"Charlotte, have you been feeling unmotivated lately?"
Editor-in-Chief Euphrasie's question prompted Charlotte to sigh, propping her cheek against her hand.
"Well, there haven't been any explosive news stories worth reporting lately..."
"I thought you'd lost your drive because the Phantom Thief White Cat died."
Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. "Impossible! How could something like that dampen my spirits? But..."
Indeed, since the Phantom Thief White Cat disappeared, it did feel like something was missing.
She'd always been chasing Phantom Thief White Cat for stories, but now the thief who had always been one step ahead of her had vanished without a trace.
"Is she really dead?"
"Missing her?" Euphrasie picked up her coffee and took a sip.
Charlotte frowned. "Ugh, why does everyone keep saying that? I have no connection to her. She was always a criminal."
Her raised fingertips idly traced lines on the Kamera's casing.
"But she wasn't the heartless villain everyone makes her out to be. There must have been a reason she stole the Hydro Archon's power. Maybe, like before, she did it to save someone."
Saving people through acts of "evil."
"Whether she's truly dead remains a huge question mark."
After all, the only ones who knew the truth were Neuvillette and, presumably, Focalors.
Even if everything they said was true, it could still be a fabricated truth.
Charlotte lowered her head and sighed, "But I can't find out anything."
"Must be tough."
"Ah, I don't mind the hard work—I just hate coming up empty-handed!"
But this pattern couldn't continue indefinitely.
Though there hadn't been any new explosive news lately, her keen instincts told her that the undercurrents in Fontaine were stirring again. She had to investigate.
Charlotte pulled out her notebook.
"It seems the number of missing persons has been steadily increasing lately," she muttered.
After some time, the missing would suddenly reappear—as corpses.
The Special Task Force had arrested numerous suspects, but the mastermind behind the disappearances remained elusive.
No, perhaps they've already uncovered a lead, but details are being kept secret to avoid tipping their hand. Regardless, the number of missing persons continued to rise.
Euphrasie nodded. "Yes, you need to be careful too..." She gestured at her stomach. "It seems these people are selling what's inside... and they've even provoked the Court of Justice."
Charlotte leaned back in her chair, wondering if Phantom Thief White Cat were around, would she hear about this and take action?
-
Night.
Luna returned to the Adventurer's Guild and submitted all the monster materials required for her quest.
"Here is your reward, Miss Luna. Thank you for your hard work," Katheryne said with a slight bow.
"Mm."
Luna wasn't short on money. Completing quests wasn't just about earning Mora; it was also a way to gauge her physical recovery while picking up some pocket money.
This small sum would barely cover a single dessert for Furina, who had an insatiable appetite for sweets.
No need to elaborate on that, Luna thought.
But it seemed Furina's appetite was limited to desserts.
Perhaps she really does have a separate stomach just for desserts, Luna mused.
Brushing aside sweat-dampened bangs, Luna thought, My body has fully recovered.
If she faced "Father" again in this condition, she could perform much better.
However, she wasn't some battle-crazed fool already back in Snezhnaya. The fleeting thought was quickly dismissed.
Time to go home, Luna thought, but her peripheral vision caught a familiar figure.
It was Chevreuse.
She sat alone in the restaurant, drinking. Judging by her attire, she was off-duty, not wearing her Special Task Force uniform.
Luna watched for a moment, then decided to enter the restaurant.
"Good evening. All alone?"
Chevreuse looked up, momentarily dazed, and murmured, "White Cat?"
"I'm Luna," she said with a gentle smile. "Unfortunately, I'm not the Phantom Thief White Cat you were hoping to catch. May I sit down?"
Chevreuse snapped out of her reverie, straightened her posture, and gestured. "Yes, please do."
How embarrassing, mistaking Luna for White Cat.
If it had really been that White Cat, she would have started scheming something the moment she saw me, Chevreuse mused absentmindedly, falling silent.
"I'm waiting for my father," she added.
Luna exclaimed in surprise, "You two are having dinner together? Am I intruding on your family time?"
"Not at all. You're welcome to join us. He actually admires you quite a bit—he considers you a true detective at heart. He wouldn't mind having you here."
"In fact, he probably has many questions he'd like to ask you."
Even when her father was still with the Maison Gardiennage, he was always preoccupied, completely immersed in his cases.
Even on this rare father-daughter dinner, she suspected that over 60% of the conversation would revolve around his cases—even though he no longer served with the Maison Gardiennage.
Chevreuse pulled out her pocket watch to check the time.
He should be here soon.
She closed the watch, picked up her wine glass, took a small sip, and kept her gaze fixed on the window.
Chevreuse: "..."
Luna: "..."
