I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

In order to avoid arousing unnecessary suspicion from either Faye or Caesar...

At least for now, Amamiya neither needs to nor can go along.

Today we're scouting the location in advance. Tomorrow, Arius's team will begin checking the accounts in the morning and gathering crucial clues at night...

The news won't be released until the morning of the day after tomorrow at the latest.

Before that, relax a little.

Chapter 73 Brother, you smell so good

"Sensei~~ Over here~~!"

A red-haired girl with double buns stood on a step stool, disregarding her already precarious balance, winking and smiling under the bright sunlight of the overpass, waving vigorously at Amamiya to assert her presence.

The sun is shining and the breeze is gentle.

Unlike the "glamorous" atmosphere of the Millennium Science Academy Autonomous Zone, under the sun-dappled bridge, there are scattered trash bags that have not been thrown into the trash cans, and graffiti that has not been completely cleaned up remains on the walls.

Looking up, Amamiya met the gaze of Maki, who was standing on a stool, her skirt fluttering gracefully, revealing glimpses of her body beneath, yet she made no attempt to conceal it.

"Hehe... This is the 'graffiti area' I chose."

Once she made sure the girl was being watched, she covered her skirt and jumped down with a "whoosh." Then, she bent down and picked up a can of spray paint for graffiti from the prop box next to the trash can.

“I investigated this place some time in advance... At this time of day, no one else should be coming besides us…”

Maintaining her bright and lively demeanor, she shook the spray paint can in her hand, then slung the prop box over her shoulder, followed by a ladder stool, and huffed and puffed as she jogged to Amamiya's side.

She readily pulled a can of spray paint from the prop box and sprayed Amamiya with it. Then, she grinned at Amamiya and puffed out her chest in a showy manner: "What do you think of this place, Sensei?"

Perhaps because it had been some time since the beginning of autumn and the weather was showing signs of cooling down, Amamiya felt the refreshing coolness of autumn from the girl's smile.

Looking past the confident red-haired girl, Amamiya first glanced at the various graffiti on the nearby wall, all clearly the work of the same person.

"In such a clean and refreshing environment, it's rare to find such dark and artistic alleyways... It's truly remarkable."

Turning his gaze away, Amamiya sighed sincerely.

【~???~】(Maki)

"Hehehe~~ Sensei feels the same way, right?"

"A private space filled with art...a place to vent freely, to graffiti indiscriminately..."

With a quick glance, Maki dove around and circled around Amamiya.

"Where's the 'graffiti paint' we promised last time... Did Sensei bring it?"

Amamiya shook her bulging shoulder bag: "Of course."

"To help Maki generate inspiration, I brought along a 'special' pigment produced from the shadows of another world..."

"Is this all there is in just one backpack?"

Maki looked slightly disappointed, but quickly understood: "The pigments from another world can't be judged by common sense. Maybe they only have a little bit but can last a long time..."

As she pondered and thought, she naturally slipped under Amamiya's arm and began rustling around the zipper of his shoulder bag, as if to say, "Hey bro, let's see what good stuff you have in your bag..."

As expected of a girl belonging to the "Chariot" Arcana, she really is... a complete tomboy, not "reserved" at all.

From Amamiya's perspective, as she got closer, she could clearly see the girl carefully feeling what was inside her backpack as she explored it, and her surprise at finding something good. She could also smell the unique, light fragrance of her coat, which was speckled with paint, mixed with a faint, non-pungent paint scent.

"Oh...I think I touched it..."

Beneath her fair collarbones, a white shirt, also lightly stained with various colors, concealed her delicate curves, which subtly revealed her unintentional radiance.

Maki suddenly paused, her eyes brightening, and then she grabbed the suspected object and pulled it out forcefully.

After staggering a bit, Maki looked at the paint can in her hand with a strange style, the overall paint job consisting of black and red.

After only a moment's hesitation, Maki opened the plastic box and examined the paint can in her hand.

'I couldn't find any clear markings... Are all items from other worlds like this?'

Shaking the paint can in her hand, Maki looked up curiously and asked, "Sensei... this is... the 'otherworldly paint' you mentioned before?"

Amamiya leaned down slightly and naturally put his arm around her shoulder—although there was a height difference of nearly 30 centimeters, it felt surprisingly natural.

With his arm around the girl's shoulder, Amamiya casually explained, "Well, its name is 'Emotion Paint.' Although the amount is fixed, it can change to the color the user wants each time they spray it, according to their own will."

"It's like... the amount of paint in a paint can, but this paint can release all the pure colors?"

Maki gave it a long, drawn-out "Hey~" sound, trying it out out of curiosity.

"It really is...!"

"As expected of 'Otherworldly Paint'... So convenient..."

"However, the paint that sprayed out was a little different from the paint I usually use for graffiti..."

After trying several sprays and confirming that the "emotional paint" changed color according to her thoughts, Maki scratched her head, looking at the wall that had been sprayed with various solid colors of paint because of the test, and was short of a problem.

So many colors mixed together, it looks weird...

Let's just use this 'test' as a model and create an impromptu graffiti artwork...

But what should I create?

The girl naturally looked up, troubled, as if seeking advice from Amamiya.

