I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Rather than becoming a star... perhaps flowers would rather have a star fall on their heads."

A star... fell on my head?

After a slight pause, Yajinzi couldn't help but chuckle.

【~???~】(Ajinko)

Indeed...

The reason the flowers are so adorned is indeed that they are hoping a star will fall upon them.

Just like... how I am now.

The warmth from his palms spread to his limbs, and then gradually gathered in his chest.

With a sip of her lips, the girl exhaled the chill that had accumulated throughout the night.

"Sensei..."

She smiled mischievously and gripped Amamiya's hand slightly tighter.

"Aren't you ever wondering... why I'm dressed like this?"

Stroking the girl's hand, Amamiya chimed in, "Oh, so why is Azuko dressed like that?"

"Because I want to be your bride."

Amamiya paused, her heart involuntarily quickening its pace.

Even though he had seen many grand occasions... Amamiya had never actually seen or heard of anyone who could make a 'confession' so straightforward and natural.

"...Ajinko?"

The girl ignored her and even moved closer.

As he got closer, Amamiya could feel her body temperature gradually rising in the cold night despite her thin clothing, and the fragility that even her magnificent wedding dress couldn't conceal.

"More precisely... only today, at this very moment... on this snowy night, to become your own 'snowy night bride'."

Noticing Amamiya's 'panic', the girl's already mischievous and sly smile became even more revealing.

It's not about the satisfaction of 'successfully playing a trick'.

Rather, it was the relief that 'the plan had finally achieved the expected results'.

【~???~】(Ajinko)

"...A bride on a snowy night?"

"Yes. 'Snowy Night Bride'."

Akiko moved even closer, hugging Amamiya and burying her head in Amamiya's chest, her muffled voice carrying an indescribable complexity.

"I started trying to make this outfit when I joined Charlene... and I plan to wear it again at the ceremony to surprise Sensei."

“But…Sensei, when we went to the park together before, I said, ‘The flowers are going through a period of wilting. Although they will bloom again when the time is right, it will be a long time…’”

"And you showed me through your actions... that 'flowers don't need to wait for their season, nor do they need to be admired.'"

"Flowers bloom according to the season... but with proper cultivation, it is also possible to cultivate evergreen flowers that defy the season."

"The purpose of flowers blooming is for people to enjoy."

"But flowers do not need to be looked at... to bloom."

"The meaning of a flower blooming is simply to bloom; there is no need to care about the gazes of others."

"So I changed my mind."

"I want to wear this for you right now... to show you this 'bride in the snowy night'... to show you this unique version of myself."

This moment is unique...

In the future, Ajinko will wear more mature clothes and stand more gracefully at ceremonies.

Perhaps at that time, Akiko will gradually develop the unique characteristics of 'royal bloodline' and inherit the 'royal princess demeanor' of the previous student council president of the Arius branch.

...It's too far off to think about the future now.

"It seems like..."

Taking the initiative to pull the girl into his arms, Amamiya joked, "Azuko... she really is like 'the star that suddenly appeared on my head'."

【~???~】(Ajinko)

"No... Sensei, you are the 'star,' and I am the flower hoping the star will fall upon my head."

"Yeah……"

Amamiya chuckled: "Since Akiko is this flower, she shouldn't be asking me these questions."

What do flowers really think?

Yajin smiled sweetly, her eyes mischievous, but her tone was expectant and ethereal.

What bad thoughts could a flower possibly have?

"It's just that she wants to be with the star that landed above her head..."

"Let's go and feel the warmth and coolness of spring together."

"Let's experience a summer filled with sunshine and the sweetness of soda."

"Let's go together to observe the golden, vibrant, and fleeting autumn."

"Spending a snowy winter alone can feel chilly, but being together with someone makes it warm."

Meeting the girl's burning gaze, Amamiya leaned back slightly.

Isn't such a thought already a bad one?

"The stars only shine at night; they hide and disappear during the day."

