I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Chapter Thirty-Nine: It's truly a case of a kitten meeting a big cat, meow meow meow meow meow!

After finishing their midday special performance of "The Phantom Thieves vs. the Shadow Sun God," the girls, who had felt both embarrassed and excited on stage, breathed a sigh of relief as they returned to their clubroom, which was decorated in a style reminiscent of a "velvet room."

"Phew... Maintaining an 'idol image' is really too difficult..."

With a wave of her hand, she dispelled her Gothic Lolita-style phantom thief outfit, reverting to her original school uniform. She pinched the slightly damp hem of her skirt and let out a soft sigh, clearly still shaken.

"If I had known that Nagisa-sama's 'performance on stage' was this intense, I shouldn't have worn pantyhose on stage..."

Softly murmuring in a voice that was just loud enough to be noticed, Hifumi, with her own little schemes, tried to get Sensei's attention.

However... her little scheme was destined to fail.

Hifumi unbuttoned the buttons near her collar and discreetly observed Amamiya's position... and then she couldn't help but feel worried.

'Is it really okay for us to be in this state...?'

'Should we help Sensei share some of the attention from the other tutoring team members to reduce Sensei's stress...?'

"Cough cough..."

She coughed twice in an attempt to attract the attention of the intrigued Hana, the serious-looking Azusa, and the wary Haru with her vertical pupils like a cat's eye. After realizing that she couldn't attract attention no matter what she did, Hifumi gave a dry laugh.

"Ah ha ha……"

After letting out a silent sigh, Hifumi tried to find another way.

"that……"

She tried to turn her attention to the left and right, wrapping each of Sensei's arms with her tail, trapping Sensei in the middle, and the two 'cats' facing each other.

"Sensei, who is this student...?"

Kaguya, still confronting Akira, didn't let go of her tail. Instead, she turned around and, as if changing her expression, put on a very friendly smile and introduced herself to the girls in the tutoring club.

"Hello everyone in the tutoring club~ I am Kaguya Urushibara, a student from the Classic of Mountains and Seas! I was invited by Sensei to come to Trinity College to experience its 'local customs and culture'!"

“I’ve heard Sensei talk about the members of the tutoring department. Sensei has high praise for you all and even said that ‘you are the best class of students he has ever taught.’ Today, it seems that you are indeed extraordinary!”

"Everyone on stage is dazzling, but offstage... there's a surprisingly down-to-earth atmosphere!"

Amamiya, caught in the middle: "..."

As expected of a student from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and a professionally trained student from the "Peking Opera Department," he speaks very eloquently.

While he doesn't possess the "bond ability" like Amamiya, which is recognized by the "Velvet Room" and allows him to subconsciously deepen people's affection for him by switching masks, he is already very close to the Fool's "unruly talent."

—Speak human language to human beings and ghost language to ghosts. By switching personas, one can build relationships and deepen bonds with all types of helpers.

This can be considered a unique ability of the "Fool".

Compared to Hifumi, who was a rough gem that required Amamiya to hire a velvet assistant and set up a special velvet room to polish, Kaguya's ability was entirely a natural talent from a performer.

"Ah ha ha……"

Hifumi smiled awkwardly but politely. Seeing that the previously tense atmosphere seemed to be breaking, she also put on a more approachable and sunny demeanor.

"Welcome to the tutoring department, Kaguya from the Classic of Mountains and Seas!"

She then looked at Amamiya: "...Although we have grown under Sensei's guidance, the rest of the tutoring club...are not yet worthy of such praise..."

"When it comes to 'the best student,' Sensei can find students who are already exceptionally talented and willing to stay by your side in every academy, right?"

After observing Amamiya for a moment, the girl noticed that Amamiya did not add to or correct Kaguya's 'praise,' which might have been exaggerated. The girl then smiled shyly and pursed her lips.

"But I'm really glad to hear that..."

【~???~】（日富美）

【~??~】(Koharu, Hanako, Azusa)

Only then did Amamiya speak with a serious expression: "Hifumi can't think that way. Every member of the tutoring club is, in my opinion, a real 'treasure.'"

“Hifumi is special…”

Amamiya turned to Hanako, Koharu, and Azusa respectively.

"Hanako too."

Hanako smiled enigmatically, her eyes half-closed.

"...Xiaochun, Xiaochun too."

Xiaochun was startled and flapped its wings wildly, exhibiting a more exaggerated stress response than the two 'cats' present.

"Sen, Sensi, could it be that you want to..."

Amamiya did not respond to Koharu's impromptu remarks, but instead exchanged glances with Azusa with a gentle and caring expression.

"Xiao Zi too."

Zi also flapped her white angel wings—but not in a way that reacted to Xiaochun's reaction; rather, she was simply excited because she had been recognized.

Turning her gaze away, Amamiya sincerely and solemnly concluded: "Everyone is my most important student."

With the support of "Voices of the Stars," Amamiya finally seized an opportunity to ease the tension and eagerly "expressed her feelings through her voice," uttering these words that, though sincere, she had to say for the sake of mediating the situation.

