I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Tsukuyomi seemed startled by the mention of the topic, so embarrassed that she almost fainted on the spot due to brain overload. Fortunately, Izuna happened to catch her, preventing her from making any further embarrassing behavior.

'babble……!!'

"He is like Izuna, a dreamer who always pursues his dreams and strives to grow."

【~???~】(Izumi)

When Izuna was mentioned, he placed his hand on his chest, and at that moment he showed a subtle difference from his usual lively self, staring blankly into space.

'My lord!'

'Izuna's heartbeat seems... to have become extremely hot...'

Amamiya finally looked at Iroha, who was lying on the tank, and Ibuki, who was lying on Iroha's back.

"Iroha's composure under pressure and Ibuki's naivety are also very characteristic of a 'princess'!"

【~???~】(Iroha, Ibuki)

The red-haired girl lying on the tank slowly let out a "ha".

'Ha... so you're trying to please all the students here at this time...'

'Sensei really is...'

'Senior Iroha, Ibuki has also been recognized as a princess by Sensei!'

'Ah... yeah. From now on, Ibuki is Sensei's acknowledged princess.'

Amamiya seemed to have easily defused the situation, which made Nia's subsequent summary sound slightly disappointed, as if she hadn't seen any interesting developments.

Seeing Amamiya's vast vocabulary, her precise descriptions of each student that were unique, and the 'spectacle' that could make them overjoyed with just a few words, Nia quickly realized that if she didn't call a stop now, it would probably be her turn soon.

While being 'praised' like that might feel nice... I'm afraid Sensei could easily stir my heart and then unknowingly immerse me in it, right?

'The Phantom Thief of Hearts... he's truly terrifying.'

'I can't let Sensei win me over so easily and make me fall for her now~'

"Cough cough..."

Facing the broadcasting equipment in front of her, Nia on the airship began the final reading of the "Warakuhime" performance.

"Well, it seems Sensei has chosen a rather 'strange' answer..."

"But it also fits Sensei's personal style."

"Let's conclude this performance of 'Warakuhime' here."

Chapter 41 Xia Lai's Basement and "Special Punishment"

In Xia Lai's basement, the motion-activated lights overhead lit up one by one with each heavy footstep.

Bound by thin ropes and then held in someone's arms, the blonde girl's lips were wet as she chewed on the ropes that restricted her movement.

She seemed to have given up struggling with the exhaustion that had made her weak and powerless, and instead began to look around with a calm, "what's done is done" attitude, curiously observing the situation.

"This is Xia Lai's basement... the legendary place used to imprison and punish disobedient students...?"

"Indeed, it perfectly matches the style that everyone recognizes."

Amamiya, holding the blonde girl, stopped in front of a door and temporarily freed one hand to open it.

What appeared before her was not a cold interrogation room, but a rest room decorated with starry stickers and wallpaper, and adorned with deep velvet blue. The blonde girl was briefly surprised, and then her soft and weak body warmed up a little.

"Sensei brought me here..."

“Hum hum hum…”

"Are you going to 'punish' me?"

Amamiya did not answer, but instead closed the door with her foot and led her, who had never been so disheveled, to the prominent sofa in the room, where she was put down.

Under the increasingly nervous gaze of the blonde girl, Amamiya slowly and deliberately removed her gloves, then elegantly placed them back in her jacket pocket.

"..."

The blonde girl swallowed hard, unable to hide her nervousness.

"Sensei, could it really be true, as rumored, that they'll tie the students up in the basement and then... "

Amamiya timely interrupted her attempt to defuse the awkwardness or ease the tension, taking off the non-prescription glasses she used to conceal her gaze and placing them on the coffee table, looking at her from the perspective of a 'victor to a loser'.

"Tell me about it."

"say what?"

The blonde girl blinked blankly, 'Confused': 'Sensei...you haven't asked anything yet, what do you want me to say?'

"Your name, your background, your intention to approach me by impersonating Iroha at the 'Wagakuhime' performance, and... do you have any 'defeat speech'?"

Leaning back on the sofa, Amamiya maintained a perfectly balanced sense of oppression—too much would be terrifying, too little would be powerless.

"..."

Her emerald green eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment of vacant gaze, the blonde girl, her eyes half-closed, spoke in an unusually guilty tone: "I cannot reveal my name for now. You can continue to treat me as Iroha and do to me what you would do to Iroha..."

"I could also respond to you in the style of Iroha... Actually, I'm quite confident in the field of 'Cosplay'."

"Given our similarities, we could easily serve as meal replacements..."

What's all this...

Amamiya almost couldn't help but laugh at the other person's constant interruptions and distractions.

Amamiya stood with his arms crossed, unmoved by the blonde girl on the sofa who had barely regained some strength and was rubbing against him affectionately.

"..."

Realizing that her words and attempts to distract her had little effect, the blonde girl decisively suppressed her momentary guilty conscience and returned to the dignified demeanor befitting a noblewoman from Trinity—trying not to do anything 'shameful'.

She sighed softly, then honestly said, "My name is currently my biggest secret... so I cannot tell you about it for the time being."

A name... is the biggest secret?

Amamiya was briefly surprised, but then understood.

Speaking of this, Amamiya is reminded of a famous meme.

