Chapter 170: My Thievery is First-Class But My Pussy is Third-Class (2)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 170: My Thievery is First-Class But My Pussy is Third-Class (2)[R-18]
—Old Building 3rd Floor Duty Room by 5 PM.
"...Sigh."
Chloe, dressed in a tracksuit, crumpled the note and let out a sigh laced with irritation.
"How many times does this make now? Changing the location over and over."
—Main building rooftop in 3 days...
—Professor’s office in 5 days...
—Behind the church in 4 days...
...
..
.
Every time she went to the promised location, there was a note, and going to that new location only led to another note. The time and place were constantly being shifted.
"I get why he's doing it, but there's a limit."
She had expected him to change the location a few times, fearing an ambush or a trap if a single meeting spot was set... but she couldn't help being annoyed.
"If he doesn't show up this time..."
Click— clack—
Chloe, who had been venting her frustrations, swallowed her words at the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. She instantly reverted to her persona as a dazed university student.
"...Ah..! Ah!... Um... excuse me...!"
A man appeared from the end of the hallway. He was dressed in a jet-black suit and wore a mask on his face that looked like something out of a masquerade ball.
‘Height is about 188cm. The heels of his shoes look to be about 2cm, so he’s probably around 186cm? Weight is in the late 80kg range. Judging by his stride and thigh muscles, he exercises regularly. The mask is a perception-dampening Artifact. That alone must be quite expensive... and since his clothes aren't made of easily obtainable materials, he must be from a fairly prominent noble family.’
On the outside, she remained faithful to her role as a graduate student frightened by the appearance of a suspicious person, but inside, Chloe’s mind was busy gathering information on her opponent.
‘For someone like that, he seems full of openings...’
Chloe shook her head slightly.
Underestimating an opponent was a bad habit.
Someone who had uncovered the identity of Nine Tail and adorned themselves with high-end Artifacts couldn't possibly be ordinary. That appearance, which seemed full of openings at a glance, was undoubtedly a trap intended to deceive her.
"Nice to meet you, Chloe."
"...Y-yes... but... um... excuse me... I... at the Gallery..."
"No, perhaps I should call you Nine Tail."
"Huh?! ...N-Nine Tail? M-me? ...N-no, I'm not! If it's Nine Tail... you mean that... p-phantom thief... everyone talks about at the Gallery?"
"You know that feigning ignorance like this is just a waste of time, right?"
"N-no, it's really not me...... Sigh... Seriously... fine. Whatever."
She thought he would test the waters a bit more, but she hadn't expected him to cut straight to the chase like this.
Shhh—
Chloe let out a deep sigh and sliced through her hair tie with a fingernail, letting her long, sky-blue hair flutter down.
Swish—
Then, as if performing a face-changing act, she swept her palm down over her face. In place of her glasses, a mask resembling a fox appeared.
"I had my suspicions, but I didn't think you'd actually know my identity."
Zzzzt—
Next, she pulled down the zipper of her frumpy tracksuit. Her snow-white skin was revealed as if she were wearing nothing underneath, but...
Poof!
Just before her nipples were about to be exposed, a sudden burst of smoke shrouded Chloe’s figure.
"I don't know how you found out, but you did a good job. I'll give you that. Yes, I am Nine Tail."
A moment later, the smoke obscuring the view cleared. Standing there was no longer the perpetual graduate student Chloe Robelia, but the legendary phantom thief, Nine Tail.
"It is a pleasure, Nine Tail. To meet you like this—"
"No, wait. No need for greetings. Because..."
Bam—!
The moment she finished speaking, Chloe kicked off the floor and lunged at him.
"You're going to die here anyway."
Before he knew it, the sharpened tip of her staff was pressed against the man's throat. The fox-fire drifting around her radiated a murderous intent, as if ready to incinerate everything at any moment.
"...."
However, the man didn't react at all, merely maintaining a faint smile.
‘...What?’
She had struck the opening he was blatantly showing, so she expected a counterattack, but he didn't even budge.
‘Did he know I wouldn't actually attack?’
Even so, it was strange. Even if your head knows you won't be attacked, the body usually reacts first when a vital point is targeted like this...
Looking at the man now, it felt as if he hadn't even been able to react.
"Stop playing around."
"Playing around? Does this look like a joke to you?"
"Yes. You said it yourself at the Gallery. That you don't hurt people."
"I'm sorry, but every rule has an exception. Do you really think a phantom thief would let someone who knows their identity live?"
"Rules have exceptions, but aesthetics do not. I believed in Nine Tail's aesthetics."
"And if you're wrong?"
Slide—
Chloe pushed the tip of her staff in further and spoke.
"What if I don't care about aesthetics and decide to kill you right here?"
"Is there any point in trembling over something that won't happen?"
"...Sigh."
Chloe finally understood why he hadn't reacted and why his posture was so full of openings. From the very beginning, this man had 'certainty' that she wouldn't harm him.
Clack—!
Chloe retracted her staff and let out a sigh.
"Haaa... I guess threats won't work on you. Fine. What do you want? I'm sorry to tell you, but I have no intention of being caught."
"Are you saying you're going to run away?"
