What's it like to return to your bedroom and find the Phantom Thief sitting on your bed?
For Chevreuse, it was a familiar, yet persistently irritating feeling.
She closed the door behind her and said, "I thought you were still lying in some shady hospital."
"I wish I were, but I couldn't find one. Perhaps Miss Chevreuse could recommend one?"
"None that I know of, but I do know a head nurse who cures all ailments with a single dose. No one's ever complained," Chevreuse said with a snort.
"Where?"
"Fortress of Meropide. If you want to go, I can take you," Chevreuse replied coldly, continuing to towel her hair.
Luna propped herself up on her hands, leaning back on the bed with a slight tilt of her head and a mischievous smile. "Miss Captain is truly obsessed with me. Do you really want to capture me so badly, to do with me as you please?"
"Yes."
Luna's blatant teasing had no effect on Chevreuse.
If that's what she wants to believe, so be it.
More pressing was Chevreuse's question: "Why are you here? Did you come to turn yourself in?"
"Precisely."
Luna held up her wrists. "Come and arrest me, Miss Chevreuse. Just as we discussed before—in private, you can restrain me however you like."
"Think about it. Once you've handcuffed me, you can do whatever you want to me, right?"
Chevreuse knew better than to believe a word of it.
She scoffed, "You seem awfully energetic. Was that gunshot wound just an act?"
"Perhaps not?" Luna replied.
"Do you really think I'd believe that?" Chevreuse challenged.
"I know you won't, so I'm giving you permission to examine my body," Luna said with a cheerful smile.
But Luna's composure only fueled Chevreuse's irritation.
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?" Chevreuse tossed her towel over the chair back, strode to Luna's bedside, planted a foot on the edge of the bed, leaned in, and stared intently into Luna's eyes. She hoped to catch some flicker of truth there.
Instead, she found only Luna's usual faint smile.
"Please," Luna said, tilting her head to the left, offering her body.
"..."
"Since Miss Captain only trusts what she sees, hears, feels, and concludes for herself, I'm left with no other choice. Or... would you rather trust me?"
After a moment of silence, Chevreuse gripped the undone fabric of Luna's shirt.
"Please. You're even welcome to 'devour' me, if you like," Luna added.
"I have no interest in eating a cat."
"Can I have a taste of Miss Captain?" Luna purred.
Chevreuse hissed under her breath, "Don't even think about it."
She pulled Luna's shirt aside, exposing her shoulder. As expected, there wasn't a single wound.
Only then did Chevreuse fully realize that everything that had happened earlier had been an illusion.
The threats were fake, the weapons were fake, the words were fake, and the wounds were fake.
"Is anything about you real?" Chevreuse demanded.
"My feelings for Miss Captain," Luna replied.
Chevreuse averted her gaze. "...Asking you was a mistake."
"After all, you never wanted to believe me," Luna said with a faint smile.
"If you want me to trust you, then act in a way that warrants even a shred of my faith."
Luna gently tilted Chevreuse's chin upward. "That's why I'm letting Miss Chevreuse touch me. You know, cats don't let just anyone touch them."
Chevreuse jerked her head away from Luna's fingers. Even after all this time, she still couldn't get used to being touched by this Phantom Thief.
"...Blood bags?"
"Bingo!" Luna snapped her fingers and conjured a ring. A tiny, concealed needle protruded from it. A light press at the right moment would easily puncture the blood bag glued to her shoulder, causing animal blood to flow freely.
Bullets tearing through flesh and exploding in gory sprays—such exaggerated scenes might appear in movies, but they're rarely seen in real life.
If Phantom Thief White Cat were to act that way, no one would find it strange.
At the moment the shot was fired, the flickering stage lights served as a clever distraction, concealing the bullet's trajectory. Chevreuse fully understood Luna's technique.
She had to admit, it was a display of masterful skill, almost like magic.
"Feeling relieved, Miss Captain?" Luna asked, removing her ring with a teasing smile.
"No."
"I thought you'd be worried about me."
Chevreuse released Luna's hand. "I wouldn't worry about a criminal."
But the next instant, Luna seized her wrist and pulled her closer.
"Really?" Luna's fingertip gently brushed away the faint dark circles beneath Chevreuse's eyes. "You don't seem to be getting much sleep."
"..."
"I'll take that as a yes," Luna said, cupping Chevreuse's face and leaning in swiftly and softly.
A faint sound flickered through the air.
Chevreuse only felt a lingering warmth and a trace of moisture on the beauty mark near her lip before pushing Luna away.
"Looks like you're trying to add another crime to your list," she said, a hint of anger in her voice.
Chevreuse hadn't given Luna permission to do that.
Luna merely smiled faintly at Chevreuse's glare.
"One kiss for one treasure. That was our agreement, Miss Captain, and you personally accepted it. I don't believe I've done anything wrong."
"...I didn't permit you to kiss me there."
"Then—"
Luna pressed Chevreuse's shoulders, urging her to sit, then knelt before her.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Kissing Miss Captain's foot?"
Chevreuse's eyes widened. "You—"
She lashed out with a kick, but Luna easily caught her foot with one hand.
"Perverted Phantom Thief," Chevreuse hissed under her breath.
"I thought you'd be pleased. The Phantom Thief you've always sought to subdue is now kneeling before you, offering a gentle kiss as a sign of submission... Isn't that amusing?"
Chevreuse withdrew her leg, stood up, and clicked her tongue.
"Not in the slightest. I want you to submit to the Law and Justice, not to me. I'm merely an enforcer of Justice."
"That's precisely why I'm willing to do this for Miss Chevreuse."
Chevreuse turned to look at her.
Luna stood up as well.
"Why?" Chevreuse couldn't help but ask.
"Because I admire Miss Chevreuse's integrity."
Luna approached Chevreuse.
"And her courage."
She bent down, clasped her hands behind her back, and smiled.
"And her unwavering sense of justice, her refusal to condone evil."
"Everything about Miss Chevreuse embodies the qualities I adore. I find her utterly captivating, breathtakingly beautiful."
Chevreuse replied coolly, "You know that's not what I meant."
What she really wanted to know was why Luna had tried to salvage the Court of Justice's reputation earlier. A criminal, yet determined to uphold justice and order. Chevreuse understood Luna's actions, but she couldn't fathom her motives. What possible benefit could this bring her?