I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Compared to the previous two times when it was neither too light nor too heavy... this time, Amamiya truly felt a strange sense of heaviness.

"Sensei..."

Her tail, no longer as smooth as before, covered her mouth, and the girl's voice sounded embarrassed and annoyed even in the height of summer.

"What...what are you doing?"

"Didn't I say... at least, at least for now..."

"Not yet..."

A slightly hurried rustling sound of fabric reached her ears—probably Yuriko hurriedly tying back the accidentally broken strap.

Amamiya was still being held down on her knees by the big tail, and at one point she even felt like she couldn't breathe.

Only when the rustling of the fabric stopped did the tail that had been pressing against the cheek slowly release its grip.

Amamiya took a breath, but persisted, "Then when is that possible?"

"To understand this based on the Phantom Thieves' history... at least, we'll need to go back to after the 'False God'."

After a moment's thought, Yuriko replied with a mix of certainty and jokingness: "Sensei, just consider me... a new character who can only be unlocked in the third semester."

[At this time, it's not possible to further deepen the bond with Yuriko...]

【Yuriko Tennishi (The High Priestess) ★★★★★★★★☆☆】

"Ok."

Amamiya stood up and patted his thigh.

"So, next up is Yuriko's turn?"

"Ah."

Without showing the slightest shyness or awkwardness, the fox-eared girl did not lie down comfortably. Instead, she pulled Amamiya over and made him sit against the tree, while she rested her head on Amamiya's shoulder, putting her weight on his shoulder.

"Thinking about it carefully... Sensei's thighs must be very hard and firm to use as a pillow because of frequent exercise... so let's use this method."

A delicate fragrance lingering in the girl's hair wafts in with the gentle breeze, lightly brushing against her cheeks and neck in a way that makes one's heart flutter.

The girl seemed to have accumulated a lot of fatigue, and only now could she feel at ease releasing it.

She quickly narrowed her eyes, and her fox ears slowly drooped down as the wind calmed down.

"We're about to start preparing for the final performance of the 'After Night Festival'..."

"Shouldn't Sensei also be preparing for the upcoming 'After Night Festival'?"

"The 'stress' that's accumulated over this period of time can be 'released' after a rest, in a way that you're very familiar with..."

"As for now, let's rest for a bit..."

Chapter 81 Rion: What is the sound "Oh ho ho"?

The phrase "July's scorching heat" is, in a loose interpretation, not meant to refer to the increasingly cool weather of autumn.

Instead, it is used to refer to... the beginning of July, which gradually becomes unbearably hot.

"Hello."

Standing on the podium, a plump, mature-looking black-haired girl, whose figure was accentuated too much by her gymnastics uniform, picked up the microphone.

"I am Rinne Tsui, the student council president and seminar president of Millennium Technology Academy."

Her narrow eyebrows and calm red eyes give off an aura of low desire, even 'sexual frigidity'. However, contrary to that cold exterior, she has a number of endearing traits, such as 'not good at handling everyday situations', 'knowing almost nothing about the world', and 'having a colorful inner world but not being good at expressing it'.

Feeling a little uncomfortable being the center of attention, Rion temporarily put down the microphone, coughed lightly, and gathered her emotions and lines for the next sentence.

Bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, she calmly began, "At this moment, in my capacity as the student council president of Millennium Technology Academy, I would like to review and summarize the schedule of this 'Akiwa Festival,' which was spearheaded by Millennium and involved multiple academies."

With her head tilted slightly back, Rion sincerely expressed her gratitude: "Due to various competition considerations, this year's Akawa Grand Festival was changed at the last minute, and many new events that were not available in previous years were added. Therefore, it has indeed caused many immeasurable impacts on the Grand Games itself."

"Thank you to the students from all the academies for attending and participating. I also thank the members of the executive committees of each academy for reaching a consensus."

"As the main characters of the Akawa Grand Festival, the future of the academy... your outstanding performance and active participation on the field have made me feel... genuinely excited and motivated."

"Despite some setbacks, this 'sports celebration' concluded successfully thanks to everyone's joint efforts."

"I hope everyone has fun and creates a wonderful memory of sports."

After saying what she was supposed to say, Rion didn't continue with the typical student council president's "Let me say a few words" and then talked on and on until it got dark.

After handing the microphone to Amamiya, she turned to the side and nodded to Amamiya in greeting.

Is it ready yet?

'Sensei... I'll leave the rest to you.'

Amamiya, who took the microphone from Rion: "..."

It's clear that our renowned and imposing "cool and aloof big sister" from over a thousand years doesn't really like this kind of public image—especially appearing in a gymnastics uniform, and she especially dislikes exercising in the sweltering heat.

But this doesn't mean that Rion's motor skills are really bad.

As one of only three beings in a millennium to have obtained the "Omniscience" degree, Rion Tsukigami, who exists as the "Moon" among the "Star, Sun, and Moon" of the millennium, is different from Himari Akiho, who symbolizes the "Sun"...

While Himari may be overly narcissistic, she also has the courage to express herself, but her athletic ability is worrying.

Even though her physique was barely raised to the level of a normal student by her own 'magic', Riju chose to use a wheelchair every day—because it was more energy-efficient.

And Rion...

Compared to Himari's narcissism and desire for attention, she truly embodied the waxing and waning of the 'moon' and its mystique.

Cold and distant, but more 'gentle' than Hiju, making it easier to approach.

Rion's athletic ability is not bad at all; in fact, it is among the best in the Millennium Academy... But she likes to squat quietly like a mushroom, trying not to attract attention as much as possible.

