I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Bathed in the breeze of new life, receiving heartfelt blessings."

"I grant you boundless power..."

Coopation is now unblocked!

【Tsukigami Rion (Verdict/Trial) ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

The ethereal sound of butterfly wings fluttering and the clanging of shackles faded into the distance.

'I never expected... that the 'lyrics' that formed the bond with Rion would resonate with Himari's, yet simultaneously evoke a completely different feeling.'

Recalling the completely different lyrics he heard when he formed a bond with Himari, Amamiya couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

(Note: Himari's lyrics are in "Eternal Hope" Chapter 28)

"..."

As she withdrew her hand, Rion seemed to sense a faint feeling.

For some reason, I have this feeling that I'm no longer alone...

Is it an illusion?

No... it should be the kind of unique "bond" mentioned in the information that's taking effect?

It doesn't matter what...

Slightly tired, Rion brushed aside her somewhat messy bangs, tidied her side hair, and smiled, looking both weary and somewhat comfortable.

It's a strange feeling... but I don't dislike it.

"Now... let's get down to business."

Amamiya coughed lightly and then tapped the student ID on the table with his knuckles.

"Rion, you don't want your special student ID to be leaked, do you?"

【~???~】

"……Um?"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Supplementary School's Academic Ability Test

"And so... I exchanged a special privilege with President Rion through the 'Secret Treasure'."

After swallowing the 'carefully crafted sandwich' cut into evenly shaped acute triangles, Amamiya, under the calm yet expectant gaze of the 'maid,' finally revealed the rest of the story.

After listening, she remained silent for a moment, then lifted her skirt, stood up, and went to the curtains. With a 'whoosh,' she pulled the curtains open, letting the winter morning light shine in.

The girl, bathed in the morning light, peered through the window at the scenery outside.

Through this warmth, she seemed to feel that the 'shackles' binding her were gradually dissolving.

After the feeling of relief faded, my shoulders seemed to relax a lot...

But along with it comes the emptiness that comes after the 'no longer heavy' feeling.

She has no immediate plans to forgive Rion, who has already repented.

But at the same time, she harbored resentment towards her 'seniors' in the maid club...

There was an inexplicable sense of emptiness, as if I had suddenly lost all my place to belong and become helpless and alone.

"I see... Sensei, in the end, you used this privilege of yours to gain..."

Shi's expression was complicated. After a pause, he asked incredulously, "In exchange, you... have my 'freedom of action'?"

Although Shi didn't know exactly how important the so-called 'treasure' was, he could roughly guess its importance from the changes in the engineering department.

One can imagine that the 'treasure' must have gone through a process of searching for clues, conducting on-site investigations, and confirming routes...

Ultimately, they might have to go through a perilous battle, one wrong move of which could cost them their lives, before they could finally snatch it from that magnificent palace.

Even if the 'treasure' obtained in this way doesn't have immense value... it should still have many unique and wonderful uses.

The fact that Abydos is using the Kaiser Group to rebuild the campus and green the area is no secret to the various colleges.

Previously, Shi had been ordered by Rion to investigate this matter.

As someone with more knowledge about this matter, Shi has every reason to believe that Abydos has taken control of the Caesar Group in the black market, maintaining order while reforming the academy...

There must be some kind of 'secret treasure' involved in such a thing.

Seeing that Amamiya remained composed, the disbelief in Toki's tone increased slightly.

She repeated her question: "Sensei...you're using the 'secret treasure' in a place like this?"

"What does it matter?" Amamiya chuckled and waved her hand. "Toki, you've probably heard a saying—"

As he spoke, Amamiya casually pulled a blank card from his collar pocket, striking a pose of righteous indignation as if he were about to transform.

"It's pointless to use something if you don't use it when you need it!"

Then, Amamiya's pose, which resembled that of a masked hero, naturally drew a slightly speechless gaze from the girl.

"Sensei, you really are..."

After tidying up her side hair, the girl's usually cold and expressionless face revealed a rare hint of helplessness, as if she had given up.

After some deliberation, she maintained her sense of helplessness and offered a sharp comment: "...still a childlike heart."

Amamiya casually took back the card and chuckled as he replied, "Sometimes, retaining a childlike heart isn't necessarily a bad thing... In my opinion, this degree of 'keeping one's original intentions' is actually a special and good quality."

【~???~】

Perhaps that's true...

Shi shook his head, turned to the side, lowered his head, and chuckled softly, not delving further into the topic.

Even the core artifact of the palace—a secret treasure that, if used properly, could 'stir up trouble'—was used on himself in this indirect way…

She had never felt such care before.

For her, it was an extension that was nothing short of a fantasy.

She simply continued to carry out the 'last order' she had received from Rion...

Unexpectedly, this seemingly ordinary task allowed me to experience many emotions I had never felt before...

Very subtle.

