I Became a Gallery Manager in Another World

“Aaaaaaack!!! Professor!!! Just this once!!! Please, just check it once!!! Please, save meee!!!!!”

She wore shabby sportswear, donned thick red horn-rimmed glasses, sported greasy braided hair, and carried a mountain of thesis papers.

Chloe Robellia, in the typical guise of a graduate student, followed the professor desperately.

“I’ve been busy since the semester started. I’ve become the head professor, you know. What were you doing during the vacation that you’re bringing your thesis now?”

Creak─ Snap─

Chloe gritted her teeth internally upon hearing the professor’s words.

If not for the consequences, she really wanted to kill him.

‘What did I do during the vacation?!!!!!’

She had spent all day assisting with the professor’s personal research right in front of him!

Fine, let it be unpaid.

It wasn’t uncommon, though not exactly normal, for a grad student to assist a professor’s personal research without pay.

But still…

After all that work, she thought her name would at least appear on the thesis.

She hadn’t even hoped to be the first co-author, just possibly the second.

But that damned professor had wiped his mouth clean without a word.

It was frustrating and unfair, but what could she do?

In this place, Chloe was the absolute ‘inferior’.

“Respected professor!!! Please!!!! If I fail the thesis review again, I’ll really die!!!!! Please!!! Please!!! Save me just this once!!!! Right? Professor… Am I going to die?? Huh?? Should I jump out the window now???”

“Haa…really… I told you to prepare in advance. Tsk. Just leave it there. I’ll look at it when I have time.”

“Aaaah!!!! Yes!!! Thank you!!! There’s no one like you, Professor!! I respect you!!! May you live long!!!”

“…Such a fuss. Fine, just make sure to prepare the lecture materials well for next week.”

“Yes!!! I’ll prepare them perfectly!!! Then, I’ll take my leave!!!!”

Chloe bowed 90 degrees and backed out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.

─Click.

As the door closed, she twisted her face in frustration and flipped a double middle finger.

“Haa… really, that thing… ugh…”

Click, shasha─!

When the door opened again, Chloe, as if nothing had happened, concealed her hands and smiled brightly.

“What can I do for you!!!! Respected Professor!!!!”

“Ah, Chloe. Sorry to bother you, but we’ve run out of coffee. Could you buy some if you have time?”

“Yes, sure!!! The usual vanilla latte double shot with whipped cream and java chips, right!!!”

“You know it well. Here, take this and buy something for yourself with the change.”

“Yes!!! Thank you!!!”

Chloe tightly clutched the 10,000 Eris the professor handed her.

“Really… that bastard… doesn’t even drink the coffee from the Academy Café.”

As if she wasn’t already busy, now she had to run to the store for coffee.

“Haa…”

With her hands in her pockets, Chloe trudged toward the store, sighing deeply.

Why did her life have to get so twisted?

But she knew why.

It was her mistake to get an A+ in Magical Tool Manufacturing during her fourth year, second semester.

‘Student Chloe. 39 points for the midterm, 40 for the final, almost a perfect score.’

‘Ah! Thank you for the high evaluation!’

‘So, I’m thankful you attended the lectures diligently. I’d like to discuss something over a meal… are you free this Thursday or Friday?’

‘Yes! Professor! Of course! Is Thursday possible?’

‘Great. Then come to my office at 12 on Thursday.’

She should have refused, no matter the excuse.

Chloe, naively thinking she’d merely be having a meal, was lured by the professor’s sweet talk of her potential and the promise of completing her Ph.D. in five years, leading her to sign her admission documents for graduate school.

The result?

Eight years later, Chloe was still trapped in graduate school.

“If only… I had escaped back then….”

Chloe clutched her face, haunted by the missed opportunities to leave.

Three years after joining graduate school, Chloe finally received her master’s degree. She thought to herself,

‘Grad school is madness.’

Although she finished a year later than her professor had promised—two years to complete a master’s—she now had her degree. It was time to reclaim her freedom.

‘Chloe, there are fast-track PhD programs but no fast-track masters, you know? Despite the struggle with your master’s, the PhD will be quicker. Just a little more effort, and you’ll be called a doctor… Isn’t it a waste to stop now? Are you really going to finish like this?’

…That was until she heard these words.

‘Ah!..Ugh!…Gulp!..But still.’

