I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Mary, who keenly sensed the gaze but mistook it for her own, suddenly felt a little awkward.

Mary instinctively wanted to lower her head to avoid eye contact, but thinking that every extra minute wasted could mean another athlete suffering from heatstroke, she decisively set aside her shame and clearly stated her intentions.

“Water…” Qinna snapped out of her daze and pointed to the freezer next to her, “It’s all here.”

"Thank you!"

After thanking her, Mary quickened her pace and went to the freezer. She pushed it open and began taking out bottles of perfectly chilled mineral water that could both cool you down and quench your thirst, placing them in the compartments of her handbag.

only……

Why is everyone's attention still focused on me?

The doubts and tension in Mary's heart lasted for a moment, and then she heard an indistinct sound from Qin Nana, which seemed to be unable to hold back.

"...Sensei?"

"Well, I've come with Mary to see if there's anything I can do to help..."

Mary paused slightly as she filled the water container, and then she felt a 'feeling' that was no longer concealed appear behind her.

That was... a calm and powerful presence, a strong sense of 'adult reliability'.

“Let me help you, Mary.”

Without waiting for a reply, Amamiya walked up to Mary, took out a bottle of mineral water, and put it into the compartment of Mary's handbag.

"Huh? Eh...?! Ah... Th-thank you... Sensei!"

Feeling lost and confused?

More than those emotions... what's weighing on Mary's heart now is a sense of shame at being seen.

It turns out everyone wasn't looking at themselves, but at Sensei behind them...

It turned out that Sensei had been following him, observing him the whole way...

And yet, I didn't even realize it?

Could Sensei have heard every single word of my muttered self-encouragement...?

After a flurry of confused thanks, Mary's blue cat-like eyes welled up with small circles.

I don't think I blushed... I don't think so.

Please don't look over here, please don't look over here...

However, as we all know, the fact that 'Murphy's Law' does not occur is a low-probability event.

As Mary was thinking this, she then felt a meaningful gaze from her side fall on her cheek.

'Woo...'

Mary's cat ears drooped in shame, swallowing back the barely audible whimper, and she stiffly continued filling the water container.

Ah, the nun's purity and shyness...

With great interest, Amamiya observed Mary's series of interesting and adorable reactions. After filling all the compartments, she picked up the insulated ice cube tray, squeezed out small ice cubes, and poured them evenly into the tray.

It was only then that Sena and Hina realized what was happening.

"Sensei..."

After quickly scanning Amamiya with the same eye one would use to examine a human model, Sena approached her and extended his hand: "Himuro Sena, head of the Emergency Medicine Department at Gehenna Academy."

"I've wanted to meet you for a long time... I never expected our first meeting to be here. Nice to meet you."

Amamiya wiped her hands with a towel draped nearby, then shook hands with the girl who was looking at her with a calm yet somewhat dangerous gaze.

"Well, please give me some advice."

"Hina, aren't you going to say hello?"

Hina, who had tried to conceal herself by wrapping herself in bat wings, realized she hadn't escaped her fate. She awkwardly stood up and stammered a soft, sweet greeting, "Sensei... good morning..."

Unlike Mary's 'shyness', Hina's shyness is 'pure and touching'.

Members of the Joint Medical Department crowded around, and Amamiya, who had originally intended to help Mary, ended up receiving a lot of "over-concern" from them.

"Sensei... The Grand Sports Meet has already begun, and with the occurrence of injuries, the Joint Medical Department will soon be very busy..."

“Sensei, I’ve always been curious about your physical condition…”

"Although you are a healthy adult, you should still remember to stay hydrated during these busy times."

"I'm very curious about Sensei's muscle structure... Can I touch it?!"

……

Trinity and Ghenna have always been in a relationship of "disliking each other" and "long-standing resentment".

However, the unique qualities of doctors, such as "medicine knows no boundaries" and "the benevolence of healers," seem particularly natural in the harmonious interactions and almost unified goals of these girls from Trinity and Gehenna.

After being groped all over for a while by the girls who claimed to be medical professionals, Amamiya finally gave up.

"Everyone in the Joint Medical Department, please relax..."

After clearing his throat, Amamiya solemnly assured everyone, "I understand everyone's anxiety about the upcoming medical events."

"After helping Mary..."

"I will come back to help everyone."

Chapter Sixty-Nine Mary: Begin the Prayer!

"Next—the final showdown of the obstacle course race is about to begin!"

At noon, the fervor of the opening ceremony of the Akawa Grand Festival and Grand Sports Games was not diminished in the slightest by the heat emanating from the high-hanging sun, which was gradually becoming more intense in late June and early July.

Through the airship's broadcasting equipment, Shion and Mai's highly emotionally charged voices resounded throughout the stadium, stirring the emotions of the girls on the field, in the stands, in the corners outside the stands, and behind the scenes who were working hard to ensure the smooth operation of this grand sports event.

"Now, we will move on to the contestant introductions—"

"Three students are participating in this final round of competition! They are—"

"Noah Shengyan, the 'Smiling Secretary of the Seminar'!"

