I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

“I can still hear Sensei’s call, even from a great distance.”

"It's like... the call directly reached my heart."

“That voice that reached my heart stirred my emotions, like… well, I felt needed, that I could help, that I had to follow the call and go see Sensei…”

"Back then, when I saw that 'twilight,' I had the same feeling."

Wei Hua's description was far too 'stream of consciousness'.

However, Amamiya could understand—she was describing the "Ragnarok" event that occurred at Trinity after Beatrice's temple eroded the real world, an event witnessed by almost all the students.

Months have passed, and the memories of all the students who had seen it have long since faded to the point where they say, "It seems like something big happened at Trinity, but I don't remember it."

However, a few students who have formed a bond with Amamiya, or who have Personas, or who are simply special students, still retain their memories.

As luck would have it, Wei Hua is the one who 'establishes a bond' and is a 'special student'.

At that time, the three people at the tea party must have resonated to some extent with the shadows that corresponded to them in Beatrice's temple, and heard the voices from "themselves".

Amamiya nodded slowly, and Maruki-sensei's "Mental Detox DX" quietly started.

He adjusted his glasses and asked gently, "What sound did Weihua hear at that time, and how did she feel?"

"...At that moment, I seemed to hear the roar of an 'evil dragon' that only appears in storybooks."

Her expression was slightly vacant. Wei Hua pondered, recalling the events as she spoke, "That voice told me... 'I am the evil dragon that devoured the World Tree, the bearer of all sins. The world believes me to be the culprit behind the twilight, but that is not the case, yet I cannot defend myself...'"

“She also told me that we are essentially the same… They call you a witch, but in reality, they just want to pile their sins onto you. You are the born 'scapegoat.' And when the chosen 'scapegoat' is about to perish because of the judgment, they will be afraid that they will be the next one to be chosen…”

"So, you can... and can only continue to sit at the tea party bearing these 'unjust accusations,' becoming a princess in name only, but a sinner in reality..."

The shadow of another world is truly philosophical...

As Amamiya listened, she became somewhat emotional.

The reason why Mika explained it so clearly is because the words Nidhogg said to her when she experienced "resonance" left a deep impression on her.

Nidhogg's words... reminded Amamiya of a judgment bird holding a crooked scale and wrapped in bandages.

Indeed...human beings always like to shift the blame for collective sins onto one person and choose a 'scapegoat'.

When the scapegoat is about to die in agony from the suffering of the sinner, people shed crocodile tears.

The reason for this is that people are afraid that they will be the next ones to be brought to justice and have their crimes exposed.

Mika... is much like a 'scapegoat' for the Holy Trinity—compared to the way Hanaya was 'convicted according to the rules and regulations' afterward, Mika's experience can be described as quite tragic.

Relatively speaking, the penalty for not spending the money is indeed very light.

At most, she was locked up in the attic for a long time, and her living expenses and daily necessities were reduced, just like "Cinderella" who lost her midnight magic.

However, the relatively lighter punishment is the misfortune that comes with not spending time on interpersonal relationships.

Since the Eden Pact, perhaps due to lingering impressions, even if they don't remember exactly what happened on the day of the Eden Pact, most Trinity students still like to blame her for the mistakes when they 'review' the events.

Rin even knows that 'you can't convict someone based on something that's about to happen,' but the students of Trinity don't care about that.

They were practically at the point of saying, "I didn't get the limited edition cake today, so it's all Shengyuan Weihua's fault!"

—Yes, there is no logic, no reason.

But I'll just push all the things that make me uncomfortable onto her; she'll have to take responsibility whether she wants to or not.

"Sensei..."

The pink-haired girl poured out all the pent-up thoughts that had been building up inside her, her expression breaking down, her eyes brimming with tears.

She asked in a trembling voice, "Am I really... destined to bear sin and bring destruction to Trinity...?"

"Do not."

Amamiya shook her head in rejection without hesitation.

“In my opinion… Mika is not an ‘evil dragon.’ She wasn’t before, and she isn’t now.”

"Mihana is an angel."

【~???~】(Unspecified)

"Eh... Sen, why would Seni think that way?"

Amamiya looked at Mika's pure white wings adorned with star pendants.

The girl followed the gaze and looked down, and when she saw her own wings, she was even more confused.

“Sensei…you can’t just call me an angel based on my 'wings', can you?”

Amamiya nodded, her voice becoming even softer.

“Indeed… the reason I considered Mika an 'angel' is because I wasn’t summoning a dragon to breathe fire and cause equal destruction…”

"Instead, we call upon the angels, asking them to descend their holy wings to save lives and heal the wounded."

"Back then, I was calling upon the 'Archangel who is closest to God,' and Mika was able to resonate with this 'Archangel'... Does that mean Mika is an angel?"

【~???~】

It's so strange... but I can't quite put my finger on what's so strange about it...

Mika paused for a moment, then cupped her cheeks and let out a cute, soft gasp.

"Eh? Ugh...?!"

What Sensei said makes me feel so excited...it's so strange...

The unease that had been building up in her heart for so long melted away considerably, but Mika was still somewhat unsure: "But, Sensei, about my ability to resonate with dragons..."

