Nina puffed out her chest proudly—a height Shea could never reach in her lifetime.

"I think Phantom Thief Lico often visits my home. When she saw me captured, her loyal and righteous heart made her help us. After that, I replaced all my lamps with gemstone ones—she can have them all if she wants."

*Heh~* Shea gave a meaningful smile. How could she possibly be someone so money-grubbing? Charity coins? Free money… why refuse?

Righteousness? Dignity? Could they fill her stomach?

Shea decided she’d pay Nina’s house a visit tonight—let her experience Lico’s *special care* firsthand.

"Speaking of which, Shea, don’t you think Lico’s so cool? Gliding through the night, fighting injustice, stealing from the rich to feed the poor."

Nina sought Shea’s agreement, but the catgirl remained unmoved. "Probably just a greedy thief. I’d never respect someone like that."

"Impossible! Absolutely not! If Lico were money-grubbing, she’d have ignored us. She drew the Tide Cultists away with her own body so we could escape!" Nina’s voice sharpened with indignation at the slander.

What Nina didn’t know was that the catgirl before her was a master of self-deprecation—lying about herself without batting an eye.

"You’re overthinking it. What if Lico just happened to pass by?"

"You’re so stubborn, Shea! Hmph. You won’t believe me anyway. Oh! Since you often work night shifts, why not try photographing Lico? If you catch a few shots, they might sell for a fortune!"

Nina offered a decent suggestion, adding, "You’d get to know Lico up close too."

"Who’d buy photos of a thief besides the guards?" Shea yawned, utterly uninterested.

*Wait—Abel, that white-hair fetishist, might buy them. Should I take selfies tonight and… sell them to him? Or extort him?*

"Who says no one’ll buy them? *I* will!"

*Slam!* Nina slammed half a month’s allowance onto the table—gold coins piled high, easily worth thousands.

*Tch… damn rich little brat.*

Lemonade flooded Shea’s heart, but she was tempted. Trading a single photo for thousands of gold coins? A no-brainer.

"Fine. Since you insist, I’ll look for her tonight." Shea accepted the deal. Time to revisit Nina’s house anyway.

*The leeks have grown tall… time for harvest.*

"Assuming you can even *catch* Lico, my foolish Shea-chan. You really think she’s that easy to photograph?" Nina’s mocking tone left Shea speechless.

*What’s so hard about a selfie? Wanna bet I sneak into your bedroom tonight and snap one?*

"Trust the skills of Vag City’s night-shift queen. I could photograph Lord Silver himself for you—let alone some petty phantom thief."

As they bickered, a student appeared at the door. "Shea! Nelly wants you in her office."

"Ah… I forgot." Shea slapped her forehead. Nelly had mentioned rearranging her classes earlier. Dodging Abel all morning had wiped it from her mind.

Better late than never. After bidding farewell to the noble heiress, Shea entered the office.

Nelly was buried under stacks of paperwork, her petite frame nearly swallowed by documents.

"Nelly, I’m here."

"Oh! Little Ya, feeling better?"

"Much better. Is it time for the new lessons?"

"Yes, but your mentor’s waiting in the woods behind campus. I’ll take you." Nelly set aside her work and led Shea toward the forest, preparing her en route.

"The mentor I arranged… is actually my partner. He looks scary, but he’s truly kind. Don’t be afraid."

*Looks scary… and Nelly said he’s a mercenary.*

Shea pictured a hulking brute—scarred face, sleeveless shirt, muscles bulging. After all, "loli with tough guy" tropes were popular back in her past life.

*How scary could he be?* Shea scoffed inwardly. *Just some musclehead?*

More curiously, how had Nelly fallen for this type?

"Nelly, how did you and your boyfriend get together?"

"Well… it’s a long story. Short version: I threw myself at him?"

"That’s *too* short!"

*Damn. Why didn’t my past life have white-haired loli throwing themselves at me?*

"But Nelly," Shea pressed, "since you made the first move, you should’ve checked his character. Don’t get scammed."

"Pfft! Never thought I’d get advice from little Ya. Don’t worry—I’ve known him ages. I know his heart inside out."

"Good, good."

If Nelly was certain, Shea wouldn’t pry into her private life.

"But little Ya, whether you have talent for swordsmanship depends on your mentor’s judgment. His name’s Soulshadow. Remember that."

"Mm."

*Soulshadow? Weird name. First name? Last name? Or just a codename?* Mercenaries often used aliases.

They soon reached the woods. Nelly called ahead, "Brother Hun! I brought the student. Please take good care of her. If she’s got potential, train her hard!"

Shea scanned the empty trees. *Is he invisible?*

"Soulshadow’s just ahead. You walk the rest alone, little Ya. I’ve got urgent work—bye!" Nelly added before leaving, "He only *looks* scary. He’s gentle at heart. No need to fear."

"Mm-hmm, go ahead, Nelly."

*Scary? How scary?* Shea thought dismissively. *Could he be scarier than Abel licking yogurt off my panties?*

Alone, she ventured deeper into the woods.

Her heartbeat quickened with every step.

A primal instinct screamed: *Run. Run without looking back.*

She’d barely walked fifty meters.

Between the leaves, firelight flickered. A shadow sat cross-legged there.

*Nelly’s mentor…*

Dread and unease thickened the air. Shea’s fur stood on end.

*Is this really a mentor… or a demon?!*