I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Amamiya suddenly spoke up: "Then can I fall in love with you at first sight, just like Wakazama fell in love with me at first sight?"

As we all know, difficult-to-defend attack skills generally have two main characteristics.

Extremely long wind-up and zero-frame start.

Amamiya could roughly predict that the Laughing Professor's next sentence would likely be something like, "You almost captured me too," a self-deprecating remark that was actually intended to further ease the tension and seize the initiative.

In order not to lose the rhythm due to attacks with 'extremely long wind-up'... Amamiya chose to start with zero frames.

"Eh……?"

【~???~】

The smiling professor, who had not expected Amamiya's 'surprise attack', was taken aback.

She then jokingly shook her head slightly: "Sensei, for a 'heart thief' like you, such a confession... is just too 'low-quality,' isn't it?"

"It was too sudden... It completely lacked the artistry of a 'heart thief,' and it didn't show the same warmth you displayed to Wakazama and the other students... If it weren't for the reputation you had built up beforehand..."

"I'm starting to suspect you're a womanizing phantom thief who falls in love with every woman he meets."

That being said, the favorability rating seen by the "third eye" has become an even higher level, double eighth notes.

“Profound bonds are sometimes formed so suddenly.”

The smiling professor seemed to be deep in thought.

“…Sensei is right.”

Soon, she smiled with relief, straightened her back, and stopped showing any vulnerability or pitifulness of a 'vulnerable person'.

"So... is Sensei planning to 'favor' me?"

Amamiya shook her finger: "No..."

Then, he casually extended his hand to the girl: "This is a 'deal'."

The smiling professor was not surprised at all. She also naturally extended the hand that had taken off the silk glove.

“Since Sensei puts it that way, then… let’s consider it a ‘transaction’.”

[...a deal was struck with the Smiling Professor.]

[Coopation Changes!]

[The Devil → The Fool]

[Title changed!]

[The Moriarty of the criminal underworld → Black market intelligence dealer]

……

[Assistant: The Smiling Professor/Black Market Information Dealer]

[Arcana: The Fool (Le Mat)]

[Assistance Rating: ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]

[★1 Bond Ability "Message from the Middleman" is now unlocked!]

The girl didn't withdraw her hand immediately after the 'deal was made'. Instead, she tilted her head and gave Amamiya an elegant yet sly smile: "Sensei... you don't mind if I add a few more conditions, do you?"

Amamiya raised an eyebrow slightly: "What are the conditions?"

"From now on... I can visit this place as the 'person on duty'."

"……Can."

"Thank you, Sensei, for your... leniency towards the students?"

The girl lifted her skirt and was about to stand up: "Then... can I leave now?"

In her mind, this should have resulted in an outcome that was almost a foregone conclusion.

But an 'accident' happened.

"That won't work."

"Is there anything else?"

The professor's heightened sense of danger, honed through his experience navigating the black market, was the first to sense the 'danger'.

Amamiya smiled enigmatically: "A deal is a deal, and punishment is punishment; they are two different things."

The smiling professor, whose Trinity-style elegance lasted less than ten seconds, glanced around and finally sat back down as if resigned to his fate.

“Sensei is right… Since you’ve done something wrong and been caught red-handed, you have to pay the price for your mistakes.”

After saying that, she put on a pitiful expression again.

“I will… accept Sensei’s punishment seriously.”

With her index finger to her lips, the girl curled up naturally on the sofa, her eyes trembling slightly as she looked like a fluffy, adorable little animal: "No, but... please, Sensei, for the sake of this 'deal'... show me a little... a little... 'pity'..."

Chapter 42 The Smiling Professor: What kind of punishment is this?

"Huh...huh..."

Her fluffy blonde hair was matted together with sweat, and the blonde girl was panting heavily with flushed cheeks. Her emerald green eyes held only resentment.

"sen, Sensei..."

"Your 'punishment' should be over by now..."

Amamiya took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Then she gave the blonde girl, whose eyes were already somewhat unfocused, a questioning look that said, "You can't do this well either."

"Is it already at its breaking point?"

The blonde girl pouted, then, in a desperate act, raised her voice weakly and said, "I...I am..."

Amamiya calmly responded to the girl's angry outburst of 'small fists pounding her chest,' which sounded more like a spoiled child than an act of venting.

Standing still without flinching, letting the soft blows fall on her chest, Amamiya calmly said, "Kiwatos, a top figure in the criminal world, the 'Moriarty of the criminal world,' a strategist who wins with intelligence."

"Everything about you is beyond question. To make a deal with you and establish a relationship with you... in a way, it should be considered an honor for me—after all, according to conventional thinking, even at the end of the story, someone like me, a Sensei from Xialai, would never come into contact with a student as 'mysterious and lovely' as you."

【~???~】(Professor)

Amamiya then abruptly changed the subject, adding 'ruthlessly': "But now that you've reached the 'Reichenbach Falls of your life,' you must be prepared to face your destiny."

"You are a devil..."

Realizing that she still had no chance of getting special treatment because of her cute appearance, the blonde girl immediately gritted her teeth and turned her head away angrily.

