I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

After sighing, Amamiya unbuttoned his coat and draped it over the girl's shoulders, then fastened the top button for her.

【~???~】(time)

After a slight pause, the person holding the umbrella showed a momentary surprise and emotion.

"Thank you for your concern, Sensei."

She was no longer trembling, and feeling the warmth and sense of security of the coat draped over her shoulders, she expressed her gratitude in a tone that conveyed warmth.

Amamiya hummed in agreement and quickened her pace, climbing onto a pedestrian bridge built for sightseeing from a nearby entrance. Taking advantage of the elevation difference, she immediately looked towards the rabbit team's campsite on the lakeside plain not far away—

At a glance, Amamiya concluded that the situation at the entire campsite was far from optimistic.

The walls of the wooden camp that the Rabbit Squad built during this time are still there... or at least part of them are still there.

Some of them have already collapsed under the onslaught of wind and rain, and the rest look to be in imminent danger;

As for the tent...

Amamiya only saw part of the tent fabric hanging on the wooden wall, and following the traces, the broken metal tent frame lying in the distance.

It can only be described as quite tragic.

The four 'little rabbits' were guarding a high platform. Even from a distance, Amamiya could easily sense their helplessness.

After confirming the rabbits' location, Amamiya took out her phone and sent a location message to all members of the rabbit team, along with the message "I'm nearby now."

In less than half a minute, the rabbit team members near the platform reacted.

The trash can, covered in mud from the torrential rain, was opened from the inside. A girl wearing rabbit ears quickly poked her head out, tried to greet them, and then explained something to her companions who were looking at her.

Then, the little rabbits, in unison, looked through the rain towards the overpass they could see in the distance.

Then, Meng Hui immediately got up, ran to the edge of the platform where she wouldn't get wet in the rain, stood on tiptoe, made a megaphone shape with one hand and shouted something, while waving her other hand back and forth several times.

Because of the rain curtain, sounds that would normally reach our ears are now covered by the sound of the rain.

Amamiya immediately replied with a message on MomoTalk: "[I saw Moe. Let's all head to the park exit. We can talk about tents and supplies later. Right now, the most important thing is to get out of this storm.]"

After sending the message to Moe, the girls of the Rabbit Squad immediately began the final inventory and planning of supplies.

Some time ago, the Rabbit Squad received a batch of supplies from Amamiya.

This should have been a good thing... but unfortunately, the storm came out of nowhere.

Despite having practiced emergency weather plans, the Rabbit Team was still caught completely off guard by the unexpectedly swift and fierce storm.

The girls did their best to save some supplies and moved them to a viewing platform that was originally designed to shelter them from the rain.

After confirming that the members of the Rabbit Squad had received the supplies, Amamiya and Toki went down the overpass together and headed straight for the entrance and exit of Rabbit Park.

Before long, Amamiya saw the 'drenched rabbits' whose clothes were soaked and stuck to their bodies. In the cool of the summer night, the texture of their skin and the outline of their bodies were vaguely visible. They looked more and more disheveled than the last.

They are moving forward in a 'peculiar' way—

Saki and Miyako were like pushing a cart, moving Miyu's 'dwelling place'... which was that trash can.

Meng Hui followed closely behind, carrying a small suitcase.

With the trash can half-open, Miyu, struggling to withstand the 'push-back' sensation, seemed to be getting her eyes spinning from the bumps and imbalances she'd experienced along the way.

The 'drenched bunnies' each had a clear purpose. After leaving the house, they looked around and then they were caught by Amamiya... standing next to her in a blue bunny girl outfit. The slightly reflective texture of the outfit was very eye-catching in the rainy night.

"Sensei has finally come to pick us up..."

The words of gratitude stuck in her throat, and Miyako's expression twisted briefly before she swallowed the rest of her sentence.

Why is there such a strange person next to Sensei...?

