I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

It wasn't until they got close to Amamiya's location that they spotted 'today's interesting passenger'.

More precisely... a 'special passenger' that surprised them all.

Amamiya immediately felt two pairs of eyes fall on him at the same time.

"Oh..."

Nozomi, one of the twin sisters, suddenly brightened up and ran over to Amamiya's seat. Holding onto the empty seat on the outside, she leaned over to the inside of the seat, while giving Amamiya a 'rude' look.

"I never expected to meet... Xia Lai's Sensei here."

"Could today be our 'lucky day'?"

"Pfft haha~!"

Amamiya crossed her arms over her chest, crossed her legs, and squinted her eyes slightly.

This 'little devil' style...

Well, compared to the 'Game Twins', the 'Railway Twins' give a rather unique first impression.

Immediately afterwards, Hikaru ran all the way to Amamiya-senpai's seat and peered out from the empty seats in front, just like Nozomi.

"Oh--"

With her eyes downcast, she let out an "Oh," seemingly expressing her surprise. Then, Hikari's reaction was even more direct. She sat down in the empty seat next to Amamiya without any hesitation and rubbed her petite body against Amamiya's shoulder.

"Since we've met here, let's get to know Sensei—"

As she spoke, she crossed her arms. Amamiya, maintaining her 'dignified' demeanor, extended her hand: "Hikaru Tachibana of the Highland Railway Academy... reporting for duty—"

Compared to her younger sister's "little devil" style, the older sister's explicit "malice" was much less pronounced, but it still remained.

In addition... his behavior seems somewhat childish.

Silently activating Hifumi's bond skill - [Kindness and Affinity] and Hoshino's bond skill - [Warm Sunshine], Amamiya softened her aura and instantly became kind.

"That's right, meeting is 'fate,' so let's get to know each other here."

"I'm Sensei from Xialai, nice to meet you all, from the Railway Academy..."

Seizing the pause in Amamiya's words, the girl sitting next to Amamiya shook her pointed, elf-like ears and spoke slowly: "Hikaru."

"And Xiaowang too!"

With her eyelashes slightly curved, she smiled with a hint of malice, inadvertently revealing her cute little tiger teeth.

"us……"

"They are the twins from the Highland Railway Academy."

“Sensei didn’t know us before…”

"Want to guess who's the older sister?"

"Who's the younger sister? Hahaha~!"

Amamiya, caught between the two adorable twin sisters, felt a sudden commotion around her.

After tapping her forehead with her index finger, Amamiya stated her 'guess' with certainty: "Nozomi, who seems more mature, is the younger sister, while Hikari is the older sister."

Such an accurate 'guess' surprised Nozomi, who had already squeezed to the other side of Amamiya.

"Hey... Sensei's guess was pretty accurate."

"How did you guess that?"

Amamiya thought to herself, "I didn't just guess... I saw it directly with my third eye."

But of course he couldn't say that.

Amamiya smiled confidently: "It's not a guess... but a result derived from observation. That's 'the strength of an adult.'"

【~???~】(light)

【~??~】(Looking)

Amamiya's teasing tone immediately drew a response from the "Railway Twins" sitting on either side of him.

“Sensei’s point… is quite interesting.”

"Sensei seems just like the rumors say—very approachable and friendly—"

"If I could get to know Sensei better, I should be able to learn more about Xia Lai... interesting things, right?"

"Agreed—I'd like to get to know Sensei better."

After talking to themselves for a few minutes, the adorable yet slightly noisy "railway twins" quickly determined their next strategy, relying on their tacit understanding as twins.

"So... next, we'll be preparing to visit Charlemagne!"

"I'll go to Xia Lai to find Sensei—"

Is that so...? Then Xia Lai might become quite 'noisy'.

After a slight worry about the increasingly lively situation in Xia Lai, Amamiya smiled and replied to the twin sisters who had extended the invitation: "Xia Lai, you are always welcome."

[I felt the kindness from the 'Railway Twins'...]

The bond between Hikari and Nozomi has deepened...

Noticing the movements of the passengers in the carriage, the 'twin sisters' who were engrossed in their conversation with Amamiya finally began to react.

Wang jumped down from his seat: "But I still have things to do today..."

As she moved into the aisle of the carriage, she also took off the whistle hanging from her waist.

“Sensei, we'll be launching a surprise attack on Xia Lai later—”

Guang, who was sitting on the outside, then went into the corridor and began to guide the order of the carriages.

"Ticket checking continues—guests, please have your tickets ready~~"

Watching the 'Railway Twins' leave, Amamiya leaned back in his chair and sighed.

'When we get back, we should prepare for their 'surprise visit'...'

Chapter Three: Petting Chisemon, and then...

After bidding farewell to the 'Railway Twins' at the station where a hundred demons parade, Amamiya disembarked and headed straight for her destination—

The Yin-Yang Department of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

Passing through a cluster of modern buildings of varying heights, built in the style of the Edo period, Amamiya arrived at the place where she first shared memories with Izuna.

