I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Rather, it's more accurate to say that... for both the Arius region and the special squad of four girls before Amamiya, Beatrice's repentance was merely the beginning of everything.

There's still so much to do and so much to consider...

"Next, we'll discuss the problems in the Arius region after Beatrice's 'departure'..."

"And the 'future' of your squad."

After a pause, Amamiya decided to start with the important matters.

"If nothing unexpected happens... the Arius region will most likely be cleared out and taken over by personnel dispatched by the Holy Trinity..."

Amamiya's proposed 'final result' was exactly what Saori and her group of four had anticipated.

The so-called cleanup and takeover... actually means to "discipline" all the Arios students living here, and then overthrow their belief that "everything is nothingness" instilled in them by Beatrice, and eliminate the hatred towards the Holy Trinity region that Beatrice has long instilled through this idea.

It should be noted that Beatrice taught for years the wrong ideas that "everything is meaningless," hated the Holy Trinity and Ghenna, and blamed all her misfortunes on others.

We need to start from scratch, to dismantle and reshape the cognitive values ​​of about a thousand girls around fifteen or sixteen years old whose perceptions have been completely distorted by "distorted education"...

The difficulty of it is self-evident.

To achieve this, it would probably take years.

Saori remained silent, then nodded gently.

—Rather than continuing to be poisoned by Beatrice's distorted and misleading concepts...

Comparatively speaking, being swept away and taken over by the Holy Trinity is actually an acceptable outcome.

It could even be said that... this is the best possible outcome for all the students in the Arius region.

Of course... for these Arius students whose personal perceptions have been distorted... this process may not be so pleasant.

After all, from their personal perspective, suddenly being forced to accept the control of their long-time enemy...

"For 'us'... this is a very good ending."

Saori knew she wasn't qualified to represent all the students in the Arius region... but she also understood that this was the only way forward.

"As long as you can accept it."

"Eden has never been achieved through the control of lies and despair alone—the power to create it, and the willpower to do so, have always been in our hands."

After praising Saori's 'relief', Amamiya brought up the topic of Arios's squad.

"About your 'special team'..."

Amamiya's gaze swept around, landing on Saori, Misaki, Akiko, and Hiyori.

The girls reacted in different ways.

Misaki's face remained expressionless, but her knuckles were already white from clenching her fists.

Azuko's crimson eyes revealed a clear expectation.

Hiyori, on the other hand, revealed a weak and inferior expression, a pitiful look that seemed to say, "Don't abandon me."

As for Saori... she's probably the calmest one in the squad.

“Sensei…please tell us. Whatever the arrangement, we will try our best to accept it.”

"As you said... the future should not be decided by others (Beateritchie), but by ourselves."

Facing the girls' varied gazes, Amamiya gently announced the 'fate' of Arius's group of four.

“If we follow the ‘standard procedure’… after the Trinity took over the Arios region, your team of four should also be within the ‘scope of the Trinity’s handling of you.”

Amamiya paused, then changed the subject: "However, I got some special privileges through Nagisa. Don't worry... you won't be controlled by Trinity, nor will you become homeless exiles."

As Amamiya spoke, she took out the Shitei no Hako from her shoulder bag and showed the files on the tablet to Saori and her group.

"So far... Xia Lai's [defense] is still very weak... You should know about the two special SRT teams that the president of the Federation Student Council formed when she was still alive, right?"

Saori raised her head slightly, seemingly lost in thought, and pondered for a moment.

"Sensei, you mean... the Rabbit Squad and the Fox Squad?"

Amamiya nodded: "When the president of the Federation Student Association was still alive, these two teams were like sharp weapons in her hands—the best choice for the Federation Student Association to mediate disputes and handle various matters at that time."

In Amamiya's view, the president of the Federal Student Council can almost be described as "the one who never makes a mistake".

The terrifying power of a blade wielded by someone who "never makes a mistake" is beyond description.

Putting aside the Rabbit Squad... just considering the Fox Squad alone, they can truly be considered "renowned" - they have even captured Wakazama, one of the "Seven Prisoners" who can cause considerable turmoil on her own, more than once.

Amamiya's explanation was simple, but Saori already understood his intention.

"Sensei...you want us to be affiliated with Xia Lai as a 'special team'...?"

Regarding Xia Lai's situation... Saori had already gained a considerable understanding of it when she was gathering information before.

So far, despite being a fairly important organization, Xia Lai has not had any directly affiliated "armed forces" like the Rabbit Squad or the Fox Squad.

In principle, all students of the Kivotos School can join the Sharai without restriction.

In reality... the "recruitment" was all done by Amamiya.

Despite bearing heavy responsibilities and possessing immense authority, Xia Lai's security has always been virtually nonexistent... Those who know the situation, like Saori, have worried more than once: what if Xia Lai were suddenly sent a bomb package or some other dangerous item by some anonymous force, and then sent straight to heaven?

Instead of answering directly, Amamiya asked Saori, "Can you do it?"

"Responsible for protecting Xia Lai's safety... and, when necessary, to intervene as Xia Lai's dedicated armed squad to handle affairs... and occasionally to be assigned by Xia Lai to run missions around... It's a very tough job, you know?"

Although Amamiya spoke very seriously, Saori, who understood the current situation, couldn't help but chuckle softly.