"Knowing full well that students like me have poor physical stamina... so they chose to 'punish' me with 'endurance training'...?"

“At this point, I would prefer that what you call ‘punishment’ is ‘corporal punishment’ in the direct sense, or something on a deeper level…”

Amamiya shook her finger slightly: "First of all, I will not physically punish students."

"Secondly, even things you mentioned that are 'in a deeper sense' should be based on mutual consent."

【~???~】

The smiling professor, whose breathing had gradually calmed down, looked down at his own physique, which was only a little over 1.4 meters tall and looked rather thin after changing into his gymnastics uniform.

After further verifying her thoughts and guesses, she inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, and her vigilance relaxed further.

"It seems..."

"You are not the 'womanizing phantom thief' that everyone knows."

Amamiya remained silent.

Where did this strange title come from?

Did she make it up herself?

Amamiya didn't respond, but coughed and, seeing the smiling professor's obviously bitter expression, said coldly and without any room for argument: "Once you've rested enough, prepare for the next 'punishment' activity."

After looking around at the surrounding fitness equipment, the smiling professor's expression suddenly calmed down.

She stepped onto the treadmill and began jogging, accompanied by Amamiya.

"Huh...huh..."

"Why...why would Sensei punish...me...in this special way?"

Amamiya answered with unusual seriousness: "While this is the 'punishment' I chose, it can't be entirely considered punishment."

"Sherlock has the ability to survive the Reichenbach Falls... but Moriarty does not."

【~???~】

So... is Sensei concerned about herself?

The girl, whose sharp mind had been dulled by the fatigue from the intense exercise, felt a little absurd for a moment.

The 'Sherlock' he identified with and the 'Moriarty' he himself were actually helping each other, even discussing the details of 'The Final Problem'?

'……wrong.'

'It seems my thinking was disordered due to fatigue.'

'This is clearly just Sensei's "punishment"...'

Realizing she couldn't afford to be distracted at this moment, the girl quickly gathered her chaotic thoughts and focused all her energy on completing the "punishment" objective.

Accompanying him throughout the entire process, until the last set of exercise goals was completed, Amamiya finally called a halt to the smiling professor, who was nearing his limit and whose attention was so scattered that he even seemed a bit 'disoriented'.

This expression—a mix of elegance gone and exhaustion that prevented her from uttering a single word—reminded Amamiya of her own disheveled state after training when she was a phantom thief in Tokyo, urged to train by the Velvet Room twins.

At that time, Carolina and Ristina also pushed themselves to the limits of their physical abilities and potential... and after training, I was even more disheveled, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe myself as 'like a dead dog'.

Instead of asking "How are you feeling?" which might sound sarcastic, Amamiya picked up the exhausted and aching woman and carried her out of the Xia Lai basement towards the residential area.

Using coffee beans brought from his hometown, he brewed her a cup of "Lubran's Ultimate Iced Coffee" and pointed in the direction of the bathroom. Then, as usual, Amamiya began preparing dinner.

As summer approaches, Leblanc-style curry is no longer suitable for dinner.

Upon arriving in the kitchen, Amamiya immediately checked the refrigerator's inventory.

His eyes lit up when he noticed that some student had left barley tea in the freezer compartment.

There's broth, barley tea, and...

'Considering that I just finished a high-intensity workout...'

Perhaps, "rice soaked in herbal tea" is the perfect way to cool down in the summer and satisfy that special feeling of being hungry but unable to eat after exercise.

After taking it out and unscrewing it, Amamiya, for safety reasons, first checked the taste and whether there were any strange or special additives.

"...No problem."

Preparing and enjoying three meals a day is probably the most relaxing and happiest time of the day.

Those who prepare have their own enjoyment, and those who enjoy have their own expectations.

After preparing a specially made "dinner," Amamiya happened to hear news reports coming from the living room.

When Amamiya brought out the tableware, she saw a blonde girl who had just taken a shower and changed into a gym uniform sitting elegantly on the living room sofa, leaning against her cane.

The sound of news reports came from the television she had turned on in the living room—the screen was showing news from the Kronos News Service.

"A report from the Kronos News Department~ Welcome! I'm Shion Kawana, the department's star reporter!"

On the screen, a tanned 'reporter' is holding a microphone with the Kronos Academy logo and is beginning to 'describe the scene' in the typical, melodramatic tone of a media professional.

"Today's news is about the outstanding performance of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) and the Ghena Academy exchange meeting—"

The scene depicts a street filled with the vibrant atmosphere of a nighttime festival, where a hundred demons parade under the cover of night.

Due to the damage caused by the accident during the "Warakuhime" performance in the morning, there are several obvious signs of ruin in the streets. Combined with the clothing style of the students in the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), the atmosphere looks somewhat eerie.

Setting down the exquisitely presented ochazuke dinner, fragrant with tea, Amamiya jokingly remarked, "'Criminals like to return to the scene afterward to observe their achievements'... Is this a common trait that even you can't avoid?"

The smiling professor shook his head: "'Returning to the crime scene' is a foolish act that only increases the risk of exposure."

After emphasizing her beliefs, the girl then sighed to herself, as if 'admiring her own reflection'.

"However, criminals do seek out such 'thrills'."