Teacher Xia Lai is also teaching in Kivotos today

"…because people can't appreciate their value unless they steal them."

Lin En murmured this and then chuckled after noticing Mika's confused look.

"Look, compared to stealing a hundred dazzling gems..."

As Lin En said this, he first stretched out his hand and waved his cloak, then slowly spread out his palm towards Weihua.

Just like a magic show, a few macarons appeared in his empty palms.

"Which do you think is tastier, these or a few macarons?"

"Mika-san?"

Chapter 41: Lynn stole something important

When Weihua took the macaron from his hand in a daze, Lin En couldn't help but chuckled as he remembered something.

He always felt that at this time, he seemed to have some kind of indissoluble bond with this kind of dessert.

When he was still with Arius's team, he once met a girl like Mika who was staying in a sparsely populated path with confusion in her eyes.

At that time, he also handed the other person macarons.

It is obvious that no matter this time or the last time, it was just something I picked up or bought casually.

After collecting his thoughts, Lin En said with a smile as he looked at Weihua who was stunned after taking a bite of the macaron.

"You know, most of the time, people don't know the value of what they have. Of course, it's impossible for anyone to know the exact answer. Even the idea of ​​'what you get' itself, I'm afraid most people won't think too much about it."

Having said that, Lin En adjusted his bowler hat and looked with a smile at Weihua who was staring at him in a trance.

"That's why I stole them."

Lin En knew very well that if he had not changed from being Gehenna's teacher to being Xia Lai's teacher, and had not accepted the commission of the tea party in this capacity, then Nagisa's "purpose" of establishing a cram school would not have been achieved.

And if there was no cram school, perhaps there would be no commission from Nagisa, and there would be no words that Mika said to herself by the swimming pool.

Although fate may eventually lead to something happening between Nagisa and Mika, it will never happen so "quickly".

In other words, Lynn, who came here to disrupt the situation, "stole" the trust between the two of them in advance.

——Although this was not his intention.

But to be honest, I, as a phantom thief, have stolen a lot of real things, such as money, information, and equipment with strange programs. Strictly speaking, I have even stolen people (although they were bionic people)...

But Lynn never regretted her actions.

To some extent, this is why he chose "Phantom Thief" among many disguises.

Of course, it's also because he really thinks being a thief is very cool.

After listening to Lin En's narration, Weihua, who had swallowed those macarons without knowing when, wiped her face with her arm and looked at him with a smile.

"I see... maybe that's why the teacher became a Phantom Thief?"

"?!"

Looking at Lin En who was stunned by her words, Weihua couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

"After all, I'm the only one in Kivotos who can make the almond powder flavor in these macarons."

After noticing the doubt in Lin En's eyes, Weihua nodded in understanding.

"After all, whether it's Nagisa or Seiya, when they want to eat this kind of snacks, they either buy them directly from outside or make them themselves with a machine. As for me... of course I have made snacks myself! But the snacks I make always have various problems, just like the macaron you just handed me, the inside is actually hollow..."

As if feeling a little embarrassed, Weihua lowered her head slightly under Lin En's speechless gaze.

"…That's because you haven't whipped the egg whites enough, so the meringue isn't stiff enough and the bubbles are too big, so it's hollow after baking…"

After listening to Lin En's helpless suggestion after he turned off the voice changer, Weihua raised her head and said with a little dissatisfaction.

"Why is the teacher saying the same thing as Nagisa and Seiya? Besides, it's so boring to beat egg whites! You can't use too much force and it takes a long time to beat. And they said that the taste will be different if you use an egg beater, so they won't let me use it..."

"If that's the case, let me help you next time."

Hearing this, Weihua blinked slightly, but did not ask back like the heroine in a sad TV series.

At this time, the moonlight and light alternately shone on her face through the gaps in the leaves, revealing a gentle smile.

The two of them remained silent for a while.

"Because you suddenly ran away, Mika, Nagisa is now... very surprised and confused."

Hearing Lin En's words, Weihua raised her hand and gently wiped the corners of her eyes.

"There's nothing we can do about it, right? After all, I was the one who planned the attack on Saint-Ah-chan... Even if I say now that it wasn't me who did it... I'm afraid it's too late."

As she said this slowly, tears once again flowed from Weihua's eyes.

"Next, I will probably be taken back by the teacher and handed over to Nagisa-chan, right? Although I may be able to escape from the teacher right now, if the teacher really gets serious... I understand after reading the teacher's information, right? I will probably be knocked down and taken back by those kids from various schools soon, right? Besides... I don't want to be an enemy of the teacher..."

Having said this, Weihua leaned against the tree trunk behind her, somewhat shakily, and supported her arms.

"And even if I escape... I don't know where I can escape to... It's like the situation is irreversible..."

"..."

After listening to Weihua's words quietly, Lin En gently stretched out his hands and placed them on her shoulders.

"Mika, you and Nagisa are good friends, right?"

"...Once...right? Now...I don't know..."

"So...what about Shengya?"

"As for Shengya-chan... we are companions... no, we are also friends... right?"

Having said that, Weihua seemed to have finally remembered something and looked up at Lin En.

"So... Shengya-chan is not dead... is that true?"

Lin En looked at the girl in front of him, whose eyes were filled with hope, and nodded slightly.

"Well, not dead."

