I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Before evening, after watching the fireworks with Yuka, we had to go back...

Chapter Forty-Seven: An Invitation from the Working Cat

After dropping Yuka, Noah, Koyuki, and Rion off at the seminar headquarters, Amamiya drove to the residential area in Shalai.

To date, the residential area of ​​Xia Lai has become much more popular as Amamiya's reputation among the various academies has grown.

Even at dusk, students can often be seen coming and going here.

After parking the car in the garage, Amamiya looked at the blonde girl sitting in the passenger seat with a cold face, meticulous and expressionless, as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

Noticing the gaze, Shi slightly turned his head, and at the same time, his movements stopped.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Sensei... why are you looking at me like that?"

After what seemed like a brainstorming session, the girl immediately showed a look of understanding.

She continued her actions, but the direction of her actions changed slightly—from unfastening the seatbelt to unbuttoning the first opening of her shirt collar.

After the rustling sound of fabric rubbing together, the girl's fair neck and delicate collarbone were faintly visible. Her fair skin, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, seemed to be slightly sweaty, making her clothes slightly damp and transparent.

"...What are you doing?!"

Amamiya's slightly surprised words made the girl, who was about to unbutton the second button to further unleash the charm of her not-so-full but still voluptuous and youthful body, stop again.

She tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled: "...Isn't that right?"

Amamiya: "...What do you mean, 'not'?"

"Sensei, what's with that expression?"

"...Didn't you want to see 'me dressed even more scantily'?"

Amamiya sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation: "Where did you get that conclusion?!"

“From the frequent…” At this point, Shi paused clearly, as if considering his words carefully before continuing, “…the analysis results derived from your frequent intimate contact with the seminar secretary (Noah) and accountant (Yuka).

Amamiya: "?!"

"It's alright. I am, after all, Sensei's maid..."

Shi seemed to sigh softly, and then a slightly troubled expression appeared on her face, which had remained largely unchanged, as if to say, "If that's the case, then there's nothing I can do." This was a result of repeatedly receiving inexplicable requests.

"Satisfying Sensei's bottomless desires is something I, as a maid, must try to face..."

Just as he was about to continue unbuttoning his shirt, Amamiya waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Stop, stop."

Meeting the girl's clear yet sharp gaze, Amamiya remained silent for a moment before saying earnestly, "I think it's too early now."

He then made a slightly disappointed expression.

A little sweaty, Amamiya, under Toki's slightly puzzled gaze, said several sentences that were basically saying that "this kind of thing is still too early for Toki at the moment," which finally calmed Toki down.

As they walked out of the residential garage together, and the Xia Lai office building came into view under the setting sun, Amamiya breathed a slight sigh of relief before asking the girl who had been following her the whole time, "Toki, what are your plans lately?"

The reply was very 'straightforward': "Not yet."

She's currently in a confused phase of 'searching for the meaning of life,' so it would be strange if she actually had any plans.

"If you don't have any plans in the near future, you can also stay in the Xialai residential area."

"After all, Xia Lai needs someone to be stationed there at all times and to relay messages immediately... and it's impossible for me to take care of Xia Lai around the clock... Sometimes, helping out and keeping an eye on things can make things much easier for me."

【~???~】(from time)

“I understand, Sensei.”

"After that, I will pack my personal belongings and consider settling down in Xialai for the next period of time."

After a long and drawn-out struggle with time, Amamiya finally managed to get rid of the girl who kept clinging to him at the slightest provocation.

Thinking about it carefully... I seem to have met a bit too many students with the "clingy" trait recently.

The woman Celina that Trinity met was the kind of "cyber ghost" who, once you had a high level of 'favorability,' would definitely follow you around like a shadow.

Izuna, whom Amamiya met during the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, is usually a clingy little fox—and he is indeed very cute, but if he is always being clung to, Amamiya will not have the opportunity to develop relationships with other assistants.

Now... similar symptoms are appearing again...

That's really worrying.

After reflecting on his thoughts, Amamiya decided to return to the Xialai Building before the sun completely set to handle his official business for the day.

Along the way, Amamiya could see many students coming and going near the residential area.

They came from different countries, such as the Millennium, Gehenna, or Trinity... There were even a few students whose school uniforms were decorated with school badges that Amamiya didn't recognize at all.

Amamiya had no intention of getting to know each of the students who frequented the area around Xialai and brought it popularity.

Firstly, because now that Xia Lai has the Arios team of 'professionals' for security, at least security is no longer a blank slate.

Secondly, there are at least dozens or even hundreds of students visiting Xia Lai every day. Given Xia Lai's current "human resource deficit," it's unlikely that a thorough investigation can be conducted on every student who visits.

Watching the girls with bare legs and wearing pleated skirts wandering around Xia Lai in early spring, Amamiya felt that the scene was actually quite pleasing to the eye...

Well, if we can ignore the fact that they might draw their guns and start shooting at the slightest disagreement.

After slowing down a bit and 'admiring' the energetic girls, Amamiya arrived at the foot of the Xia Lai Building.

Seeing that the door to "Angel 24" was still lit, Amamiya decided to go in and buy something after a moment's thought.

With the cherry blossom festival and the hot spring trip already underway, it's time to replenish the coffee, instant food, and other supplies in Xia Lai's office...

With this in mind, Amamiya stepped through the doors of "Angel 24".

Immediately afterwards, he heard a "Welcome" voice coming from the power supply unit behind the cashier.

Amamiya paused, realizing that the clerk who greeted him wasn't Sora, and then looked towards the cashier—

Where Sora should have been standing, now stood a 'black cat girl' familiar to Amamiya, dressed in the uniform of "Angel 24".

