I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

why?

Because before she could even begin to do anything, she 'saw' an opportunity unfolding before her eyes, an opportunity she could definitely seize.

"Cough cough cough..."

With a haggard face and deep eye bags, the girl sitting at the head of the acting president's seat cleared her throat and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't stop coughing, which was clearly showing signs of fatigue.

"...Let's begin this week's Federal Student Council meeting."

"Ahem... Well, the main topics of this meeting... are, ahem... issues concerning the Defense Office and the Finance Office..."

"In addition, there is a small part... some problems of my own as the acting president."

Accompanied by occasional tired coughs, Rin, exhausted to the point of near collapse, began to lead the meeting in a weak voice.

After all, these are regular meetings held by various departments... The content of the meetings themselves is not particularly important, so they can be covered in passing.

Amamiya, sitting in her seat, wasn't paying full attention to the lecture; instead, she was observing Hanaya's reaction.

When Hanaya realized that Rin was on the verge of a breakdown due to her recent pent-up problems, her feelings... could only be described as 'expressing all her emotions on her ahoge' (cowlick).

Although he was forcing a squinty-eyed smile, his ahoge (cowlick) was practically sticking up to the sky, and he exuded a smug, almost euphoric, aura of 'about to seize a crucial opportunity,' radiating an inexplicable 'joyful' vibe.

Amamiya now feels like she's seeing Light Yagami's tense expression from Death Note—'Hold back your laughter, and declare victory in 35 seconds.'

While this expression might seem 'cool' to Yue, when Hana makes it, Amamiya would only feel that Hana is having a hard time maintaining it.

Every now and then, she would stop to catch her breath or rub her temples. Under the 'concerned' or 'concerned' gazes of the ministers, Rin haltingly explained the main points of the meeting.

First, there's the issue of the defense room.

"Ahem... Regarding the Defense Office... it has been confirmed that some of the Defense Office's powers will be temporarily relinquished and transferred to the 'DU Provisional Security Defense Committee' temporarily formed by Gehenna, ahem... Abydos, Trinity, the Red Winter Federation, and the Classic of Mountains and Seas."

"From this day forward until the matter concerning 'Valkyrie' is officially concluded and things return to normal, they will temporarily assume some of the powers of the Defense Office."

"Then... then, there are issues concerning the 'finance office'."

"..."

Rin sighed softly and temporarily handed the reins of conversation to Aoi.

Having prepared in advance, Aoi began to explain and summarize the recent situation of the finance department, the problems it had encountered, and so on.

—Amamiya had already learned most of this information through his previous meeting with Aoi.

After Aoi finished explaining everything she needed to say, her gaze fell on the first person, briefly meeting that of the 'exhausted' Rin.

"Finally... it's about my personal life."

Rin's slightly somber announcement caused the heads of each department to sit up straight with solemn expressions.

Having learned some of the news beforehand, they realized... the 'main event' was about to begin.

After deliberately remaining silent for a moment to build up the atmosphere, Rin spoke, her voice filled with deep apology and helplessness: "Regarding my role as 'acting chairman'..."

"A halo effect may significantly improve our physical condition, but it cannot fight off fatigue and disease."

"The responsibilities of the acting president are a burden that I cannot bear at present."

"I intend to temporarily step down from the position and responsibilities of acting president to take care of my physical and mental health. However, the Federal Student Association cannot be without a president for even a day."

"Therefore, all actions taken until the next Federal Student Council meeting will be in a minimally 'lazy' mode, and arrangements will be made in advance..."

The Federal Student Union certainly cannot be without a president for even a day.

But... it's just like checking whether dangerous electrical appliances are turned off or whether the gas switch is tightened before leaving home.

By making arrangements in advance for these potentially dangerous matters before a long trip, the risks can be minimized.

Rin's actions were clearly not problematic in the eyes of the other club leaders, who all expressed their understanding and support for Rin's 'dilemma'.

"She really needs to rest..."

"If you weren't paying close attention, it would be really hard to tell that the acting chairman could be so exhausted."

"Don't worry, Acting President, we will ensure the Federal Student Association continues to operate normally while you are away!"

However, only the 'supporters' themselves know how much of this support is genuine.

Amamiya was not among those offering 'support' because he had another matter to attend to later.

He remained seated, observing Huaye's reaction intently.

Although it wasn't outwardly apparent, her subtle hand-rubbing gesture easily revealed her state of mind.

Although Rin was just on vacation and not really 'dead,' in Hanaya's eyes... this was undoubtedly a major opportunity.

"Finally, there's the matter of the Federal Student Association's fall 'break' arrangements..."

After silently waiting for everything to 'settle down', the heads of the various departments present began to quietly pay attention to Amamiya.

Shortly after the last meeting, Amamiya's "attack" and subsequent dramatic performance left a deep impression on these ministers.

Perhaps due to the 'psychological trauma' from last time, they were all somewhat nervous when Rin remained silent before officially announcing the end of the meeting.

Sensei of Xia Lai is truly a 'big shot' who doesn't speak up until he makes a stunning debut...

What is he going to do this time?

Could it be... that another department is going to be affected?

Including Rin, all the girls present turned their gazes toward her in unison.

Amamiya stood up, waving her hand with a helpless yet amused expression: "You don't need to look at me like that... There's nothing strange or 'big' going on this time."

"But..."

After a pause, Amamiya deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

"There is indeed something I need to say."

The department heads all mustered their full attention and stood tall with their heads held high.

"...It's about the 'Resort Islands'."

