I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

[Shizuko: Sensi... Do you have a moment? There's something I want to say...]

'I also received messages from other people...'

[Mimori: I need to ask Sensei some questions about 'spiritual practice'...]

'...'

[Izuna: My lord! Izuna awaits your call at any time!]

'...'

[Chise: Sensei, let's go find inspiration together.]

'...'

[Hoshino: Sensei, shall we pick out some sleep supplies together?]

'...'

[Celery: My Experience with the Food Culture of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons...]

'...'

[Bai Zi: Sensei can come to me anytime.]

'...'

[Nomiya: Does Sensei like "ear cleaning"?]

one two three four……

Amamiya counted the messages from 'People Nearby'—well, she was only one message away from her peak of "nine messages".

Seeing these messages appearing one after another, almost simultaneously, on the momotalk chat page, Amamiya vaguely recalled Valentine's Day at the Leblanc Cafe.

Considering that developing bonds with the girls on the countermeasures committee is rather 'dangerous' at the moment, Amamiya made her decision after only a slight hesitation:

To reduce the danger, let's deal with the message from the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) faction first.

After glancing at the messages from the girls of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, Amamiya's gaze finally settled on the message from Chise.

Go check out this 'electric wave idol' from the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

With that in mind, Amamiya typed a reply: 【Looking for inspiration?】

[Qian Shi: "Coordinates," I am here.]

[Chise: In the creation of haiku, the support of inspiration is indispensable.]

Amamiya: ...Yue{H% has already introduced the enterprise & Lu Yi Ie r Er Jiu Yu

Well, now the sentence punctuation format has changed again...

After confirming the coordinates sent by Chise, Amamiya followed the directions on the electronic navigation system and searched for the location.

The coordinates sent by Chise are located on a beach that is completely devoid of resort facilities and is therefore 'rarely visited'.

Compared to the other side where "Sea House" is located, the island on this side is covered by a dense forest.

Palm trees grow on the beach near the sea, and the beach itself is 'rugged and rocky', not the golden sand that one might imagine, soaked in seawater and reflecting the sunlight.

After passing through the dense forest, Amamiya immediately spotted a girl wearing a blue and white striped bikini. Her blue side ponytail swayed in the wind, and she seemed like a sea sprite. She had her back to him, her hands behind her back, and was leaning over, as if she was paying attention to something.

'Electronic wave type girl' always seems to be easily immersed in some 'special frequency bands' that are difficult for ordinary people to reach and find it hard to extricate herself.

Amamiya, feeling that the scene of the blue-haired girl leaning out from the rocks to observe was particularly evocative, first took a picture with her phone before walking over to see what Chise was looking at.

As they got closer to the beach, Amamiya heard Chise's sweet, gentle, and slow cheers.

"Keep going, that's it, keep going!"

Seemingly noticing the sound of Amamiya approaching, the girl didn't look up, her tone unchanged: "Sensei, come here, look here~"

What is it that interests Chise so much...?

Amamiya hummed in agreement and moved closer to Chise.

He then noticed a 'special scene' that had captured the girl's sparkling eyes and keen interest in a small patch of beach surrounded by rocks—

A shrimp of similar size is 'fighting' with a crab.

Chise watched this 'fighting' scene with exceptional focus, so much so that in order to observe this 'special battle' more closely, she slowly knelt on the beach, supported herself with her hands on the sand, and leaned forward further.

"Wow...that's amazing."

"Will Mr. Shrimp Soldier prevail, or will Lord Crab General ultimately emerge victorious...?"

Amamiya: "..."

Are they really just shrimp soldiers and crab generals?

He truly hadn't expected that the reason Chise was so focused wasn't some scene like "beach scenery" that might be associated with a literary girl's style.

Rather, it's more like the childlike innocence and fun of "squatting next to an anthill and watching ants move house all day long," similar to the story of "from the Hundred Herbs Garden to the Three Flavors Study."

This kind of behavior of 'disregarding one's image in order to watch the shrimp and crab battle' is truly 'naturally cute with an eccentric personality'.

After standing helplessly beside Chise for a short while, Amamiya finally paid some attention to the back-and-forth battle between the shrimp and crabs.

He slowly crouched down, taking advantage of his superior perspective, and began to observe the pink eyes reflecting the tides on the beach, intently watching the girl who resembled a shrimp soldier or crab general.

After observing for a moment, Amamiya slowly reached out and placed his right hand on her head, gently touching... the pair of pink-tipped 'demon horns' on her head.

"...?"

A fleeting look of confusion crossed her bright eyes, then Chise tilted her head slightly: "Sensei...?"

Amamiya didn't stop, and continued to stroke him back and forth in a serious manner.

"Chiyo, do you remember Nia's promise from not long ago? That promise hasn't been kept."

