I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

In summary... the most 'bitter' one was probably Bu Meng, who almost suffered a terrible fate.

"Ah ha ha……"

Bu Meng was extremely tired and gave a bitter, dry laugh.

"Chief Hanaya seems to be a little confused."

Having nothing to say, the blonde girl with fluttering black wings could only awkwardly try to change the subject.

“Sensei, this must be… a side effect of ‘repentance’?”

After hearing Momoka's explanation, Amamiya couldn't help but glance in the direction of the defense room with a strange look.

Now I understand why we used this kind of 'niche tool' that is easy to observe and has obvious protective properties, originally intended for indoor defensive operations, to seal off the defense room.

Good heavens... they've taken Huaye into custody.

Don't be fooled by his seemingly sacred demeanor when he's taken to the defense room... he actually goes crazy whenever he sees a student from the Federation Student Council.

Amamiya's lips twitched slightly. After a moment's consideration, she said, "...It's one of them, I suppose. Hanaya's type of repentance is 'regret,' while her subtype is 'unease.'"

"Didn't she used to call herself a 'superman' and think that she could do everything as easily as Rin? Did she have the awareness that 'if Rin can do it well, why can't I do it well'?"

"And this realization, after repentance, transforms into a kind of 'unease.'"

“From a psychological perspective… after a complete reversal, extreme self-confidence is more likely to turn into an extreme, even paranoid, dependence on others—'I cannot survive without XX (someone)'.”

"And Huaye... she originally wanted to control the entire Federation Student Council. So, after the reversal... it became 'dependence'."

Amamiya's explanation doesn't contain many academic terms; in fact, it's quite easy to understand in a way that makes it readily comprehensible.

But his words still sent chills down the spines of all the students in the Federal Student Association.

They didn't want to be 'dependent' on Hua Ye, who was crying and sniffling...

The one in the worst mood was Rin.

She was exasperated, rubbing her forehead with one hand, and tried to analyze the situation: "...So, Sensei. Hanaya became unusually quiet after seeing me, and completely obeyed all my commands..."

“Is it also because she is the most… uh,” Rin paused with a disgusted expression, “the most ‘dependent’ on me?”

Amamiya wanted to laugh, but to avoid being looked at with a gloomy expression by Rin, she tried her best to keep a straight face.

"That's right, that's right... I think the main reason why Hana didn't make things worse was because she ran into Rin along the way, and Rin unexpectedly discovered that Hana obeyed all of Rin's orders... including walking back to the defense room on her own?"

Rin nodded wearily, without saying anything more.

The chaotic scene at the Federal Student Association at that time is not worth mentioning.

Rin really didn't have the time, nor did she want to take care of the 'baby' Hanaya.

So she asked directly the question that concerned her and the Federal Student Council students who had narrowly escaped an attack: "...How long will this phenomenon of 'repentance' last?"

The current situation with Hanaya makes even the usual 'post-incident handling' process somewhat difficult.

Based on his experience in conquering the palaces, Amamiya estimated, "It will take at least a week, and at most less than a month."

Rin felt another chill run down her spine.

Taking care of Hanaya in this condition for at least a week... I don't want to do something like that.

Seeing Rin's desperate and troubled expression, Amamiya thoughtfully added, "If you don't want to take care of her, it's actually not a big deal to put her in solitary confinement."

"Keep her out of contact with students in the Federal Student Council uniform as little as possible, as well as acquaintances... This kind of 'acceptance condition' should be quite simple, right?"

"Then..."

After carefully considering her words, Rin finally looked at the deputy head of the defense office, whose expression was extremely awkward: "Let's temporarily lock Head Hanaya in the solitary confinement room."

Chapter Seventy-Two: The Final Disposal of Huaye

Federal Student Council, General Affairs Office.

In the name of the acting president, the Millennium Engineering Department was summoned, and they were instructed to manually operate the transport machine and accompany Huaye throughout the journey to the temporary shelter set up by the Federal Student Council...

Back in his office, looking out at the deepening night, Rin felt a sense of "unable to express his bitterness."

Despite enduring the respect, admiration, and awe from the various department members who had participated in the 'escort' but were actually just watching the show, Rin couldn't feel happy at all.

It's really hard for someone to share their pain with others...

After taking her seat, she immediately let out a long sigh of relief.

"You've worked hard, Rin."

Amamiya, who came in with her, thoughtfully poured Rin a glass of warm water using the water heater in the room.

【~???~】(Rin)

Taking the water glass, Rin, though her mouth was very dry, didn't drink it immediately. Instead, she listlessly stared at the steaming water in the glass for a while.

Using her own unique method, Rin quickly cleared her mind and then rallied, starting to ask questions that could only be asked in private.

"...Some 'details' about Huaye's repentance."

"Is her plan to contact the Kronos press office to hold a press conference... also a concrete manifestation of 'repentance'?"

Amamiya sat down beside Rin, offering the girl a shoulder to lean on, and quietly activated "Voices of the Stars," embedding a 'heartwarming feeling' into her voice.

"Hmm... 'Confessing all the mistakes you've made' is a normal manifestation of 'repentance'."

Fingertips traced strands of hair up her tired, listless face, and Amamiya gently kneaded her cheeks with Rin's silent consent.

"The true meaning of the 'Phantom Thief's Activities' lies in this...exposing 'evil deeds,' forcing those who have committed wrongdoings to voluntarily confess their crimes and bear the consequences of their actions."

"Therefore... after being 'repented,' the desire to vent one's mistakes becomes exceptionally strong—even overshadowing the most basic will to survive."

