Phantom Thief's Retribution
The man struggled to keep his composure. Sure, Phantom Thief Raven was standing right in front of him, but so what? The guy was just a petty thief. No need to get scared of someone who could only steal trinkets.
"Th-there's no money like yours here!"
"Hmm. Is that so? Then what's all this?"
Thud. A thick bundle of cash dropped beside him. It looked like he'd already emptied the safe.
Raven smiled leisurely, his grin wide and relaxed. But the gaze he fixed on the man was chillingly cold.
"Hey. Do you know why I came here without my usual calling card?"
"Like I give a damn!?"
This wasn't right. No need to go one-on-one with a criminal. The man spun around to flee the vault and call for backup.
Whoosh!
"Aaaagh!"
But a flying rope cut his escape short. It wrapped around him completely, binding him so tight he couldn't even twitch a finger.
"Where do you think you're going? You need to hear the rest of what I have to say."
"Urgh... you psycho bastard!"
"Where was I? Right, the calling card. Anyway, the point is, today is different. I'm not here to steal—I'm here to take back what's mine."
Collapsed on the floor, the man looked up at the phantom thief in abject terror. What if this guy just killed him right here? Primal fear of death washed over him.
"I just peeked inside that back room, and wow—it was impressive. Gold bars stacked so high it hurt my eyes. I could take it all if I wanted, but like I said, today's goal is getting my money back."
"Then take your damn money and go!"
"Whoa, calm down. I was going to, but I had a question for you, so I waited."
Thud! Raven slammed his cane into the floor and asked in a low voice.
"Is this all of my money?"
"...Of course. It was all in the vault."
"One more time. Is this really everything?"
The man was on the verge of losing his mind. Pushed to the brink, he'd even given up hoping for rescue. His attitude had turned pathetically meek.
"Please... please spare me..."
"Who's killing you? Quit babbling and answer the question. Is this all my money?"
"...Yes. It's every bit of what that old man gave. I tried to squeeze more out of him, but he said there wasn't any."
Honesty should end this, right? He'd let him go now?
"You didn't collect money from anywhere besides the orphanage?"
"No. I don't even know where else he donated. That's it, right? You'll let me go now?"
"Of course. I'd have to, naturally. But you'll still pay for stealing my money."
"...Huh? What do you—"
Phantom Thief Raven smiled meaningfully. The man's eyes trembled violently at the sight.
"N-no, don't..."
"Congratulations in advance. By tomorrow, you'll be famous."
The moment I stepped into the classroom, it buzzed with chatter. I'd expected it, but the topic had blown up even more than I'd imagined.
[Don't you think that was a bit much?]
'Not at all. I had to make an example of what happens when you steal my money.'
People were taking Phantom Thief Raven way too lightly. I didn't want to be branded a vicious criminal to inspire fear, but I had no intention of being some pushover anyone could mess with either.
Yulia spotted me and rushed over. "Kro! Did you see the newspaper today?"
"Huh? Why?"
I'd seen it, of course, but I played dumb. She unfolded the paper right in front of me.
A pretty sensational headline. But it was quickly overshadowed by the overwhelming impact of the accompanying photo.
Maybe it was because this was pre-modern Europe, where human rights weren't a thing yet. The picture showed the official's pathetic state in vivid detail—no mosaic or anything. Hanging upside down from the ceiling by a rope in the vault, stark naked. For modesty's sake, I'd covered his privates with one of my phantom thief cards. The message on it read:
"Anyone who steals my money will end up like this."
— Phantom Thief Raven
A concise and definitive warning. Clean and to the point, even on second glance.
Yulia's expression as she showed me the paper was a complicated mix. "What do you... think?"
"Hmm. Well... impressive."
"He definitely doesn't seem like an ordinary person."
For Yulia, who'd been somewhat favorable toward Raven, this reaction wasn't great. But who could look at that and think positively?
Rachel, sitting in the back, snickered. "That guy's a total psycho. Fucking hilarious."
"......"
Who knew it'd appeal to her tastes. It soured my mood for no reason.
As Yulia folded the paper, she ventured cautiously, "But I read the article, and that official wasn't a good guy either."
"Hey, you think a phantom thief gives a crap about that? He probably just got pissed that someone stole his money."
"...Is that really it?"
Come on, don't cave so easily. Defend him a little harder.
"So, are you adding this to the presentation materials?"
"Hmm... Probably have to, right?"
Everyone's eyes naturally turned to Sharon. She was in charge of deciding the content.
"Yeah. Let's include it."
"Ugh, what a pain."
"Speaking of, the presentation's in just a couple days."
Only two days left. Adding today's events would make further changes tough.
What impact would including the tax office retribution have? Public opinion was negative for now. But disappointment in the government was surging too. How could anyone not be shocked that a single phantom thief infiltrated a national agency and humiliated an official like that?
So, opinions were polarizing. Critics of the current regime often ended up defending me. Somehow, I'd become a symbol of anti-government sentiment.
'Is this okay...?'
[Isn't this the path you chose?]
'I didn't aim for overthrowing the state.'
Either way, my job was simple: steal beautiful gems as a phantom thief. Everything else was just process and means to that end.
Then, uncharacteristically, Sharon spoke up first. "Is the church okay?"
"Huh? What?"
"Yesterday's paper. The money Raven stole that the tax office took was seized from the orphanage."
"Oh... You don't mean—!"
Hearing Sharon, Yulia jolted in alarm, her face anxious.
"They're saying they won't recognize donations from a thief's ill-gotten gains."
"Isn't that obvious? It's not even his money—it's stolen."
Rachel replied indifferently to Sharon. She wasn't wrong, per se.
But Yulia pouted slightly and objected. "Still, she clearly used it for good intentions. Does the state have the right to take it away?"
"Who knows? If the government's doing it, what can you do?"
"That doesn't feel right."
I was pretty surprised inside. Unlike last time, Yulia was firmly asserting her opinion—it was unexpected.
"What're you all discussing so seriously?"
Then a new player crashed the debate: Layered, the boy whose face made me uneasy up close.
Our eyes met briefly. An awkward stare-down ensued before he looked away first.
"Oh, Layered! Morning."
"Yeah. Good morning."
Yulia and Layered were pretty close. In the original story, they'd developed that ambiguous friends-but-maybe-more vibe. Standing side by side chatting, they were the picture of a perfect couple.
[Jealous?]
'Not really.'
I didn't have romantic feelings for her anyway, so why bother? Plus, as a fan of the original comic, I'd rooted for them—no jealousy here.
"So, what were you talking about?"
"Oh, did you see today's paper by any chance?"
"Yeah. Phantom Thief Raven, right?"
At Layered's response, Yulia's eyes sparkled as she unleashed a torrent of words.
"Exactly! We got a group project last time, remember? We picked Phantom Thief Raven as our presentation topic."
"Really? That's a sensitive subject—not easy."
"That's why we're planning to stick to objective facts so the audience can judge for themselves."
Layered responded coolly to her rapid-fire explanation. "What's to judge? He's just a bad criminal."
Frozen. Yulia's excited momentum halted dead. Her sparkling eyes dulled as she stared quietly at him.
"No. That's not true."
[Ho. Now this is an intriguing development.]