After a slight pause, Chise turned her gaze back to the shrimp and crab war that had already reached a fever pitch.

Although her expression didn't change, Amamiya did sense from her behavior a sense of nonchalant acceptance, like, "I see, then please go ahead, Sensei."

“Sensei’s touch…the promise is kept.”

Gradually, cracks appeared in Chise's originally innocent and adorable expression.

"But...it's starting to get a little troubling...?"

"It feels so good, but also so strange... What is it, Sensei?"

“Meow…?”

She even remembered the 'persona' that Nia had given her not long ago, and she bent her hand to imitate a cat's paw and meowed like a cat.

Amamiya, who was getting more and more comfortable rubbing the cute little horns on Chise's head, watched the faint blush gradually rise on Chise's cheeks and the increasingly indescribable complex expression, and felt her mood improve along with it.

"Chise-neko, which side do you think will win?"

Having changed to a duck-like sitting posture, making it easier for Amamiya to pat her head, the girl hesitated for a moment upon hearing this.

"It should be Lord Crab General who wins."

Amamiya then asked, "Why does Chise-nyan think that way?"

This time, Chise answered almost without hesitation: "Because Lord Crab General has a pair of big pincers..."

“Once Mr. Shrimp is caught, he won’t be able to break free… just like now.”

As Chise spoke, she tried to tilt her head slightly, and from a peculiar angle of looking up, she met the gaze of Amamiya standing behind her.

"..."

After a few seconds of eye contact, Chise lowered her head again: "...Like being 'clamped' by Sensei, I can't break free from Sensei."

Amamiya was both amused and exasperated: What kind of strange metaphor is this?

He was just patting her head; he didn't actually restrain Qian Shi at all...

As if to confirm Chise's prophecy, in the next round of battle, the blue crab that Chise named "Crab General" launched a fierce attack, its claws clamping down on Mr. "Shrimp Soldier's" head.

After struggling slightly, Mr. "Shrimp Soldier" began foaming at the mouth and then stopped moving.

The victorious "Crab General" first brandished his crab claws triumphantly, then dragged the defeated "Shrimp Soldier" away in a domineering manner.

"but……"

With her gaze following the crab until it disappeared, Chise finally turned her attention back and uttered the 'second half of the sentence'.

"Compared to Mr. Shrimp Soldier's treatment..."

“Sensei’s ‘clamping’ is very gentle.”

After a moment's hesitation, Chise slowly got up.

"The battle for shrimp and crabs,"

"The ending is different from reality."

"Reality is warm."

Amamiya pondered over Chise's haiku.

She was probably implying that her treatment was the same as that of a shrimp that was 'directly pinched off' (temporarily controlled by her 'patting its head'), but the treatment and feelings were very different... right?

"If Chise doesn't like this feeling..."

As Amamiya spoke, she tried to pull her hand away.

The girl, who had previously been 'slow to react,' responded with exceptional speed this time—she grabbed Amamiya's wrist and then slowly placed it on her head.

"It feels strange, but I still want to experience it."

【~???~】(from Qian Shi)

_児陆诌哟鏾吧琉【She felt the emotions from a thousand lifetimes…】

My bond with Chise has deepened...

【Peaceful and Everlasting (The High Priestess) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Amamiya: "..."

"From this perspective, I seem to be the one being controlled."

Amamiya's seemingly casual remark elicited a reaction from Chise.

【~???~】

Accompanied by the sound of notes of affection floating in the air, she made a decision with a serious expression after 'thinking for a moment'.

"Then let me play the role of Lord Crab General."

As she said this, she didn't give Amamiya a chance to refuse.

Maintaining the small gesture of holding Amamiya's wrist and placing Amamiya's palm on her head, she calmly 'invited' Amamiya.

"Sensei..."

"Let's go for a walk together."

Chapter 117 Nia Deserves Love

Perhaps it's because the festival's organizing committee for the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) is always inseparable from fireworks, or perhaps it's because of Shizuko's "meticulous and resourceful" personality—

Looking at the entire "Paradise Lost Resort" archipelago, perhaps only this archipelago, home to the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, is "unwilling to be lonely."

Fireworks soared into the sky, exploding into fleeting, dazzling flowers in the deep night.

Have you found your own inspiration?

Only after the traces of the fireworks had completely disappeared did Amamiya turn her gaze away from the night sky and look at the blue-haired girl in a swimsuit who insisted on holding her arm and rubbing her hand against her head.

"I think I've found it. Probably."

Amamiya: "..."

Did they find it or not?

Feeling the slight rubbing sensation constantly emanating from his palm, and the subtle tactile sensation brought by the caressing of the girl's small, cute, pointed demon horns, Amamiya felt a sense of helplessness.

Chise's 'out-of-place' nature is even more severe than Futaba's... Many times, Amamiya is completely unable to match Chise's sudden, bizarre thoughts.