“Welcome…” Standing in front of the cashier, Qinxiang placed her hands flat in front of her. She subconsciously greeted the person when she heard the door open—then, after seeing who was pushing the door open, her red eyes suddenly froze.

"...Sensei?!"

Amamiya: ...There's no need to be so surprised.

With a smile and a wave, Amamiya greeted the other person before approaching the cashier and giving Serika, who seemed a little embarrassed, a thorough once more.

"Celery? Is she... working?"

After a slight avert of her gaze, Serika realized that this was pointless and nodded slightly with a resigned blush: "...Mm."

Come to think of it... it seems like it's been a while since I've seen the five-person group from Abydos, including Serika.

I wonder what they've been doing lately?

After his gaze lingered on the girl, who was stiff with embarrassment, for a moment, Amamiya gave her a thumbs up: "Hmm~ This must be the second time I've seen Serika in her work clothes, right? Surprisingly, she's very cute."

Serika's eyes widened in shock: "Sen, Sensei?!"

Amamiya then added seriously, "No, no... I should say it's precisely because Serika is inherently cute that she can look cute in all kinds of clothes..."

Thinking of the cherry blossom festival during the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) not long ago and the subsequent hot spring trip, Amamiya casually remarked, "If I could see Serika in her shrine maiden outfit... that would be quite a sight..."

"Sensei?! What are you talking about?!"

【~???~】

The black cat girl, who had initially been shy, began to show signs of becoming slightly agitated. She waved her hands repeatedly and, for the first time ever, raised her voice to interrupt Amamiya and remind her, "Sensei, this is a public place, you know?"

'Although if you insist on seeing it, it's not impossible to send it to you...'

'But to bring up such strange topics in a public place where there is obvious surveillance...'

Amamiya smiled knowingly, nodded cryptically to Serika, and said nothing more.

Qinxiang: "..."

Oh no... Did I just convey some strange message to Sensei, and then Sensei received it?

After selecting all the items and preparing to pay, the cat, whose brain had been 'crazy,' finally came to its senses.

She had already picked up the barcode scanner to pay when she suddenly remembered what had happened to Abydos recently.

"Um... Sensei, are you free lately?"

"Could I... borrow a little bit of your time?"

Chapter 48 Ajinko's Flowers

"Could I... borrow a little bit of your time?"

Serika's words, spoken after only a little preparation, made Amamiya chuckle inwardly.

That really is... a fairly standard 'starting stance'.

"What's wrong, Celery?"

Celery gritted her teeth and did not respond immediately, but instead glanced at the electronic clock near the cashier.

"In order not to take up Sensei's time... I will look for Sensei after get off work."

Upon hearing this, Amamiya did not intend to ask any further questions on the spot.

I suppose what Serika is going to talk about concerns the whole of Abydos?

"I understand. I'll wait for Celery in the activity room."

【~???~】

After saying goodbye to Serika, Amamiya walked out of "Angel 24" carrying a shopping bag full of coffee beans and various daily necessities.

After Arios's squad, who had free access to Xia Lai's club activity room, moved in, this area, nominally a club activity room, actually became more like an office area, and was cleaned almost every day.

While it wouldn't be described as spotless, it's certainly clean and tidy.

As soon as Amamiya pushed open the door and entered the room, she immediately noticed a slender figure standing on the balcony, her long, straight, hyacinth-like purple hair swaying in the evening breeze of spring.

She was carrying a watering can and seemed to be intently watching the flowerpots placed on the balcony.

Upon hearing the door open, the purple-haired girl paused slightly while watering the flowers. Then, she turned around gracefully, her gaze immediately falling on Amamiya.

The girl, her cheek half bathed in the glow of the setting sun, gazed at Amamiya with nothing but tenderness.

“Sensei… welcome back.”

Noticing the gardening apron on the girl's body and the bits of fresh soil stuck to the edge of the apron, Amamiya immediately realized what Akiko was doing.

Amamiya went to the balcony, took in the girl's "countryside atmosphere" which was mixed with a hint of earthiness and the fragrance of flowers, and then asked, "Ajinko, are you planting flowers?"

"Mm." Yazuko nodded with a gentle smile, "I want to try to make Xia Lai bloom with flowers..."

After saying just that, the girl smiled lightly and pursed her lips without saying anything more, not revealing the words she had been keeping hidden in her heart that she felt would be too ashamed to say directly.

The prayers and hopes gathered from unfulfilled wishes... seemed insignificant to Beatrice, like weeds.

'But in your eyes, Sensei... they are all unbloomed flowers of hope.'

"I want to fulfill that 'unfulfilled wish,' to nurture and cultivate those seemingly ordinary weeds, and together with you, cultivate flowers that symbolize miracles."

“If Xia Lai could be covered in flowers…” Amamiya smiled and chimed in, “it would probably look quite beautiful, wouldn’t it?”

【~???~】

Meeting the girl's gentle crimson gaze, Amamiya asked with some curiosity, "But... Akiko, if it's just about planting flowers, you could plant them in the flowerbed downstairs... Why are you planting them in pots on the balcony?"

On the balcony, there was a half-opened bag of fresh soil, along with fertilizer that had probably just been bought and opened, a small shovel, and various other gardening tools.

Transporting fresh soil and various tools to a balcony that is roughly ten stories high is by no means an easy task, even with an elevator.

Did the weaving process contribute to this stage?

“Because…” Yajinzi paused for a long time, “before conducting large-scale trial planting, we need to conduct small-scale trials first…”