I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Tsukuyo Ohno, a student of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons)...a member of the informal club "Ninjutsu Research Club," who is close to Sensei, and often appears with the club's president.

There was a special reason why I stayed in Xia Lai so late at night...

The girl, who has absolute trust in everything Amamiya says and believes that Amamiya would not have any 'unreasonable thoughts', is trying hard to find out why this student from the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons is still staying in Natsura late at night.

Based on what I know about Xia Lai, the students on duty usually return to their school in the evening. While that's fine, there's no need for them to stay so late.

Late at night, staying in Xia Lai, for a special reason... a phantom thief operation?!

As she unraveled the mystery, Gongzi had a sudden flash of inspiration, feeling as if she had grasped a thread that could see through the fog.

That's right... that's right!

If there's any legitimate reason for students to stay in Xia Lai during this time... it's the "phantom thief activity."

Late at night... is precisely the best time for the Phantom Thief of the Heart to be active.

"Sensei..."

She brushed aside her side bangs to conceal the fleeting envy that naturally crept into her gaze as she looked at Tsukuyomi. Miyako took a deep breath and calmly tried to ask, "...The reason you allowed this student from the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons to stay in Xia Lai is because of the 'Phantom Thief' activities'?"

In this respect, Miyako was indeed right.

In order to investigate the mastermind behind the 'Academy Exchange Meeting', Amamiya Shinichi, along with the Ninjutsu Research Club and Iroha and Ibuki from the Pandemonium, spent most of the day running around in the other world.

"Gongzi guessed correctly."

Since it had already been guessed, and it wasn't anything that involved excessive secrecy, Amamiya decided not to continue hiding it.

He smiled and nodded at Miyako, adding, "...As expected of the leader of the Rabbit Squad, your intelligence analysis skills are very strong."

【~???~】(Miyako)

Aside from Miyu, who shares a similar "social anxiety" with Tsukuyomi, Moe and Saki immediately cast "skeptical" or "disbelieving" glances at her.

"I have a feeling Sensei doesn't have good intentions... If we hadn't come today, would Sensei have taken advantage of the situation and done something to Tsukuyomi...?"

Saki squinted, speaking cautiously... but this caution was mostly directed at Tsukuyomi.

"I haven't been involved in any strange scandals, like 'licking students' feet' or 'using my position to grope students,' have I?"

Faced with Saki's veiled accusation, Amamiya replied irritably, "Tsukuyomi-san just has some questions because of today's exploration of the other world, and hasn't had a chance to consult me ​​yet..."

Saki was still somewhat skeptical. She crossed her arms, leaned back slightly, and thought for a moment on the sofa. Then, she suddenly remembered a classic "mantis theory"—

“Sensei, you’ve probably heard of the ‘Mantis Theory,’” Saki said, straightening up. “As a Sensei of Sharai, if you expose even one problem… it means that many more problems, riddled with holes, are hidden beneath the surface.”

Amamiya let out a soft "Ah."

"First of all, Saki shouldn't be comparing me to a praying mantis... Secondly, Saki, do you really not trust me that much?"

"It's not a matter of trust or distrust," Saki replied righteously. "After all, this concerns...your personal reputation, and various other things that are currently difficult to notice..."

Amamiya was well aware that Saki was subtly reminding him to strengthen security measures at Sharai—at least the incident where the Rabbit Squad 'easily' infiltrated Sharai and stole surveillance footage must not happen again.

Yes, so far, there have been no strange rumors about Xia Lai, such as 'beautiful female students going in and out late at night'.

But what if?

What if we accidentally leak surveillance videos, confidential documents, or other strange things?

After all, there's a good chance the Rabbit Squad will join Xia Lai in the future...

As a 'special team member' who will be with Sensei for a long time to come, Saki felt that... it was necessary for her to subtly remind him.

However, what Saki didn't know was that... in reality, the Rabbit Squad's 'infiltration plan' was riddled with flaws, thanks to Beritas's technical support for the defense of Shalai. Almost as soon as they tried to hack the surveillance cameras to cover their tracks, the app that Chihiro had installed on Amamiya's phone discovered it.

"Hehe... Sensei, you said you would never do anything weird to Tsukuyomi, who looks like she can be easily bullied..."

