Inside the offices of The Steam Bird newspaper...
Another sunny morning. Charlotte stifled a yawn behind her hand, stirring her coffee with a spoon until several sugar cubes quickly dissolved.
She couldn't tolerate spicy food and disliked bitter flavors, but how else could she revive her body and mind after staying up all night writing?
Sleep? She certainly wished she could... but she still had an article to finish.
"Charlotte, got a minute?"
"Huh? Miss Euphrasie?"
Charlotte turned to see Chief Editor Euphrasie striding toward her.
"What's up?" Charlotte asked curiously. "Another assignment?"
"No, it's about the 'Phantom Thief Mania' you're investigating."
Phantom Thief Mania—Charlotte's term for the widespread obsession with the Phantom Thief White Cat that gripped Fontaine.
She had to admit, the Phantom Thief White Cat had done several good deeds, even great ones.
But a crime is a crime!
Merit is merit, and wrongdoing is wrongdoing. Both must be clearly and thoroughly documented. Praise what deserves praise, and condemn what deserves condemnation—that's what makes for a sound and balanced report.
Excessive praise or undue criticism of Phantom Thief White Cat would be inappropriate.
Charlotte, the journalist, served only the truth and never let a scoop slip through her fingers.
Her keen instincts had detected a subtle shift in the current phenomenon: Phantom Thief White Cat wasn't about to become the neighborhood's kindly old woman, helping old ladies cross the street or rescuing kittens.
She wasn't an adventurer, after all.
"What did you find in your investigation?" Charlotte asked.
Eve sighed. "Take a look at this." She produced a letter and handed it to Charlotte.
A letter?
Charlotte felt a premonition, but as a seasoned journalist, she'd weathered far worse. She'd received threatening letters and warnings aplenty.
Of course, the one thing she dreaded most was a taunting letter from Phantom Thief White Cat.
She would undoubtedly be mocked and toyed with... Charlotte shuddered at the thought. The feeling of being utterly vulnerable and exploited was truly terrifying.
Charlotte tore open the letter and read:
"Stop your bootlicking behavior, or we'll burn your house down! We, the Phantom Thief Fan Club, will never tolerate this!"
As expected, another threatening letter.
"Not again," Charlotte sighed, more annoyed than scared. "What do you think, Miss Euphrasie?"
Euphrasie crossed her arms. "I've already contacted the Maison Gardiennage."
"Can we really rely on them?" Charlotte asked, her tone skeptical.
It wasn't that she disliked them personally, but their past performance had been utterly disappointing. Failing to catch a phantom thief was understandable—even Captain Chevreuse of the Special Task Force was constantly outmaneuvered by them. But the Maison Gardiennage, with their inferior training, had even allowed a mole to infiltrate their ranks, nearly dissolving ordinary citizens in the process.
"It's hard to say," Euphrasie admitted. "That's why I also contacted Captain Chevreuse. She promised to revise the Special Task Force's training routes to ensure your safety."
Euphrasie smiled. "That captain only ever suffers crushing defeats at the hands of Phantom Thief White Cat, you know."
If Chevreuse was the undisputed champion of the world, then Phantom Thief White Cat was a foe descended from the heavens.
"Please don't spread that around," Charlotte said with a sigh, tracing the rim of her coffee cup. "Miss Chevreuse would be furious."
"What about my article?"
"Let's hold off for now. This letter might seem unsophisticated, but I suspect it's intentional—this isn't the work of some small-time crook. I know you're resourceful and always manage to wriggle your way out of trouble, but sometimes you need to wait for the right moment."
Charlotte leaned back against her desk, sighing deeply. "Fine, you've convinced me. I'll cover something else for now."
Euphrasie smiled. "An article about phantom thieves, perhaps?"
"No, no, no! I don't want to run into her! You have no idea how much she loves teasing girls. If you met her, she'd probably grope you too!"
But then again...
Charlotte lifted her cup, took a sip of coffee, and wondered: What does Phantom Thief White Cat herself think about all this? What will she do next?
...Completely unpredictable!
-
Chioriya Boutique was empty of customers, the only sounds being the rhythmic hum of Chiori's sewing machine and the soft rustle of Luna turning pages.
"Chiori."
"What?"
