I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

There's even a sense that... "This equipment itself is a product of pure willpower."

"Let's end the flight simulation exam here. Based on Ayane's performance, I can give a score range with a very high accuracy rate. — If Ayane performs normally in the exam, she can definitely get a high score that ranks among the top in the history of each academy."

Having said that, Yuriko didn't intend to stay any longer.

She waved to Amamiya in the co-pilot's seat: "The 'aircraft maintenance' request is complete, Sensei... remember to pay the final payment when you get back."

Seeing that Yuriko was about to leave, Amamiya smiled and nodded to her, waving goodbye: "Thank you for your hard work these past few days, Yuriko."

【~???~】(from Yuriko)

Yuriko nodded with her back turned, then left through the rear door of the plane.

Soon, Amamiya heard the roar of the Albatross taking off.

Amamiya did not leave the cabin. Instead, she got up first, went to the pilot's side, and patted Ayane's head to encourage her.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, the black-haired girl who had been sitting quietly next to the driver's seat suddenly called out in a soft, sweet voice.

"That...Sensei?"

Amamiya stopped in her tracks: "Hmm, what's wrong?"

"Well... how should I put it..."

Ayane, sitting in the driver's seat, took off her glasses, and her aura instantly became gentle, as if a seal had been broken.

"I will continue to work hard in the future."

Amamiya's unexpected incident.

Unexpectedly... Ayane's first words were a straightforward expression of her true feelings.

Amamiya turned around, and at the same time, Ayane, who was in the driver's seat, got up and came to stand in front of Amamiya.

"I……"

Holding her glasses in one hand and clutching the hem of her clothes in the other, she hesitated for a moment.

"...From the very beginning, I wanted to stand beside Sensei in a more mature way, someone who could help Sensei solve her problems."

"I don't want you to keep paying the price for my 'immaturity,' and for everyone in Abydos... So, so...!"

Despite trying to suppress her emotions, Ayane's speech unconsciously quickened and became more urgent.

So... I will strive to become more mature, learn more knowledge... and ultimately stay by your side!

Amamiya shook her head with a chuckle: "There's no need to be so nervous, Ayane."

As he spoke, he reached out and pinched the tip of Ayane's elven ear, which was trembling slightly.

"Woo..."

Because of the touch on her earlobe, Ayane's friend seemed to have calmed down considerably. After a soft 'woo', she took a long breath.

"A-Anyway..."

"...I will become more mature, and eventually be able to stand on my own..."

As she spoke in vague terms, Ayane suddenly remembered a book she had found in the library of Abydos.

The book's title seems to be something like "Youth, Girlhood, and Wonderful Tales"...?

Ayane couldn't quite remember the book's title, but the last sentence of the book left a deep impression on her.

"What is the most youthful thing? It's not so-called coming-of-age literature, nor the so-called beauty that comes from imperfection, but rather..."

"—'I watched you grow up, and you watched me grow up too.'"

"Sensei..."

Thinking of the contents of this book, Ayane suddenly looked up: "I... want to make a promise with you..."

"You watched me 'grow up,' and I, for your sake, have become more 'mature.'"

“Starting today… I will prepare a special ‘Growth Journal’ for you. I hope… you can join me in recording and refining it…”

What do you think?

Faced with the girl's gaze, which was filled with obvious trepidation, Amamiya simply nodded gently.

"I look forward to it."

I felt a deep bond with Ayane.

The sound of translucent blue butterfly wings fluttering, accompanied by Lavenda's voice, grew louder as it approached.

You are me, you are me.

"Here, you transform the promise into a blood oath, binding it for rebirth."

"The bonds that bind us are becoming wings of rebellion, shattering the shackles of our souls."

"Now you have obtained a fragment of the ultimate mystery of the Moon."

"Bathed in the light of bonds, I find blessings."

"I grant you boundless power..."

The sound gradually approached from afar, then faded away again with the sound of butterflies fluttering their wings.

[Coopation level is maxed out!]

【Ayane Okuzora (Moon) ★★★★★★★★★★ (MAX/MAX)】

[★10·Super Awakening Bond Ability "Waiting for the New Moon" is now unlocked!]

[Like waiting for the new moon: the waxing and waning of the moon, its phases of light and shadow, are the fundamental principle of the lunar cycle. If everything in the world were truly eternal and unchanging, everything would fall into chaos. The same applies to the lunar phases.]

So wait, and hold on to hope.

[Greatly enhances the abilities of the Persona to which "The Moon" Arcana belongs.]

At this moment, Amamiya felt that the 'new moon' before her eyes had completed the cycle of lunar phases, from new moon to full moon, from waxing to waning.

After the waxing and waning of the moon, the "moon" before us finally sheds its hazy and mysterious veil, revealing its slightly more mature inner self.

It seems that because she had shed all pretense and opened her heart to Amamiya more completely, Ayane also stopped pretending.

She hugged Amamiya affectionately, unwilling to let go for a long time.

Ayane wouldn't let go, leaving Amamiya with no choice but to stand frozen in place, letting Ayane unleash the girlish 'willfulness' hidden beneath her 'good girl' and 'excellent student' exterior.

After holding her for more than ten minutes, Ayane seemed to finally be 'satisfied' and let go of Amamiya.

Amamiya sighed but didn't say anything about it.

“Ayane…it’s about time for us to go back.”

"Should we go and inform everyone?"

"……Um."

