I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The girl, who was unconsciously muttering to herself, suddenly remembered a blind spot that she had not noticed during the "Cherry Blossom Festival".

So... why did I notice that mysterious stall back then, and why did I suddenly want to play that balloon popping game whose rules seemed so unfair?

As Izuna gradually regained consciousness after being embraced by Amamiya, she began to think seriously, her girlish shyness rising within her.

After carefully reviewing the situation at the time, Izuna suddenly felt as if he had discovered many 'abnormalities'.

When I saw that stall, I suddenly felt a strong urge to play this game with my lord...

It was precisely because of this impulse that the lord had no choice but to participate in the special event.

It was because of participating in the event that the lord won the 'mystery grand prize'... which is the [Shiromuku] outfit he is currently wearing, which has profound symbolic meaning.

When all the clues were pieced together, Izuna finally realized that his impulsive actions at the time were by no means accidental.

Could it be that...

Is it the sacred tree manifesting its power?!

I and my lord have been blessed by the sacred tree; are we destined to be together?!

The more Izuna thought about it, the more absurd ideas seemed to intertwine and entangle in his mind, making a complete mess of his thoughts.

No, I can't think straight anymore...

Amamiya slowly released his embrace and looked at Izuna, who was caught in a brief state of confusion and turmoil.

From his perspective, Izuna's expression underwent several subtle changes that were so complex they were difficult to describe in words.

Finally, Izuna's gaze toward Amamiya became more resolute and gentle than ever before.

The look in his eyes, which seemed to say, "My lord Izuna will always stay by your side and be with you forever," made Amamiya feel slightly uneasy.

...Won't I suddenly have a "shadow spirit" that "always follows me around and appears immediately when I call her"?

Thinking of this rather frightening possibility, Amamiya immediately felt like rubbing her temples.

After glancing at the sky, Amamiya coughed lightly: "Ahem... I really want to stay with Izuna. But it's getting late, we should rest today."

After a pause, Amamiya added, "A regular schedule is also one of the necessary training methods for ninjas."

Seemingly still somewhat 'unsatisfied', Izuna, with a pitiful yet unwilling expression that 'Izuna wants to stay with the lord a little longer,' did not immediately 'obey the order' this time.

She stood there, staring longingly at Amamiya.

After waiting for more than ten seconds, the frequency of Izuna's big tail swaying gradually decreased to almost stop, and his fox ears slowly drooped down.

"Izuna understands..."

"Although I really want to be with my lord, Izuna will also maintain the 'good habits of a ninja'."

After slowly forming hand seals, the girl's figure dissipated like a wisp of smoke.

"My lord...see you tomorrow...!"

Chapter Nineteen: The Hidden Sabotage from a Demonic Being

The next morning, dawn broke. A ray of morning light shone through the window of the Japanese-style building and fell on the makeshift tatami mats.

The girl's whispers in his ears, and the sensation of something large and furry repeatedly curling and gently patting his face, made Amamiya slowly wake up.

Amamiya reached out and touched it, but what she could reach was the tip of a large fox's tail.

You can easily feel it when you touch it; it has a warm, soft, and moisturized sheen, and you can smell a faint fragrance of a young girl and a 'sunshine smell' similar to that of a sun-dried quilt.

Following the tail, Amamiya 'helplessly' saw a girl sleeping beside him, her back to him, curled up like a fox.

It seems she 'sneaked' into my room, intending to wake me up... but out of pity, or for some other reason, she didn't wake me up and then fell asleep?

After quietly observing Izuna's adorable sleeping face, where she was 'smiling even in her sleep,' Amamiya reached out and pinched her cheek.

"Waaah... Izuna wants... to sleep a little longer..."

Subconsciously wanting to wave away Amamiya's hand that was pinching her cheek, the girl, half-asleep, suddenly realized that something was wrong.

After a pause, Izuna sprang to his feet as if his hair had been bristled.