It feels like what Megatron said in Transformers when he intended to enslave humanity—

"We have to work a full eight hours a day, and we are only provided with three meals a day plus snacks. We only get milk in the morning, and we only have one hour for lunch break."

"Hahaha, Earthlings, aren't we Autobots evil?"

Little did they know that the conditions Megatron provided were a true "godsend" for the vast majority of people.

For Saori's team, whose livelihood is precarious and who worry about survival every day... what's wrong with this?!

After a light laugh, Saori composed herself and replied seriously, "We were born for this."

Their Arios squad was handpicked for their outstanding combat capabilities—in terms of tactical awareness, Saori believed that her squad had a very high chance of winning against one of the two SRT squads.

"Then let's sign this 'file' now and join Xia Lai."

Without hesitation, Saori swiped the electronic tablet to the signature area and signed her name without even looking at it.

“From now on…” Saori handed the tablet to Azuko and looked at Amamiya earnestly, saying, “Our Arios Squad… will become the sharp sword in your hand.”

[...I felt Saori's sincere emotions.]

Coopation has been improved!

【Spindle-front yarn weaving (high tower) ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆】

[★6 Ability "Determination to Overcome Obstacles" is now unlocked!]

"You have cleared away the thorns of despair for us... Now, it is our turn to clear the thorns and overcome the difficulties for you."

"Ah."

Akiko, who signed her name on behalf of the student council president of the Arius branch, played with her light purple hair, which was as white as a hyacinth, and her crimson eyes showed no concealment of her longing for the future.

"I believe……"

Smiling gently in the moonlight, her eyes reflecting the crescent moon, she kept the rest of her words to herself.

I felt a glimmer of hope from Azuko.

Coopation has been improved!

【Azuko Shirabe (Hope) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆】

[★3 Ability "Seed of Hope" has been unlocked!]

The future we build together... will surely be "paved with flowers."

Chapter 47: A deep bond was formed with Hifumi...

After settling Arius's team in, it was already late at night.

After bidding farewell to the four girls, Amamiya snapped his fingers and used the magic of his Persona to teleport back to his temporary residence at Trinity.

As for Arius's team of four...

They would need to set aside a day to gather their few remaining personal belongings and items that held memories, from the time they were in this place under the control of [Hall Master Beatrice], a place that had driven them to despair.

The last thing to do before greeting the new world is to say goodbye to the long-decayed, past 'self'.

After witnessing Amamiya's figure fade and disappear, the girls of Arius exchanged glances for a brief moment.

Without exception, they all read in each other's eyes and expressions a longing for the future and a yearning for happiness that was almost within reach.

……

"In this way... the 'Eden Treaty' incident can be considered to have come to a satisfactory conclusion."

After being teleported back to his temporary residence at Holy Trinity, Amamiya stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the beautiful night sky with the crescent moon hanging high above, and sighed softly.

Half of February has already slipped away unnoticed.

After drawing the curtains, Amamiya pondered what she should do next after bringing the "Eden Treaty" to a successful conclusion.

The conflict between the Holy Trinity and the Gehenna region will gradually ease due to the Treaty of Eden, eventually leading to true peace.

There shouldn't be anything too serious to worry about over there for the time being...

By the way, even though it's a day or two late, isn't the [annual meeting hot spring trip] worth joining?

In addition, I also need to accept the invitation from the Classic of Mountains and Seas...

Lying in bed, after going through all the things she needed to do, Amamiya suddenly realized that there was still a lot she needed to do.

How to squeeze out time to participate in these trivial 'little activities' is an 'art' worth pondering deeply...

With a soft sigh, Amamiya closed her eyes, preparing to end the day.

'Tap, tap, tap.'

A soft, slow knocking sound, as if hesitating whether to disturb her at this time, reached Amamiya's ears.

Amamiya narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at the time on the digital clock placed on the bedside table—[23:05].

It's so late... who would come looking for me?

Wearing her pajamas and slippers, Amamiya got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom to the entrance hallway. Looking through the peephole at the dimly lit hallway outside—

A girl with blonde twin ponytails, wearing a Trinity College spring uniform, stood alone at the door, bathed in the light of the porch lamp.

She seemed to have not yet made up her mind, occasionally adjusting the light yellow bow tie on her white school uniform top, which was predominantly white like a sailor uniform; sometimes pressing down the hem of her white floral mini-skirt.

With her exceptional hearing, Amamiya could hear the girl's "complex" murmurs—a mixture of hesitation, shyness, and anticipation—through the door.

'Sensei he...'

'Woo...'

'Isn't it... a bit too... abrupt...?'

Standing at the doorway, after hesitating for a moment, the girl finally made up her mind.

She took a deep breath to calm herself, and then... she finally rang the doorbell.

Amamiya, who was already standing at the entrance, did not open the door immediately.

He wanted to see Hifumi's cute and funny little antics.

So, after a moment's thought, Amamiya silently used telekinesis to control a pair of shoes, deliberately making them take turns stepping on the wooden floor of the room, creating the illusion that "someone is walking from the bedroom".

Meanwhile, Amamiya himself took this opportunity to observe with great interest Hifumi's slightly disordered breathing, nervously clenched hands, and restless emotions.

Amamiya placed the shoes in the entryway, put them on, and then pretended to have just woken up, opening the door with a sleepy look on her face.

'Squeak—'

Under the cover of night, the girl's slender figure was bathed in the cold wind of early spring.