I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Coopation has been improved!

【Tama Otoze (Magician) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

Under the constant, almost uninterrupted gaze of Shi, Amamiya chatted with Tama intermittently for a whole morning through this "face-to-face phone chat" method.

I managed to get all the things I needed to do today done before noon, even though I was rushing around.

As noon approached, Xiaoyu, realizing she should go back for lunch, seemed to have finally mustered up the courage.

She tightened her scarf slightly, her cheeks flushed, and with her head slightly lowered, she softly invited Amamiya, "Um, that..."

"Sensei, are you free this afternoon? If so, I'd like to have lunch with you, and then in the afternoon..."

Xiaoyu's 'invitation' caused Amamiya to fall into a brief period of contemplation.

'If I accept Xiaoyu's invitation, I can further deepen my bond with her...'

'However, this means I can't respond to other people's invitations to help during the afternoons and evenings...'

It was obvious—even for Yuka's sake, he wouldn't accept Tama's invitation.

Seeing the girl's expectant gaze and her pitiful yet adorable little movements, like a rabbit, Amamiya shook his head helplessly.

"I'm sorry, I can't accept Xiaoyu's invitation... because I have to go to a seminar this afternoon."

"..."

Xiaoyu pouted in disappointment, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence filled with deep disappointment: "I see..."

She seemed a little lost and disoriented.

But since it concerns a seminar... it must be related to 'repentance'...

Since that's the case, it's a matter of very high priority—if I keep pestering Sen Si'e, wouldn't that just cause trouble for the seminar and for the millennium?

Xiaoyu understood this clearly and was disappointed, but she didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry... I'll find another time later and promise to go out with Xiaoyu."

"……Um!"

The girl, whose eyes were darting around, suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed on Amamiya's face, as if confirming the 'credibility' of her words.

Upon realizing that Amamiya's expression was indeed very serious, and that he didn't seem to be lying or just giving a perfunctory answer, her initially disappointed mood immediately turned from sunny to cloudy.

"I'll find another time to see Sensei later..."

After saying that, she jogged away from Xia Lai's office, under Shi Na's watchful gaze, which hadn't been missed at all.

After Xiaoyu left, Shi's gaze naturally fell on Yugong.

After staring at the silent Toki for a short while, Amamiya reluctantly spoke up: "It's almost noon... Toki."

"Hmm." Shi seemed not to understand what he meant, tilting his head slightly. "Sensei has a trip to the Millennium this afternoon. He's really busy."

"Don't you think you should be doing something right now?"

She blinked occasionally, then suddenly adopted a very 'devout' expression, almost as if she were sending blessings to her husband who was about to leave.

She clasped her hands together and said sincerely, "Then, as your maid, I wish Sensei good luck and smooth sailing in the afternoon's activities."

Amamiya: "..."

"I mean……"

"Sensei, do you feel that this blessing isn't enough? Like this..."

After pretending to ponder for a short while, Shi suddenly left the sofa where he had been sitting all morning, came to Amamiya, slightly tiptoed, reached out and touched Amamiya's head, and rubbed Amamiya's gray-black curly hair.

"Whether it's a 'lap pillow for a victorious return' or a 'pat on the head before going to war,' as your personal maid... I can serve you whatever you need, Master."

Amamiya was almost laughing in exasperation.

Okay, okay... You're pretending to be stupid, huh?

Do you really not know that I was actually hinting that you should cook?

Helpless, Amamiya squinted and looked at Toki at such close range.

Then... he realized that the other person seemed to be addicted to touching him. After rubbing him a couple of times, they showed surprise and unexpectedness, and then slightly increased the speed of their stroking.

Raising her hand to stop the seemingly endless head pats, Amamiya left with a dark expression, saying, "I'll cook."

He turned around and went to Xia Lai's restaurant, and successfully used the restaurant's kitchen to make a Kung Pao Chicken Rice Bowl using the chicken and other ingredients available there.

Same chicken, same kitchen ingredients...

This time, however, Amamiya was the one cooking, while Toki was the one watching the whole thing.

After witnessing Amamiya's culinary skills, which could be considered "Dragon Chef" even in "Cooking Master Boy," Toki finally got to enjoy Sensei's cooking, which, according to the descriptions circulating on the forums of Millennium and Gehenna, was "so delicious it was otherworldly."

With one bite, the world before my eyes transformed into a magnificent, shimmering palace, and the sounds around me became long and melodious…

Then it seemed like I heard someone say, "It's XX, I added XX!"

As the exquisite flavor exploded in his mouth, he mentally gave himself a thumbs up for the rumors he had recently gathered about Sensei.

She truly lives up to the rumors surrounding Gersina...

Sensei's 'deliciousness' is indeed as good as the rumors say...

【~???~】

After having lunch with the timer, Amamiya finally had her free time for the day.

Noah's request was from evening to night...

So, who should I ask out to this afternoon before evening...?

Thinking of Hasumi's invitation not long ago, a thought popped into Amamiya's mind.

Rather than...

Should we go to Trinity?

Chapter Twelve: The Strange Princess of the Tea Party - Mikasa's Sacred Garden

Oh, look... at that faraway Trinity College, something wonderful is happening...

