I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

After deciding on the 'reward' for the engineering department to prepare a bionic body for Sophia, and the 'gift' for the celebrity Himari, Amamiya passed by the engineering department's temporary camp.

So next... let's see if there are any special invitations today?

While pondering, Amamiya opened her phone and looked at the messages that had been sent this evening.

[Nomiya: Sensei, are you free lately?]

'...'

[Ayane: It's like being on duty for a day...]

'...'

[Bai Zi: It's been so long since I've seen Sensei...]

'...'

[Hoshino: When will Sensei come to Abydos?]

'...'

[Celery: Sensei, I want to talk to you about something...]

...And that was the message sent out by the five members of Abydos at the same time.

Amamiya thought about it carefully and realized that it did seem to be true.

Since resolving the predicament in Abydos, it has indeed been about a week since I last saw them.

So...should I go to Abydos today and take a look?

Hmm... maybe it would be better to invite only one person?

Amamiya did not reply immediately, but instead looked at other messages.

[Yako: Do ​​you have time to come see the Chairman...?]

'...'

[Xiaochun: What exactly is hentai-sama doing?]

'...'

[Hifumi: Regarding 'the repentant 'school bully,' Sensei, I have something to say.']

'...'

[Saori: Recent intelligence information...]

'...'

[Azuko: Sensei, are you free? I'd like to borrow a little time from you...]

There seem to be quite a few key invitation messages...

Amamiya breathed a sigh of relief, then thought for a moment, tomorrow is the last day after Xia Lai finishes her rest...

Let's first confirm who will be on duty tomorrow.

After checking the student files with the Shitei no Kita, Amamiya decisively designated Ayane as the student on duty for tomorrow.

Among the five members of Abydos, Ayane is probably the most normal and hardworking, compared to the other four who are "abnormal".

Amamiya felt more at ease having her assist him with paperwork.

As for the other four... Amamiya always felt that as long as they didn't cause her any trouble, that would already be the best help she could get.

After sending Ayane a message about tomorrow's duty roster, Amamiya pondered for a moment, weighing whether 'unlocking unrestricted bond relationships' or 'improving already unlocked bond relationships' was a better priority.

Speaking of which... I've been cooking a lot lately. Should I talk to that "Ai Qingfengxiang" and try to exchange cooking techniques with her?

After all... cooking skills are also the most crucial special skill for gaining favor with those you help.

One cannot always rely on a persona to gain an unfair advantage—one's actual skill level also needs to be improved.

After thinking it over, Amamiya decisively replied first, politely declining the invitations sent by the other assistants today, and then opened the chat page of Ai Qingfeng.

After considering it for a moment, he typed a message: "Regarding cooking... I have some questions I'd like to ask. Fengxiang... do you have time now?"

Perhaps because this is a time when everyone is more relaxed and has more free time, Fengxiang responded quickly.

[Maple Leaf: Huh? Is Sensei coming to see me...?]

[Maple Leaf: Yes, I happen to be free right now.]

[Fengxiang initiated location sharing]

[Fengxiang: I'm currently at the supply department in Gehenna. Sensei can come find me here.]

Speaking of which... what was the reason that Fengxiang was kidnapped by that "Food Research Society" last time... because her cooking was too delicious?

If this is the reason for being kidnapped... then they are indeed very worthwhile people to befriend and help.

After returning to Xia Lai's club activity room and taking a quick look around, Amamiya casually dismantled the dozen or so extra eavesdropping and surveillance devices.

Since Xia Lai's club activity room underwent an upgrade... the frequency of 'discovering unidentified eavesdropping devices' has decreased significantly.

From being able to find dozens at a time to now only being able to find a dozen or so, it is indeed a great improvement.

Amamiya did not destroy all the listening devices at once, but left Tama's listening device in its original place.

After cleaning up the listening devices, Amamiya began to ponder what kind of gift "Aishi Kaede" needed.

If she likes cooking... perhaps it would be better to give her a kitchen utensil with special effects?

For example, "the rotating pot that can produce special sauces," or "the eternal spirit knife that can keep the processed ingredients forever fresh"...

No, no, no, that would probably only cause the number of times she gets kidnapped to increase exponentially.

What she lacks most right now is the ability to respond to crises in an emergency... or rather, the luck to get through a day safely.

"In that case... psona! Hermes!"

【psona - Hermes (Arcane: The Magician)】

[Introduction: In ancient Greek mythology, he was the god of commerce, traveler, thief, and livestock. He was also a messenger of the gods and one of the twelve Olympian gods.]

Legend has it that He invented the ruler, numbers, and the alphabet; He was clever and cunning.

With the help of Hermes, Amamiya used the "treasure demon" he obtained in another world as raw material and successfully crafted a special amulet.

