I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

His response was a short, indifferent voice, but one that revealed a hint of joy.

"Ah."

【~???~】

Amamiya remained silent for the moment, neither speaking nor initiating a conversation, but instead began to survey the surrounding environment near the 'Little Rabbit Park'—

The midday sun in winter still carries a vibrant, nourishing energy... Perhaps it's the vastness and openness of winter that makes the wilderness feel so exhilarating.

Looking up at the bare branches and leaves that rustled and fell with the wind every now and then, Amamiya sighed softly, "When I have some free time, going out for a ride like this once in a while... is not a bad choice."

'...'

As soon as he finished speaking, Amamiya clearly noticed that Shirako paused for a moment as he was about to unscrew the bottle cap and drink water.

Immediately afterwards, Amamiya heard her ask with a hint of anticipation, "Sensei, do you also like... going out for a bike ride like this?"

Amamiya shrugged and replied 'honestly': 'Actually, in this area... I'm a complete novice.'

"In fact, this cycling trip with Bai Zi is my first time doing a long-distance ride."

Is IX Mausoleum 6 Private Lu Qierba like this...?

Shirako didn't delve further into 'Sensei's stamina' or 'why he was so proficient on his first try'—those were clearly minor details.

After all, even if Sensei doesn't ride a bike, he has to run around the other world every day. Without a good physical foundation and matching athletic talent, he can't become a phantom thief, let alone "Jok".

The wind blowing through the woods made her, who was covered in sweat, feel a slight chill.

But that doesn't matter, after all...

"I find cycling very fun..."

"I think maybe it's because 'it's with Shirako' that 'it's fun'?"

...?

Thoughts, like a kite with a broken string, were suddenly snapped, the remaining parts drifting away to the distant horizon—

【~???~】

'It's happening again... this feeling...'

"Speaking of which... what does Bai Zi usually think about at this time?"

Then... a sudden question pulled the gray-haired girl's thoughts, which were about to drift away to the horizon, back to reality, as if she had already thought of names for her children.

"Huh?...Sensei means to ask..."

Startled by Amamiya's few simple words, Shirako ruffled her sweaty gray hair, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Are you asking... what I think about when I'm resting...?"

Amamiya nodded, watching intently as Shiroko's expression gradually shifted between various emotions such as 'doubt,' 'self-doubt,' and 'hesitation,' changing like a 'face-changing' persona every few moments.

She was genuinely stumped by this seemingly meaningless casual topic.

Why……?

What do I usually think about at this time?

Is it about Abydos?

Or are they all members of the countermeasures committee?

Something seems off...

So, Sensei?

Although I've been thinking about it more and more lately... Sensei only arrived in Kiwatos not long ago.

Sensei was probably asking what he would have been thinking at this point, before he arrived in Kivotos...

After pondering for a while with a gradually troubled expression, Bai Zitong shook his head with a slightly empty look in his eyes.

"I have no idea."

After hesitating for a moment, this was the only answer she could give.

—I don't know, or...

Never thought of that?

In the past, even when I took breaks, I would just stare blankly at the scenery that seemed unchanging yet also changed every day, and that was all...

Of course, no one else had ever asked me this question before.

'This is the first time I've ever ridden together with friends for such a long time...'

A subtle sense of accomplishment, accompanied by a small feeling of happiness.

As if something heavy yet warm slowly filled his heart, and his thoughts temporarily struggled out of the maze, Bai Zi suddenly felt that his chest felt both flat and heavy, and at the same time, it became warm.

This unexpected warmth easily soothed the restlessness in my heart.

"Don't know? That's an interesting, yet predictable, answer."

Amamiya chuckled and moved closer to Shirako, putting his arm around the girl's sweaty shoulder. To her surprise, he sat down next to her.

“If you can’t figure it out…” Amamiya said, while casually rubbing the other person’s gray hair, which felt noticeably different due to being damp with sweat, “then don’t think about it at that time.”

That being said... the 'seed' born from doubt has already sprouted in my heart without my realizing it.

“Sensei…that…that…”

She wanted to say something like, "I'm all sweaty and dirty," to temporarily escape this level of close contact.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he held them back for the time being because of the resistance in his heart.

"White piece..."

Amamiya continued to gently twirl the girl's relatively more sensitive and distinct wolf ears with his thumb and forefinger, feeling the fine animal fur and the clear, thin layer of warm touch flowing repeatedly on his fingertips.

Unconsciously stroking and teasing her exceptionally attractive wolf ears, Amamiya continued in a profound tone, "My impression of Shirako is that of a 'lone wolf'."

'A lone wolf...?'

