Furina, Please Let Me Steal Your Heart!

Navia mused aloud, sizing up the girl before her—a beret, a coat, and sunglasses... She glanced around the room and, turning to Silver and Melus beside her, confirmed, "This is definitely the place, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Navia nodded slightly.

The sight of such a woman appearing at the door of the missing girl's home, just about to enter... It made her mind flash with a conjecture.

Navia's eyes lit up. "I figured it out! You're a detective, aren't you?"

"Hm?" Luna responded.

She hasn't said anything yet, how did Navia arrive at the answer on her own?

Seeing Luna's lack of response, Navia couldn't help but question herself, "Am I wrong?"

Melus chuckled, "Miss Navia jumps to conclusions too quickly. Perhaps it's Miss Mary who went missing?"

Silver pushed up his sunglasses. "Let me use my deduction skills here—I guess she is an intruder!"

His guess was correct.

But guessing right didn't come with any reward.

"Is that so?" Navia asked.

"It depends on how you define an 'intruder'. I merely want to know the truth behind the disappearance," Luna replied with an enigmatic smile.

She wasn't lying, just hadn't revealed the whole truth.

Navia's smile beamed. "See, I told you it wouldn't take long for a detective to step up and not let something like this go unnoticed!"

Her voice was buoyant, her steps quick. Without a moment's hesitation, she seized Luna's hand.

Luna's heart lurched. She never expected Naviya to grasp her hand so swiftly, and her guard shot up by another factor of twelve.

"What a coincidence! We're here to seek the truth too! What's your name?"

Luna wanted to withdraw her hand but smiled as she replied, "It's Lulu."

"Lulu, hmm, I'll remember that - what a cute name. As for me, I'm the big boss of the renowned Spina di Rosula, just call me Navia!"

Navia seemed not to make the connection between Luna and the Phantom Thief White Cat, perhaps because blonde hair was quite common here.

"Could you please loosen your grip?"

Her strength is incredible! Getting caught in that grip wouldn't be a joke at all.

Snapshots of her past flashed through Luna's mind as she struggled to free her hand from Navia's surprisingly strong grasp.

Navia realized her mistake and hastily withdrew her hands, "Ah, apologies! I was just a bit too excited to meet someone with similar aspirations."

"Similar aspirations?" Luna rubbed her hand, still tingling with an unfamiliar warmth and fragrance left behind by Navia.

She had heard that Navia was a passionate girl, and now Luna could truly appreciate that firsthand.

Navia responded earnestly, "Yes, because of my father's situation... I want to uncover the truth behind the serial disappearance case of young girls."

She looked around the room.

"This is the home of one of the suspected victims, isn't it? Although the police has already investigated, I still want to conduct my own investigation. Perhaps I'll discover different clues."

"This is the home of one of the suspected victims, isn't it? Although the Security Team has already investigated, I still want to conduct my own investigation. Perhaps I'll discover different clues."

Navia's father was named Callus Caspar.

He was also known as "Callus the Unfaithful."

Three years ago, Callus was accused of killing his own friend.

All the evidence pointed to him being the murderer, but he refused to go through a trial and instead proposed a duel.

In Fontaine, if one won in a duel, they could be exempt from legal proceedings.

Conversely, if they lost, the proceedings would continue as normal.

Generally speaking, duels could be fatal. Weapons are indiscriminate, and even skilled users can make mistakes, so not many people were willing to gamble with their lives.

However, Callus chose to gamble, and ultimately died at the hands of his appointed duel proxy, Clorinde.

Luna, arms crossed, delved into her memories. "Indeed, there were many... oddities surrounding your father's case."

Navia stepped closer, her voice filled with conviction. "Exactly! I felt it too—there must be some contradiction hidden within!"

Luna took a step back, her voice cool and measured. "But the case is closed. Without evidence that can shake the very foundations of the verdict, I'm afraid even getting a retrial would be nigh impossible."

"That's why I chose to continue searching for the truth," Navia declared, her eyes gleaming with determination. "If there's a breakthrough to be found, it surely lies within the 'Serial Disappearance Case' that my father spent his life investigating."