"Very good……"

After receiving the answer she had been waiting for from Lin En, Weihua suddenly collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had been drained away.

"That's great... Although I don't really believe it. But... since the teacher said so, I am willing to believe him... even if it is a lie to comfort me and deceive me..."

Seeing this, Lin En squatted down and held the girl's shoulders again, trying to make her look up at him.

"So... let's go find Shengya together, Mika. You definitely don't really want to attack Shengya, right? After all, Mika, you... no, everyone in Kivotos, are not such bad kids."

Hearing Lin En's decisive words, Weihua raised her head and smiled weakly.

"Ahahaha...but teacher, I'm a bad kid, a bad student. Even among students, there are good and bad ones, right?"

"Even if Mika is really a bad kid, I am still Mika's teacher. In this world, is there any teacher who would easily give up on a student just because she is a bad kid?"

As Lin En said this, he looked directly into Weihua's eyes with great seriousness.

"So what happened in the first place, Mika? Why did you attack Shengya? Why did you... do that?"

"Because I am a bad boy..."

"That's not the case, is it?!"

Under Weihua's slightly surprised gaze, Lin En suddenly raised his voice.

"Perhaps attacking classmates or deceiving friends are things that only bad people would do. But, teacher, I have also done a lot of bad things, right? I have stolen things from the black market while wearing this outfit. I have also stolen important information, and even other things that you can't imagine... Am I also a bad person?"

Seeing that Mika was becoming increasingly surprised by these words, Lin En continued.

"But! I always believe that no matter what happens, there is a cause! Because I am everyone's teacher, and also Mika's teacher! So! I will help everyone, and I will also help Mika! Because I am your teacher!"

"Teacher Lin En..."

It seemed that she had never expected Lin En to look like this, and Weihua couldn't help but be stunned.

"So...Mika...why are you doing these things..."

Facing Lin En's slightly sad gaze, Weihua couldn't help but turn her head away.

"But... Teacher... I am a bad boy... I am not worthy of you..."

"Oh, yes, you are a bad boy."

Facing Weihua's slightly red and swollen eyes filled with surprise, Lin En interrupted her without hesitation.

"But even if she is a bad kid, she is still Mika, my one and only student! There are indeed many good kids and bad kids in Kivotos. But among so many kids, there is only one kid named Mika! So, even if Mika thinks she is a bad kid, to me, whether she is a good kid or a bad kid, it is actually not that important. Mika is Mika, the one and only Mika."

"…Is this…also a polite remark from an adult?"

Hearing the words that Weihua had once said to him by the swimming pool, Lin En did not say anything else, but shook his head gently.

Seeing that Weihua's emotions seemed to have finally stabilized a little, Lin En sighed lightly, then stretched out his hand to adjust the top hat on his head.

However, at this moment, Weihua suddenly grabbed his hand.

"No need, teacher... this is fine..."

Although he was somewhat puzzled by the girl's behavior, Lynn nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Weihua smiled and let go of her hand.

"After all... it looks really cool when the teacher turns into a Phantom Thief."

Hearing Weihua say this, Lin En was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry: So she thought she was going to take off these disguises.

"Really... If it was Mr. Lin who said this to me, I might not know what to do next. But if it was Mr. Kaito... maybe..."

Although Lin En was very curious about what Weihua wanted to say in the second half of the sentence, he did not continue to ask.

But what he didn't expect was that Weihua suddenly looked at Lin En and said to him with a smile.

"But... I really hope that one day I can become a Phantom Thief like my teacher..."

"...I don't recommend students to do such dangerous...such bad things, okay?"

Lin En couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly after answering this.

What I just said...could it be that it left some bad impression on Weihua?

"It's too late, teacher."

Having said this, Weihua stood up from the ground and gently brushed off the fallen leaves that were hanging on her clothes.

Then, she looked at Lin En, who also stood up, with an extremely serious look and a smile on her face.

"I will definitely become a Phantom Thief in the future and steal the teacher's things. Just like the teacher stole my things today."

…stole things that were not spent?

Lynn couldn't help but be stunned when she heard the girl's declaration.

Could it be that Mika was talking about those macarons? Although they were indeed made by Mika herself, but...

That shouldn't be the case, right?

Just when Lin En was feeling confused, Weihua returned to her usual self and spoke to Lin En with a chuckle.

"Nothing~ Haha, since the teacher wants to know, then I will tell the teacher, but..."

But this time, Lin En, who understood the hidden meaning of Weihua's words, nodded and said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, I know a good dessert shop?"

"……Um."

However, when Lin En and Weihua reached a consensus and left, neither of them noticed that a white figure slowly emerged from behind the big tree not far from them.

"I see... Is this your aesthetic as a Phantom Thief, Joker... or should I say, Xia Lai's teacher?"

Under the bright moonlight, the girl who called herself the "Merciful Thief" who had once met Lin En at the black market in Abydos murmured.

"I was originally just curious about why you suddenly appeared in Holy Trinity after not seeing you for a long time and hardly getting any information on the black market, so I followed you. I didn't expect that I would be able to peek into such a secret... If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'm afraid no one would have connected you with that fragile-looking teacher Xia Lai, right?"

Judging from what the girl said, she was not interested at all in the tea party or Shengya that Weihua and Lin En had just mentioned, which were things that could cause a stir in the academy.

Compared to these things, she seemed to care more about Lin En - or the person named Joker.