"So, are you going to get angry now?" Luna asked.
"...I'm this close to snapping."
Luna flipped Chiori over, pinning her down, and leaned in close to her neck.
A sharp sting pierced Chiori's neck, causing her to frown in displeasure. Yet she didn't push Luna away, instead demanding:
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to make you angry."
The initial sting faded, replaced by a gentle warmth and the soft, damp breath that brushed against the teeth marks. Chiori shuddered a few times, her ears flushing visibly crimson.
"Stop," she said, her voice strained. "Not here."
After all, a customer could walk in at any moment.
Luna's breath brushed against Chiori's skin. "Does that mean it's okay in private?"
"I didn't say that. You didn't leave a mark, did you?"
"Just a little one."
A faint bite mark lingered on her neck, which Luna traced lightly with her fingertip—her "mark."
"It's fine," Luna said, caressing Chiori's neck. "Just say your pet cat bit you. No one will ask further when they see your dark expression."
Chiori raised an eyebrow, but the truth was undeniable. Clever customers never pry into her personal affairs.
Still, Luna's casual attitude toward leaving marks on her body made Chiori catch her breath.
She had to admit, Luna certainly knew how to provoke her—and seemed to enjoy it.
"Come here," Chiori ordered.
"Hmm?" Luna responded, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Chiori pulled open Luna's collar and pressed a sharp, prick-like mark against her skin.
The pain didn't change Luna's expression; she remained pressed against Chiori, a smile playing on her lips.
"Now should I tell everyone a temperamental foreign cat bit me?" Luna teased.
"Say whatever you like," Chiori retorted.
Luna touched her neck. "Is it bleeding?"
"No. You're my model; I wouldn't do anything to mar your beauty," Chiori said bluntly.
"But what if I say it hurts?"
"Endure it."
"Won't you treat it for me? Like, with this..." Luna's fingertip slid between Chiori's lips, tracing the delicate, almost translucent texture to the corner of her mouth.
Chiori glanced at the doorway—no customers had arrived yet.
She could do it.
But she didn't want to.
If it came down to who would dominate, Chiori wouldn't yield that position to Luna, nor would she always yield to her desires.
Of course, Luna felt the same way.
"If it hurts, use this to endure it," Chiori said, grasping the silk ribbon tied in a bow at her neck and tugging.
She untied the ribbon, wrapped it around Luna's neck, and retied it into a charming bow.
"There."
Luna pinched the ribbon, her lips curving into a soft smile. "Does it suit me?"
"No, this color scheme doesn't suit you," Chiori replied without a hint of diplomacy, her hand gliding through Luna's golden hair. "You belong in more opulent performance costumes."
Opulent and dazzling—that was the kind of attire Luna deserved.
And only I could create the perfect ensemble to complement her beauty.
"Then have you prepared such a costume for me?" Luna asked, blinking her eyes.
"Come get it tonight."
"Won't you give me a hint?"
"No hints."
The best surprises always preserve an air of mystery.
Chiori smiled faintly. "All you need to do is endure—endure until tonight. And if I find you haven't managed to hold out..."
"Do you really think I'm that kind of person?" Luna countered.
"No, but I want to give you a warning—and make you anticipate it. Preferably so you can't even nap this afternoon."
Every moment, she was thinking about it, eagerly anticipating Luna's upcoming performance in her perfect, one-of-a-kind costume.
Luna sat up and murmured, "I thought you wouldn't want the Phantom Thief White Cat to be revived."
"I don't," Chiori replied, sitting up as well, her tone unforgiving. "After all, you always put yourself on one side of the Archon's Scale first."
"To put it bluntly, you act like you're trying to get yourself killed."
That's a bit harsh.
Leaning back against the sofa armrest, Luna rested her legs on Chiori's lap and wiggled her toes. "It's just... it's always better and easier to put myself on the line than to put someone else there," she said casually.
Chiori lifted Luna's calf and massaged it a few times, as if estimating measurements.
"That's why I don't want you to be a Phantom Thief. To be frank, I never want to hear from others again that my dear friend has disappeared."
