The long-awaited Fontaine Fashion Week was finally approaching.
Luna vividly remembered her first time attending Fashion Week.
Thinking back on it, it was truly nostalgic. Back then, even Chiori used to look embarrassed.
But now...
"What are you looking at?" Chiori asked, glancing sideways at her.
"I'm looking at Chiori."
"I know. Why?"
Luna propped her cheeks with her hands. "I remember the first time I met you. You were so broke back then, you'd get embarrassed so easily."
"You used to blush too," Chiori retorted mercilessly.
"I still do."
"I know. After all, I've seen it myself."
How's that? Flawless victory.
Chiori's smug expression seemed to say just that. But Luna merely raised two fingers, instantly changing her expression and causing her to click her tongue.
"Just luck."
"Luck is part of skill too, ChiChi."
Chiori shot her a sidelong glance. "Want to try again?"
"What about your Fashion Week?"
"It won't take long to defeat you."
Luna shook her index finger. "Impossible—I've already identified every weakness in ChiChi's body. You're the one challenging me."
Chiori chuckled. "Very well. Come to my house later."
I'll make you regret this.
Luna grinned provocatively. "If you collapse from exhaustion again, Chiori, can I put a collar on you?"
"As you wish. I might as well admit I already wear one—I just put it on myself."
"What about a neck choker?"
"Fine, as long as you agree to the same conditions."
Chiori grabbed Luna's hand, her face pressed close. With her other hand, she caressed Luna's neck.
"If you lose, I'll put a collar on you too. And you'll have to meow for an hour."
"Meow? Meow?"
Chiori scratched Luna's chin. "Don't pretend to be innocent—"
Who doesn't know you're the naughtiest cat of all?
Luna suddenly glanced toward the entrance and casually sat back down on the sofa.
Noticing this, Chiori suppressed her smile. She knew some customers had entered the boutique; their flirting would have to wait until they were alone again.
"Welcome—"
"Boss, I'm here to return an item!"
"What's the problem? Is it uncomfortable to wear? Are the sleeves too long?"
A extravagantly dressed man declared haughtily, "Didn't you advertise no-questions-asked returns?"
"There's no such thing as 'no questions asked.' Knowing the reason allows me to ensure customer satisfaction."
Chiori raised an eyebrow, her displeasure growing.
"I said return it, so just—"
Luna stood up, her hands clasped behind her back, and approached with a gentle smile. "Returning an item? I think this outfit suits you perfectly. Is there anything you'd like to tell me about why you're dissatisfied?"
"Miss Luna... this..."
Seeing Luna step forward, Chiori settled back into her seat.
Though Luna was even more ruthless than her, she wouldn't impulsively resort to violence like Chiori herself sometimes did.
Moreover, Luna's social standing commanded respect. Whether nobles or wealthy merchants, all treated her with deference.
"Is Chiori here? I want a refund!"
"Me too!"
"This is nothing but a black market shop run in collusion with criminals!"
They were actually right.
An epic-level heavyweight criminal is right before your eyes. Chiori glanced at Luna, who seemed lost in thought, and her own brow furrowed deeply.
What's going on?
She could understand someone wanting a refund; no product could satisfy everyone.
But why were all the refunds concentrated today?
A lavishly dressed man advised, "Miss Luna, I suggest you cut ties with Chiori."
Chiori's eyes narrowed instantly, her bone-chilling gaze making the man break out in a cold sweat.
Even the Raiden Shogun couldn't tear us apart. Who do you think you are?
"Oh? Why?" Luna asked, her tone intrigued.
"Chioriya Boutique has murky ties to criminals! It's all over the newspapers!"
Wow, which newspaper is so amazing?
Actually, it's right! But it needs tweaking: "criminals"? Wrong. "Criminal"? That's more like it.
And it's not "murky ties"—it's stuck together like glue.
Luna looked at Chiori. "As expected?"
Chiori sighed. "It should be."
Someone was trying to sabotage Chioriya Boutique through underhanded methods.
-
Before Chiori could lose her temper, Luna and Eloffe, the shop assistant who had rushed back, managed to calm the customers, sternly declaring, "Don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors."
"Participating in spreading rumors could get you arrested, you know," they added.
The customers' faces paled at this warning. They hurriedly processed returns and cancellations before leaving the premises.
After hanging up the "Closed" sign, only Luna and Chiori remained in the boutique. Eloffe had gone to gather intelligence.
Everything pointed to a smear campaign.
"Could it be that guy you used to collaborate with...?" Luna asked.
"Usher," Chiori replied calmly.
Luna perched on the table. "Right! I remember you beating him up several times. Why hasn't he learned his lesson?"
"Who knows?" Chiori lightly stroked Luna's leg. "That guy has zero ambition but an endless supply of dirty tricks. He's tried to sabotage my brand's reputation countless times, always failing. I bet he's still holding a grudge."
Ever since Chiori first brought Luna to the Fontaine Fashion Show, where they dazzled everyone and established Chioriya Boutique, Usher had been causing trouble every few weeks.
During the renovation, he hired thugs to harass the construction crew, hoping to swap out the custom-made garments Chiori had tailored for celebrities...
The Court of Justice had already warned him.
Yet his clothes still sold well. Why? Because they were "high-quality and affordable."
But anyone could see it was simply the result of extreme cost-cutting.
The real question was: how much had he cut?
"A kiss?"
Luna rose onto her tiptoes.
The next moment, a sharp sting pierced her lip.
"I didn't tell you to bite!"
