I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Her name is Azuko Shirai, and she is also a member of this squad."

[Assistant: Azuko Shirai / A victim who perished in the disaster]

[Arcana: Hope (L'espérance)]

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

'Hope...?'

I was surprised to finally see one that was decent enough...

No, you could even say it's the best card in this squad.

Amamiya slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

"So... Saori-san, is there something you need my help with?"

After glancing around at her companions, Saori nodded firmly.

"There's something I'd like to ask Sensei for help with..."

"I want you to... steal our hearts."

Chapter Thirty-Four: If you do this, I'm going to give Three Kingdoms Kill a good review.

"I want you to... steal our hearts."

After a final moment of hesitation, Saori finally removed her mask, raised her head slightly, and spoke those words in a slow but firm tone.

'...'

"Steal your hearts?"

Amamiya repeated the sentence in surprise.

In an instant, he seemed to recall the period when he lived in Leblanc, and the sudden action that Futaba Sakura took after learning of the existence of the Phantom Thieves.

It's not only bad people who can possess the [Hall of Fame].

There are also many 'special beings' who, due to various other reasons, are bound by their inner world and are trapped in their past and unable to escape, and who have their own sanctuary.

Sakura Futaba is a prime example of this.

Unlike the 'bad people' Amamiya had encountered before, she had a reason for being in the palace, but because of her complicated and tangled past, she found it difficult to face her true self.

"If I understand correctly... Saori, you want... to let me into your inner world and steal your inner desires?"

"……Um."

With a complex "hmm," Saori's gaze remained calm as she continued, "Sensei... if there were a way to 'turn a bad person into a good one overnight'... then steal our hearts and make us... better."

Amamiya neither agreed nor refused.

He looked around at the girls, some anxious, some expectant, and some sighing with relief, trying to find some subtle clues in them.

"why?"

"If you want me to 'steal your heart,' you should at least give a reason."

Unable to get a response from them, Amamiya looked up at the sky, then turned to look at the Xialai Building in the distance.

"The purpose of the 'Federal Student Council - Xia Lai' is to mediate disputes and do something for the students. I do not ask that you immediately place your complete trust in me after you get to know me."

"But if you... need me to solve your problems, at least describe them clearly, right?"

"To 'steal a heart,' one needs to truly understand the other person's inner world before having the opportunity to infiltrate and steal their desires."

……indeed.

Expecting the other party to solve the problem without clearly explaining what the problem is... is simply wishful thinking.

Even if the other party truly has the power to resolve the problem... it would be incredibly foolish to keep running into obstacles because of our vague statements.

“…Okay, Sensei.”

After confirming her companions' glances and subtle movements and taking their opinions into consideration, Saori finally sat down on another park bench nearby, took off her baseball cap, and, mimicking Amamiya's earlier action, looked up at the azure sky.

“Sensei…you should know about ‘Trinity College’, right?”

Amamiya raised an eyebrow, glancing at the other three who had also found a place to temporarily place their tactical equipment and were leaning against each other to rest, before looking at Saori.

“Trinity... I went there not long ago because I needed to meet a student I know who was recently active at Trinity. However, I haven’t had a chance to visit some of Trinity’s main clubs yet—such as the Tea Party and the Justice Fulfillment Committee.”

For some reason, Saori seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after hearing Amamiya express such 'awareness'.

"So...Sensei, have you ever heard of the 'Arius Branch School'?"

Amamiya nodded without hesitation—he hadn't heard of it, but he knew about it from the [Déjà Vu] bond ability that came with the guild leader.

After the bond ability of "Déjà Vu" was enhanced by the new ability "Adversity Deception", Amamiya learned more about the secrets of this world, as well as various common sense and knowledge.

Among these, information about the [Arius Branch School] is prominently featured.

Perhaps due to the 'cognitive influence' brought about by the president's bond skill, Amamiya also learned some things that even the president himself might not know.

The way bond skills are 'acquired' and 'activated' is actually quite 'unreasonable'.

