I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Those guys are just desperate and ready to 'take matters into their own hands' because they can't afford to play the game."

She suddenly remembered Amamiya's 'instructions' from not long ago.

Investigating land deeds in the Abydos region, and other issues that might involve the school's sovereignty...

At the time, with the mindset of doing what she could, Hoshino tried to organize various documents related to land deeds and other matters. Then, she vaguely sensed an ominous atmosphere from the documents she had compiled.

"Ugh... So how should we deal with this?"

Celery uttered a strange syllable indignantly, then pinched her hair with slight agitation and asked.

Her question caused the girls to instinctively turn their attention to Amamiya, who hadn't said much and seemed to have been merely listening and analyzing the conversation.

"Sensei... what should we do?"

The question was still asked by Celery, but unlike before, instead of her previous reluctance to accept it, the barrier in her heart had been completely put aside.

[...I sensed the genuine emotions emanating from Celery. (翏意7I岜4斯八)]

[Coopetition restrictions have been lifted!]

Chapter 42 Trust from Celery

As Serika posed her question, Amamiya simultaneously heard the clanging of chains breaking and the fluttering of butterfly wings.

Ravenda's voice faded into the distance, her voice ethereal as if it might vanish into the wind at any moment.

I am you...you are me.

Here you receive a new covenant.

[As the saying goes, "Break through destruction to find the wings of resistance."]

Here you are bathed in the light of hope and blessed. You have obtained a fragment of the ultimate mystery of the "Hermit"...

[To further propel us toward the future...]

-

[Coopetition restrictions have been lifted!]

【Kuromi Serika (The Hermit) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

[★2 Ability Unlocked!]

-

[Assisted by: Kuromi Serika / Black Cat Princess in the Yellow Sand]

Arcana: The Hermit

[Assistance Ability: ★2 - Princess Diligence]

Princess Diligence: A special virtue learned from Celery. Diligent perseverance and the ability to solve problems methodically—your diligence always brings you good fortune and enhances your charm.

[Improve your understanding and handling of various tasks, and additionally increase your charm attribute only when performing any "task".]

[Assistant's Profile: Known as the 'Black Cat Princess,' she is the accountant of Abydos's Countermeasures Committee, a resilient and adorable black cat girl. She possesses an endearingly tsundere personality, an awkwardness, and a strong will that contrasts sharply with this. After I rescued her, she seemed to completely let down her guard against me…]

'It's actually a special auxiliary skill that can improve work efficiency and proficiency... Arcana, who clearly possesses the "Hermit" title, has given a skill that leans more towards "Temperance"...'

With the unlocking of a new bond and the successful learning of a new bond skill, Amamiya couldn't help but feel a sense of joy.

In Amamiya's view, the "charm at work" trait is secondary; the seemingly insignificant "improved work ability" trait is the most important.

Also... it's really surprising that there are exceptions where the bond relationship starts directly from two stars when it's unlocked.

Perhaps it's because of that previous 'sudden increase in favorability'.

With various concerns in mind, Amamiya also gave her response.

"Well, I do have many thoughts I want to say, but..."

As Amamiya spoke, she glanced at Serika sitting beside her and smiled gently, saying, "Serika, who has just emerged from the shadow of being kidnapped and was injured before...you'll need some time to recover, won't you?"

"……Why?"

A strange feeling of being cared for welled up inside her. After blankly letting out an "Ah," the "Black Cat Princess" suddenly realized what was happening and blushed slightly as she made a rebuttal.

"Rest and stuff...whatever is fine, I've dealt with much more stressful jobs before..."

"Although I know Sensei cares about me... but right now, I still..."

"Hey~"

Hoshino yawned, quietly interrupting Serika's next words.

“I think Sensei is right... Sister Serika needs time to recover and calm down.”

Nomiya quickly followed up with a statement: "Hmm~ Serika, don't overwork yourself for now. Take a good rest for the things to come."

A slight stinging sensation in her eyes, Qinxiang suppressed the urge to cry, and after a long silence, she finally let out a muffled "Mmm".

"P-Please don't leave me behind and try to solve the problem on your own."

Mimicking the tone of a 'rich young lady,' Amamiya casually teased, 'Don't worry~ I won't abandon Serika~'

His deliberately teasing tone naturally drew a glare from Serika.

The black-cat girl crossed her arms, gave him a 'fierce' glare, and then left a warning.

"Hmph. That had to be for the best."

【~???~】

After completely relaxing, fatigue, dizziness... all sorts of feelings surged up like a tide. Unconsciously, Celery leaned back in her chair, squinted her eyes, and emptied her mind, 'fainting'.

Noticing this, Ayane, who was driving, slowed down a little more, trying to keep the vehicle moving at a comfortable and smooth speed.

The two cars drove into the Abydos campus one after the other.

In order to take special care of the 'unconscious' Serika, the girls of the Countermeasures Committee, after a brief stop in the vehicle, all turned their attention to Amamiya.