After hastily tidying up her clothes, which were slightly disheveled from her sleeping posture, the girl straightened up and looked at Amamiya with a serious expression.

"My lord, my lord...!"

Amamiya waved to Izuna, who seemed to be a 'ninja who obeys his lord's orders'.

"He came to my room to wake me up, but he accidentally fell asleep himself... Izuna, your training is still lacking."

Amamiya's tone, which was somewhere between teasing and joking, made Izuna, who was originally planning to find the right words to explain, immediately let out a quiet sigh.

'The lord did not hold anyone accountable...'

'Truly a magnanimous lord!'

After being woken up by Izuna in such a "special" way, Amamiya no longer intended to go back to sleep or continue her leisurely life.

After a brief preparation, she changed into a haori with a blue wave pattern, which resembled a kimono and was part of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

After tidying himself up, Amamiya crossed the courtyard and arrived at the kitchen area of ​​Hyakuyado.

Today, "Baiyetang" seems quiet and secluded, with no trace of the noise of guests.

—Although Hyakuyado is usually a quiet place, with many customers, everyone tacitly maintains a quiet atmosphere. But today, when there is not a sound at all, it is really unusual.

Amamiya raised an eyebrow slightly, immediately noticing that something was amiss.

He quickened his pace and rushed to the kitchen, where Amamiya immediately understood what was going on.

As they approached the kitchen, before they could even see what it was like, Amamiya heard Fina and Shizuko's voices, one after the other, both filled with hatred and suppressed anger.

"Damn it, are those guys from 'A Sea of ​​Demons'...?"

"Whether it's the tableware or the prepared ingredients, everything is a complete mess..."

Amamiya quickened his pace again, with Izuna following closely behind.

Pushing open the half-closed door to the kitchen of Hyakuyado, Amamiya was met with a scene that could only be described as "utter chaos"—

The classic Japanese kitchen that looked serene and Zen-like the day before is now completely ruined.

The walls were riddled with bullet holes and traces of some kind of explosive damage.

Pots, pans, and utensils that could be broken were all broken completely.

Sauces, ingredients... all sorts of kitchen utensils looked like they had been fried to a pulp.

At that moment, Shizuko and Fina, who were looking at the mess in the kitchen with complicated emotions, turned their heads at the sound and looked at Amamiya standing at the door.

The brown-haired, purple-eyed girl, who previously gave the impression of an "energetic idol," now had tears of resentment welling up in her eyes, while the blonde, blue-eyed girl in a phoenix haori was clenching her teeth in righteous indignation.

Given the current situation, there's no need to ask meaningless questions like 'what exactly happened'.

What happened is obvious.

Amamiya rubbed his temples. Although he, Shizuko, and Fina all guessed that the incident was likely orchestrated by a hired demon.

Following behind Amamiya, Izuna peered closer and also saw the mess in the kitchen—

At that moment, she understood why Amamiya had fallen silent after seeing the kitchen.

"The damage is so severe..."

After a soft sigh, the fox-eared girl closed her eyes, adjusted her breathing, and then quickly formed hand seals.

"Have Izuna use ninjutsu to find the traces left by the saboteurs..."

"Izuna-style Ninja Art: Scene Recreation Technique!"

—As is well known, the era of ninjas often saw all sorts of strange and unknown phenomena.

In order to explain those unknown and bizarre scenes, and to gather more information... it's only natural that ninjas would have the skill to "reconstruct the scene".

After completing the hand seals, Izuna exhaled a breath that was unusually long.

Her breath quickly filled the room, creating a scene resembling an illusion.

This wasn't the first time Shizuko had witnessed the wonders of Izuna's so-called 'ninjutsu'. When she saw Izuna begin forming hand seals, she was already prepared to see who was the one who had infiltrated Hyakuyado at night to cause trouble.

The girl clenched her fists slightly and murmured, "Don't let me find out who destroyed Hyakuyado..."

Fina, on the other hand, was seeing such a wondrous "ninjutsu" for the first time and was quite curious.