I had to persuade her several times before I finally got her to come and give me this 'closing ceremony speech'...

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Rion leave backstage. As a special guest invited to host the 'closing ceremony', Amamiya didn't say much to spoil the students' fun.

—It was precisely because she had been a student at Shujin Academy before coming to Givotos that Amamiya knew how much of a blow it could be to the students' mood by 'saying a few more words' and forcibly taking up all their time, and conveying some values ​​that were of little significance to them.

"So……"

After briefly testing the microphone, Amamiya delivered the final, decisive statement in a light tone: "This concludes the closing ceremony of the Akawa Grand Festival."

"By the way... I heard the after-festival is going to be very lively. Would anyone like to join in the celebrations?"

"If you happen to run into me at the celebration, don't be too surprised or make a big fuss."

"If we're lucky... let's meet again at the after-night festival?"

Having said what she needed to say, Amamiya put the microphone back on the pedestal, then followed Rion backstage before turning and leaving.

'Oh~ the after-night festival? And there's even a chance of bumping into Sensei?! Sounds interesting…!'

I'm hungry... I want to get something to eat.

"Hey, Junko, you feel the same way? I heard there's a Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) museum nearby run by the Xuanwu Merchant Guild. Let's go there! They say we might get to eat the legendary, incredibly lavish 'Manchu Han Imperial Feast' today!"

'...Should we stay in the venue for a little while longer?'

'I'd like to check out the "Sanyi Afternoon Tea Experience Hall" that was temporarily set up for the Sanyi tea party...'

'Hehe...How about we sneak backstage now and 'bump into' Sensei?'

'If I get caught, I'm finished...maybe I should just give up?'

Before leaving, Amamiya heard the 'noise' from the students in the stands.

Amidst this clamor, there were inevitably some... dangerous thoughts about him that made him ashamed.

All I can say is... it's alright, I can still maintain my 'adult dignity' for now.

Once the 'adult authority' collapses, what they might do to me... I really don't want to think about it.

Arriving at the convention backstage through the 'employee entrance', Amamiya didn't see Yuka or Noah, who were in charge of post-match processing... Instead, she saw Rion, who hadn't changed out of her gymnastics uniform, with fine sweat on her cheeks, sitting somewhat awkwardly on a rest chair.

Seeing Amamiya enter the lounge, Rion's barely concealed unease dissipated somewhat.

She seemed relieved, then greeted him in a gentle voice, much softer than when she spoke from the stands: "Welcome back, Sensei... I calculated the time of your return while you were speaking, and it seems the calculation was quite accurate."

Amamiya naturally understood that Rion's sudden remark was not to show off her abilities... but rather to make a 'hint' in a way that was so awkward that even most people would find it difficult to understand.

— Geniuses always try to communicate with outsiders in their own unique ways.

Having come to Kivotos and interacted with 'genius' girls from all walks of life and various fields, Amamiya was well aware of this.

Sitting down next to Rion, close to the mature yet slightly awkward girl, Amamiya smiled and teased, "Is that so... It seems Rion's calculations were indeed very accurate."

"Then I'll try to calculate it too."

Rion raised her eyebrows slightly in confusion: "...?"

Amamiya crossed his arms and legs, switching his Persona to [Azure Dragon (Arcana: Temperance)].

With the full activation of "Emotional Factorization" and "Cold Calculation Power," two bond skills originating from Yuka, Amamiya instantly obtained an identity result from the variable inequality symbolizing Rion.

"Has Rion become increasingly insecure lately?"

【~???~】(Liyin)

"……Um."

Rion didn't foolishly ask a pointless question like 'Why do you know?'

It's only natural that a mind thief can peer into the inner world and is extremely perceptive of emotional changes.

"...I don't know why."

"Even though we haven't worked together for very long, I have a... very strange feeling."

"My pulse will become erratic, and my heart rate will spike abnormally... I don't want you to leave my side."

"Your every word and action makes me waver, makes me somewhat..."

At this point, Rion's voice trailed off and she gradually stopped speaking.

Because she really didn't know how to describe this feeling.

Amamiya nodded slowly, then said firmly, "That's because... Rion is now starting to worry about the 'future'."

"……future?"

Rion frowned slightly: "In my opinion... there's no point in discussing the future; it's just a bunch of uncertainties."

After the 'questioning', her expression quickly softened.

"..."

"Although I really want to say that, I have to admit that you are absolutely right."

"When I look at you... I always unconsciously think about some future possibilities."

After a moment of silence and reflection, Rion slowly spoke again: "Whether it was in the past, when we were secretly building the 'Fortress City,' or before, when we faced Yuriko from the Engineering Department and Alice from the Games Department..."

"Although I'm reluctant to admit it... at the time, I was indeed worried about the future of the 'Millennium Technology Academy.' And I even held the belief that 'taking extreme measures to alleviate such concerns is within the realm of possibility.'"

"Your arrival, and... your 'repentance' for me, taught me from worrying about the future to always be vigilant about 'uncertainties' while also holding onto the possibility."

Amamiya stood up, walked up to Rion, bent down with her hands on her knees, and looked at Rion at very close range.

"What is Nari-on thinking?"

After careful consideration, Rion sighed and shook her head: "I cannot answer that."

"...For a 'phantom thief' like you, the future is perhaps predictable and observable."

"But for me, the future itself is an aggregate of uncertainty."

"If I had a choice... I would choose 'the future with you in it.'"

"For me... a future without you has become very dangerous. So please don't leave my side."

Amamiya straightened up and looked at Rion with amusement.

"Rion, do you know what you're saying?"

Rion was a little confused.