I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Just when he thought Hoshino was really asleep and was about to pick her up in a princess carry and take her back to sleep, Hoshino seemed to smack her lips and whisper in Amamiya's ear.

“Sensei, the moonlight is beautiful.”

Amamiya paused, then immediately found it slightly amusing.

Did you deliberately change to a more artistic way of expressing your feelings this time because your last confession was rejected?

They really are 'cunning'.

Amamiya knew all too well what the phrase "The moonlight is beautiful" truly meant, especially when uttered in such a mood.

Just as Amamiya was about to answer, her phone, which was in her jacket pocket, suddenly rang urgently.

The unusual "highlighted message" notification sound, unlike regular messages, immediately annoyed Hoshino, who was waiting with her eyes closed for Amamiya's response.

The girl hugged Amamiya tightly in a huff... but still gave him enough space to check his phone messages.

"Sensei is really busy..."

She sighed softly.

Amamiya felt a slight chill at the weighty and slightly damp sentiment in the remark.

—For some reason, he had a particularly strong premonition: what if Hoshino's carefully planned 'confessions' were interrupted time and again, and thus received no response...

If this continues, she has a good chance of developing into a terrifying "heavy woman" with her own gravity field and 'humidification' function.

Amamiya didn't reply. He took out the phone that Sophia had transformed into from his jacket pocket and looked at the important message highlighted in red.

The message wasn't sent by the Federal Student Council... or by a representative from another academy who now has a close relationship with Amamiya.

Instead, it was the 'radio idol' from the Onmyo Club whom I had met before at the Cherry Blossom Festival.

[Chise: Are you free lately?]

[Chishi: The minister needs to speak with you]

[A Thousand Lifetimes: Meeting in Xia Lai]

The fact that it was Chise who sent the message was surprising to Amamiya in itself...

Upon opening the messages, Amamiya found that they were all formatted in a haiku-like style, with the sequence '5, 7, 5'. Amamiya was both surprised and speechless.

The way the message was formatted in the haiku style really made Amamiya want to complain.

Thinking back to her previous interactions with the girl, her 'unusual way of speaking'—where she spoke haltingly and intermittently…

Just how much does she love haiku...?

Even messages have to follow this strange format?

but……

Is he the head of the Yin-Yang Department?

Amamiya recalled the "Cherry Blossom Festival" event that had happened not long ago.

At that time, he and Jingzi went to the Yin-Yang Department, intending to find the department head and request assistance.

As it turned out, the head of the Yin-Yang Department was not there at the time... and they were never found afterward.

The head of the Yin-Yang Department wants to see me? It must be something very important.

Since it was a message highlighted in red, Amamiya didn't post any emojis and even skipped the usual small talk.

He replied directly by typing: 【What's up?】

[Qian Shi: Matters Concerning the Hall of a Hundred Nights]

【Chise: The Resort Island of the Sea】

[Qian Shi: You should come and see] Suspected Qi Luyi's three (nine) two

Baiyetang, Haizhijia, Resort Island...?

With her gaze particularly drawn to the crucial keyword "resort island," Amamiya felt that things were becoming increasingly perplexing.

Coincidentally, Hoshino also "commissioned" him to investigate the truth behind the resort...

Since that's the case, let's go back and take a look.

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Possessive Little Wolf Cub's Desire is Aroused...

A gentle sea breeze caressed my face, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocky shore gradually faded away, only to return from afar soon afterward.

Echoing this, one can hear the occasional bird calls as seagulls and other birds occasionally glide across the sky.

"Sensei..."

The gray-haired girl with wolf ears had a calm yet undeniably fervent gaze.

Wearing a swimsuit, carrying two fishing tackle boxes and a fish basket, and wearing sandals, she was practically naked except for her swimsuit.

In an unbelievably calm tone, she extended an invitation to Amamiya, who was about to go out and explore the resort island.

"Want to go fishing together?"

—Although it was a question, the moment the words left her mouth, Amamiya realized from the many details, such as the fishing gear she had deliberately prepared, that she probably couldn't refuse this invitation.

Amamiya tried to move her feet slightly, and the girl's calm gaze followed suit.

Amamiya: "..."

It was just before dawn, and from the resort's perspective, the sky was only just beginning to lighten.

Most of the rooms in the resort were dark, and it seemed that apart from Shirako, the other members of the countermeasures committee, including Yuriko who had stayed up all night to prepare for their stay, were all fast asleep.

"Dawn before sunrise" is indeed a great time for sea fishing...

But surely it doesn't have to be this 'rushed'?

...Could it be that Bai Zi already knew in advance that I was going back to Xia Lai and that I might not see him again for several days afterward?

Amamiya curiously observed Shirako's micro-expressions.

Perhaps because of the stimulation she received from Wakazama yesterday, the 'Grey Wolf Girl' is still on the verge of a tense and alert state.

Aside from the peculiar subtle expression of looking at himself like a predator subtly sizing up its prey, Amamiya also noticed that Shirako seemed to have some subconscious reactions that he hadn't shown before.