"Oh? I must have misheard you," Chiori said nonchalantly.
Getting back to business, Luna asked, "What's your plan?"
Just as Chiori was about to answer, Eloffe burst through the door in a panic.
"Disaster! Miss Chiori, Miss Luna!"
"Our accessories supplier sent word that they're temporarily halting all deliveries during Fashion Week!"
Accessories were the essence of the garments, an indispensable part of their soul.
Chiori confirmed, "All of them?"
"All of them!"
"Tch... Luna, let's go take a look."
Luna said calmly, "It seems he's truly determined to ruin you this time."
"Just a dirty trick, nothing too serious, but we still need to address it. I was planning to make a few more outfits, and if the jewelry supply gets cut off, the production time will skyrocket."
Her meticulously prepared plan would also fail.
Most designers participating in the Fontaine Fashion Show prepare two or three outfits. Chiori, however, aimed to create five or six!
And she wouldn't compromise on quality, despite the increased quantity.
Grounded, dignified, stunning, and never giving up—that's the Chiori way.
The two immediately headed to the home of Chioriya Boutique's jewelry supplier.
Supplier Viguer glanced at them.
"Miss Luna is here too! What a stroke of luck. My whole family are your fans."
Luna adjusted her sunglasses. "Then about the jewelry supply for Chiori—"
"Ah... I'm afraid I can't. Take a look at these newspapers."
Newspapers?
Chiori took the papers. They weren't The Steam Bird, but rather some second-rate fashion tabloids.
"And this one, and this one, and..."
A total of five or six newspapers.
All fashion-related publications, all second- or third-tier media outlets.
The articles were straightforward:
Sources in the Fortress of Meropide reveal that a criminal boasted about buying clothes from Chioriya Boutique, claiming they suited him perfectly and that the boutique's atmosphere felt "just like coming home!"
Members of the Viguer family have also served time in prison—a blatant threat: "I know everything about you, Viguer."
The most damaging attack, however, centered on Chiori's abrasive demeanor.
The shopkeeper routinely throws uninvited guests out windows or kicks them clear across the room... This newspaper portrays the wrongdoer as the innocent party.
"A shopkeeper assaulting customers? Is there no justice anymore?!"
The article was accompanied by an illustration:
Illustration: Chiori throwing usher through the window mid throw.
Usher, who had repeatedly resorted to underhanded tactics to annoy Chiori, was now painted as a heroic vanguard against the dark forces of the fashion industry.
Frankly, this reporting... was atrocious.
It didn't even compare to the sensationalist articles the tabloids had published during her days as a phantom thief. Those were truly spectacular.
"Do you understand now? It's not that I want to end our business relationship, but... the public outcry will inevitably affect my family. If I don't withdraw, my family will never have peace."
Viguer shook his head. "Ordinary people with no backing can't win against public opinion."
After all, the truth hardly matters.
Chiori took a deep breath. "...I understand. I don't blame you."
"Just bear with it for now, Chiori. Enter again next year. Bend a little this year, and you can stand tall next year."
Bear with it?
Chiori could never endure such compromise.
"Can a bent back ever truly straighten again?" she asked, her voice low and heavy.
"...You haven't changed at all," Viguer said with a bitter smile before retreating into his house.
The door closed, and Chiori fell silent.
"Things aren't going smoothly," Luna remarked with a gentle smile.
"How can you still laugh?"
"Because we've weathered far worse together."
Chiori's lips curled into a smile. "True enough."
"Though it seems Usher has prepared a real spectacle for me. They even published that sketch of me beating him up from a few days ago."
As if simply not beating him up would suffice? Impossible.
He'd undoubtedly find another way to retaliate, just a different tactic.
Chiori's temperament and methods made her an easy target for public criticism, but changing her now was out of the question. Luna didn't believe she would change either.
That's what drew me to her in the first place, Luna thought.
"What's your plan?"
"I want to win everything fair and square through sheer strength. I despise engaging in public opinion battles," Chiori replied.
For Chiori, the best way to silence critics was to crush them with her own power.
Luna retorted firmly, "That won't solve the root problem."
Even if one Usher falls, countless others will emerge to harass Chiori.
The higher she climbs, the more people will want to see her topple—those who find her success more unbearable than their own failures.
"...I know," Chiori sighed. Just endless petty drama.
"So, my dear girlfriend, do you have any ideas?" she asked.
Luna flipped out two playing cards.
She revealed one: "One. I'll send Usher an Announcement Letter. As soon as Phantom Thief White Cat makes her move, the Special Task Force will initiate 'Forced Protection,' conveniently searching Usher's entire estate in the process."
Usher's plans would crumble before they could even materialize.
Chiori chuckled. "What? Has the Special Task Force become your personal army now?"
Luna chuckled. "Maybe it's the other way around?"
She revealed her second card: "Two."
"I choose two," Chiori said.
"I haven't even told you what it means yet," Luna pointed out.
"I can guess."
Chiori took the card, a faint smile playing on her lips. "'Let us put on a good show'—right?"
If public opinion is a breeze, then we'll conjure a storm even greater. A storm strong enough to scatter everything!
Luna declared confidently, "Exactly! Useless underhanded tactics can never defeat absolute brilliance. Worms slithering in the dark can only fear the sun."
She removed her sunglasses, a triumphant grin spreading across her face.
"And I will be that sun."
Luna snatched the card from Chiori's hand. "Choose two—Showtime! Remember the sensation we caused at our first Fashion Show? Let's do it again!"