"Does Mika still remember the basics of the 'Hall'? — The Hall is Beatrice's Hall. And the dragon in the Hall is an 'association' arising from Beatrice's preconceived notions about Mika."

"Originally, in Beatrice's plan... Mika would become the 'key culprit in the destruction of Trinity.' But Beatrice's plan has failed."

Oh...I see.

As the last vestige of doubt in her heart was about to dissipate, Mika asked somewhat strangely, "Then in Sensei's eyes... how do I... um, how does Sensei view me?"

After glancing at Mika's title with her "Third Eye," Amamiya replied, "I've answered this question before, and I won't change it now."

"...?"

The girl blinked, looking puzzled. She felt she had a vague recollection of it, but couldn't quite remember.

That's what 'happy memories' are like. You can't recall them when you should, but as long as they exist, they can occasionally give you a 'spontaneous' warmth.

"A significant portion of fairy tales have 'happy endings.' But there are also fairy tales with bad endings, aren't there? For example, the Little Mermaid turns into sea foam and disappears in the sunlight... or if Sleeping Beauty can wait for the prince, she will turn into skeletons in her sleep."

"In the past, Mika was a princess who almost ended up with a 'bad ending.'"

So this is how Sensei sees herself...

Weihua drooped her wings, unable to hide her disappointment.

But on the other hand... Sensei didn't always try to fool me with nice words, but instead expressed her truest opinion... which made me feel very happy again.

She forced a smile to cheer herself up, intending to say something.

“I haven’t finished yet…” Amamiya shook her finger and continued, “Similar questions, similar answers. Now, Mika may no longer be the dazzling princess, but she has become the ‘Cinderella’ who can be looked at with new eyes by the ‘prince’.”

Weihua: “…”

【~???~】

She then smiled and said, "With the help of a 'knight and prince' like Sensei, even a 'fallen princess' like me, destined for a bad ending, will have a happy one, right?"

"Of course."

Amamiya gave a proper knightly salute and said sincerely, "I will always stay by Princess's side until Princess decides to end her journey."

I sensed a sense of relief emanating from Weihua...

[COOP Improvement!]

【Seizono Mika (Romance) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

[★4 Bond Skill "Call of the Stars" is now unlocked!]

Mika paused for a moment, then smiled and took the hand that Amamiya offered.

"Then, please take care of me from now on, Sen~sei☆~"

"I'm a 'good-for-nothing princess,' so shouldn't a 'perfect knight' like Sensei take extra care of me?"

The night was peaceful and serene.

After holding hands, Mika felt... that the "distance" between herself and Sensei seemed to have suddenly shortened from infinitely far to infinitely close.

The gentle touch from above her head made her close her eyes instinctively.

"Weihua, could you wrap me in your wings?"

"Eh?"

"I want to experience what it feels like to be 'embraced by an angel.'"

"Hmm~ Since Sensei says so..."

"I won't let go until Sensei says stop☆~"

Chapter Sixteen: Wei Hua: So what is our relationship now?

The Great Cathedral of Holy Trinity is perhaps most sacred at the moment when it is bathed in the morning light.

Standing on the balcony of a low building, feeling the warmth of the slightly tightened wings embracing her waist and the nascent pulling sensation of gravity, Amamiya felt a little terrified.

Kiwatos's pink hair really can't be judged by conventional standards...

Hoshino is like that, Mika is like that, Kuzuha is like that, and Hanaya... it's hard to say about Hanaya yet.

In general, they all possess a level of expertise that is difficult for ordinary students to reach in a certain aspect.

The pink-haired girl, flapping her other wing vigorously, was looking at Amamiya with a shy expression that suggested she didn't know what power was.

He originally intended to express his deep feelings without saying a word... but unexpectedly, it turned into an endurance competition.

Well... whether I sleep in Hinata's arms or in Mika's wings, it's still sleeping... The only difference is that Mika's embrace is more comfortable, and I don't feel the excessive pressure that Hinata does.

But there's still a feeling of... your waist being strangled and you can't breathe.

After all... the attribute of 'great strength' is shared by both Hyuga and Mika.

"sen, Sensei..."

After what she considered a tender, affectionate gaze, Mika seemed to have been filtered through the lens of a romance comic.

"I have a simple question..."

"What...what is our relationship now?"

The same problem... When dealing with some sensitive students, you have to be deliberately tactful and say something that doesn't explicitly state your opinion but actually says everything.

But for someone like Weihua who's "too prone to overthinking and getting into EMO"... it's better to be direct.

After a moment's thought, Amamiya bluntly stated, "Of course, it's a relationship between lovers."

【~???~】(Unspecified)

"...!"

For a fleeting moment, Amamiya felt the wings enveloping her suddenly tighten.

The force was so great that Amamiya lost her balance for a moment.

"Sen, Seni can say that..."

"A romantic relationship...?"

"Hehehe... I feel like a princess in a fairy tale who got a happy ending..."

Seeing that she was about to immerse herself in her own world again, and feeling somewhat unable to control herself, Amamiya helplessly reminded her, "Mihana, wings..."

Weihua was slightly startled by the reminder, then realized that she was pulling her wings too tightly, so she quickly loosened them.

"Eh? Oh... I'm sorry...!"

"Considering that there may be quite a few things to do during the day at the tea party, isn't it time to leave?"