I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Without exception, each of them had an Arcana of different attributes floating above their heads.

Amamiya looked at the girl in the lead.

[Assistant: Yukino Nana / Fox Squad's 'Mission Expert']

[Arcana: Conviction]

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

Seven Degrees Yukino...?

Is she the captain of the Fox Squad?

Amamiya's brows relaxed, and he was just about to try to greet the girl.

Unexpectedly, the next second, a sentence came crashing down on him.

"Sensei..."

"I hate adults like you the most."

Chapter 76 Why was the school closure agreement signed?

"Sensei..."

"I hate adults like you the most."

The black-haired girl's hostile words rained down on Amamiya, who was about to say something, and she was immediately stunned.

This may be the first time he has encountered a setback in interpersonal negotiations since arriving in Kivotos.

Even Abydos, who initially distrusted you, and the members of Arios, who initially had a low opinion of you, wouldn't act like this... At least even if they were embarrassed, they wouldn't give you a hard time on the spot. If you spoke seriously, they would still be willing to sit down and listen to what you had to say.

Where do you find people who immediately express their malice by saying "I hate it the most"?

After a moment of surprise, Amamiya immediately dropped her 'gentle adult' expression, narrowing her eyes and raising her eyebrows slightly.

Temporarily ignoring the black-haired girl who disliked him from the start, Amamiya's gaze naturally moved past her shoulder to the girl behind her, who wore the same style of uniform and also had fox ears as a prominent feature.

The girl with short hair, pink hair and blue eyes seemed momentarily embarrassed and awkward when Amamiya looked at her, and lowered her head slightly as she smoothed her bangs.

[Assistant: Nicole/The Fox Squad's 'Normal Member']

Arcana: The Empress (I.The Empress)

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

'Empress...'

So far, the assistants that Amamiya knows under this card include Chihiro, Midori, Haruna, Himari, and Akane.

If we were to summarize their vague personality traits... Amamiya immediately grasped the general characteristics of the pink-haired girl in front of her.

She likely possesses a certain degree of 'maternal qualities' and is 'gentle and approachable,' and has outstanding talent and basic abilities in a certain area of ​​daily life (such as cooking).

In addition... it may carry a certain characteristic of being 'not in control of one's own destiny'.

—For example, Chihiro's "involuntary" situation stems from the other lively characters in Beritas.

Chihiro herself is a seasoned hacker, but her team members all have strange traits: they don't take personal information security seriously. They have hacking skills, but they almost completely abandon hacker 'morality'.

For example, Little Green... Her 'helplessness' probably stems from her human-machine sister - Saiyu Momoi.

Perhaps she had thought about this "what if" more than once: if only her sister had a little bit more emotional intelligence...

Riki's "being unable to control her own destiny" stems from her "personal bodyguard and errand runner"—namely, Amy.

As for Akane... well, she seems to be the only one in the maid club who is relatively normal and can truly be considered a maid.

'Could she be the only normal person in the Fox Squad?'

After paying special attention to the pink-haired girl named Nicole, Amamiya then looked at the blonde girl standing to the side with her arms crossed, looking at him with a subtle expression that was somewhere between tsundere and disgust.

[Assistant: Walnut/The Tsundere Fox Girl of the Fox Squad]

Arcana: The Hermit (IX.L'mite)

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

Noticing Amamiya's gaze, she gave a soft hum and responded with a 'what are you looking at?' look.

Amamiya: "..."

Finally, she took a closer look at the green-eyed girl with brown hair who was carrying a large red box.

She was probably the one in the team who showed the least obvious 'dislike' or 'hatred' towards herself—at least Amamiya couldn't see any particularly obvious expression from her.

[Assistant: Oto Aoi / Fox Squad's 'Cunning Hunter']

[Arcana: Temperance (X. Temperance)]

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

Amamiya understood perfectly well why the Fox Squad was so 'hostile' towards him.

—Not long ago, he handled documents related to the closure of the SRT squad's school...

Perhaps the Fox Squad found out about this.

This is different from the idea in the world outside of Kiwatos that 'some people would cheer loudly upon hearing that their alma mater has been abolished.'

For the academy city of Givotos, and for the students who have so much affection for the school... the news of its closure must be quite devastating.

Previously, Abydos was also on the verge of being closed down... Looking back, although the policy committee was trying their best to do something at that time, the despairing cloud of helplessness always hung over them.

"SRT's...Fox Squad, right?"

Sensing the 'malice' and 'dislike' emanating from the four girls, Amamiya slowly forced a distant smile: "I've heard of this team's reputation for a long time."

After carefully recalling the contents of that document, Amamiya continued, "I've heard Hana-muro mention you before."

When Hanaya was mentioned, the black-haired girl who was leading the group, who had a beautiful face but always maintained an expression of disgust, seemed to have a momentary slip-up in her expression.

Noticing that the girls' hostility had subsided, Amamiya gradually became 'confident'.