True, thought Luna. To make so many people vanish without a trace, there must be an incredibly vast criminal organization behind it...

Luna sought confirmation. "So you're saying you'll join us?"

"Yes, but we won't get in the way of Miss Detective."

"That's a relief."

Even if Luna wanted Navia to leave, the girl's expression made it clear that would be as futile as trying to stop a raging bull with a mere handkerchief.

If that's the case, Luna mused, let's just go with the flow.

However, Luna never expected that after being enemies last time, they would now be companions this time around.

There was no way Navia could have imagined that the "detective" she believed in was actually the "Phantom Thief White Cat" who had stolen the Chamber of Commerce's treasures.

Luna chuckled at the thought.

"What is it?" Navia asked curiously.

"Just marveling at how fickle fate can be," Luna replied.

Next time we meet, we'll probably be enemies again, Luna thought. After all, I'm a phantom thief.

Luna twisted the door handle, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.

The missing person lived alone, with no one else in the house. A light layer of dust had settled everywhere, suggesting it hadn't been cleaned in a while.

Silver glanced around and remarked, "It's so quiet here."

Melus agreed, "Once the human presence fades, a house without occupants does deteriorate quickly. Seems like they were right."

While Silver and Melus chatted, Luna silently began to investigate her surroundings.

She noticed signs of disturbance, but this was likely due to the security team's previous search and subsequent efforts to restore the scene. If someone had been forcibly taken from this room, there should have been more signs of a struggle.

Could they have been taken outside the house?

With no clear leads, Navia decided to ask, "Lulu, did you find anything?"

"No, it's possible she was taken while outside her home," Luna suggested, coming to rest in front of a bedroom door.

The door stood unlocked.

As she stepped inside, Luna activated her Thief's Vision ability. This skill wasn't just for scanning items on people; it also revealed nearby high-value objects.

Is this helpful for the investigation? Of course it is, but just how much remains to be seen.

Still, it's certainly better than having no clues at all.

The scene before them became hazy, with only certain items glowing with a golden light.

The necklace hidden in the drawer, the gold bars in the safe, Moras concealed behind paintings... This person sure knows how to hide things. Perhaps they're part hamster?

"Hm?"

Luna suddenly noticed a faint golden light emanating from within the pillow.

She felt around the bed, confirming it wasn't beneath the pillow. She then picked it up, unzipped the case, and retrieved the object inside.

Navia leaned in for a closer look. "Is that... a ring?"

Indeed, it was a ring.

Luna narrowed her eyes. "Moreover, this style is a classic engagement ring. There's inscription on the inside as well: 'To the purest you'—the missing person was engaged."

"What does that mean?"

"Oh, my dear Watson, this means her fiancé could very well be the culprit."

Watson? Navia tilted her head slightly, not quite following Luna's reference.

"Are you suggesting the likelihood of an acquaintance committing the crime is high?"

Luna nodded. "According to the Court of Justice's statistics, familiar offenders account for 65% of all known homicide cases."

Silver was puzzled. "Why would someone harm the person they're closest to?"

"Who knows? I don't even want to try understanding the criminal mind."

Navia fell silent.

She seemed to recall her own father, but quickly her expression returned to normal.

"Why wasn't she wearing her engagement ring?"

"Good question. Perhaps their relationship wasn't meant to be known, or maybe she just wanted to keep it hidden."

Luna pointed. "There's a secret compartment behind that painting, and something's tucked between the bed frames. Despite this being her room, she's clearly hiding things here and there. She might have felt insecure, or it could mean people often came to her home demanding money."

"—But that's not crucial now. Regardless, our next step is clear: we must interrogate every member of the troupe one by one."

"Given the Dark Moon Troupe's rigorous training schedule and the demands of their performances, she likely had little energy to expand her social circle. Besides, she's been part of the troupe for quite some time; it's impossible for her to keep everything hidden from her colleagues."

Melus asked, "But isn't the Dark Moon Troupe currently barring all outsiders? No one can enter right now."

"That's correct."

The ban was in place due to the troupe's growing popularity; it was necessary to prevent any chaos.

Luna removed her sunglasses. "But I'm not exactly an outsider, am I?"