I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

'Wow... Sensei actually talked to me first thing in the morning... Is today my lucky day?'

Excited yet shy, the white-haired girl slightly raised her long, ghost-like sleeves to steady herself.

"Hmm... Is that so? Since you, Sensei, have received a special invitation... then, please follow me..."

The student, who had been around for a millennium, led Amamiya through the bustling venue in a winding, meandering manner before taking her inside a temporary building.

"Um...Sensei, this is it...Should I contact Noah-senpai and the others?"

Amamiya shook his head at the thousand-year-old student who seemed like a little ghost, then smiled gently, stepped forward, and placed his hand on the top of the other's head, stroking it lightly.

"No need to trouble yourself... Also, good luck."

【~???~】

'I...I was patted on the head...'

The girl, breathtakingly beautiful with shyness, blushed and lowered her head, letting out a muffled "hmm".

"We...we'll do our best..."

The student ran out quickly and then ran back shortly afterward with a bottle of sports drink.

“Sensei, I’m sorry… due to the hasty preparations, we don’t have any other items to offer as a welcome guest…”

After shoving the drink into Amamiya's hand, the girl spoke quickly, "Please keep this safe... Um, I... I have other things to do and can't stay with Sensei any longer..."

After saying that, the student, who had lived for a thousand years, jogged away as if fleeing.

Amamiya, holding a beverage bottle, began to wait for Yuka and Noah.

As an 'invited guest,' Amamiya also knows some special inside information.

Today, in addition to presenting awards for the Grand Prix, Rion will also have to go on stage to 'confess'.

How will this 'Lord of Darkness' repent for his mistakes...?

Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Opening of the Millennium Grand Prix

After waiting backstage for a short while, Amamiya saw the core members of the seminar file in.

Xiaoxue, dressed in a formal long dress, skipped and hopped in front, with Noah and Yuka following closely behind.

At the back of the line, Rion was still wearing her signature black uniform skirt and white turtleneck sweater. Her lowered eyelashes cast fan-shaped shadows under her eyes, and her crimson eyes gleamed slightly, clearly considering the words she would use when she went on stage.

"Hehe~ Will there be any unexpected surprises in today's 'Grand Prix'?"

Koyuki's signature laughter, accompanied by the sound of the door opening, reached Amamiya's ears.

After entering first, Xiaoxue seemed to be practicing some kind of "special skill," standing on tiptoe and looking around with her pink cross-shaped eyes, even deliberately frowning and striking an exaggeratedly focused pose like a detective.

Is this... trying to find the feeling of having your 'third eye' opened?

Amamiya found it fascinating and expressed his appreciation for Yuki's adorable little actions.

However, despite his praise, Amamiya did not approve of Yuki's actions.

Because the "third eye" is a special kind of "thief's skill"—he only opened his third eye after being instructed by the "false god" of that time.

If this kind of visual training were to truly open one's heart and mind, the training would certainly take years.

"Ah! Sen-Sensei?"

Noticing Amamiya sitting in the corner, Koyuki was briefly surprised, but then, disregarding her image, she ran over, her skirt billowing, and clattered to her side in her round-toed leather shoes: "Are you the specially invited guest for this seminar?!"

As a member of the seminar, she had indeed heard rumors that there would be special guests this year.

Before meeting Amamiya, Yuki only thought that the so-called guests were just students from other schools... She never expected that it would be Sensei, whom she had been thinking about all this time.

Amamiya put down her half-finished sports drink, stood up to greet everyone, and took the opportunity to observe the four girls at the seminar.

"Good morning."

As Amamiya's gaze swept over the girls with their strikingly different styles, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly—to suit the formal occasion, Yuka and Noah had both changed into specially made formal attire for the seminar.

This black and white suit, designed with Rion's aesthetic in mind, is a model of tailoring, so precise that it would be bulky if it were any more, and out of shape if it were any less.

Everything was just "perfect".

Moreover, the same outfit gives off a completely different feeling when worn by Rion, compared to when worn by Yuka and Noah.

Rion's mature and voluptuous curves accentuate her cool and intellectual beauty, while the black and white color scheme gives her a 'fierce aura' like a drawn blade.

Yuka wore a single ponytail with a black skirt suit, the same style as Rion's, but the impression she gave was that of a 'green fruit that seems to be gradually ripening'.

Her overflowing girlish charm and gentle, almost childhood sweetheart-like temperament were accentuated by the addition of a touch of maturity in her all-black attire.

Noah also changed her hairstyle, choosing a more challenging updo. Her knee-length silver-white hair appeared much shorter, reduced to waist length, and styled into long, straight hair, giving her a quiet and gentle look characteristic of the Hime cut.

"Good morning..."

Yuka unconsciously twisted the folds of her skirt with her fingertips, and the gloom that had just hung over her brows vanished the moment she saw Amamiya.

A warm current from the deep bond washed over her heart, and a gentle smile naturally appeared on the girl's lips: "You're still so reliable."

How strange... Just a short while ago, I was worrying and panicking about the upcoming hosting gig...

But that tension completely vanished the moment he saw Sensei…

Amamiya smiled and replied, "Yuka is as cute as ever."

【~???~】(from Yuka)

"?!"

A double eighth note, symbolizing the highest level of favorability, appeared above her head. Yuka's ears instantly flushed crimson. Under Noah's mischievous gaze and Rion's probing look, she hurriedly conveyed a silent accusation with her eyes: "Sen, Sensi...!! Don't say anything strange in this situation!"

"It would be fine if Noah saw it... but what if Yuki, Rion, and the others noticed something was wrong..."

The atmosphere seemed slightly romantic.

