I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Saori understood and took the lead in handing the captured 'little rabbits' over to the students of the Valkyrie Public Security Bureau.

"A student at SRT Academy...right?"

"first meet."

Saki glared fiercely at Amamiya: "...I have nothing to say to you!"

Moe also looked embarrassed. Although she really wanted to ask about the "Otherworld Armaments", she was also deeply impressed by the "sneak attack" she had suffered not long ago and the "humiliating" experience of being knocked down by a single shot from a small-caliber pistol.

She chewed on her lollipop, making a whimpering sound like a little animal trying to be fierce: "You adult... introducing yourself at this time, are you mocking us?"

But Miyako...

She kept looking at Amamiya with a serious, stubborn and unyielding gaze and a calm expression... then her gaze would occasionally drift to Miyu beside Amamiya.

"So you're... the 'master' who sent this squad to capture us?"

Amamiya nodded.

"That's it..."

Gongzi narrowed her eyes slightly.

"You are... the one who solved so many students' troubles and worries, who is deeply trusted by the students, and who has search powers that transcend the law, 'Sharai's Sensei'..."

She took a deep breath, as if gathering her strength.

"...Sensei."

"We hate adults like you the most."

Chapter 25: Determined Saki Sorai

The interrogation room of the Valkyrie Police Station was bathed in an intensely white light from the overhead lamps.

Standing in the interrogation room, Amamiya felt not only the heavy pressure emanating from Nagisa, but also a strange chill.

To create the "interrogation room atmosphere," the air conditioning was even deliberately turned on and maintained at a level that "makes you feel cold but not particularly cold."

Ye Zhu turned on the audio equipment used for interrogation, sat opposite Saki with his legs crossed, and his eyes under his bangs carried the natural sense of oppression that an "enforcer" would have over a "prisoner".

"...What's your name?"

The girl, whose light purple hair looked exceptionally refreshing after having her rabbit earrings and helmet removed, shook the shackles on her hands with slight displeasure.

She quickly stopped her pointless movements, turned her head slightly, and answered Ye Zhu's question with great reluctance.

"…Saki Sorai."

Ye Zhu raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly surprised by Saki's 'unexpected cooperation'.

As the head of the "Valkyrie Public Security Bureau," Ye Zhu doesn't need to do everything herself.

But generally speaking, when the Valkyrie students can't handle something, she's often the one who has to step in.

For this reason, Ye Zhu has dealt with a huge number of troublemakers.

Ye Zhu had prepared himself for not being cooperated with... but to his surprise, the other party did not show any signs of 'not cooperating'.

Without making a sound, Ye Nagisa briefly shifted her gaze to Amamiya, who was not too close to her, and then she understood why Saki was cooperating.

"Belong?"

"SRT Special Academy...a member of the Rabbit Team...formerly."

Ye Zhu scribbled down notes, tapping the confession book with his pen after each sentence: "Good attitude. So, do you understand the current situation?"

The head-to-head confrontation between Ye Zhu and Saki is still ongoing.

Amamiya listened in throughout, occasionally glancing around at the interrogation room.

—Speaking of interrogation rooms, Amamiya truly has a "deep impression".

Amamiya's thoughts briefly drifted back to that magnificent "casino" hall, recalling herself sitting in the interrogation seat and the "female prosecutor in the interrogation room" sitting opposite her, intending to find out the truth.

The interrogation room—this key word... could be considered the turning point in his life as a phantom thief.

While Amamiya was lost in thought, the confrontation between Saki and Hagisa had reached a fever pitch.

Facing Ye Zhu's extremely imposing gaze, Saki met it with a cold look and a calm tone.

“...I am not the same as your Valkyrie Police Department.”

"Even you guys who value rules the most can change into your own clothes and do whatever you want after school, right?"

"But I will not choose that kind of lifestyle."

"Rather than being a dog that holds freedom but lives a complacent life... I'd rather be a wolf that can tenaciously survive in harsh environments, and live with pride."

Saki's words successfully made Ye Zhu laugh.

"……hehe."

Ye Zhu crossed his arms, leaned back slightly, and retorted with a sarcastic tone.

"Is that so? But why is it that the 'proud wolf' is powerless to resist when faced with a real wolf pack attack?"

"If you want to turn your will into a weapon... it's not impossible, but the way to do it is definitely not by biting indiscriminately like this."

"Did you know that wolves in the wild don't live arrogantly? They need to know how to seek advantage and avoid harm, and they need to be well-versed in the ways of survival... in order to be qualified to live in the cruel natural world."

"A 'wolf' without any action plan is not a wolf...it's just a pack of mad dogs that will bite anyone they see."

Saki seemed to have been struck in the heart by Ye Zhu's casual remark, her facial features almost contorting in pain.

"……Well!"

"The 'wolf pack' you yearn for..." Ye Zhu said, tapping the table with his confession book before standing up, "Do you think they willingly live in that brutal, survival-of-the-fittest jungle?"

"They may have dreamed of becoming the king of beasts, perhaps looking up at the sky and devouring the sun and moon."

After letting out a soft "Hey," Ye Zhu pushed open the door to the interrogation room and walked out.

