Adventurer of Many Professions

Raymond's mouth felt dry, and he instinctively licked his lips.

"I mean... I might not get another chance to awaken the 'Thief.' I don't want to regret missing it," he muttered to himself, half-convincing, half-justifying his actions. "Besides, it's Arya's. It's not like I'm stealing from a stranger. That would be worse… right?"

His thoughts spiraled further into rationalizations. "I'll just bring it to the room and put it away right after. It's not like I'm doing anything shameful…"

The more he repeated the excuses in his mind, the more he managed to convince himself.

Raymond glanced down the stairs. Earlier, he'd heard the faint clinking of dishes being washed. Arya was still downstairs, busy with chores. This was the perfect chance.

"If I'm quick," he thought, "I can get it done before she comes back upstairs."

With his mind made up, Raymond moved swiftly. He hung up his protective gear first, wiping his wet hands carefully on his shirt to ensure no water would drip on the item in question. Then, taking a deep breath, he stepped up to the pink panties hanging on the line.

His hand moved cautiously, as though touching them too confidently might summon Arya out of thin air. Finally, he gingerly grabbed the hanger and plucked it from the line.

'Run.'

With the panties swinging slightly in the breeze, lightly brushing against his wrist, Raymond dashed toward the room. The faint, soft touch on his skin made him freeze for a split second. His thoughts betrayed him. 'What's happening to me? No, stay focused! Don't turn into a complete pervert!'

Clearing his head, Raymond listened carefully as he passed the stairs. The clinking sound had stopped, and silence filled the house. Was Arya done? He couldn't tell, but there was no time to lose. He quickened his pace and slipped into his room.

He closed the door behind him and exhaled deeply, relief washing over him.

"Finally! It's done," he whispered, a small triumphant smile creeping onto his face. "I've awakened a new profession!"

But as he waited, nothing happened. No blue panel popped up. No glowing text declared his success.

Confused, Raymond opened the system panel and reread the requirements:

[Thief Awakening Requirements: Successfully steal the panties of a female between fifteen and twenty years old and bring them to your room without being discovered.]

His brows furrowed. He'd done everything, he'd brought the panties into the room, and as far as he knew, Arya hadn't noticed anything.

So why hadn't it worked?

Then it hit him. Like a bolt of lightning, the realization struck, and his face went pale.

The age requirement.

Arya wasn't even fifteen yet.

His hands slowly covered his face as the weight of his mistake sank in. "I focused so hard on sneaking the panties into the room that I forgot about her age!"

Fury and embarrassment burned through him. He had just crossed the line into pervert territory for nothing. All that anxiety, all that effort, all that guilt… wasted.

"I did all this, and it doesn't even count!"

Frustrated, Raymond sighed deeply. "Forget it. I'll just put them back before Arya notices anything."

But just as he turned to leave the room, he froze.

Footsteps.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Arya was coming up the stairs.

Panic surged through him. If she saw him now, holding her panties, he'd never live it down. Thinking quickly, he shoved the pink panties behind his back and leaned casually against the doorframe, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Moments later, Arya appeared at the top of the stairs. Her eyes darted toward Raymond, and her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink.

"Raymond, have you finished washing your armor?" she asked, her voice slightly higher-pitched than usual.

"Ah, yeah! I just finished and came back from hanging it up," he stammered, avoiding her gaze.

Arya's face turned even redder. She avoided looking directly at him, fidgeting slightly.

What Raymond didn't know was that Arya had remembered something while washing dishes. Earlier, she had washed some of her own clothes, including the pink panties, and, in her rush, had hung them out on the balcony while Raymond was away.

Now, realizing they were still there, she was mortified. 'He must've seen them…'

As the silence lingered between them, Raymond's thoughts raced. 'Does she suspect? Does she know I have them? No, stay calm… act normal!'

Meanwhile, Arya was spiraling in her own embarrassment. She lowered her gaze, her blush deepening. 'Did he notice? What if he thinks I'm careless? No, no… just act casual!'

The tension in the air was palpable. Neither dared to look the other in the eye, both caught up in their own internal crises.

Raymond clenched the panties behind his back, his heart pounding. He needed a way out of this, and he needed it fast.

It was summer, and Arya knew that her thin panties would dry quickly in the sun. She had planned to take them off the line before Raymond came back, but in her rush that morning, she'd completely forgotten about them.

It wasn't until she was washing dishes downstairs that she remembered with a sinking feeling. Her plan had been simple: grab them before Raymond finished washing his gear and went to hang it on the balcony. But clearly, she'd been too late.

Her thoughts spiraled. 'Did Raymond see them? What would he think if he did? Would he... do anything strange?'

Arya shook her head furiously, banishing the absurd thoughts. 'No! This is Raymond we're talking about. He's been nothing but respectful, even though we've shared a bed for days now. How could I even think of him like that?'

Feeling guilty for doubting him, Arya awkwardly said, "Uh... I think the clothes I washed this morning are dry now. I'll go collect them."

"Wait a second!" Raymond blurted out, his voice louder than intended.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. What excuse could he possibly come up with to stop her? Under Arya's confused gaze, he forced a smile and said, "There's water on the floor... don't slip and fall."

Arya glanced down and noticed the trail of water dripping from the bathroom to the balcony. "Oh... okay," she replied hesitantly, stepping carefully toward the balcony.

The moment she disappeared from view, Raymond felt a wave of despair wash over him. 'It's over. I've officially become a pervert.'

But right now, his bigger problem was the pink panties still in his hand. He couldn't just toss them; Arya would notice they were missing, and her suspicion would only grow.

While he wrestled with his dilemma, Arya suddenly poked her head back into the room, her face flushed red like a ripe tomato.

"Um... Raymond," she stammered, barely able to meet his eyes, "have you seen... uh... a pink pair of panties?" Her voice dropped to a whisper by the end, so soft it was almost inaudible.

Raymond froze. He straightened up, his hands reflexively hiding the incriminating evidence behind his back. "Huh? You hang that kind of thing on the balcony?" he asked, trying to sound surprised.

"Yes," Arya admitted, biting her lip as she nodded.

She had realized earlier that her panties couldn't have blown away, if the wind had carried them, they'd have landed inside the room, not disappeared entirely. That left one possibility: someone had taken them. And the only other person in the house was...

But she didn't want to accuse Raymond outright. He didn't seem like that kind of person. Maybe something unexpected had happened. Still, she had to ask.

Raymond, playing dumb, offered a suggestion. "Maybe you already brought them in and just forgot? Why don't you check your room?"

Arya hesitated, but then nodded slowly. "I guess... I'll check."

Although the two of them shared a bedroom for sleeping, Arya kept her clothes in her own room. As she turned to leave, Raymond watched her go, his heart pounding with guilt and panic.

The second she was out of sight, an idea struck him.

"I'll, uh... check the balcony for you!" he called out, dashing back outside without waiting for her response.

Once there, Raymond hurriedly moved the clothes on either side of the line to make room. Then, taking a deep breath, he carefully raised the pink panties, positioning them back on the hanger.

'This is it,' he thought. 'Success or failure, it all depends on this move.'

Turning his head away to avoid looking directly at the offending item, he shouted, "Arya! Look, is this it?"