Chapter 257: Chapter 113: Aoto Wants to Be a Phantom Thief with Cat Monk

"And that younger sister angrily accused her brother of watching too many yellow-covered ninja-themed books, having idle daydreams here."

[Note - Yellow-covered books: A type of popular erotic literary publication with embroidered yellow covers in the Edo Era, featuring themes that remain relevant even today]

"The sibling’s argument was so loud that it attracted many people around, who began to join in the debate."

"By the time I finished my tea, more than half of the tea house was arguing about whether the Cat Monk was a female ninja."

"I was dumbfounded at the time."

"Is it necessary to argue so vehemently over something like this? Does it matter that much if the Cat Monk is male or female, or if they are a ninja?"

At this, a faint, almost imperceptible strange smile appeared on Aoto’s face.

He said to himself:

-- I don’t know if the Cat Monk is a ninja, but I now know she is a woman...

The scenes of copying the "Milk" talent from the Cat Monk who attacked the North Guard Station were still vivid in Aoto’s mind.

Aoto didn’t report to the authorities that "he discovered the Cat Monk is a woman" — he couldn’t possibly report this.

There was no way he could directly tell those above: he discovered the Cat Monk has abundant and nutritious milk talent...

Whether the Cat Monk is male or female isn’t particularly important, even if Aoto managed to report the true gender of the Cat Monk, it wouldn’t benefit him personally.

Moreover — Aoto quite liked this Cat Monk.

After weighing the pros and cons, Aoto ultimately decided to keep the information that "the Cat Monk is female" to himself.

"Besides — how did the rumor that ’the Cat Monk is a voluptuous female ninja’ even start?"

Mukiwa’s voice rang out again.

She pursed her lips and continued:

"As far as I know, hasn’t that Cat Monk always kept their face hidden? The authorities haven’t even determined if the Cat Monk is male or female, yet so many people firmly believe the Cat Monk must be a woman and a female ninja..."

After casting a few glances at Mukiwa’s puzzled expression, Aoto chuckled softly.

"People always believe what they want to believe."

"’The Cat Monk is a short male,’ ’The Cat Monk is an unremarkable woman’... Compared to such rumors, it’s obviously ’The Cat Monk is a voluptuous female ninja’ that grabs more attention and is more likable."

"After all... Many people just have a taste for this kind of thing."

"Naturally, the rumor spread quickly and widely."

With that, Aoto raised his teacup and took another sip.

"The fame of this Cat Monk is really getting bigger... The sibling’s argument could even engage half of the tea house in their debate."

"Yes, that Cat Monk is indeed becoming more famous." Mukiwa nodded slightly, "Lately, wherever there are many people, you can always hear discussions about this phantom thief."

Just then, Mukiwa’s voice paused for a moment.

"...As the fame continues to grow, various strange comments about the Cat Monk are also increasing."

Mukiwa’s hand, which was gently stroking Dodo’s belly, slowed down a bit.

"Some people say the Cat Monk, who only steals from evil people, is a respectable knight thief."

"But many others say this Cat Monk is just a thief. Regardless of whose treasures are stolen, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a thief. The Cat Monk’s behavior of punishing people based purely on personal likes and dislikes is unacceptable."

Mukiwa’s hand stopped stroking the cat.

"...Mr. Tachibana." Mukiwa winked at Aoto, "What do you think of the Cat Monk?"

"Me?" Aoto finished off his now quite cool tea in one go, "I quite like that Cat Monk."

"Mr. Tachibana, you really like that Cat Monk?" Mukiwa blinked again, showing a hint of surprise.

"I’m interested in these knight thieves, phantom thieves who only target evil people," Aoto turned his head to smile at Mukiwa calmly, "If given the opportunity... I would quite like to try being a principled phantom thief like the Cat Monk."

The profession of phantom thief can be considered Aoto’s sentiment.

In his past life, Aoto was an exemplary student of character and learning, but privately, he was also a boy who loved playing games.

His favorite game was the masterpiece hailed as "the best Japanese role-playing game in the world": Persona 5

Aoto was just entering his second year of middle school when he first encountered this masterpiece.

The basic setting of the game, "High schooler by day, phantom thief stealing hearts from corrupt adults by night," and its super cool music, made the young Aoto declare it astonishingly brilliant, exclaiming, "The game designer is a freaking genius!"

Since then, the profession of "phantom thief" became Aoto’s sentiment.

This sentiment made Aoto see the Cat Monk through a friendly lens.

"I’m just a common person, not a paragon of virtue."

At this point, Aoto continued.

"All that ’knight thieves, phantom thieves are just thieves,’ ’you can’t let personal likes and dislikes override the law’... I understand all these grand principles, but I don’t want to care."

"I only know that the actions like those of the Cat Monk, who targets only evil people, make me feel thrilled and exhilarated, so I have a favorable impression of the Cat Monk—it’s just that simple."