I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Upon returning, he first replied to each of the students who had sent him messages that day, explaining that he might not have much time today or in the near future, and then expressed his apologies.

Then, I briefly explained the reasons for 'taking leave'.

"That should solve the problem..."

The moon was bright and the stars were few. Crows flew south. Walking in the rain palace under the thin veil of night, I felt a momentary sense of disorientation when I came to a street lamp near Xia Lai.

After checking the entry and exit status of the people in the Xialai Building, Amamiya decisively returned to the residential area and pushed open the door to his room.

As soon as he entered, Amamiya keenly sensed something was amiss.

It wasn't that the room had been bugged or monitored by students from unknown forces... but rather... there was a pair of dark red women's ankle boots and a few pieces of clothing that looked like fishnet stockings.

The fragments still bear faint traces of gunpowder burns, clearly indicating that their owner had recently engaged in a firefight with an unknown target and was perhaps seriously injured as a result... Naturally, the clothes were torn to shreds as a result.

This is……

The traces left by Wakazama?

Using her "third eye," Amamiya saw a few traces of fox tail fur left on the ground and immediately realized who the "intruder" was.

'Click'.

He turned on the light in the entryway.

As the lights came on, a pair of eyes that glowed faintly in the darkness suddenly appeared.

The next second, the light was turned on, and the girl, who still smelled of shower gel and had a little moisture on her hair, seemed to have just changed her clothes. She shook her fox tail, which was drooping from the water, and smiled faintly as she approached.

"Hehe... Darling... Wakazao has always, always been waiting for you~"

After a moment's hesitation, Amamiya naturally smiled, stepped forward, and looked closely at the girl who looked fresh and thin because she had just changed her clothes.

"I never expected to run into Wakazama at this time..."

Amidst the girl's anticipation and nervousness, tinged with an excessive girlish shyness, Amamiya slowly placed his hand on her head and rubbed the tips of her unusually lively, deep red fox ears.

"Wakazama...is injured?"

With a gesture that was neither too intimate nor too distant, Amamiya embraced the girl with his other hand before lowering his head and tentatively asking.

Through extremely close contact, Amamiya could clearly sense that Wakamo seemed to be gradually entering an 'overload' state.

Despite trying to maintain a calm expression, its body temperature seemed to be rising at an alarming rate, its tail and ears began to wag uncontrollably, and even its body started to tremble slightly...

"Hehe... Darling, are you worried about Wakazama... Hehehehe... Wakazama is... very happy..."

Even though she can't speak fluently anymore, she still insists on maintaining her usual yandere-like sentence structure.

……wrong.

This state... is clearly very similar to Momoi's reaction when she was patted on the head under the influence of "Animal Affinity" (Kayoko's bond skill)...

The description of the Bond Skill is: Improves negotiation effectiveness when dealing with students who have "feline characteristics". Increases own animal affinity.

Could it be...

Foxes can also be considered 'cats', right...?

But that doesn't make sense, foxes aren't actually felines, they should be classified as canines...

Could it be the "enhancing animal affinity" part that's causing this?

That's impossible. The students are... well, at least they can be considered 'human'... although they have special physical characteristics and many of them have animal features.

As Wakazama's increasingly abnormal 'red temperature' state became more and more pronounced, Amamiya decisively increased the distance slightly and stopped trying to hug her.

Seeing the slight disappointment and reluctance on the girl's face, Amamiya asked with concern, "Could you tell me what Wakazama has been going through lately?"

"Um……"

Slightly annoyed, Ruozao drooped her fox ears and, after calming herself down, briefly described her recent situation.

"Wakazama... is currently being hunted by that SRT Academy squad..."

"Honey, you should know about SRT Academy, which is currently on the verge of being shut down, right? There's a team in that academy called 'Fox'..."

"While Wakazama was searching for her beloved's whereabouts... she was discovered and ambushed by that squad..."

Oh... so it's that team from SRT Special Academy?

Amamiya had heard Rin mention it before, and had even learned about it through the "déjà vu" bond ability.

Through Wakamo's intermittent and highly subjective descriptions, Amamiya gained a general understanding of Wakamo's recent experiences.

Because she was 'wanted', she was practically homeless most of the time.

Recently, because Amamiya has been frequently active in and around the Millennium Technology Academy, Wakazama has also started to frequent the area... but unfortunately, the Millennium Technology Academy is just too 'alert'.

Even though Wakamo is very careful in her activities, and with the mask given to her by Amamiya to make her presence less noticeable, there are times when she inevitably reveals her true colors.

Then today, just as she was about to invite Amamiya on a 'date' ahead of schedule... she happened to bump into the 'evil' Fox Squad, who were doing something 'evil', near the Millennium Technology Academy.

She was first hit in the face with flashbangs by the Fox team, and then subjected to a barrage of fire, almost getting captured.

Fortunately, she was protected by the mask. When she was about to be defeated, Wakazama wagged her tail and ran away.

Having been severely damaged, Wakamozaki Eri 3, Tsuki-Izumi had no choice but to enter Amamiya's private room without permission to take refuge.

"So...that's how it is."

Amamiya sighed, thinking to himself that this kind of life of 'fleeing from place to place' was really not easy.

Run his hand through the girl's hair, which seemed to be undergoing a skincare routine, making it increasingly smooth and silky, and then casually pinched her fluffy fox ears. Amamiya extended a sincere invitation.

