I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"I will summarize my listening experience and personal opinions today and hand them over to Captain Mina."

Amamiya smiled and patted Serina's head.

"That's good."

【~???~】

[I sensed the complex emotions emanating from Serena...]

[COOP Improvement!]

【Serina Washimi (Bleach) ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆】

[★5 Bond Skill "Guardian Angel" is now unlocked!]

Amamiya was genuinely surprised to see the newly unlocked bond skills.

It actually involves a completely new healing skill related to the "soul"... 200 million guillotines

Healing abilities that can heal the soul and soothe the spirit are undoubtedly extremely powerful and rare.

how so?

Because whether from a realistic perspective or from a game design standpoint, this ability is extremely...

[Supermodel].

From a game design perspective, healing is very cheap.

Forget about having to search for them after completing the story at the beginning of the game; the health potions that players can drink an unlimited number of times are even stuffed into the player's inventory at the start of the game.

Skills that can restore health are plentiful.

From a game design perspective, 'health' is a player's renewable resource, a player's margin for error, and a fundamental element of game balance.

As for mana regeneration... that needs to be strictly limited.

After all, if health points only symbolize a player's margin for error, then mana points are directly linked to the overall gameplay, strategic depth, and other elements of the game.

Players can freely recover health, but as for recovering mana... game developers will have to consider that carefully.

This involves a key element of the basic framework of game design – “rotation”.

Based on Amemiya's experience with various games, developers might be generous with health regeneration, but they are usually stingy with mana regeneration.

Mana-restoring items are generally rarer than health-restoring items. As for mana-restoring skills... for the sake of game design balance, developers would never easily design skills that could 'reverse the meter'.

But what about from a realistic perspective?

Healing, or physical healing, is a common and relatively low-level ability.

When it comes to the ethereal realm of the spirit, almost without exception, they are all high-level abilities.

Healing the soul, soothing the spirit... in any fantasy world, this is an ability that can only be mastered by those who have reached a certain level, or even by top-tier powerhouses.

'The determination to protect others...'

'As expected of Serina.'

"It's getting late. Since we've made some progress today, let's work on the idol costumes at the nuns' quarters until they're finished..."

"Qinna, you should also think about the song."

"Hmm... I'll try my best to consider it."

Amamiya had planned to help Serina change out of her idol outfit before seeing her off... but the girl, who had been somewhat embarrassed not long ago, was now unusually assertive.

Using the subtle excuse that she needed to stay here and solidify her impression with the background music, Cinna chose to stay temporarily.

"Since Qinna needs to wait a while before leaving, shall I stay and keep Qinna company a little longer?"

"Sensei... surely there's something else you need to do?"

Just as Amamiya was about to shake his head to indicate that "nothing happened today," his phone suddenly rang.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a communication request sent by Ye Zhu.

It really is true... what you say comes true!

When Serina cast a glance your way, Amamiya let out a soft "Ah."

"Although I really wanted to stay with Qinna a little longer, it seems like..."

"It's...it's okay..."

"Sensei, go and take care of your business..."

After saying goodbye to Serina, who was acting mysteriously, Amamiya went to the karaoke corridor and answered the call from Nagisa.

After a brief distortion, an image of Ye Zhu, dressed in a Federal Student Council uniform, appeared.

"Sensei..."

After confirming the call was connected, Ye Zhu greeted him, sounding slightly tired: "Good evening..."

Even though I'm wearing the Federal Student Council uniform, I look even more tired than before...

Knowing that this was not the time for teasing, Amamiya refrained from making inappropriate jokes about Hagiri and went straight to the point.

"Ye Zhu, is there a problem with contacting us at this time?"

"Um……"

"It's a question about Huaye."

“Sensei, you should... come over here.”

Chapter Twenty-Five: Huaye Draws an SSR

Federal Student Council, the solitary confinement room of the Defense Room.

“You’ve finally arrived, Sensei.”

Through the viewing glass window, Amamiya could read a different kind of maturity and tranquility in the expression of the pink-haired girl on the other side.

But what was completely different from that maturity and tranquility were her dull and lifeless eyes, and the aura that was not shining at all.

The students' aura is inextricably linked to their own lives. As long as the aura shines, they must be in a state of clear consciousness.

If the halo flickers due to poor contact, or becomes blurry like a television screen displaying a distorted image, it means that their personal consciousness is in a special state.

A small number of students' aura changes with their emotional state—for example, when they are emotionally agitated, their speed increases and they become brighter; when they are in a bad mood, their speed decreases and they become dimmer…

The extinguishing or 'disappearing' of the halo means that they must be asleep or unconscious.

Such situations, where the person is awake but the aura is not lit, are extremely rare.

