I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Page 474

Miyu, who had instantly attracted the attention of the other three 'little rabbits' because of her voice, gradually became a little flustered.

After a brief silence, someone let out a soft gurgling sound from their lower abdomen, a sound of hunger emanating from them.

Then, Miyako took a deep breath and turned her phone screen back on.

[Miyako: Sensei... The food problem is indeed our most pressing issue right now.]

[Miyako: A question about food...]

Please confirm if there are any changes needed to the message, and check for typos or wording errors...

Yeah, no problem.

Click Send.

'Buzz—Buzz—'

The message notification from momotalk slowed Amamiya's pace as she, carrying a shoulder bag, got off at the station near Shalai.

Taking out his phone, Amamiya immediately opened Miyako's chat window.

The two messages from Miyako were very short, so brief that you could almost immediately understand what they meant.

'The issue of food has been emphasized repeatedly...'

Amamiya turned her gaze to the still-lit Charley Building in the distance.

'Let the Rabbit Squad work at Angel24 convenience store for now... at least, their basic needs for food and shelter can be easily met.'

'Go find Xiao Kong.'

Chapter 46: A special relationship developed between him and Saori...

Angel24 Convenience Store.

As the name suggests... this is a "24-hour convenience store".

Although it is nominally open 24 hours a day, in reality... whether it is due to Xia Lai's current popularity or the lack of staff, this nominally 24-hour convenience store is not actually open 24 hours a day at all.

To Amamiya's surprise, despite coming with the intention of 'discussing matters with Sora,' he visited close to midnight...

Even during such a special time, Amamiya still encountered familiar students.

"...Saori?"

Amamiya was somewhat puzzled when she saw the tall figure wearing a sky-blue "Angel24 clerk apron" and a baseball cap, moving nimbly and gracefully between the shelves.

It's so late... Haven't the members of Arius's team gotten any rest yet?

Yari, who was doing her final inventory of the shelves and collecting near-expiry goods that were not yet expired but could no longer be sold, stopped in her tracks upon hearing the sound.

Saori glanced towards the door and paused briefly. Then she temporarily parked her shopping cart, which was full of near-expiry items, took off her hat, and hung it on the cart handle.

Then... this neat and efficient girl, who, although not yet an adult, already had the demeanor of a 'mature woman' or even a 'handsome man', quickly walked to the door while taking off her keychain and unlocked the door from the inside.

"Sensei..."

As she unlocked and opened the door, she naturally revealed a smile that exuded a family-like warmth.

Since joining Xia Lai, Saori, who was usually 'severe and unsmiling', can now show a smile that makes people feel a little more approachable when necessary.

Compared to before, even when Saori manages to force a smile, it's now 'so stiff it feels dangerous'.

"Good evening……"

After exchanging natural greetings, Saori immediately became a little flustered: "You're coming to the convenience store so late... Is there something you want to buy?"

Amamiya didn't speak, but instead fixed her gaze on Saori's blue shop assistant apron, which was more than one size too big.

The already somewhat cramped Saori appeared even more unnatural.

However, she still offered an explanation for her attire and actions.

"Senior Kong is still growing and needs to rest as soon as possible, so I advised her to rest first and I will take over the shift."

"Normally there aren't many customers at this time... If there are, it's just a simple checkout process, which I can handle."

'Senior Kong…'

Just thinking about Saori respectfully calling Sora, who is only about 1.3 to 1.4 meters tall and is still a junior high school student in terms of both physique and age, "senpai"...

Amamiya could even imagine the adorable and amusing reactions of Sora when Saori addressed her so seriously, such as embarrassment, hesitation, and panic.

"What is Saori doing?" Amamiya glanced briefly at Saori's shopping cart in the distance. "Is she helping to deal with food that's nearing its expiration date?"

"Um……"

"Although Arios's team now has the 'special team standard' level of supplies provided by you, with ample food, clothing, and shelter, but..."

“Subconsciously, I felt that these near-expiry products, which should have been discarded, should not have been discarded in this way.”

"I want to... give these near-expiry foods to some of Arius's students whom I know, who also come from the slums, and do my part to improve their lives a little."

At this point, Saori paused for a long time.

