Navia propped her cheek on her hand, absentmindedly doodling circles on the paper with her pen.
"Phantom Thief White Cat is Lulu? Lulu is Phantom Thief White Cat?"
Ever since the night Phantom Thief White Cat resurfaced, this suspicion had been gnawing at Navia.
She couldn't believe her best partner, her dearest friend, could actually be the Phantom Thief herself! Yet the mounting evidence pointed relentlessly toward this possibility, making it impossible for Navia to ignore.
Especially their cohabitation with Furina.
"But there's no concrete proof Lulu is the White Cat, right?"
On the contrary, there was plenty of evidence to suggest she wasn't.
For example, Phantom Thief White Cat could freely switch appearances, including Luna's face.
For example, Phantom Thief White Cat and Luna had appeared simultaneously, right under everyone's eyes.
Navia could confidently confirm it was indeed Luna.
At the very least, her skin, her scent, the lines around her eyes and mouth... everything was identical to Luna's. Or was it merely a perfect "fake" impersonating Luna?
The Phantom Thief White Cat's abilities remained a mystery. If she could slow even the ocean's currents, creating a perfect replica of herself wouldn't be surprising.
If she delved deeper into this line of thinking, perhaps even Furina, who had submerged her hand in the Primordial Seawater during the final Judgment, wasn't the real person.
But those were all past events, best left undisturbed.
Navia murmured, "I've never allowed myself to dwell on these thoughts."
Because she didn't want to believe it.
"...But if Lulu truly is the Phantom Thief White Cat, what am I supposed to do?"
Navia slumped onto the table, writing Luna's name.
Her best partner is actually her opponent? A criminal?
Navia sighed deeply. She knew another sleepless night awaited her.
Meanwhile, not far away, at the headquarters of the Special Task Force, Chevreuse silently flipped through files.
The Phantom Thief White Cat had chosen to resurface.
Her mission had returned to its starting point: capture the Phantom Thief.
To uncover the White Cat's true identity, she could now only rely on past archives and case files to trace her history.
Both Neuvillette and Focalors claimed ignorance of Phantom Thief White Cat's identity.
Whether this was true or false mattered little.
Chevreuse had no way of extracting the truth from them anyway.
She would have to rely on herself.
Yet after poring over documents for hours, her eyes aching from the strain, Chevreuse remained clueless.
"If only I could narrow down the search area..."
No leads at all. Chevreuse exhaled heavily and returned the documents to their proper places.
"If only..."
If only that White Cat would reveal a little more.
Perhaps White Cat wanted me to uncover her past, to understand her.
Chevreuse knew this idea was utterly absurd, but if not for such a reason, why else would White Cat have shared her experiences with her?
If Phantom Thief White Cat so desired, her identity would remain forever hidden.
Returning to her dorm, Chevreuse showered and sat down on her chair. The Vision in her hand conjured scenes from her past before her eyes.
From the moment she could remember, Chevreuse had always known her father was a busy man.
Leaving before dawn and returning late at night, his eyes perpetually shadowed with dark circles, he threw himself into every case with relentless fervor, tirelessly pursuing criminals and lawbreakers of all kinds.
This was Chevreuse's first impression of him.
Her second impression came from what others had said about him:
Donatello was a good officer, a good man, an upright enforcer of the Law, though not strictly "correct" in his methods.
An upright sinner.
He had once stood before the Court of Judgment, been convicted of a crime, and exiled to the Fortress of Meropide.
This was because, in his zeal to advance a case investigation and draw public attention, he had deliberately leaked classified information about a major crime.
His sentence had long since ended, but he could never return to the Maison Gardiennage.
A criminal record was an indelible stain, an insurmountable barrier to his future.
Only merciless, icy adherence to the Law and its punishments could deter those tempted to cross the criminal line.
Ultimately, he joined the Special Task Force, though he never participated in frontline operations.
"An upright sinner..." Chevreuse murmured.
Just like that cat, she thought.
And just as Donatello was branded, she was known as the "sinner's daughter," forever barred from working in the Court of Justice.
Yet now, she found she preferred chasing down dangerous criminals on the front lines to sitting behind a desk in the Court of Justice.
At least justice could be served more swiftly this way.
When she first joined the Special Task Force, the then-Deputy Captain had earnestly told her:
"This isn't a place for vigilante justice, but a place where justice speaks its truth."
