I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Ah."

Taking off her helmet and half-removing her jacket, Sensei casually stroked her hair and replied, "Sensei wants to ask me why I didn't change my clothes, right? Because... there wasn't enough time."

"Besides, there really is no need for any 'special dressing up'."

"After all, Xia Lai shouldn't be the kind of place where 'only pretty girls can enter,' right?"

Amamiya felt helpless, feeling as if she had been stabbed by the girl's sharp gaze, and couldn't quite understand where Mina's hostility towards her came from.

Red Winter Federation... foreman... protest...

Could it be...

Amamiya silently deactivated Nomiya's bond ability, "Aura of a Noblewoman," while secretly activating Mimori's bond ability, "Mind Reading...?".

After a series of sounds resembling frequency interference, the girl's thoughts at that moment entered her ears intermittently.

"Sensei's aura..."

"Tsk... I'm a little annoyed..."

"This kind of bourgeois sentiment..."

"If Xia Lai is like this, then it's better to..."

"……Why?"

"Is it just my imagination...?"

"What's wrong with Sensei's demeanor...?"

Upon hearing this, Amamiya sighed and, without hesitation, turned off all the bond abilities of students such as Hime-saki, Rion, and Makoto in one go.

These bond skills, derived from the "Emperor" or the former "Judgment" and now the "World," are mostly abilities related to a "powerful aura," making them more suitable for interacting with those who are not mentally strong or who "need to rely on" for assistance.

For a student like Miri... an overly 'aloof' aura might give her a certain sense of déjà vu, which could lead to a natural aversion.

He had activated these bond skills ahead of time in preparation for going to the Temple of Ten Thousand Demons...

Unexpectedly, these bond skills that harmonize the auras had a strange counter-effect when negotiating with Miri.

“That’s right, Xia Lai is definitely not the kind of place that ‘only needs pretty girls’ that Shiri imagined.”

After switching her aura to a combination of kindness and approachability (Hifumi bond) and composure and willpower (Kayoko bond), Amamiya replied earnestly: "Shalai... is an organization established by order of the president of the Federation Student Council."

"This area is open to all students, who can submit various requests for assistance..."

"And I am Sensei of Xialai, and I will provide free assistance to students in distress."

【~???~】

Miri remained silent: "..."

For some reason, she always felt...

The 'repulsive' aura that Sensei had accumulated vanished in just a few words.

"Provide free assistance to students in distress...?"

Shiri frowned slightly, still somewhat skeptical.

The rumors sound so grand and there are indeed many related rumors online, but are they really as they seem?

Amamiya didn't expect to completely convince Miri with just a few words, so he didn't waste any more words and instead adopted an attitude of "telling the truth and witnessing it with his own eyes".

"Shiri must have come to Xialai for some other reason?"

"Um……"

Miri hesitated somewhat in her answer this time: "Besides looking after my former coworkers, I also mainly wanted to get to know Sensei."

"Sensei, you should be aware of the current situation at the Crimson Winter Federation Academy, right?"

Amamiya nodded.

After all, it is one of the largest and most important large academies in Kivotos... Although I haven't been there in person yet, I have learned about it through various other channels.

"Then you... as the 'Heart Thief',"

Miri looked disgusted: "...Didn't you see the chaos in all of this?"

Amamiya nodded with a wry smile.

Of course I saw it...

It's important to understand that the 'chaos' of Red Winter, and the millennium, Trinity, and Gehenna...

No, the chaos of Crimson Winter does share a certain similarity with Trinity.

It's been going on and on every other day for a week...

The student council system of the Red Winter Federation changes at the fastest rate that Amamiya knows of—it can be said that it can be updated more than seven times a week under extreme circumstances, and more than once a day on average, with no upper limit.

After receiving a nod of approval from Amamiya, Miri's expression became even more complicated.

After maintaining an expression of 'I have to get this off my chest' for more than ten seconds, she finally couldn't help but speak up: "Then you..."

"As a phantom thief, as a phantom thief who corrects the environment and returns freedom to everyone."

"Isn't there anything 'to do'?"

Amamiya could certainly understand the unspoken meaning in Miri's words.

"Miri, you've been planning to say these words to me in person for a long time, haven't you?"

Miri neither denied nor answered, but simply stared at Amamiya with a calm yet questioning gaze.

"The environment of the Red Winter Federation... is far more complex than I imagined."

"After resolving the current issues, I should make time to contact Akatsuki."

Amamiya said sincerely, "If Miri still has expectations... then let's continue to wait and hold onto hope."

【~???~】

"Is it the unique tactic of phantom thieves... 'acting before the deadline'?"

Shiri's aura finally relaxed a bit.

