Navia lay on the grass, turning her head to look at Luna, who sat beside her.
The Phantom Thief outfit had been discarded, and the image before her was once again the familiar one she knew so well.
Yet Navia understood that their relationship had irrevocably changed.
They were still partners, but...
"Lulu, why did you become a Phantom Thief?"
"Because it gives me power."
"Power... you mean those strange and varied abilities of yours?"
"Why?" Navia asked.
A gentle breeze swept across the meadow, rippling through the grass.
Luna smoothed her hair, gazing into the distance. "Yes, as long as I obtain the treasure, I can become stronger."
"How does it work?"
"It's like the abilities in light novels."
Navia tugged gently at Luna's hem. "Oh dear, I haven't read any light novels, but I understand. You want power, but why do you need it?"
"Power is merely a means to an end."
Luna lowered her gaze to Navia and picked up the hat Navia had set aside.
"No matter what you want to accomplish, you can't achieve it without power."
She studied the hat for a moment before leaning in to take a tentative sniff.
"Hey, wait! What are you doing?"
"Smelling."
Navia sat up abruptly and snatched back her hat.
Blushing, she said, "Hats aren't for smelling... Is there a weird smell?"
"Nope."
Good! Navia patted her chest in relief. If she wanted to smell something, she could have just sniffed my hair!
Not that she hasn't done that before. Lulu even did it to Chiori...
No, stop! This conversation is going off track!
Navia pressed on, "So, what do you want to do?"
Faced with Navia's barrage of questions, Luna remained calm and composed.
She knew Navia would ask these questions.
"I'll do what I want to do."
"That's no answer at all!" Navia said with a peculiar expression.
Luna smiled nonchalantly. "But that's my answer—I only act according to my heart's voice. I'll pull the trigger on those I want to shoot, and pour my heart into those I cherish."
Chevreuse called it "inner justice," but whether it was truly justice or not didn't matter to Luna.
If true justice existed in this world, it would undoubtedly be embodied by the convictions Chevreuse upheld.
That was why only Chevreuse could ever capture her.
"I won't let anyone but Miss Chevreuse capture me, not even you, Nana," Luna declared.
How can a Phantom Thief trust the Captain of the Special Task Force so completely? Navia sighed, at a loss for words.
"You know I don't want to capture you anymore," Navia said.
Otherwise, she wouldn't keep calling Luna her partner.
"So you're okay with me continuing to steal treasures?" Luna asked, hugging her knees to her chest.
"How could I be?" Navia gripped Luna's hands, her voice earnest. "Can't you just give up being a Phantom Thief?"
Everyone I know who's in on it seems to want me to quit being a Phantom Thief, Luna mused absently, shaking her head slightly.
"I see..." Navia lowered her gaze, her fingertips tracing circles in Luna's palm.
"Then why did you side with Furina during the Judgment?"
It wasn't an accusation, just a genuine question.
What's the truth behind the Phantom Thief's death?
That day, Luna was so weak that Navia could have knocked her unconscious with a single elbow strike—it might even have killed her.
What exactly happened then?
"I need to understand everything," Navia said earnestly. "Only by knowing you completely can I make a final decision and choose what to do."
Luna asked, "A decision about how to treat me?"
"A decision about what to do after I give up trying to capture you."
There was no way Navia would unconditionally help Luna if she didn't know she was the Phantom Thief White Cat. Chiori had chosen to help her precisely because she fully understood Luna.
Understanding was the foundation for any further action.
"As long as you swear never to reveal the truth to anyone else," Luna whispered.
Navia solemnly swore, "Sounds like a big deal, huh? Well, of course! I, Navia Caspar, swear absolutely never to reveal the truth!"
For she understood that the truth itself could be a dangerous weapon.
And so, Luna told her everything.
Some details were elaborated upon, while others, like the Authority and the Divine Throne, remained deliberately vague. The core revelation was that Focalors' plan involved sacrificing herself to restore Neuvillette's power.
Navia remained stunned, unable to fully process what she had just heard.
"So that's how it is..."
Neuvillette was the Hydro Dragon Sovereign.
Furina was a genuine human, and her disguise couldn't be exposed before the final Judgment.
Luna had stolen the Hydro Archon's power and become the Hydro Archon herself, all to save Focalors...
The sheer volume of information left Navia reeling, unable to fully process it.
"The gods want to save us, and you want to save the gods," she murmured softly.
Standing by Furina's side meant protecting the secrets she so desperately wanted to conceal.