‘I forgot to mention, but I’ll recommend you for an assistant professorship as soon as you finish your PhD. Then? You can start your tenure at the Divine Academy before you’re even 30. Well, if you still don’t want it, I can’t force you…’

‘…Gulp!…Huhuhu!….. I’ll… I’ll try a little more…..’

‘Good choice. Trust me. I’ll make sure you get your PhD within three years. Now, to the professorship! Cheers!’

Three years later, one day,

‘Eh?…Professor?…Why?… You’re lying, right?’

[Goodbye everyone~ I’m leaving behind all the shackles of this world to find my happiness~]

The professor who had persuaded her to pursue graduate studies had left that kind of letter and eloped with a man 16 years her junior, abandoning the academy.

‘Haha… My life’s over.’

Chloe had been deceived again but couldn’t simply leave graduate school.

If she ran away now, Chloe, who was celebrated as a prodigy for entering the Divine Academy at 18 and graduating at 21, would be seen as a fool who took eight years to earn a master’s degree.

She couldn’t let that happen, not with her pride at stake.

‘I’ll get it….at all costs… I’ll somehow get that PhD…’

Ultimately, Chloe decided to work with another professor to obtain her PhD.

“…One vanilla latte double shot with whipped cream and java chips, and one iced americano, please.”

“That will be 11,000 Eris.”

“…?”

Vanilla latte double shot, whipped cream, java chips: 7,500 Eris

Iced Americano: 3,500 Eris

When did coffee prices go up again?

With the 10,000 Eris the professor had given her, she couldn’t even afford the cheapest coffee after buying his.

“Haa… Here.”

She sighed and handed over an additional 1,000 Eris with trembling hands.

“Ah, really! How long are you going to sit there! Get up!!”

“… I’m already standing.”

“What? What nonsense! You’re sitting!!”

“No, sorry, but I really can’t stand up right now. Just one more minute…”

“Ah, really!! If you keep this up, 30 more minutes of shopping?”

While waiting for her coffee, Chloe’s mood darkened as she watched academy students, who could be blond siblings or a couple, chatting happily.

“It’s a good time…”

Would she have been able to enjoy my time like that if she had gone back to her academy days?

Suddenly, her heart ached at the sight of her shabby reflection in the window.

‘Ah, really… I can’t stand it. I was going to wait until the thesis passed, but… I have to do it tonight.’

Chloe’s eyes sparkled as she clenched her fists tightly.

“Hehehe.”

She was in a pure white suit that accentuated her sensual figure and a fluttering, stylish cape.

A special magical tool that could freely transform between a whip and a wand.

And the fox mask that could be called her trademark.

She was the granddaughter of the legendary thief Nine Tail and a current thief herself, Nine Tail the Third.

Chloe Robellia looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled.

“Yes! This is it! Nine Tail! This is my true self! Being a grad student is just a disguise to deceive people, right? Don’t worry about it too much!”

She had recently been too busy with her graduation thesis to partake in her thieving activities, yet she remained a thief at heart.

…Probably.

“Huff, well… let’s have a bit of fun.”

Chloe took a selfie with her loot faintly visible in the background and uploaded the photo with a caption.

[In honor of my grandmother, I, the third-generation thief, am taking questions. The post will be deleted in 15 minutes][0]

“Just my luck…”

Having finally finished shopping with Evelyn and looking forward to unwinding at home, I opened the gallery…

[In honor of my grandmother, I, the third-generation thief, am taking questions. The post will be deleted in 15 minutes][55]

An intriguing post caught my attention.

“…How can I resist this?”

The fact that it would vanish in 15 minutes made it irresistible.

I clicked on the post, planning to indulge in this bit of fun before easing into relaxation.

[Poster ㅇㅇ(39.919)]

[In honor of my grandmother, I, the third-generation thief, am taking questions. The post will be deleted in 15 minutes][58]

(Photo of a woman in a white suit with crossed legs, her face obscured by a fox mask.JPG)

Ask me anything you're curious about.

BabyNapmi■: Eung-e? BabyNapmi-jjang is curious if you're really a thief! Eung-e!!

ㄴㅇㅇ(74.812): A real thief, right ㅋㅋ Why would a thief be on a forum? Obviously, someone delusional, thinking they're a thief ㅋㅋㅋ

ㄴFlame Sandwich■: ㄴㄴ This IP is noted, definitely the real deal. Thought she quit the forum, but she's back.

