I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Bathed in moonlight, Nagisa, strolling along, sighed with shame: "Now that things have come to this... Sensei, you should also know... the original reason why I established the [Tutoring Club]."

"I believe... my little schemes cannot escape the eyes of you, the 'Phantom Thief'."

Amamiya, who was standing next to Nagisa, nodded.

He not only knew... but he knew even earlier than the time limit that Nagisa believed to exist.

Nagisa probably thought that she learned about the information when conquering the Hall of Eden... In fact, Amamiya had already learned about the relevant information from the shadows there when conquering the Hall of Babel.

"My initial purpose in establishing the tutoring department was actually to weed out 'suspicious targets' from Trinity College, to make them 'drop out'... Until I 'came to my senses,' I always harbored suspicions about them."

"..."

"Looking back now, I realize that I was already influenced by the deceptive illusions of the 'Garden of Eden' back then..."

Amamiya thought to herself, "That's more than that."

When Nagisa was projected as the Mortal Serpent in Beatrice's Eden Hall—by the time Amamiya found and rescued her subconscious, the Mortal Serpent was already covered in wounds.

However, when Amamiya and his group subsequently issued a proclamation, triggering Ragnarok and "burning down Eden," the World Serpent still appeared intact.

Nagisa's subconscious was indeed captured by Beatrice and 'misled' her for quite some time...

However, her strong resilience as a tea party organizer, along with her powerful recovery and composure brought about by her mindset, allowed Nagisa to not only withstand the many pressures of the real world...

In his perception of the world, corresponding to the Mortal Serpent, Nagisa's subconscious also gained the ability to recover at a high speed.

"Thank you... for rescuing me from the [Mist]."

Nagisa stopped and looked at Amamiya, bowing deeply in gratitude: "If it weren't for you helping me see through the fog... perhaps I would still be in..."

Nagisa didn't continue.

She knew all too well that if she, as the highest authority of Holy Trinity, were to "act foolishly" even for a moment, it could lead to a terrible mistake.

Amamiya waved his hand: "It's my duty."

【~???~】

"I sincerely apologize to the four people in the tutoring department."

The conversation returned to normal, and Nagisa sighed deeply again: "I know... even if I apologize myself, they might not accept it. So, I..."

Amamiya chimed in, "You found me?"

"Hmm...that's when I thought of you."

Nagisa's voice carried a sense of nostalgia for the recent "Eden Conquest".

At that time, the halls of the temples encroached on reality, and the bizarre and fantastical scenes, as well as the way Amamiya led the girls of the cram school in battle, left a very deep impression on her.

“If the aid comes from me, whether directly or indirectly, in the name of a tea party… they are very likely not to accept it.”

"Therefore, I want to... indirectly compensate them through your channels."

Nagisa's good intentions can be considered a good thing for the girls in the cram school.

After a moment's thought, Amamiya accepted Nagisa's offer on behalf of the girls in the tutoring club.

"I agree to this request."

【~???~】

As Amamiya agreed, Nagisa let out a long sigh of relief.

"Next, it concerns the future of the 'Tutoring Club'..."

The white wings behind Nagisa fluttered gently. She frowned slightly, considered her words carefully, and then continued, "Previously… the 'Tutoring Club' was established out of suspicion. From now on… I hope the Tutoring Club will become a club established for protection."

Amamiya understood what Nagisa meant.

At that time... after Beatrice's "Garden of Eden" eroded reality, Amamiya and his group also appeared in reality.

Nagisa wasn't the only one who witnessed Amamiya and his group fighting against the "False God Beatrice"; many other Trinity clubs also saw it.

Of course... most people will quickly erase the 'special memories' generated during this period.

However, a small number of them retained their memories...

It is foreseeable that the four girls in the tutoring club will be recruited by many other clubs in the future... and thus get caught up in the complex power struggles within Trinity.

This outcome is clearly not what Nagisa wanted.

"You mean... you want to protect them based on the 'Tutoring Club'?"

Nagisa chuckled softly: "...As expected of the 'Phantom Thief,' you have a very clear understanding of the current situation."

After nodding with a light laugh, Nagisa continued, "That's right... just as Sensei said. I plan to grant the tutoring club some privileges using my authority as the 'Tea Party Organizer'—of course, first I need to retract my initial intention of forcibly expelling them if they fail their exams."

"To protect them... I hope that they will stay in the tutoring center for a long time to come."

"The tea party will become a support for the tutoring department, while helping them to defend themselves against those open and covert attacks aimed at them that they shouldn't be involved in... a power struggle."

"This is all we can do for them..."

“Sensei…please persuade them to stay in the tutoring center.”

Faced with Nagisa's heartfelt request, Amamiya simply smiled and shook his head.

Nagisa seemed somewhat disappointed: "...Is it not okay?"

“No… what I mean is,” Amamiya said softly, a slight smile playing on her lips, “they… they’ve already made the cram school their ‘home’.”

"Forget about persuading them to stay... I doubt they'd even want to leave if we tried to kick them out."

Nagisa paused for a moment, then chuckled and nodded in agreement: "...That's true."

"Having gone through that story together (against the false god), the bond between them, and the bond with you, is undoubtedly strong."

I sensed a sense of relief emanating from Nagisa.

【Coopation↑↑】

【Kirito Nagisa (The High Priestess) ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

[★3 Ability "Secret Care" is now unlocked!]