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, may seem rational, but it's not the path a law enforcer should take.
To let her emotions erupt and resort to vigilante justice? She shouldn't, and couldn't, do that. No matter how furious or helpless she felt, only the Law could judge criminals.
Her role was to uphold her own "justice" within that framework.
"Letting criminals roam free is the greatest insult to the Law."
That's why she had resorted to unconventional methods to solve cases.
The price for this realization was the death of her deputy captain, her father's friend, at the hands of a criminal's gun.
Chevreuse tightened her grip on her Vision and sighed. "How long have you been eavesdropping?"
"Oops, caught me?"
"You weren't even trying to hide yourself."
Chevreuse turned to look at the figure perched on the windowsill.
"White Cat," she murmured.
Without her noticing, Luna had already settled on the windowsill, looking just as she did during their secret "rendezvous" days.
The same smile playing at the corners of her lips, the same spark in her eyes... the only difference was her outfit.
"Who made your outfit?"
Luna leaped lightly down from the windowsill, clasping her hands behind her back. "Is it possible I made it myself?"
"I don't believe a person's aesthetic sense and design style can change so drastically in such a short time," Chevreuse said flatly.
"Then just pretend I did it, okay? If you're trying to use this to uncover my true identity, you're wasting your time."
Luna perched on the desk, leaning down to gently stroke Chevreuse's cheek.
"Long time no see, Miss Captain. Did you miss me?"
"No. I wish you'd stayed 'dead.' Fontaine doesn't need a Phantom Thief."
Chevreuse leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.
Luna casually picked up the reports and documents scattered on the desk, flipping through them idly.
"What does it matter if I'm needed or not?" she said flippantly. "My appearance never depends on anyone's needs. I continue because I want to."
Just as stubborn as ever, Chevreuse thought with a sigh.
A silken thread snaked around a pen, tugging gently.
As the pen landed in Luna's hand, she casually drew a few circles on the documents.
"What are you doing? These documents are strictly forbidden from being marked with your 'cat paws'," Chevreuse snapped, reaching to snatch them away.
Luna tossed them back onto the desk.
"Perhaps my 'cat paws' could actually help you, Miss Police Dog."
"...Don't call me that."
Chevreuse frowned.
"Then what should I call you?"
Luna slid off the desk and gracefully settled onto Chevreuse's lap. Her brightly colored lips drew near Chevreuse's ear as slender fingers traced a path down her neck, coming to rest on her back.
With a flick of her fingertip, she traced invisible lines in the air.
"Cap-tain?" Luna enunciated each syllable, her fingertip drawing the word in the air.
Chevreuse narrowed her eyes. That damned White Cat—she could infuriate her so easily.
But she merely averted her gaze and picked up the files on the desk.
"If you were willing to abandon this mask and wear our uniform, I might let you call me that."
The next instant, a soft, moist sensation pressed against her cheek. She's kissing my beauty mark again.
"You know that's impossible."
Luna left Chevreuse's lap and sprawled sideways on the bed, pulling Chevreuse's pillow into her arms and kneading it absently.
Chevreuse murmured, "Why do you continue being a Phantom Thief?"
She flipped to the next page, Luna's circled annotations revealing critical points that made Chevreuse thoughtful.
These were all inconsistencies from recent cases. When connected... Chevreuse's realization struck her.
I never imagined this cat could find a breakthrough just by skimming these files.
"Do I need a reason?"
"The moment you resurfaced, you targeted an organ-trafficking syndicate," Chevreuse countered, setting down the files and turning to face Luna.
"Because they possess a treasure."
"Because you wanted to punish them," Chevreuse stated firmly.
"Miss Chevreuse, do you think too highly of me?"
"You are that kind of person."
Chevreuse stood up, walked over to Luna, and looked down at her.
"You even wanted to kill them, to inflict vigilante justice."
This wasn't a momentary impulse, but a calculated judgment made with cold rationality.
Clutching her pillow, Luna said, "It's a pity I couldn't carry it out, thanks to your interference."
"Of course I had to stop you."
Luna shrugged indifferently. "And why did you stop me? You used to think my hands were stained only with treasure, but the truth is—"
"Even if there's no turning back, you shouldn't continue down this path," Chevreuse insisted earnestly.
Luna gazed at her silently.
"Miss Chevreuse, you really do care about me. Can I take this as an expression of affection?"
"How could that be? I'm just..."
I feel regret, pity, helplessness.