ㄴNever Get An A■: I know, too; it's legitimate. Look at what's in the background of the certification shot. All stolen goods.

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): Ah, that got captured. ㅋㅋ Didn't mean to show that... but yes, I'm the real deal ㅇㅇ

JustSayNiceThings■: What's your race? From your looks, definitely an elf?

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): ㅋㅋㅋㅋ An elf? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ It's a secret, but I'm definitely not an elf.

ㄴJustSayNiceThings■: ? Why are you laughing? Are elves funny to you?

ㅇㅇ(74.812): ㄹㅇ Even if it's real, just a thief showing off ㅋㅋ. Get a job you can be proud of in front of others ㅋㅋ.

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): Eung~ Sorry, but thieving is a side job. I have another main job ^^.

ㄴㅇㅇ(74.812): Side job, my foot ㅋㅋㅋ. Sure you do ㅋㅋ. Can't even prove it ㅋㅋ.

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Expecting a thief to prove their job? And even if I were unemployed, selling just one of these would let me live my whole life ^^ Do you even have a job?

ㄴㅇㅇ(74.812): Eung~ Not everyone makes a living by stealing like you~. Sorry, but I make over 150 billion Eris a year ㅋ.

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 150 billion Eris ㅋㅋㅋㅋ. Aww, trying to win at any cost and making stuff up is sad ^^.

ㄴ SpaceDirtSpoon■: Hmm... But is 150 billion Eris in annual revenue really that impressive?? (I genuinely don't know)

ㄴ ChildhoodFriendAssault■: If the admin is watching, please ban this guy. These are really disgusting lies.

VirginityDetector■: Hmm... 0.6 virgin.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ(100.401): But Detector, if she's a virgin, she's a virgin, and if not, not. What's 0.6 virgin?

ㄴ Tenant Farmer Fan■: Don't you know the virginity theory? One of the body and mind must be non-virgin, I guess.

ㄴ VirginityDetector■: ㄴㄴ It's hard to find virgins these days, so 'mind' is out. If the 'body' is a virgin, that's enough.

ㄴ Tenant Farmer Fan■: That's generous... Then why 0.6 virgin?

ㄴ VirginityDetector■: She's technically a virgin but a bit damaged, 0.6. Soon, it'll be inedible.

ㄴ ㅇㅇ(39.919): Sorry... I am a virgin and young. And comments like these are a bit uncomfortable ^^.

SpaceDirtSpoon■: So, what are you planning to steal next?

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): Can't tell you that... Just know it's going to be something really incredible.

ㄴㅇㅇ(74.812): ㅋㅋㅋ I'll say that too. She's definitely lying, right?

ㄴSpaceDirtSpoon■ : ㅇㅋ... But you only steal from the rich, right? Why not target Redrose?

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): Redrose is a bit;; It's not that I can't steal from her, but her guards are like crazy about money. They don't care about their lives and attack fiercely. If I tried to steal, someone might get seriously hurt.

ㄴ SpaceDirtSpoon■: Hmm, so even a thief can't handle Redrose?

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): It's not that I can't, but... I'm worried about people getting hurt. I'm a thief, not a robber.

ㅇㅇ(74.812): ㅋㅋ So, the conclusion is you're a washed-up thief? You haven't stolen anything recently, have you?

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): I've been busy with my main job recently, taking a break ^^

ㄴㅇㅇ(74.812): So, what is that main jobㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919): Sigh, I can't communicate with you, and you keep trolling, so I'm blocking you ^^

ㄴㅇㅇ(74.812) : Breaking) Self-proclaimed thief blocks when out of words ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

ㄴNeverGetA A■: Thief, don't worry about that guy. He's famous for trolling. Just block and ignore him.

ㄴㅇㅇ(39.919) : Yes, thanks ^^ Already blocked him.

To think the thief, always so gloriously portrayed in the newspapers, had this kind of personality…

As always, the personas people present online and in real life are so different.

“…If only I had used a fixed nickname, I might have found out their name.”

Not that I would report them or anything, but it would have been quite interesting to know the identity of the thief that everyone from the royal family to various nobles was trying to uncover.

“Well, it can’t be helped since it’s an anonymous post.”

Just as I was about to relish some happy time alone with Yuris, a thought suddenly struck me,

“Wait… I can find out, can’t I?”

-You can 'limitedly' verify the real name of an anonymous poster who wrote on the forum!

He recalled his forgotten admin privileges.