I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Gathering around the light screen, which resembled a magic circle and was composed of mystical elements, the little rabbits intently observed the scene that seemed to have been written down.

Then... the white-haired girl, who was the captain, turned sinister at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"how so……"

"The members of the Fox team actually joined Xia Lai right away, and they even..."

"The Rabbit team is still persevering, but why have their predecessors already..."

Saki, who had intended to complain, felt a biting winter wind and a damp, chilly feeling wash over her.

She opened her mouth, but ultimately wisely chose to remain silent.

"The perseverance of our predecessors... then we..."

Moe could see that Miyako was acting strangely, but she still had to say something sarcastic.

"Sigh~ Anyway, what's done is done. Those seniors from the Fox team have already joined Xia Lai before us..."

"As expected of a senior, he handled even this kind of thing quite decisively..."

"Moreover, the same sentence, spoken by a senior member of Team Fox, sounded like a tender yet arrogant declaration of love; a single sentence could actually have two meanings..."

Gongzi stiffly raised her head, but her eyes, hidden in the shadow of her bangs, gleamed slightly.

She suddenly looked at Moe, who was making sarcastic remarks.

But Moe isn't afraid at all.

"Just looking at me like that won't solve anything..."

"Now that things have come to this, let's think about what to do next."

As she spoke, she glanced subtly at Miyu, who had already started eating.

Miyu shrank back, trying to further minimize her presence.

"Yes……"

Miyako suppressed her terrifying expression, which resembled that of a killer rabbit, and became exceptionally calm.

"Rabbit Team, it's time to think about what's next..."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Point of the Name of the Cross

After preparing a sumptuous breakfast for the members of the Fox team to 'welcome them back,' Amamiya began to deal with the various official matters that had started to come from the Federation Student Council.

This is different from the simple 'official business' of the past.

Recent official documents will include a number of reports and summaries on disaster phenomena, such as the Kiwatos anomaly investigation report and weather reports, which Rin has collected.

For now, it is tentatively called "The End," or, according to the Tarot, the "Judgment" of Giovanni is only just beginning to unfold.

However, its scale is now considerable.

Even a moment's carelessness could lead to a terrible mistake...

"Brain, Hod, Chesed, Geburah, Hokma..."

Occasionally, these survey reports reveal keywords that seem very familiar, evoking images of a company or library in a neighboring, people-oriented city…

Ok.

These keywords are not exclusive to that company or that library.

"The Ten Points of the Tree of Life..."

This brings us back to the series of investigations and associations we had previously made regarding the Huaye Temple.

Pulling the latest investigation report out of the mountain of documents sent by Rin, Amamiya frowned and pondered for a moment before placing it in a locked drawer in her office, as usual.

Having completed a day's work in half a day, Amamiya didn't get up. After stretching in her chair, she comfortably lay back and pushed up her glasses.

Seeing his relaxed expression, as if he had just finished his daily work, the long-awaited duty girl for the day—a cat nun who, despite being a cat, possessed a unique charm that straddled the line between youthful innocence and maturity, surpassing that of most foxes—tentatively spoke softly:

"Sen, Sensi... have you finished all your work?"

Amamiya got up and went to Mary's side, gently pinching her cheek, which often seemed pitiful but also possessed a special charm. Then, amidst her slightly biting lip, seemingly at a loss yet enjoying expression, he pinched the cat ears on her head that trembled slightly due to her emotional fluctuations.

"Well, I finished today's work quickly, so I can finally spend more time with Mary."

【~???~】(Mary)

“I’m glad Sensei would say that…”

As her cat ears were being kneaded, the girl's expression was no longer as flustered as when they first met.

Even... some felt at ease with it.

Even with such slight mutual care during the "establishment of a special relationship" with Sensei, I still feel good for several days in a row, and continuously feel a warm and smooth feeling like honey...

Such a 'despicable' version of myself, I must really be a bad kid.

I wish I could spend more time with Sensei...

A thought that felt 'sinful' to her and required repentance surfaced in her mind, and Mary smiled with her eyes half-closed.

"The design for the Sisters' idol costumes has been finalized. Lady Sakurako requests that you visit the Sisters to seek your opinion..."

"In addition, there are questions regarding 'dance'..."

As expected, it's about 'idols' again...

Amamiya was not surprised at all and casually asked, "The nun's idol outfits are already finished... As expected, they chose 'black' idol outfits?"

"Hmm... Lady Sakura said that black suits the impression that 'nun' gives to outsiders, so..."

Under her influence, Serena's preference for idol outfits is probably more towards white.

Will a 'black and white idol' system be created in the future?

The color scheme seems pretty appealing...

"Mary mainly wanted to ask about 'dance' this time?"

While her ears were being touched, Mary seemed somewhat conflicted, or rather, confused.

"Hmm, Sensei... what are your thoughts on 'dance'?"

If 'idol costume design' is barely within her common sense, then 'dance' is something she has absolutely no experience with.

The nuns of the Sisters' Order are usually very disciplined. Let alone getting close to them, even trying to learn about them out of personal interest could lead to trouble if discovered.

Most nuns also do not need to 'dance' at all.

