star thieves

Sunny heard a noise from behind and turned to see a man wearing a keffiyeh and a long robe, rushing into the café.

He was carrying a bag, and the moment he saw Sunny, he suddenly threw it at him.

"ALLAHU AKBAR!!!"

Sunny caught the bag, looking inside, trying to process what was happening.

Panic overtook him, and he hurled it out the window.

Fear and shock were clearly visible on his face.

He turned toward the bag he had thrown, and then—something unexpected happened.

The bag exploded.

But…

It wasn't the explosion he expected.

Instead of fire and destruction, the air filled with shimmering, colorful confetti.

Sunny slowly turned back toward the Arab boy—who immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Just as I thought—you're just like the rest, you racist bastard!"

Sunny, still confused, stammered,

"W-what?! No, I'm not racist! It just… caught me off guard!"

The boy was still laughing when—SMACK!

Someone slapped the back of his head.

"Idiot! Of course, he would be scared! Even I would've panicked in his place. Stop messing with the customers!"

The Arab boy turned toward the man who hit him.

"So what? Racists like him should just disappear. Usually, when I throw the bag, they jump out the window like monkeys!"

The man hit him again.

"Just stop it."

Then, he turned to Sunny.

"I apologize on behalf of my brother. He does this all the time whenever he hears that an 'unusual' customer has arrived."

He extended his hand.

"My name is Khalid. I own this café. And this idiot here is Mustafa. Nice to meet you."

Sunny shook his hand.

"I'm Sunny. Nice to meet you. Don't worry, it was just a harmless prank."

Mustafa grinned.

"Well, don't blame me! It was George over there who told me a new customer had arrived and that I should 'prepare my usual prank.'"

Khalid turned toward the massive man from earlier, giving him a sharp glare.

George gulped nervously.

Khalid sighed.

"Why do I even employ you?"

Sunny spoke up.

"Oh, don't be too mad. He must just enjoy pranks too."

Pranks, my ass.

Sunny was still pissed about what had just happened.

But he was a criminal, not a rude person—so he chose to remain respectful.

Khalid smirked.

"You don't have to be so formal if you don't want to. You seem older than me. How old are you?"

"I'm 27, actually."

"Oh, then you're older than me. I'm 25. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah… nice to meet you… again."

Sunny managed to end the conversation successfully.

He usually had no trouble communicating with people, but guys like Khalid drained his energy.

They always wanted to talk—with those constant smiles on their faces.

Just then, Yona interrupted.

"Khalid! Good thing you're here. I wanted to ask—did Nir come by at any time today?"

Khalid put a hand on his chin, trying hard to remember.

He scratched his beard before finally answering.

"No, I haven't seen him today."

Yona sighed in disappointment.

"Ugh… I see. Thanks anyway."

Mustafa overheard and suddenly raised his hand.

"Are you looking for Nir? I saw him today—with a girl."

Yona immediately grabbed Mustafa by the shoulders and pulled him close.

"Really?! Where did you see him?!"

Mustafa was startled by her sudden reaction.

"W-well, I was about to tell you anyway! I saw him with a short girl with white hair at the festival today."

Sunny's eyes widened.

He grabbed Mustafa's shoulders as well.

"LILITH?! Was Lilith with him?!"

Mustafa, now completely overwhelmed, looked at his brother with pleading eyes—begging for help.

Khalid grabbed Sunny's hand.

"Can you guys calm down? He's already explaining."

Sunny let go and focused intently on Mustafa.

"Alright… as I was saying, Nir was with a short white-haired girl in a hoodie. They were playing a shooting game at one of the booths… but suddenly, the girl collapsed out of nowhere."

Sunny clenched his fists.

His anxiety grew rapidly.

"She looked exhausted, but before I could help them, the police arrived and arrested them both."

"WHAT?!"

Both Yona and Sunny shouted in shock.

So Lilith and Nir were in prison?!

But… for what crime exactly?

Yona was far less worried than Sunny.

After all, Lilith and Sunny were criminals—it was expected for them to get caught.

But Nir?

He was just a poor kid living in the city.

Which meant… there was a chance he would only be sent to the city prison.

Sunny could only hope they hadn't been transferred to the Cosmic Detention Center yet.

He prayed they hadn't.

While Sunny was deep in thought, Mustafa raised his hand again.

"Hey… is the Lilith you're looking for the same Lilith from the 'Star Thieves' gang?"