"Aren't you going to work on that white outfit?"
Chiori glanced at her nonchalantly. "No time. I'll get to it when I have a spare moment. There's no point in rushing."
"I'm not in a hurry."
Luna stood up, casually grabbed a box of cookies from the coffee table, and walked behind Chiori.
With a cookie between her teeth, she leaned over, her gaze sweeping across the design sketches before settling on the unfinished garment.
"Is this a wedding dress?"
"Yes, someone commissioned it."
"From Inazuma?" The style was unmistakably Inazuman.
Chiori replied absently, "An Inazuman and a Fontainian couple. Handsome and beautiful, and they don't nitpick my work. They're the kind of clients who make my job a pleasure."
As she spoke, a cookie appeared in the corner of her vision. Without thinking, Chiori took a bite, quickly chewed, and swallowed.
"Has Chiori ever thought about getting married?"
"No. What about you?"
Luna brushed crumbs from the corner of Chiori's mouth, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. "If Chiori proposed to me, I might just accept. After all, Fontaine's laws don't seem to forbid it."
"Keep dreaming. Go back to your book."
"Alright, alright. Oh, speaking of which, the culprit is..."
Chiori shot her a murderous glare. She hadn't read the latest volume yet. Dare you spoil it? I'll make you stay in bed for a day and a night.
"It's this Crispy and Delicious Cookie," Luna said with a sweet smile, offering another biscuit.
"Hmph..."
Chiori snatched the biscuit and devoured it.
Just then, the bell above the door clanged violently, its harsh sound piercing the air.
Chiori looked up. "Welcome..."
"Lulu!"
She lowered her gaze. "Looks like you're not here for clothes."
"Good morning, Chiori, Lulu..." Navia pressed a hand to her chest, catching her breath.
"Here, have some water," Luna offered, handing her a glass.
"Wow, thanks! Hehe." Navia grinned brightly, took the glass, gulped down the water, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and pulled out an envelope.
"Look at this!" Navia exclaimed.
"A letter?" Luna asked, surprised.
"Mhm. You'll understand when you read it."
Luna held out her hand, and Chiori passed her a letter opener. She slit open the envelope, pulled out the letter, and read aloud:
"Esteemed Miss Navia, the time has come to avenge our past humiliation. We, the Franglet Family, hereby challenge the Phantom Thief White Cat once more and humbly request your support and strength. - The Franglet Family."
"Who are they?" Chiori asked.
Navia crossed her arms. "You remember, the ones we met at that banquet!"
"Oh... the ones who got outsmarted by the Phantom Thief," Chiori realized.
Actually, we got outsmarted too, Navia thought awkwardly, scratching her cheek. Fortunately, everyone's attention had been focused on the Franglets, sparing them the public humiliation of having "defeated" added to their official record.
"What do you think, Lulu?" Navia asked.
"Hmm..."
Is there any treasure involved? If not, I can't be bothered.
Luna pondered. Something felt fishy, but if there was treasure, she couldn't ignore it.
No matter what they did, they couldn't stop her.
"I'll come with you to meet them," Luna said.
Navia's face lit up with a cheerful smile. She took Luna's hand and gave it a playful shake. "That's my Lulu! Let's go right now!"
"Chiori, do you want to come too?" Luna asked.
"No," Chiori replied.
"Too bad..." Navia sighed regretfully. "But since Chiori's declined, it'll just be the two of us. Come on, I still remember the address. Just follow me."
She pulled Luna out of the boutique.
Ding-a-ling. The doorbell chimed again.
Silence returned to Chioriya Boutique. Chiori glanced at the door to confirm they wouldn't be back, then carefully placed the nearly finished wedding dress aside.
She retrieved a white garment and resumed her work, her head bent low over the fabric.
After a while, when she draped the outfit on a mannequin, Chiori frowned.
"...No."
With a swift slash of her blade, she sliced the white fabric in two.
Chiori sighed softly. "How could I possibly present something that's only an 8 out of 10?"
I'll have to redesign it completely... Tsk.
"It looks like this will take far longer than I anticipated."
-
TL Note: Took all week but I finally made a Patreon! I've received dms asking for early chapters so here it is! I will try to maintain at least a week ahead for uploads if not more.
patreon.com/SpyTL