"It seems I was overthinking it..."

As night fell, after a relieved sigh, Nagisa suddenly pulled a box of chocolates from her handbag.

"Oh, right... Sensei. This is a chocolate specially prepared for you."

"Please accept this gratitude for helping you resolve the [Hall of Eden] and restore Trinity to normalcy."

Chapter 57 Even Cyber ​​Ghosts Can Deliver Chocolates?!

The previous Valentine's Day text message bombardment made Amamiya wake up very early today.

After getting up, the first thing Amamiya did was check the electronic calendar.

Ok……

【Valentine's Day】.

For me... this really is an inescapable curse.

Just thinking about the barrage of messages that started yesterday evening gave Amamiya a slight, chilling feeling that a battle was about to break out.

I took out my phone and checked... There were just as many similar messages as yesterday.

After letting out a soft sigh, Amamiya began to ponder the day's itinerary.

Regarding Valentine's Day related news... it seems there's relatively more information coming from the Millennium Students group...

'So, let's go back to the once-in-a-millennium route first...?'

After making her plans, Amamiya changed into Sharai's uniform, took Sophia (who had turned into a cell phone) with her, and the Shiten no Hako (a box she never let go of).

Hmm... Perhaps it's because the influence of [Eden] on reality has only recently dissipated, and today is a rare, beautiful sunny day.

The sun shines brightly, and although early spring still carries a slight chill, a gentle breeze, pleasant enough to bring comfort, blows in your face. Under the clear blue sky of early spring, just a breath of this fresh air is enough to invigorate you.

After making a final adjustment to his tie and other clothing details in front of the mirror, Amamiya opened the door—and there he saw a pretty, delicate pink-haired girl in the courtyard of the manor, her ahoge (a stray hair on her head) swaying in the wind as she greeted the morning sun.

Her emerald green eyes were as calm as a lake, adorned with a distinctive, half-closed smile that seemed to carry a profound meaning.

The moment Amamiya opened the door, the pink-haired girl cast a meaningful glance at him, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

"Sensei~" Carrying her handbag in both hands, she didn't greet anyone directly. Instead, she tilted her body slightly in a unique, anime-girl-like manner, offering a greeting with this distinctive 'body gesture': "Good morning~"

Amamiya: ...

I never expected that I would be blocked at the door.

what is this?

"Died before achieving his goal"?

Amused by her own behavior of being blocked at the door, Amamiya maintained a gentle smile: "Good morning... Hanako. What brings you here so early in the morning...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the small box tied with a delicate ribbon that the girl handed him.

"Speaking of which... today is a 'very special day'~"

"Special holidays call for special sentiments... Sensei, you'll accept it, won't you?"

Holding the 'chocolate box,' which looked about the same size as a steel insulated water bottle, Hanako's expression was somewhere between shyness and anticipation.

"Well... thank you for your kindness, Hanako."

【~???~】

Seeing that Amamiya had accepted her 'gift', Hanako's smile gradually became slightly dangerous.

Make sure you only open it when no one is around!

"This is... something I created with all my heart and soul for Sensei... a girl's secret~"

After saying those two sentences, Hanako didn't say anything more, turned around and ran away as if she were escaping.

Amamiya: "..."

He really didn't expect that this girl, whose impression of him not long ago was that she was 'full of dirty jokes', would actually show the same shyness as other girls her age.

'A Girl's Secret'?

Amamiya's eyes flickered slightly. Instead of opening the chocolate, she used her "third eye" to observe what was inside the box.

—It was a chocolate shaped like a "hanawa" (a type of Japanese chocolate).

It must be said... the craftsmanship is quite good, but perhaps due to some mistakes in the final manufacturing process, or perhaps because it was brought in carelessly, the 'top' of the Haniwa shows some signs of melting...

Therefore, its shape appears particularly suggestive and unsettling.

"..."

After putting the Valentine's Day chocolate that Hanako had given him back into his shoulder bag, Amamiya boarded the train to Trinity as planned.

The sun was shining brightly, and the sunlight shone through the shadows cast by various metal instruments outside the car windows, casting a dappled layer of morning light inside the carriage.

After boarding the train, Amamiya noticed that there were very few people on the train today... it seemed like she was the only passenger in the entire carriage.

At least... I'm the only one in this carriage.

Amamiya didn't pay much attention and sat by the window to wait.

As the departure announcement began, a faint breeze suddenly drifted past Amamiya's ear.

The scene before my eyes froze for a brief moment. Then, with the middle of the carriage as the dividing line, the other side of the carriage was quickly transformed into a sunset shrouded in the color of the sea.

Desks, weathered by the sea breeze, were piled up on the beach, stretching all the way to the horizon. The afterglow of the setting sun, cast from the sea, contrasted sharply with the rising sun behind the Amamiya Palace.

Amamiya was not surprised by this scene of "yin and yang dividing day and night".

Ultimately, the occurrence of this phenomenon only signifies one thing...

That means the "chairman" is coming to see him.

Amamiya took out the "World" tarot card from his pocket.

His fingertips whistled as clusters of eerie blue flames ignited, and then the tarot cards, like mirrors shattered by a tremendous force, instantly broke into countless shreds. Surrounded by these eerie blue flames, they reformed into a girl with sea-blue hair and pink highlights.