heart..."

Furina's chest rose and fell with her racing heartbeat, her eyes brimming with tears once more.

She felt like she had cried more in the past few days than in the entirety of her five-century-long existence.

This is too much.

"But I won't let you give it back," Furina declared. "This treasure would be meaningless even if it returned to its original owner."

She rested her head against Luna's chest, inhaling deeply. "You always called me your greatest treasure, right? And you're the Phantom Thief, aren't you?"

"Then take me too..."