I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Before she could finish speaking, Amamiya had already put the apple slice into his mouth and tilted his head slightly, looking at her curiously.

"What's wrong, Celery?"

"..."

I wanted to say something, but suddenly a feeling of 'laughing in anger' lingered in my heart.

【~???~】

The anger in my heart just wouldn't build up...

Strange, really strange... Why is it that even though this is clearly a very offensive 'behavior', I don't feel angry... Instead, I feel a... subtle sweetness or... excitement?

The 'black cat girl', who was about to pout and pretend to scold the young man beside her, hesitated for a moment but managed to suppress her laughter.

"Pfft... Haha..."

Amamiya remained 'puzzled,' picking up a piece of fruit and asking while eating, 'What's wrong, Celery?'

"N-nothing... I just suddenly felt like laughing..."

...I can't take it anymore, I can't get angry at all.

"...Do you want to laugh? Perhaps it's for some psychological reasons. It's like a certain emotion is suddenly released one day, or an obsession that you couldn't let go of is suddenly let go one day, and you will feel that kind of 'open-mindedness'."

As Amamiya spoke, she forked a slice of apple and brought it to Serika's lips.

"..."

For some reason, when she saw Amamiya's very natural act of 'giving her the bamboo skewer she had used', a faint flame suddenly ignited in Serika's heart, who was originally not angry.

"Woo..."

She bared her teeth and made a fierce face, then took a vicious bite off the apple slice from the bamboo skewer as if in revenge.

“Sensei, I don’t need to be fed… I’m not some terminally ill patient who can’t get out of bed…”

The gloom in her heart seemed to have been completely dispelled at this moment, and Qinxiang was somewhat confused about where the 'emptiness' that welled up in her heart came from.

It's just like……

It's just like……

A 'heart thief' suddenly appeared beside him, riding a white horse, and in a way more elegant and magnificent than a prince, helped him out of his predicament and then casually 'stole' all the pent-up frustrations and anxieties in his heart.

"I'm sorry... my 'Princess,' I'm a little late."

'My princess...'

'Your Highness...'

It was as if a 'replay' button had been pressed in my mind, and the words from that moment seemed to keep echoing and repeating in my ears.

"That...that...thing from before..."

Amamiya turned her head at the opportune moment to look at the 'Black Cat Princess' who had somehow gotten to the edge of the bed, her head hanging low and her hands tightly gripping the bed sheet as if she were encouraging herself.

"Ok?"

"Anyway... thank you..."

Amamiya paused for a moment, then suddenly stood up. In the face of the girl's expression of surprise, embarrassment, blankness, and bewilderment, which was an unexpected blend of emotions, he took a step back and knelt down in a very theatrical manner, reaching out to take the girl's soft, warm, and exquisitely smooth hand.

With an air of 'deep affection' as if she were about to exchange rings, Amamiya successfully put the girl, who had just woken up, into a state of blushing with a 'theatrical tone'.

“Celery is my princess, and as her knight, it is my duty.”

"Sensei..."

Originally shy, Qinxiang suddenly felt like she was 'laughing in exasperation'. She curled her lips, lowered her head, and smiled helplessly.

"Do you think we're acting in some kind of prince and princess play?! You idiot!"

【~???~】

"Then let's not keep fooling around." Amamiya suddenly became serious, as if nothing had happened, and stood up, dusting off the dust from her legs. "Let's get down to business."

"..."

"Everyone is waiting for you, Celery. Remember to tell everyone about your current physical condition after you go out."

“Sensei means… she doesn’t want everyone to worry about me, right?” Serika, who understood Amamiya’s meaning, gave a soft 'humph'. “Don’t worry, I’ll do it myself without Sensei having to tell me.”

"Since Celery is alright, I'll take my leave now."

go away.

leave……

A casual remark suddenly stirred a subtle sense of unease within Qinxiang.

Leaving... After helping Abydos out of his predicament, Sensei will probably leave too, won't he...?

By then, we won't have to struggle with that overwhelming debt anymore...

But will we still be able to see him all the time and feel the warmth and light he brings?

"Sensei... is there anything else you need to do?"

Amamiya shrugged: "I did have some things to do... but I've been with Serika all day, from morning till now, so I haven't had a chance to carry out my original plans..."

A subtle sense of irritability seemed to be gradually intensifying, and an indescribable feeling added an inexplicable sense of blockage to Celery's heart.

"I... I don't need Sensei's concern anymore. Sensei, go do what you need to do."

Why... even though it was my own words that came out.

But saying it out loud will only make you more irritable?

Watching Amamiya's departing figure and feeling her own suppressed and restless heart, Serika fell into a brief period of self-doubt.

Her 'confusion' persisted until a voice, accompanied by the sound of a door being pushed open, woke her up.

"Oh dear~ Sister Celery, are you alright now?"

Qinxiang snapped back to reality, her heart jolting as she quickly concealed her emotions.

"Hoshino-senpai?"

After a slightly unsettling gaze swept over her, Serika noticed that Hoshino-senpai's 'searching' expression suddenly relaxed, as if it had all been an illusion.

After letting out a lazy yawn, Hoshino turned his back and stood by the door, stretching towards the setting sun outside.

“It seems like Sister Celery has a lot to say… It just so happens that everyone has time.”

"Let's take this opportunity to hold a routine meeting of the countermeasures committee."

Chapter 44 Serika is about to develop yandere tendencies...?

