I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Then you can officially begin the "Hall of Fame Strategy".

While pondering future plans, Amamiya walked towards the plum garden.

The plum garden is only popular in the morning... At this stage, Kokoro, the children of the plum garden, and Misaki, who is "taken care of" by Kokoro, should have all returned to the plum garden.

On the way, Amamiya sent another message to Rumi of the Genbu Trading Company, planning to arrange a time to discuss the Genbu Trading Company's opinions with her.

The relationship between Xuanlongmen and Xuanwu Chamber of Commerce is not a traditional "superior-subordinate" relationship, but rather more like that of "competitors" whose ideologies are not entirely the same, but who can currently coexist harmoniously for various reasons.

As the leader of the Xuanlong Sect, Fei Xiao did not, and even if she did, she would not directly assign or give orders to the Xuanwu Chamber of Commerce on a large scale.

Therefore... this trip not only requires obtaining Hisaki's opinion, but also Rumi's support.

Rumi didn't reply to the message immediately... but that's understandable.

It's almost noon, which is precisely the time when the Genbu Chamber of Commerce's "food" (questionable) street is busiest. Rumi should be busy in the kitchen or assigning tasks to members of the Genbu Chamber of Commerce right now, and won't have time to check the messages.

Upon reaching the entrance of the plum garden, Amamiya put away her phone and immediately noticed Misaki, who was standing guard at the entrance, her expression a mixture of happiness and helplessness.

Misaki, who was always depressed before joining Sharai, only gradually learned to 'smile' after joining Sharai... to show such a subtle and complex expression really opened Amamiya's eyes.

Besides Misaki, Kokoro is also there...

In addition, there is another student who looks both unfamiliar and familiar to Amamiya, a "passerby in the plum garden".

Dressed in a black cheongsam, Mary Jane shoes, and white stockings, carrying a huge weapon case painted with plum blossoms... Although she looked unfamiliar, her turquoise eyes immediately evoked a sense of déjà vu in Amamiya's mind.

'This feeling of déjà vu...'

Amamiya hesitated for a moment, then immediately used her [Third Eye] to observe.

[Assistant: Shun Sunohara (Pope)]

"……?"

Unless in extreme circumstances, the observations made by the "third eye" will not be problematic.

The information from [The Third Eye] is correct... So that means the 'mature instructor' I remembered has really shrunk overnight?

Amamiya raised an eyebrow, looking quite surprised, and walked up to the black-haired girl who was standing quietly with her hands behind her back next to Shinna. She looked at the girl carefully with a puzzled expression.

Kokoro and Misaki noticed his unusual behavior immediately. Kokoro, who hadn't had a chance to report on her morning's 'care results', also became puzzled.

"Sensei..." The silver-haired girl's gaze shifted between the two for a moment before she asked, puzzled, "Is there a problem?"

Amamiya stroked his chin, not replying immediately.

That's very problematic.

Amamiya had only ever seen Yuriko experience something like "growing up overnight".

This kind of "shrinkage overnight" is probably the first time that Kivotos has experienced such a situation.

How did you do it?

As Kokoro mentioned before, Shun left behind a message about the past alchemy research society's drug trials before he 'disappeared'.

Could it be that... Saya actually managed to concoct that "anti-aging drug"?

"This child... looks familiar, like I've seen him somewhere before."

After staring at Shun, who was tilting his head and pretending to be innocent, for a while, Amamiya finally gave up on the idea of ​​'exposing him on the spot' and vaguely covered it up.

【~???~】(Instant)

As he spoke, Amamiya patted the other's little head. The latter, in turn, naturally chuckled, "Hehehe~".

"Hmm~? Sensei, do I look familiar?"

"Perhaps... just maybe, we really have seen it somewhere before?"

Amamiya resisted the urge to smirk and make a face, thinking to herself that it was true.

Well... for him, who knew Shun's 'true size', this way of contacting him... felt a little strange.

I have a strong urge to complain.

Amamiya naturally withdrew his hand, directly 'ending the topic', and then turned his attention to Shinna.

Misaki's energy level... although she looks a little tired, she seems happy overall...

"Kokoro, how did the care go?"

【~???~】(Xin Nai)

【~??~】(Misaki)

Ignoring Misaki's slightly ashamed and evasive look—"Sensei saw my condition with her own eyes and you're still asking?"—Amamiya waited for Shinna to give her conclusion.

Meanwhile, Xin Nai twitched her animal ears and took out a 'scoring tool' from her bag—a little red flower scorecard and a stamp for marking little red flowers.

"My opinion of Misaki-neechan is..."

Seeing Misaki's embarrassed expression as she covered her face with one hand, Kokoro kept her in suspense for a moment, then slapped the stamp down with a 'smack'.

"Perfect score!"

After giving the scores, Shinna handed the scorecard to Amamiya, just like a kindergarten teacher would summarize a child's recent performance for parents.

Amamiya took the scorecard and saw that the stamp was actually a chibi version of Shinna's face. In addition, the scorecard was also very special, made of some kind of hard material that was difficult to destroy—presumably to prevent it from being easily broken by special events such as gunfights.

Amamiya looked at Misaki again, but Misaki turned her head away uncomfortably.

"It seems that Misaki really did a great job..."

While teasing her, Amamiya walked over and patted Misaki's head.

"As a reward for being a good kid, how about we go for a stroll around the food street at noon?"

