"This must be the orphanage where Lefebvre made his deals," Chevreuse said, gazing at the ruins before her.
The attackers had thoroughly devastated the place, leaving vast stretches of scorched earth that made the land look utterly ravaged.
But as she prepared to enter and investigate thoroughly, a familiar figure caught her eye.
No, it was more accurate to say a figure both strange and familiar.
The face was different, yet the intense feeling it evoked left Chevreuse certain of the person's identity.
"White Cat..."
Luna stood before the ruins, turning back with a smile. "I didn't expect Miss Chevreuse to recognize me just from my back."
"It seems my dear Miss Captain thinks of me day and night."
Chevreuse ignored her teasing and approached directly.
"Why are you here?"
"Is that a problem?"
Chevreuse fell silent for a moment.
What a non-answer.
The Phantom Thief White Cat wouldn't come here without a reason.
"So you really were one of the children this orphanage once sheltered."
Chevreuse spoke with certainty, but her gaze bored through Luna's smile, searching for a tell.
This was a probe.
And Luna didn't mind letting Chevreuse get what she wanted.
"So, do you know who I am now?"
Luna leaped onto a ruined pillar and leaned down, her eyes twinkling.
"...I need proof."
Luna raised her hand in a gesture. "Please, ask anything you like. I don't mind answering my dear Miss Captain's questions."
"Just please hurry and solve the case as soon as possible, Miss Chevreuse."
Chevreuse frowned. "What do you mean?"
Why was she being urged to solve the case quickly?
Luna pulled out a card—the very Announcement Letter she had been using all along.
"In a short while, I'll release an Announcement Letter, vowing to seize a new treasure in plain sight."
If you don't catch me soon, another incident will occur.
"You..."
Chevreuse took a deep breath. "Don't provoke me. You're wasting your efforts. I'm arresting you because you've violated Fontaine's Law, not because of any personal feelings."
"But didn't Miss Captain desperately try to stop me from killing that corrupt official?" Luna asked, swinging her feet.
"..."
Chevreuse didn't respond, simply turning away.
"Are you angry?"
"No," Chevreuse replied calmly.
Because she couldn't answer that question with a clear conscience.
She had hoped the Phantom Thief White Cat would abandon her mask, shed her disguise, and live as an ordinary person.
Ideally, she could even join the Special Task Force, fully leveraging her skills and talents.
"I truly didn't want your hands to be stained with blood."
"...Even the blood of villains."
But it was all too late.
"What exactly do you expect from me, Phantom Thief White Cat? I'm no different from other law enforcers, just with a different style."
Chevreuse stepped over the rubble of shattered bricks.
Luna followed her along the fragmented wall, her steps light and graceful.
"No, Miss Chevreuse shines especially brightly, utterly distinct from other law enforcers."
Nothing. There was nothing here either. Chevreuse averted her gaze from the ground.
Nothing remained.
Was this why the Phantom Thief White Cat came here? Just to give her an answer.
"I believe that if it were Miss Chevreuse, this den of wickedness would surely be eradicated, and you could save countless people yearning for justice."
Chevreuse stopped and looked up at Luna.
The blinding sunlight made her squint, but she could still discern Luna's sincere smile.
"Neuvillette cannot judge me, nor will I accept his judgment. The Archons cannot judge me either; I can even harness the power of the gods for myself."
"Likewise, I will not accept the Judgment of the Gods."
"I will only accept Miss Chevreuse's Judgment."
"I hope Miss Chevreuse's 'Justice' will become powerful enough to vanquish the most heinous and vile Phantom Thief."
Luna pirouetted gracefully, her toes lightly tapping the crumbling wall of the ruins.
She then descended slowly, Geo Element-formed steps materializing beneath her feet to pave her way.
The curtain flickered past.
Phantom Thief White Cat reappeared, taking Chevreuse's hand and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand.
"Indeed, there is no such thing as 'Perfect Justice' in this world. But who wouldn't wish to bring it ever closer to perfection?"
Chevreuse watched her silently.
"To me, Miss Chevreuse is the one who can approach 'Perfect Justice'."
So that's it.
This was the Phantom Thief White Cat's expectation of her from the very beginning.
Unwavering resolve, relentless determination, absolute adherence to her own principles, selfless devotion to the people—all while upholding the Law and maintaining her integrity, refusing to let external forces distort her true voice.
