I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Kiwatos Honeymoon Paradise Guide..."; "Communication is an Art"; "The Complete Guide to Universal Dating Techniques..."

Is Nomiya already... fast-forwarding into planning their married life?

Noticing the sound of the door opening, the blonde girl, who was focused on reading, quickly closed the book that was tucked inside the folder, and then looked up towards the doorway.

After noticing what was happening outside the door, she was initially pleasantly surprised, but then became even more confused.

"Oh~ Eh? Sensei?"

"what……"

Naturally, Nomiya noticed Serina and Mary standing outside the door, their clothing bearing strong regional characteristics.

'A student from Trinity College...'

Why did Sensei bring Trinity students here?

'It can't be because of something like transferring schools, right...'

The unrealistic thought flashed through his mind, and Nomiya stood up gracefully, greeting everyone with a friendly demeanor.

"Welcome, Sensei, and... um? Guests from Holy Trinity~"

"I'm Nomiya Izayoi, a member of the Abydos Countermeasures Committee~ Welcome to Abydos~!"

To be honest... when Nomiya, who can be 'occasionally a bit off-key,' truly adopts a dignified social demeanor, the aura she exudes is something that the other members of the Strategy Committee, no matter how hard they try, cannot match.

After all, Nomiya can be considered a true 'rich heiress'.

Nomiya's 'enthusiasm' was just right; it was neither too bland, which would make Serina and Mary feel bad, nor too enthusiastic, which would make them uncomfortable.

"Nice to meet you. I am Seraphim Washimi, a member of the Holy Trinity Knights of Salvation."

“From the Holy Trinity Sisters, my name is Elizabeth Illomary… nice to meet you.”

"So……"

After the introductions, Nomiya steered the conversation back on track: "Sensei, you brought two guests from Trinity here, is there some special request... or something?"

Amamiya pondered for a moment.

"Well... actually it's because of something about the 'idol project'."

...Idol project?

Nomiya paused for a moment, then his eyes sharpened instantly.

She warmly welcomed Amamiya and his group into the club activity room, and then, based on 'regional characteristics,' brewed a cup of black tea that, while technically unfamiliar, was made with incredibly expensive ingredients.

'As expected of Nomiya... they even prepared black tea for guests, which might be needed?'

Amamiya was secretly amazed by Nomiya's enthusiastic actions of serving tea and water.

He knew very well that although Nomiya was rich, he didn't spend money extravagantly; he would buy whatever he found interesting.

—At least, Nomiya's spending habits are far less outrageous than Yusuke's.

Yusuke is simply unable to save money; he spends as much as he has, and he always spends it in ways that leave even the Phantom Thieves bewildered.

"Perhaps I'm a little inexperienced... I haven't been a good host☆~"

After pouring the tea, Nomiya immediately adopted an undisguised aura of distance, without deliberately maintaining elegance, and naturally sat down on the sofa where Amamiya was, moving closer to Amamiya.

'...'

"……?"

"Sensei... Could you tell me more about that 'idol project'?"

Amamiya had never seen her eyes so bright before... It seems she really has a strong attachment to the keyword 'idol'.

"It's like this, it concerns the school festival activities of Trinity..."

After refining his wording, Amamiya explained to her that he planned to temporarily take on the role of "idol producer" to oversee the idol project for Trinity's school festival and was now there to gather feedback.

“I see… So it’s because I mentioned ‘idols’ before that Sensei thought of me?”

【~???~】(Nomiya)

'To remember every single detail of each other's activities...I'm a little touched?'

"Does Nonomiya have any clues?"

"Well..."

She narrowed her eyes slightly and pondered for a moment.

His gaze swept over the reserved Cinna and the somewhat unnatural Mary, seemingly considering what style of idol outfit would suit them best.

After considering the matter, Nomiya declared righteously, "Cute is justice!"

Serena was slightly confused: "Cute...?"

Mary's reaction was also a little unnatural: "Appearance...?"

"Hmm~ It's a little complicated to explain. The definition of 'cute' isn't just limited to appearance."

"A cute appearance is necessary, but it's secondary... As an 'idol,' the most important thing is the inner soul beneath that packaging... or something like 'Psona'?"

"The idol's mask is gorgeous, but what's important is the skill of the mask wearer."

After explaining his views in a slightly stream-of-consciousness style, Nomiya suddenly clapped his hands.

"But that's not the point of this topic, is it?"

"In short, what the two guests from Holy Trinity need is substantial support, not just conceptual support, right?"

"Abedos actually had plans to participate in the school festival of Holy Trinity."

"Furthermore, Abydos plans to involve two first-year students in this idol project..."

Considering that Serina and Mary are still around, Nomiya's explanation was somewhat 'formulaic'.

