I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

In order to eliminate such prejudice and prevent the conflict from escalating further, Amamiya had no choice but to ask for help from a 'senior' whom the Rabbit Squad trusted more.

As for the Fox Squad... Amamiya is currently only quite familiar with Nico.

In fact, Nicole's gentle and approachable nature makes her very suitable for this task.

With Amamiya's mention of it, the gentle fox-eared girl already understood Amamiya's intentions.

"If my 'appearance' can mediate the conflict between you and the Rabbit Squad..."

"I will be there on time tomorrow."

"Thank you, Nicole."

"No no no..."

Her fox ears drooped slowly, and the girl's gentle and mild expression was gradually replaced by a faint worry.

"I should be the one saying thank you."

"Perhaps there will be a day in the future when trouble will arise..."

She smiled again, like a warm breeze on a spring night.

"So, it's good to plan ahead and build a good relationship with Sensei in advance, so you can 'justifiably' bother Sensei in the future~"

I felt the tenderness emanating from Nicole.

My bond with Nicole has deepened...

Nicole (Empress) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Amamiya could naturally hear the playful and charming way Nicole pronounced the word "feel at ease," but he also caught the seriousness hidden beneath the teasing.

"What has already happened is irreversible."

Amamiya picked up the plate of food and said seriously, "However..."

"I will try my best to minimize the losses and impact."

"Thank you for your assurance..."

Nicole's gaze held a fleeting sadness.

'If possible, we would also like to…'

The idea flashed through her mind, and Nicole picked up two full plates.

"For the sake of tomorrow's energy, Sensei..."

"Why don't we have dinner early and get some rest?"

Chapter Thirty-Five: How many steps are needed to change Gongzi's attitude?

The area where the Valkyrie Academy is located is somewhat bustling during the day.

When Amamiya arrived near the Valkyrie district with Miyu and Nico, she immediately heard the distant noise of the Valkyrie students' daily morning routine.

Enveloped in the radiant glow of youth, the girls were either munching on portable snacks like bread, sipping porridge through straws, or chewing on energy bars, preparing for a busy day of training.

After parking the car in a designated parking space on the side of the road, Amamiya unbuckled his seatbelt, rolled down the window, and held the steering wheel, watching this 'very down-to-earth' scene from afar.

The fox-eared girl sitting in the passenger seat remarked softly at the opportune moment: "Compared to the school life at SRT... the students at Valkyrie have a more real sense of 'life'."

They are slightly different from the Valkyrie students who can change out of their everyday clothes in the evening and enjoy their daily lives.

Students at SRT Academy are almost always on edge, and their daily schedule consists of nothing more than training, field missions, and waiting for new missions to be assigned while simultaneously training.

Nicole, who came from SRT, has experienced that heavy, suffocating feeling of oppression.

That's why Nicole doesn't want her juniors to face such a 'cruel' future.

Upon hearing this, Amamiya withdrew her gaze and looked at the fox-eared girl sitting in the passenger seat, who seemed to be glowing warmly in the warm light of the morning sun.

After capturing a hint of 'reflection' in Nicole's fleeting complex emotions, Amamiya shook his head with a sympathetic expression.

He then opened the driver's side door.

Nicole, who was 'reflecting', immediately 'cheered up' and opened the passenger door—even reminding Miyu, who was sitting in the back seat, as she got out.

“Miyu-kun... now is not the time to be daydreaming.”

Miyu first showed a momentary surprise that she could be remembered, then timidly hummed in agreement and opened the passenger door as well.

After all, it is located near the jurisdiction of the Valkyrie Police Department, which makes it one of the areas with the most stable security in all of Kivotos.

Amamiya simply locked the car and then took Nico and Miyu directly to the location where the Rabbit Squad was scheduled to be released.

In the lobby of the Valkyrie Public Security Bureau, three girls, dressed in SRT school uniforms but with their equipment confiscated, stood out, appearing quite frail.

Before even getting close, Amamiya noticed through the glass door that the three 'little rabbits' of the Rabbit Squad seemed to be discussing something.

Gongzi looked somewhat annoyed and disappointed, clutching her hair and hanging her head, seemingly muttering something to herself.

Saki and Moe, on the other hand, expressed a slightly awkward concern, saying "It's not your fault," and a calm indifference, respectively.

Amamiya deliberately made a slightly louder noise when opening the door so that the three 'little rabbits' would notice him.

"So, Miyu must have defected..."

Saki was analyzing the situation with a serious expression on her face when she was interrupted by the sound of a door being pushed open.

"...?"

After a moment of confusion, she turned her head to look in the direction of the police station entrance—

Upon noticing Amamiya, Saki's face immediately fell.

Then she saw Miyu, who was considered a 'defector,' following a step behind Amamiya, and...

'Huh...?'

'she is……'

'The Fox Squad's seniors...'

Standing behind Amamiya, Nico felt Saki's gaze, smiled gently, waved from afar, and said nothing.

Saki was stunned, unable to comprehend the situation for a moment.

'strangeness……'

'Our senior from the Fox Squad who cared for us the most... she actually showed up here...'

'And...it seems they're on Sensei's side...'