"The 'Big Eater of the Food Research Club,' Izumi Shishido!"

“‘Trinity Dessert Department Life Mentor,’ Yuzuri Natsumi!”

Just as the bag full of bottled water was finished, the orange-haired girl with cat ears and fine beads of sweat on her forehead sat obediently in the shade of the lush green grass, her legs together against the back of the chair. She held the last bottle of water in one hand and occasionally placed the other hand near her cheek to fan herself as much as possible.

Watching the live broadcast projected from the hot air balloons hovering above the stadium, the girl panted, tilted her head back, and shielded her face with her hands, feeling the sunlight filtering through her fingers.

"call……"

"I've been working on it all morning."

With a sigh, the girl slowly narrowed her eyes, trying to dispel the heat and fatigue enveloping her with devout prayer and the self-comforting thought that "a calm mind brings coolness."

Perhaps it was the 'sincere prayer' that truly had an effect...

'Bang—'

With her eyes closed, accompanied by a crisp snap of her fingers, Mary almost immediately felt a biting, chilling wind, as if it were blowing in from the ancient Ice Age, carrying ice shards and piercing cold.

This wind, coming from the 'end of the world,' became very gentle just before it was about to engulf me, transforming from a biting, piercing wind into a cool, refreshing breeze, like the movement of all things in the transition from winter to early spring.

So gentle, so comfortable...

Mary squinted her eyes slightly, indulging in the feeling for a moment, and felt all the heat and fatigue she had accumulated throughout the morning dissipate.

Mary’s slightly scattered attention was quickly refocused, and she immediately realized that something was wrong.

"Ah... Sensei!"

Startled awake from this subtle feeling, Mary opened her eyes with a start and immediately noticed that the eerie blue flames on her body were slowly dissipating, with a few embers still lingering around Amamiya as she snapped her fingers.

Amamiya waved his hand, casually 'extinguishing' the eerie blue flames rising from his body, and the mask on his face disappeared as well.

“Indeed… Mary tried her best.”

"She seemed really embarrassed at first..."

Amamiya joked with a smile, "But when I was handing out water to everyone, I never slowed down."

Mary didn't immediately realize it was a joke; her attention was entirely focused on the vanishing embers.

Is that... the power of Persona?

The wind I just felt instantly dissipated heat, making me feel cool and taking away my fatigue...

After a slight hesitation, the girl straightened her back, her tone softening and becoming much more serious: "Because... I want Sensei to see me without any pretense. Also... I want to help everyone as much as possible and meet everyone's expectations."

"Ah."

Amamiya nodded, freeing one hand to pinch Mary's cat ears, which were gradually standing up as her complexion improved: "I have truly felt Mary's most unreserved and adorable side."

【~???~】(Mary)

"Mary, who strives to meet everyone's expectations and is unwilling to let down any hope... is truly a good child among good children."

From the initial surprise, shock, shyness, and complex emotions when her ears were touched... to now, Mary has become somewhat... used to this feeling.

"Woo..."

Although it seems ambiguous and romantic, it also carries a strong sense of longing that is... perhaps a bit too... taboo for a nun.

But after all, it wasn't anything that crossed the line...

The desire for a response, for recognition of hard work... these are emotions that everyone experiences and that are worth looking forward to.

If the gods were truly watching, they would surely forgive us...

After letting out a soft sob, Mary didn't say anything, but instead tried to twitch her ears as a 'symbolic' form of resistance.

Seeing Mary's amusing and adorable reaction, Amamiya took advantage of the situation and moved closer to Mary, pinching her other ear with her other hand.

"...Sensei?"

After the initial excitement and the thrill of breaking taboos, the girl began to feel a little confused.

I don't quite understand Sensei's move, but I have a feeling...

"Well, what happened?"

Amamiya paused his actions and looked down at the 'cat nun' who seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

"I don't know if I should say this..."

"This feeling right now is so... strange..."

"It's like having Sensei all to myself..."

Mary, belatedly realizing what she had said while enjoying the pleasurable sensation of having her ear touched, let out a small gasp.

After only a slight hesitation... she continued, "Ah! So... it might bring divine punishment..."

"But... right now... to be alone with Sensei like this, to work hard with Sensei, and then to be recognized by Sensei after working hard, it really feels like..."

After blinking and hesitating for a moment, Mary used a peculiar word to describe it, her expression showing a hint of surprise.

"A feeling of... 'happiness'...?"

"Seeing Mary so adorable makes even suffering 'divine punishment' worthwhile..."

Before he could finish speaking, Amamiya suddenly heard a loud booming sound coming from the clear sky.

He looked up in surprise and watched as a bolt of lightning struck from the sky, landing coincidentally on a small refrigerator not far away.

Amamiya: "...?"

He just said it casually... and it just so happened to trigger this kind of "bolt from the blue"?

"……Eh?"

Mary was also momentarily stunned.

I really didn't expect that such a 'bolt from a clear sky' phenomenon could happen so close to her.