Little Princess Aris

Hm?

Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow slightly, observing the other person without changing his expression.

She had a head of silvery-white hair and wore a beret, which made her doll-like, delicate face appear even more adorable; her skin was a cold, pale white from a long lack of sunlight.

She looked incredibly frail, as if a gust of wind could knock her over, possessing an inexplicable, sickly, fragile beauty.

At this moment.

Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head slightly, looking up at Xu Nuo, who was a head taller than her, yet her aura did not fall behind in the slightest, carrying a sense of condescending scrutiny.

A refined and proper smile hung on her face.

"I am Sakayanagi Arisu."

"Nice to meet you, Class D's Xu Nuo. Your self-introduction in class was truly unique."

Her voice was soft and calm.

She sounded just like a well-bred young lady.

Hearing this.

Xu Nuo felt somewhat speechless.

Has this matter already spread outside the class?

Moreover...

Xu Nuo narrowed his eyes, reading something entirely different from the girl's calm gaze—

Excitement.

The kind of almost irrepressible excitement that only appears when a chess player finally finds an opponent worthy of a match.

Have I been targeted?

Tsk, what a pain.

Xu Nuo sighed, his reply equally airtight.

"Not at all, I can't compare to you, Princess Alice; you were already famous before school even started."

He called her Alice because the Japanese pronunciation of Arisu was the same.

"Hehehe..."

"Calling me a little princess, are you complimenting my cuteness?"

Sakayanagi was taken aback, then let out her signature light laugh. She tilted her head slightly, speaking in a tone that seemed innocent but was actually as sharp as a blade:

"However."

"I have no interest in the identity of a Phantom Thief; what I am curious about are your other identities."

Her voice was not loud, yet it was incredibly clear.

"For instance."

"The genius pianist who, in just two years, was hailed by the music world as the Human Metronome for his mechanically precise playing style—"

"Or perhaps."

"The author who never showed his face, yet swept all domestic and international newcomer literature awards with a single novel, hailed by the literary world as a prodigy—"

"Or could it be..."

Sakayanagi's smile deepened, and her purple eyes shimmered with a near-fanatical light.

"The one who, in the online Go world, used the ID Chu Ying to unseat world champions nine times in a row, creating an undefeated myth before quietly vanishing."

"The one hailed as the Legendary Nine-Crown King... the Go Saint?"

With that said.

Sakayanagi seemed to have finished a brilliant opening speech, elegantly resting her cane in front of her.

"..."

Xu Nuo remained silent, then gave a dry chuckle. "I heard the Chairman's surname is Sakayanagi? You must have learned this from him, right? I have to admire this school's intelligence gathering."

In an instant.

Sakayanagi stopped speaking.

Because she had indeed learned it from her father; or rather, it was her pestering that had forced the school to send an admission letter to her idol.

After all.

Advanced Nurturing High School.

The purpose of attending was to cultivate social elites, and Xu Nuo had stood at the pinnacle from the very beginning.

He had absolutely no need to attend school.

So-called elites.

They aren't even qualified to carry his shoes.

The calm smile on her exquisite, adorable face stiffened slightly; Sakayanagi Arisu hated it when people brought up her father, as it made her feel as though she were being negated.

As expected of him.

He had easily touched upon her sore spot.

Sakayanagi felt both admiration and annoyance. Realizing that continuing down this path would put her at a disadvantage, she chose to move past the topic, her smile fading just a fraction.

"In this school—"

"There exists an artificially manufactured genius. And I shall bury that fake product."

"And after that."

"Xu Nuo, what I truly look forward to..."

"Is a fair and square contest with a true genius like you. I hope you won't make me feel bored; the days ahead are long."

"I look forward to working with you."

Arrogant!

Xu Nuo nearly laughed out loud.

Thinking of Sakayanagi's actions in the original work, where she was expelled because of a single word from Brother Lu, he found it even harder to keep a straight face.

"Allow me to ask one thing."

"I've heard that marriage is the grave of love; this 'burial' you speak of..."

Xu Nuo asked out of curiosity.

In an instant.

An icy, bone-chilling gaze pierced him like a blade. Seeing this, he wisely swallowed the joke that would have been enough to detonate the young girl's self-esteem.

This girl really couldn't take a joke.

He...

How could he think like that?

Sakayanagi Arisu silently withdrew her gaze, though her heart was far from calm. She thought of that Pseudo-Human and everything he represented, feeling a heartfelt sense of disgust.

She felt even more annoyed by that joke.

It seems.

Due to the appearance of a certain someone.

Some details have begun to change.

Just then.

Before she could dwell on it further, Sakayanagi Arisu's attention was suddenly drawn to another interesting scene not far away.

She looked toward the girl with the purple-red ponytail standing in front of the shelf, a meaningful smile curling the corners of her lips—a smile mixed with contemplation and anticipation.

"Hehehe..."

"It seems Masumi has finally made up her mind."

Sakayanagi didn't turn her head, but she spoke to Xu Nuo, "So, Mr. Phantom Thief, what will you do when faced with a lamb about to go astray?"

Would he step forward to expose her immediately? Or choose to report it to the school afterward? Or perhaps use it as leverage for profit?

No matter what action he took.

Her psychological profile of him would only become more complete.

Sakayanagi smiled with pleasure.

Oh?

Trying to take this opportunity to observe my personality and behavioral patterns?

Such a blatant intention, not even bothering to act it out—is she so sure I'll take the bait?

Xu Nuo raised an eyebrow.

There was really no helping someone who thrived on chaos, but it didn't matter anyway, as the Phantom Thief had come for Masumi in the first place.

He didn't say anything more.

He simply gave a slight nod to Sakayanagi, then took a step forward, heading in the direction of Kamuro Masumi.

"As you wish."

Xu Nuo's footsteps were light, making no unnecessary sound. His movements were like an elegant cat, silently blending into the atmosphere of the supermarket.

At this moment.

Kamuro Masumi kept a cold face, reaching out her hand as if nothing were wrong, though she was extremely nervous and her palms were sweating.

No one will notice.

Besides, this is a blind spot for the surveillance cameras...

It wasn't that she couldn't afford a mere can of beer; it was the process she enjoyed.

That is to say, the thrill.

The moment her fingers touched the beer can, Kamuro Masumi felt a shiver of pleasure race up her spine—this was exactly what she craved.

No problem.

Pick it up, slide it into her pocket.

Finally, walk away as if nothing had happened.

Just like before.

However.

The very instant she carefully slipped the can into her school uniform pocket with an indifferent air—

A figure brushed past her side.

Kamuro Masumi's heart skipped a beat.

She whipped her head around, only to see the back of a boy who seemed to have noticed nothing at all.

Kamuro let out a sigh of relief, silently cursing herself for being too sensitive.

But when she reached into her pocket to confirm, she froze in place as if struck by lightning.

The pocket... was empty.

The cold sensation was gone, the beer had vanished!

What was going on?!

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Kamuro Masumi's forehead. Had she been discovered? Or was it...

That guy from just now?

Her mind went blank. Panicked, she looked around, but could find no signs of anything suspicious.

And just then.

The boy who had brushed past her stopped in his tracks.