“Sensei, this graffiti… um…”

Holding the paint can that Maki had given her, Amamiya noticed that Maki stopped mid-sentence and asked with slight confusion, "What's wrong?"

The girl remained silent, only half-closing her eyes and moving even closer.

"Hmm...it seems like Sensei is a great keyword for graffiti creation..."

"Why not create a large-scale graffiti artwork with Sensei as its theme? If the key word in the artwork is Sensei, the chances of it being 'erased' will be greatly reduced, right?"

Since the person in question is right in front of me, it's probably best to apply for a 'portrait creation' beforehand...

After getting permission, if you go back and graffiti is discovered, you'll have a reason to defend yourself when Chihiro scolds you.

Amamiya leaned back slightly, maintaining a perfectly ambiguous distance between her face and Maki's, neither too far nor too close.

Maki's "application" stirred up a lot of emotions in him.

Since arriving in Kivotos, he has seen quite a few novels and "unconventional comics" based on the prototype of Erjuqi Liu Jiuyi a/shanba*...

But this is the first time I've ever had to apply for my own portrait rights before creating something, like today.

Even the one applying for 'portrait rights' is Maki, who is usually very mischievous and doesn't take anything seriously. To put it nicely, she's "straightforward and willful by nature," but to put it bluntly, she's the most "mischievous" 'brat' in Beritas...

It's quite subtle.

"I'm fine... the problem is with you, Maki."

"To turn such a large wall into a portrait... it must be very difficult and time-consuming, right?"

"Anyway, there's nothing to do today..."

Seeing that Amamiya seemed to be refusing, Maki got a little anxious and started to 'act cute' by hugging Amamiya's arm.

"Sensei...please!"

"Maki, aren't you afraid that someone will disturb you during the creative process, and then that person will call the police, and we'll all be 'arrested' by the Valkyrie Police Department?"

"What does it matter! Sensei is with me, I have nothing to be afraid of now—"

Maki's eyes flashed with a sharp light as she spoke with righteous indignation: "Sensei can either make a grand escape with me in the sunlight, or I can hold them off while Sensei retreats and then come back to rescue me!"

Amamiya resisted the urge to roll her eyes and flicked Maki's forehead lightly with her finger.

Well said, here's a flick on the forehead for you.

“Ugh…”

Taking advantage of Maki's 'painful rub of her forehead' as she released herself, Amamiya said leisurely, "My 'image rights' aren't so easy to obtain..."

"Shouldn't Maki... pay a little something in return?"

Maki, who was still wondering why Amamiya's 'flick on the head' hurt more than a bullet, was stunned.

What should I give in return...?

Indeed... it wasn't just about getting "emotional paint" from Sensei, but also about creating a giant portrait graffiti of Sensei...

In this kind of "eating from others and using their resources" approach, one does indeed need to give something in return.

"What does Sensei need me to 'give' in return?"

Maki tilted her head slightly, somewhat puzzled: "Help Sensei with hacking work, like hacking into targets? Or cheating in games or something...?"

Amamiya waved his hand mysteriously and smiled, then shook his head with a smile: "No, no..."

"The 'dedication' I mentioned is related to Maki herself..."

Maki was even more confused: "So what exactly does Sensei want me to do?"

“I can agree to Maki’s ‘image rights’ application… but in exchange, let me smell her scent, Maki.”

Maki was stunned: "Huh?"

She didn't understand the meaning of that sentence at first glance.

What does "smelling" mean...?

...? ? ?

"……Eh?"

After realizing what she meant, Maki blinked, then pointed to herself with her index finger, looking puzzled. "Smell... Does Sensei mean the smell on me?"

Amamiya didn't say anything, but responded with a "what else?" expression.

Maki's gaze became even more subtle. She didn't answer, but instead raised her hand and sniffed herself to see if there was any strange smell.

"I don't seem to have any particular smell on me..."

After smelling it, she tilted her head back and looked at Amamiya with a more subtle gaze.

"Really? But I think Maki has a very light and unique fragrance."

Amamiya shook his finger in a serious manner to correct him: "Although Maki is a cute girl who I would treat as a good brother, I really can't treat Maki as a 'friend of the opposite sex who is much older than me'."

"Maki is an innocent and lively girl with her own unique charm."

"Maki has a very fragrant, soft scent that attracts me..."

"Stop, stop, stop...!!!"

Maki's cheeks flushed crimson, and she frantically waved her hands to stop her, saying, "Sensei, stop saying such strange things..."

"I...I feel...if Sensi continues...there's definitely no way this will end well today..."

"So...so..."

“I, I can agree to Sensei’s ‘transaction request’.”

She squinted and lowered her head, her panic barely concealed: "But...but...oh no, my mind is so confused...I don't know how to say it..."

"Well... I'm happy that Sensei would say something like that, but it just feels... weird..."

"My heart is beating so fast... Waaah..."

Amamiya observed with great interest the strange 'chaotic' behavior of the flustered and bewildered girl.

"So, what does Maki think... is the nature of our relationship?"

“Yes, yes, yes…”

Maki stammered, twisting the hem of her skirt, but couldn't come up with a coherent answer after a long pause.

Confused.

But...

If I could be with Sensei...it seems...

I can play online games with Sensei, do graffiti together, and there are even plans to invite Sensei camping together...