I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

After helping to handle all the day's tasks in one go, Yuka felt particularly relaxed and happy. However, she still said goodbye somewhat reluctantly because she was worried that if she stayed any longer, she would miss the train.

"But I have to go back to catch the last bus..."

Amamiya waved to the girl who was smiling with her lips pursed: "You've worked hard today, Yuka."

'Hehehe...'

The inner 'self' chuckled foolishly, but the girl on the surface shook her head and said earnestly, "No, I should say... it's you, Sensei, who has had it even harder."

"From now on, whether it's the Millennium Academy or other academies, the things that need your attention will likely increase... In addition, there are issues regarding the Game Club, as well as several other Millennium Academy clubs..."

"Please remember to take care of me in the future, Sensei."

Ah... this overflowing, youthful, innocent "good wife" vibe!

After Yuka said goodbye, Amamiya tidied up the various odds and ends in the Xia Lai Building and 'confiscated' dozens of eavesdropping and surveillance devices that had somehow appeared.

After buying a bento box from Angel24 downstairs to make do with her dinner, Amamiya returned to her office and picked up her phone, which was ringing incessantly with new message notifications constantly flooding the screen.

"Okay... then next up is 'evening time'."

"So...who should I ask out tonight?"

Chapter 5 Xiaoyu, you're a robot!

After finishing her work for the day, Amamiya began to search through the new messages that appeared around dusk and night.

"So, who should I ask out tonight...?"

[Yako: About psychological counseling...]

'I've only recently established a bond with Ako, this is a good opportunity to further develop that bond...'

I also received messages from other people.

The message that came into view was from Ako, with whom he had recently established a relationship. Amamiya glanced at it and then continued scrolling down.

[Serene: Sensi... I just got off work. Want to chat at Shiba Seki Ramen?]

'...'

[Bai Zi: Sensei, are you free?]

'...'

[Suzumi: Regarding the security situation at Trinity...]

'...'

[Hibiki: Sensei, about today's events...]

'...'

[Saori: A special thank you to Sensei... Your "Golden Moon" artwork sold for a whopping 150 million credits on the black market...]

[Saori: Sensei, please contact me if there are any special missions. Also, I've already started gathering intelligence.]

'...'

Hasumi: When will Sensei come to visit the Justice Realization Committee?

'...'

[Hana: Sensi, wanna go for a walk?]

'...'

[Hoshino: Uncle, I'm starting my night patrol now. Sensei, if you're free tonight, come find me in Abydos~]

Great... as always, the invitation messages are almost overflowing.

Before replying, let's confirm the student on duty, as always...

Considering that the engineering department is preparing to 'start construction' on Xia Lai tomorrow, the selection of the duty students must be relatively 'conservative'.

Yesterday it was Hifumi, today it's Yuka, so their priority should naturally be ranked last.

After lingering on the current [Student Profiles] for a brief moment, Amamiya focused her gaze on the portrait of the white-haired girl who seemed to have suddenly appeared there.

'Noah...?'

Speaking of which... when did she join Xia Lai?

Amamiya had no recollection of ever sending her a request to join.

Sensing something was slightly off, Amamiya decisively tapped the tablet with her index finger, calling out to the old monk who was doing something.

"Arona...?"

The 'internal time' of the Shitei no Hako seems to be completely synchronized with the time in the real world. After the scene is switched to that familiar classroom with a broken corner, Amamiya can see the moonlit scene outside the dilapidated classroom, as well as the ankle-deep seawater inside the classroom, reflecting the shimmering light under the moonlight.

It looks beautiful, but it gives people a sense of loneliness, like being all alone.

"Hmm...Sensei, what's wrong...Arona was getting ready for bed..."

An AI girl wearing a nightcap appeared on the screen, yawning and half-opening her eyes, looking very sleepy.

When was this "Raw Salt Noah" student file entered?

"It seems to have been sent late last night... At the time, Arona just saw the 'Join Xia Lai' application and casually accepted it..."

Amamiya remained silent.

So it turns out you, this unreliable AI, let it in while it was half-asleep.

Such recklessness! Aren't you afraid of letting in a dangerous entity?

"Hmm... Sensei, are you thinking about Alona doing something naughty again?"

In this situation, the unexpectedly sensitive AI girl suddenly became wide awake, moved even closer to the screen, and looked at Amamiya through the screen with a questioning tone, as if to say, "Sensei, are you thinking about something naughty?"

After a few seconds of silence, Amamiya waved his hand, rejecting Alona's guess.

"No……"

Now that Noah has been added to the file...

Amamiya glanced at the recent 'Student Applications to Join Sharai'.

Sure enough, among a large number of applications with different purposes, I found Wakazama's name.

After approving the request, Amamiya then designated Noah, the student on duty, as "Raw Salt Noah".

Previously, on their way to visit the engineering department, he and Yuka had chatted about the game department.

In addition to the 'lack of members,' the game department had previously lost a lot of funds due to the 'catastrophic failure' of a game development project...

Yuka herself actually values ​​the kids in the game club quite a bit—but as the seminar's accountant, she also has her own things to do.

At least in terms of "work," Yuka has to be as impartial as an accountant.

