It had to be said, Chevreuse's actions always managed to surprise and catch Luna off guard.
Every move was utterly unexpected.
First, handcuffing themselves together, and now, proposing a deal?
No, that tone... it sounded more like a demand.
"What if I refuse?"
"Then you'll miss out on the treasure you covet most."
Luna tugged at the handcuffs. She could easily break free.
Chevreuse didn't have the key to these handcuffs, but unlocking them was hardly a challenge. To Luna, these restraints meant nothing.
What truly bound her were Chevreuse's resolve and feelings.
A physical handcuff could be severed, but what about an invisible one?
It could be cut too, but whether it could be repaired was another matter entirely.
Since Chevreuse had spoken with such determination, Luna naturally had to respond.
"What are you saying? Does this mean Miss Chevreuse is willing to be captured by me?"
Chevreuse didn't answer directly.
"Since you've chosen the handcuffs and continue as the Phantom Thief, I will pursue you—relentlessly."
"Forever?"
"Forever."
"For life?"
"For life."
Chevreuse stated earnestly, "Because only I can catch you."
Luna gripped the handcuff chain with her other hand.
How to put it... This sounds almost like a confession. She couldn't help but smile.
"Can I take that as a confession?"
After all, Chevreuse had just declared her intention to pursue her for eternity.
"Suit yourself," Chevreuse replied indifferently.
"But I prefer to call it a declaration. One day, the evil you embody will vanish."
"And the first term of our agreement is—"
"Do not kill anyone, even those who have committed heinous crimes."
"You may bring them to the Court of Judgement, but you must not pull the trigger and take their life. Do not administer vigilante justice."
A crucial yet straightforward term, indeed.
But every transaction requires reciprocity, especially one like this.
So Luna asked, "And what can you offer in return? If the value isn't equal, you can't expect me to even consider it."
Chevreuse stated bluntly, "While you live as 'Luna,' I won't hold you accountable for your past actions. And if you need help, I'll provide it."
Yet when Luna dons her mask, Chevreuse transforms back into Miss Police Dog.
After all, she's hunting the Phantom Thief White Cat.
Catching the Phantom Thief White Cat ≠ Catching Luna.
Luna realized clearly, "As expected, Miss Chevreuse's methods are unconventional. To think she'd propose a deal like this."
No wonder she recruits former convicts into the Special Task Force and invites criminals to serve as consultants. Captain Chevreuse never ceases to amaze me.
Acknowledging Luna's admiration, Chevreuse responded calmly:
"Your arrest is to uphold the Law, while I have my own 'justice' to uphold—protecting innocent civilians from harm, preventing all acts of evil, and punishing all evildoers."
The lives and safety of the people far outweigh all else.
No, they are all else. They are justice.
"Therefore, the second condition of our agreement is:"
"Do not involve innocent civilians in this matter, regardless of your intentions."
"Even if the Court of Justice is destroyed, you must abide by this agreement."
"Because that would be the Court's fault, and its mistakes are not yours to bear or resolve."
Luna asked, "But what if order collapses?"
Chevreuse replied with righteous conviction, "That is still not for a criminal like you to resolve. If you expect me, if you expect justice, then trust me—trust that order will be restored."
Or help me restore it.
The two women locked eyes, sharing a moment of silence.
"As for the price," Chevreuse continued, "I will not refuse you."
Brief and ambiguous, what exactly did "I will not refuse you" mean?
Seeing that Chevreuse had no intention of elaborating, Luna tried moving her cuffed hands, grasping Chevreuse's palm.
Chevreuse offered no resistance.
As Luna leaned closer, Chevreuse still didn't resist. It seemed this meant she wouldn't refuse.
"I never expected Miss Captain would offer herself as a bargaining chip," Luna remarked.
"Because I knew you had no interest in anything else," Chevreuse replied.
Luna only coveted treasures. And Chevreuse, in Luna's eyes, was the ultimate treasure.
"The final condition of our agreement: you may only steal treasures from the guilty."
Whenever Luna issued an Announcement Letter, the Special Task Force could enter the target's home under the guise of "Forced Protection," allowing them to conduct a thorough search.
Crimes beyond the Task Force's reach could finally be punished.
In this way, no evildoer could escape their grasp.
Luna understood Chevreuse's true intent perfectly. She chuckled. "This is the real heart of the agreement, isn't it?"
"Precisely."
"And what's your price?"
"Myself."
Luna blinked. "Say that again?"
Chevreuse took a deep breath. "Myself."
The chains rattled softly as Luna raised her hand, gently caressing Chevreuse's face.
"Miss Chevreuse, do you truly believe your value can match all the treasures I might encounter afterward?"
Luna asked softly, "May I?"
"Yes," Chevreuse replied.
Though she didn't want to recall it, that kiss served as proof.
Chevreuse fell silent for a moment.
"I swear to you, I will spare no effort to rescue every person harmed or about to be harmed by crime."
"I'm deeply sorry you had to endure those trials... and I'm also heartened that you still cling to hope for justice."
"But equally, I'm saddened—you should have walked the righteous path, wearing the Special Task Force hat as I do."
"I can't save your past self, but I will fulfill this expectation you have."
"However, I need your help as well."
To prevent more people from falling prey to evil.
