[[Disclaimer: Sega, I know the blue hedgehog needs like a bazillion games, but could we just get one little Rhythm Thief sequel... please?

Spoilers: For Emperor's Treasure.

Set: After Emperor's Treasure.]]

Sacrebleu

"Sacrebleu..." Inspector Paul Vergier could not comprehend what he was seeing. It was impossible— ridiculous!

When Eric had burst into his office with a copy of the Eiffel Bugle, Vergier had thought the constable was overacting, per usual. However, amongst the articles about the Chevaliers Diabolique's defeat, there was only one thing that caught Vergier's eye:

A photo of his sixteen year old daughter on a... a date.

That alone was pushing the limit for Vergier. Charlotte was too young to be in a relationship. Besides, any potential suitors would have to pass his inspection first. Charlotte hadn't brought anyone home to meet him... (He'd hardly been home lately but that wasn't the point.)

Vergier may have been willing to forgive this, if it weren't for the identity of her date. Phantom R. The dastardly young rogue renowned for looting the Louvre. True, he had aided the Constabulary in saving Paris, but how dare he try to... to seduce Charlotte! The article's title didn't help his case in the slightest:

'Phantom R steals another young heart.'

In the photo, the rhythm thief was sat opposite Charlotte at a cafe, his hands clasped adoringly (slyly) beneath his chin. Charlotte had always hated her school dress, but here she was striking a flirtatious pose, displaying far too much leg for Vergier's comfort. They were gazing deeply into each others' eyes.

Vergier felt sick. It was no wonder Charlotte was always chasing after Phantom R and the pair had seemed so chummy during Napoleon's onslaught. Who did they think they were— Romeo and Juliette? Well, the shenanigans ended right now. Vergier wouldn't let that cad corrupt Charlotte, not his child.

Police sirens blaring, the inspector drove straight to Charlotte's soccer club, where her team was practicing. She looked up in shock when her father stormed onto the field and she called the other players for a time out. She jogged over, sighing at his livid expression. "You're not here to support me, are you?"

Vergier thrust the newspaper in her face. "What is the meaning of THIS?"

"Sacrebleu..." Charlotte swore. (Vergier was too angry to admonish her.) Her jaw dropped and she went red– the signs of a guilty culprit. "It's not what it looks like, at all!"

"Your blushing suggests otherwise," Vergier pointed out.

She snatched the paper from him, narrowing her eyes at the part proclaiming her 'romantic rendezvous' with Phantom R. "Some stupid reporter must have spotted the two of us there..."

"I am very glad they did," Vergier growled. "I cannot believe you would go behind my back, courting Phantom R, of all people! I do not care if he charmed you with his dance moves. He wants to whisk you away, never to be seen again!"

"Charmed? Whisked away?" Charlotte made a gagging noise. "You've got it all wrong! He's my number one nemesis, my archenemy—"

"Hey! I thought I was your archenemy?"

"Not the time, Urbain!" Charlotte shouted at the boy over her shoulder.

Vergier was horrified. "How many boys are you involved with?" (Good grief, Emma, what has our daughter gotten herself into?)

Charlotte groaned. "What is it going to take for you to trust me? Look, that day at the cafe, Phantom R came—" Vergier recoiled "–to ask if I'd help rescue Marie, the Duchess's daughter. She's the one Phantom R obviously has a thing for, not me. He just wanted to team up with me temporarily and return a certain photo."

At this, the inspector raised his eyebrows. That was... oddly generous of Phantom R. (Though, Vergier probably wouldn't have dropped their family photo if he hadn't been out hunting for the thief.) He held Charlotte's gaze for a minute. "If that is true... then I apologise for jumping to conclusions and for interrupting your training session."

"I suppose I forgive you," she smirked.

"Impertinent child..." Vergier glanced around the field, coughing. "Er, when is your next match?"

"This Saturday."

"I will be there to support you. I promise."