Amamiya had only witnessed similar situations when some students were sleepwalking.

However, sleepwalking is not usually like this, with eyes open, full consciousness, and free control of facial expressions and movements.

To Ye Zhu, Hua Ye's situation might seem horrifying or even unbelievable.

But Amamiya understood what was going on at a glance.

This is... a top-down account.

Just like when Alice switched to Kai, something similar to a temporary personality replacement or personality overwriting occurred.

"Yes, I came here as soon as I received Ye Zhu's message."

Amamiya sat by the viewing window, her fingers interlaced, leaning slightly forward to meet the gaze of the pink-haired girl whose expression was as calm as a lake.

"Why did you call me here at this time... [■■]?"

Ye Zhu, who was also in the visiting room, was stunned. He felt as if he had heard something, but it was as if it had been censored, and he couldn't understand the words or their meaning.

'Sensei...what on earth is he saying?'

"because……"

Huaye smiled through the viewing window, her eyes glistening with tears.

After a moment of 'misery', she immediately spoke in a dignified and solemn voice: "...After much consideration, I still intend to bid you farewell at this moment."

Did they specifically say goodbye to me...?

Amamiya changed her sitting posture, crossed her legs, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at Hanaya with slightly narrowed eyes.

He didn't speak, but listened quietly to the monologue of 'Judas'... or rather, 'Faya*Terror'.

"I thought I would always remember my mistake and longed for an opportunity to face you like this, but I was also worried that when the dream actually came true, I would be too ashamed and speechless."

"To this day, in order to prevent that unsettling day from ever returning, and to completely sever the ties that have left us without a place to call home..."

"Those emotions that I once tried to piece together, but which kept breaking and slipping away from my fingers like fine sand...

"Now... I have finished picking it up."

"My life ends here, and my mission... also ends here."

"So...Sensei."

She sighed deeply: "I shouldn't be saying this... but I'll still give you this special advice. If possible... please discipline 'me' more in the future."

Ye Zhu was somewhat puzzled, but before she could recover from Hua Ye's series of philosophical and riddle-like words, she witnessed an even more unbelievable scene.

For a fleeting moment, light and shadow distorted around Huaye, making her appear as if she had transformed into someone else... someone who seemed more mature?

She had long, straight pink hair, a princess cut style, and her white Federal Student Council uniform was stained with blood. Almost half of her body had marks that looked like she had been burned and dried bloodstains.

Ye Zhu blinked, wondering if she was seeing things—but after checking again and again, she was still certain that what she was seeing was not an 'illusion'.

Hua Ye truly underwent this strange change, as if she had become a completely different person...

But what exactly is going on?

Is this what "repentance" means?

Only after seeing this point did Amamiya take out the "golden apple" that he had prepared beforehand.

"Now... I am about to 'archive'. I hope this..."

"These 'files,' which may not be worth looking at for Sensei, can at least do something in a small way."

"Archiving", "files"...

Thinking of the various student files that Alona usually had to handle, Amamiya's eyes flickered slightly.

Is she trying to use specific keywords to remind herself of something she's not comfortable saying in a very direct way?

Amamiya opened the viewing window and handed the "golden apple" to Hanaya. Hanaya naturally reached out and took it, then immediately opened her mouth and took a bite.

A delicate apple aroma wafted out, and the apple, which had only been bitten once, transformed into tiny specks of light that lingered around her.

The light enveloped the flower in a ring, and then quickly dissipated.

In Ye Zhu's eyes, it was as if the blood-stained, nearly fragmented "phantom image that was very similar to Hua Ye" had been removed and repaired to some extent.

...It looks a lot like getting a dental filling?

After thinking for a while, Ye Zhu confirmed the situation in front of him in a way that he could understand.

The phantom that resembled Huaye was already in ruins.

The 'golden apple' did not help her heal... but rather further shattered her, even depriving her of the possibility of growing normally again.

But as the 'price,' the 'golden apple,' like a filling for a tooth, filled in the broken parts of this phantom.

The clothes stained with blood and burn marks were instantly clean and new, and the messy long hair was also tied up again. In just that one moment, Hua Ye gave Ye Zhu a very 'cool' feeling, and even a feeling that her professional ability was better than his own.

Close your eyes, then open them again.

Hua Ye looked around with a somewhat bewildered expression, but she quickly grasped the situation based on her surroundings.

"Hmm... Repentance, solitary confinement, so that's how it is..."

"It failed... but that's a good thing."

She gave a wry, low laugh.

"I was originally planning to improvise something like, 'Federal Student Council President Hihana Shiranui, synchronization successful! Sensei, from now on I will be the force that paves your way forward…'... I was going to take a line from a character's script."

"It depends on the situation... there's no need for that."

Ye Zhu: "..."