Furina, Please Let Me Steal Your Heart!

"Here's the intelligence you requested, 'Father'."

Inside the House of the Hearth, Arlecchino, who had been deep in thought with her eyes closed, slowly opened them.

Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet had already returned and were standing by the table.

She looked at the notebook on the table and picked it up.

"Luna asked us to bring this to you."

Arlecchino's hand paused, but there was no change in her expression.

"I see. Thank you for your hard work," she replied softly, as if she had received an answer acceptable to her.

No, it would be more accurate to say that it was a satisfactory answer.

Lynette couldn't help but ask, "Did 'Father' know all along that Luna was the Phantom Thief?"

"Yes."

"You... didn't think to tell us?"

Arlecchino lifted her gaze. "I wouldn't have said anything because you would have noticed eventually. Having lived with her and fought alongside her for so long, you know her better than anyone."

Freminet bowed his head. "We tried to talk to her, but she didn't say a single word. She just handed this over to us."

Arlecchino didn't respond. Instead, she flipped open her notebook, her gaze sweeping over line after line of text.

Freminet muttered, almost to himself, "Could it be that she really doesn't want to go home anymore?"

"No, she's still thinking of home," Lyney said. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have passed on this information to us."

This note of certainty improved Freminet's complexion slightly.

Luna was their companion and family member.

She always had been, no matter the time.

Lyney, Lynette, Freminet, and Luna had once bumped fists, making an oath to last a lifetime.

However, such a lifetime commitment proved too heavy, and at the first hint of fracture, it instantly crumbled into pieces.

Lynette seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she remained silent.

"Luna made her own choice."

Arlecchino stood up and walked to the window.

"The House of the Hearth allows no form of betrayal. I'm very glad her heart still leans towards home."

In this way, Luna was spared from a "death."

To see where a person's heart truly lies, one only needs to observe how they behave, how they make their choices.

She was very happy that Luna's heart still rested with the House of the Hearth.

But as for whether she would return—that was another matter entirely.

Children far from home often yearn for their families yet are reluctant to return—a sentiment Arlecchino understood all too well.

"But she became a Phantom Thief..." Freminet said, perplexed.

Why? What could have driven her to such a path?

Arlecchino's voice was soft. "Only she knows the answer to that question. But I do know why she left."

"Huh? 'Father,' if you say you know... then why did she...?"

"Because she realized her own weakness."

Weakness?

The most exceptional among them, feeling inadequate? It seemed inconceivable.

"But she was clearly the best," Lyney said, genuinely puzzled.

In terms of ability, she far surpassed all the other children; 'weak' was hardly a word that described her.

Arlecchino fell silent for a moment.

"If you cannot comprehend why someone acts in such a manner, it merely means you don't understand them well enough yet. This applies to Luna as well."

Operation Result:

Success

Security Level:

High

Treasure Rarity Level:

A-grade

Operation Notoriety:

Household name

Spectacle Rating:

Heart-racing

Points Calculation:

300 (A-grade treasure) × 3

(Security Level) × 4

(Operation Notoriety) × 2

(Spectacle Rating) = 7200

Back at her apartment, Luna removed her mask and exhaled deeply.

So she had encountered Lynette and the others after all.

Why didn't I speak? Luna murmured. "That's because I couldn't speak."

At that moment, standing before them, in their eyes, was not the celebrity Luna, not the Phantom Thief White Cat.

Instead, they had seen one of the children from the House of the Hearth—their former family and companion.

But she was no longer the girl they remembered.

The one who chose to leave the House of the Hearth was her, and the one who chose not to face them was also her.

What could she possibly say now?

If "Father"... if she could still call him that... if "Father" needed this information, then she would make her move.

Although she was no longer a member of the House of the Hearth, everything Arecchino had given her still remained in her heart, as irreplaceable precious memories.

So she chose to hand the evidence over to Arecchino.

Don't worry, my dear captain.

Justice would prevail.

It would just arrive in a slightly ungraceful manner.

As Luna thought this, she lay back on her bed. Despite having a substantial amount of hit points, she now felt like she was about to burn out.

This was probably due to burning too much passion.

"Ah..."

Finished. I don't want to move an inch.

If Chiori were here at such a time, Luna could act cute and play hard-to-get. That way, she'd never have to worry about no one taking care of this lazy bum.

Taking a shower is such a pain, brushing teeth is such a pain, who can quickly carry me to the bed...

Luna continued exuding a decaying aura until she finally decided to muster her last bit of energy and crawl into bed.

Then she burrowed under the covers.

Sleep.

Meanwhile, at the Alkien residence...

"Seriously, those men from the Court of Justice can't get anything right! They've turned my home into this godforsaken mess, yet still failed to catch a single Phantom Thief!"

"Everyone, get back to work! I want to see this place spotless by tomorrow."

After giving instructions to the servants busily cleaning up, he rushed straight to his study.

It seemed as if the Phantom Thief and the leader of the Special Task Force had engaged in a battle right within his study. Had they perhaps missed stumbling upon his notebook? After all, it contained quite a bit of valuable information.

The reason for maintaining this record was simple: there were just too many players involved.

Without writing it down, one simply couldn't keep track of everything.

Moreover, if he was ever caught, he could drag all those who had "attended" his secret gatherings down with him. That might just buy him a bit of leniency in sentencing.

And if worse came to worst, having someone take care of them could also be an option... to prevent any further leaks.

"Those Special Task Force guys haven't set their sights on me too, have they?" Alkien muttered uneasily. The moment he entered his study, he began frantically searching for his notebook.

No, no, no... Where did it go?!

Could it have fallen into the hands of the Special Task Force?

Alkien's face turned ashen, but he quickly reminded himself that, in the worst-case scenario, it would merely mean a stint in prison.

"You often hear that the Fortress of Meropide isn't exactly heaven on earth, but being alive is far better than being dead. First, I need to stash away all my mora. If I can manage to get released, I could still..."

Before he could finish, he felt a sudden chill in his chest.

What's this?

Looking down, he saw only a blade. It had pierced through his chest, and blood was seeping out nonstop.

Who could it be?

Alkien tried to turn his head, but he couldn't even manage that simple motion.

He felt his body going limp as his legs buckled beneath him. In his fading vision, the pool of blood slowly expanded.

"Whether you're a king or a pauper, whether you're filthy rich or destitute—death treats us all equally, don't you think? Mr. Alkien."

A cool, female voice spoke.

Straining to move his gaze, he could make out only a hint of white hair.

"You never believed death would claim you, but I must tell you..."

"...tonight, you are merely the first."

His vision then plunged into darkness.

Arlecchino stepped over the corpse and gently opened the door.

The second, third, fourth... Blood stained the tablecloth, carpet, and pool. Death silently descended upon the names written in the notebook.

It wasn't until the first rays of dawn entered the room that screams erupted.

"M-murder! Murder!"