I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Amamiya chuckled inwardly, but outwardly remained calm as she plucked a feather from Azusa's wing that was already showing signs of falling off and naturally shed with a gentle touch.

'How should a student with wings take care of their wings...?'

Does this wing shed feathers regularly?

"Can I keep the feathers on Xiao Zi's wings as a keepsake?"

Wings...as a keepsake?

Zi was taken aback for a moment, and was about to nod when she suddenly remembered a biology book she had read not long ago, in which there was a description of birds—

It is said that some birds in nature collect each other's feathers as a special... kind of agreement to 'be together'.

Thinking of this, Zi hesitated noticeably.

Students at Trinity College who have wings usually have a habit of 'not easily letting their feathers fall out'.

As a transfer student who had only recently arrived at Trinity College, Azusa didn't actually know how the winged students at Trinity College dealt with their naturally shed feathers.

But if feathers hold any special significance for winged students in the Trinity area...

He 'gave' the feather to Sensei, which means...

After a brief 'brainstorming' session, Azusa didn't answer. Instead, she folded her wings and made a move that surprised Amamiya—

She took a breath, prepared herself, and with a slightly contorted expression of pain, plucked a particularly glossy and delicate inner feather from among the other feathers. This inner feather was usually less exposed to light.

Then, holding the base of the feather, with a serious and solemn expression, she handed it to Amamiya with the same solemnity and determination as if she were proposing marriage.

"...?"

Amamiya was a little confused and didn't understand for a moment what kind of brainstorming Azusa had gone through to become so serious.

However, since Azusa was so serious, Amamiya also became serious.

“I have felt Zi’s feelings. I will cherish these feelings.”

【~???~】（梓）

In response to Amamiya, the white-haired girl's slightly bright eyes and a light "hmm" sound were heard.

"Ah."

[I sensed the emotional fluctuation emanating from Azusa...]

[My bond with Azusa has deepened...]

【Baizhou Azuki (Tall Pagoda) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆】

Then, as if she had let go of some kind of barrier, the girl moved a little closer and tried to wrap her arm around Amamiya's waist from behind with her single wing, partially enveloping Amamiya.

When Amamiya glanced at her, she pretended nothing was wrong, lowered her head slightly, and focused all her attention on the weapon in her hand.

'Should I pretend nothing's wrong when I care so much...?'

Although she is known to the outside world as the "Ice Witch" within Trinity, this so-called layer of ice is only a thin layer.

'Her cold exterior and warm interior... is quite endearing.'

Taking advantage of her height, Amamiya easily caught a glimpse of the faint, almost invisible blush on her cheek, which was partially hidden by her sideburns.

Perhaps because 'relaxed and leisurely time always passes quickly,' even though it felt like only a short while, it was already evening before I knew it.

After patting Azusa's head and giving her a 'goodbye' signal, the wings wrapped around Amamiya's waist reluctantly separated.

After carefully storing the inner feathers given to her by Azusa, Amamiya stood up and greeted Mika, who still hadn't finished chatting.

"Wei Hua, it's almost time, isn't it?"

"what……"

Wei Hua, who felt like she had made friends today, seemed to only just realize it.

After glancing at the wall clock, she drooped her wings, clearly showing some disappointment.

"Although I wanted to continue our conversation... I have to go back now..."

Goodbye, everyone in the tutoring department!

After leaving the cram school with Mika, Amamiya said goodbye to Mika at the club entrance.

"Thank you Sensei for indulging my whims today..."

A pink-haired girl smiled under the thin veil of night, her pink nebula-like halo above her head echoing the star-studded night sky.

"I'll come to Sensei more often from now on~"

"If possible... please be prepared to be bothered by a 'spoiled brat' like me ☆~"

Amamiya nodded firmly in response to Mika.

"Even if there's just one person who still considers Mika to be 'Princess,' then Mika is undoubtedly the most undisputed Princess."

"No matter how troublesome Her Highness's actions may be... as Her Highness's knight, I will not waver."

【~???~】(Unspecified)

After speaking, Amamiya slowly turned around, not giving Mika a chance to observe her more closely and discover her 'tired' expression.

...It is destined to be a rather 'long and painful' process to improve the relationship with Weihua.

Let me list all the students I've encountered so far who have the title of "princess" in the "Third Eye"...

Serika, Atsuko, Hina, and Mihana.

The first three 'princess's' were all very easy to deal with, each one less troublesome than the last.

Only with Mika... dealing with her made Amamiya feel a long-lost pressure, a pressure that required him to constantly guess what was going on in her mind.

Amamiya turned his back and headed towards the station... but after waiting for a while, he still didn't hear Mika's footsteps leaving.

Amamiya was slightly puzzled. She stopped and turned to look in Mika's direction, only to find that she was still standing there, her eyes sparkling, her face filled with a complex expression of emotion and shyness, as if she had been proposed to.

Mika seemed to snap out of her daze when Amamiya cast a glance at her.

She exclaimed "Ah!" and then covered her face with her hands, turned around, and fled in shame.

Amamiya: "..."

I feel like I've created two misunderstandings today...

