Chapter 102: Golden Retriever

Navia blinked. "On you?"

Why did that sound so strange?

"That word shouldn't be used for people," Navia said, blushing.

"Really? In the family I used to live with, we'd do that. If there was a conflict, a fight was often the fastest and easiest way to resolve it."

"That family sounds too violent!"

Her and Luna fighting?

Navia felt she couldn't bring herself to do it—though she didn't realize she'd already fought several times before.

"Can't we use another method?" Navia's expression was complicated.

"Hm? I was just giving an example. I don't actually want to fight Nana."

Curious, Navia asked, "Then what do you want to do?"

Luna lifted her hand and extended her index finger.

"Bite."

"Bite?"

Luna nodded. "When you're in a bad mood, you want to bite things. Isn't that a common way to deal with it?"

Really?

Navia was half-convinced. This seemed more like a way for small animals like cats or dogs to express themselves.

Moreover, the place where Luna wanted to put her mouth was Luna's finger...

"No, no—"

There's an opening! Luna seized the moment while Navia opened her mouth to speak, swiftly placing her finger inside.

"!?"

Navia instinctively closed her lips, feeling a soft and delicate sensation. She became even more hesitant to move, helplessly gazing at Luna.

"Think back carefully," Luna murmured.

Think back?

"Everything that happened that day."

The words triggered Navia's memories, vividly reconstructing the scene.

"You suddenly learned your father was to duel your friend Clorinde."

Yes, everything had come too suddenly.

The pressure on her finger unconsciously increased, bringing a slight pain. But the warm breath enveloping her fingertip neutralized the discomfort, soothing it away.

Luna continued, "Why? You didn't understand, but you absolutely didn't want the worst to happen. Your intuition told you if you didn't stop it now, it would be too late."

The pressure intensified further.

"You ignored the guards' attempts to stop you, found the Iudex, and begged him to halt the duel. You explained the case's inconsistencies, and he acknowledged them, but he still chose not to intervene."

Something warm began seeping out.

"Your father knew his time was limited. To protect you—to ensure you survived the danger and grew up—he had prepared himself from the moment he was falsely accused."

The taste of rust lingered in Navia's mouth.

"So he chose death, and to answer him, Clorinde had no choice but to swing her final sword. The truth was washed away by the rain. There are still evil spies within the Court of Justice. The incident isn't over, and the dead keep appearing in this Fontaine..."

It seemed Navia had forgotten she was biting Luna's finger. She clenched her teeth even tighter.

Only when warm blood touched her tongue did she finally come to her senses and hastily release her grip.

Blood continued to flow from the finger.

"Lulu, I..." Navia didn't know what to do.

The taste of rust lingered between her lips and teeth, not a pleasant one.

Luna just glanced at the wound, not caring at all. She smiled. "Feeling better now?"

"This... How can I feel better! You're bleeding. Let me find some bandages, I remember I brought some—"

Navia took out a bandage and stuck it on Luna's wound.

She gently smoothed the edges with her finger, pressing it down firmly. Her jumbled thoughts couldn't form proper words.

"Why did you do that?"

"I wanted you to feel better." Luna's expression remained calm.

For a moment, Navia felt like she'd never really known the person called Luna.

"I don't think biting someone until they bleed makes them feel better."

"Really?"

"Of course!"

Luna placed her hand on Navia's chest. "Feel it carefully now."

Feel? All she could sense was Luna's hand, warm as jade.

But upon reflection, Navia realized she truly felt no trace of resentment.

Her mouth tasted of blood, her vision filled with Luna's smile, and her mind held only pity—no room for any other emotions.

Yet to claim Luna's method worked would be absurd.

"I don't approve of this approach."

Tearing open someone's wounds and forcing other sensations in, diverting all senses and thoughts—Navia had no objection to this concept.

"I don't want Lulu to get hurt," Navia said solemnly.

That was her objection.

Then don't hit me so hard when I'm the Phantom Thief, Luna thought.

"This kind of wound will heal quickly."

Compared to the injuries she'd taken from enemy weapons before, this palm wound seemed minor.

Luna rubbed her hand, but Navia's face suddenly filled her vision.

"I don't want any injuries on you at all. For an actor, your body is crucial, isn't it?"

"Exactly. So you're thinking like an manager now, Nana?"

Navia took both of Luna's hands and swung them up and down. "Yes, but not entirely!"

"I'm your partner, your good buddy;

I'm also your assistant, your Miss Watson;

And just like that, I'm your manager, the business partner supporting your career! No matter which angle you look at it from, I don't want Lulu to get hurt, do you understand?"

Luna smiled warmly. "What if... I said..."

"...I want Nana to give me injuries?"

"Huh?!"

She actually had such a kink?

Th-then if that's the case, how should I... Wait! Seeing Luna's smiling face, Navia puffed out her cheeks, realizing she'd been tricked again.

I have to get proper revenge this time.

Only when they feel pain will they stop. It's true for everyone.

This is what members of the Spina di Rosula understand best.

Mustering her courage, Navia leaned against Luna's shoulder. "Then I'll bite you, okay? Deep enough to leave marks, bleeding, painful, and hot!"

This was clearly a threat.

But Luna didn't mind. Instead, she gently pressed Navia's head against her shoulder. "Letting out your emotions is always good."

