The small shop smelled of old wood and freshly brewed tea, a cozy little place tucked away in a quiet corner of town. It wasn’t much, but to Chuuya, it was home. He had been helping his grandfather run the store for as long as he could remember, stocking shelves, handling customers, and making sure everything was in order. But lately, there was one problem—him.

A tall, scruffy-looking guy who always seemed to show up when things got busy. He never bought anything, never spoke much, just wandered the aisles like he belonged there. And every time, without fail, he stole something.

Chuuya wasn’t stupid—he saw the way the guy slipped things into his pockets, the casual ease of it, like he’d done it a hundred times before. A small loaf of bread. A fruit here and there. A can of tea. It wasn’t much, but it was still stealing.

And every time Chuuya went to stop him, his grandfather’s hand landed gently on his shoulder.

“Let him go.”

Chuuya clenched his fists. “Are you kidding me, Grandpa? He does this every time! If we don’t stop him now, he’s gonna keep coming back.”

His grandfather only shook his head, his wise, tired eyes watching as the stranger slipped out the door, as casual as ever.

“There are some people,” his grandfather said softly, “who steal because they have no other choice.”

Chuuya scoffed, crossing his arms. “Yeah? And what if he’s just taking advantage of us?”

His grandfather only smiled, patting his shoulder before turning back to the counter.

Chuuya didn’t get it. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to just let it go.

Next time, he was catching that bastard himself.