All-around teacher at the magic academy

Chapter 174 Peaceful Solution

"Stop fighting, stop fighting, I give up."

Tommy lay on the cold ground, his hands covering his head, pleading for mercy in a hoarse voice.

However, Rhine's fists rained down on him like a storm, showing no sign of stopping.

"The cat is gone! The cat is gone!"

Tormented by pain, Tommy finally couldn't hold back and screamed out. His words seemed to possess a magical power, instantly breaking the violent stalemate.

Rhine paused, then stopped punching. He stood up and nervously looked around.

The night was as dark as ink, the streetlights were dim, and all was silent; there was no trace of the mischievous cat.

He turned around, his gaze as sharp as a knife as he looked at Tommy, his eyes filled with reproach and anger.

Tommy was startled by Rhine's sharp gaze. Ignoring his pain, he quickly explained, "It's not my fault, it's really not my fault. You were the one who kept hitting me. You didn't even chase after the cat when it went missing, and now you're blaming me? That's so unreasonable."

"Weren't you holding it the whole time? How did it get away?"

Rhine's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible anxiety as he stared at Tommy, trying to find the answer in his expression.

"If I don't let go, your magic will kill it." Tommy rubbed his bruises and retorted irritably, "With magic so powerful, how could I dare to hold it?"

"I'll leave you be for now, I'm going to find the cat." Rhine took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, then turned and left in a hurry.

Tommy watched Rhine's retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, but decided to follow him anyway.

Sensing the figure following behind him, Rhine frowned, turned around, and asked, "Why are you following me?"

“I’ll look for it with you,” Tommy explained, though his voice still carried a hint of grievance, his eyes revealed a firm determination.

“No need, I can do it myself.” Rhine coldly refused. He was used to acting alone and didn’t like having anyone around to interfere.

Upon hearing this, Tommy pouted and muttered under his breath, "I'm not going to fight you for it."

His voice was soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Rhine seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He stopped and turned to look at Tommy, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips: "Not going to fight me for it? Then why did we fight over it? Wasn't it for that cat?"

Rhine shook his head, deciding to ignore Tommy's following. He thought to himself, if Tommy wants to help, let him be.

However, he secretly resolved that if Tommy tried to take his things again, he wouldn't be so ruthless.

Rhine focused his mind again, whispered the incantation, and summoned the spirit that had helped him search earlier.

The sprite, like a tiny black dot, guided their way. It seemed to sense the cat's presence, providing Rhine with clues.

"So that's how you found it! How come I didn't think of that before? Otherwise, what would have become of you?"

Tommy, seeing the elf Rhine summoned, couldn't help but mutter to himself with a touch of envy. He secretly blamed himself for not thinking of using the elf's power sooner.

Ignoring Tommy's comments, Rhine focused intently on following the elf's guidance, carefully navigating the streets and alleys. His gaze was resolute, his movements swift, his only thought being to find the escaped cat.

After searching for a while, they finally found the cat rummaging through the trash by a secluded roadside. Its fur looked somewhat mottled under the streetlights, but its gleaming eyes still revealed a cunning light.

Rhine quickly went over, afraid of startling the cat and letting it run away again. He gently reached out his hands and carefully picked up the cat.

The cat seemed to recognize Rhine as well. It didn't struggle much, just meowed a few times in dissatisfaction, and then quietly nestled in Rhine's arms.

"Okay, I'm going home now. You can go."

Rhine, holding the cat, spoke to Tommy without turning his head, his tone utterly impolite, clearly wanting to end this unpleasant encounter as quickly as possible.

"Everyone gets a share," Tommy muttered reluctantly, his eyes revealing his longing for the cat.

"Ok?"

Rhine turned his head and gave Tommy a cold look, his eyes full of warning, but he didn't say anything. He just hugged the cat tightly, as if afraid that Tommy would suddenly take it away.

Tommy sensed the coldness in Rhine's eyes, quickly took a half step back, raised his hands in surrender, and said, "Fine, fine, you can go back now."

He knew that there was no point in persisting any longer; Rhine wouldn't change his mind easily.

Rhine ignored Tommy and ran back home. His steps were hurried; he just wanted to settle the cat down as quickly as possible.

When the door opened, Arthur was indeed waiting there for a long time. He didn't turn on the lights, but just sat quietly on the sofa, with only the faint light from the television in the living room.

Before Arthur could even ask, Rhine offered his explanation: "I found a stray cat, felt sorry for it, so I brought it back. It took a while. I'll see if I can find its owner tomorrow."

Arthur was relieved to hear Rhine's explanation. He knew Rhine never came home late without a reason.

He then stood up and walked towards the kitchen, saying as he went, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come and sit down and eat."

......

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Rhine couldn't wait to get up, quickly washed up, and then took the cat out.

He was getting impatient and didn't want to wait any longer. He just wanted to return the cat to its owner as soon as possible and then collect the 10 ruble reward.

In his view, only by having money in one's own hands can one truly feel at ease.

He worried that if the cat's owner changed their mind and suddenly refused to pay the reward, all his efforts over the past few months would be in vain.

This uncertainty strengthened his resolve to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Along the way, Rhine was both excited and nervous. He held the cat tightly as he walked through familiar streets and finally arrived at the cat's owner's door.

This is a beautifully decorated house, and you can tell at a glance that the owner is quite well-off.

Rhine rang the doorbell, and soon the door opened, revealing the cat's owner.

Upon seeing the cat in Rhine's hands, the cat owner's face immediately lit up with a joyful smile.

Rhine's earlier worries were clearly unnecessary. The cat owner not only readily paid the 10 ruble reward, but also handed over the money without even blinking, appearing very generous.

"Thank you so much, young man!" The cat owner thanked Rhine repeatedly, his gratitude overflowing.

Rein scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly. He hadn't expected the cat's owner to be so grateful, and even felt that his behavior didn't seem to deserve such praise.

Nevertheless, he resolutely pocketed the 10 rubles reward.

........