The tingling, itchy sensation coming from above her head, similar to but distinctly different from an electric shock, calmed her down.

Amamiya's description reminded Shirako of the animal documentaries she occasionally watched, such as "Animal World."

A lone wolf wandering alone in the desert... is that it?

"But now... I mean, in this moment when we're here together enjoying the scenery, does Shirako still feel 'lonely'?"

Bai Zi, lost in thought, paused for a moment, then subconsciously shook his head.

And so, Amamiya smiled.

"Looking at it this way, perhaps I have some 'things in common' with Shirako."

"What do they have in common?"

Bai Zi blinked, a moment of confusion on his face.

But then she understood.

indeed……

Sensei had only been in Kivotos for a short time and was unfamiliar with the place, yet he was entrusted with such an important task by the president of the Federation Student Council: to help the various colleges resolve their crises...

Who can he rely on?

Before I get to know the other students well enough... it seems like I can only rely on myself.

So... is Sensei also 'lonely'?

【~???~】

She pursed her lips, clearly experiencing a feeling of 'identification' or 'belonging' at that moment.

It's like... in an animal documentary, two lone wolves meet and then lick each other's wounds?

……and many more.

She suddenly realized—this might be a subtle opportunity.

"Sensei..."

Putting down her water glass and towel, the girl mustered her courage and grabbed Amamiya's hand. Her relatively small hand intertwined with Amamiya's large and warm hand.

"If you don't mind... we can rely on each other."

Surprisingly, Amamiya didn't even see the "Speak with caution" warning.

Because... it was Bai Zi who made the 'active choice'.

Amamiya didn't say much, but responded by taking Shirako's hand tightly.

Upon noticing Amamiya's response, Shiroko paused for a moment before revealing a relaxed and comfortable smile.

[They've developed a special relationship...]

There's no going back...

Coopation has been improved!

【Sand Wolf White Piece (Chariot) ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

[★3 Ability 'Lone Wolf - Pack' is now unlocked!]

"Please take care of me..."

Amamiya heard her voice tremble slightly with excitement, yet she still maintained a calm demeanor.

"Sensei."

Chapter Seven: The "Sponsorship" Plan from the Big Fox

As evening fell, Amamiya and Shirako, drenched in sweat, rode their road bikes together, completing a full day of small-scale 'tours' of the various academies of Givotos.

It must be said that... as a 'long-distance cycling enthusiast,' Shirako's endurance is quite amazing.

Amamiya estimated that Shirako's explosive power might not be among the top in Kiwatos—but his endurance was definitely among the best.

"Dingling bell~"

Dusk, sunset, sunset.

The afterglow cast a long shadow of the gray-haired girl riding her road bike.

Completely focused, she seemed to sense that 'success was in sight', so she gradually slowed down the vehicle and finally stopped in the small park below the Xialai Building.

"call……"

A sense of accomplishment, a sense of recognition... a strange feeling that comes together from a multitude of sweet sensations begins to overflow and spread in my heart.

She exhaled a puff of white steam, her calm tone tinged with a sense of 'exclamation': '...Mission 'completed'.

Feeling the sticky sensation from his clothes, which had been repeatedly soaked and dried by sweat, Bai Zi tugged at his damp collar with a slight annoyance.

In the past, I would be covered in sweat after a ride...

But Bai Zi had never felt that this sticky, unnatural feeling of being 'covered in sweat' could be so clear and so intense today.

"Bai Zi, we completed this 'cycling event' together... What are you thinking about?"

Amamiya lowered her own vehicle frame, propped the Phantom aside, and leaned close to Shirako, asking in a sweet voice.

Even with her superhuman endurance and the support of numerous bond skills, Amamiya's stamina was clearly depleted, and she was covered in sweat.

Fueled by her 'bewitching aura' (Wakazama's bond skill), Amamiya in this state, with just a simple approach, could inflict a devastating blow on a girl with weak willpower.

A wave of scorching heat, accompanied by a feeling of dryness and thirst, hit Bai Zi, who had just relaxed, and he immediately felt a little dizzy.

She didn't reply, but instead took out a towel from her shoulder bag that had been used all day and was covered in a strong smell of sweat, and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead to relieve her dizziness.

However, this seemed to be of no use... In her 'dizziness', Shiroko's gaze involuntarily fell on Amamiya's neck, where two buttons had been undone, and the sweat on her neck that seemed to hold a fatal allure for her.

The body, exquisitely sculpted like a marble sculpture, is not exaggerated, but rather attractive within the range of a normal young man, seemingly partially concealed by the Xia Lai uniform.

"Gu..."

Bai Zi closed his eyes, and in an instant felt that some kind of animal instinct of his was awakened.