Including but not limited to... occasionally taking a small, subtle step, trying to get closer to oneself;

The pair of wolf ears on its head would flap occasionally, probably trying to catch any sounds from the outside world;

Although the heterochromatic pupils didn't reflect any obvious expression, they remained fixed on him—in the past, Shirako probably wouldn't have stared at him so intently.

Amamiya sensed a very slight 'chill' from Shiroko in this state.

"...Sensei?"

Seeing that Amamiya remained silent, and after waiting for a moment without receiving a reply, Shiroko tried calling out again.

Noticing that the wolf ears on the girl's head were drooping slightly, Amamiya snapped out of her reverie and quickly replied, "Yes."

"Since Shirako wants to go fishing together, let's go to the beach... Trying sea fishing so early in the morning is an experience I've never had before..."

After receiving the fishing gear and fish bucket from the gray-haired girl, Amamiya immediately used her [Third Eye] to check the completeness of the fishing gear.

After glancing at it briefly, he frowned slightly: "...Where's the fishing net?"

Bai Zi blinked, seemingly puzzled for a moment.

Just when Amamiya thought she would 'suddenly realize that the fishing net wasn't prepared'... the girl in front of her made a shocking statement that defied common sense.

“It’s alright.” The gray-haired girl quickly moved closer and hooked Amamiya’s arm with her free dominant hand. “When Sensei scoops up the fishing rod… I’ll shoot it.”

“If I catch the fish, then Sensei will help.”

Amamiya: "?"

He paused, his mind not quite processing what was happening.

Is this how you fish?

wrong.

"...Bai Zi, are you serious?"

After letting the girl hook her arm around his, he remained silent for a few seconds before asking with great confusion, "Is this what you mean by fishing?"

"Isn't it?"

The gray-haired girl, who was pulling Amamiya towards the fishing spot, slowed down and winked at Amamiya in confusion: "This is the fishing method with the highest success rate. Dead fish won't escape."

Amamiya smirked: That's true.

"But can you still eat a fish that's been shot, even if it's not completely destroyed?"

Bai Zi suddenly stopped in his tracks, seemingly pondering the matter seriously for a short while.

After a brief moment of disbelief, the girl showed surprise, as if her "blind spot of common sense had been broken."

"……really."

Amamiya sighed, said nothing more, and then took Shiroko back to the warehouse to get two sets of fishing nets.

On the way back, the girl, who was holding Amamiya's arm and walking half a step behind Amamiya, seemed to be thinking.

His bright eyes held an expression that resembled 'doubt' or 'hesitation'.

"...What's wrong, Shirako?"

"Well……"

After a moment's hesitation, the girl finally voiced her question.

"Sensei... how exactly do you do fishing?"

Amamiya: "..."

So you call me a fisherman, but you only have the most basic understanding of fishing?

After a moment of silence, Amamiya smiled and began to patiently explain all the important points about fishing.

—If it's about fishing, then Shirako has really asked the right person.

Amamiya is quite experienced when it comes to fishing.

While watching the phantom thief in Shibuya, Tokyo, Amamiya learned about the "Ichigaya Fishing Ground" near Tokyo and began fishing there frequently.

According to Morgana, "Fishing is a special activity that is very suitable for honing patience, dexterity, knowledge, and courage..."

First, courage naturally means having the bravery to hook the strongest fish (the king of fish) and being prepared for the fishing line to snap.

'Furthermore, dexterity and knowledge are the skills to quickly and efficiently haul all the fish into the bucket while fighting the hooked fish.'

Finally, there's patience... which goes without saying. The period when you can't catch fish is a particularly difficult test of patience.

Amamiya pieced together the "fishing tips" she knew, including but not limited to using her eyes to determine the location of fish underwater, casting the hook, and reeling in the line, and told them to Shirako.

Bai Zi listened very attentively.

Only after Amamiya finished explaining the most basic fishing knowledge that was most meaningful for beginners did she nod thoughtfully, "I see..."

"Sensei, you are... amazing."

With eyes reflecting the sea and filled with longing, the girl placed her fishing tackle box and portable folding stool beside her and said sincerely, "Sensei is truly an experienced adult... With such knowledge, I feel that living with Sensei on a deserted island wouldn't be a problem at all."

Amamiya: "...Hmm."

I really have no idea what this slightly eccentric 'athletic girl' is thinking...

After unfolding the portable folding stool and tidying up the fishing gear, the girl began casting her line in the general direction and distance indicated by Amamiya.

This is, after all, a deserted island with few people around, making fishing here quite different from fishing in other common spots like fishing grounds, reservoirs, rivers, and lakes, where the fish are almost supernatural.

Because she hadn't seen a 'fishhook' in a long time, and the fish were plentiful, her fishing rod would suddenly sink within half a minute of casting.

The girl, who had just settled into her seat, had a bright look in her eyes. She immediately gripped the fishing rod and tried to reel in the line.

Amamiya hadn't even cast his line when he noticed that Shirako had already taken the bait. He immediately went over to Shirako and began instructing him on how to reel in and release the line, and how to 'fight' the fish.

Under the guidance of Amamiya, the 'fishing master', Shirako easily caught a large fish that shimmered with silver light.

It was a brightly colored fish, as long as an albino's forearm.