Is this... the feeling of a deepening bond with Sensei?

Sensei has put in so much effort and sacrifice for me... so I shouldn't be so 'lazy' and 'torture' Sensei like this anymore.

[At that moment, he seemed to relax his guard even further...]

Coopation has been improved!

[Asukama Toki (Emperor) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆]

[★4 Ability: 'Agreement: Maid's Service' has been unlocked!]

Following his "daily routine," Amamiya breathed a slight sigh of relief after calming down the maid who had been constantly bothering Xia Lai lately.

Every day, Amamiya had to provide this kind of emotional comfort to someone who was 'potentially turning into a fully automatic EMO princess' if she wasn't soothed. Amamiya even felt that her 'thoughtfulness' had been further enhanced.

After settling the worried maid in, Amamiya finally managed to finish her official duties for the day, albeit intermittently.

"By the way, the things the Federal Student Union processes are really precise... it seems like they can always finish processing a load in half a day."

After finishing today's tasks, Amamiya pondered why the Federation Student Council only gave out half-days of work each time.

—Perhaps they considered that Amamiya still had 'phantom thief activities' that would take time?

Or perhaps, it's simply because they didn't want to bother Amamiya?

While pondering, Amamiya casually opened today's news page.

[Hifumi: Sensei...it seems like the tutoring club is having a bit of a hard time lately...]

'Oh...it's been a while, Hifumi has finally sent a new message.'

'Speaking of which... it's been a while since I've deepened my bond with Hifumi, hasn't it?'

The first new message that came into view surprised Amamiya—it was from Hifumi, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

More than half a month has passed since her last time on duty in Xia Lai and when she dealt with the bullying gang in Impression Space.

The last time a message was sent... was two or three days ago.

(PS: There will still be 'daily news', but it's too easy to be accused of padding the word count if I write it out, so I've reduced it.)

Since she is that 'little angel who always tends to think in the wrong direction', and also the first person to establish a 'special relationship' with him, and there are currently no other 'main quests' or 'side quests' to do, it is natural to take care of her first.

After briefly browsing and replying to the other students' messages, Amamiya finally opened Hifumi's chat window.

[Amamiya: What trouble has Hifumi-chan run into lately?]

[Hifumi: It's about the 'Special Academic Ability Test'...]

[Hifumi: Sensei, are you familiar with the 'Special Cooperation Test'?]

Amamiya had never heard of it, but that didn't stop him from using his "déjà vu" ability to figure it out on the spot.

—I have to say, the bond skill that the guild leader gave us, which allows us to directly obtain information, is really useful.

Unfortunately, the president is like a cybernetic ghost; you can't actively trigger events that connect with her. You have to wait for her to come to you...

[Amamiya: 'Special Academic Ability Test'? You mean... the kind of system that all universities have where 'failing the test could result in repeating a year or even being expelled'?]

[Hifumi: ...Hmm.]

[Hifumi: It seems that most of the students in the cram school are kids with very poor academic abilities... or like me, kids without any outstanding talents.]

[Hifumi: Of course, based on my previous understanding, I already know that the 'tutoring club' was actually set up to restrict suspected individuals...]

The message from Hifumi's side was paused for several minutes before it continued to arrive.

[Hifumi: ...Anyway, I have one wish—that everyone in the cram school passes all three special academic ability tests, so that everyone in the cram school can avoid being expelled...]

[Hifumi: I haven't been in touch with Sensei lately because I've been working on my studies and fulfilling my wish... I'm really sorry...]

Amamiya thought to herself, "Does this even need an apology...?"

To various degrees, it was clearly because Amamiya had been busy with various things that he had neglected Hifumi and hadn't contacted her recently.

However, in Hifumi's view, it was because she did not take the initiative to contact Amamiya and unilaterally neglected her... She even showed guilt for it?

so cute~

Amamiya did not attempt to explain the subtle misunderstanding that arose from their lack of contact.

[Amamiya: So, Hifumi-chan, do you want me to help tutor the students in the cram school club?]

Hifumi's response this time was decisive and clean.

[Hifumi: Hmm... if possible...]

[Hifumi: Sensei, please come to the tutoring department...]

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Ice Witch - Shirasu Azusa

The fact that "if you fail the exam, you may be expelled" is indeed a very serious matter.

So, Amamiya temporarily put aside his plans to go to the seminar and get closer to Yuka today—and directly boarded the high-speed train to Trinity.

Before leaving, Amamiya sent Yuka a MomoTalk message, along with a screenshot of her previous chat with Hifumi.

[Amamiya: Yuka, did you feel anything 'particularly unusual' or anything? Remember to take good care of yourself.]

[Amamiya: [Screenshot of conversation.jpg]]

[Amamiya: I originally wanted to go to the Millennium area to get closer to Yuka... but then I encountered a request from a student who might be expelled, so I have to go check out Trinity...]

……