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I wish this happy life could last forever.

Before I fall asleep, I pray every day as if wishing upon a star.

But is a person’s greed truly never-ending?

Reality swiftly led me into a cruel fate, faster than I had anticipated.

“Hmm? Customer. This cash card has insufficient balance.”

“…!”

It was about a month after I met Greg.

Perhaps it was because I had led a life of indulgence, defeated by desire. The money I thought would last for two months quickly dwindled to nothing.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have foolishly eaten steak sandwiches for every meal!

Feeling dejected by the owner’s troubled voice, I had no choice but to put the chocolate-filled pastry I had picked up back in its place.

“Ahem… Customer? You’re a regular, so a chocolate pastry should be fine…”

“…!!”

There’s such an angel in the underworld!

Thanks to the owner’s warm goodwill, I was able to reunite with the chocolate-filled pastry I had momentarily parted with.

‘Looks delicious.’

The chocolate pastry was warm.

Despite being covered with cloth, I could still sense the rich aroma of butter.

If I tore this, the enticing chocolate would undoubtedly reveal itself, steaming and inviting.

Even imagining taking a bite sent a tingling sensation to the top of my head.

I carefully cradled the chocolate pastry, greeted the owner, and stepped out of the shop with a light and happy step.

‘Huh? The sign is a little tilted.’

As I walked outside with a buoyant heart, the weathered appearance of the shop suddenly caught my eye.

The sign was crooked, making it hard to read the name, and weeds were sprouting up disheveled here and there.

This would certainly scare off any potential customers.

Feeling disappointed, I checked to see if anyone was around, and then, effortlessly recalling the telekinetic powers I had grown accustomed to, I lightly summoned them.

Crreeeak…

The reason the sign was askew was because one side had rusted due to rain and wind.

So I pulled on the hidden metal part of the sign, balancing it to match both sides.

Then, lifting the sign as if pushing it from below, the heavy sign, easily weighing dozens of kilos, quickly returned to its original shape.

Next, I used my telekinesis to whirl the weeds out and tossed them into the sewer as I finished off the shop’s exterior renovation in just a few seconds.

‘Well, since I got a chocolate pastry for free, this should be just fine.’

After confirming that the upright sign was holding its ground firmly, I turned my back without any regrets and headed toward the dark alley.

Crunch.

The well-baked chocolate pastry broke gently between my teeth, and moist chocolate seeped out as if it was melting.

This shop really does make great bread.

The exquisite harmony of the bread and chocolate brought an involuntary smile to my face.

‘Now I need to start making some money. Now that I think about it, I’ve just been having fun lately.’

During the month that I had just entered the back alley, I had at least snatched from one person each day.

But now that I had some leisure, I had lost both the reason and the will to do so.

Yet now, I had both a clear reason and the desire to snatch money.

That meant it was time to resume my life of thievery against bad people.

Operation “Thievery Mk2” was about to commence.

This Thievery Mk2 differs in many ways from the Mk1 that I had just entered the underworld with.

First and foremost, the biggest change is that I no longer use telekinetic flicks to hit people on the forehead.

Initially, it was just a fixed idea that a flick should hit the forehead, but reflecting on it later, I realized that the forehead is far too conspicuous a place.

If all the victims I created bore dark bruises on their foreheads, it would be no different than confessing to the crime.

Thus, the telekinetic flick for Thievery Mk2 struck at the crown of the head.

With the right focus, my telekinesis could even strike beyond a helmet.

I aimed for places hidden by hair to confuse the victim.

Secondly, a new change was being completely hidden during the crime.

Currently, I was dressed like a ghost from Halloween, wrapped in a wide sheet larger than my height.

This was far better than revealing my face and body, but if I kept appearing in places of theft, it could become a hassle to walk around normally.

So I utilized my telekinesis to keep the sheet from swaying as I jumped off rooftops. I created a technique to subtly swirl the air around me, making my appearance hazy.

From a distance, I’d probably look like some blurry, white object darting around, disturbing a camera’s view.

Of course, it doesn’t consume much energy, but using my telekinesis non-stop required some focus.

However, the time it took to finish my thievery rarely exceeded three minutes.

A high-intensity heist rarely lasts longer than three minutes; it’s not so burdensome.

In fact, if I thought of it as reducing concerns for the future with this level of expenditure, it might be a pretty good deal?

Anyway, that was the gist of the patch notes for Thievery Mk2.

