I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The girl, whose face had been 'stabbed in the back', blushed slightly. As if she hadn't heard Amamiya's soft words, she hurriedly quickened her pace and said, "P-anyway... let's go in quickly!"

After being led into the building by Shizuko, Amamiya immediately observed the internal structure of the Onmyō-bu (the Yin-Yang Department) and came to a general conclusion: the Onmyō-bu of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) looked somewhat like a dojo or a quiet room.

Everything here feels quite ancient.

A pine tree is painted between the gaps in the internal building framework, which is constructed of wooden railings and resembles a screen.

Additionally, on the clean wall, you can see the Yin-Yang Club's activity room sign—a slightly modified Yin-Yang fish.

The overall style of the interior exudes a sense of "Zen".

"Welcome to...Sensei."

Upon entering, Shizuko wanted to call out to the members of the Yin-Yang Department, but before she could speak, a gentle, girlish voice, which sounded both deliberately slowed and naturally natural, reached Amamiya's ears first.

"I've been waiting for you for so long~"

Accompanied by the slow, deliberate tone of his voice and the sound of the screen being pushed open.

A girl in a deep blue, like a handful of summer ocean waves, appeared in his field of vision.

"A thousand lifetimes..."

Amamiya heard Shizuko's soft whisper in his ear, whether from a headache or helplessness, he couldn't tell.

Taking advantage of the brief silence, Amamiya sized up the girl with light blue hair and wine-red eyes.

It's no wonder she gives people the impression of a 'splash of waves'—besides her hair color, her clothing is also quite distinctive, a set of split-sleeve, blue and white, extra-long-sleeved haori.

The sleeves are lined with sea blue, and the hem and sleeves are decorated with sea blue wavy patterns. The 'waves' are replaced with blue petals, giving the overall look an exceptionally fresh feel.

[Assisted by: Chise Wara / Radio Waves, Mascot, Idol]

Arcana: The High Priestess

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

Amamiya: "...?"

Looking at the results of the "Third Eye's" investigation, Amamiya was momentarily confused.

He simply couldn't understand why the 'title' given by the third eye was so unique.

Radio waves, mascots, idols? Can these three keywords be connected?

While Amamiya hesitated slightly regarding the title given to the "Third Eye" and its corresponding Arcana, Shizuko asked with a puzzled look, "Did you know we were coming?"

Chise's gaze remained fixed on Amamiya, seemingly unaffected by Shizuko's doubts.

"Yes, the minister told me that two people are coming..."

At this moment, Amamiya finally 'saw' the "radio wave" in the unique, deliberately paused title of the third eye.

Faced with Shizuko's somewhat accusatory words, she showed no anger whatsoever... or rather, no obvious emotional expression whatsoever, maintaining her slow, unsteady reply: "My dear adult. And, my cunning fox."

No wonder I had to use the keyword 'radio wave' to describe her... Judging from her performance, she really is "radio wave".

Chise's words only made things worse, immediately causing Shizuko to feel ashamed.

The brown-haired girl raised her voice in embarrassment and anger: "Who are you calling a cunning fox?!"

Realizing that Amamiya was watching, she immediately suppressed her anger: "Ahem... So, where did your eternally unchanging minister with the 'I know everything' attitude go?"

Chise seemed to have been thinking about it carefully for a short while.

After blinking, she gave an even more incoherent answer to Shizuko's question: "Minister... I remember she said that black cats are better for keeping as pets..."

This was like the "answer" that "pasta needs to be mixed with No. 42 concrete," which drove Shizuko almost crazy on the spot: "I didn't ask her about her pet's preferences!"

Upon hearing the word 'pet,' the brown-haired girl seemed to make a connection: 'Could it be that the 'fox' I just mentioned was also a pet?!'

Shizuko suddenly looked at Amamiya.

In an instant, Amamiya sensed a multitude of chaotic emotions in her extremely complex gaze.

"I...I'm not Sensei's pet!"

Amamiya: "..."

He really didn't understand how the topic had turned to him.

Amamiya then looked at Chise, only to find that the seemingly eccentric 'blue-haired girl' was still staring intently at her.

Qianshi: "..."

After a few seconds of silence, Shizuko put her hand to her forehead. Not knowing what to say, she could only cough lightly and awkwardly steer the conversation back on track.

"Ahem... Anyway."

"We're not here to play with you today; we're here to see your minister."

Only then did Chise finally say something that addressed the question: "Minister... has already left for today. Please come again tomorrow..."

Her slow, deliberate speech, though devoid of emotion and formulaic, somehow managed to infuriate me.

Jingzi: "..."

She remained silent, clenching her fists, and took several deep breaths before she could finally calm herself down.

"Sensei..."

Knowing she was unlikely to get help from the Onmyo Department, she suddenly looked at Amamiya with a sense of desperation: "How about... you use your power as a 'phantom thief'?"

Chapter Thirteen Izuna: What kind of face-changing ninjutsu is this?

Shizuko's sudden, bold suggestion made Amamiya raise an eyebrow.

It seems... she truly despises those harassers from "Chimei Yizuo".

