I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"..."

"These are all I can think of for now regarding matters concerning the past millennium."

After listening to Yuka explain in detail the various 'precautions' about the millennium, Amamiya summarized the information he had gathered in his mind.

'Millennium is an academy whose technological capabilities far surpass those of other academies... According to outsiders' perception of the school, most of its students can be considered to have a science background.'

There are many noteworthy clubs, but among them, besides Yuka's "Seminar," the most noteworthy are the "Game Development Club," the "Engineering Club," the "Truth Club," and... the "Extraordinary Phenomena Investigation Club."

"The seminar should be the 'highest institution' at Millennium Technology Academy... or at least a very important one. From Yuka's description, I can at least understand that... the seminar controls the economic lifeline of the 'Engineering Department' and the 'Game Development Department'..."

The "interaction funds" needed for these club activities require approval and disbursement through the seminar process...

From this perspective, Amamiya can now understand why Yuka is called the 'ruthless calculator'.

Put yourself in the shoes of an ordinary student—a club needs activity funds, and the more activity funds, the better.

However, those who approve the funding don't think that way.

To prevent the misuse of funds, Yuka, as the accountant, would definitely exercise extremely strict control over the funds—this can be analyzed and concluded by Amamiya based on Yuka's personality.

As the accountant, Yuka, who holds the power to allocate funds, is in some ways at odds with the activity clubs that need funding.

Therefore... it is not surprising that she was able to "earn" the title of ruthless calculator.

This title was undoubtedly a secret name given to her by the club members of Millennium Science Academy whose funding had been approved by Yuka, after a certain degree of 'unified reporting'.

Amamiya chatted with Yuka until almost noon. The scope of Amamiya's knowledge extended from Millennium Technology Academy to major academies or campuses such as "Ghena Academy", "Hyakki Yagyō United Academy", "Shan Hai Jing High School", "Akafu Federation Academy", and "Abydos High School".

Yuka's understanding of other academies is clearly not as comprehensive as that of her own 'Millennium Technology Academy'.

Amamiya could clearly sense that, in order to avoid letting preconceived notions influence her personal judgment when describing the general situation of these other academies, Yuka deliberately adopted an objective and calm tone, explaining the general situation as simply as possible.

Clearly, she had considered that her impressions of other schools should not be passed on to Amamiya as a sensei—if Amamiya developed a biased impression of other schools because of this subjective perception based on limited information, then things would be very serious.

"...That's roughly it."

After spending the entire morning explaining the general information about the school to Amamiya, Yuka put down her marker, which she had been using for drawing and writing, and looked up at Amamiya with a bright smile.

Slightly different from before... Yuka was now showing signs of fatigue.

After all, summarizing and transforming information to present it in a more understandable way and tell it to others is a very tiring task.

Amamiya, who had been listening attentively the whole time, watched up close as the girl smiled, revealing a static beauty.

She stood in front of a huge whiteboard covered with writing and drawing, filled with all sorts of news and information. Under the midday sun shining through the window, half of her body was enveloped in the unique warmth of the midday sun.

Putting aside her rather striking 'peculiar aura'... just standing there beside me, smiling at me, the subtle expressions on her face; the faint floral scent lingering in her meticulously maintained hair, a scent derived from some kind of shower gel or shampoo...

Everything was so 'details were clearly visible'.

In a daze, Amamiya felt like she was standing in an empty classroom, watching her "senpai" fill the entire blackboard with writing, and then turning around to ask, "Do you understand all this knowledge?" It was like a scene from a light novel.

Amamiya smiled and replied, "...Yes, I understand roughly."

He then lowered his voice slightly, deliberately speaking in a soft, almost unconscious tone, "Speaking of which... Hayase Yuka-san being so serious... is really cute..."

...Huh?!

The girl beside him jolted as if electrocuted and instinctively wanted to speak.

"But then again... with so many schools to deal with... if we prioritize them according to the severity of the problems... shouldn't we start with 'Abydos High School'? Or...?"

Yuka, who had originally intended to raise her voice slightly and say something like "You, as a role model for students, are actually... terrible" in a 'warning' tone, suddenly felt awkward.

She then realized... that the 'exclamation' she had just caught was just a feeling that Sensei had unconsciously made.

【~??~】

"...Yuka? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Amamiya, finding Yuka's extremely amusing reaction amusing, met her gaze with feigned confusion and spoke at the same time.