"Ruozao, the residential area in Xialai has recently been completed... If you need, you can stay here temporarily?"

After the suggestion was made, Amamiya noticed that the girl in front of him, who seemed to be in a state of confusion, suddenly stopped breathing and then her breathing became heavier.

"The suggestion you made, my dear, is so tempting..."

"No, but...hehehe...Wakazama still..."

"Ah...Sensei...Darling...Your burning tenderness can melt the heart..."

"Wakazama is already..."

It was obvious that the fox-eared girl in front of them was on the verge of 'fox brain overload'.

Judging from the way her big fox tail was practically shaking like a propeller, Amamiya could deduce her extremely 'chaotic' mood at that moment.

Now, all we need to do is press our advantage a little...

"Ruozao, it's getting late. Let's find a place to rest first..."

Amamiya waved her hand beside Wakamo, who was standing there motionless, as if a gentle push would cause her to fall to the ground like a collapsing mountain of gold and jade.

After confirming that she seemed to have reacted immediately, Amamiya began to gather the daily necessities purchased by the Federation Student Council—uniformly designed thin blankets woven from some lightweight material, which, although light, had an amazing warmth retention.

After thinking for a moment, Amamiya spread the new quilt on top of her own, and then spread the quilt she had brought from outside Kiwatos on the sofa.

"Then... Wakazama, make your choice."

"Wakazama, would you like to sleep on the sofa... or in my room on the bed?"

"Or..."

Amamiya paused deliberately.

"Wakazama, would you choose... to sleep with me?"

Chapter Forty-Six: A Special Invitation from the "Maids' Club"

In the end, Wakazama didn't muster the courage to choose the option that was 'most tempting' to her... sleeping together.

Sometimes, the seemingly yandere person who is actually 'highly defensive' is just like this.

She made her move with a very seductive gesture... but when you were about to respond, she chose to back down because she wasn't mentally prepared or hadn't mustered the courage.

However... then again, compared to 'yandere', Wakazama's situation...

It seems more inclined towards 'humidifier' (for women)?

Anyway...

In the end, Amamiya was unable to spend the long, private time with Wakamo...

(If there were, I would definitely write a bond story here...)

(Hmm... surely... right?)

Silent all night.

The next morning, Amamiya was woken up by Alona right on time.

"Sensei~! Sen~sei! It's time to get up~!"

With Sofia's addition, Arona, who had already reduced the monthly price of the "wake-up call service" from two cases of strawberry milk per month to one case of strawberry milk per month, dutifully woke Amamiya from her dream today with her sweet, soft, and energetic voice.

Picking up the Shitei no Hako that was charging on the bedside table, Amamiya turned on the screen, entered the main operation page, and sleepily looked at Alona through the screen.

The 'Sea Fairy' on the screen stood in a sea of ​​azure water, holding the umbrella gun behind her back, smiling and tilting her head slightly, seemingly in an exceptionally cheerful mood today—but for some reason, Amamiya felt an urge to pinch her cheeks.

"Arona, I think you just need a pinch (on the cheek)."

The AI ​​girl on the screen panicked instantly, seemingly realizing Amamiya's intention.

"Hey?!"

"Being...being pinched by Sensei...I never expected that!"

Ignoring the gradually fading protests, and seeing Alona's adorable crying face that seemed to be somewhere between 'pain' and 'enjoyment,' Amamiya rubbed Alona's cheek, which seemed to be getting more and more comfortable to touch, through the screen before finally focusing his gaze on the file that Alona had somehow pulled out of her hand.

"Arona, what are the plans for today?"

Alona, ​​who seemed to be a little sore from being rubbed, did not respond to Amamiya's request immediately, but instead expressed her displeasure first.

"Waaaaah...Sensei is so mean!"

【~???~】

Although she was venting her dissatisfaction... the favorability notes from the AI ​​girl, which floated down from above her head and lingered around Amamiya, clearly betrayed her.

"Alright, alright... Don't be angry, Alona."

Amamiya chuckled awkwardly, "Because Alona is just too cute... so cute that I can't help but want to tease her a little... I'll grant one of Alona's requests as compensation, okay?"

"..."

"Hmph ╭(╯╰)╮... I'll forgive Sensei this time."

Arona 'discontentedly' opened the file folder in her hand and pasted the contents of the folder onto the screen.

"Sensei has two tasks to do today..." A玖7陸疚鏾（八）x瘤

"The first item on the to-do list is a special invitation from the engineering department of Millennium—it seems to be related to a new research direction."

"And the second to-do list... seems to have been initiated by the Millennium Symposium, by the symposium's president... Tsunezuki Rion."

Oh?

I received two special requests all at once...

Amamiya was quite surprised and checked the two special to-do lists that Alona had posted on the screen.

The task list for the engineering department is almost certain to be related to a breakthrough in research on [Eden Metal].

As for the invitation to the seminar initiated by Rion Tsukigami...

Amamiya focused on looking at the second item on her to-do list.

"The millennia-old... [Cleaning & Clearing] (C&C; Maid Club) wants to make the most basic contact with Sensei... and reach a cooperation agreement?"

Considering Himari's previous 'warning' and Rion's 'cooperation invitation' sent at a relatively special and crucial juncture, Amamiya couldn't help but wonder if Rion had learned about Alice's sudden appearance a thousand years ago from the very beginning.

Himari had every reason to know, and Rion, as the "highest authority" in every sense of the word at the Millennium Technology Academy, had no reason not to know.