How could Yuka possibly engage in such corrupt practices as "squeezing money out of the budget to build a fortress city" or "enough for Abydos to pay off its debts, buy back all the land, and even renovate the academy"?

It was precisely because she actually cared about the affairs of the game club, but was unable to do so due to her position and the reason of "not being able to act out of personal favoritism," that Yuka thought of asking Sensei for help.

After receiving the request from the game club, she chose to 'invite' Amamiya and brought the Saiha sisters from the game club to introduce them to Amamiya.

Why bring up the 'game club' all of a sudden?

It's because Amamiya recently... promised to compile his 'activity log' and turn it into a script suitable for the game.

As for Noah... based on Amamiya's impression of this 'literary girl,' she should be very good at this field.

Grasp the key points of the story, refine it, simplify it, and polish and adapt it to a certain extent in your own way... This should be the area of ​​expertise of the 'literary girl who is good at recording'.

"Then, let's make Noah the one on duty tomorrow."

Then, Amamiya looked out at the star-studded night sky and prepared to reply to the message.

‘Ding dong~’

Suddenly, a doorbell ringing, deliberately imitated by someone, came from outside the club activity room.

Installing a doorbell outside the office is undoubtedly a rather foolish thing to do.

Amamiya, who was about to reply to the message, paused slightly, then frowned and stopped replying, instead going to the door.

"Um...Sensei...may I come in...?"

Is it... that very introverted 'master eavesdropper of truth'?

Hearing a soft knock and the girl outside speaking in barely audible words, which seemed to come from a great deal of effort, Amamiya felt a moment of confusion before opening the door anyway.

"Xiaoyu? Is something the matter so late?"

As Amamiya pulled the door open inward, she softly asked the girl who was standing in the doorway, seemingly still hesitant and a little shy.

"Because... I was very interested in Sensei's voice, so... I came to visit."

After a brief moment of surprise and astonishment, the overly reserved girl tilted her head slightly, her light purple pupils seemingly reflecting the starlight in the night sky outside the window.

"About sound...?"

Amamiya pondered for a moment and felt that the other party's purpose in coming to find him was also related to the Ganges River.

After all, his title is "eavesdropping expert," so it's normal that he would know more about sound than the average person.

Furthermore, given this title, the probability of being a "sound enthusiast" is quite high.

"Come in and talk."

Amamiya stepped aside, allowing this girl, who was 'shy and introverted' in the real world but 'eloquent' in the online world, to formally enter Xia Lai's club activity room for the first time.

Noticing her slightly awkward twisting of her clothes and her slightly unnatural demeanor, Amamiya couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Despite possessing the "Magician" power, Arcana is different from Morgana, who gives off the impression of a "hard exterior but a fragile heart".

She gave Amamiya the opposite feeling; perhaps she appeared relatively fragile on the outside, but her heart was definitely resilient enough.

After all, if one's heart isn't strong enough, it's difficult to cultivate hobbies like 'eavesdropping in various ways' or 'enjoying listening to other people's private conversations'. (Clothing, Part 8 (4) (7) Pomegranate)

'It seems... unlike before when the other party initiated the conversation, this time it should be my turn to take the lead...'

"Speaking of which... Xiaoyu, there are some things I haven't had a chance to understand or confirm with everyone in 'Beritas' yet."

Considering that it was already night and a bit cool, Amamiya didn't make coffee at this time—to avoid the other person having trouble sleeping at night after drinking coffee.

After simply filling a cup with lukewarm water from the tea machine inside the club room, Amamiya invited Tama to sit at the table. Then, he asked curiously, "What do the people of Beritas usually like to do?"

The backdrop is a starry night with a bright moon, and slivers of cold moonlight stream through the window, draping Amamiya in a mysterious and ever-changing veil.

The bond abilities from Ayane - [Darkness and Brightness] and Noah's bond ability [Twin Stars Accompanying the Moon] have begun to take effect.

If the sun's warm, almost meltingly comforting warmth only made Xiaoyu feel overwhelmed...

At this time of day, Amamiya's demeanor gives her a strange feeling... a kind of 'cold mystery' that you only get when you look at the night sky, a feeling of emptiness.

The stars don't speak, and the moon has no friends.

Even though he was just silently sitting with Sensei, there was a subtle sense of comfort about it...

"Everyone in the Ministry of Truth..."

Xiaoyu finally spoke, and the fear or cowardice in her voice gradually disappeared.

"Haru... she probably likes device development. As for Maki... she'd probably like graffiti. And then there's Vice-Captain Chihiro... she often teaches us about the ethics of hackers..."

"And I... prefer 'listening to sounds'."

"So... Xiaoyu came because of my voice?"

The girl, who was being calmly watched by Amamiya, did not give a direct reply, but simply nodded with 'full of determination'.

"Hmm... So, Xiaoyu, what would you like me to do?"

Should we do something...?

The girl looked momentarily bewildered when Amamiya asked her this question.

To be honest, Xiaoyu really didn't mean for Amamiya to 'do anything'.

She just had this inexplicable feeling... Sensei's voice was "very special," and just listening to it gave her a sense of security.

She simply wanted to find Sensei alone, after her attempts to place listening devices had repeatedly failed, and listen to his voice while he was 'alone'.