"I'm not," Chevreuse said flatly.
"You chose to shoulder sin, robbing others of their future as criminals to save them. But that... is something I cannot do."
If it were up to her, as a member of the Special Task Force, she would only be able to stop the couple and compel them to undergo psychological treatment.
But perhaps they would never find closure, even if the culprit who murdered their son met an "accident" within the Fortress of Meropide.
Their pain would forever be etched into their souls, unless that anguish could be taken away.
"But I would never do what you did," she added.
Chevreuse withdrew her hand.
"I won't fulfill your expectations, nor can I."
"I will only act in accordance with the Law and my own 'justice.' I won't pursue some unattainable 'perfect justice.'"
Luna smiled. "That's all I ask."
That's exactly how it should be.
Chevreuse gazed at her in silence. If I am like this, then isn't the Phantom Thief White Cat the same?
"...We're both just following our own hearts, aren't we?"
What a cursed fate.
Then, when the truth finally surfaces, what should be done?
Was there another option between "capture" and "release"?
Was there a path that would uphold her principles, comply with the Law, and yet ensure the Phantom Thief White Cat received what they deserved?
Chevreuse pondered absently.
Unconsciously, she found herself standing at the main gate.
"There's nothing here."
Chevreuse stated bluntly, "Because everything here has been completely destroyed."
"That's why you came here."
Luna smiled, her hands clasped behind her back. "Let me tell you a story."
"Once upon a time, a baby was abandoned here, lying in a basket with a card bearing her name. So everyone at the Orphanage called her that."
"Here, everything is different from the outside world."
"Before meals, we must thank the Orphanage for everything it provides, deeply grateful for its life-saving care and upbringing. We must dedicate our entire beings—even our lives—to it."
"But one girl thought differently. Her golden hair shone like light, and her crimson eyes burned like blood. She was none other than that abandoned baby, grown up."
Golden hair and crimson eyes?
People with such traits weren't uncommon, but combined with the carriage records from Lefebvre Mansion...
Could that "Lu" name on the carriage records have been followed by...?
"Even though her thoughts differed from others, the girl remained at the orphanage."
"Because she had nowhere else to go."
"Until a lavishly dressed man selected her, bundled her into a carriage, and brought her to his mansion. There, she met another girl..."
"In the not-so-distant future, they would become family."
"But before that could happen, the blonde girl killed the guard, seized his pistol, and ultimately pulled the trigger. Bang! A gunshot rang out, and the lavishly dressed man collapsed to the ground."
"And that girl's name was..."
Chevreuse narrowed her eyes, finishing Luna's sentence.
"It was you, Luna... You're the Phantom Thief White Cat..."
Her tone was certain, yet tinged with disbelief.
The Phantom Thief had been right beside her all along!
She had passed by the Phantom Thief's home countless times, brushed shoulders with her countless times.
Phantom Thief White Cat had never hidden in the shadows. She had been there in plain sight, but no one had been able to unmask her.
Luna removed her mask, her smile gentle. "Congratulations, you've solved the puzzle, Miss Captain. The Phantom Thief you've been chasing has been by your side all along."
"You suspected me, yet you were still deceived by the illusions I created."
"You confided in me, unaware that the Phantom Thief you were describing was right before your eyes."
"I have always been on the stage, and I will remain so, now and forever."
"And I will wait for you beneath the spotlight."
Luna donned her mask once more, leaped onto a nearby pillar, and extended her hand.
"I cordially invite you to join me on the stage, my dearest Captain."
"There, I will listen to your judgment and bring an end to our fated connection."
"But don't be late, now."
Luna bowed gracefully with a smile, then gradually faded into the blinding sunlight, vanishing without a trace.
Silence descended once more, leaving only Chevreuse standing in the ruins.
She gazed silently at the wreckage, closed her eyes, and remained motionless for a long moment before turning and walking away without looking back.
She was headed somewhere now.
Palais Mermonia.
Bang! Chevreuse pushed open the door to Neuvillette's office.
"Tell me everything Luna did back then."
Focalors froze mid-scoop, her spoon poised over a pudding cup.
Neuvillette remained silent for a moment, then said, "Miss Luna certainly has no shortage of admirers."