The Holy Trinity at noon was slightly different from the scene Amamiya had seen when she and Shirako rode together.

Perhaps it was because there were more students around the school building at noon—these 'Trinity natives' lived up to Hoshino's earlier statement that they were 'supposedly the richest students on average in all of Kivotos'.

Their behavior and demeanor all carried, to varying degrees, an air of superiority and aristocracy.

The topics of conversation didn't resemble the pragmatic discussions of the students from the Millennium University, such as "What to eat today?" or "What progress has your research made recently?"

Instead, they would say things like, "Wow, a new high-end handbag store recently opened on a certain street, have you been there?" or "What should we prepare for afternoon tea today?"—topics that sound a bit confusing to Amamiya's perspective.

It truly lives up to its reputation as a 'noble academy'...

Even everyday topics are like this, a kind of noble 'unknown territory' for ordinary people.

After passing through the school area, Amamiya immediately took in her surroundings.

Um……?

I think I see a library over there?

Should we go check it out?

Amamiya, who was pondering whether or not to visit the antiquarian library, suddenly felt a gaze fall upon her.

Amamiya's phantom thief instincts and keen eye for detail make him exceptionally sensitive to capturing gazes—at least in this aspect of counter-detection, he has never 'missed'.

However, Amamiya did not react to the gaze immediately, but instead restrained her movements and slowed her pace.

Before long, Amamiya heard a voice that was somewhat hesitant, but overall still noble and frail, seemingly pitiful white-haired girl.

"Um... excuse me. If I may ask, you... are you Sensei from Xia Lai, right?"

The other party's aura was a light purple halo that looked somewhat like an iris flower pattern.

Amamiya used her "third eye" to take a look and found that the other party did not have the qualifications to assist someone, and was just an "ordinary young lady" in Holy Trinity... hmm.

Although the other party did not have the potential to become an assistant and further develop a bond, Amamiya still welcomed everyone who came. As long as the students who wanted to interact with him on his way to various academies were decent, Amamiya would still greet them with a smile.

"Yes. I'm Sensei from Xia Lai. What can I do for you, young man?"

The girl, tears welling in her eyes, clutched the hem of her clothes tightly. Before she could even speak, she burst into tears.

After a brief moment of confusion, she suddenly bowed deeply to Amamiya, and then, while Amamiya was slightly stunned, she grabbed his hand and delivered a series of 'hand-kissing' gestures.

Her small, grayish-white wings fluttered behind her, and she was so embarrassed that she seemed to have exhausted all her courage with this action.

"Um... I want to thank you!"

Amamiya was taken aback: ...Thank me?

"Not long ago, I left a message about bullies on an anonymous website, and those who bullied me quickly changed their attitude towards me. They not only admitted their mistakes, but also invited me to join their group, and have been working hard to fight against bullying ever since..."

"I think it must be the phantom thief... it must be Sensei, you stole their hearts!"

"If...if it weren't for your help, my life might have been completely bleak..."

"Therefore... I, I must... sincerely thank you!"

Listening to the other person's broken, slightly tearful words, Amamiya understood what had happened.

Earlier, he and Hifumi had visited the Trinity Impression Space together to resolve a small group of school bullies.

Then... after they repented in the real world, Hifumi, just in case, observed the repentant club members for a period of time...

It must have been around that time that Hifumi subtly informed the victim that the bully had repented...

Then came her gratitude.

"You're welcome……"

Amamiya smiled gently: "I am the Sensei of Sharai. Solving students' problems is a matter of course for me."

He scrutinized the other person closely, and suddenly became curious.

This student, who is still unknown, doesn't seem to be much different from the other Trinity's daughters—

Her appearance isn't as dramatic as an "ugly duckling compared to a swan" comparison; she's just above average among the Trinity Ladies.

Although her demeanor was indeed somewhat weak, she still possessed the classic air of a young lady from a wealthy family.

Amamiya recalled the old saying, "Every pitiful person has something hateful about them."

He frowned and pondered for a moment, then asked, "Excuse me for asking... why did those bullies bully you?"

The other bird's flapping wings suddenly drooped, and it remained silent for a few seconds with a pout.

"After they repented, I also asked them..."

"Then they told me..."

As she spoke, the girl turned to the side, showing Amamiya her small, grayish-white wings.

"The reason is that they felt my wings looked 'out of place'."

A significant number of Trinity students have various kinds of 'wings'.

Most of them will be white, or pure black (most members of the Justice Fulfillment Committee).

It is indeed very rare for a bird to have tail feathers that are a gradient of black, with the tips being completely black and the rest being pure white, making them look like gradient black wings.

It looks a bit like the wings of a crane, and it's somewhat unusual whether it's pure black or pure white.

But... this reason for bullying is really outrageous...

The absurdity of the so-called bullying excuses used by some high schools or junior high schools outside of Kivotos is comparable to that of other schools.

"Your wings are beautiful, very... special."

Looking at the little wings that were fluttering nervously, Amamiya said sincerely, "I have high hopes for you... for the style of your wings."

【~???~】

Although she wasn't recognized as an assistant and the bond couldn't be determined, Amamiya could still see the affection level she gained.