Two first-year students... isn't that Serika and Ayane?

They seem quite suitable to be idols?

"only……"

Suddenly, Nomiya changed the subject, bowing his head with a hint of regret: "There's been a small problem..."

It felt like the story stopped abruptly at a crucial point, much like watching a novel abruptly end at the perfect moment.

Gradually piqued, Cinna and Mary pressed her for more information.

"what is the problem?"

"Is it a design problem, or...?"

"No, the idol outfits have actually been designed to fit, but there's a small problem—the 'idols' who were supposed to wear these outfits have run away because they're too shy and don't want to wear them..."

Amamiya: "..."

Wow, there's even a segment about runaway idols.

He already anticipated what Nomiya was going to say next.

And the reality was exactly as expected.

"For this Trinity idol project..."

"Sensei, can you help me bring the 'runaway idols' back?"

Chapter Twenty: Hoshino, whom I recommended

"Destroy the camera with an invincible smile"

"Hiding secrets only makes him seem mysterious to others."

Even her clumsy mannerisms were perfectly within her sphere of influence.

"You are perfect, yet a liar."

"A genius-level idol~"

"Oh my savior~~Oh my saving grace~~"

On the drive back, the girls sitting in Abydos's exclusive vehicle, the "Desert Ship," listened to the singing coming from the radio in front of the car and fell silent for a moment.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Amamiya, who was in charge of driving, sensed that the atmosphere was a little off. He coughed lightly and reminded Sophia, who was in charge of the radio audio.

"Sophia, stop singing."

The phone, stuck in the bracket and displaying navigation, naturally switched screens, revealing a red-haired, twin-tailed AI girl peeking out and peering curiously at the interior of the carriage through the front-facing camera.

"Huh? Jok doesn't like this song?"

Amamiya, driving: "..."

The atmosphere felt incredibly tense. He thought to himself that it wasn't a matter of personal preference, but rather the content of the song. It might not matter much to the students of Abydos, but for Cinna and Mary, who were also in the car…

That might be considered a bit 'unorthodox'.

Seeing that Amamiya did not answer, Sophia checked the atmosphere in the car and then apologized very sincerely.

"...I'm sorry, everyone."

"When I was listening to Jok's phone, I think I heard the keyword 'idol,' so I wanted to try to share what I know with everyone..."

"Failed……"

After a brief silence, Hoshino, sitting in the passenger seat, turned slightly to the side, his expression gloomy, and cautiously scrutinized Sophia through the camera lens. Sophia's expressions were extremely varied, and she was even pitifully hugging her legs and curling up, showing no signs of AI.

"Sensei..."

After a moment's hesitation, she asked in a very 'reserved' soft voice, "This child is...?"

"I am Sophia, an AI with emotions, and my goal is to become everyone's good friend!"

AI……?

Can Kiwatos's artificial intelligence achieve this level of performance?

Hoshino felt something was off and didn't lower his guard despite Sophia's self-introduction.

Since the last 'collective first time' event, which solidified their relationship... Hoshino's "Sun" Arcana, which symbolizes the darkest yet most intense 'eclipse' attribute, has been growing stronger every day.

To put it simply, it is...

Exclusivity has increased dramatically, surged, and surged!

Increase! Increase! Increase! Increase!

At this moment, Hoshino's possessiveness was fifty times stronger than that of any other student!

With such unwavering determination, how can one possibly resist?!

Amamiya could see that Hoshino was acting strangely, and she felt helpless but also a bit at a loss.

Although it was indeed 'made up', it had nothing to do with him. The only thing to blame was the strange natural law that 'every time Hoshino tried to improve the relationship, some strange sudden phenomenon would interrupt him'.

If you put yourself in Hoshino's shoes and consider things from his perspective... even Amamiya would panic a little.

They just won't exhibit such exaggerated 'possessiveness'.

Hoshino's possessive nature was on full display—and this was one of the reasons why the atmosphere inside the car was a little awkward.

Yes, one of them.

Amamiya had a feeling that if it weren't for the presence of Serina and Mary, these two 'outsiders,' she probably would have just unbuckled her seatbelt and lay on top of herself.

The reason why Hoshino unleashed his 'possessive power' is probably mostly related to Serina.

She had the same pink hair as me, but possessed an 'angelic' aura that I could never overcome...

Hoshino didn't lash out because her possessiveness was off the charts.

The main reason why the rest of the Abydos members, as well as Mary and Cinna, remained silent...

This was because Sofia, after capturing the keyword "idol," played a series of "idol" playlists on her way back.

The playlist, composed of songs borrowed from outside Kiwatos, gave the girls a powerful and impactful experience.

Until the song called "idol" came on.