I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Xiaoxue curiously took the glass bead from Amamiya and then tried to concentrate as Amamiya had instructed.

Soon, the girl opened her eyes with delight.

The pink cross-shaped pupils were temporarily transformed into a brilliant gold, and the surrounding world seemed to become instantly clear, allowing every minute detail to be seen...

This is a trick of the phantom thief, but if used properly, it is also an advantage that makes the phantom thief invincible.

Scouting enemies, searching for valuable items, and avoiding harm... With these sharp "thief's eyes" that remain even in the darkness, the heart-stealing phantom thieves can move freely in another world.

"Wow...that's amazing!"

"I'm invincible!"

Amamiya: "..."

At most, their observation skills have been greatly improved, but it's not to the point of being 'invincible', is it?

Amused, Amamiya shook her head and earnestly warned, "Remember to keep it safe and use it properly..."

Before Amamiya could finish speaking, Koyuki nodded excitedly and said, "Yes!"

[I could feel the lively emotions emanating from Xiaoxue...]

【Coop↑UP!】

【Kurosaki Koyuki (Fate) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

[★2 Ability "Eye of Destiny" is now unlocked!]

"Sensei's gift... I will keep it safe forever!"

"With this special ability, I will definitely reverse my 'fate'... N-Moon*Ripples/Accompanied by the Vessel, the Child's Private Temple is pulled..."

Amamiya sighed, not wanting to interrupt the girl's high spirits.

'Fate isn't so easily changed...'

'However, I will always keep an eye on things until your fate truly changes.'

Chapter 46 Yuka: My turn has come!

The last day of the hot spring trip.

"The three-day, two-night hot spring trip ended so quickly..."

After packing her luggage, the purple-haired girl stood in her hot spring inn room, looking around at the room where she had stayed for two nights. Her feelings were quite complicated. Finally, she carefully checked to make sure she hadn't left anything behind.

After confirming that she hadn't forgotten anything, Yuka breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help feeling a little regretful.

Three days of relaxation was indeed a long time for her, as the accountant at the seminar who had to deal with all sorts of accounting forms every day... but it still wasn't quite enough.

Perhaps because she realized that she would soon be back to her normal studies and work, Yuka couldn't help but feel a little sad.

'No, Yuka! I can't let this short hot spring trip make me lazy...'

'A short rest is meant to recharge for the future, not to allow us to continue to slack off...'

The girl pinched her cheek and mentally cheered herself up.

"Yuka, you're leaving this afternoon..."

The young man's calm voice came from behind her, startling Yuka who was encouraging herself. She immediately straightened up as if frightened.

"Eh?!"

The girl, frozen in place, first let out a cute exclamation of surprise due to her momentary overreaction, and then immediately became somewhat embarrassed.

"Sen, Sensei...?"

Standing at the doorway, Amamiya leaned against the doorframe, turned slightly, pushed up the plain mirror that was only for decoration, and raised her hand to Yuka.

After striking this seemingly well-prepared, artistic, and slightly childish pose, Amamiya ignored the lingering panic and embarrassment on Yuka's face and continued with the question she hadn't finished asking: "...Is the luggage all packed?"

"Huh? Ah... um, I'm... ready..."

'Sensei, didn't you see what I just did? That's good...'

Yuka, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, then heard Amamiya's slightly amused suggestion: "Instead of cheering yourself up in this little room... why not go out for a walk?"

"?!"

Noticing that Yuka's 'relief' gesture suddenly stopped, Amamiya chuckled and added, "Although this information may not be very meaningful to Yuka, it's better to say it anyway—now is the last day of the cherry blossom festival."

"After all, it's the last day of the festival, so fireworks will be set off starting in the evening... but they won't be very noticeable."

"We're planning to leave sometime between dusk and nightfall... So, before we leave, Yuka, would you like to come with me to the cherry blossom festival to watch the fireworks for a while?"

Although what often appears in Japanese literature is described as "fireworks on a summer night"—this is, after all, early spring.

As the early cherry blossoms are about to fade, you and your loved one stand hand in hand under the gradually falling cherry trees, feeling the cool evening breeze of early spring, watching the brilliant yet fleeting fireworks rise from the horizon.

When the fireworks of a spring evening transform into a dazzling flower blooming in the night sky, when the profile of the other person is illuminated by the momentary brilliance of the fireworks—isn't that one of the most relaxing and enjoyable moments in the world?

Yuka's eyes trembled slightly—at this moment, she seemed to be able to hallucinate many related images.

The identity of love is constructed from two "inequalities" consisting of too many variables—and now, the proposal described by Amamiya is an 'extremely rare variable'.

After a moment of surprise, Yuka quickly revealed a girlish charm, quite different from her usual 'science girl' nature, like that of a childhood friend.

She twisted the hem of her skirt, a little nervous: "Eh? Is it... okay...?"

Amamiya smiled and teased, "Your relationship with Yuka, while not really 'married,' is pretty much like that of an 'old married couple,' right? Why are you still shy?"

Yuka was stunned.

The next moment, her cheeks flushed red, and she began to retort incoherently, 'angrily'.

"……wrong!"

"What...what are you saying?! What, what do you mean by 'old married couple'?"

As she spoke, the strong will she had quickly gathered was replaced by a shyness unique to young girls, which then rose to an even higher level.

Yuka's voice quickly weakened, becoming somewhat hesitant: "I...I'm not shy, you know?! It's just...it's just..."