'—You're the famous V?'

The origin of this meme is quite interesting.

All the world knows is that in the filthy and rotten Night City, there is a legendary mercenary who can get things done for the right amount of money, a treasure in the hearts of top middlemen—a living legend named 'V'.

But what they didn't know was that the legendary mercenary who commanded respect in Night City also had the real name 'Vincent/Valerie'.

The Smiling Professor is the code name for the 'furry little girl' in front of us, dressed in 'British-style black tights' and blonde.

Her real name is her biggest secret.

Considering that Professor Laughing is a "top black market intelligence dealer," a "top behind-the-scenes planner," and so on, he would be a "top middleman" in Night City, Amamiya can understand her protection of her real name.

If the search is only based on the 'code name', the result is a 'mysterious entity' that roams the black market and collaborates with the Seven Prisoners.

If you can search by 'real name'... you'll find far more than you would by simply searching by code name.

After careful consideration, in order to continue the conversation, Amamiya did not press further about the real name, but instead asked, "...the next few questions?"

"His intention in approaching you under the guise of Iroha..."

The blonde girl breathed a slight sigh of relief, and answered the next question much more naturally: "It's simple. I'm very interested in you... or more accurately, in you as the 'Heart Thief'."

"Whether it's your 'mysterious elegance that wanders in the darkness of your inner world'; or your 'care and consideration for your students in daily life'; or your 'magnificent punishment that hates evil and uses evil to subdue evil'..."

In the poorly lit room, the girl's green eyes shone even brighter, and gradually took on the look of a fan's adoration for their idol.

Amamiya: ...

The 'nonsense' offensive failed, so did Liu Suliu (seven) turn around and use the 'sweet talk' offensive?

Seeing the girl's subtle thoughts, Amamiya gave a silent, enigmatic smile.

Seeing that his actions seemed to be effective, the Smiling Professor mustered his strength and went a step further, saying, "As for a speech about defeat... there's nothing to say. From the day I decided to embark on this path, I was prepared to face today's situation with equanimity."

“I am certain that I did not actually harm Iroha, who was being held hostage, or Ibuki, who had brief contact with me, throughout this entire operation.”

"If Sensei wishes to mention the damage I caused to the streets while driving the Pandemonium tank during our final escape, or the damage to the tank itself... that can be compensated for after the damage assessment."

"I look forward to our conversation, where we sit on opposite sides of a tea table, exchanging meaningful glances..."

As he spoke, the smiling professor twisted his body again, 'struggled' for a moment, and made the thin rope wrapped around him make a slight hissing sound as it tightened.

"...Instead of being tied up here in shame, and having my skirt exposed to you if I make even the slightest movement... Ugh."

Amamiya crossed his arms and quietly watched the smiling professor's extremely obvious 'hint'.

Although I am currently at a significant disadvantage... I still need to find ways to turn the situation around, utilizing psychology, my personal charm, and everything else I currently possess.

He truly deserves the title of 'the best in the criminal world', standing at the very top of the black market pyramid.

Building a bond with such students is often the most difficult.

Before they get to know each other, all their conversations can be summed up in a short way: "manipulation and being manipulated".

Amamiya didn't say much, and with the smiling professor's pitiful expression, he untied the thin ropes binding her.

"Hum hum... That makes things much easier."

Moving her wrists, which were a little sore from being tied up for so long, the girl with the peculiar verbal tic staggered and sat up.

“Sensei, you brought me here... not really to ‘punish’ me, were you?”

It is clear that after gaining a certain degree of freedom, her 'vulnerability' naturally diminished considerably.

Amamiya gave a cryptic smile and, seemingly unrelated to the question, said, "If a 'punishment room' like that really exists in Sharai... then this room shouldn't be decorated in blues but in pink."

“Hmm…Sensei is right.”

【~???~】(Professor)

It was a single eighth note...

The "Third Eye" indicator shows the favorability note, which symbolizes the lowest favorability. How long has it been since the single eighth note appeared?

"So, Sensei brought me here...is there some other intention behind it?"

Instead of following his instinctive reaction after being released to stay away from Amamiya, Professor Laughing used a "retreat to advance" tactic, naturally sitting down next to Amamiya and leaning on one of Amamiya's shoulders.

"about……"

Amamiya deliberately drew out her words: "...you."

"I?"

The smiling professor asked in surprise, "Is Sensei also interested in me?"

"Ah."

【~???~】

"Huh? Is that so... Hmm... So, when did Sensei start noticing me?"

Amamiya lowered his head slightly, his gaze meeting that of the girl who was looking at him from a distance in the darkness.

"Not long after I met Wakazama."

"Isn't that very early?"

After a moment's recollection, the smiling professor smiled repeatedly: "...As far as I know, you already knew Wakazama on your very first day in Kivotos, didn't you?"

"Sensei learned about me through Wakazama?"

Amamiya gave a vague reply: "You could say that."

"However, Sensei has only now seen my true face."

"let me see……"

Taking off her black silk gloves, the blonde girl pondered, "Speaking of which... Wakazama has recently reduced her contact with me. This is also due to her contact with Sensei, and subsequently her 'love at first sight' for Sensei."

"As a heart-stealing thief, you really are... adept at easily capturing and manipulating the hearts of young girls."