Thinking that Miyu was probably still alone in Xialai, Amamiya rubbed his temples and continued walking towards the station.

'Let's go back first and check on Miyu's situation...'

Chapter Thirty-Three: Nicole, she can become my mother's student!

Because of the presence of 'permanent staff', the Xia Lai Building remains lit up at night.

After saying goodbye to Mika and returning to the Xialai residential area, Amamiya immediately planned to check on Miyu's condition.

'At this rate, the Rabbit Squad should be released by tomorrow morning at the latest... Let's go meet them at Valkyrie's place then.'

'Also...could we use Miyu as a starting point to try and further win over the Rabbit Squad...?'

With a jumble of thoughts in her mind, Amamiya glanced at the "Angel 24" convenience store downstairs as she passed by.

This was quite a surprise... Amamiya saw an 'unexpected visitor'.

In the convenience store, illuminated by bright white lights, a pink-haired, blue-eyed fox-eared girl stood between rows of shelves, tiptoeing slightly, using one hand to hold onto the shelf for balance, while carefully using the other hand to take down a plastic box labeled "20% OFF" from the top shelf of a 'sushi making kit'.

After taking the item off the shelf without any major incident, the girl held the box in one hand and tapped her chin with the other, frowning in thought for a moment.

Having confirmed that the kit was sufficient for her sushi-making needs, she nodded with satisfaction, her fox ears flapping happily several times.

'Nicole...?'

'Is she...preparing sushi for the team members?'

As Amamiya pondered this, Nicole, who was putting the plastic box into the shopping cart, also noticed his gaze.

Following the gaze instinctively, Nicole smiled naturally and then waved to Amamiya through several layers of glass.

Amamiya, who had originally planned to just pass by, thought for a moment and then stood at the entrance of the convenience store and waited for a while.

Soon, Nicole pushed the shopping cart to the checkout counter, waiting for Xiao Kong to scan the code and pay.

Soon, a pink-haired girl carrying shopping bags, exuding a lively and down-to-earth vibe, pushed open the door and came to Amamiya's side.

"Sensei, good evening. Also... I'm very sorry for bothering you."

After expressing her apology, the fox-eared girl immediately became serious and cautious again.

"About the younger generation..."

As soon as Nicole said that, Amamiya knew why she had come.

—It seems that the Fox Squad, who were 'out there', already knew that the Rabbit Squad, their juniors, had been 'captured'.

"This matter is a little complicated..."

"I happen to be going to the office building to check on Miyu's situation. Nicole, let's talk as we walk."

Keep an eye on the situation regarding American games...?

Amamiya's explanation caused Nico to briefly experience a 'cognitive blind spot'.

Who is Miyu?

After frowning slightly and recalling the events carefully, Nicole finally showed a look of realization.

Oh, right... she's one of the members of the Rabbit Squad, the 'junior of the Rabbit Squad' whom she's tried to remember repeatedly but still can't quite recall.

After a moment of realization, Nicole, who had initially been somewhat accusatory, suddenly became puzzled.

Have all of Rabbit Squad members, including Bu Yiling (1) and Qi Shijiu (8), been captured?

The information she received from Huaye was that "the Rabbit Squad was captured in one fell swoop by the Arius Squad called by Sensei, and they are currently being held in the Valkyrie Public Security Bureau."

Could it be... that there's more to the story?

Out of her natural, angelic gentleness and the maternal instincts that had gradually developed from taking care of her juniors, Nicole did not immediately launch into aggressive questioning.

In retrospect... this was actually the more rational choice.

If they had started with a stern interrogation, things would have ended up in an extremely awkward situation by now.

After gathering her thoughts, the girl hummed in agreement and entered the elevator with Amamiya.

While waiting for the elevator to go up, Amamiya briefly described the situation of the Rabbit Squad to Nico, as well as his recent plans.

"Regarding the school closure agreement signed by SRT not long ago, actually, my opinion at the time was..."

At the time, Amamiya's idea was that SRT was possible, but only in its "minimum form".

Long before the president of the Federal Student Council 'disappeared,' SRT was the most reliable spearhead.

To draw an analogy, it's like a 'nuclear button held in your hand'.

After the president of the Federal Student Council 'disappeared'... SRT became unstable.

Using the analogy of the 'nuclear button' again... if there is no one who can reliably control it, the level of danger will actually increase significantly.

It is often said that "a good nuclear weapon is one that is under stable control and has no possibility of detonation."

Without the chairman's control, SRT became a dangerous element that could be detonated at any time by anyone who 'holds the nuclear button'.

Therefore... SRT cannot continue to exist after the chairman's disappearance.

However, the fact that SRT as a whole cannot continue to exist does not mean that the 'name' of SRT will also disappear.

"My idea for the Rabbit Squad is... to use the authority and power of the Federal Student Council's Xia Lai to transfer the Rabbit Squad to Xia Lai's name."

"—Regarding the scope of action, it can be restored to its previous state."

"In this way... SRT will continue to exist in name only, just like the current Abydos, with only a few members in a 'super-lean' mode."

Nicole listened quietly the whole time, nodding silently.

Abydos...of course she knew about the situation.