Wearing her helmet askew, Saki, whose disheveled state was no less than Miyako's, didn't even offer a word of thanks. She immediately narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Amamiya with a hint of wariness.

"Oh dear... this kind of clothing..."

Compared to Miyako and Saki, Moe merely narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression gradually becoming 'meaningful'.

"So, Sensei likes this particular style..."

Meiyou clung to the edge of the trash can, with most of her body tucked inside.

The other three members of the rabbit team were caught in the rain and were in poor condition, making it difficult for them to concentrate and thus they didn't have time to feel each other's emotions.

Because she was hiding in the trash can and didn't get much rain, she had time to observe the reactions.

From the expressions on Shi's face as he glanced at her squad, she sensed... a subtle but very clear hostility.

The girls from the Rabbit Squad froze in place, hesitant for a moment about whether to approach.

At that moment, Shi suddenly spoke.

"Nice to meet you, little bunnies from SRT Academy."

She temporarily tucked the umbrella handle under her armpits to free her hands, tilted her body slightly towards Amamiya, and at the same time tilted her head slightly, making a peace sign with her hands to imitate rabbit ears.

"I am Asuka Matoki, an elite of the millennium of C&C."

"...At the same time, I am also Sensei's 'personal maid,' Sensei's 'exclusive little bunny.'"

Miyako: "...?!"

She was somewhat surprised when she heard the name C&C mentioned in the news.

After all, this is a 'violent and mysterious' organization with a history of thousands of years.

Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, her surprise instantly transformed into a nameless anger that made her feel "condescendingly provoked."

...Why emphasize "personal maid"?

Why specifically mention "exclusive little bunny"?

The "mocking" at that time was remarkably effective.

Moe immediately stepped forward, her face full of displeasure: "What do you mean...?"

"Is deliberately emphasizing the keyword 'rabbit'... meant to look down on us?!"

Saki adjusted her helmet and squinted at Toki with obvious dissatisfaction.

This bizarre operation of 'lighting up a powder keg' made Amamiya want to sigh and rub his forehead.

After coughing a few times, Amamiya clapped his hands, ending the confrontation before it was about to begin.

"The rain seems to be getting heavier..."

"Let's go back to Xialai first."

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Xia Lai of the Rabbit Squad Seeks Shelter from the Rain for One Night

Every now and then, streaks of lightning would light up the night sky, and outside on the balcony, the rain was still pouring down.

Wearing rabbit earrings, the wet girls, covered in mud and water stains, rushed into the corridor one after another in a disheveled state.

The motion-activated lights turned on, and then one by one, the girls, their bodies ice-cold, either bent over supporting their knees, leaned against the wall, or squatted on the ground, panting heavily.

"call……"

After taking a long breath, they felt a sense of security returning to their bodies.

Gongzi leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the night sky so close at hand, occasionally illuminated for a moment by lightning, followed by the sound of thunder.

This torrential rain doesn't seem likely to stop anytime soon.

After settling down temporarily, the four members of the Rabbit Squad unanimously turned their attention to Shi, who was wearing a men's coat and calmly holding onto Amamiya's arm, letting Amamiya say or do whatever she wanted, but refusing to let go.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable under the intense gaze of the little rabbits, and unable to break free from their embrace, Amamiya found herself in a dilemma and could only look awkwardly at the 'silent' little rabbits.

"We've prepared water and clothes for everyone. To avoid catching a cold... let's take turns showering in the bathroom."

"..."

"..."

After a brief moment of looking at each other, the girls in the Rabbit Squad spoke calmly: "...Let's start with Moe."

"Okay~!"

Unable to bear the cold, sticky feeling of wearing wet clothes any longer, Meng Hui didn't refuse. After putting down the suitcase she had been carrying all the way, she ran towards the bathroom.

After a moment's hesitation, Miyako and Saki ultimately did not immediately follow Moe's example and walk through the hall.