"And this... will prompt the repentant target to do all sorts of things that seem incomprehensible to outsiders."

"They will use every imaginable method to make as many people as possible aware of their sins—what is the most common way?"

"They will use megaphones to spread the word; they will turn themselves in; they will expose themselves through the media; and they will broadcast it live online... and so on. They will do anything they can think of."

The slight, electric-like sensation from the kneading of her cheeks provided some relief to Rin's parched and exhausted spirit.

She finally understood why Huaye had started 'talking nonsense' as soon as she saw her and the students of the Federal Student Council.

He wanted to confess his sins... but because he had too much to say, his brain and language couldn't keep up, giving outsiders the impression that he was rambling incoherently or even talking nonsense.

There is a special set of methods to deal with "mental illness".

Although the Federal Student Association had no precedent for this, it was not impossible to immediately develop a set of methods based on this example.

"Huaya's planned 'press conference'... was it stopped?"

Rin snapped out of her daze and gave a weak "hmm" in response.

'I was too busy enjoying myself and letting my mind wander...'

"Of course we have to stop them. After all... it concerns the reputation of the Federal Student Association."

If Huaye really gets exposed... then it won't just be Huaye who gets humiliated.

The Federal Student Union will be embarrassed along with them, and the plummeting of its reputation is secondary... If more students are involved, and the already precarious Federal Student Union really becomes unable to function properly, then it's all over.

Clearly, Rin was able to realize the seriousness of the situation, which was 'too much to be true'.

Amamiya breathed a sigh of relief: "...That's good."

【~???~】(Rin)

“Sensei, although Hana is a little confused, she has already told us a lot about the Caesar Group.”

"But because these things about Hana 'did not actually happen,' we only saw the evil she wanted to do but couldn't do based on the 'puppet show'... We can't use these 'evil things that didn't happen' to convict her."

"Therefore, there are slight disagreements within the Federal Student Council regarding the punishment of Huaye."

……really.

There was another reason why I was called over: to discuss 'post-incident handling'.

Amamiya asked cautiously, "Was there no clear conclusion to the discussion?"

Rin shook her head.

"Currently, there is no... Some members believe that since the matter is of great importance, it should be dealt with severely. Other members believe that since it has never happened before, it should be dealt with leniently."

"...Sensei, do you have any particular thoughts regarding Hanaya and the handling of the defense room?"

Amamiya thought about it seriously.

'Judgment' should be humane, but it should be free from any bias or prejudice arising from personal subjective intentions.

Whether you like or dislike Huaye... at least this kind of 'disciplinary opinion' should be fair.

"Although nothing happened, Huaye did collude with the Caesar Group and left behind many troubles... First of all, she can no longer be the head of the defense office."

"Regarding her case... since it hasn't happened before, we can't be too harsh."

"Then... expelling her from school, expelling her from the Federal Student Council, and confining her for a period of time should be considered the most appropriate punishment for Huaye."

Lin frowned and pondered for a moment, then realized that it was indeed a punishment that was 'just right'.

'Expulsion from school'... For students on campus, the severity is tantamount to 'directly canceling their status'.

Without proper student status, students have virtually no place to "stand" in Kivotos and can only operate in the gray areas of the black market.

But for Huaye, this wasn't a punishment that meant she 'absolutely couldn't survive'.

If all else fails... Xia Lai could recruit Hua Ye to do some odd jobs after Hua Ye is 'expelled'.

However, because he is 'unregistered,' even though Xia Lai has the authority to recruit any student (including those without official student status), the relationship can only remain distant at best due to Hua Ye's special circumstances.

Even after joining Xia Lai, Hua Ye gradually recovered from her 'mentally unstable' state and returned to her arrogant state as the head of the defense room, she still couldn't use Xia Lai's authority to do anything.

As for expulsion... well, there's not much to say about that.

This is also the only consensus reached by the Federal Student Union.

"Then let's do as Sensei suggests..."

After pausing and recalling the various matters that needed to be handled next, Rin asked about another matter.

"Regarding the review and verification of Valkyrie's accounts, and the progress of the re-establishment..."

Now... even if the progress is deliberately slowed down, the 'inspection' is nearing its end.

It's time to wrap things up.

After Rin said that, Amamiya also felt a headache coming on.

Sigh... It's true, the pleasure of the halls of power is fleeting, but the aftermath is a nightmare.

After all, I started this whole thing, so I have to be involved in the cleanup afterwards.

"A detailed and feasible plan certainly needs to be discussed..."

"But before that, shouldn't Rin relax a bit?"

Rin was slightly taken aback.

Going on vacation can indeed be a very tiring thing in many ways.

Even though Rin was prepared to face even heavier work after returning from her vacation, she really didn't expect Hanaya to cause such a mess.

My already exhausted mind definitely needs to relax a bit more...

However, now doesn't seem to be the right time to 'relax'.

Rin gave a weary smile: "Thank you for your concern, Sensi. I don't think I've..."

Amamiya interrupted her in a cryptic tone, speaking softly: "I'm talking about a different kind of 'relaxation'."

"...?!"

Rin was startled again, then her face suddenly turned red.

"...Sensei, what are you saying?"

Amamiya deliberately didn't answer, and reached out to stroke Rin's elven ears, which were trembling slightly, whether from anticipation or some other emotion.

As he repeatedly rubbed her earlobes, Amamiya's voice became even more playful.

"Rin...you're looking forward to it, aren't you?"

cold:"……"