Saki wasn't the only one to notice the situation immediately.

Moe was slightly excited upon noticing Amamiya, clearly eager to make a request to 'join Sharai' or something similar. However, upon seeing Nico, she temporarily suppressed that 'excitement'.

As for Miyako... she showed strong vigilance and wariness the moment she saw Amamiya.

But this wariness vanished upon seeing Nicole, transforming into equal confusion and bewilderment.

'Nicole-senpai…'

Amidst the Rabbit Squad's bewildered expression, Amamiya casually walked over and greeted them: "Good morning, everyone in the Rabbit Squad."

"The Valkyrie Public Security Bureau shouldn't have done anything to mistreat you, right?"

—Amamiya's greeting, without Nico present, would probably sound "insincere" and "crocodile tears" to the three 'little rabbits' of the Rabbit Squad.

After all, due to the previous arrest incident, their 'first impression' of Amamiya was not good at all.

If the first impression is bad... then everything you do will seem wrong.

But now that the seniors in the Fox Squad who care most about their juniors are all here, the Rabbit Squad naturally won't question Amamiya's concern.

"Sensei...?"

With her eyes half-closed, Saki, who hadn't originally intended to give him a friendly look, unconsciously softened her tone and attitude.

Why did you come here at this time? Was it for us?

Amamiya nodded earnestly: "Yes. For everyone in the Rabbit Squad."

【~???~】(Saki)

Saki's slightly disgusted expression immediately froze and relaxed.

For some reason, that feeling of my heart racing just by getting close to it, similar to the "suspension bridge effect," still lingers faintly.

I recalled the interrogation room, where I was patted on the head and then solemnly told to "think it over carefully"...

Saki swallowed hard, trying her best to suppress the strange feeling that was gradually forming within her.

"I really don't know what you're thinking..."

She gritted her teeth and complained in a strange tone, "They called Arius's squad to capture us in the first place... and now they're showing concern for our situation..."

"So, Sensei came all this way because there's something special you want to say?"

Moe suddenly leaned closer, and only after she was right next to Amamiya did she bite into her lollipop, her eyes shining with anticipation as she asked, "Like... announcing our final punishment, or... letting us join Xia Lai or something~?!"

Amamiya was speechless: ...

They're still talking about joining Xia Lai and things like that...

It seems that Moe genuinely believes that the "phantom thief outfits" and "otherworldly weapons" used by Arius's team in the operation were indeed special equipment customized by Sharai according to their individual conditions...

In reality, the "otherworldly weapons" they use are indeed handcrafted by Amamiya using all sorts of high-end materials, resulting in powerful base strength that can further grow based on individual understanding.

Their own phantom thief costumes... are the manifestation of their own minds.

"We'll talk about that later..."

Amamiya reluctantly made a 'stop' gesture with one hand, preventing Moe from getting any closer.

"Miyako, do you remember what I said to you in the interrogation room not long ago...?"

Gongzi's expression immediately became complicated. After a few seconds of silence, her eyes darkened, and she slowly nodded.

At that time, the two sentences that Amamiya said brought her a very 'special' inspiration.

"The ends justify the means, but there must be something to justify the ends."

"Every truth has its applicable conditions and scope. If these conditions and scope are exceeded, the truth becomes falsehood."

After that, Miyako spent a long time in the interrogation room reflecting on her own sense of "justice."

"So, Gongzi... Erlin ({ 2 2 Yi Ling; Ba'er: ... Have you figured it out now?"

Gongzi wanted to nod, but she knew very well that all she could see was emptiness.

Although Gongzi had never heard of the admonition in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, "Knowing that it is impossible, yet still doing it; knowing that there are things not to do, then there are things to do," she had already unconsciously experienced a similar feeling.

Finally, she sighed and shook her head.

“Sensei… I don’t understand.”

Nicole, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

From the perspective of 'a senior guiding a junior', she said gently, '...It's only natural that you don't understand.'

"so……"

She sighed, then continued, "If you're willing to operate as a squad under Xia Lai's name... while it won't directly 'restore SRT's glory,' at least your operational authority will return to its previous state."

"If necessary, from this day forward you may become the sole face of SRT, the symbol of the entire SRT—"

"As for whether Sensei's actions can be considered 'justice'..."

"You all must have your own judgment, right?"

Nicole's words, once spoken, gave the 'little rabbits' of the Rabbit Squad a feeling of clarity breaking through the clouds and seeing the moon through the darkness.

As former members of SRT Academy, the four 'little rabbits', including Miyako, actually have pretty good access to information.

They were also well aware of the positive impact of Sensei's actions after arriving in Kivotos.

While there are indeed negative rumors such as "Sensei uses his heart-stealing abilities to capture the hearts of students and make them fall in love with him," "Sensei likes students with thin physiques," and "it is said that Xia Lai's basement was converted into a dungeon to imprison disobedient students"...

However, compared to the positive impact, the negative rumors are mostly baseless and unfounded.

The three 'little rabbits' of the Rabbit Squad looked at each other, clearly in a state of hesitation.

Seeing that her teammates seemed hesitant and had remained silent, Miyu felt she had to do something.