"If I have to. Oh, and don't bother trying to stop me. I might be nice enough to someone who doesn't resist like you, but I'm not kind enough to stay still for someone who tries to catch me. It'll hurt quite a bit."
She would hold back, of course, but given the resentment she'd built up over her 'thesis,' she might put a bit too much strength into her hands.
"That's a relief. I have no intention of catching you."
"Really? Then tell me. What are you hoping for by calling me here? Money? Artifacts? Elixirs?"
Whatever he wanted, Chloe intended to give it to him.
‘I can just track him down later anyway.’
If she marked him with Fox Scent made by mixing in Chloe's pheromones, she would definitely be able to find him. Once she discovered his identity, the rest was simple. She would dig into his background, find a weakness, and establish a relationship of Mutually Assured Destruction.
‘...It would be nice if he just took some money and kept his mouth shut, but that probably won't happen.’
Judging by his clothes alone, the man didn't seem to be lacking money. Even if she had preparations in place, living under a new identity wasn't exactly pleasant. It meant living the rest of her life with a face, name, and age that weren't hers.
"I'm not looking for things like that."
"Then what? Do you want to borrow my skills?"
It had happened several times before. People trying to use Nine Tail's abilities to steal treasures. Naturally, Chloe had ignored every single one of them...
"No, I simply want to have a duel."
"A... duel? What kind of duel?"
"To see who is closer to being a true phantom thief. That's the duel I want."
"What are you even talking about? Sigh..."
At the man's absurd words, Chloe let out a deep sigh and said,
"Hey. Don't make me laugh."
Grab—!
Snatching the man's wrist in an instant, Chloe turned his palm upward and spoke.
"You're going to steal with hands like these? These are the hands of a knight, not a thief. Looking at your clothes and the way you walk, you seem like a young master trained in some high noble house. Stop wasting my time and tell me what you really want."
"I already told you. I want a duel."
"Do you think Nine Tail is a joke just because you found out my identity? In this world, under the condition of 'stealing,' there is no one superior to Nine Tail."
"We won't know that until we try. So, will you accept the challenge?"
"...."
At this point, she realized further talk was useless. Chloe took a step back and shrugged.
"Fine, okay. I'll do it. The target? As you know, I don't steal from innocent—"
"The Golden Rose."
At the man's words, Chloe frowned and spoke.
"...What? You're insane. Do you even know where that is?"
"Do you think I would have said it without knowing?"
"Hah, I'm sorry, but I'm a phantom thief. I'm someone who steals treasures, not someone who hurts people."
Even without him saying it, Chloe was the one who had drafted countless plans to rob the Red Rose Family. But no matter what plan she came up with, the Red Rose vault was something that couldn't be opened without hurting people.
"So, I don't rob the Red Rose Family."
"Are you afraid?"
At his provocative tone, Chloe gripped her staff again.
"Babble all you want. But I'm warning you..."
Swish—!
"If you plan on robbing the Red Rose Family even if it means hurting people, I will finish you off with my own hands right here and now. That's the kind of person I loathe the most."
"Don't worry about that. No one will get hurt."
"...."
Seeing his still-confident manner, Chloe simply couldn't understand.
‘What is he planning to do?’
Seeing how overflowing with confidence he was, it seemed like he had some hidden card... but even so, robbing the Red Rose vault without anyone getting hurt was impossible unless his true identity was a 'Dragon' out of myth.
"So, you're saying you can bring the Red Rose's 'Golden Rose' without hurting anyone, just as I said?"
"Yes."
"Hah, fine. If you're going that far. Then, what are the stakes? If I win, I want eternal silence regarding my identity and the method you used to find it out."
"Understood. Then if I win... I will take your most valuable thing and your least valuable thing."
Chloe grimaced at the man's words. She could understand the most valuable thing, but what was the least valuable thing?
"Most valuable thing? Are you talking about the Blue Tulip's Platinum Seal? No, more importantly, what do you mean by the least valuable thing?"
"I'll let you know after the duel is over. It won't take long. While it might be impossible for Nine Tail to rob the Red Rose vault, it's something I can do quite easily."
Twitch—
At the man's slightly mocking smirk, a vein popped on Chloe's forehead.
‘Oh, aren't we just so~ great.’
It would be easier if she knew what he wanted... but he was an unpredictable opponent from start to finish.
"...Fine. Then, what should I call you?"
"Call me Phantom."
"Pfft... Phantom? Never heard of it."
"A famous phantom thief is second-rate. A first-rate phantom thief wouldn't even be known to exist. Now then, shall we make the bet?"
"Hah... if nothing else, your talent for making people angry is definitely first-rate. Fine. Let's bet."
"Then, please swear it."
"Yeah, yeah. I swear. I swear on my grandmother's honor. You can never steal the Golden Rose."
"Excellent."
The moment the man's hand moved toward his pocket, Chloe reacted and stepped back.
"...What are you trying to pull out all of a sudden?"
"...."
Click—
Instead of answering, the man opened a box to reveal the 'Golden Rose' resting inside...
"Hah..."
Chloe's gaze turned cold as she snapped at the man.
"Is this the best scheme you could come up with? Bringing a fake to try and trick me?"