Feeling guilty, Yuka slightly turned her head away, avoiding meeting Amamiya's gaze... Naturally, she didn't notice that Amamiya's gaze wasn't questioning or doubtful, but rather teasing.

"……nothing."

After vaguely concealing her embarrassment, Yuka felt it was about time for her to leave.

"It's getting late... I have other matters to attend to, so I can't stay here any longer to help you understand the various aspects of the academy..."

Amamiya smiled and nodded at the opportune moment: "I understand, I understand."

He then continued, "This chat with Yuka was very enjoyable... but it's time to part ways for now. Let's save the rest for next time."

As she spoke, Amamiya magically produced a small, colorful cube about the size of an adult's palm.

"These are some personal items I brought from Giwatos... It's a 12x12 Rubik's Cube, but unfortunately... after trying to solve it a few times, I couldn't get it to restoring. I'll give it to Yuka as a parting gift."

Yuka was still somewhat bewildered when she suddenly received such a 'gift'.

She stared blankly and exclaimed "Eh!" before realizing what was happening. The Rubik's Cube, which gave off a strange feeling, was already in her hand.

【~???~】

"Thank you, Sensei... I will cherish this gift."

"Looking forward to... meeting Sensi again..."

After saying that, her cheeks flushed slightly, she quickened her pace and left as if fleeing.

'He's firmly captured Yuka's heart!'

As Yuka's figure disappeared with the closing of the elevator doors, Amamiya let out a long sigh of relief.

It seems that... the way to deepen bonds with those we help has not changed in the slightest despite the different world.

"So, it's time to consider visiting other academies..."

Chapter Fifteen: The Black Cat Princess in the Yellow Sand

Dusk.

The setting sun slowly sank into the sea, forming a perfect circle with its reflection…

'I never imagined that in a place like Kiwatos, I could see the kind of... natural wonder, landscape-like sunset described in the lyrics...'

The sun's rays sank into the endless sea, casting dappled patches of golden-red light on the water. Bathed in the evening breeze of this 'otherworldly' place, Amamiya felt a mix of emotions.

"Today's itinerary included a morning meeting with Yuka, and an afternoon I went out for a walk on my own to familiarize myself with the general geographical environment and other elements of the area..."

"Sigh... It's a pity that I don't know if there are any 'assistants' who are active at night. If there are, I could try to build a bond with them."

As the warmth of the lingering sunlight on his face gradually faded, Amamiya knew very well that he had to go back.

In a world where 'Russian roulette is a game played by street thugs'... it's actually an extremely unwise thing to do to go out at night without proper etiquette.

Amamiya himself is also very good at operating at night, and it's not wrong that he's jokingly called the 'night rat'...

Since he hasn't yet gained the basic recognition of the Federal Student Council and other various school forces, he shouldn't do anything like 'staying out all night' that would damage his personal reputation, lest it make it difficult to build bonds later.

With these thoughts in mind, Amamiya began to consider which academy to visit next.

"Arona...do you have any suggestions?"

As Amamiya walked towards the station platform, she looked at the 'tablet computer' in her shoulder bag, which had only an external camera to observe the outside world.

...It's quite interesting, actually.

In the past, when Amamiya went out, she liked to carry a shoulder bag, and the main purpose of doing so was actually to make it easier to carry the black cat that she carried around to exercise.

Now, the same shoulder bag is no longer used to carry the cat, but it does carry a companion who is usually difficult to move around in the real world.

After asking her question, Amamiya took out her phone to check if there were any new messages on MomoTalk, waiting for Arona's reply.

'Om—'

After a few seconds, Alona's corresponding vibration came from the shoulder bag, along with the AI ​​girl's somewhat muffled voice coming through the bag: "As for suggestions... sensei, Alona suggests that you first focus your visits on 'relatively stable' places like Millennium Technology Academy and Trinity College..."

Cu Ling, VI_ Silk, Dad Thirty Shrimp "Ugh... there's more..."

Her voice carried a hint of annoyance: "Sensei... could you... put the tablet somewhere where it's easier to observe the outside world... being stuffed into Sensei's shoulder bag, Alona feels... like she's about to suffocate..."

Will artificial intelligence suffocate?

With this absurd question in mind, Amamiya arrived at the station, swiped his card, had his ticket checked, and boarded the train bound for Xialai.