Chevreuse's eyes gleamed with unwavering resolve. "This is my answer to you: a choice, followed by a bargain."
"The 'perfect justice' you envision doesn't exist within me. I only want to protect more people from harm."
"That was true in the past, and it will remain true in the future."
How utterly captivating, Luna thought to herself.
"Trading with a criminal and using yourself as the price... Miss Chevreuse, every word you speak defies my expectations. But doing this is incredibly dangerous, you know."
Chevreuse stood on the razor's edge between black and white, a sliver of gray separating them.
A single misstep would send her tumbling over the edge.
And if she crossed that line, the only outcome would be punishment and judgment—especially since she was bargaining with a notorious Phantom Thief.
"I understand," Chevreuse said. "But compared to watching helplessly as people fall into suffering and peril, this price is nothing."
Dancing with wolves requires courage and strength.
And she possessed both in abundance.
Luna tugged at the handcuff chain, but Chevreuse had no intention of restraining her with such flimsy devices.
Instead, she would use this agreement, forging an invisible set of shackles from their shared commitment.
Of course, Luna could either accept or reject this proposition.
"Miss Chevreuse, you're trying to handcuff me with yourself?"
"Yes."
"...That's incredibly dangerous, you know?"
"Precisely because it's dangerous, I need to handcuff you."
Furina had already bound her, stripping away her freedom to decide the fate of her body and life.
Now Chevreuse sought to shackle her destiny, intertwining it with her own.
Is there a bit too much fondness for women in Fontaine?
(Spynote-Never Enough)
Moonlight streamed through the church windows as Luna rattled her handcuffs.
"I heard that giving someone a ring symbolizes a kind of binding. Don't you think we're wearing a giant ring right now, Miss Chevreuse?"
"No, I don't," Chevreuse replied.
How could handcuffs possibly be the same as a ring?
"But I think it's kind of similar," Luna insisted, "and what you just said sounded just like a marriage proposal."
A proposal? Chevreuse's gaze shifted. Impossible.
She had merely been stating her stance and thoughts.
"Can I take that as a proposal?"
"...Suit yourself," Chevreuse sighed.
"Then I will suit myself."
Luna leaned closer, cupping Chevreuse's face in her hands. The moment their eyes met, Chevreuse realized what Luna intended, her gaze flickering nervously.
"If you do this, I'll consider you to have accepted all my transactional demands," Chevreuse declared preemptively.
"Actually, I have another question."
"What is it?" Luna asked curiously.
"The Special Task Force retires, right?"
"Yes."
"Then even after you retire, will you still keep chasing after me?"
This... Chevreuse hadn't considered that possibility.
One day, she would no longer be Captain of the Special Task Force. Would she still chase after Phantom Thief White Cat then?
Chevreuse murmured, "Then let's add another condition—"
"If I'm no longer Captain of the Special Task Force and still haven't brought you to the Court of Judgment, you must remove your mask and cease being a phantom thief."
"Retire together?"
"...If I fail to defeat and capture you," Chevreuse emphasized.
Knowing Luna's true identity was useless.
Cuffing her heart didn't count as capturing her.
Only by defeating Phantom Thief White Cat and bringing her to the Court of Judgment could this truly end.
And now there was the added possibility of retiring together.
"Sounds good."
The Phantom Thief and the Captain of the Special Task Force would take their final bow together.
That ending wasn't so bad.
Hearing Luna's reply, Chevreuse fell silent. She had never imagined kissing Phantom Thief White Cat, let alone doing so inside a church.
But if this was what it took to cuff the phantom thief... then she would accept it.
The chains jingled softly, the handcuffs still in place. Luna pressed her lips against Chevreuse's.
"...I'll count this toward the bargain for returning the treasure."
Chevreuse turned her face away, exhaling a hot breath.
"Chevreuse."
"...What do you want?"
Click. Luna unlocked the handcuffs.
Smiling, she donned her mask. "You'd better be prepared. Trying to handcuff a cat with your heart won't be easy."
"As long as you don't betray our agreement."
Luna murmured softly, "That depends on how deeply and tightly you chain me. A mere kiss won't carve itself into the soul, let alone deeper than flesh and blood."
In other words: More, please.
Chevreuse decisively ignored her.
"If I hadn't done this—if I'd simply tried to capture your true form—what would you have done?" Chevreuse asked, her concern evident.
"Who knows?" Luna replied with a mysterious smile.
Maybe she would have run off with someone else? Chevreuse speculated idly.
But there were no "ifs" or "maybes."
Under the moonlight, within the church, only the exchange and the kiss remained. Chevreuse glanced around—Luna had vanished from her spot.
"..."
Chevreuse wordlessly touched her wrist.
If she hadn't been a child back then, if she had possessed the strength she did now, perhaps she could have pulled Luna back.
Instead of letting Arlecchino lead her down a different path.
As Chevreuse pondered, she could still feel the lingering warmth of Luna's lips on hers. She unconsciously pursed her lips, as if to savor the sensation, but instead, it seemed to sink deeper into her body, stirring an unsettling restlessness within her.
"...This was just a transaction," Chevreuse murmured.
She hadn't put a period to this ill-fated connection, but rather an ellipsis.
"But I don't regret it," Chevreuse whispered.