【~???~】

The atmosphere inside the room became tense, and then Amamiya 'saw' a large number of favorability notes sweeping out.

"..."

Those in the tutoring department who were just watching the fun and thinking about having some fun, those who were unintentional but wanted to separate because 'that kind of thing is not allowed, and those who thought it was interesting and planned to use their own wings to join in... finally all quieted down.

Akira, on the other hand, wasn't simply captivated by Amamiya's words, "Everyone is my most important student." Instead, she continued to scrutinize Kaguya with a probing gaze.

"Classic of Mountains and Seas..."

“Coming from afar from that academy…”

Jing has seen plenty of cats around Sensei.

In her view, these 'cats' posed no threat to her.

That's how the little black cat in Abydos was;

The same applies to the orange and black cats at Trinity College;

A parade of a hundred demons... Oh, there are 'cats' there, but Sensei doesn't recognize them yet.

Even those 'fake cats' (game clubs) from a thousand years ago are no match for us.

But the 'big black cat' that appeared in the Classic of Mountains and Seas really made me feel like my 'ecological status was threatened'.

"first meet."

Jing suppressed her initial hostility, but still remained quite vigilant.

She still hadn't stopped clinging to Amamiya's arm, and with the 'elegance of an art student,' introduced him softly: "...'Milia.' From the Wild Hunt Art Academy."

"The reason I am here is because... I am also a 'phantom thief' who was led onto the right path by Sensei."

Akira's 'self-introduction' made Amamiya raise an eyebrow slightly.

He revealed a name and identity that he didn't know before... Is this a fake identity, or is the phantom thief identity of 'Kiyosumi Akira' a fake identity?

Also, the art of Wild Hunt...

Amamiya thought of Eri.

Eri contacted Akira through a message forwarded by Akira from a friend... Based on this information, it can be inferred that Akira has a normal student status at Wild Hunt Art...

Also normal.

After her 'elegant' self-introduction, Jing immediately expressed her intentions.

"If you wrap your tail around Sensei, Sensei will be in a difficult position."

Kaguya chuckled softly and said, "You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish?"

“If Sensei does not refuse, then it means acquiescence.”

"Besides... even though you say that, you don't seem to have any intention of letting go of Sensei first."

Jing squinted slightly, maintaining a charming smile.

'Indeed powerful...'

Amamiya: "..."

He was quite helpless, still sandwiched between the two cats on his left and right.

I should have known...

You shouldn't have the idea of ​​'taking a cat to meet other cats'.

Students with 'cat-like' traits tend to be slightly more possessive than average students.

This attribute remains hidden when there are no students with the 'cat' attribute around.

However, once students with similar or even stronger competitiveness appear in the surrounding area, this kind of situation is particularly prone to occur...

The scene of cats hissing at each other.

Kaguya is a large black cat, while Akira is a relatively small but elegant white cat, which simultaneously confirms two laws.

'Black cat, white cat...'

'It's like a big cat seeing a little cat, meowing and meowing.'

The two cats began another round of confrontation.

As for Xiao Zi... after observing her repeatedly, she fluttered her wings, shyly tilted her head, and came to Amamiya's side, making a 'hug' gesture towards him.

Amamiya was taken aback by the territorial dispute between the two cats, and she really didn't expect Azusa to cause trouble in this situation.

Just as he was about to respond, Xiao Zi threw herself into Amamiya's arms, trying her best to wrap Amamiya in her little wings.

However, Azusa's wingspan was far smaller than that of Mika, Nagisa, and Hasumi, and even with all her might, she could only barely cover Amamiya's side.

Amamiya: "..."

Xiao Zi's hug made things even more awkward.

'Hey, Xiaozhi... doesn't she realize how serious the problem is?'

Hifumi, who was already itching to get closer, was stunned and bewildered, and then a subtle thought arose in her mind.

'Why not take this opportunity...'

Hanako, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold, taking off her outer clothes to reveal her school swimsuit.

With Xiao Zi taking the lead, no matter how strangely she followed along, there wouldn't be much to investigate afterward.

Flipping her hair, Hanako's eyes gleamed, revealing a hunter's gaze as she approached with a light laugh.

Seeing that Hanako had taken action, Hifumi, who was originally conflicted, realized the seriousness of 'seizing the opportunity'.

Following closely behind Hanako, he approached her, feeling both distressed and ashamed.

Xiaochun stood still, her mind blank from the rapidly changing scene.

After a long pause, she let out a sharp, explosive cry: "You...you...what are you doing?!"

"Stop! Stop!"

"This kind of thing is unacceptable—"

Chapter 40 Why are students becoming increasingly yandere?

It wasn't until late afternoon that the mysterious little activity of "gathering to smoke Sensei" quietly taking place in the tutoring center finally came to an end.

Having received ample energy replenishment, the girls were all radiant and glowing, like parched fields receiving rain after a long drought.

The long-parched fields were finally nourished by the rain. Though they were somewhat reluctant to leave, they still let go of the rain palace, which had been kneaded, rubbed, hugged, and even touched roughly, adhering to the principle that "good rain knows its season."