The carriage at dusk was not filled with passengers... either 'human passengers' like Amamiya, or passengers like the students of Givotos, who 'possessed at least a very high degree of human spiritual characteristics'.

Amamiya, sitting on the subway with her eyes half-closed, subtly observed the "composition" of the passengers in the carriage.

Robots of varying heights and builds, dressed in suits and ties; residents of Kivotos with feline or canine features and behaviors indistinguishable from humans; and students, all without exception, sporting halos above their heads…

Most of them were 'robots' and 'bipedal creatures', which Amamiya found particularly bizarre. Even 'students' with at least human characteristics were quite rare.

— Naturally, and especially so, the number of students who can be marked as assistants by the "third eye" is even smaller.

No matter how many times I see this wondrous sight, it always gives me a sense of disorientation…

In such a city, Amamiya, a "normal human male," becomes an exceptionally "abnormal" existence.

With these concerns in mind, Amamiya subconsciously reached into her shoulder bag to pull out a book, intending to kill time while waiting for the subway to arrive.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a... 'strange' girl.

The other person was sitting right across from him, seemingly quite different from the otherwise 'noisy' subway car.

Like Amamiya, she also carried a shoulder bag.

The cat ears on her head twitched occasionally, and the girl with long black hair and pigtails squinted her eyes, seemingly in a half-dream state, becoming a unique static landscape in the carriage.

With the help of the Fool's abilities—[Third Eye] and [Unrestrained Negotiation]—Amamiya obtained the other party's name.

'...Serika Kuromi?'

Upon activating his Third Eye, in a world resembling a static sketch, Amamiya 'saw' the Arcana above the girl's head, as well as some basic information about her provided by his Third Eye and Unruly Negotiations.

[Assisted by: Kuromi Serika / Black Cat Princess in the Yellow Sand]

【Arcana: The Hermit (IX.THe Hmit)】

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

'The Hermit, from the Thoth Tarot deck.'

The "Hermit" in the Thoth Tarot is slightly different from the "Hermit" in the regular Major Arcana. If you hold this Arcana, in its upright sense, the Helper will have qualities such as seeking truth, selfless dedication, having their own 'moral standards'; integrity, and aloofness...

From a reversed perspective... it means being very tired, very drained, hardworking, and unable to see one's own strengths; being arrogant; being conceited; avoiding reality... a workaholic; loneliness; stubbornness; being highly guarded; losing one's direction... those who hold the Hermit Arcana generally have these negative traits.

Is she a girl who blends such positive and negative traits into one...?

Amamiya couldn't help but recall the scenes she would occasionally see on the subway when she was studying at Shujin Academy.

A girl from the countryside came to Shibuya, determined to make a good living there... She had to rush to school in the morning and work part-time at a convenience store in the evening, or look for other part-time jobs, leaving her with almost no energy the next morning...

Hmm, the 'Kuromi Serika' in front of me looks exactly like the kind of person Amamiya remembers...

Those "female students who live life to the fullest" who appear listless and even doze off on the subway while rushing to catch their train because they "excessively push themselves."

...Logically speaking, a region like Kivotos should have very few, or almost no, such talents, right?

'The Black Cat Princess in the Yellow Sands... What does "yellow sands" mean? Does it refer to a region like Egypt... known for its desert areas?'

'Black Cat Princess...'

After rubbing his chin, Amamiya stood up and, like a non-Newtonian fluid, squeezed through the crowd in the aisle with incredible agility and flexibility, sitting in the empty seat next to the girl.

The 'black cat princess' remained exhausted, occasionally lowering her head slowly, only to unconsciously raise it again.

Just like those students who are so sleepy in spring, so drowsy in summer, so sleepy in autumn, and so hibernating in winter, they are so sleepy in class that they can't keep their eyes open, but they still need to make sure they keep their eyes open... To be honest, Amamiya saw her past self living in Shibuya in her performance.

Amamiya, who had intended to pass the time by reading this book, ultimately couldn't bring herself to turn the pages of the book she had already received.

Setting down the book "The Mask of the Red Death" in his hand, Amamiya gently pushed up his glasses.

The third eye scanned the area... Good, no one noticed anything he had done.

By adjusting his glasses, Amamiya cleverly concealed the cluster of eerie blue flames that had appeared from his melting glasses.

—psona.

'Horus...Diarramar.'

'Solar vitality.'