Chapter Three tastes just like love.

The food streets under the Xuanwu Chamber of Commerce offer more than just a dazzling array of food; they also boast an irresistible aroma that is especially enticing during lunchtime.

Folding tables and stools were placed by the roadside. Without any hesitation, Yue/Yi sat down and started eating…

This is probably a custom unique to the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Holding a plate of golden-brown, crispy pastries—a specialty of the Genbu Merchant Guild—Misaki ate them in small bites, taking the time to observe her surroundings as she passed by.

The food street is bustling with students.

But perhaps it's because Sensei is right next to me...

The slight discomfort I used to feel in crowded places did not occur.

Reaching the street corner, Misaki slowed her pace and took a quick look at the surroundings on both sides of the street.

"Sensei..."

Noticing that there seemed to be a lot of students coming and going on one particular street, Misaki pointed in that direction: "That street..."

"It must be a street that specializes in selling desserts."

Amamiya looked in the direction Misaki was looking and discovered that there were even stalls selling candied hawthorns on this street, which filled her with emotion.

'When I first met the sect leader, she seemed to be eating candied hawthorns...'

"Furthermore, some novels and dramas with ancient settings that I've seen before... also have scenes where the female lead buys candied hawthorns... some scenes are so classic that they can be singled out for criticism."

While 'reflecting', Amamiya paid special attention to Misaki's personal preferences and leaned over to ask, "Misaki likes sweets? Want to go check out that area?"

"dessert……"

Without hesitation, Misaki chose another direction where she could smell a slight sour odor.

Unlike most students... Misaki personally doesn't really like 'desserts'... or rather, she doesn't really like sweets.

Just like how sprinkling a pinch of salt into icing sugar makes the sweet parts even sweeter, or sprinkling a pinch of sugar when more salt is needed can even out the flavor and enhance the freshness...

A fleeting sweetness is not enough to mask suffering; on the contrary, it can create a sense of...

The feeling of "memories becoming increasingly painful".

Seeing Misaki's reaction, Amamiya shook his head and followed.

Although I've adapted to my current life, my sense of taste hasn't fully adjusted yet...

The 'snack street' that Misaki chose seems to be related to main dishes.

The olfactory experience, a mixture of sourness and spiciness, was not pleasant, but the excellent presentation of the food made up for it.

After walking only a few steps into the street, a familiar shout came from a shop next to Amamiya.

"Joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, sourness, sweetness, bitterness, spiciness... hehe, these are all the 'flavors of life' that we must taste."

"Hey~ Sensei, it's rare to see you here. Would you like to come in and have a seat?"

Misaki, who was about to go look around elsewhere, paused and glanced away indifferently.

'Is it someone I know...?'

Tall and slender, with brown hair and purple eyes, wearing a cheongsam styled after the Classic of Mountains and Seas, she radiated a bright and energetic smile...

Hmm... I probably won't be able to smile like that in my entire life.

"It's nice to see you again, Rumi."

Amamiya was not surprised by Rumi's appearance.

After all... I had already messaged Rumi, so meeting her here was purely "coincidental".

"Hey hehe~"

Rumi grinned, revealing her teeth: "Sensei also thinks it's a 'coincidence,' right? As they say, 'no story is complete without coincidences!'"

"If we interpret it according to the novel's plot... perhaps it was because the encounter with Sensei was so accidental that it was recorded?"

Amamiya: "..."

That makes so much sense...

After exchanging greetings, Rumi naturally turned her attention to Misaki, whose aura was quite unique.

"Oh..."

Thinking back to the time Sensei brought Hina Sorasaki, Rumi was surprised for a moment before giving a knowing look.

'Sensei... is he taking students out to relax and unwind again?'

With a quick glance, she approached Misaki: "This gentleman seems to be in need of a proper meal...why don't you come in and have a seat?"

"It is precisely because life has sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty flavors that it is worth savoring."

"It's really depressing to suffer alone... let's add some sweetness."

Misaki: "..."

...That seems to be true.

Unable to refuse such hospitality, Misaki smiled with relief, lowered her eyes, and gently shook her head.

—Without a doubt, Rumi's sudden 'appearance' was timed very cleverly.

After all, this was a food street belonging to the Genbu Merchant Guild, and the interiors of these shops were so clean they seemed like hidden paradises. Rumi led Amamiya and Misaki to a private room inside the shop, left in a hurry, and returned shortly afterward.

"Xuanwu Chamber of Commerce Special Dish - Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs!"

After placing down several beautifully plated dishes that were probably prepared but not yet sold, Rumi introduced one of the main dishes and then sat down on the other side, a little further away from Amamiya, with an air of authority.

"Although according to the food culture of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, eating this at noon might be a bit greasy, but... well, since it's for a good mood, why should we care too much about what we eat?"

"Eat whatever you want, forget about healthy eating for now!"

Adhering to the basic dining etiquette of "not speaking while eating," Rumi picked up her chopsticks after saying what she needed to say.

The 'food culture' in the Classic of Mountains and Seas lies somewhere between 'gentle' and 'bold'.

There's no need to wait until everyone is ready before grabbing your chopsticks, putting your hands together, and shouting, "I'm starting!"

But it has a strange kind of 'table manners' that exists in another way.

...This must be the first time I've participated in a dinner with such a 'family' atmosphere outside of Xia Lai, right?