Moe narrowed her eyes slightly, and with a tiny movement, stuck out her pink tongue to lick away the sugar stains stuck to her lips. She paused for a moment and then continued, "But Sensei, you don't seem entirely like someone 'without desires'..."

"Following the ancient saying from the Classic of Mountains and Seas—'No one is perfect, who can be without fault?'... Even saints make mistakes, let alone a phantom thief who walks the path of desire~?"

"Sensei, even a phantom thief as principled as you... must have your own emotions and beliefs, right?"

"Regarding your personal views... may I ask a little about them?"

Moe didn't spell it out very clearly, but her intentions were already quite obvious.

After the words were spoken, the little rabbits reacted in different ways for a moment.

Tsukuyomi, who was inadvertently teased as an example by Moe, flapped her rabbit ears, timidly shrank her neck, and then nervously began to pay attention to Amamiya.

Meanwhile, Miyu recalled an incident not long ago when she was stationed on the overpass and ignored by the Rabbit Squad members, she was 'picked up' by Amamiya and taken back to Xialai, where she was inexplicably treated well and even given a new set of clothes.

Speaking of which, that should have been Sensei's first encounter with the Rabbit Squad, right?

Thinking of that gorgeous white gauze dress that would never be stained and had a special effect in the moonlight, Miyu's cheeks flushed an unnatural pale blush. Then she lowered her head and remained silent like Tsukuyomi.

Even for a student like myself who 'almost doesn't need attention,' Sensei can notice immediately and pay meticulous attention to me, caring about my feelings...

What kind of 'personal emotional concepts' does such a special and gentle Sensei have?

Although she lowered her head shyly, Miyu, like Tsukuyomi, pricked up her ears and perked up, waiting for Amamiya to speak.

The behavior of the two "socially awkward rabbits" was so obvious that Miyako and Saki immediately sat up straight and began to wait with serious expressions.

Moe, who asked the question, gave a sly smile, then her expression gradually became more meaningful.

"This..." Amamiya looked troubled. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate to talk about?"

“What’s wrong with that?” Moe chuckled. “We just want to understand Sensei better, to know more about Sensei… We’ll keep this secret safe for Sensei, and we won’t let it slip out~”

"In addition, the Federation Student Union recently updated a new 'special rule' after Sensei's arrival in Kivotos..."

After reviewing the quietly updated entries she had come across while browsing the treaty, Moe slowed her speech and read them aloud in an exceptionally impartial and calm tone.

"Article 17689: In Kivotos, it is permissible for a Sensei from Charai to form a 'romantic' relationship with a student. However, marriage is still contingent upon both parties reaching the legal age of majority."

Amamiya: "...?"

Why did the Federal Student Union update such a strange treaty?

Who made it? Rin-chan?

Or was it done by the missing president of the Federal Student Council before he disappeared?

Under the watchful eyes of several people, some subtle, some direct, and some curious, Amamiya vaguely recalled the scene of the Phantom Thieves studying at night.

At that time, in order to catch up on their studies before the exam, the members of the Phantom Thieves gathered together to tutor each other.

During their conversations, the Phantom Thieves members also discussed 'emotional concepts' in a similar manner to what they are discussing now.

At that time, Amamiya said, "I might consider getting married," a single sentence that made the hearts of the "phantom thief beauties" present, such as Okumura Haru, Sakura Futaba, and Takamaki Ann, flutter, and they thought they were the only one.

After rubbing his temples and hanging his head as if deep in thought, Amamiya, meeting the girls' varied and curious gazes, spoke earnestly: "Even if I am as 'filthy' as Saki guessed, a bad teacher who can't help but lay hands on his cute students..."

'Adorable...student...'

'Sensei, are you saying I'm cute?!'

'Hmm...?'

'Me? Cute...?'

【~???~】(Members of the Rabbit Squad)

'Eh……'

【~???~】(Yue Yong)

“Even so…” Maintaining a serious expression, Amamiya tapped the table with her index finger and said earnestly, “The target I choose to ‘attack’ will probably be Saki… or the other members of the Rabbit Squad.”

Saki, who was called out first, was stunned for a moment, then her cheeks turned bright red: "W-what?!"