"Well... that means..."

"Actually, today is the third day I've been in a coma..."

"For the two days before I fell into a coma, and for most of today... Sensei took care of me the whole time...?"

After listening to Hoshino's 'brief description', Serika lowered her head somewhat blankly, looked at her hands, and the 'Countermeasures Committee' sign hanging around her neck.

Serika's 'self-doubt' actually piqued Hoshino's curiosity, who had been observing Amamiya's care process almost the entire time.

"Hey~ Don't you remember Celery Sauce?"

Upon hearing Hoshino's words, Serika felt a subtle sense of foreboding.

"W-What impression?"

With a slight tremor in her voice, Celery asked in a very hesitant tone.

Hoshino yawned, his eyes half-closed, and spoke in a leisurely tone as if he were an old man teasing a young man: "I, this old man, witnessed almost the entire thing~ Serika's performance at the time... was quite special."

"Mmm..." Hoshino, who was sucking her thumb in thought, continued after a few seconds, "For example... Sensei has to be next to Serika-chan during this time. If she's not there, Serika-chan's expression will immediately become very uneasy, and she'll curl up... like that?"

The ominous premonition in Celery's heart grew stronger, and her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.

"W-what...?"

"And then... Celery wasn't unconscious the whole time these three days. She would wake up briefly a few times, but always in a daze... We all tried to approach Celery while she was unconscious, but she refused us every time~"

Celery stopped in her tracks, feeling her mind go completely blank.

what?

What exactly happened while I was in a coma?

With an air of nonchalance that always manages to shock, Hoshino added another blow: "Back then, when I tried to touch Celery Sauce, I ended up scratching my hands... Hmm... I really don't understand why Sensei was completely unaffected and could even feed Celery Sauce in that state..."

As he spoke, Hoshino took off his gloves under Serika's bewildered and dazed gaze. The scratches on the back of his hands, resembling those left by a cat, were quite striking.

and many more……

“Senior Hoshino…” The black cat girl narrowed her eyes slightly, carefully examining the 'shocking' and 'deeply memorable' scratch marks. Realizing something was amiss, she questioned suspiciously, “This seems… not like the marks my hands could have made…?”

"...These are clearly marks left when you were accidentally scratched by the cat while playing with it!"

"And the marks are very fresh... how could I have left them?"

Having been exposed, Hoshino scratched the back of his head, lowered his head, and chuckled "hehehe".

"I didn't expect to be exposed by Celery Sauce... Well, this is indeed a mark left by Yueyi*Liu Yini when she was teasing the cat."

"But... when I was telling you about what happened while Celery was unconscious... I didn't lie at all~"

Qinxiang: "..."

According to the psychological principle of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," she is now beginning to doubt how much of what her "predecessor" said was true and how much was false.

While harboring doubts, Qinxiang also vaguely confirmed a definite 'fact' in her heart.

—If I really was unconscious for three days… then Sensei must have been taking care of me the whole time…

At least on this point, Hoshino-senpai probably wasn't lying...

As for her exaggerated claims, such as 'not allowing anyone other than Sensei to approach' and 'showing a fearful expression once Sensei leaves'... the truth of these claims remains to be seen.

Following Hoshino's footsteps, Serika returned to her familiar club room of the Countermeasures Committee.

Pushing open the door, Serika saw Amamiya sitting on a makeshift chair, discussing a book titled "The Philosophical Way of Black Tea" with Hifumi, who was sitting nearby.

"In other words... as long as you brew black tea this way, you should be able to determine the flavor that 'Trinity students generally prefer'..."

Holding the book on brewing black tea, Hifumi opened a page and lightly ran her fingertip across what appeared to be annotated illustrations. Then, like a little teacher, she gently gave instructions in a serious and meticulous tone.

"However, there are some additional notes regarding 'generally preferred flavors'..."

Seemingly sensing the gazes from people other than Amamiya, Hifumi, who had just been as strict yet 'kind and gentle' as a little teacher, broke down in a second after a slight jolt.

"So that's how it is... I feel like my knowledge has increased a little."

Amamiya kept taking notes of Hifumi's 'tips' in a small notebook, nodding thoughtfully from time to time: "I see... The intricacies of how to brew black tea are no simpler than 'how to brew coffee'."

"I also have some knowledge in this field. Hifumi is really amazing."

【~???~】

Noticing that Hifumi suddenly seemed a little 'at a loss', Amamiya stopped recording and looked up in the direction Hifumi was looking.

"Ahaha... Um... Serika-san, and Hoshino-san... Hello..."

Not knowing how to react, she hesitated for a few seconds before finally letting out her signature slightly awkward laugh to cover up her emotions.

Amamiya stood up, stretched her shoulders and neck, and looked at Hoshino, who had brought Serika back.

"Where are Ayane and Nomiya?"

"I've already sent a MomoTalk message, they'll be here soon, right?" Hoshino yawned, appearing somewhat nonchalant. "As for dealing with the 'land title' issue in Abydos... well... it's still too difficult for an old man like me..."

The more Hoshino acted as if she didn't care, the more Amamiya could see the tension and helplessness in Hoshino's heart beneath her mask.

She didn't have this expression when she first learned that the Abydos plot didn't belong to Abydos.

Noticing that Serika's gaze was still lingering on the somewhat bewildered Hifumi, Amamiya called out curiously, "Serika?"

"..."