The feeling of being shrouded in mist lasted for less than a moment. Then, everyone's vision blurred, and it seemed as if they had returned to last night.

The devastated landscape seemed to have briefly reversed time, returning to its state before the attack.

But immediately afterward, the sound of locks being picked came from the kitchen of Baiyetang.

The door was pried open by a short, masked figure, and then several masked figures filed in.

Some of them were carrying rifles, some were carrying explosives that looked somewhat like rocket launchers, and some were simply carrying metal baseball bats.

After entering, they first set up a device that was probably used to block out sound, and then began smashing and destroying everything in the kitchen that they could.

"It can't be wrong..."

Fina's voice betrayed her anger: "A member of the Demonic Path of the Road..."

"The equipment they're using is not simple..."

Having witnessed the kitchen of Hyakuyado being smashed to a mess by the masked members of the 'Chimei Yizao' gang, one can imagine how Shizuko, as the 'Hyakuyado's' mascot and 'boss', felt.

Shizuko lowered her eyes, surprisingly calm despite her anger: "That device used to block out sound..."

"It is absolutely impossible for a member of the Demon King's Group to buy it."

Despite her anger, Shizuko was well aware that simply losing her temper wouldn't help resolve the situation, except by putting pressure on her friends.

As the members of the Chimei Ichika gradually withdrew, Izuna's "Scene Reconstruction Technique" ninjutsu's duration also came to an end.

The illusion gradually dissipated, and the scene before them once again became a mess.

Looking around the messy kitchen once more, Shizuko quickly considered how to minimize the damage while suppressing the impact of this incident on Hyakuyado.

Unaffected by anger, Shizuko remained calm and, raising her voice, explained the arrangements to Fina point by point: "Fina, first, put up the 'Closed' sign and close the shop. Also, contact those suppliers of tableware, teaware, furniture, and kitchenware, calculate the damage to all items, and repurchase them..."

After a pause, Shizuko raised her voice slightly: "Did you remember?"

The blonde, blue-eyed girl nodded solemnly in agreement: "Yes, I understand, Chairman."

After letting out a soft sigh, Shizuko looked at Amamiya.

"It seems it's time to speed things up and resolve this crisis facing the 'Festival Operations Committee.'"

“Sensei, let’s set off immediately for the training department.”

Chapter Twenty: The Girls of the Training Club

After the events of this morning, it is clearly unlikely that Hyakuyado will be able to continue operating.

After hanging the "Closed" sign at the entrance of Hyakuyado, Shizuko immediately began to give Fina some other related instructions.

“Fina… Sensei and I are going to look for the Training Department. While I’m gone, you’ll be in charge of Hyakuyado.”

Faced with Shizuko's solemn entrustment, Fina placed her hand on her chest and earnestly assured her, "Don't worry, Chairperson! If any members of the Demon King's Clan dare to attack, Fina will make sure they suffer a crushing defeat!"

Amamiya: ...

Upon hearing the familiar lines, Amamiya sighed softly.

Fortunately, Fina didn't say lines like "Beyond the natural barrier of the Yangtze River lies the iron wall of Jiangdong" or "Gather grain in Tongchuan, and the campaign against Wu must proceed step by step."

Otherwise, the subtle sense of déjà vu would be even more pronounced.

While Shizuko and Fina were talking about Hyakuyado and not paying attention to this side, Amamiya waved to Izuna who was standing next to her.

The fox-eared girl immediately had a bright idea and, shaking her exceptionally nimble fox ears, came closer.

"Princess, is there anything you wish to instruct Izuna to do?!"

After last night's "White Kimono Fox Wedding" incident, Izuna felt that the last barrier between him and his lord was gradually relaxing, and even tending to disappear—

For some reason, she had a feeling that 'she and her lord are gradually becoming more and more connected'.

Amamiya nodded gently, met Izuna's affectionate and somewhat clingy gaze, and handed her a card.