I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

This untimely news of a deepening bond left Amamiya utterly speechless with anger.

Despite the hostility of the three little rabbits, each harboring their own emotions, Shi remained calm and composed.

"The rain should stop soon."

“After the rain stops, if you have any complaints about me, you can go outside and ‘talk about it in detail’.”

Clearly, the "detailed discussion" mentioned here is a typical example of "showing the true strength through firepower".

Feeling mocked from above, the three little rabbits immediately snorted, displaying an indignant expression that said, "Who's afraid of who?"

The rabbit squad, which was originally inclined to 'disperse', unexpectedly became as united as a solid block under the influence of this 'common external enemy'.

Noticing the strange change in the Rabbit Squad's cohesion, Amamiya, who was about to mediate the conflict, was speechless again.

Although she was causing herself trouble in many ways... she unexpectedly improved the cohesion of the rabbit team, which...

Amamiya's expression was complicated.

"Sensei..."

Just as he received the rabbit team's 'permission to fight,' he turned around and said, "Please rest assured."

"I will take your place and properly 'discipline' these disobedient 'wild rabbits'."

Amamiya: ...

With you causing trouble, I'm not at all at ease.

At this time, could you please cause less trouble...?

After a brief, intense eye contact that seemed to spark, the 'little rabbits' temporarily ceased their fighting, waiting for the rain to stop so they could gather their strength for the upcoming match.

Meanwhile, it seems that preparations have already begun.

Considering that it did indeed help improve the cohesion of the Rabbit Squad... Amamiya did not intend to stop this sudden battle.

He shook his head, sighed, and began to collect the tableware the girls had used.

After delivering the dishes to the kitchen, Amamiya was about to wash them when her phone suddenly beeped with a message notification.

Amamiya opened it and saw that it was a 'private message' sent by Miyako.

[Miyako: Regardless of whether we win or lose the battle later... I want to whisper something to Sensei.]

[Miyako: Could I... borrow a moment of your time?]

Chapter Seventy: Miyako: The Most Boomerang Episode

"Sensei...may I have a moment to spare?"

As Amamiya pushed open the rooftop door leading to the Xia Lai Building, a voice accompanied the sound of the door opening and immediately reached his ears.

The night was clear and the moon was bright. The water stains left on the rooftop after the rainstorm had not yet completely dried, reflecting the shimmering moonlight.

Because her SRT school uniform, which symbolized her identity, was soaked by the rain, and even the Rabbit Squad's iconic bunny earrings were affected by the heavy rain and needed to be 'dried', Miyako did not appear in the classic SRT school uniform + bunny earring style.

She was wearing a blue hoodie with two white pom-poms that looked like little rabbit tails hanging on her chest, and rabbit-style summer slippers that had a very casual feel to them.

A crescent moon was reflected behind the girl with her white hair flowing freely, and she turned around 'coincidentally' the moment Amamiya opened the door.

"Thank you for coming..."

"Good evening..."

After a brief greeting, the gentle girl with slightly curved eyebrows under the moonlight immediately became reserved again.

She seemed to be so shy about being in front of someone she trusted and admired while wearing her own clothes that she wanted to lower her head, but she couldn't help but secretly cast her gaze to observe his reaction.

Noticing Miyako's slightly awkward behavior, Amamiya could tell that Miyako was reserved and introverted.

...Is it because of the combined psychological factors of 'the attitude I initially showed' and 'my initiative to ask you out to have a private talk' that I have this feeling?

Good evening, Miyako.

After giving Miyako a quick glance, Amamiya smiled and teased, "...I thought Miyako was calling me out to unleash another 'Sensei, we hate adults like you!' kind of emotional outburst."

"How, how could..."

The girl, who was initially so embarrassed that she didn't know what to talk about, suddenly blushed.

As she lowered her head and approached, her voice was soft and tinged with regret: "That...that was just something I said in anger..."

"...rabbits are cute little animals. In nature, they are in a vulnerable position...therefore, it is necessary to be wary of any unfamiliar and unstable factors."

"The Rabbit Squad is a group of little rabbits that need to be on guard against hunters at all times."

"So... please forgive me for my impulsive words earlier, Sensi..."

“Hmm…” Amamiya’s gaze remained fixed on Miyako, and he slowly nodded. “Because Miyako is very cute, I will forgive her.”

"Varied……?!"

【~???~】(Miyako)

Completely unprepared for the rhythm of Amamiya's conversation, the girl was initially surprised, but then immediately showed shyness and panic due to the unexpected turn of events.

"I have always regarded Miyako and the Rabbit team as real 'little rabbits'."

Amamiya slowly moved closer to the rooftop, sat down on the edge of the building, rested her hands on her back, and looked up at the night sky.

"Just as Miyako said... rabbits are cute but wary animals..."

"In order to guard against external dangers, as the captain of this team, Miyako naturally has to consider more... and naturally has to bear more pressure."

"Because he was facing difficulties and had difficulty venting his emotions, he said those hurtful things in a moment of anger... I can understand that feeling."

Amamiya sighed softly, as if she had been there.

—From the perspective of 'leading a small team (the Phantom Thieves/Rabbit Team) as the leader (captain) onto the right path'...

He can indeed offer his perspective as someone who has been through it all.

Miyako remained silent, staring at Amamiya's back as she sat on the rooftop for a moment before hesitating and trembling, with the trepidation of an animal receiving its owner's kindness for the first time, and slowly moved to sit down next to Amamiya.

"..."

"The night view here is beautiful."

