I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Then, for some inexplicable reason, she felt that everything seemed to make sense.

It seems quite reasonable for this strange fellow to appear here.

"what……!"

Izuna was somewhat surprised: "You are... the 'Incarnation of the Divine Tree'?!"

The girl who called herself 'Kyuzunoha' paused for a moment, then repeated softly with interest, 'The Incarnation of the Divine Tree...?'

"Is that so?... Then, for now, you can consider me the 'incarnation of the Divine Tree.'"

Her gaze then fell on Amamiya: "It seems... this guest is having a good time at the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons."

Amamiya did not respond to the girl's meaningful words, who called herself "Kutsunoha," but instead tried to observe her with her "third eye."

[Assistant: Kuzuha/Source of a Hundred Flowers]

[Arcana: Advisor (LCONSOLTANT)]

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

"Advisor"...

'Including Maruki-sensei before he came to Kiwatos, this is the third "Advisor" I've seen...'

Amamiya raised an eyebrow, just about to call the girl in front of him by her real name.

Immediately, as if sensing something, the girl put her index finger to her lips and gestured for Amamiya to be quiet.

Amamiya paused for a moment, but ultimately did not continue with his actions.

"..."

The girl who called herself "Kyujinoha" looked Amamiya up and down, seemingly confirming that Amamiya was alright.

"Good~"

She suddenly folded the fan with a whoosh, and then, seemingly satisfied, tapped the palm of her other hand with the fan rib.

"This guest is in excellent condition... I have no need to worry."

"In that case... I won't disturb this guest's 'refined enjoyment' any longer..."

With that, she turned and left.

After walking a few steps, she seemed to remember something, paused, and added, "Oh, right~ that 'Shiromuku' set was indeed a gift from me..."

The voice gradually became ethereal, and the girl who called herself 'Kujin no Yu' disappeared into the crowd, her figure enveloped in a wisp of mist.

Amamiya: "..."

As he watched the girl's figure disappear, Amamiya was filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Kudzu leaf? (Five)

Unlike the accidental encounter last time... this time, at least I learned the other party's name and some basic information.

However... it seems that now is not the time to make contact with them.

It feels like the setting of a game—

"The character who will appear in the final chapter has already made an appearance in the first chapter. But as the player, you know that this character will be a key character in the final chapter, and you absolutely cannot interact with her at this time."

Amamiya's current relationship with Kuzuha is probably one of 'similar yet different'.

Since now is not the time for 'interaction', why is she coming to find me now?

Was it really just about sending a piece of clothing, or trying to get noticed?

"Regarding 'Shiromuku'..."

While Amamiya was brainstorming, Wakamo was obviously also doing some self-imagination.

I don't know what she was thinking, but her expression gradually became firm and gentle.

"Wakazama had already prepared to give the white kimono to Sensei~"

"Next time, Wakazama will come to see you with a white kimono~ Hehehehe..."

After uttering a few words that could hardly be considered harsh, Wakazama realized that it was not a good place to stay. She gave Izuna a deep look, then ran away nimbly and disappeared like a ghost.

Good news: This incident, which could have turned into a bloodbath, did not actually become a bloodbath due to Kuzunoha's interference.

Bad news: I must be mentally prepared for the next time I see Wakazama...

Witnessing Wakasa activate the mask's ability and fade away around the corner, Amamiya withdrew his gaze.

Then, he met the gaze of Izuna, who seemed to have also come to his senses.

"Lord..."

Amamiya raised an eyebrow, expecting Izuna to ask, "What's the deal with that strange stranger?"

However, Izuna's problem was still unexpected.

"There are so many strange people who want to get close to our lord..."

"With such formidable enemies all around... Izuna, you must work even harder!"

"My lord, will you continue to train with Izuna?"

I could feel Izuna's incredible energy.

【COOP↑UP!】

【Kuda Izuna (Magician) ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆】

Amamiya: "..."

Seeing Izuna's exaggeratedly large and fast tail wagging and his excessive force in biting the rice ball, Amamiya remained silent for a moment and ultimately decided not to say anything more.

Having drive is a good thing...

Although this enthusiasm came about somewhat inexplicably.

After sighing, Amamiya smiled and replied, "Of course..."

Sensing the growing attention from the surrounding crowd, Amamiya decisively activated [Invisible Presence], reducing her and Izuna's visibility.

Where does Izuna want to go next?

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Izuna's mind was filled only with his lord.

"My lord... Izuna is a little sleepy..."

As dusk faded and night fell, the fox-eared girl rubbed her eyes sleepily.

Forcing herself to stay awake, she groggily called out softly, "My lord..."

Izuna's unusual words and actions made her, who had been playing around intensely at the cherry blossom festival, finally breathe a sigh of relief as dusk fell in Amamiya.

