After passing through two alleys and catching his breath, Derek looked the child in front of him up and down. Strange clothes, strange power, and above all—a gaze completely free of fear.
*This kid's a jackpot.*
Derek's mind raced. A kid who could step on air? With a trick like that, climbing over walls would be a piece of cake, and she could also be useful for drawing people's attention.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"So."
"So, you hungry? I'll buy you something tasty. In exchange, could you help me out?"
So's eyes sparkled. "Really? What do I have to do?"
Derek flashed a grin. This was almost too easy.
The plan was simple. So would leap onto the merchant guild's roof and open the warehouse door from the inside. Derek would go in, grab the goods, and come back out. All So had to do was open the door.
"I really only have to do this?" So asked.
"Yeah. That's it."
So excitedly sprang lightly onto the roof. Then she stood in front of the warehouse door and, honestly—very honestly—knocked.
"Excuse me! Could you open the door, please?"
Three merchant guild guards came bursting out.
Derek went white as he watched from below in the alley. "Hey, hey! That's not how you open it—"
"I asked them to open it. Why would I open it secretly? That's wrong." So looked genuinely baffled.
The guards began shouting and charging toward them. In the end, Derek was the one who ran—not only failing to carry out the theft he'd planned, but dragging So along with him.
After finally shaking them off, Derek collapsed against a wall, panting. "You... What kind of kid are you, seriously?"
So tilted her head, still looking completely confused. "Were you trying to do something bad, big brother?"
Derek couldn't say a word. For the first time in his life, he felt morally crushed by the very person he'd been planning to exploit.