"...It's just that I'm a little afraid of being found out by Noah and Xiaoxue...!"

"Besides...besides, marriage is too far off! This kind of thing should at least wait until..."

Amamiya waved her hand, interrupting Yuka's 'self-justification,' and with a simple sentence, she successfully silenced Yuka for the third time: "So... does Yuka-chan want to come along or not?"

Yuka: "..."

The girl squinted her eyes with feigned disgust, giving Amamiya a look that seemed to say, "Sensei, are you even listening to me?"

"Sensei...~"

Faced with Yuka's 'pressure', Amamiya remained silent, simply crossing his arms and watching Yuka with great interest.

As a result, Yuka's momentum quickly softened again.

She pouted slightly, her voice so low it sounded like it was being squeezed out of her throat: "...Of course I'll go...After all, it's a rare opportunity..."

"Well... since Yuka's luggage is already prepared, shall we go and scout out the location first?"

Yuka froze again, completely belatedly realizing what was happening: "Eh? Now? Um, I haven't..."

Amamiya feigned surprise: "Does this kind of thing require extra mental preparation?"

Yuka: "..."

After letting out a muffled groan, Yuka stomped her heel on the floor a little harder to vent her emotions.

"I-I understand... Then Sensei, let's set off now..."

……

Perhaps because it was the last day of the "Hyakura Festival of a Hundred Nights in Spring," the shopping street where the Hundred Demons Parade was held, as well as other venues of the "Hyakura Festival," were slightly more lively than usual, but for some reason, they also carried a sense of "melancholy as the festival was about to end."

When Amamiya and Yuka arrived at the main venue of the "Cherry Blossom Festival" together, it was around noon in the morning.

This period also happens to be the last peak time for 'street food stalls' to be active before evening.

Maintaining a close distance with Yuka, the two of them only lingered briefly on the streets of the shopping district before noticing various items, large and small, characteristic of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons).

Aside from the most eye-catching food stalls, where almost every stall has a queue, the most popular stalls are probably the souvenir stalls.

After all, these special foods that appear at the cherry blossom festival are just that—foods. You only get to enjoy the deliciousness for a moment.

But if you really want to prove that you've been to the cherry blossom festival and truly experienced it... then the souvenir is the best proof.

Besides giving them to friends, you can also buy some things that look or feel special to keep as souvenirs.

Yuka was also interested in the food with the unique style of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons... but what caught her attention more than the food were the souvenir stalls, which received even more attention than the food stalls on the last day.

After her gaze lingered for a moment on the stalls filled with colorful trinkets, Yuka quickly spotted a small accessory that really interested her.

“Sensei…look over there.”

Yuka tugged at his sleeve, and Amamiya instinctively looked in the direction she pointed—and then noticed a 'nobody's shop.

The stall was located in what should have been a prime, bustling area, yet not a single person visited it.

The person running this strange stall is a girl with long light pink hair, a pair of fox ears on her head, and a pair of fox tails behind her...?

Amamiya had encountered a similar situation once before when he and Izuna attended the cherry blossom festival, so he wasn't surprised.

Kudzu leaves?

She's here again?

Amamiya turned his head and quietly observed Yuka's reaction—then he noticed that Yuka's originally bright purple eyes seemed to be covered with a thin layer of mist.

She seemed completely oblivious to the unusual activity at the stall—

Or rather, the stall she saw might be a little different from the 'nobody-visited stall' that Amamiya saw.

"Sensei... Shall we buy a pair as a gift?"

Yuka's bright eyes were fixed on the pair of amulets displayed at Kuzuha's stall. They looked like some kind of crystal-clear amber material, with a pair of origami cranes inside.

After a moment's hesitation, Amamiya sighed and walked toward Kuzuha's stall.

What would you two like to buy?

Ge Ye squinted, smiled meaningfully, and gently tapped the old-fashioned pipe in his hand: "I have some special souvenirs here that you definitely can't buy anywhere else."

"This one……"

Yuka's gaze remained fixed on the translucent amulets made of crystal-clear materials.

She had no knowledge of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) culture; she simply felt that it looked very eye-catching.

Out of curiosity, Yuka pointed to one of the amulets and asked softly, "What...is this? Is it also a souvenir?"

"Hmm. I guess so."

Kuzuha, surrounded by wisps of smoke, nodded slowly and explained, "This is a souvenir called a 'Matchmaking Amulet.' Hmm~"

After carefully observing Amamiya and Yuka beside him, Kuzuha smiled with a playful or amused expression.

"I see that you two are destined for each other, with a love as deep as the mountains and as enduring as the sea... How about this? These two matching 'marriage charms' will be yours for free."

Yuka, unsuspecting, accepted the pair of amulets from Kuzunoha and thanked him happily, "Thank you...!"

Her response was Kuzuno's subtle laughter, which faded into the distance.

"Ha ha……"

'May we meet again someday...Sensei.'

As Kuzuha quietly departed, the mist lingering in Yuka's eyes seemed to gradually dissipate as well.

She subconsciously handed one of the "Bonding Amulets" to Amamiya.

“Sensei…” The girl, who hadn’t noticed the shop’s sudden disappearance at all, thought for a moment and then suggested, “Should we also buy some souvenirs for Noah and the others, as well as the other seminar members?”

"Ah."

[...I bought souvenirs with Yuka.]