To cater to Miyako's slightly awkward attempt to make conversation, Amamiya silently activated a series of "Star and Moon" bond skills to create atmosphere.

With the combined effects of a series of bond skills, such as 【Distant Stars Shining】(Noah's Bond) + 【Welcoming the New Moon】 + 【Bathing in the Full Moon】 + 【Sculpting the Illusionary Moon】 + 【Waiting for the New Moon】(Ayane's Bond), an atmosphere suitable for 'deep emotional exchange' is created without any words or atmosphere building.

Amamiya withdrew her gaze from Akasora and looked at Miyako, who was slowly approaching her from the side.

"Did Miyako ask me out because of the Rabbit Squad?"

"Um……"

When the topic of 'serious business' came up, Miyako immediately suppressed the complex emotions rippling through her heart.

"Does Sensei consider the Rabbit Squad to be a competent squad?"

Such a difficult question to answer right off the bat...

Amamiya composed himself, considered his words carefully, and replied, "Passable... but not outstanding."

"The current rabbit team doesn't yet have that... 'cohesion'."

【~???~】

"Sensei sensed it too...?"

The night breeze swept through from one side, carrying the floral scent of the shampoo and shower gel the girl had used not long ago when she took a bath.

Gathering her long hair, which had been ruffled by the night wind, Miyako asked her second question with a slightly bewildered look: "Sensei... if we want the Rabbit Squad to not disband due to a lack of cohesion... how can we improve their cohesion?"

After a moment's thought, Amamiya gave a surprising answer: "Cohesion is directly related to 'belief'."

……belief?

Miyako remembered the dinner she had not long ago.

Not long ago, at the dinner table in Xia Lai, where she felt a sense of 'belonging,' a concept vaguely formed in that particular setting—

A sense of belonging is very important; it is the foundation of cohesion that allows a team to unite.

A sense of belonging is often built on "dependence".

"Shouldn't the foundation of cohesion be reliance?"

Amamiya glanced sideways at the girl, whose expression clearly showed confusion and bewilderment.

Why does Miyako have this perception?

"because……"

Miyako, having summarized her thoughts but finding herself at a loss for words, stammered for a moment.

"Because... what I felt when I interacted with that 'C&C member' who claimed to be your personal maid, and what I felt about your relationship with the Arios squad..."

"That 'maid' named Asuka Mato, I could see a very obvious... sense of belonging to Sharai in her."

"The same goes for Arius's team... I found many traces of their lives in the residential area."

"Some of the small indoor decorations were clearly purchased and added by them..."

Using the simplest and most unadorned language, Miyako summarized her observations.

The little things in life don’t lie.

Through her observations of Xia Lai's life, Miyako, with her keenest observation skills as the leader of the Rabbit Squad and the most acute among all the Rabbit Squad members, is able to sketch a corner of the life of Arios's Squad, who has now joined Xia Lai.

The decorations in Xia Lai's residential area clearly show signs of 'gradual passage of time'.

The 'Phantom Thief Theme Sensei Body Pillow' on the sofa is slightly deformed from being hugged so much, as if someone often uses it for 'hugging practice'. It looks like it was added here about a month ago.

A group photo of the Arius squad members wearing white-themed Charlene uniforms is displayed in a glass case in a frame. The photo was taken about two to three weeks ago.

Swimsuit posters and magazines, as well as "vacation guides," were being flipped through frequently. These were holiday publications produced by Kronos's news department a week ago to capitalize on the "Summer Solstice" buzz.

The 'Alios Squad Q-version dolls', which seemed to be specially commissioned, were placed together with the 'Sensei Q-version dolls', and it looked like they were just completed today and then carefully placed there.

The sense of happiness that arises from the 'breath of life' is so rich that it is enviable.

Miyako had a feeling...

After joining Xia Lai, the Arios Squad... is like collecting puzzle pieces, constantly perfecting their ideals and "beliefs".

After summarizing her observations as simply as possible, Miyako, gradually organizing her thoughts, concluded: "...So, I think the Arios squad's success stems from their dependence on you and their sense of belonging to Xia Lai..."

"That's why they possess an 'enviable cohesion'."

Amamiya hummed in agreement and nodded slowly, then asked, "And before that?"

Before……

Gongzi was taken aback, and then suddenly realized that her immature ideas had blind spots.

If Arius's squad is now united by a sense of belonging and happiness... what about before?

How did the wanted Arios squad come together?

Seeing that Miyako seemed to be in a brief moment of confusion, Amamiya immediately asked, "Then where does Miyako's 'belief' come from?"

Miyako was not a member of Arius's squad and had no idea about their 'dark past'.

But to explain my situation...

Gongzi lowered her head, pursed her lips, and answered softly without hesitation:

“Sensei, my ‘belief’… stems from the news reports I first saw on television about my ‘predecessors’… I felt a deep admiration for their brilliance and ‘justice’…”

"Therefore, I took the performance of my predecessors as my ideal... and that's why I entered SRT Special Academy."

After answering, the girl immediately looked puzzled: "But, everyone in the Rabbit Squad has a different 'belief'..."

In such a situation, can everyone's beliefs truly be unified, thereby generating cohesion?

Amamiya's answer was—yes.

The members of the Phantom Thieves all have distinct personal beliefs, but in the end, they all come together because of a common ideal.

Faced with the girl's confusion, Amamiya nodded slowly and heavily.

“Miyako, if you still can’t understand the belief before you… then you can use another method first—what you call ‘dependence’—to increase cohesion.”