She strolled leisurely to Amamiya, who had been standing outside the interrogation room just a pane of glass away from her.

"How is it, Sensei?"

Amamiya's expression was complicated. After thinking for a moment, she replied with a joking smile, "Ya Nagisa's interrogation method reminded me of the female prosecutor who arrested me back then."

The blonde girl, whose figure and demeanor both seemed prematurely mature, twitched the animal ears on her head slightly: "Oh?"

Amamiya added, "...Although she went through many twists and turns, like you, Hagisa, she pursued 'true justice' and remained steadfast in her pursuit of that goal."

【~???~】(Ye Zhu)

“True… justice…”

Ye Zhu's expression was slightly unnatural.

A moment later, she shook her head and sighed.

"Sensei, would you like to speak with Sakurai Saki alone?"

Amamiya did not answer immediately, but instead turned her gaze to Miyu beside her.

The black-haired girl wearing rabbit ears, who stood timidly beside him, initially showed an unexpected look of doubt, as if asking for his opinion. She then hesitated.

"Um... I think Sensei, you should explain things clearly to the rest of the team..."

His teammate, who was only separated from him by a wall, was trapped inside, while he was rescued in a peculiar way...

While it's fortunate that I didn't suffer along with them, but...

Meiyu always had a sense of danger that she would be abandoned if she didn't share the joys and sorrows with her partners.

"That's it..."

Amamiya nodded to Ye Zhu, who was organizing interrogation materials nearby.

The latter understood and handed the key to the interrogation room to Amamiya.

Seemingly mindful that the conversation might take a long time, Ye Zhu added a reminder: "Sensei, it's noon now, and we need to finish interrogating all the 'troublemakers' before evening... We don't have much time."

Ye Zhu's words reminded Amamiya of "Niijima Sae" from back then.

Although time was limited... my defenses were still breached within a few hours.

"Don't worry," Amamiya nodded, "I know what I'm doing."

Ye Zhu glanced at Meiyou again, but didn't say anything more.

"Then I won't bother Sensei any longer. If there's any situation, just come to the chief's office to find me."

After nodding farewell to Ye Zhu, Amamiya entered Saki's interrogation room and sat in the spot where Ye Zhu had been sitting, scrutinizing her with a meaningful gaze.

"……how?"

Saki felt a little uncomfortable being stared at. After responding in silence for a while, she couldn't help but look up and glare back at him, annoyed: "Does Sensei have some kind of problem with me?"

"Or is Sensei going to reveal your true colors and have me do something?"

At this point, Saki blushed slightly, looking somewhat unnatural.

"SRT's training... also includes content on 'how to respond if prisoners are captured.'"

"So... you should just give up. Even if you use the 'special methods of the Heart Thief,' I can't be moved."

Amamiya: "..."

Amamiya, whose expression was slightly strange, looked at Saki with surprise at her 'defeat and forced to submit' appearance, and for a moment did not know what to say.

What exactly do SRT students learn on a regular basis?

How exactly did the president of the Federal Student Union plan this college?

Amamiya wasn't surprised at all by Saki's shyness, or even her 'secret feelings' for him.

—This phenomenon, similar to 'Stockholm Syndrome', originates from Wakazama's bond skill.

【★8 Calamity Plunder: Symbolizes Wakamo Kitsaka's 'calamity' and 'plunder'. This peculiar 'possessiveness' can actually be a very useful ability if used properly.】

[You can plunder targets after defeating them, increasing the chance of obtaining rarer loot. Occasionally, you can also acquire some intangible loot such as 'favorability' or 'special knowledge'.]

In the Rabbit Squad's mind, they were defeated by the Arios Squad, which Amamiya had summoned.

Now that they've gone through the "victory" phase, this special bond skill will naturally take effect... causing the Rabbit Squad to develop a temporary 'mild Stockholm Syndrome'.

Amamiya sighed, not speaking immediately, but remaining silent as she watched Saki's heartbeat quicken and her expression become increasingly unnatural.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to 'maintain silence,' he used his 'third eye' to take a look around.

[Assisted by: Sorai Emi / The serious and conservative middle-aged rabbit]

Arcana: The Strength

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

Having the qualifications of an "assistant" and being able to possess an Arcana card is not surprising to Amamiya.

What Amamiya really cared about was her title, which was similar to Miyu's yet different.

Miyu's nickname is "The Enigmatic Little Rabbit," while Saki's is "The Steadfast and Serious Middle-Aged Rabbit"... What's the basis for this size comparison?

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze, Saki lowered her head and finally couldn't help but break the silence for the second time.

"...Shouldn't you say something?"

"Ask me some relevant reasons... or something?"

Amamiya shook his head.

No need to ask.

"Saki..."

Taking advantage of Saki's inability to move, Amamiya got up, leaned over, and patted Saki's head amidst her unusually confused state.

“If necessary… you can try to trust in the power of adults.”

Saki was caught off guard and Amamiya touched her squarely.

When she came to her senses, she felt the warm, broad, and gentle touch of an adult's hand on her head, which made her feel extremely comfortable.