Sunny looked at him, surprised.

"What? Why would you think that?"

Mustafa went silent for a few seconds, then said,

"My brother and I are huge fans of the Star Thieves. They've done amazing things—helping the poor, freeing slaves…."

As Mustafa spoke, his face lit up with excitement.

It was obvious—he admired the gang.

"I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me if she's actually Lilith or not."

He smiled, waiting for an answer.

Sunny stayed silent for a few seconds.

Then he said,

"Do you really think a bunch of thieves can be 'heroes'? Think rationally. The money they steal—it belongs to other people. If someone stole from you, would you be happy?"

Mustafa's smile faded.

"Even if they're thieves, they still use the money to help the poor. If I were a victim, I'd feel grateful that my money was taken by the Star Thieves instead of some random criminal. And don't forget—they free slaves too!"

Sunny scoffed.

"Stealing money and giving it to the poor doesn't make you a hero—it just makes you the 'best among the scum.' And for all we know, they might take a much bigger cut for themselves.

He continued.

"As for 'freeing slaves,' I've heard that most of the freed slaves either die from the cold because they have nowhere to go… or they just get recaptured and enslaved again. Maybe they only free them so they don't feel guilty watching them suffer."

Mustafa gritted his teeth.

The entire room went silent.

No one could argue back.

Because…

Sunny had called thieves 'scum.'

And deep down—they all knew it was true.

Mustafa opened his mouth to speak… but no words came out.

"....."

Then, Khalid spoke.

"You said all the freed slaves ended up in a bad place, right? Well… doesn't that make Mustafa and me the exception?"

Sunny's confident expression shifted.

"What?"

Khalid looked at him seriously.

"Mustafa and I used to be slaves."

Slaves?!

Sunny was stunned.

Slavery shouldn't exist in this era.

Why would people buy slaves when they could just purchase a robot?

The answer was status.

The wealthy bought slaves just to show off how rich they were.

And now, standing in front of him… were two former slaves.

Khalid continued,

"Our city was invaded by an alien nation. Our father died protecting us. Our mother was separated from us. We were enslaved and lived through hell. But then… the Star Thieves raided the auction house where we were being sold. They freed us. And now? I run this café, and we live peacefully."

Sunny's face darkened.

He wasn't happy.

He didn't feel pride that they were saved.

Instead, he felt a weight pressing down on him.

Khalid smiled brightly.

"That's why my brother and I admire them. You may see them as scum—but to us? They're our saviors."

The café erupted into cheers.

Sunny couldn't take it anymore.

He stormed out

As Sunny stormed outside, Yona quickly followed him.

"Wait! Sunny, where are you going?!"

Without even looking back, Sunny replied:

"I got distracted with all this talking and forgot about my sister—who is literally in prison right now! I need to find a way to get her out!"

Yona grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Wait! I also need to get Nir out of there. We can work together."

Sunny turned to her, his eyes sharp.

"Speaking of Nir… who exactly is this kid? What's his connection to my sister? I demand answers—now."

Yona went silent for a few seconds before finally saying:

"Honestly… I don't know either. That's what I want to find out too."

The two stood there in silence, neither making eye contact.

The atmosphere was heavy until suddenly—

"Hey!"

Khalid's voice called out from behind as he approached them.

He reached out and took Sunny's hand.

"I'm really sorry if I said anything offensive."

Sunny remained expressionless at first.

Then, he let out a small sigh and smiled slightly.

"No, you don't have to apologize. I was the one being rude. I ignored your reasons and only focused on my own perspective."

Khalid smiled warmly and suddenly pulled Sunny toward the café again.

"Come with me for a second."

As soon as they stepped inside, Sunny was shocked.

The café's atmosphere had completely changed.

Everyone was now seated around a large table.

Mustafa, George, the well-dressed man—all of them were there, waiting for him.

Sunny blinked in confusion.

"What's going on?"

Khalid grinned.

"As you can see, everyone here is a friend of Nir. And since Nir is in prison, it's our duty to break him out. And since the girl you're looking for is with him… what do you say? Want to join us?"

He extended his hand to Sunny, waiting for his answer.

Sunny let out a deep breath and asked:

"How exactly are you going to help me?"

Khalid smiled.

"Just trust us. As they say—'there is strength in unity.'"

Sunny paused for a few seconds before finally responding:

"That's the most cliché line I've ever heard… but fine. I'm in."

He shook Khalid's hand.