That's why the stars accompany the flowers.

Bending down, she pulled a small black box from the snow beside her, brushed the snow off it, and opened the equally ornate box.

—They are a pair of silver rings, engraved with intricate patterns, exuding a sense of "mystery" like the halo of a student, seemingly carrying some special symbolic meaning.

Holding the small, open box in both hands, Akiko handed the box containing the wedding rings to Amamiya.

The intention is self-evident.

"It's hard to see the 'stars' during the day, but the flowers growing in the ruins are bathed in starlight as they grow... even though they can now live under the sun."

"But for the flower... the 'star' is her first and last destination."

"Without the 'stars' to accompany us at night... the flowers will become very lonely."

Meeting the girl's increasingly uneasy gaze, Amamiya hesitated for a long while.

In the end, he sighed, took the box from Ajinko, carefully took out the one he was supposed to wear, and put it on the ring finger of his right hand.

Then, he knelt down on one knee, took Azuko's right hand, and placed the ring that belonged to Azuko on her right ring finger.

I sensed a deep bond between us from Azuko.

……

You are me, you are me.

"You hereby transform the pact into a blood oath, binding him to rebirth."

"The bonds that bind us are becoming wings of rebellion, shattering the shackles of our souls."

Sincerity leads to hope.

The road ahead is long, but your hope will never cease.

Though thorns abound, your destination will surely be a tapestry of blossoms.

"Here now, you bathe in the light of hope, awaiting the day of your birth."

"Obtained a fragment of the ultimate secret of 'Star/Hope'."

"I grant you boundless power..."

……

[Coopation Improvement!]

[Coopation level is maxed out!]

【Azuko Shirabe (Hope) ★★★★★★★★★★ (MAX/MAX)】

[★10 Super Awakening Skill "Eternal Flower Under the Stars" is now unlocked!]

The girl quietly and proactively raised her ring finger.

On a snowy night when only the two of them are there...

There will be no blessings.

There will also be no flowers to help people get together.

But she doesn't need any of that.

She doesn't need sacred hymns or sincere blessings.

The bride on a snowy night has the stars as her companions, and that is enough.

"Sensei..."

"Ok?"

"You said before... the snow scene at night would be beautiful."

"Now it seems... that's indeed the case as you said."

"What does Yazinko intend to do?"

"Let's stay a little longer before sunrise?"

"Ah."

Chapter Thirty-Two: Arios's Squad, Let Me See Where Your Limits Lie

"Comrade..."

"We only have so few people... are we really going to launch a counterattack on the Crimson Winter Federation Academy right now?"

"Shouldn't we go look around elsewhere and gather some other available resources?"

Looking at the Crimson Winter Federation Academy standing tall on the snow-covered frozen earth, Cerino, who was shivering from the early morning cold wind, suddenly felt a little insecure.

The Arios squad, dressed in full-on Sharai uniforms, armed to the teeth, and with stern expressions, certainly gave one a sense of security...

But is it really possible for them, as a four-person team, to face hundreds of students from the Defense Department?

In the distance, the school buildings of the Red Winter Federation Academy were bathed in the vibrant colors of the morning glow. As dawn broke, the atmosphere of the academy looked peaceful and beautiful... It was hard to imagine that just yesterday, a rebellion had taken place here, initiated by the head of the student council president's 'personal bodyguard'.

Once the gunshots ring out, it could... no, it will definitely cause chaos.

What will it become then?

Hugging Cerino, who was clinging to him like a koala, and draping a blanket over him for warmth, Tomoe cast a questioning glance at Amamiya.

"Sensei..."

Amamiya shook his finger and said softly and solemnly, "The phantom thief doesn't do things he's not sure of."

【~???~】(巴)

【~??~】(Waka, Shigure)

The decision to launch a 'four-person team to counterattack the entire academy' was not based on blind confidence, but on a careful assessment of the situation.

Students at the Red Winter Federal Academy are generally the most easily swayed.