"Since the beginning of autumn, the number of visitors and the popularity of the resort islands have been steadily declining. However, given its subtropical location, it remains a good place for vacation and relaxation..."

"Having noticed that Rin's personal situation is unusual, and considering that Rin's situation may not be an isolated case within the Federation Student Association, I thought of using the climate of the resort islands and our main business to offer a special physical and mental wellness service exclusively for the members of the Federation Student Association."

"This service aims to allow the heads of various departments within the Federal Student Union to relax and rejuvenate. At the same time, it can also improve interaction between the departments to some extent..."

As they talked, Amamiya started to feel that something was off.

Why does this sound like a weird boss encouraging employees to do some strange team-building activities like hiking or camping?

But there's no other way. In order to create the 'world of the Flower Gate,' even if these words sound stupid, they still have to be said.

The ministers, who had already made preparations, should agree when necessary and oppose when necessary, following the established procedures.

Apart from Huaye, who is a 'Truman' with complete freedom of action, the other department heads are all 'actors' who knew the situation in advance and were very, if not very, willing to cooperate.

As for whether they might make a mistake in their coordination... Amamiya had already taken precautions against such an anomaly using a special prop called "The Poor Writer's Script".

After Amamiya finished speaking, the heads of the various departments briefly looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Psychological counseling...is it really that sudden?"

The head of the health clinic murmured softly.

"Actually, I think my mental state is fine... I'm just a little hungry."

"But that's understandable, since students in the Federal Student Association are more likely to experience psychological pressure..."

"According to the questionnaire report, members of the Federal Student Association have the most diverse ways of relieving stress."

"That speaks volumes."

The room leaders exchanged a few quiet words briefly, and then quickly diverged, showing a situation where the majority supported the idea, while the minority did not support it or remained silent.

Amamiya did not stop the discussion, but gently added, "Since this is the first 'Federal Student Council Group Mental and Physical Well-being Service' project, I will also participate and serve as a psychological counselor to help everyone relax."

After leaving that comment, Amamiya maintained a gentle and calm smile as she watched the room leaders begin to whisper among themselves.

As for Rin... as the person in charge of the meeting, she did not stop it.

Hua Ye observed the surroundings with great interest, trying her best to organize her thoughts and sort out the information.

The reason she didn't take action was because she still had unresolved questions in her mind.

Why would Sensei suddenly bring up 'psychological counseling' at this critical juncture, something that could potentially greatly impact the collective activities of the Federal Student Association?

...It can't be about creating an opportunity for myself to 'take advantage of a weakness', can it?

Sensei probably didn't intend to nominate himself as the next acting chairman, but he was aware of the intentions he had inadvertently revealed and should have realized the danger he was in.

What is the deeper meaning behind holding such a large-scale event under these circumstances?

Hua Ye racked her brains but still couldn't figure out what the 'wise and resourceful heart-stealing thief' was planning.

After much thought, she could barely come up with an explanation that wasn't really an explanation.

Although Sensei did not intend to nominate himself as the next acting chairman, considering that he had 'given up' the Fox team, he decided to give himself a chance to try and seize it as a way of repaying the favor.

That seems like a reasonable motive...

'If I perform well, I can actually become the acting president.'

'And the performance was poor...'

Hua Ye's eyes flickered slightly, and for a moment, all sorts of wicked thoughts came to mind.

Sensei should be able to realize that he has prepared force... but how much force he has, Sensei probably can't easily know, right?

A jumble of thoughts swirled around him until he heard whispers coming from the seat next to him.

One of the attendees nudged Huaye's elbow and asked in a deliberately low voice, "...Director Huaye, do you have any plans?"

Huaye was 'awakened'.

Glancing at the attendees who had interrupted her thoughts, Hua Ye was surprised to find that the one who had 'woke her up' was actually the head of the finance department.

"……?"

Why did she suddenly ask herself such a question?

Doubt and wariness arose in her heart. Hanaya frowned and tentatively asked, "...Chief Aoi, what do you mean by this?"

The finance director's sudden approach to me... that's very unusual.

Although the Finance Department suffered a similar blow to the Defense Department due to Valkyrie's previous situation, it shouldn't be to the point of being "in the same boat."

It's worth noting that the finance department and the defense department have always had a strained relationship due to budget issues.

The finance department complained that the defense department needed too much, while the defense department complained that the finance department approved too little.

This is the 'daily routine' of the two departments since the president went missing.

"what do you mean?"

Aoi's calm eyes held a strange glint in them: "What I mean is... I can certainly understand Rin-senpai's fatigue and concerns."

"But the risk of a collective leave for the federal student council is too high."

"It is the responsibility of the Defense Office to consider and try to prevent and respond to possible emergencies."

“This psychological counseling plan for ‘collective recuperation’ should not have been done so hastily.”

"As the head of the defense office, shouldn't Chief Hanaya offer her suggestions at this stage?"

The well-reasoned explanation made Hua Ye secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

It seems... I was indeed being too sensitive.

"If Chief Aoi wants my opinion..."

My opinion is 'no opinion'.

After calmly expressing her opinion, Huaye couldn't help but secretly complain in her heart.

—It's more than just having no opinions.

I wish you all could go on vacation to the 'Resort Islands' together.

It's easier to manage and control things when they're all in one place, and it's also convenient to catch them all in one fell swoop if necessary.

Despite the protection of Sensei, and possibly the Rabbit Squad and Arius Squad, the difficulty of 'wiping them all out' is indeed extremely high.

However, trapping coastal islands and blocking the movement of ships and aircraft... can actually be a last resort under extreme circumstances.