She waved her clothes to fan away the heat, 'cooling down' while sounding slightly annoyed: Sensei... it's not that I don't trust you.

"However, you should have paid attention to and made contact with the Crimson Winter Federation much earlier..."

"You have kept us waiting for far too long, amidst the biting wind and the pure white snow."

Amamiya maintained a slightly embarrassed wry smile, offering no response to Miri's 'condemnation'.

The main reason we haven't had any contact all this time is because...

The Chaos of the Red Winter Federation (Part 0)

"I will contact Shiri as soon as I have resolved the immediate issue."

【~???~】

Miri sighed and extended her hand to Amamiya: "Then it's settled, it's a deal."

"Ah."

"It's a promise..."

[A deal has been made with Miri.]

Coopation is now unblocked!

Chapter 10 Shiri: You just said your salary is very low, right?

"In other words... in order to prevent food waste."

Looking at the frozen rice dumplings emanating cold air and wrapped in green mugwort leaves and cotton thread, after listening to Amamiya's description, Miri pondered and concluded: "Sensei paid for it all, using his own money, and bought all the remaining rice dumplings in the entire convenience store..."

"And, are you planning to give them away to students in other clubs later, so they can use them up?"

The refreshing bitterness of the iced coffee dispelled the heat and weariness that the gray-haired girl had accumulated on her way to Xia Lai.

Swirling the coffee cup in her hand and listening to the crisp sound of ice cubes colliding, Miri's less-than-ideal first impression of Amamiya immediately changed drastically.

Wasting food is not a good virtue.

Amamiya replied frankly, "In order not to waste food... and also to protect the girl's dream, I used my meager monthly salary to buy these rice dumplings..."

Amamiya had thought that this kind of language and negotiation would greatly improve Minori's impression of him...

But in fact, Shiri twitched her ears sharply, as if a nerve had been touched and she had become suddenly alert.

She repeated Amamiya's description of her salary in a cryptic way.

"……meager?"

After repeating herself, Senii's eyes sharpened: "Sensei, regarding your salary level... could you give a general overview?"

Amamiya responded and, while packing the frozen rice dumplings, casually mentioned her 'salary level'.

“The monthly salary of Xia Lai Sensei can indeed be described as meager.”

"The credits I receive each month are barely enough to support my daily life and maybe a little bit of my personal hobbies—that doesn't sound like much, right?"

"But in reality, I also make up for some of the various repairs, equipment maintenance, and other 'unexpected expenses' in Xia Lai with my 'special income' from my spare time."

Upon hearing this, Shiri immediately frowned in displeasure.

"The Federal Student Council...don't they know the importance of 'Phantom Thief'...don't they know how important Sensei is? They can't even afford to give them a little extra income..."

Amamiya forced a smile and did not immediately agree with Miri's complaints.

As the person closest to the Federal Student Council, Xia Lai's Sensei... of course knew exactly what the Federal Student Council was currently in.

In fact, the financial situation of the Federal Student Association can be described as 'stretched thin'.

In order for the Federal Student Association to maintain normal operation, Aoi in the finance office is trying every means to cut various budgets.

Even after learning of Amamiya's extraordinary earning power, the Federation Student Council reduced the amount of money they paid her.

—Of course, even so, it's still much better than the thousand years before Rion repented.

You must understand that in the thousand years before Rion repented... there was often a huge gap that could be calculated but could not be filled.

Minori, who was indignant about the salary level, found Amamiya's forced smile rather strange.

"Sensei...they're cutting your pay!"

"Aren't you even a little bit angry? Didn't you ever think of resisting or fighting back?!"

"The Federation Student Council is already struggling to take care of itself..." Amamiya forced a smile and waved his hand. "Rather than fighting at this time, it's better to take care of ourselves and check on Xia Lai's situation first."

【~???~】(Miri, Saori)

"It seems like..."

After finishing her iced coffee, Shiri placed the glass, now filled with only ice, back on the table.

“Sensei is really… ‘gentle’.”

I got called 'gentlemanly' again...

Amamiya shook her finger: "This isn't 'gentleness'."

"You know, phantom thieves also conduct secret investigations before carrying out their operations, then lie in wait for the right opportunity. 〒（九）冥轳刘（七）谰吧"

【~???~】(Shiri)

"Is that so... It seems Sensei has other plans."

Seemingly realizing something, Miri immediately felt a surge of excitement, as if she had found a kindred spirit.

--really!

A 'phantom thief' who champions free will and breaks free from shackles...

They really are the same kind of people as me!

By joining forces with Sensei, the Crimson Winter Federation Academy, which has been in constant turmoil...

As the girl's heart surged with emotion, Amamiya's voice happened to ring in her ears again.

"Shili, please take these rice dumplings back with you."