—A viewing platform where you can see the "sacred tree" growing on the horizon, with its lush foliage and evergreen branches, seemingly always blooming with cherry blossoms.

As one of the landmark attractions of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, this place is never short of tourists from various school districts.

When Amamiya arrived, the girls from the Ninjutsu Research Club had already gathered there.

The three creatures—a fox, a raccoon dog, and a rabbit—were leaning against a wooden railing, conversing in a voice that could be clearly heard even in a crowd.

"It was here that Izuna... met His Highness, the Lord..."

Amamiya was about to walk through the crowd to say hello when she heard Izuna's distinctive and nostalgic voice as soon as she got close.

"Back then, Izuna made a promise with His Highness right here and became His Highness's ninja...!"

"oh oh……"

Mitsuru seemed to be admiring, yet also somewhat envious: "I see... In that case, Izuna and Sensei's meeting really does have a... 'fateful' feel to it."

A sense of destiny?

Amamiya smirked and weaved through the gaps between the tourists to reach the innermost circle of the observation deck.

Then, he immediately spotted the 'ninjas' who, unlike the other tourists taking photos with their phones, were leaning against the railing, basking in the sunlight, and seemed to have a 'pink girlish' feel against the backdrop of cherry blossom petals drifting down from the sacred tree.

“Oh…~”

Izuna immediately pricked up his ears, and his fox tail swayed as if it had sensed something, like a radar.

Izuna interrupted himself, turning around with a clear purpose.

"My lord! Here, here!"

"Prince Sensei arrived so early. Heh heh heh... Just as rumored, he is 'protecting the innocent dreams of young girls like never before'..."

"Good morning..."

They really do have their own unique characteristics.

After lingering on Izuna's vigorously waving fox tail, Koman's slightly waving tanuki tail that seemed to convey tension, and Tsukuyomi's rabbit ears that never seemed to stand up, Amamiya greeted the girls who approached him one after another.

"So next, we need to go to the Yin-Yang Division to find the fruit spikes, and also..."

After swallowing nervously, Xiaoman's tone deepened slightly: "The legendary person in charge of the Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts, the Minister of the Yin-Yang Department... Nia..."

Observing Amamiya's calm expression, which was not affected by 'fear', Komatsu, who was initially a little uneasy, gradually became less afraid and even became curious about Amamiya's strange reaction.

"Your Highness Sen, aren't you nervous?"

Amemiya shook his head.

【~???~】(Mitsuru, Tsukuyomi, Izuna)

As for being nervous... well, of course not.

After all, this wasn't the first time they'd been to the Yin-Yang Department.

In addition, he maintains a fairly deep bond with the two 'key members' of the Yin-Yang Department—Nia and Chise.

"Truly, as expected of Prince Sensei... truly worthy of being the lord whom Izuna serves with such loyalty!"

Tsukuyomi lowered her head, her timidity and shyness completely hidden by the bangs that covered one eye.

"Please, please, Sensii..."

After reuniting with the girls, Amamiya chatted with them while leisurely making his way to the core area of ​​the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons—the Onmyo Club.

It was no different from the last time I accompanied Shizuko here.

The only difference is the season and the time.

The last time I came here with Shizuko was on a spring evening.

And now... it's a clear early summer morning.

Surrounded by three 'beautiful girl ninjas', Amamiya reluctantly walked ahead and entered the Zen-inspired building of the Onmyo Club.

Due to reasons such as 'scarcity of personnel', the Yin-Yang Department is not as tightly guarded as Gehenna's Disciplinary Committee or the Millennium Seminar—and it is not a place that students usually like to come to.

After all, Shizuko's complaints about the Yin-Yang Department when she last came here were still fresh in everyone's minds.

The students of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons had given up hope on the Onmyo Department's ability to handle affairs, so they naturally didn't come here much.

The moment Amamiya stepped into the inner room, she noticed the seascape that met her eyes.

The sea-blue-haired girl sitting in the courtyard corridor wore simple clogs, and her light summer sundress still retained a touch of the bright atmosphere of the beach and ocean of a resort island.

Upon hearing the footsteps, Chise stopped 'dazed' but didn't get up immediately. Instead, she leaned back and observed the direction of the sound.

"Ah...we have a guest."

The girl slowly got up, and at the same time, she recited a haiku that she had spontaneously created in response to the scene.

"On a summer morning"

Suddenly, I met an old friend.

A feeling of surprise lingered.

After suppressing her elusive and unpredictable 'electromagnetic' aura, Chise smiled gently and subtly.

“Sensei, it’s been a while since we last met at the resort not long ago.”

How are you doing?

Although she had two horns on her head, those 'devilish' horns did not affect the girl's soft and fragrant aura, which was as light as cotton candy. On the contrary, they gave people a special sense of contrast.

"Ah... um."

Amamiya was momentarily captivated by this adorable moment, then smiled and nodded in response: "Thank you for your concern, Chise. I'm doing very well lately."