It took a whole day to finally wear down this 'clingy little fox's' incredible energy...

Holding Izuna's hand, Amamiya stood at the corner of the shopping street and glanced down at Izuna, who was constantly repeating the cycle of 'tired to the point of bowing his head' and 'suddenly waking up'.

Although she was so tired that she could barely speak, she still tried her best to express her feelings at that moment.

"Izuna will continue his ninja training... and at the same time, he will become stronger and more mature..."

"After I become a capable ninja for my lord, Izuna will come to see you often... hehe..."

Is this... still bothered by what happened at the cherry blossom festival during the day?

Amamiya chuckled slightly: "So what does Izuna plan to do? Does he have any clear goals?"

"Um……"

Slightly drowsy and disoriented, Izuna nodded gently and spoke with unprecedented seriousness: "As the Lord's bride... Izuna must become stronger... drive away those strange outsiders, and become the 'only one' by the Lord's side."

"Therefore, Izuna must strive to become stronger and more capable of standing on his own..."

After a pause, Izuna seemed somewhat disappointed: "Although I really want to stay by my lord's side, whenever I'm with him, I can't help but keep thinking about him..."

"If Izuna's mind is only on the lord, he won't be able to concentrate on his training..."

"Therefore, Izuna has decided to leave my lord for a while to find like-minded companions... and become stronger so that I can face my lord with a completely new attitude!"

Looking for like-minded partners...

Amamiya's eyes brightened slightly; she thought this was a good reason.

Izuna is indeed very cute and likable, that's for sure...

But her energy is a bit too much.

Being pestered by this little fox who calls you "Lord" every day is a kind of enjoyment... but at the same time, it's also a kind of torture.

—I once saw a rather interesting statement online: "If it were me, I would also be willing to be King Zhou."

This is quite an interesting point... After being pestered by Izuna for a day or two, Amamiya also vaguely experienced that subtle feeling, similar to 'a king neglecting his morning court'.

Amamiya smiled and gently rubbed Izuna's cheek: "Having such thoughts means Izuna has grown... Keep it up."

"If you find any like-minded partners, remember to let me know!"

【~???~】

After gently embracing the girl and spending a final tender moment with her, Amamiya bid farewell to Izuna, who was so reluctant to part that he almost cried.

Watching the girl's figure disappear into the afterglow of the sunset, Amamiya sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"The matters concerning the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons should be almost resolved..."

"Finally, I'll go find Shizuko to get some more information about the hot springs, and then it'll be about time to head back."

With that in mind, Amamiya strolled around the "Cherry Blossom Festival" and bought some souvenirs for each member of Arius's squad, who were currently living in Shalai.

Once most of the customers at Hyakuyado had left, Amamiya quietly entered Hyakuyado through the front door. The restaurant was making its final preparations before closing.

As soon as Amamiya entered, he witnessed a rather amusing scene.

On the table in the reception room of the Hyakya-do, the teaware used by the guests and the leftover tea snacks had not yet been cleaned up. The blonde, blue-eyed girl was nowhere to be found, probably doing her daily routine of accounting and other tasks in the kitchen.

In the large foyer, only Shizuko was present, dressed in a strange outfit that was a fusion of styles—a small furisode top and a black and white maid outfit—that gave her a very idol-like appearance.

Completely unaware that the brown-haired girl had entered Amamiya, she was gazing wistfully at the ceiling, contemplating life.

"Phew... It's over for now..."

The energetic, idol-like smile quickly faded from her face, replaced by a dead-fish-like expression, as if she had become indifferent to life after being overworked.

For a fleeting moment, Amamiya felt that Shizuko's expression overlapped with that of Fuka.

Shizuko, her chin resting on the table, slumped like a little brown dumpling, sighed softly once more.

"Hey……"

Amamiya walked to the front desk and tapped on the table.

"It seems... the daily operations of Baiyetang are not simple at all."

Hearing the 'unfamiliar yet familiar' voice, Shizuko, exhausted from a long day, didn't immediately recognize it.

"Eh... Hyakuyado is closed down now..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly perked up and exclaimed, "Hehehe, welcome back, Master!"

Then, she sensed something was wrong and became a little embarrassed and flustered: "Sen, Sensei...? When did you get here?!"

Amamiya found the strange reaction of changing his expression three times in succession quite amusing.

"Judging from Shizuko's appearance, she's really exhausted..." Amamiya teased. "Is Hyakuyado usually like this?"

Seeing that Amamiya didn't seem to be making excessive jokes or teasing, Shizuko breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"It's not usually like this... it's just that we've been a bit busy lately because of the 'Cherry Blossom Festival'..."

"Sigh... If Hai Xiang were here, this period would be much easier..."

Amamiya was curious about the name Shizuko had inadvertently mentioned: "Umika? Is she also a member of the festival's operations committee?"