Furina, Please Let Me Steal Your Heart!

Sure enough, the Special Task Force's meticulous search yielded nothing.

"Didn't she leave even the slightest trace?" Chevreuse asked.

Chevreuse nodded slightly.

"It seems she's adept at concealing her presence and movements. As for those martial skills, swordsmanship, and marksmanship, they're undoubtedly honed through years of combat."

In her mind, a flood of potential identities for the Phantom Thief surfaced:

Champion Duelist, Adventurer, Maison Gardiennage... But with only these vague clues, it was impossible to pinpoint the thief's true identity. With the culprit now vanished, all she could do was prepare her report.

Navia approached. "We didn't uncover any leads either."

"But she'll strike again," Chevreuse stated with conviction.

There was no doubt about that.

Countless criminals believed they could wash their hands of crime, but once they crossed that line and walked the crooked path, there was no turning back.

The first time leads to a second, and second to a third...

"We'll catch her next time," Chevreuse murmured, her voice calm and steady.

"Miss! Are you alright?"

At that moment, Silver and Melus rushed over, panting heavily.

Looking quite composed, Navia smiled. "I'm fine, no worries. We didn't even get to a proper fight; she just kept running. It was quite the chase, really."

Relieved, Melus said, "We're glad nothing happened to you, Miss."

Silver nodded in agreement. "But Sir Marcel over there is in quite a predicament..."

"What happened?"

"Madame Furina has gone missing!"

Navia exclaimed, startled. "Madame Furina? How did she go missing?"

"SNATCHED by a thief!"

Chevreuse held her forehead, exasperated. "Are you talking about Furina's Smile that was also on display? You know, Madame Furina wasn't even supposed to come to the art exhibition."

"Right, right, that painting has vanished," Silver confirmed.

Navia fiddled with the crystal pendant on her hat, thoughts swirling. What a clever ruse, she mused. The Phantom Thief made everyone believe their sole target was the Tears of a Maiden, but they had their eye on other treasures all along.

She suddenly recalled Marcel's earlier arrangement.

"Didn't Uncle Marcel say that, except for the Tears of a Maiden, all the other exhibits were fakes?"

Though Marcel had initially dismissed the whole affair as a malicious prank by a competitor, under Navia and the security team's advice, he had taken precautions.

The Tears of a Maiden were meant to lure the Phantom Thief. If it wasn't the real gem, the phantom might not have bothered showing up at all—no appearance, no chance of apprehension.

The rest of the artworks on display were deliberate fakes. This measure aimed to prevent the Phantom Thief from sweepingly making off with everything, leaving the Chamber of Commerce to cover massive losses.

Melus shook his head. "True, but what the Phantom Thief stole was genuine."

"Huh? She..." Navia trailed off.

How did she manage it? the thought struck her. No, wait—how did she even know the entire exhibit was a collection of fakes?

Chevreuse mused, "I fear she must have foreseen this turn of events long ago, or perhaps uncovered the truth during her reconnaissance."

"She likely stole 'Furina's Smile' before attempting to snatch the Tears of a Maiden. The extravagant entrance was probably just a smokescreen to divert our attention..."

Navia pursed her lips; she'd been completely fooled.

But with the die cast, there was naught but to wait until they apprehended the White Cat and made her disgorge all the funds she'd filched.

More vexing than this, however...

was the looming press conference.

Chevreuse took her leave, leaving Navia to return to the exhibition site with her attendants.

As expected, the entrance had become a sea of reporters from various publications.

Ka-shak, ka-shak! The incessant chatter of cameras and flashes filled the air.

"Can you confirm the Phantom Thief has returned?"

"President, how do you feel right now? Are you angry? Tempted to slam your fists on the table?"

"The Phantom Thief seems to be a young girl—is she pretty?"

A throbbing headache descended upon Navia. Nothing could be more troublesome than facing these ambulance-chasing reporters right after such an incident.

Ordinarily, she wouldn't mind interviews or the like; in fact, she rather enjoyed them.

But not now.

"Let's slip in through the back door..."

Silver and Melus nodded, understanding her desire for stealth. The trio quietly made their way around to the rear, only to find a reporter already crouched by the entrance.

Almost forgot about her. Navia felt a sigh welling up within her.

"So, Charlotte, you couldn't resist this golden opportunity, could you?"

Charlotte, journalist for the Steam Bird.

Her pink hair and emerald green eyes framed a lovely face, a warm smile that invited affection. Yet, those who underestimated her did so at their own peril.

For Charlotte was one who believed "truth itself is truth," and pursued it as her guiding star throughout her career as a journalist.

Charlotte chuckled mischievously. "The Phantom Thief of Fontaine has resurfaced! Needless to say, I couldn't possibly miss out on such explosive news. Could you grant me an interview?"

Navia smiled bitterly. "Not now, I'm afraid."

"When then? Let's schedule a time!"

"Ah..."

Charlotte's enthusiasm was unquestionable. And given the Steam Bird's influence and Charlotte's high professional ethics, it might actually be better than trying to fend off all the interviews. Letting Charlotte's news take the headlines could be the best course of action.

After all, Charlotte was a truth supremist; she wouldn't resort to the tricks some other reporters did—making things up just to grab attention.

"Come in," Navia relented. "I'll go ask Marcel."

"Thank you!"

Despite Marcel's face being as dark as a thundercloud about to burst, he still agreed to the interview.

"The Phantom Thief White Cat, if you're reading this news, then surely you must understand the consequences of standing against our Chamber of Commerce!"

"If our chamber of commerce suffers losses or even collapses, countless people will lose their jobs... You'd be the chief culprit behind Fontaine's unemployment!"

Charlotte nodded, her expression suggesting the words were going in one ear and out the other.

Such attempts at influencing public opinion had no effect on her; she only wanted to report the truth. Besides, she'd seen far too much of these empty threats and facades before.

In her notebook, she jotted down:

-Phantom Thief White Cat indeed stole the Tears of a Maiden and Furina's Smile.

-Based on Navia's testimony, Phantom Thief White Cat thinks Phantom Weasel is beyond despicable, ruling out the possibility of them being the same person.

-Phantom Thief White Cat claims to have principles...

-The assistance from the Special Task Force and the Spina di Rosula was ineffective (though she wouldn't include this in the article—it was sure to be censored).

Although she believed in putting truth above all else, she still knew which lines should and shouldn't be crossed. If she didn't, her editor-in-chief would remind her which side her bread was buttered on.

"Could I take a picture?"

"Sure."

Charlotte raised her photographs camera "Say Cheese!"

"It's all the thief's fault!"

Click! A photograph was captured of Marcel reaching into the air, his face contorted with exaggerated anger.