I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Amamiya helped catch the shirako in the net, and at the same time made a simple identification: "Oh... we caught a parrotfish."

Bai Zi tilted his head slightly, puzzled: "Parrotfish?"

"Yes, it's a very common tropical fish... It's not poisonous itself, but because some of the food that parrotfish eat is poisonous, there is a certain risk of poisoning if you eat it, especially large parrotfish."

"Um……"

Upon hearing that the fish was "inedible," Shirako felt a brief moment of disappointment.

But then, Amamiya heard her 'very purposeful' question: "Can it be sold for money?"

Amamiya: "...That's fine."

Meeting the girl's curious and slightly shining gaze, Amamiya sighed softly and replied, "If sold as ornamental fish... a single one can fetch around 20,000 credits."

"But this fish... is not an ornamental species, though it can still sell for two to six thousand credits."

If they can be sold, it will be a considerable income—enough to cover one or two days of daily living expenses.

After calculating the fish's 'average value', Shirako became slightly curious and excited, as if she had discovered a new continent.

If catching fish could always be this fast...

Fishing is practically a risk-free, highly profitable business.

Even if you can't afford a fishing boat or similar vessel, you can probably still make a considerable amount of money through your own efforts...

"Sensei, where should I cast next?"

After observing the fish's movements with his [Third Eye], Amamiya pointed in a direction: "Over there."

"Sensei, help me..."

"Come here."

"Sensei, your fish has taken the bait."

"I see it."

As they repeatedly catch fish and fish, the interaction between Amamiya and Shirako seems to end there.

—For a young girl just beginning to experience romantic feelings and harboring a vague sense of possessiveness, this kind of gradual and subtle contact and daily interaction seems to be the most 'temporarily possessive' way of contact that she can think of at the moment.

"Sensei..."

Amamiya, who was focused on her fishing rod, tilted her head slightly upon hearing the sound: "Hmm?"

However, this time, Bai Zi called him not to ask him to help reel in the line.

Having already packed up her fishing gear, the girl, now bathed in the rising sun as she looked at the buckets piled high with fish and felt a slight fishy smell emanating from her, murmured her words abruptly.

"I want things to stay like this forever, with Sensei."

Why did you suddenly say that?

'……Why?'

After asking herself this question, the girl shook her head slightly.

She wasn't quite sure... she just inexplicably wanted to say those words, wanted to get closer to the exam... that's all.

Seeing that Amamiya didn't speak, Shirako, who was gradually enveloped by a 'girlish feeling', tried to close the distance a little.

"I want to take things a step further with Sensei..."

"Sensei...can you come closer to me...?"

Amamiya nodded gently without hesitation: "Of course."

He had every reason to believe that... even now, Bai Zi hadn't fully understood what his feeling of 'wanting to gradually get closer' was.

After thinking for a moment, Amamiya decided not to say anything complicated. Instead, she simply waved to Shirako and said gently, "If Shirako needs anything... she can come to me anytime to 'act cute'."

"Didn't we say before that we should rely on each other..."

Bai Zi seemed to have nothing to say. After quietly humming in agreement, he leaned in completely.

[I sensed a subtle possessiveness emanating from Shiroko...]

The bond between her and Shirako has deepened...

【Sand Wolf White Piece (Chariot) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆】

Amamiya and Shirako 'clung to each other' until dawn, when Amamiya felt it was about time.

'It's about time to go back...'

Chapter 74 Potential Clients - Yarn

Federal Student Union - Sharai.

As the sound of the propellers gradually subsided, Amamiya, sitting in the makeshift aircraft seat, watched the ground getting closer and closer, feeling the wind pressure around her and a slight shortness of breath...

Well, I guess I now have a basic understanding of "riding a gunship".

【Feel sorry……】

Seemingly noticing Amamiya's exasperated eye-roll, Albatross's slightly apologetic voice reached my ears: [This unit does not include "riding" or related functions... If you need to temporarily transport members, this is the only way.]

Amamiya glanced at Yuriko, who was also practically 'tethered to the chair' beside her, trying to glean some emotion from the calm expression of the fox-eared girl wearing goggles.

"Sensei, stop looking."

After keeping her eyes straight ahead for a short while, Yuriko finally couldn't withstand Amamiya's continued gaze.

With her fox ears drooping slightly, the girl tightened her seatbelt and said with a hint of helplessness, "It was like this before too."

"You think I didn't show any strange expression? That's probably because I'm already used to it."

Amamiya: "..."

[Mr. Phantom Thief, if you find the current riding experience unsatisfactory, and if you develop a deeper bond with Yuriko in the future, I may consider improving your riding experience.]

"Ahem..." Yuriko coughed lightly as she was about to unbuckle her seatbelt, raising her voice slightly as a warning, "We're going to the engineering department to pick up some parts. Let's not talk about anything strange yet."

Albatross, seemingly ignoring Yuriko's 'admonition,' asked with a gossipy and curious tone: "So, Mr. Phantom Thief, do you have any 'special ideas'? Like...?"

"Stop giving examples." Yuriko interrupted her 'good friend' with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance. "I pay attention when I need to."

[Really? I'm afraid you don't have the courage.]

Yuriko was even more annoyed, raising her eyebrows with a smug and slightly arrogant air: "Mind your own business."

The interactions between this duo are quite interesting...