But it's understandable... After all, being harassed by random guys every day and being powerless to do anything about it... one day, he got the chance to 'overturn the chessboard'.

If it were Amamiya, she would also leave a message on the [Phantom Thief Request Channel], hoping that the phantom thief could solve everything from the root by using an extraordinary "heart-stealing" technique.

Amamiya nodded, then shook his head.

Shizuko was very puzzled by this.

What does it mean to nod and then shake your head?

Not enough information has been gathered yet?

Isn't it time yet?

Or perhaps... the methods of the phantom thief should not be known to more people?

The brown-haired, purple-eyed girl was filled with a host of questions.

She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Chise instead of asking Amamiya why she gave such an answer.

"Is the Onmyoji Department really unable to offer any help whatsoever regarding the 'Cherry Blossom Festival'?"

Chise, whose eyes were clear and calm as Shizuko cast an expectant glance at her, replied, "Yes. The minister said he can't help you."

Jingzi: "..."

Qian Shi then slowly and casually added, "However, I can give you a suggestion: go to the Cultivation Department; perhaps they can solve the problem."

Practice department?

At that time, Shizuko knew that she probably wouldn't be able to get any help from the Yin-Yang Department.

After letting out a soft sigh, she looked at Amamiya and said, "Sensei, let's... leave first."

……

"In the end... all I got was the suggestion to 'go to the training department'..."

The brown-haired girl, still unable to calm down after leaving the Yin-Yang Department, treaded her wooden clogs with a hint of resentment.

Full of confidence, I came to the Yin-Yang Department seeking help, only to be turned away and passed the buck...

Amamiya smiled and comforted the sullen Shizuko: "Don't worry, Shizuko."

"If the conventional methods fail... I will try 'other methods' to solve it."

【~???~】

Shizuko, of course, understood what Amamiya meant by "other ways".

"Well then, thank you in advance, Sensi..."

Shizuko sighed softly, grateful yet weary: "It's truly... truly kind of Sensei to go to such lengths for our 'Festival Operations Committee'..."

She didn't continue speaking, but kept her gratitude to herself for the time being.

Sensei's sincerity deserves to be reciprocated with sincerity in return...

"By the way, which club is the Cultivation Department?"

The girl, who had been slightly taken aback, snapped back to reality as Amamiya posed a question.

After gathering her thoughts, Shizuko simply described it: "Speaking of the training club, they're all pretty strange and unusual."

A 'strange' existence?

Amamiya looked thoughtfully at Shizuko, who seemed to be switching between different "business modes" every now and then, her behavior appearing somewhat "deliberate".

He teased, "As strange as Shizuko?"

【~???~】

Shizuko, who was walking beside him, was slightly taken aback: "Huh? Ah..."

Then, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she laughed it off: "Sensei, you're so annoying! What are you saying? Shizuko isn't a weirdo at all. Shizuko is the adorable mascot of Hyakuyado~"

Amamiya: "..."

Seeing that Amamiya remained silent, Shizuko's gaze shifted for a moment before she could only continue the conversation as if nothing had happened.

"The Cultivation Club is a club that always uses the title of cultivation to carry out all sorts of activities with unclear meaning."

"For example, as part of spiritual practice, some people will play jigsaw puzzles while sleeping."

"Some people talk about becoming excellent ladies, but for some reason they are fighting off the local thugs."

"Some members also said they aspire to become a Yamato Nadeshiko (ideal Japanese woman) and have heard others talk about using mind-reading abilities."

Amamiya: "..."

If Shizuko's description is indeed true, then the 'Training Club' can truly be considered "strange and peculiar".

"However, I've only heard about it; I'll have to confirm the actual situation myself..."

“Sensei… Next, I’ll go find the training department…”

Clearly, she had considered the secrecy of Amamiya's "phantom thief methods," and thus proactively offered the reason for 'retreating'.

Amamiya waved his hand: "There's no rush to use the 'phantom thief' technique now..."

"The phantom thief's power originates from the heart; it's the 'trump card of the mind,' meaning that 'if you have a wish, you will receive a strong response.' Simply put, it means that what you hold in your heart will surely resonate."

"If we use this kind of power to solve problems from the beginning, then... won't everyone gradually become lazy and complacent, thinking 'I'll just leave everything to the phantom thief,' and need the phantom thief to solve everything?"

The girl, who received a gentle gaze from Amamiya, had a complicated expression for a moment.

indeed……

In a sense, the power of a phantom thief is the last force that can be relied upon after "trying everything but failing" and "being helpless even after giving everything".

We shouldn't have the mindset of "leaving everything to the phantom thief"...

I've become lazy, so lazy!

Realizing her thoughts were distorted, the girl patted her cheeks, reminding herself: Shizuko, Shizuko…

How could you lose your sense of seriousness just because you can rely on the power of a phantom thief, and start wanting to rely on this 'special power' to solve everything?

Shizuko now understood why Amamiya nodded first and then shook her head.

—The phantom thief could indeed intervene, but definitely not now.

They must try their best first. If they are truly helpless and in dire straits, then without their pleading, the phantom thief will quietly resolve everything.

Shizuko looked up at the setting sun casting its rays at the end of the street.