James let out a small chuckle. "That's not all I do, you know."
He was beginning to ease up around Lucas. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, Lucas was surprisingly easygoing.
Lucas leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with interest. "Do you mind demonstrating your skills for me?" He smirked. "If you impress me just like you did that day, I'll help you scale your business to a better level."
James grinned. "Why not?" He wouldn't mind earning some useful connections.
"Manager," Lucas called out.
A man who had been standing quietly at the side stepped forward. "Yes, sire?"
"Do you have an appointment with him?" Lucas asked.
"We do, sire," the manager replied smoothly. "He came recommended by some known personnel."
"That's nice." Lucas nodded. "Bring the books. I want to see him in action."
"Yes, sire," the manager said in an intrigued tone before signaling the clerks to fetch the records.
The store clerks brought out the accounting books, neatly maintained and checked regularly by licensed accountants.
"We don't do credit-based sales or large external purchases," the manager explained as James flipped through the records. "Our jewelry is supplied directly from our headquarters. Our job here is simply to sell them and maintain strong relationships with our clientele."
James nodded as he scanned through the sales book, quickly adding up all the transactions. The total amounted to a staggering 11.52 million pesos—this was no small shop. He realized he was calculating figures for the entire year, not just a single month.
Lucas took a slow sip of his lemon juice, watching James work with amusement.
James then moved on to check the value of the remaining goods recorded at the last closing balance. The stock was worth 34 million pesos—an enormous amount compared to the previous businesses he had worked with.
As James added the value of goods received from the headquarters and subtracted the value of goods sold, he determined that the store currently held inventory worth nearly 24 million pesos. They had managed to sell a significant amount, which was impressive considering this was just one of the many businesses under the Hoffman family. However, Lucas always ensured the bills were settled promptly.
After finalizing the calculations, James compiled a detailed report and handed it over to the manager. The manager, curious about the accuracy of James's work, compared it to the expert-reviewed accounts from the previous month. To his surprise, James's report perfectly matched the earlier records.
Realizing that the young boy was well-versed in accounting procedures, the manager silently acknowledged his skill before passing the report to Lucas. After reviewing it, Lucas arrived at the same conclusion—James wasn't just talented in magic but also possessed sharp financial acumen.
"Wow, James, you're incredible—handling all this while keeping up with magic training. That's impressive," Lucas praised with a smirk.
James nodded slightly. "Thanks for the compliment."
Lucas leaned back, crossing his arms. "You see, my family deals in jewelry, currency exchange, metals, construction materials, coal and gold mines, mana mines, and more. We recently expanded into clothing and textiles, so we own a few hundred stores." He paused, then added, "I could offer you a position as a supervisor—someone who audits the stores and ensures everything runs smoothly."
James raised an eyebrow, intrigued but cautious.
"Of course," Lucas continued, "I can't offer you an accountant position due to your age. But as a supervisor, you'd be earning around 50,000 pesos per year."
James smiled awkwardly. "That's generous, but I can't take the offer, Lucas. My academy schedule won't allow it."
Lucas sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I figured. My bad."
A moment of silence passed before Lucas clapped his hands together. "Well, at least let me pay you for today's services." He turned to the manager. "Pay him 2,000 pesos."
"Yes, young master," the manager replied immediately.
James swallowed hard. He hadn't even earned 200 pesos after visiting multiple stores in the past few days—yet here he was, receiving 2,000 in just an hour.
"Thank you, Lucas. That's very generous," James said, truly grateful.
As they both got up from their seats, the manager approached with twenty crisp hundred-peso bills and handed them to James.
Lucas glanced at him one last time. "Well then, James, let's meet again at the academy. I'm running late, so I'll be off."
"Yeah, see you, Lucas," James replied. "I'd invite you to dinner, but I have somewhere to be."
Lucas chuckled. "Some other time, then."
With that, he stepped into his carriage, surrounded by his security detail, and left.
James looked down at the money in his hands and let out a deep sigh—part relief, part disbelief. Finally, he had earned something substantial.
As James rolled the bundle of money and tucked it into his pocket, the bustling street around him continued its usual rhythm—vendors calling out deals, children weaving through the crowd, and merchants haggling over prices.
Just as his fingers loosened their grip for a brief second, a figure brushed past him—swift, almost ghost-like. The person was at least a foot taller than James, draped in a black cloak that concealed most of his frame. The air of urgency around him was unmistakable.
James frowned. Why is he in such a hurry?
Then—ba-dum.
His heart pounded as he suddenly felt his palm empty. A sharp realization struck him like a bolt of lightning—his money was gone.
Panic surged through his body before his mind could fully grasp what had happened. Without a moment's hesitation, his feet moved on their own, launching him into a desperate sprint. At twelve years old, he wasn't particularly calm or composed in stressful situations.
"Shit!" James shouted, his voice raw with urgency.
His breath came in quick gasps as he ran faster than he ever had in his life. His eyes darted ahead, catching sight of a single 100-peso bill lying on the ground—not far from the thief's path. Did he drop it by mistake?
He veered slightly to grab it, but it slowed him down. His face contorted in pure stress—a mix of fear, anger, and the horror of losing what he had just rightfully earned. Passersby paused, throwing curious glances his way.
"What's wrong with that kid?" a man muttered.
"Poor child," a few sympathetic women sighed as they watched James' frantic chase.
But James had no time to care about their opinions. His stomach twisted violently—whether from anxiety or the unfortunate choice of drinking lemon juice on an empty stomach, he wasn't sure.
Meanwhile, the thief—barely ten meters ahead—was beginning to panic himself. He had expected to outrun an average street boy, not someone this fast. Why is he still on my tail?!
James' face was a disaster. His small, scrunched-up expression looked like someone who hadn't visited a washroom for an entire week and was on the verge of an unfortunate public incident.
The thief glanced back—and visibly flinched. What kind of expression is that?!
Meanwhile, Lucas, comfortably seated in his carriage, lazily sipping his drink, had been enjoying the street scenery—until James' face caught his eye.
Lucas squinted. Wait… is he… holding it in?
For a second, he genuinely thought James was just looking for a bathroom. But then, James' voice cut through the streets—
"SOMEONE STOP THE THIEF!"
Lucas blinked. Ohhh, so that's what's happening.
Without hesitation, he sprang into action. In one swift motion, he exited the still-moving carriage, weaving under the legs of his startled guards and dashing onto the street.
Now, it was a three-man race.
Lucas had barely taken a few steps before a horrible realization struck him—his stomach churned.
Oh no.
He had also drunk lemon juice. On an empty stomach.
As he sprinted, his face began to mirror James' expression. He mentally cursed himself. Never. Drink. Lemon juice. Before running.
The guards, caught completely off guard, exchanged glances before hurriedly joining the chase.
Meanwhile, the thief, now seeing two maniacs with tortured expressions chasing after him, screamed internally—
Why is everyone following me?! SOMEONE HELP!
The streets were in chaos. Vendors paused mid-sale. Shoppers stepped aside. A child pointed excitedly, shouting, "Look, Mama! They're running like crazy!"
Nearby, a group of city guards was casually enjoying lemon juice at a stall when the ruckus caught their attention. They turned in unison, watching the bizarre procession of a thief, two wild-looking boys, and an entire squad of armored guards racing through the marketplace.
One of the guards slowly set down his cup and sighed.
"…I guess we're running now."
And just like that, the city guards joined the race.
The hunt was on.