Standing outside the hall, they first wrung out the water from their skirts and clothes as much as possible, and then used dry towels to absorb the moisture from their hair before they entered the hall one after another, feeling quite reserved.

Miyu, who didn't get wet at all, timidly followed behind Miyako and Saki, clutching her sniper rifle.

Miyu wasn't visiting Xialai for the first time, but she was the most reserved of the four 'little rabbits'.

"Is this Xia Lai...? It's said that students often come and go from here, including some who are 'outlandishly dressed' (at the time) or 'have unique quirks' (as in)..."

After squinting at the interior environment, Saki looked at Amamiya with a slightly disgusted and more questioning gaze.

"I never expected Sensei to actually..."

She glanced discreetly at the 'shameless' Shi beside her, snorted, turned her head slightly, and then sat down awkwardly on a small stool nearby.

Gongzi hesitated for a moment, then ultimately said nothing.

Although she found it unbelievable that "Xia Lai actually had students dressed as bunny girls"... she felt that she had no right to 'point fingers' at Xia Lai, considering that she didn't seem to have a very close relationship with her at the moment.

That's how it should be...

After finding a seat, the girl rested her chin on her hand with a distressed expression and silently waited for the members of the Rabbit Squad to take their turn showering.

Although I shouldn't say anything, nor should I have any particular emotions...

But when I saw her dressed as a bunny girl with an oversized coat over her clothes, strutting around like a victor...

She felt inexplicably annoyed.

After enduring for a short while, Miyako couldn't help but look at Shi, who was busy going back and forth looking for and delivering things. She paid special attention to the coat that Shi was wearing as if it were a precious treasure.

The long coat, clearly a size too big, filled Miyako with a strange sense of anticipation and reassurance.

If only I could wear clothes that make me feel safe and secure...

As the white-haired girl, lost in her own thoughts, contemplated this 'bold idea,' a wisp of spicy, stimulating heat, carrying 'spice,' suddenly entered her nostrils.

"……?"

With her nostrils flaring, Miyako's drowsy consciousness was instantly jolted awake. She looked up and saw a cup of steaming hot tea with a hint of ginger being placed in front of her.

At the same time, I heard a gentle yet mature and reliable adult's concerned voice: "To prevent a cold, drink some ginger tea."

"..."

After meeting those brown-gray eyes, Miyako remained silent, then accepted the cup of hot tea with both hands.

"The elites of SRT Academy are not so fragile..."

【~???~】(Miyako)

"Besides showing off, shouldn't you also take a look at your actual situation?"

Amamiya smiled and shook her head, then turned and handed another cup of ginger tea to Saki.

The girl, who seemed to be fiddling with her helmet, stopped what she was doing, hesitated for a long time before accepting the ginger tea in Amamiya's hand.

As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's money is bound to be grateful."

The moment she received the ginger tea, an unnatural, faint blush appeared on Saki's cheeks, and then she lowered her head, seemingly beginning to 'sip' it.

"Indeed, one's physical condition requires extra attention..."

【~???~】(Saki)

Saki's aura softened noticeably, and her cuteness level skyrocketed.

Listening to Saki's 'futile attempt to cover up the truth' and seeing her rather amusing reaction, Amamiya smiled without saying a word.

After handing the last cup of ginger tea to Miyu, she accepted it quite naturally.

Then, holding the steaming teacup in both hands, she whispered her thanks as their eyes met, barely audible: "Th-thank you...Sensei..."

After saying that, she looked at the liquid in the glass like a frightened little rabbit.

Compared to her unusually unnatural behavior when she first arrived in Xialai, Miyu behaved much better this time—in fact, Amamiya caught a 'happy smile of being cared for' on her naturally timid and insecure face, which was a relatively rare expression for Miyu.

After confirming that all the members of the Rabbit Squad had drunk ginger tea, Amamiya was about to say something when she suddenly peeked out from the half-open kitchen door as she carried the groceries bag into the kitchen.