He leaned back slightly, resting his elbows on the cashier's counter, fully displaying his hands to the Fox Squad members, and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Why...why are you so hostile towards me?"

"You have signed the 'College Abolition Agreement'."

Yukino calmly explained the reason using the respectful term "you".

She then stepped forward, seemingly to grab Amamiya's collar—but hesitated for a moment and gave up.

Looking at her from extremely close range, the girl's crimson pupils reflected a complex mix of emotions, including pain and resentment.

She demanded angrily, her voice almost roaring: "Why did you sign that agreement?!"

Amamiya: ...

I don't know why, but I always have this feeling that someone is yelling, "Why are you playing 'Spring Shadow'?"

Why play "Spring Shadows"? Because besides "Spring Shadows", what other pieces does this ensemble have that they can be proud of?

The same is true.

Why should we sign the settlement agreement regarding SRT Academy?

Of course it is...

Because 'great weapons do not require human operation'.

After a few seconds of silence, Amamiya looked at the girl who was almost roaring, her eyes filled with pity, and spoke gently, "Because I had no choice but to do it."

Switch Persona to [Wahu Mana (Advisor)].

Yukino felt as if she and her Fox Squad were being 'concerned from above'.

She gritted her teeth, just about to speak, when suddenly her consciousness briefly wavered.

[Mental Detox]; [Mental Detox DX]; [Wake-Up Therapy]; [Mindfulness Therapy]; [Rapid Flow] (Maruki Takuto's Bond Skill)...

[Impression Manipulation Techniques]; [Manipulation of People's Hearts Techniques]; [Charismatic Speech Techniques] (Yoshida Toranosuke Bond Skills)...

Maru-sensei, the power of bonds between you and Uncle Sun is fully unleashed.

There was no exaggerated shout of "Lend me the power of bonds!" followed by a [Fuon UP], and there were no obvious actions or visual effects.

But in that instant, Amamiya, having fully activated both of her bond skill systems, entered the "humanoid succubus" form, which could make the opposite sex fall in love at first sight.

Yukino's voice softened considerably, and her aura crumbled with gentleness. She took a half-step back and asked hesitantly, "What do you mean... what do you mean by 'have no choice but to do this'?"

“Yukino.” Amamiya said seriously, taking the initiative to lean in and pinch the girl’s ear while her consciousness was briefly clouded by confusion.

"Yukino must be a very righteous and good girl. She has a deep affection for her academy, wants to revive SRT Academy, and is trying to do so with great determination and seriousness..."

【~???~】(from Yukino)

【~???~】(from Nicole)

【~??~】(from Otoko and Kurumi)

"?!?!"

The momentary confusion melted away like ice and snow, and when Yukino came to her senses, she was already in a state of 'having her ears played with'.

The girl gritted her teeth, instinctively wanting to slap away the hand that Amamiya had placed on her head, but hesitated.

Amamiya's words reached her ears further, breaking down her defenses.

"I really admire and even encourage Yukino's 'beliefs'."

"but……"

"Has Yukino ever considered that this kind of 'belief' might be flawed?"

Wrong, incorrect...?

The strange sensation coming from the tip of her ear, which gradually made her heart race, made the girl feel confused and bewildered again as she gradually lost the time to think.

"A bond that allows for mutual understanding, a way of communicating that enables mutual comprehension... these are the foundation upon which to solve problems. Yukino, if you truly want to resolve the issues in your heart, perhaps you should first consider whether you've 'gone down the wrong path.'"

"After that... remember to communicate properly, okay?"

"A problem-solving communication style should never be based on 'yelling at each other and venting emotions.'"

Amamiya gently patted the girl's smooth, long hair, feigning amusement.

"Go back and think about it."

"if you……"

Amamiya paused here, deliberately glancing around at the other 'three foxes' behind Yukino: "And the other members of the team, if they are willing to talk to me calmly, as long as I am still in Shalai... then they are welcome anytime."

Amamiya withdrew her hand, and Yukino instinctively reached out to grab something, but then felt something was off.

She stood there, her face full of confusion and entanglement.

'Strange… what on earth is going on?'

Feeling like her brain was turning into mush, Yukino realized she couldn't stay there any longer.

—This must be 'adult negotiation style'!

No, I absolutely cannot fall into this trap...

With her head slightly lowered, Yukino turned and left quickly with a complex expression that the rest of the team couldn't understand.

He didn't even have time to tell his teammates to retreat with him before leaving.

Hmm... it's probably because of 'excessive brain memory usage,' which caused a shortage of threads. Didn't you expect that?

Walnut, Nico, and Otoko, carrying bags of various goods, did not immediately leave with Yukino, but paid the bill first.

After each giving Amamiya a different look, they quickly left.

Only after the last member of the Fox Squad was completely out of sight, and Xiao Kong, whose face had turned pale with fright from the sudden turn of events, huddled behind the counter, finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Phew...that was dangerous..."

“Th-that…Sensei…they…”