Luna smiled gently. "Even as death looms, she resolutely chooses to sacrifice her own form. Don't you find that beautiful?"
And a Phantom Thief could never let such a beautiful treasure vanish from the world.
"...You really do live by your own aesthetic principles."
There's nothing I can't steal, Luna had once told her.
Now, it seemed that was indeed the case.
The gods' fates and lives, Fontaine's predetermined future and its hidden truths, Furina's pain and loneliness... all had been stolen by the Phantom Thief White Cat.
It wasn't surprising that Furina chose to live with Lulu.
To this "former Hydro Archon," Lulu was likely her only truly trustworthy person.
"Kidnapping the hostages was to maintain order in Fontaine," Navia said.
The justice of the Law was indispensable.
If the Court of Justice couldn't uphold it, then criminals would have to safeguard it.
The people needed the Law, and they needed law enforcers they could trust.
"Accepting the earlier interview was to protect me from Vacher, to draw his attention."
And Luna had never truly attacked them.
She mostly just deflected their attacks and seized opportunities to escape.
"Your appearance in Poisson was because you were constantly monitoring this area."
To prevent Navia and the others from dissolving into the sea.
"Stopping me from going to the ruins with Neuvillette and the Traveler was to protect me..."
As Navia recounted these events one by one, she couldn't help but press her lips into a thin line.
"...Lulu."
"Hmm?"
Navia hugged Luna tightly.
"You're really amazing," Navia murmured, leaning her weight against Luna, her warm breath brushing against Luna's ear.
"I think so too," Luna replied.
"Wow, you actually admitted it yourself!" Navia chuckled.
Luna returned Navia's embrace, whispering, "Now you know everything: why I became the Phantom Thief, why I do these things—"
She released Navia and gazed at her intently.
"What judgment will you deliver now?"
Navia had to admit, Luna was indeed remarkable.
But she was also cunning.
How despicable, asking such a question at a time like this.
No wonder she could conspire with Focalors. None of them are innocent; Furina is actually the most naive of them all.
Navia met Luna's gaze.
"Actually, I thought a lot about this last night."
She placed her hand on Luna's chest.
"Especially about you, Lulu. If you really are the Phantom Thief White Cat—if I could be 100% certain—what should I do? So I tested you."
Tested me? Luna's expression turned puzzled.
If Navia did anything last night, it was merely a light kiss after turning off the lights.
"So, you mean last night..." Luna suddenly understood.
"Hehe, you confirmed my feelings by biting me, so naturally, I could confirm my own feelings by kissing you."
If she had felt repulsion, her body would have reacted instinctively.
An unwillingness to touch, an aversion to closeness... the body reacts faster and more keenly than the mind.
The moment her fingertips touched Luna's skin, revulsion would have flared, and she would have recoiled.
Navia continued, "You know I tend to rely on my intuition when thinking."
"Rather than pondering, I prefer to feel."
"Get your body moving first! That's always been my approach, so my first instinct was to feel my own reaction."
Her slender hand slid upward from Luna's chest to her neck.
"But when I touched you, there was no repulsion at all. Instead, my heart raced, warm and suffocating, as if I'd caught some strange illness."
It was the same now—even more intense than before, as if her very breath had turned scalding.
"...I still want to hold Lulu's hand, just like I always have."
Navia's voice was gentle, but her cheeks flushed crimson.
If Luna had committed any grave crime against her, it was perhaps this.
"But I really wish you'd stop being a phantom thief."
"I know," Luna said.
"Then will you listen to me?"
"No, I wouldn't do that."
I knew it would be like this.
Navia sighed softly. "I... really want to tell you that I'll protect you, so you don't have to chase power. But I know I'm not as strong or as capable as everyone thinks I am."
"Still, I'll work hard to become stronger!"
"After all, that's what partners do, right?"
Navia gently shook Luna's hand, her smile radiant.
I'll keep evolving too!
"Of course, given our positions..."
Navia trailed off.
"I understand."
The Spina di Rosula was a civilian organization entirely dependent on the President's whims. But since its foundation lay with the people, and the Phantom Thief White Cat happened to be the very figure the public feared and loathed most...
If a crisis arose and both Navia and Luna in her Phantom Thief form were present, she wouldn't be able to ignore the Phantom Thief.
Building trust was excruciatingly difficult, but destroying it was effortless.
"Just consider it a test of our strength," Luna said. "Don't hold back when you attack me then."