"Speaking of which, entrusting you to take me back must have cost quite a bit of money, right? After all, albatrosses need to replenish their travel expenses..."

The fox-eared girl's expression shifted, and a smile naturally appeared on her cool and alluring face, perhaps due to her 'fox features'.

"Is Sensei going to pay for this 'special commission'? Not necessarily."

"After all, the original purpose of this trip back was to pick up some parts from the engineering department to prepare for the aircraft maintenance..."

"in addition……"

After seemingly considering it for a moment, Yuriko lowered her voice slightly and said, "It's also to get some... personal supplies."

—If there are no exceptions, the so-called personal living supplies should be swimwear and some other daily necessities, right?

"In that case... thank you for your kindness, Yuriko."

After expressing his sincere gratitude, Amamiya unbuckled his seatbelt and lightly jumped off from near the ground.

His robes unfurled automatically in the air, then expanded tenfold in an instant, transforming into a pair of black shadows forming wings.

After flapping its temporary 'wings', Amamiya landed smoothly.

'Let's contact Chise first...'

'To avoid any other subtle misunderstandings, I also need to send a text message to Shizuko in advance...'

As Amamiya walked down the stairs leading to the rooftop, she opened the door and pondered her next plan.

The main purpose of this trip, besides responding to Chise's request and meeting with the true head of the Onmyo Club, "Tenchi Nia"...

There is also an investigation into the truth behind the resort.

If we disregard the all-powerful information-gathering channel of the other world... then it would be better to entrust the information gathering task to Beritas or the Special Phenomena Investigation Department.

We might need to go back to the Federal Student Union to take a look...

With a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind, Amamiya was about to step into the stairwell when she heard the sound of a medium-to-large metal object landing smoothly.

Amamiya looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw Yuriko's flying seat, along with herself, smoothly 'slam' onto the ground.

Amemiya was speechless at this bizarre landing method, which resembled an airdropped soldier summoned from a "mercenary camp" in SC2.

While speechless with exasperation, Amamiya then asked with some curiosity, "Yuriko, aren't you going to the engineering department next?"

"Hmm." The girl nodded calmly, then added to her purpose: "I haven't been inside the Xia Lai Building before, and I just wanted to take a look on a whim."

Amamiya glanced back at the direction the albatross had taken—and then realized that it had already flown off into the distance a thousand years ago.

They really left decisively...

Amamiya withdrew his gaze, then met Yuriko's bright and intelligent eyes.

"Sensei, could you show me around around Xialai?"

Yuriko's 'suggestion' made Amamiya slightly distracted, and he thought about SRT.

Not long ago, he handled a document related to the closure of SRT.

(Chapter 5 of this volume)

Coincidentally, Yuriko is a former SRT student...

Perhaps we can learn more about SRT through Yuriko.

SRT was destined to disband—now that Xia Lai was gradually building up its own team, coupled with various other reasons... this 'ownerless dagger' would eventually be 'forged into a plowshare'.

Amamiya had no intention of gathering the entire student body of SRT Academy as his own 'base'—even if the Federation Student Council fully supported him in doing so, Amamiya himself didn't have the energy for it.

Compared to the "Federal Student Council President + SRT Special Academy" who is "an individual symbolizing the entire Kivotos" and "the 'Imperial Guard' to which the individual belongs," Xia Lai's development path is relatively more flexible.

Having one or two small teams as your core is already pretty good...

To take over the entire SRT as one's own power is somewhat of a pipe dream—a pipe dream in every sense of the word.

"It just so happens that we have some time now..."

Amamiya snapped out of her reverie and nodded eagerly to Yuriko: "Since Yuriko is also curious about Xia Lai now... let's go for a walk together."

"Um……"

Seeing that Amamiya had fallen into a brief moment of thought while speaking, the girl blinked curiously and asked, "What's wrong, Sensei?"

"On another note... Yuriko has never really looked into Xia Lai's office environment... and I've never been to Yuriko's private workshop either. How about we take this opportunity to make a small appointment?"

Yuriko vaguely sensed something, but still hesitated before repeating Amamiya's suggestion: "...A promise?"

"Now I'll show Yuriko around to Xia Lai, and then Yuriko can show me around to your gun workshop, okay?"

...So that's all there is to it.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief, then hesitated slightly: "It's possible. But..."

Amamiya immediately straightened up and puffed out her chest, assuring him, "I won't mess with anything in the workshop."

Yuriko was slightly flustered: "N-no..."

"Sensei, my gun workshop... while it's regularly tidied, it might not be as 'tidy' as you might imagine. If you'd like to visit... be prepared to be turned away by an 'unbearable smell of paint' or other 'engine oil smells'."

While chatting with Yuriko about trivial things like the office and 'sharing secrets with each other,' Amamiya pushed open the door to the club activity room, which had been largely 'closed for a long time'... which was also Xia Lai's office.

As usual... due to the presence of the Arianus Squad in Xia Lai, it is open almost all day long—even when Amamiya is not there, the club activity room is usually occupied by a student from the Arianus Squad, as well as a student on duty as assigned by Alona through the duty roster.

Upon entering the office, Amamiya glanced at the duty roster arranged by Alona... Hmm, Iroha was on duty, but he didn't see him in the club activity room.

Without a doubt... Iroha was probably slacking off in the lounge.

However, there were members of Arius's team present.

Today, Saori is in charge of guarding the office.