Haruto sighed as he walked through the bustling gates of Goldcrest City, his newest headache trailing right behind him.

After somehow—somehow—defeating Emberis, the Dragon Emperor, he thought things couldn't get worse.

He was wrong.

Because now, Emberis had joined his problem list.

[check] The Demon Lord Lilia, who kept proposing.

[check] The Princess Emilia, who wanted him as her royal knight.

[check] The Dragon Emperor Emberis, who now called him 'mate.'

And now, after walking for hours to get back to civilization, he was finally back in town—mentally, emotionally, and financially exhausted.

Which was when he got robbed.

"Alright," Haruto muttered. "First thing I'm gonna do when we get to the guild—"

A soft bump.

Haruto barely registered the feeling of someone brushing past him. It was smooth. Casual. Too subtle for an ordinary person to notice.

But Haruto?

He definitely noticed.

His hand immediately went to his pocket.

Empty.

"...Wait."

He froze.

Checked again.

His wallet was gone.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Haruto yelled, causing half the city to turn and stare.

The others blinked.

"Wait," Lilia said, tilting her head. "Did… someone just rob you?"

Emberis frowned. "How is that possible? You're the strongest being I've ever seen."

Haruto checked every pocket again.

Still gone.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Haruto yelled. "BUT SOMEONE DID!"

The entire street fell silent as everyone processed what just happened.

The man who could punch away flames.

The man who erased goblins from existence.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The man who one-shot the Dragon Emperor.

Just got pickpocketed.

Lilia clutched her stomach, bursting into laughter. "Pfft—hahahaha! Oh, this is priceless!"

The Princess looked embarrassed. "H-Haruto, are you sure you didn't just… misplace it?"

"OF COURSE I DIDN'T MISPLACE IT!" Haruto snapped. "Someone literally swiped it while I was walking!"

Emberis crossed her arms. "Impressive. This thief must be highly skilled to steal from you of all people."

"NOT A COMPLIMENT!"

Claire, who had been waiting for them at the guild entrance, sighed and rubbed her temples. "You are so much work."

Introducing… the Problematic Cat-Girl Thief

A voice called from the rooftops.

"You snooze, you lose, big guy!"

Everyone's heads snapped up to see a small, agile figure perched on a wooden beam above the street.

A cat-girl thief.

She had short silver hair, golden eyes, and sharp little fangs peeking out from her mischievous grin. A black scarf covered her mouth, and her brown leather thief's outfit blended into the shadows.

And in her hand?

Haruto's wallet.

Haruto's eye twitched. "...You."

The cat-girl winked. "Me~!"

Lilia grinned. "Oh, I like her already."

The Princess clutched her head. "Not another one..."

Emberis stared in awe. "She moves with the grace of a seasoned predator… Fascinating."

Haruto, completely done, pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why is this happening?"

The cat-girl tossed his wallet in the air and caught it again. "Sorry, big guy. You were just walking around, making it too easy. Can't blame a girl for earning a living!"

"That's MY living!" Haruto snapped.

The thief grinned. "Finders keepers~"

Haruto took a deep breath. "Alright. Fine. Hand it over, and I won't vaporize you."

She pretended to think. "Mmm… Nah."

Lilia laughed. "She's got guts! I really like her!"

The Princess looked horrified. "Please don't encourage her!"

Haruto sighed. "Alright. Guess we're doing this the hard way."

Haruto vs. The Cat-Girl (Which Isn't Even a Fight)

The cat-girl leaped into action, flipping through the air with inhuman agility.

She dashed across the rooftops, vanishing into the labyrinth of buildings like a shadow.

Any normal adventurer? Completely lost.

Haruto?

He just walked forward.

"Yeah, no," he muttered, vanishing from sight.

A half-second later, he reappeared right in front of the cat-girl, blocking her path.

She skidded to a stop, eyes wide. "Wha—?!"

Haruto snatched his wallet back.

"Mine."

The cat-girl froze, completely caught off guard. "Wait. WHAT?! How did you—?!"

Haruto gave her a blank stare. "Did you forget I'm broken?"

She blinked. Looked at her now-empty hands. Then back at him.

Then she burst out laughing.

"Pfft—Hahaha! You're fun, big guy!"

Haruto rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. Another weirdo."

Somehow, She Joins the Group Anyway

Instead of running, the cat-girl stuck around.

Which was concerning.

"Alright, I got my wallet back," Haruto muttered. "Now shoo."

The cat-girl grinned wider. "Nah."

Haruto frowned. "What do you mean, nah?"

"I like you."

Haruto felt dread creeping in.

"...Define 'like'."

The thief winked. "You're strong, you're fast, and you're loaded."

"I'M BROKE!"

She shrugged. "Eh, you're strong. That's close enough to being rich."

Lilia nodded approvingly. "Good logic."

The Princess looked mortified. "Horrible logic!"

Emberis studied the cat-girl. "Hmm… You're quite an interesting creature. Agile, cunning, and fearless. I approve."

Haruto's soul left his body.

"Wait. No. No approvals."

The cat-girl stretched her arms lazily. "Welp, looks like I'm joining the gang. You got room for one more?"

"No," Haruto said instantly.

Lilia smirked. "Yes."

The Princess sighed. "Unfortunately, yes…"

Haruto threw up his hands. "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!"

The cat-girl grinned, tail swishing playfully. "Name's Fel by the way. Pleasure doing business, boss~"

Haruto's eye twitched. "I'm not your boss."

Fel leaned in closer, fangs glinting. "We'll see about that~"

Haruto groaned.

Another day.

Another weirdo.

Another headache.