There were minor things like washing the sheet a bit with bottled water and telekinesis so it wouldn’t stink, or preparing with a cheap goblin mask from a souvenir shop just in case.

And I wore light sandals to avoid going barefoot.

They were trivial matters but not significantly important.

Nonetheless, my renewed Thievery had been sailing smoothly these past months.

The underworld of Night Haven was always teeming with troublemakers.

And even if I shook down their pockets, no one really objected.

At this pace, I felt I could ride it out until the main story wrapped up without getting tangled up in the big events I wanted to avoid.

‘Once I’ve cleared out the criminal organizations, I’ll start a new life. A plush bed, warm blankets, three meals of steak sandwiches!’

Whack!

“Gwaak!”

“Hiyaak!”

A telekinetic flick struck the head of a thug attempting to assault a woman in the alley.

Whether he was a chameleon beast-man or not, his long tongue hanging down to his chest was quite disgusting.

I kicked the man, who fell forward, flipping him over, and quickly rummaged through his belongings to find his wallet.

Well, the contents were just okay.

Enough money for two meals today, perhaps.

‘Steak sandwiches might be pushing it. I guess I’ll have to settle for the chocolate pastry today.’

Still, despite being overshadowed by steak sandwiches, the chocolate pastry wasn’t that bad.

Feeling moderately satisfied with today’s haul, I tossed the wallet aside.

I was put off by its sticky texture, whatever it was made of.

Alright, time to go.

As I stuffed the cash into my pocket and prepared to leave without a second thought, I suddenly heard a delicate female voice from behind.

Turning quickly, I saw the woman who had just been at risk of being assaulted.

“Oh! Um…! Thank you!”

“…?”

I guess my figure was too concealed for her to see well?

Taken aback by her sudden gratitude, I tilted my head in confusion.

Ah, I see.

From her perspective, she might have thought I was her savior.

I didn’t intend for it to be that way, but if that’s what she wants to think, let her believe it.

Without replying, I slipped out of the alley.

And just as I was no longer visible, I leaped up to the rooftop using my telekinesis.

‘Let’s go grab some food.’

Well… perhaps it was the nice words from the pretty lady, but I didn’t feel bad at all.

Maybe I should look for some more bad guys tomorrow?

Before I realized it, I found myself humming a little tune.

…Hmm, I hope no one heard that?

*

Recently, there has been a strange rumor circulating in the underworld of Night Haven.

It was about how, for some unknown reason, people would suddenly lose consciousness in the back alleys.

And all their belongings would be looted.

Some claimed it was due to illegal drugs.

However, about half of the victims hadn’t consumed anything suspicious at all.

Others said it was the work of artifacts imbued with fainting magic.

Yet none of those claiming to be victims remembered hearing any chants.

Some suggested it was the doing of shadow assassins created by corporations.

Though they couldn’t explain why such a formidable being would only faint victims and steal their belongings.

Then suddenly, someone noticed a common trait among those claiming to be victims.

They were all in the act of stealing from others or committing sexual crimes just before they fainted.

In an instant, the mood shifted dramatically.

Even if the underworld operates under a might-makes-right philosophy,

those who fatten their pockets by tormenting the weak are nothing more than third-rate scum.

Especially when it was revealed that those who recklessly assaulted protected individuals ended up losing a wrist or an ankle as a warning, they got the beating they deserved.

Thus, the incident cooled down as it was clear that the culprits got what they had coming.

As such, the residents of the underworld began to focus less on the seriousness of the incidents caused by the culprit, and more on the mystery of how no one had uncovered the identity of this unseen assailant in the past month.

Neither drugs, nor artifacts, nor assassins, but something entirely different.

Was it not reminiscent of a ghost that doesn’t exist in this world?

So the residents, failing to grasp even a hint of the culprit’s movements, named it the “Ghost.”

And they were purely curious about what sort of creature it might be.

“Oh? A ghost, huh? Hey, could you tell me more about that story?”
“U-um? Who are you?”
“My name is Victor. Just a humble fixer, but that story you just shared seemed quite interesting. If you could elaborate, I’d be sure to reward you properly.”

Clearly demarcated were the front and back worlds of Night Haven.

Victor, the bounty hunter operating in between them,

Once renowned for taking down flying battleships, a magical killer.

He sparkled with curiosity, innocent as a boy, intrigued by this new prey.