Chevreuse couldn't finish her sentence, her fists clenching tightly.
Luna simply smiled faintly. "Shh, don't worry about it. I understand Miss Chevreuse's intentions. After all, you've already confessed to me so 'openly'."
And it was such a lengthy confession, impossible to forget.
Chevreuse turned her face away and sighed. "I wanted to tell Luna, not you, you scoundrel."
But unfortunately, I am the Phantom Thief White Cat.
"Then would Miss Chevreuse like to know more about me?"
Luna reclined on the bed, her eyes narrowing slightly as she smiled. "To catch me."
"Are you willing to tell me?"
"Of course. If I didn't want you to understand me, you wouldn't be able to glean even the slightest hint of my true self. I've said before, I don't mind being understood by you."
The Phantom Thief White Cat is definitely going to change the subject and say 'but', Chevreuse thought.
Sure enough, Luna shifted her tone. "But..."
"There's a price," Chevreuse said.
Luna laughed delightedly.
"Hmph hmph, Miss Captain is becoming quite the negotiator."
"Exactly. Everything comes at a price. I won't offer my assistance or reveal my past to you for free, you know."
"Though, truth be told, I really shouldn't be divulging this."
Luna added, but who could blame her for wanting to help her dear Miss Captain, who was facing a bottleneck?
The price is undoubtedly a kiss, Chevreuse thought.
Based on past experiences, this conclusion wasn't hard to reach.
"...What's the price?"
Still, Chevreuse decided to ask just to be sure.
"A kiss."
Just as I suspected.
"Perverted Phantom Thief."
Luna chuckled softly. "Because Miss Chevreuse is so beautiful and captivating, and I've always had a fondness for beautiful treasures."
If it's just my hands and face, I can agree, Chevreuse thought.
"Tell me part of it first."
"Bargaining? Fine by me. I don't mind."
Luna then revealed a name: "Lefebvre."
Lefebvre? The name rang a bell for Chevreuse.
She remembered it as the name of a family that had been wiped out. Based on the sole clue left at the scene—which was, in essence, no evidence at all—she had once suspected the House of the Hearth's "Knave" was responsible.
But it remained just a suspicion.
That was a filthy family, and Chevreuse had no intention of defending them.
She simply hadn't expected to hear that name from the Phantom Thief White Cat.
Could it mean that White Cat's true identity was one of the children sent to that family?
Or was it merely connected to the family? Perhaps she had simply encountered criminals and evildoers similar to those in that family... Chevreuse pondered.
Regardless, knowing this was a major breakthrough.
"So, you were one of the abducted children?" Chevreuse asked again.
"Hmm~ Maybe~" Luna replied with a smile.
Chevreuse immediately understood Luna's meaning.
If you want more, you know what to do.
"...Very well."
Acceptable.
Chevreuse sat beside Luna. "As long as you provide more information afterward, I can accept your proposed price."
Luna sat up, smiling. "Of course. I'm very conscientious about fulfilling my agreements."
Who would believe such words?
She's clearly a deceitful cat.
Chevreuse ignored Luna's words, simply watching her in silence, her purple eyes reflecting Luna's figure.
Luna returned the gaze, taking Chevreuse's hand.
"Actually, I'm glad Miss Chevreuse said those things. As I mentioned earlier, I don't resent anyone, so you don't need to feel angry or powerless because of me."
"Choosing to become a Phantom Thief, and continuing to be one, is my own will."
Her other hand gently cupped Chevreuse's face.
"I'm sorry, but you can't steer me onto the path you want me to follow."
Chevreuse whispered, "I know."
If Phantom Thief White Cat weren't the person she is, she could never have become a Phantom Thief herself.
"You can't lead me down your path either. I won't meet your expectations," Chevreuse continued, asserting that she would only follow the justice in her heart.
"That's fine. What I want isn't for Miss Chevreuse to do what I expect."
Luna leaned closer, her delicate fragrance and the warmth of her breath becoming more distinct. The hand on Chevreuse's cheek gently caressed her skin and brushed against the strands of hair near her ear.
"What I want now is—"
Words failed her.
She couldn't speak.
With an impossibly gentle kiss, Luna sealed Chevreuse's lips. The sweet touch numbed Chevreuse's mind, leaving her momentarily frozen in place, her eyes widening gradually.
As their lips parted, Luna whispered, "It's Miss Chevreuse."