[The Messenger's Amulet: An amulet possessing mysterious power that seems to grant a sense of 'speed' and 'protection'. Made from a legendary metal, it faintly retains the spirit of the messenger Hermes.]

[Type: Equipment/Accessory]

[Automatic Skukkaga/Wings of Hermes]

[Auto Skukka: Automatically activates, enhancing agility, speed, and mental abilities.]

[Wings of Hermes: Can be activated when 'Restricted', immediately releasing the user from their restraints and moving them to a location where they feel safe.]

—What does 'restricted movement' mean?

Physically bound and unable to move.

'Threat control' refers to someone holding a gun or other deadly object to your head.

'Special control' in other senses, such as mind control.

'This is a gift that combines increased speed with the ability to break free from restraints...she'll probably need it.'

'Well then, let's go to Gerina first...'

Chapter Seventeen: The Four Hungries of the Gourmet Research Institute

Look, in faraway Gehenna, something wonderful is happening again...

Well, it wasn't good.

The sounds of gunfire still echoed in their ears, and the deafening explosions and the sounds of buildings and other objects collapsing made the academy, at this time of evening, precisely the 'most dangerous period'.

Perhaps because students have more time in the evening, small-scale armed conflicts in Gehenna have gradually increased.

"This place is almost exactly the same as when I first came here..."

After uttering a soft sigh, Amamiya didn't know what else to say.

After casually giving a few temporary buffs—including continuous recovery, unlimited stamina, damage reflection, and immunity to negative status effects—to the disciplinary committee members who were calming down a dispute nearby, Amamiya ignored the conflict on the street and headed directly to Gehenna's supply department.

The supply department could also be described as Gerina's "college cafeteria".

This area is essentially where Gehenna and her group of troublemaking students (around four thousand people) are provided with their three meals a day.

...Of course, in the region where Gehenna resides, there are also restaurants and other shops closely related to daily life run by the 'Kivotos natives'. So, theoretically... the members of the Supply Department aren't that busy.

Standing far away in an area marked with the 'Supply Department' sign, which actually resembled a school cafeteria, Amamiya clearly sensed the indescribable oppressive atmosphere within.

Amamiya did not back down despite the 'oppressive' atmosphere in the cafeteria. She walked into the cafeteria, or rather, the 'club activity room' of the supply department, facing the curious, teasing, or ulterior motives of the students from Gehenna.

"Damn it...is it not done yet?!"

As soon as he entered the room, Amamiya keenly caught a relatively jarring, impatient voice.

This is a student of Gehenna muttering curses under her breath about a food delivery that seems to be late.

Amamiya naturally glanced at the student, Gehenna, who had uttered that curse... She had short, shoulder-length brown hair, and her clothes and appearance were unremarkable compared to the other "assistants" Amamiya knew; she was quite ordinary.

The people sitting at the table next to her were quite interesting.

'Ah……'

Clearly, she had also heard the low curse. The girl with long, straight, shiny silver hair and wearing a military cap gave a mocking "heh," then lowered her military cap, crossed her arms, and maintained a posture with her legs crossed that seemed to exude a bit of a boss-like demeanor.

'A complete idiot... He doesn't even understand the basic principle that "haste makes waste," so he doesn't deserve to enjoy the most delicious food.'

[Assistant: Haruna Kurodate / Leader of the Four Hungry Humans]

[Arcana: The Empress (L'Impératrice)]

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

'Another Empress card... but similarly, it gives off a completely different vibe compared to Chihiro Kagami and Midori Saiba, who both hold similar tarot cards...'

"But it is true, it's a little later today than yesterday..."

The blonde girl sitting at the same table as her rested her chin on her hand, looking thoughtfully toward the 'restaurant kitchen,' seemingly lost in thought.

[Assisted by: Akari Crocodile / Gourmet Research Big Eater]

Arcana: Temperance

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

Unlike Yuka's proper 'temperament', this one looks like an unbalanced reversed 'temperament', or perhaps 'temperament' is more reversed than upright.

"What's wrong with me today...?"

"They're not here yet... I'm getting a little hungry..."

The gray-haired girl lay slumped on the table, her orange-gold eyes seemingly unable to focus due to extreme hunger.

[Assisted by: Shishido Izumi / Gourmet Food Enthusiast]

【Arcana: The Star (L'Etoile)】

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

'Stars…besides Noah, the second Arcana I've seen that symbolizes "hope"…?'

What exactly caused the delay today?

"Should we go check out the kitchen?"

Probably the only one in the group of four without a figure so exaggerated that most students her age would envy her, the orange-red girl with twin ponytails seemed to be plotting something 'bad'.

[Assisted by: Junko Akashi / Gourmet Research Little Dragon]

[Arcana: The Tower (Maison Dieu)]