Noticing that Rion seemed to be paying attention, Noah stepped forward at the opportune moment, clasped his hands together, tilted his head, and smiled, breaking the awkward silence with a joking tone: "You two are really inseparable~"

Yuka's eyes trembled slightly, and the soul-stirring feeling was instantly pushed to an exhilarating peak.

She grew increasingly flustered and confused: "Noah?! What are you saying?! 'Inseparable' and all that... how can you describe it like that..."

Yuka bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jumping up and down, unaware that her 'best friend' was taking the opportunity to show Amamiya her meticulously styled, flowing silver-white hair and the contrasting beauty created by her black dress, which was completely at odds with its color scheme.

The girl's coiled silver hair shimmered in the morning light, and the scholarly air emanating from her 'literary girl' gave her a kind of "hidden" aura.

She seems unassuming, yet she calmly and easily reveals her most beautiful side unintentionally.

The girl's affectionate eyes and the subtle, unnoticed gesture she made—all seemed to convey a clear intention.

'How is it? Sensei…'

'Does this unique "formal attire" resonate with you?'

Amamiya, who had discerned Noah's intentions from his subtle gestures, hesitated for a moment before carefully examining the two 'best friends' before asking with some curiosity, "Yuka, Noah... and Rion, were these outfits specially prepared for hosting the Millennium Grand Prix?"

Rion answered Amamiya's question. She replied straightforwardly, "The costumes were custom-made by the engineering department."

Amamiya raised an eyebrow upon hearing this—those engineering department girls who are always dealing with technology and tough jobs, or mechs and weird things, and seem to be 'exploding' every day, actually taking on a commission like custom clothing, which is completely unrelated to their image?

"The same design can be interpreted in different ways by different people, which is amazing."

The girls reacted differently to Amamiya's words, which were more than a compliment.

Yuka lowered her head, staring at the swaying light spots on the toes of her shoes: "Huh? Ah... um, thank you for the compliment...?"

【~???~】(from Yuka)

Noah, on the other hand, gracefully twirled around, seemingly accepting Amamiya's praise with a clear conscience.

"Sensei's compliment made me feel that dressing up was meaningful."

【~???~】(From Noah)

Comparatively speaking, Rion performed the most consistently. She calmly glanced at Amamiya.

Liyin calmly stretched her arms slightly to the sides, seemingly both surprised and delighted: "Thank you for the compliment."

【~???~】(from Liyin)

—The three responses perfectly matched their respective temperaments.

Feeling neglected, Xiaoxue puffed out her cheeks and tugged at her skirt, her pure white uniform standing out against the sea of ​​black.

After running up to Amamiya, Yuki lifted her skirt and looked up at Amamiya with an expectant expression, as if asking, "What about me? What about me?"

Although she didn't care much about what outsiders thought of her appearance... it was, after all, Sensei's opinion, a treatment that all her seniors received...

"And what about me, Sensei... what's my evaluation?!"

Amamiya suppressed a laugh and smoothed down the messy hair sticking up on her head: "It would be even more suitable for you if you grew a little taller."

After comparing the figure differences between Xiaoxue and her three predecessors, Amamiya Shin thought that the difference might be quite significant.

But Yuki definitely didn't catch Amamiya's 'high EQ' reply. She blinked, paused for a moment, and then nodded happily.

【~???~】(from Xiaoxue)

"Hehehe~ As expected, I also have an evaluation that is no less than that of my seniors!"

After chatting with the girls at the seminar backstage for a while, it was almost time to leave.

"The Millennium Grand Prix is ​​about to begin..."

Rion took a deep breath and reached out to touch her headset.

A hint of solemnity crept into her eyes as she prepared for her upcoming repentance ceremony. She spoke softly:

"Let's get ready to go on stage."

Chapter 59 Rion Begins to Repent

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual 'Millennium Grand Prix' event venue...!"

As the loudspeaker broadcast the sound throughout the venue, Amamiya clearly felt the atmosphere instantly ignite.

The cheers surged like a tidal wave, rising in layers, like crashing waves, with tremendous momentum.

As a special guest, Amamiya sat in the guest seats and felt an atmosphere no less enthusiastic than that of a major sporting event.

Yuka's commanding voice successfully stirred the emotions of the audience. The temporary screen lit up, flashing the names of numerous participating clubs and brief promotional images.

'This is... the venue for the Millennium Grand Prix.'

'Truly a once-a-year "special event," a crucial occasion for deciding on budget allocations...'

The atmosphere at the scene was so intense that Amamiya couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

As a special guest, he only needed to go on stage, say hello, and then sit in the guest seat for the entire time—he didn't need to participate in segments like script evaluation.

With great interest, Amamiya watched as Yuka, Noah, and Koyuki took charge of the event, delivering the opening remarks and setting the tone for the atmosphere. Amamiya then began to wait patiently.

After a brief opening ceremony, Yuka and Noah quickly got down to business and announced this year's awards.

"The club that won this year's annual [Best Special Invention Award] is... [Ballistics Research Club]."

These awards are very comprehensive, covering almost all the major areas that Amamiya could think of, with at least one or two corresponding awards in each area.

In addition to the ballistics research department, the game development department is also among the award winners.

The awards ceremony proceeded smoothly, and soon it was the turn of the games department.

"The winning group for this year's Golden Controller Award is—the Game Development Department!"

"Their representative work is a game that is currently renowned in Kivotos, widely popular on various academic platforms and public platforms, and has received high praise from multiple academies—"

"Persona series!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the four girls from the gaming club, who were already prepared, went up on stage together and raised a golden trophy, a symbol of honor, consisting of a mechanical base and a controller decoration.

Perhaps because the joystick design was too abstract, the symposium ultimately chose the more familiar handle as the logo when designing the trophy.

It's worth mentioning that it wasn't the club president, Yuzu, who gave the 'acceptance speech' on behalf of the game club, but Momoi.