"You make it sound like I'm treating you badly..." Navia teased before laughing softly. "Well, let's call it a sparring match then! I'll give it my all, you know."
"Hmm, if you defeat me, you can do whatever you want."
Even if it means stopping me from being a Phantom Thief.
"...Could this be another rule of the House of the Hearth?" Navia asked skeptically.
"Exactly."
"Wow..."
Truly beyond words.
Navia sighed and leaned against Luna. "Thank you for saving Melus and the others," she murmured softly.
"After all, I couldn't bear to see my Miss Watson shed tears."
Navia had already made her judgment.
She accepted Luna completely—both the woman beneath the mask and the masked persona.
What will Chevreuse do now? Luna wondered, twirling a strand of Navia's hair around her finger.
"...I'm actually terrified," Navia confessed, her gaze fixed on the Clementine Line Aqueduct in the distance. "If the Clementine Line were destroyed, it would feel like losing my mother all over again."
"But it's still there... Thank goodness."
Though Luna understood Navia's feelings, she couldn't truly empathize.
Clementine had died in childbirth, making Navia's birth the very cause of her mother's death.
Navia had never seen her mother in person. No matter how many stories others told her, they merely added a few faint strokes to an already blurry image.
She was the abandoned child.
"Just like you said, Lulu, I carry the wishes of my dad and mother. They both wanted me to live a good life."
"Not only that, I've been showered with love from others my whole life."
"Colter was right about one thing: many of the things I have now were given to me by my dad and mother."
"The Spina di Rosula, Poisson... and so much more."
"But I won't let anyone down. I'll become someone who surpasses my dad and mother."
Navia's resolve was firm. "I won't become just like either of them, and the Spina di Rosula shouldn't act as it used to."
"One day, I'll stand tall and erect a statue of myself right next to my dad and mother's—and of course, I hope Lulu will be by my side too, hehe."
She then chuckled sheepishly.
Luna smiled. "I'm not part of the Spina di Rosula, you know?"
"But you're my partner!"
"And my friend, my Miss Detective, the star I want to support wholeheartedly... and the moonlight that guards me in the dark of night."
Navia's voice softened as she gazed intently into Luna's eyes.
Finally, she fell silent.
Instead, Navia raised her hand and gently stroked Luna's cheek.
She inexplicably recalled their earlier failed attempt at a kiss.
"Lulu."
"Hmm?"
"Could you... continue? You know, from before..." Navia whispered.
Luna asked, "From before?"
"You know... that..." Navia still couldn't bring herself to say the word, so she pointed to her own lips. This should make it clear, right?
"Oh my?~ I doesn't understand~"
"Come on! You totally understand!" Navia blurted out.
Luna chuckled, lifted Navia's chin, and softly pressed her lips against hers. The sudden, tender sensation made Navia's eyes widen.
Wait, I wasn't mentally prepared for this!
"Is that enough?" Luna asked with a faint blush.
Navia stared blankly, touching her lips.
"...Lulu."
"Hmm?"
"Why are you so... practiced at this?"
Was this Luna's first kiss? Navia's heart pounded, but doubt crept in.
"Is it strange?"
"Since you're asking me, I don't know..." Navia replied awkwardly.
Unless I try again.
Navia mustered her courage. Luna had taken the initiative earlier; now it was her turn!
I didn't feel anything at all just now.
"Lulu."
Just as Luna was about to speak, Navia cupped her face and sealed her lips with her own.
Her heart hammered so hard it ached.
This time, I can finally feel that fleeting touch from before, Navia thought: warm, soft, and sweet, far surpassing any dessert in the world.
Navia wrapped her arms around Luna's neck, leaning her full weight against her.
Moments later, she intertwined their fingers, locking them together.
Though Luna kept her eyes open, gazing at her, Navia remained with her eyes tightly closed, her only focus on the kiss.
"Nana."
"What?" Navia murmured, slightly dazed.
Luna's cheeks flushed crimson as she whispered, "You really don't... have any feelings for girls?"
Why are you asking me this, the one who wanted to kiss you? Navia didn't know how to answer.
Because she might have just realized something.
"I..."
Maybe it's true.
But these feelings only applied to Luna.
"I just like Lulu!" Navia finally declared.
"What kind of liking?"
What kind of liking? Navia whispered, "All sorts."
It was no longer the pure, unadulterated affection she once felt, untainted by other emotions.
-
SpyNote: History would just say they were really good friends.