"I've even considered locking you up."
Luna exclaimed in mock surprise, "Wow, you're such a girl-obsessed yandere!"
Chiori couldn't help but chuckle.
"You know I hate distractions."
And what distracted her most was this golden Fat Cat.
But Chiori knew one thing for certain:
"No matter what I or anyone else says, it won't change your decision. Just like me, once you've made up your mind, you'll see it through to the end."
"You and I are very similar, so I understand how you think..."
Chiori gently tapped Luna's knee, causing her leg to twitch reflexively.
"I won't tell you not to go—besides, that would waste the gift I meticulously prepared for you." Chiori set Luna's leg down and looked at her intently.
"Just promise me one thing: don't always put only yourself on the Archon's Scale."
Chiori crawled toward Luna and pressed down on her shoulders.
"Put me on there too."
She would never stop Luna.
She would walk to the end with her.
"Why?" Luna asked.
She already knows the answer, Chiori thought. Luna just wanted to hear it from her.
And Chiori had long prepared her reply.
"Because we made a promise."
"You're my model, and I intend to keep using you."
This was the promise they had made right after their first meeting.
Chiori's expression remained indifferent. "I don't care about your affairs at the House of the Hearth. Since you made a deal and a promise with me, I won't allow you to break it."
After all, she had already said she didn't mind opening her shop elsewhere.
Chiori was confident she could grow her brand and fulfill her dreams anywhere.
"So... I'm important to you?"
"...Yes."
"Why the silence?"
Chiori sighed. "Reflect on your past actions first."
Reflect?
Was there really anything to reflect on? Well, making Chiori and the others worry was definitely something she needed to reflect on. She already knew she was wrong.
Luna gazed into Chiori's eyes, seeing her own reflection mirrored within.
"You're important to me too," Luna said, cupping Chiori's face.
A light, pecking kiss landed on the corner of Chiori's lips.
Chiori exhaled through slightly parted lips. "...As long as you know."
-
That evening, Luna arrived at Chioriya Boutique.
The "Closed" sign was already hanging on the door, but a light still shone inside.
She pushed the door open.
Ding-a-ling—the doorbell chimed.
Sure enough, Chiori stood before a mannequin, her figure obscuring the garment it wore. Her gaze slowly swept over the outfit.
At the slightest hint of imperfection, disharmony, or flaw, she would unhesitatingly raise her blade and slash the garment apart, sending it back for a complete rework.
But in the end, Chiori simply nodded in satisfaction.
"Do you know why your Phantom Thief outfit never worked?" she asked, stroking the fabric lightly.
"Because you lack sufficient self-awareness. You deliberately imitate the charm and strengths of others' work, yet fail to realize that those qualities neither suit you nor are inherently superior."
"Ever since fate bound us together, I've been watching you."
Chiori knew every inch of Luna's skin and every nuance of her allure as intimately as she knew her own hands.
"Only I can create the perfect attire for you—whether you wear your mask or take it off."
Chiori turned, stepping aside with a confident and proud smile.
"I can guarantee this is my best work to date," she declared, gesturing for Luna's attention to fall on the brand-new Phantom Thief outfit. "Of course, I'll create even better ones in the future, but for now, this will do."
She also had a gift prepared.
Chiori handed Luna several photographs.
"I asked a journalist friend for these. They might not seem special at first glance, but you should be able to find the clues hidden within."
"And these recently rampant scoundrels have stolen a treasure."
Chiori's finger landed on one of the photographs.
"This—the Archon's Scale."
Treasure information discovered: Archon's Scale
"What do you plan to do?" Chiori asked with a knowing smile.
Luna removed the mask from the mannequin and placed it on her own face.
"Naturally, I'll make the entire world my audience. I'll tell them..."
Click. Luna fastened the clasp, raised her hand, and her crimson cape billowed dramatically behind her.
"A new play is about to begin, and the star is none other than the object of their deepest desires—the Phantom Thief White Cat!"
Days later, an Announcement Letter sent shockwaves through all of Fontaine.