She instantly jumped up, her voice rising to a crescendo, expressing her panic in the simplest way possible: "Sen, Sensi... what... what are you saying?!"

"W-Why me?!"

"because……"

Amamiya, who was being rocked back and forth by Saki, replied calmly and elegantly: "In my opinion, I have already established a certain emotional foundation with the members of the Rabbit Squad."

"No, no, no, no..."

Saki, being watched by the other three team members, panicked and stammered, "C-choose me..."

"In your eyes, I, I..."

As she stammered more and more, the short-haired girl's strong will quickly melted away: "Am I... that... that easily... to... give in...?"

Amamiya looked at Saki gently, finding it quite amusing: "What does this have to do with whether or not you submit? Isn't this 'special relationship' just a matter of mutual consent?"

"If I said right now, 'I want Saki to be my lover,' would Saki agree?"

【~???~】(Saki)

Under the increasingly solemn, even hostile, gazes of her team members, Saki, her cheeks flushed red, practically roared, "H-How could we possibly agree?!"

Even if you agree... you should ask privately and agree privately, right?!

[I felt Saki's heart flutter...]

Coopation has been improved!

【Sora Sorai (Power) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆】

[★4 Bond Ability "The Tenacity of the Old-Fashioned Bunny" is now unlocked!]

'You really are two-faced... Saki.'

Amamiya shrugged, taking Saki's refusal for granted, and said, "...If it's not 'mutual consent,' this kind of relationship can't be established, right?"

Saki opened her mouth, frozen in place, and in that instant, she felt what it meant to feel excessive regret after acting impulsively.

If I agree in the same joking tone... will I get even closer to Sensei?

Without giving her any further room to think, he ended this enchanting topic that had stirred the girls' hearts with a feigned sense of helplessness: "So... it's impossible for me to take action against the students for no reason and force them to do anything."

The moment Saki 'sternly refused' and Amamiya didn't make any further moves, Miyako visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and Moe and Miyu's expressions quickly 'turned from gloomy to partly cloudy'.

Even Tsukuyomi, who couldn't join the conversation, felt inexplicably at ease and let out a long sigh of relief.

The doorbell rang just in time, defusing the awkward situation before it became unbearable.

‘Ding dong——’

As the doorbell rang, the communicator connected to the doorbell was activated with a "buzz," and the screen immediately displayed the image of a pink-haired, fox-eared girl in a delivery uniform.

Hello~ Foxme delivery service, dedicated to serving you!

The girl on the screen smiled gently and cheerfully: "Your order of six servings of 'Tofu Skin Inari Sushi' for delivery... Would you like me to bring it upstairs for you?"

The delivery person was Nicole?

Amamiya raised an eyebrow, keenly sensing Nicole's 'ulterior motives'.

Logically speaking, the members of the Fox Squad shouldn't have fallen so low as to run a food delivery business or work as delivery drivers...

Even if it's a disguise, they could actually choose to disguise themselves like the thousand-year-old "C&C," by operating a "maid café that is not open to the public," a way that doesn't require entertaining customers.

Nicole's arrival at this time... probably has a special purpose, like the Rabbit Squad, right?

Realizing the situation, Amamiya immediately went to the paging device and greeted Nico.

"Nicole... bring the takeout up."

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Wicked Caesar...

Lately, Xia Lai seems to have been seeing nothing but rabbits and foxes.

The pink-haired, fox-eared girl maintained a maternal smile, carrying a bento box filled with inari sushi. As she pushed open the nearly destroyed gate of Shalai, which had been blown up by the Rabbit Squad members, a fleeting sense of absurdity arose in Amamiya's mind—

Have I been having too much contact with students who have 'animal ears/animal tails' lately?

"Sensei..."

"This is the six-person serving of Inari sushi you ordered. Please check it."

The moment Nicole entered, she noticed the various 'oddities' in Xia Lai's office.

Around midnight, the younger members of the Rabbit Squad gathered, their expressions revealing a range of emotions: some were embarrassed and confused (Saki), some had profound thoughts (Moe), some were hesitant to speak (Miyu), and some were quiet and reserved (Miyako).

The room door was clearly blown open by a small explosive device, and the floor was charred black, with the lingering smell of the small explosive device not yet completely dissipated.