Chevreuse's long purple hair cascaded down her shoulders, yet she still seemed lost in thought, her gaze distant. The scenery reflected in her slightly lowered eyes resembled a hazy, distorted reflection in a wine glass.
"How's your health? I heard you were injured when the sea surged," she asked with concern.
"I've fully recovered," Luna replied. "If we arm-wrestled, I'm confident I could win."
Chevreuse smiled faintly. "That's not a certainty, but let's not test it."
She picked up the wine bottle.
"Care for a drink?"
"Just a little," Luna said, sliding her glass forward.
"I won't indulge too much either. Even though it's my day off, emergencies could arise at any moment. Too much alcohol would impair my shooting speed and accuracy."
Truth be told, I shouldn't be drinking at all. Maintaining full clarity is paramount.
But there are times when external means are necessary to dispel the shadows accumulating in one's heart.
The wine poured into the glass, blurring Luna's features.
"What do you think of that Phantom Thief White Cat?" Chevreuse suddenly asked.
Without waiting for Luna's response, she continued:
"In my opinion, she's a person brimming with contradictions: breaking the law while performing acts of kindness."
"She ignores everyone's opinions, indifferent to what others think."
"But this isn't rebellion. She doesn't fight against anything, even acknowledging the necessity of justice and order."
"She simply acted according to her own inner sense of justice—so she didn't hesitate to kill, cloaking all her sins behind a masked guise, robbing others of their future to become sinners."
"She also disdained to flaunt her actions before others."
"Beneath her flamboyant, ostentatious, and glamorous exterior lay a heart that shone so brilliantly it dazzled me. But I could never condone everything she did."
"When I learned she was someone my upheld justice had failed to save, someone I couldn't even reach—when the sins of others drove her down this path—I felt both anger and helplessness..."
"The birth of sin often stems from the wickedness of others."
Chevreuse's fingertip traced the rim of her glass.
"One person's wickedness ultimately leads to the creation of another sinner. I wanted to find the day Phantom Thief White Cat first emerged, to uncover who drove her down this path."
"Regrettably, I still have no leads."
"And in the end, I never managed to capture her myself. I knew that one would never keep their promise; every word spoken was a lie."
After whispering such a lengthy explanation, Chevreuse fell silent once more.
She swirled her wine glass, the liquid sloshing gently within.
Luna watched her quietly.
"So, do you hope Phantom Thief White Cat is still alive?"
Chevreuse shook her head.
"It's better this way. She's definitely not dead. Even if she were to die, she'd stage a grand funeral for herself, not perish unseen on some stage."
"I just hope she never dons that mask again."
Luna pressed further, "Tired of the chase?"
"No." Chevreuse propped her cheek on her hand and murmured, "I'll never tire of chasing her."
Of course, she was often infuriated.
Truth be told, there wasn't a single thing about that White Cat that put her at ease. Even a casual remark could make her sigh in exasperation and feel stifled.
"I just wish she would abandon her identity as a Phantom Thief and live as an ordinary person."
"And perhaps, one day, I might welcome a new recruit with golden hair and red eyes."
Chevreuse closed her eyes. "But this is just my fantasy. I don't truly know what White Cat thinks."
Luna murmured, "What if White Cat appears again?"
"I'll capture her."
Just as always.
"Because I'm the Captain of the Special Task Force, the enforcer of Fontaine's Law and Justice," Chevreuse declared earnestly.
Chevreuse would never compromise on this point.
She immediately perked up.
Luna couldn't help but smile. The forlorn Chevreuse from moments ago had been pitifully endearing, making one yearn to kiss her and offer comfort.
But this Chevreuse was the one she knew best—beautiful and radiant, a peerless treasure.
Luna stood up. Chevreuse asked, "Are you leaving already?"
"Mm-hmm. I still think it's best not to intrude on your father-daughter reunion. Let me meet your Father again another time."
Chevreuse nodded. "Alright. Be careful on your way home. Avoid poorly lit, deserted streets. There have been several disappearances recently."
"Thank you for the warning."
Luna left the restaurant, knowing she couldn't trust her restless heart to behave if she remained alone with Chevreuse.
Acquiring treasures was in a Phantom Thief's nature.
But ever since she had claimed Furina as her most precious treasure, Luna felt she could no longer act as she once had.
This wasn't merely because Furina had become another of her constraints; there was another reason.
Chevreuse...
Luna pressed a hand to her chest, her heart racing as she thought, "The old me would have wanted to kiss her cheek."
But now, she yearned to kiss her directly on the lips.
Letting out a breath, Luna strolled down the street. Since she still needed to buy Furina something to eat, she might as well wander around a bit longer.
Miss Captain, you don't want me to show up, but your words only make me want to return to the stage even more.
What kind of expression will you make then?