Chapter 83: The Phantom Thief's Showtime

Three nights later.

Navia glanced at Sally, who was both nervous and expectant, then turned her gaze to the window.

"Do you think the phantom thief will come?" Sally asked.

"Who knows..."

Even though they had followed Luna's suggestion and published an "exposé" in the newspaper, it was still uncertain whether it had caught the Phantom Thief White Cat's attention.

And even if the thief did show up—what then?

Justice and money—they had already helped Sally reclaim both.

But what Sally truly wanted was just a photograph and her mother's joy.

She and Luna had discussed it at length, yet they couldn't come up with a truly good solution.

Dark clouds slowly swallowed the moonlight. Suddenly, the lights in the house flickered.

"What's going on?" Navia narrowed her eyes.

A problem with the power lines?

No—this familiar feeling was...

Thud. The lights went out completely, and a few petals drifted down from nowhere.

Sally reached out, trying to catch one. The faint glow, like a firefly, shone brightly in the pitch-black darkness, beautiful and radiant.

But before she could touch it, the petal dissipated into the void.

Then, a familiar voice rang out.

"Beautiful things often hide danger. If it were me, I wouldn't touch those petals."

"Good evening, my dear young ladies."

She had arrived!

"The moonlight is poor tonight, the clouds are heavy—enough to dampen the spirit. But keeping such a bitter expression will surely dull your charm."

Luna leaned casually against the window, her smile under the mask warm and enchanting.

"A beautiful young lady should always pair her elegance with a captivating smile, don't you think, Miss Navia?"

Navia couldn't bring herself to smile, keeping a straight face. "So you really came, Phantom Thief White Cat!"

"My, my, why such a hostile expression? I'm the one who should feel wronged here."

"I was enjoying a bath at home, planning to pass the time with a newspaper, when I saw—'The Victim Speaks: How the Phantom Thief White Cat has Harassed'..."

Luna chuckled. "Even I have human rights, you know? If I were to sue this young lady for defamation, my chances of winning would be a hundred percent."

She only ever teased the beauties that caught her eye.

"That's assuming you can stand in the prosecutor's seat first," Navia shot back.

"Perhaps I will."

Sally, seeing Luna, was as if she had seen hope itself. She immediately regained her energy.

"Phantom Thief White Cat, I... I wanted to meet you so badly that I used that method to get your attention. I'm very sorry!"

Luna's smile remained unchanged. "I don't mind. Others' expectations, their admiration, their hatred—all of it is irrelevant to me."

"Then why did you come here?" Navia asked, surprised.

She says she doesn't care... but can that really be true?

"Because I was curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know," Navia crossed her arms.

"It's fine, I have nine lives. I won't die."

Luna said this as she lightly jumped down. Navia instinctively shielded Sally, but Sally shook her head.

"Are you really going to do this?" Navia couldn't help but confirm again.

"Yes."

Sally took a deep breath and knelt down. "Phantom Thief White Cat, I have a request—"

"I refuse."

As expected, Navia thought, letting out a sigh of relief.

"At least hear me out!"

Luna strolled around the room absentmindedly, looking around. "The people who want me to visit are either the esteemed Captain, who wishes to pin me to the ground, or those who want to use me."

"So tell me, what qualifications do you have to make me listen to your presumptuous request?"

She was ruthless with her words.

Navia remained silent, watching Luna. Even so, the Phantom Thief White Cat had still come—knowing full well that the other party wanted to use her.

But thinking about it, it wasn't strange. This woman liked to face things head-on.

And that approach often worked.

Sally's face paled. Qualifications? She had none. Not even a treasure to offer.

"I know information about a treasure..."

A flash of steel.

In the blink of an eye, Luna's blade was at Sally's throat, its tip gently lifting her chin.

"Do you think I need that?" Luna's voice was soft.

"Stop, Phantom Thief White Cat! Don't hurt innocent people!" Navia gripped her axe, lowering her stance.

It was clear that if necessary, she would strike in the next second.

Luna's lips curved into a smile. "Is someone who wishes to have a phantom thief steal something still innocent?"

"You haven't accepted, so she isn't yet."

At least, at this moment, Sally wasn't.

Luna nodded approvingly. "And if she becomes a criminal?"

"...If necessary, I'll take her to the police myself."

Luna and Navia locked eyes for a long time.

Then, Luna slowly withdrew her sword. "That's what I like about you, Miss Navia."

Navia lowered her axe. "Thanks, but I don't like you."

Luna responded with only a gentle smile.

Suddenly, for some reason, Navia felt a tightness in her chest.

That smile gave her an inexplicable sense of warmth and familiarity, but when she looked at Luna again, all she saw was the same elegant, polite expression as always.

"I know what you want, and I know why you want it—I saw through you completely before I even came."

Sally's expression was complicated.

Luna pulled a card from her pocket and flicked it into the air.

The card landed in front of Sally's eyes.

"So, let me be the one to issue your notice. Read it aloud and remember it well."

With a trembling voice, Sally read:

"Pianist Sally, hear my call,Tragedy and pain befall us all.Yet who shall rise and who shall fall,Is not for fate nor you to call.

Four days hence, as dusk takes flight,At six sharp on the edge of night,Your hope, your future, bright yet wary,I shall claim at the Grand Harpsichord Ceremony."

Navia was stunned.

The Phantom Thief White Cat planned to steal her hope and future?

What did that even mean?

Could someone else's hope and future really count as a treasure to the Phantom Thief?

And at the Grand Harpsichord Ceremony… what was she planning to do?

Questions filled Navia's mind, but before she could ask, she realized Luna was already gone.

A sob broke the silence. Sally knelt on the floor, crying uncontrollably.

Navia didn't know why she was crying—was it because the thief rejected her request, because she had lost hope, or because she was simply scared?

With no words of comfort to offer, Navia could only stare silently at the fluttering curtain.

Thud. The lights came back on.

Just like the stage four days later.

-

Four Days Later

A guard glanced at the girl in front of him, checking the contestant list.

"Sally, correct? This way, please."

"Thank you very much."

Once she disappeared down the hallway, another guard nudged his colleague.

"Hey, wasn't Sally the harpsichordist whose hand got broken? She recovered that fast?"

"No idea. Maybe she has an amazing constitution… I heard Liyue medicine can work wonders."

"But a hand that's been broken—can she still play properly? Injuries to bones and tendons always leave aftereffects."

"She's probably just here to chase a dream," the guard shrugged.

That made sense. The other guard nodded in agreement.

When one knows success is impossible, they use all their strength to crush their last hope.

But what they didn't know was that the figure disappearing into the corridor wasn't the real Sally.

She opened a compact mirror, the reflection revealing her face.

Lifting her hand, she gently brushed across it—and her features changed.

Luna smiled. "You should be grateful your face is easy to replicate, Miss Sally."

Now, she had only two things to do.

-Wait.

-Step onto the stage.

No matter what stage it was, she would always be the brightest star.

Snapping the compact shut, Luna's face returned to Sally's. Without looking back, she stepped forward.

Showtime.