Seemingly a little embarrassed, or perhaps simply observing Amamiya's subtle reactions, Saori paused deliberately before continuing in a grateful tone, "Also... to some extent, I'm trying to help Sensei solve problems in areas other than combat..."

"That's it..."

Amamiya nodded.

"Saori is so gentle."

Saori suddenly looked up, her mouth slightly agape in surprise.

She didn't speak, but Amamiya clearly read from her momentary over-surprise that she meant, "Huh? Gentle? Me? Me?!"

Amamiya nodded firmly, emphasizing earnestly, "Yes, it's gentleness."

"Whether it was the others who had been paying attention to Arius's team before, or now that the team has had a chance to catch their breath and their situation has improved, they immediately set aside their spare energy to pay attention to and care for the rest of their team members..."

Why can't such a gauze be described and praised as "gentle"?

"..."

【~???~】(Saori)

Saori's expression stiffened slightly, and an unnatural blush appeared on her mature cheeks.

"...Ah, um."

Not knowing how to respond, she could only offer a vague reply as her 'answer'.

Saori was indeed 'called' many times—mostly by her comrades in Arios's squad: 'reliable,' 'efficient,' and by the enemy: 'fierce,' 'decisive'...

There was also the sympathy from a fellow worker named Shiri, whom I had met by chance while working part-time.

Amused by Saori's 'bewildered by the praise', Amamiya walked into Angel 24 and glanced at the shelves.

With Amamiya in front, Saori instantly exuded the aura of a professional bodyguard, following closely beside Amamiya with unhurried steps.

"Saori, do you remember the squad I had Arius's team capture not long ago?"

Saori nodded: "Of course I remember..."

After all, they were different from ordinary thugs. It was rare for them to be able to put up a fight against the combined offensive of the Arios Squad and exchange blows with the 'enemy' for a round or two. Moreover, it was the Arios Squad's first 'public action'.

Saori had a 'deep impression' of that team where everyone wore rabbit earrings.

Sensei suddenly mentioned them because...

"The situation that squad is currently in is actually not much better than that of Arios' squad, which joined Sharai."

"Compared to Arius's squad back then... their only advantage is that they haven't been wanted yet."

Listening to the adults chatting amongst themselves as they selected items, Saori, walking beside her, immediately understood Amamiya's intentions.

Is Sensei planning to... pay attention to the Rabbit Squad the same way he used to pay attention to the members of the Arius Squad?

After nearly emptying the shelves of the "bento" and "convenience food" sections, leaving his shopping cart piled high like a small mountain, Amamiya pushed it toward the checkout counter.

“I think… I should take better care of this squad that is currently facing a similar predicament to Arius’s squad, with no clear path forward.”

"If possible... I would like to recruit them into Xia Lai as well, so that they can realize their wishes as much as possible and get out of their current predicament at the same time."

I knew it...

Saori, standing behind Amamiya, smiled contentedly and shook her head silently.

Sensei says she is "gentle," but Saori always feels... that she is not "gentle" at all.

Or to put it another way... perhaps I learned my "gentleness" from Sensei?

To supplement her 'professional knowledge', Saori has recently started reading books.

She once saw an interesting line of ancient poetry in a book on the Classic of Mountains and Seas (Shan Hai Jing) on her bookshelf: "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black."

The meaning of this sentence is easy to understand: being around good people will make you good, and being around bad people will make you bad.

The situation of Arius's squad... isn't it the best embodiment of this ancient saying?

Previously, Arius's squad, gripped by Beatrice's lies and despair, and whose spirits were eroded by the nihilism she taught, was in a state of utter ruin.

But now...

Arius's team has completely emerged from the shadow of lies and despair.

After Xia Lai joined, the members' average mental state was much better than before.

Saori sincerely believes that all these changes were brought about by Amamiya.

"Saori, let's settle the bill."

Amamiya called out, and Saori, lost in thought, suddenly found herself lost in her own world.

Saori snapped out of her daze, hurriedly responded, and went to the cashier to start organizing the goods and scanning prices with a barcode scanner.

As Saori pressed the calculator in her hand, she suddenly smiled faintly.

She suddenly spoke meaningfully: "Sensei... I've heard that gentle people huddle together for warmth."

Amamiya chuckled: "Where did you see that claim?"

"A book called 'The Gentle Heart'."

"Sensei..."