Mary, who was being patted on the head, couldn't think of any images or students related to 'dance', so she could only cast a somewhat helpless look at Amamiya with a faint mist over her eyes.

In the dance category, Amamiya did indeed think of a suitable target—Utahara.

The lead dancer of the Akawa Grand Festival, and that set of support dances, seem to have been devised by Utahara... It should be easy to go to Utahara to learn about that kind of knowledge and get her opinion.

However, I've already taken Celina to the engineering department once to ask for their help, just to avoid any misunderstandings that might arise if Mary overhears and says, "Why is Sensei bringing a cute Trinity student here to ask for help again?"

Amamiya felt that they couldn't take advantage of the engineering department.

Do I still recognize that student... whose tag includes 'good at dancing,' or who is very likely good at dancing?

The first thing that came to Amamiya's mind was the festival's operating committee for the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons).

Both Shizuko and Haika, who are 'idols', should have exceptional dance talent.

After all, the reason why Shizuko's idol image could be successfully cultivated, and why Hyakuyado could have Shizuko as its "mascot" as its face, was not simply because she was cute.

Thinking of Shizuko, Amamiya recalled the various novels she had read before coming to Kivotos.

One particularly unique type of Japanese fantasy novel is the one with the same basic plot: "The female protagonist is transported to a Japanese fantasy world as a princess, where she conquers the other world with her etiquette and knowledge and lives a slow-paced life."

Hmm...that's pretty outrageous.

A modern high school girl travels back in time and can easily defeat the etiquette system of a civilization that has developed for thousands of years in another world.

The origin of this kind of novel is even more outrageous—it is derived from the plot of "the female protagonist travels to the past to become a favored concubine in the harem and compete for the emperor's favor" in online novels.

Amamiya really didn't understand how a modern person could travel back in time and crush the ancients.

Based on that little bit of fake knowledge in his belly?

Or is it based on that so-called unconventional and maverick style of doing things, and 'performance art' like modern song and dance?

In the arts, can one compete with a noble lady who has to learn the six arts and eight refinements, and who has been learning aristocratic etiquette since childhood, mastering every aspect of speech and temperament?

The main reason Amamiya thought of this was because Shizuko was the kind of professional that 'transmigrators couldn't defeat no matter how hard they tried'.

If Hyakya-do's business were really just because "Shizuko is cute," then stores that "find a cute student as their storefront and then imitate her business" would have already sprung up everywhere in the Hyakki Yagyō area.

Shizuko is cute, but cuteness is merely the basic requirement for her to become the 'Hyakuya-do's mascot'.

"Regarding dance..."

Amamiya originally intended to implement the suggestion of 'Hyakuyado', but after thinking about it, she realized that the Classic of Mountains and Seas might also be a good option?

The most important thing about the Classic of Mountains and Seas is its 'foundation'.

Perhaps the sect leader herself was not good at dancing due to her previous poor health, but she was able to quickly find a student in the Classic of Mountains and Seas who knew how to dance, thanks to her extensive network of connections.

Another one is the art of the Wild Hunt.

Amamiya didn't know how well Eri had connections, but Wild Hunt, after all, had a lot of 'art students' there.

Even if Eri doesn't know anyone who's good at dancing, Amamiya can take Mary along for a walk, and they should be able to run into a few students who are good at various kinds of dance.

Under Mary's gaze, Amamiya paused briefly before changing her words, saying, "There are quite a few options."

"The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, or the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Wild Hunt Art Academy... these are all places where you can explore dance styles."

Where does Mary want to go?

The question was posed to Mary, and the cat-eared nun, who had initially enjoyed the close contact, soon fell into deep thought with a troubled expression.

"Woo..."

Making a choice is difficult...

After hesitating for a while, Mary ruled out Wild Hunt first—because it was an academy right next to Ghenna.

The reason for excluding her wasn't because of any prejudice against Gehenna, but because she knew that the students at this academy seemed to be a bit... strange?

If you learn that style, your dance style will become heavy metal rock, which is the least of your worries.

The options are Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and Classic of Mountains and Seas.

However, these two academies were completely foreign to him...

"If Sensei doesn't mind the trouble, why don't you go to the Classic of Mountains and Seas..."

Chapter Thirty: Hisaki: Idol? This one looks familiar!

"Sensei..."

A black-haired girl with long, flowing black hair changed into an autumn cheongsam and raised her hand in the dappled sunlight cast between ginkgo trees.

She caught a fallen, withered ginkgo leaf, and as she turned around, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Have you ever heard this line from the Classic of Mountains and Seas...?"

"A single meeting of the golden wind and jade dew surpasses countless encounters in the mortal world."

“You…”

Her gaze briefly shifted from Amamiya to Mary, who was holding her breath as she sensed a strange aura. Hime's imposing presence seemed to soften slightly.

"...Have you already resolved those unsavory matters that are best left unsaid?"

The 'filthy things' that Fei Saki mentioned naturally refer to the various follow-up actions taken by the Federal Student Association.

Valkyrie has entered the process of reopening the school, and the various universities that have contributed should be able to notice and catch the news immediately.

Amamiya nodded in agreement with Himeki's guess, but did not give a detailed answer.