The Classroom Thief

"No, you guys go ahead."

Sitting together at an internet café was another fond memory of Xia Xu's youth. He had been eager to experience it again, but the moment he saw Tang Hao among the people Ma Bing had invited, his face twitched and he firmly declined.

He and Tang Hao both had supporting-character destinies in "Hunter." As far as he was concerned, the guy was practically a walking jinx.

There was nothing about the title "Hunter" that suggested a lighthearted comedy. Whether the plot involved hunting wild animals or a battle of wits between opposing sides like cops and criminals, getting dragged into it as a supporting character probably wouldn't end well.

"All right, then. We'll head out."

Ma Bing had only asked casually while rounding up his friends. He didn't insist after Xia Xu turned him down, and soon left with the others, laughing and joking.

Xia Xu packed his things as well and picked up his schoolbag to head home. Before leaving, however, he caught sight of Tang Youxin out of the corner of his eye. She showed no sign of packing up to go home and instead kept searching around her seat.

"What's wrong? Did you lose something?"

Xia Xu frowned and walked over.

"I... I think I lost my wallet."

Only when she heard Xia Xu's voice did Tang Youxin finally look up. Her face was filled with panic, and there were tear tracks at the corners of her eyes. It looked as though she had been crying silently just moments ago. The sight of her looking so helpless was truly heartbreaking.

"Your wallet's missing? Have you checked around here? Or did you take it outside and drop it somewhere?"

Xia Xu frowned as he asked.

"No. I spent the whole afternoon reading at my seat. I only left twice to use the bathroom, but I've searched my entire bag and desk."

Tang Youxin seemed to have found someone she could rely on. She stopped crying, though she still sounded miserable as she answered.

She really didn't leave the classroom often. Without friends inviting her out, she was better off spending the ten-minute breaks resting at her seat. Being introverted, she usually spent breaks reading, working on problems, or putting her head down for a short rest.

"Then it looks like someone stole it."

Xia Xu's expression turned cold.

"Then... what should I do?"

Tang Youxin clutched the hem of her clothes with both hands, her delicate, fair knuckles turning white from the force.

It wasn't that the possibility hadn't occurred to her. She simply didn't want to accept the worst-case scenario, and her personality wouldn't allow her to grab the people around her and ask whether they had stolen her things.

"What else? Find it, of course."

Xia Xu shrugged, then walked straight to the classroom's back entrance and pulled the door shut.

"Damn it, Xia Xu, what are you doing? Can't you see we're trying to leave?"

Everyone was eager to get home and was filing out. When Xia Xu shut the door, those who hadn't left yet immediately protested.

"Sorry, this will only take a moment. Tang Youxin's wallet is missing..."

Xia Xu began to explain, but someone interrupted him halfway through.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you suspect us of stealing it? Are you going to search us, too?"

Those who remained grew even more annoyed at his words.

"That's right. That's exactly what I mean. I suggest whoever took it hands it over willingly. Otherwise, once I find you, simply returning it won't be enough. Anything over three thousand yuan qualifies as a substantial theft. Don't make me call the police and get you locked up."

Completely unfazed, Xia Xu nodded. His calm tone made it sound as though he was merely stating facts, and as he spoke, he studied the people in the classroom one by one.

There was no way he could let them leave. The classroom had no surveillance cameras, and once the thief walked away, there would be no proof. Besides, since this had happened at school, there was a good chance the matter would simply be dropped.

"Heh, aren't you something? You're even going to find the thief and call the cops to get them locked up."

"Xia Xu, we get that you want to show off in front of a girl, but just take this to a teacher. Don't stop us from going out and having fun."

"Come on, let's just use the front door."

Some troublemakers challenged him outright, while those on slightly better terms with him tried to reason with him. Others simply dismissed him and headed for the front door, only for Xia Xu to step over and block their way.

"How about this? Let's make a bet. Give me three minutes to look. If I don't find it, I'll apologize and buy everyone a drink."

"Don't worry. I'm only going to take a look at you. I won't search your things."

Something to gain was always the best bargaining chip, even in the relatively innocent setting of a school. Once they heard there was a reward, everyone's expression softened a little.

Seeing that they had tacitly agreed and stopped trying to leave, Xia Xu wasted no more words and began studying them one by one.

Of course, although he called it taking a look, he was actually checking their attribute panels.

Ten or twenty people had already left, but more than twenty remained, so there was still a bit of work to do.

However, Xia Xu had certain priorities in mind as he checked.

Tang Youxin's family circumstances were no secret. Everyone in class knew one another's backgrounds, and a thief ordinarily wouldn't target her. If someone had set their sights on her wallet, it was clearly because of the financial aid she had received that day.

But Liu Xiulan hadn't made a big announcement when handing out the financial aid. She had quietly called Tang Youxin to her office to give it to her. The only people who actually knew Tang Youxin had received financial aid, or that she was carrying quite a bit of money, were Xia Xu and the few people who had been in the classroom when Tang Youxin repaid him that afternoon.

Since he hadn't paid particular attention, Xia Xu wasn't entirely sure exactly who had been there at the time. Still, by cross-checking his recollections with Attribute Viewing, he could find some clues.

"Are you going to hand it over yourself, or do I have to search for it?"

Before long, Xia Xu's gaze settled on a short, skinny boy wearing glasses. He walked over with a cold smile.

His name was Zhuo Ren. In fact, he was Xia Xu's "next-door neighbor," with a seat directly to his right. They weren't considered deskmates only because an aisle ran between them.

"What do you mean? You think I stole it? Where's your evidence?"

Seeing Xia Xu, who stood almost half a head taller than him, approach so aggressively, Zhuo Ren immediately panicked. He already had a guilty conscience, and though he tried to remain calm, his bluster betrayed his fear.

"Evidence? How about I call the police right now, and you can talk to them about evidence?"

Xia Xu couldn't be bothered to argue and simply snatched Zhuo Ren's backpack away.

With his one-star fighting talent, his physical abilities were naturally much better than those of an ordinary person his age. Someone as short and skinny as Zhuo Ren had no chance to resist, and his bag was taken straight out of his hands.

After only a little rummaging, Xia Xu found a worn black wallet with peeling material at the bottom of the bag, buried beneath a pile of books.

Tang Youxin had used this wallet for a long time without replacing it. Her classmates had seen her take it out before, so this was as good as conclusive proof.

"Holy shit, it really was Zhuo Ren! Xia Xu's incredible."

"Damn, the guy looks shifty as hell. Turns out he really is a thief. No wonder my stuff keeps disappearing."

"My phone went missing a while back. Could he have stolen that, too?"

Everyone now looked at Zhuo Ren differently. His face flushed red, and he bolted for the door.

Xia Xu didn't stop him. After all, the guy's reputation had already been destroyed. There was no real need to keep escalating things by taking him to the police station.

But just because Xia Xu let him go didn't mean everyone else would.

"Stop! You'd better explain yourself! Did you steal my damn phone?"

A few people who had lost things before chased after him. The others kept talking among themselves or, seeing that the matter was over, simply left.

Of course, some were more interested in the other central figure still at the scene. A few people who were friendly with Xia Xu eagerly gathered around him.

"Hey, Xia Xu, how did you know Zhuo Ren stole the wallet?"

"Yeah, holy shit. You're practically that little grade-school grim reaper detective."

"Be honest. Did you see Zhuo Ren steal it earlier, or did you really figure it out? Can you teach me a trick or two?"

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