Chapter 120 Blue Devil, Black Angel

The Federal Student Union, Xia Lai, at dusk.

The helicopter landed smoothly on the rooftop helipad, and Amamiya, dressed in a jet-black phantom thief outfit, jumped out of the open cabin door.

As he landed, clusters of dark blue flames rapidly receded from all around him in a reverse motion, finally condensing in the mirror on his face.

After ending his "phantom thief transformation" state, Amamiya turned around and waved goodbye to the group of girls on the helicopter who were still reluctant to leave.

The girls on the helicopter waved enthusiastically in response to Amamiya's 'silent farewell', still feeling a sense of longing.

Nomiya's squinting smile held a deeper meaning: "Sensei~ I'll come to visit you here often from now on~"

Hoshino's seemingly languid expression concealed a hint of gravity and humidity: "Heh heh~ Summer has only just begun... but, the vacation has to end early..."

"When can I experience another unique 'swimsuit event' with Sensei?"

Bai Zi's wolf ears drooped, and he looked very disappointed.

"I have a feeling that we won't see Sensei for 'the foreseeable future'."

'Afterwards, I invited Sensei to go cycling together. Where should we go...?'

After greeting Shirako, Nomiya, and Hoshino, Amamiya went around to the front of the helicopter and, through the cabin window, could barely see Ayane sitting in the driver's seat and Serika in the co-pilot's seat.

Focused on operating the aircraft, they didn't show any obvious expressions.

Sensing the gaze, Ayane and Serika waved to Amamiya through the glass.

Then, Ayane turned her head and said something to the cabin.

And then... Amamiya watched as the girls worked together to close the helicopter cabin door.

The helicopter rotors began to accelerate, and a scorching wave of air rushed towards us.

Amamiya shielded himself with his forearm to create distance and resist the wind pressure, while watching the helicopter gradually take off and ascend into the blue sky.

Amamiya only looked away after watching the helicopter gradually shrink into a tiny dot the size of a grain of rice in the air.

After tightening her grip on her shoulder bag, Amamiya let out a soft sigh and patted her cheeks.

It's time to end this 'vacation' and return to our daily lives...

As Amamiya pondered, she walked towards the door to the rooftop terrace, searching for her key.

As Amamiya took out the key, he also happened to find the investigation report on the "Paradise Lost Resort Incident".

With nothing else to do, Amamiya carefully reviewed the "Paradise Lost Resort Incident Investigation Report" in her hand as she walked, repeatedly checking whether there was any embellishment or exaggeration in the report written by Nia herself.

After no strange typos or Easter eggs appeared, Amamiya leisurely pushed open the rooftop door and returned to Xia Lai's office.

It was late afternoon, almost evening, and the well-lit, single-level office was empty.

Slightly different from when Arius's team moved into Xialai... This time, when Amamiya returned to Xialai's office after several days, he was not greeted by a blast of dust as soon as he opened the door, but by a faint earthy smell mixed with the natural fragrance of flowers.

The office was cleaned spotlessly; while not exactly 'spotless,' the overall neatness immediately conveyed the care and attention the cleaner had taken.

'The thoroughness of this cleaning... it must have been done by Saori, right?'

After unbuttoning his coat and draping it over the back of the chair, Amamiya then placed his shoulder bag aside and picked up the investigation report in his hand, weighing it in his hand.

This marks the beginning of summer, but it can also be considered the final chapter of the "Paradise Lost Resort incident."

'Now, let's prepare to submit the investigation report to the Federal Student Union as a summary of the incident…'

With these thoughts in mind, Amamiya decided to go to the Federation Student Council.

As Amamiya took out the Shitei Box, he was about to poke Alona, ​​who was sleeping on the tablet, when he suddenly noticed that the Shitei Box was already showing signs of low battery.

Amamiya felt a slight sense of disorientation, only then realizing that she hadn't charged the Shitei Box or interacted with Alona for a while.

After quickly finding the Shitei Box's exclusive charging device and charging it, Amamiya poked the Shitei Box, which had automatically entered energy-saving mode due to low battery, to wake it up.

After the peculiar startup logo, the screen switched between black and white, and a familiar scene of "a dilapidated classroom under the sea" appeared on the screen of Shiting's Box.

The AI ​​girl inside the box sat on the desk closest to the dilapidated classroom, swinging her legs and supporting herself with her hands behind her on the desk, swaying slowly and gently to the sound of the waves inside the Shiting Box.

It seems they haven't noticed the visit to the Shiting Box at all...

Amamiya poked Alona's fluttering white headbands from behind the screen.

'Huh...?'

Arona on the tablet froze for a moment, seemingly not reacting immediately.

Seeing that Alona seemed inclined to continue 'admiring the scenery', Amamiya shook his head with amusement and poked Alona's head again.

"Hmm?!~"

This time, Alona finally realized what was happening. The halo above her head briefly transformed into a Möbius strip, a symbol of deep thought.

Then it suddenly turned into a new green, symbolizing excitement.

With a 'whoosh,' the AI ​​girl in the navy blue school uniform 'shrank' to the bottom of the screen, and then reappeared in front of the camera the next second.

"Sensei finally contacted Alona again~! Hehehehe~"

With her hands behind her back, head tilted slightly back, cheeks flushed, eyes squinted, she swayed gently and leisurely... looking incredibly cute.

It would be even cuter if you could give more when drawing cards.