Leaving behind glances that said things like "I'm counting on you, Senshii" and "Take good care of Serika-chan, okay?", the girls quietly got off the train to deal with the Helmet Group's prisoners and gather information.

Seeing that no one seemed to be paying attention to her anymore, Amamiya decisively took on the responsibility of taking care of Serika while she was unconscious.

'PSONA—The Magic Carpet.'

【psona - Magic Carpet (Arcana: The Magician)】

[Introduction: The magic carpet in the myth of Aladdin and the Genie possesses magical abilities such as flight and is intelligent enough to easily and quickly transport a person from one place to another.]

In legend, the magic carpet helped Aladdin many times, winning the favor of the beautiful Princess Jasmine.

As Amamiya took off his glasses, a lifelike and strange 'blanket' appeared, and then automatically unfolded and lay flat outside the car door.

Amamiya gently carried the 'unconscious' Serika from the car in a princess carry and placed her steadily on the magic carpet.

'Magic carpet, target the infirmary.'

Amamiya, who was also sitting on the magic carpet, gave the order directly.

Taking advantage of this brief moment of free time, Amamiya opened her phone's MomoTalk app to see if she had any invitations to help others today.

[Kayoko: The investigation into the black market has made some progress...]

'...I also received messages from other people.'

[Aru: Sensei, are you free? I'd like to talk about the progress of the commission.]

'...'

[Saori: Could we find some time to talk? (Leave a message for future reference)]

'...'

[Mutsuki: Sensei, want to come out and play together?]

'...'

[Wakazama: Darling... I've already taught the Helmet Gang a lesson for you... Could you give Wakazama a little encouragement?]

'...'

[Jing: I sense a connection with you, like we're in the same boat... Shall we find a place to talk?]

Sure enough... another huge pile of invitation messages waiting to be processed.

Amamiya's gaze lingered on the messages for a moment before finally settling on the invitation message sent by Wakasa.

Amamiya recalled the fox-eared girl who led the 'delinquent girls' in a full-scale attack on the Xia Lai Building not long ago.

Her behavior is a bit strange, she's called the 'Crimson Calamity Fox', and she has a bit of a delinquent vibe, like a 'big sister'...

Could she have some connection to the helmet group?

By contacting her, can I gain a deeper understanding of the information?

Thinking about all this, Amamiya frowned slightly and made a decision in her mind.

It seems it's time for me to schedule a time to try and communicate with this 'Crimson Calamity Fox'.

Chapter 43 The Conflicted and Awkward 'Black Cat Princess'

at dusk.

The campus, standing amidst the yellow sand, was bathed in a warm yellow hue under the setting sun, which in turn gilded the sand within the campus with a shimmering gold.

The nimble cat ears on her head twitched gently. The 'black cat girl,' who felt like she had been asleep for an unknown amount of time, rubbed her eyes, yawned, and slowly tried to get up.

"Hoo... Waaah... Am I... fainting again?"

"How long have I been asleep...?"

"Strange... It feels like the fatigue I've been feeling all along has disappeared..."

A faint fruity aroma wafted into her nostrils, and Celery was momentarily stunned before a fruit platter filled with equally divided apple slices suddenly appeared before her eyes.

"Are you awake, my 'Princess'?"

This unfamiliar yet familiar title startled Qinxiang, who was half-asleep.

Your Highness...?

...? ! !

A white horse with a single horn on its forehead fell from the sky; a legendary sacred creature known as the unicorn...

The experience of being carried from behind on horseback by a 'stranger' I'd only known for a short time, with one arm around my back...

Clear fragments of memories from being kidnapped...

And then there's her grand entrance, radiating gentle grace, rescuing herself in the most elegant and glamorous way...

"...!!"

With a start, Celery's previously listless, drooping cat ears suddenly straightened up as if electrocuted.

His body was like a stone sculpture filled with lead—his neck was also like it was rusted, as if lifting even the slightest bit would exhaust all his strength and courage.

After taking a deep breath, Celery slowly raised her head and met a gaze that she couldn't quite describe.

The gaze, reflected through the non-reflective mirror, was calm and gentle, seemingly devoid of any other emotion, so pure that it was almost unbearable to look directly at.

"Yo," Amamiya greeted, picking up an apple slice with a bamboo skewer on the plate and offering it to Serika, "You're awake, Serika."

'Awooo...'

The sweet flesh fell into her throat; it was clearly the sweet and sour taste of a freshly picked apple, causing the girl to unconsciously squint her eyes in enjoyment.

……wrong.

Before she could even enjoy it for half a second, Celery suddenly had the urge to turn around and spit out the apple in her mouth.

What... what's going on?!

Was I... in a coma and confused? How did I suddenly subconsciously accept Sensei's 'feeding'?!

"It seems like everything's alright now." As Serika's pupils gradually dilated and lost their luster, Amamiya casually used the bamboo skewer that Serika had used to skewer a slice of apple and put it into his mouth.

"Sensei, wait..."