Navia: "....."

Luna: "....."

Navia sighed. "You win. The way you say it makes it sound like you'd accept anything I do."

How was she supposed to attack like this? How could she make a move?

"Of course, I'm not accepting everything. But my limits are quite flexible."

"Your explanations are equally flexible," Navia said helplessly.

She sighed again and leaned against Luna's shoulder.

"Let me rest here. This is the best release for me," she murmured, closing her eyes as Luna's gently swaying hair tickled her cheek.

"How ordinary."

"...You've done something extraordinary before?"

"Does burying your face in someone's hair count?"

Was she referring to Chiori?

They're so close, Navia thought absently, then suddenly laughed.

"Then, Lulu, sit down."

"Hm? Oh, okay."

After Luna obediently sat on the stone, Navia moved behind her and buried her face in the hair, momentarily overwhelmed by the fragrant scent.

"Nana."

"Mm?"

"You're like a golden retriever now."

"...That comparison actually bothers me," Navia said, her tone slightly indignant. "I do love dogs, but being called a big dog..."

"Meow."

"Don't just dismiss it!"

Despite her words, Navia suddenly laughed again.

"I'm fine. Actually, if you Lulu didn't do such strange things, I'd adjust my mood even faster."

Luna let out a soft snort. "You're denying all my efforts, aren't you?"

"I'm not denying them," Navia replied, "I just... I think Dad might have been giving me a choice."

"Even if the truth never comes to light, both the Spina di Rosula and I could live out our lives in cowardly comfort under the lingering threat."

"Or I could uncover the truth and give everyone answers. Though we never shared our hearts, considering how he made me follow him since childhood..."

"He might have wanted me to become someone who doesn't need others, who can stand on their own, who can forge their own path."

"But Lulu," Navia said with a smile, "if you keep doing this, I won't be able to resist relying on you."

"That would indeed be problematic," Luna agreed with a smile.

Navia blinked. "I thought you'd say it's fine."

Luna shook her head. "Relying and depending are different. Relying is natural, but depending..."

"...is like?"

"...like raising a golden retriever."

Flushing, Navia grabbed Luna's face. "You're insufferable! Just wait until I, the Spina di Rosula's boss deal with you!"

Luna, held in Navia's embrace, didn't resist but leaned back instead.

"Don't give up so quickly," Navia complained.

She sat down, letting Luna rest her head against Navia's chest. Her gaze drifted past the golden threads dancing in the air, focusing on the distant horizon.

"Maybe Vacher is Marcel," she suddenly said.

"What's your reasoning?"

"None. Just intuition! But my instincts have always been spot-on. Besides, Marcel is the most likely candidate who could collude with the Court of Justice while bribing so many subordinates."

After all, he's the one running a prominent Confrerie.

"But we still haven't found the crucial evidence," Navia pointed out.

"If you're suspicious, just shoot. You'll get your answer," Luna suggested.

"'Bullets are my proof!'—something like that? Haha, it's almost like a novel. But I want to crush the mastermind completely in the courtroom."

"Not because private vengeance is wrong," Navia said, resting her chin on Luna's head. "I simply want to stand where my father didn't—on the prosecution side of the courtroom."

"To prove his innocence. To crush the mastermind, expose their crimes, and give all those who've been harmed the fairness and justice they deserve."

"And to tell everyone that Callas Caspar didn't lose, and neither did the Spina di Rosula."

"That's all."

Luna smiled. "So you want to put on a grand performance?"

"Exactly."

"I might've caught something from Lulu," Navia murmured.

"Want to cure it?"

"...Not curing it isn't so bad. We're partners, after all."

With that, Navia smoothed Luna's hair, twirling a lock of equally radiant golden strands. She mused that she and Luna were fundamentally different, perhaps even diametrically opposed on certain beliefs.

Just like their eyes.

Luna's gaze held the magnificent crimson of rubies, while hers shimmered with the azure depths of sea and sky.

But...

"I want to share the stage with Lulu."

Luna tilted her head upward, meeting Navia's downward gaze.

"Let's face our true enemies together, just like before, in the Trial Court under the Archon's watchful eyes!" Navia's smile glowed brightly.

Luna gazed into Navia's eyes, finding the smile before her far more precious than any treasure she'd ever seen.

"Of course."

Treasuring treasures was the very essence of her aesthetic as a Phantom Thief.

Navia's smile remained undimmed. "Leave the evidence matter to me, Lulu. Focus on your performance! Don't worry, we'll have results soon. I promise."

Besides, their opponent might currently be wary of the Phantom Thief, fearing she might send a warning letter:

["Today I'll steal everything you own, leaving not a single Mora behind."]

["I'll expose all your shady dealings too. Wait for me at the Opera House, got it?"]

Though such a letter was unlikely.

How strange - a sinner becoming another sinner's deterrent. Truly... subtle.

...Why would the Phantom Thief White Cat make herself a target? Navia understood the newspaper's implications, but it only deepened her confusion.

Never mind that for now. She preferred focusing on Luna in her arms.

First came the stage where they'd perform with the Archon.

Then would come the stage of judgment.

"We're so busy," Luna remarked.

"Isn't being busy nice?"

Soon after,

Luna stood at Chioriya Boutique's entrance, having bid farewell to Navia. She drew a soft breath.