Little Cat Hisses

"Are you looking for this?"

Xu Nuo turned around, lifting the beer can in his hand, and looked at Kamuro Masumi with a faint, mocking smile.

The voice was not loud, yet it exploded in the girl's mind like a thunderclap, causing her violet-red pupils to shrink instantly and her body to stiffen to the point of rigidity.

How is this possible?!

When did he...

Kamuro Masumi's first reaction was shock; her second reaction was an unavoidable moment of daze the instant she saw the other person's face.

So... so handsome...

This face.

It was like a male lead who had walked straight out of a shoujo manga, beautiful to the point of being unreal.

However.

This brief moment of awe.

Was replaced by shame a tenth of a second later.

She had been caught.

The act of theft, at the worst possible time and in the worst possible place, had been seen by a completely unknown boy who was devastatingly handsome.

In an instant.

Kamuro's face flushed bright red, but the protective mask she had cultivated over the years forced her to suppress her emotions.

In its place was an impatient, foul expression.

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about? That's not mine. I don't know what you're talking about. If you want to hit on me, get lost."

"Disgusting!"

Kamuro Masumi crossed her arms, her voice cold and hard, as if she were venting the panic she had just felt, her tone incredibly rude.

She wore the look of someone saying, "I'm not to be trifled with, don't bother me."

Hearing this.

Xu Nuo maintained his smile, not retreating in the face of her sharp tongue as he sized up the stubborn girl.

She had soft, long violet-red hair with a small ponytail tied on the right side, violet-red eyes glaring at him, and a very tall figure, her legs wrapped in black over-the-knee socks that made them look straight and slender.

Her cold and impatient expression had a unique charm.

However.

Xu Nuo noticed that the muscles all over the girl's body were tense, as if she were ready to pounce or turn and run at any moment; clearly, her heart was not at peace.

He didn't make Kamuro wait long.

The next moment.

Under the gaze of both, he began his performance.

The cold can of beer began to roll under the manipulation of his slender, well-defined fingers, flipping and flying in his hand like a coin.

Rising and falling like the tide.

The series of fluid movements was full of spectacle.

He played with the beer can with the agility of a coin, as if a top-tier magician were showing off his skills.

Kamuro Masumi's gaze was uncontrollably drawn in.

She was dumbfounded.

This...

What kind of move is this?

And just as she was stunned, Xu Nuo's fingers gave a slight flick, and the beer can traced a graceful arc through the air before vanishing into thin air.

As if it had never appeared at all.

"?!"

Kamuro Masumi blinked, her brain short-circuiting.

"Your technique is too sloppy."

At this moment.

Xu Nuo spoke, his tone as calm as ever.

Sloppy technique?

Is he talking about my shoplifting technique?

This bastard!

Hearing this.

Kamuro Masumi's face flushed red. Ignoring how the can of beer had vanished, anger erupted in the depths of her heart.

"You...!"

She lowered her voice, squeezing the words out through gritted teeth. Every hair on her body stood on end as she let out a low, threatening growl.

"The kitten is hissing."

Seeing this, Xu Nuo smiled. Far from being intimidated, he found the clawing, snarling girl rather cute.

"You're the kitten!!"

Kamuro Masumi was furious.

She gnashed her teeth, her breathing quickening, causing her ample chest to heave.

Thanks for the treat.

Xu Nuo calmly averted his gaze, having already made his assessment.

Visual estimate: assigned to Class D.

After a long while, Kamuro finally calmed down. "What do you want?"

She had dropped the act.

Not far away, Sakayanagi Arisu had taken in everything that just happened. Although she was surprised by Xu Nuo's god-like sleight of hand, the moment she remembered it was that man, she nodded.

Mm, reasonable.

The cane in her hand tapped lightly against the ground, and her elegant smile grew even more delighted.

"Hehehe..."

"Now, it's time for the main event."

"Let me see what choice you will make."

However, "A qualified Phantom Thief never puts himself in danger," Xu Nuo said in a light tone, as if explaining the simplest of common sense.

"You didn't even manage the most basic observation of your surroundings; on that point alone, you are unqualified."

With that, he shook his head with a hint of disappointment, not sparing another glance at the completely petrified girl before turning and walking away.

"???"

At this moment, the two girls left behind both found their minds in a rare state of blankness.

Especially Sakayanagi Arisu.

For this genius girl who always played others in the palm of her hand and enjoyed the pleasure of looking down on all living things, her smile showed signs of freezing for the first time.

Her purple eyes held nothing but pure astonishment.

He just... left like that?

Sakayanagi Arisu felt puzzled. She had rehearsed many developments in her mind and even had countermeasures prepared.

For instance, if Xu Nuo had chosen to threaten Kamuro Masumi with this, then no matter what he wanted to do, Sakayanagi would have appeared immediately in the guise of a savior to defeat the demon king, rescue the lost lamb, and bring the poor girl under her wing.

However, she truly hadn't expected this kind of approach.

He appeared with the air of a teacher, casually displayed his god-like technique, delivered an inexplicable evaluation, and then...

And then there was no then.

He didn't ask for anything, didn't make any threats, and didn't even reveal his stance.

What was this supposed to be?

It was as if he didn't care about anything and was just showing off.

Sakayanagi Arisu frowned, frantically contemplating Xu Nuo's intentions, feeling as if her brain was about to overheat.

With no conclusion reached, "Ara ara~"

"How truly unfathomable. As expected of you."

A faint sense of frustration intertwined with excitement surged within Sakayanagi Arisu's heart.

Interesting.

Truly, it was far too interesting.

This guy was completely beyond the reach of conventional logic!

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Kamuro Masumi's state was far worse. Her mouth hung slightly agape, and her face, usually etched with impatience, was now left with nothing but bewilderment.

That guy.

He just left like that?

He saw it; he clearly saw everything, didn't he!

Why... didn't he report it to the teacher? Or try to blackmail me? He could have at least come over and scolded me.

But.

He did nothing.

He merely offered a casual evaluation of her technique.

"Unqualified."

Those three words echoed like a curse.

They reverberated endlessly in Kamuro Masumi's mind.

Bastard!

What do you know...

By what right do you judge me with that tone?

I'm not some Phantom Thief!

Kamuro Masumi muttered to herself, her inner emotions a complex mess of shame, anger, fear, and confusion...

Along with a trace of heart-fluttering she hadn't even noticed herself.

Just then.

As if remembering something, Kamuro hurriedly turned her head and discovered that the can of beer had somehow returned to the shelf, completely intact, which made her heave a sigh of relief.

After all.

This was the evidence of her crime; as long as she bought this can of beer now, no one would ever find out...

Suddenly.

A devilish whisper rang out.

"Kamuro-san, I saw everything just now."