Russell's movements paused slightly as he raised his eyes to look at Mary in the doorway.
She was holding a stack of books in her arms, looking as if she had just come from the library, or perhaps prepared to browse through them during class.
Sunlight poured in from behind her, outlining her graceful figure and making those azure eyes appear exceptionally clear.
"Mr. Watson, class is about to start, you know?"
Seeing no reaction from Russell, she spoke again, her tone soft.
"Sorry, I thought everyone had arrived."
Russell opened the door to let Mary in, then closed it once more.
Mary smiled faintly and walked in with light footsteps.
Just like yesterday, she sat down in the seat next to Russell, then placed the stack of books from her arms onto the desk.
Only after doing all this did she turn her head to look at Russell.
"Seeing as I hadn't arrived yet, why did Mr. Watson feel that everyone was present?"
"I thought you were sitting in the front row," Russell said.
"But I sat in this seat yesterday too, didn't I?"
"There's no rule in the classroom that says one must sit in a specific spot," Russell retorted faintly.
"But habits are always hard to change, aren't they?" Mary smiled faintly.
Russell did not reply, and so the victory of this round of exchange was claimed by Mary.
The interaction between the two naturally did not escape the notice of others in the classroom, but Mary seemed not to care about such things.
Russell was even less likely to care.
In just this short while, he had picked up another forty Malice Points for free.
If he didn't care about his dignity, he would have wished he could stand right up and shout, "All eyes on me!"
On the podium, as the college's senior professor stepped into the classroom to begin the lecture, the originally somewhat noisy atmosphere quieted down.
Russell leaned against the wall, propping his cheek with one hand, his gaze fixed on the podium, though his focus was not actually there.
He was looking at his own panel.
[Name: Russell Watson]
[Reputation: Slightly Famous (Malice Points acquisition increased by 10%)]
[Class: Phantom Thief]
[Skills: Stealth (C++), Climbing (C), Sleight of Hand (C+), Investigation (C+), Listening (C), Fighting (C)]
[Hint: Currently have upgradable attributes]
[Malice Points Balance: 650 (+270)]
[Recent Action Rewards: Your interaction with Mary Morstan has attracted much jealousy in the school, and many nobles hate you to the point of gnashing their teeth—Malice Points +270]
He now had 650 Malice Points.
The wallet that had shriveled due to adding points and leveling up was slowly filling up again.
System, our family is rich.
Since there was money, it was time to spend a little.
Russell's will moved slightly, and the panel before him quickly began to change, turning into a blank sheet of draft paper.
[Map Customization—Please select the target you wish to customize]
Hmm... let's go with Timmy Roy then.
Russell answered in his heart.
He was just worrying about which unlucky bastard to target, and this guy just happened to rush in to draw the aggro.
What else was there to say?
If I didn't go to your house to steal something, wouldn't you have hated me for nothing?
[Map Customization—Roy Estate]
[High-value items detected—Precious Jewelry, Bribery Records, Scandalous Photos]
[Map Customization Successful, Malice Points Spent: 100]
[Current Malice Points Balance: 550]
Russell watched the 100 Malice Points vanish instantly, feeling a pang of pain in his heart, but it was immediately washed away by the excitement brought by the rich returns soon to be in hand.
Hoho, there are also bribery records and scandalous photos? That's insane.
Once I get my hands on these things, let's see if your dad can still be a Cabinet Minister.
Jewelry? Even a dog wouldn't want that stuff.
If he really lacked money, he wouldn't have let go of those horns in the Morstan Estate safe.
Besides, doing it for money would be cliché.
As the map gradually printed and took shape in his mind, the 3D layout of the Roy Estate was also gradually constructed in Russell's mind.
At the same time, the System thoughtfully marked the areas where those high-value items were located for him.
It looked like he would be busy for the next couple of days.
He didn't plan to strike directly tonight, but rather to wait until the day of the Icebreaker Party to take action.
If he was fast enough, he might even be able to make it back before the final moments of the party, to take a look at Timmy Roy's voice and smile one last time.
As for tonight, naturally, he had to go case the joint first. Only after planning the action route could he ensure everything would go without a hitch.
When the time comes, should I take 'The Times' directly to provoke him, or pretend to know nothing and say hello?
I don't know which method would extract more Malice Points from him... it's so hard to choose.
Offending people is also a craft.
"Mr. Watson, the smile on your face looks somewhat... ill-intentioned."
Just then, Mary's voice suddenly rang in his ear.
"You aren't thinking of doing something to Professor Thompson, are you?"
Hearing this, Russell snapped back to reality and coughed twice in embarrassment.
"Is there?" He touched his face, trying his best to make his expression look innocent.
"I was just thinking about what to eat tonight."
"At least change the excuse, won't you?" Mary said helplessly.
"No, no, no, this time I really am thinking about what to eat tonight," Russell said with feigned seriousness.
"Uh-huh." Mary nodded, wearing an expression that said 'everything you say is right'.
"So, regarding the party on Saturday night, will you come?"
"Er..."
Why bring this up again?
Russell frowned.
"It depends on if I have time... If I can't free up time, then there's really no way, right."
"So, you just don't want to attend, correct?" Mary's voice suddenly grew faint, sounding full of detachment.
"..."
"Staying silent when encountering difficult questions isn't good behavior, Mr. Watson."
"Sorry."
"Rather than an apology, I would still prefer an answer."
"That kind of party will definitely involve dancing at the end, right? I can't dance, so I'd rather not go and embarrass myself. Besides, I guess no one would be willing to be my partner anyway."
"Whether you can dance and whether you go are two different things. Moreover, if Mr. Watson doesn't ask, how do you know no one would be willing?"
"Then would Miss Morstan be willing?" Russell asked, seizing the opportunity.
Hearing this, Mary paused slightly, then asked back, "Is this a question or an invitation?"
"I guess it counts as... a question?"
"If it is a question, then I refuse to answer it."
Russell fell into silence once again.
The afternoon class ended quietly amidst the professor's soft and feeble lullaby.
The students in the classroom stood up one by one. Mary also packed up her things, preparing to leave.
"Well then, see you tomorrow, Mr. Watson."
"W-Wait, Miss Morstan."
Russell hurriedly called out to her, looking as if he had mustered up all his courage.
Hearing this, Mary's footsteps paused slightly. She turned back to look at Russell, her gaze holding a hint of expectation.
"What is it? Do you have something to say?"
"I..." Russell opened his mouth, seeming to hesitate to speak.
"Mm-hmm?" The smile on Mary's face became increasingly obvious, and she even turned her body completely around.
Under the young girl's expectant gaze, Russell took a deep breath, then spoke what had been accumulating in his heart:
"—Can I borrow your notes to copy?"
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