Occasionally, she would suddenly learn "unbelievable skills," and Amamiya would use these skills at will.

Part of the reason for this is that Amamiya himself is a "free spirit" with the ability to have a thousand faces.

The other reason... is rather special. In a sense, 'Bond Skills' can be considered as Amamiya half-learning and half-stealing them from the people who provide Bond Skills... or rather, from their 'inner world'.

As the relationship between the assistant and Amamiya deepens, it means that the assistant's defenses are gradually broken down, and Amamiya then unintentionally reveals the 'collective unconscious' or 'individual subconscious'.

Then, these 'specialties' belonging to the assistants were condensed into special 'bond skills'.

In every sense, Amamiya was actually obtaining information from the "collective unconscious of all mankind"—in other words, uncovering the inner secrets of all the "intelligent beings" living in this world?

With so many intelligent beings in this world, there must be some who remember everything and keep secrets.

Unless all intelligent life has truly become extinct and there has been a break in the line of civilization, there is no absolutely accurate secret information that Amamiya cannot uncover.

Through his incredible "déjà vu" bond ability, Amamiya is able to learn about the 'secret past' of the Arius branch school.

“Since Sensei knows about the Arios branch campus, then he should also know something about… our story.”

Clearly, when Saori says "we," she is not referring to the four women present, but rather to the "Arian students" who are similar to them.

"If you could make us 'repent once and for all'..."

"Please, steal the 'heart' of this academy that is now so twisted..."

At this point, Saori lowered her head, her eyes reflecting the night with a resolute determination called 'self-sacrifice'.

"...Just like what you did to the Kaiser Group."

Amamiya did not reply immediately, but instead frowned slightly and began to think.

The situation between Gersena and Trinity is currently unclear...

Thinking about the Eden Treaty, Amamiya had a premonition.

—A premonition that something bad is bound to happen with the "Eden Treaty".

The treaty has a grace period of several months, which provides an excellent opportunity for investigation.

Some ancient sayings in the Classic of Mountains and Seas are quite apt.

"Things must be planned slowly; haste makes waste."

"With grain stored in Tongchuan, the campaign against Wu must proceed cautiously, step by step."

Step by step, haste makes waste, proceed cautiously... Aren't there enough idioms that symbolize 'seeking victory through stability' and 'accumulating strength in advance and striking at the right time'?

"How about this……"

After much deliberation, Amamiya nodded in agreement to Saori's 'request'.

“I will… I will steal desire at the most crucial moment, just like I did with the Caesar Group when it stole from the black market.”

Saori clearly understood Amamiya's 'hint'.

'The most critical moment'.

What else could it be?

It must be the signing of the "Eden Treaty".

As for why this particular time was chosen...

Saori tried to imagine it herself, and then she thought it might be because 'the closer to the critical point of a matter, the more urgent the target of the stolen heart will be, and the easier it will be to steal the heart.'

"Oh right... Saori, and Hiyori, Misaki, and Akiko."

After getting up from the park bench, Amamiya waved to the girls who seemed to have rekindled some hope.

"If you have nowhere to go for the time being, you can also use the excuse of reconnaissance to stay in the vicinity of Xialai."

"Currently, Xia Lai is still procuring, replacing, and constructing various equipment. We will reserve activity space and temporary accommodation for you later."

【~???~】(from Saori)

【~???~】(from Azuko)

【~??~】(from Misaki; Hiyori)

“Especially Saori… While it’s not time to start planning an operation immediately, we must begin gathering the necessary intelligence. I hope you understand what I’m saying.”

"……I see."

[...I sensed a hint of trust from Saori.]

Cooperative status has been improved!

【Spindle-front yarn weaving (high tower) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

[★2 Ability Unlocked!]

【★2·Determination to Protect: Having sensed Saori's heartfelt 'desire to protect,' and having learned the 'will to protect' from her, perhaps I can try to apply some of the bond skills that work on me to others in another way...】

[Assistant's Profile: Captain of Arios's Squad, an elite member of the academy. She exudes a cold and aloof aura, yet seems to possess an inner naiveté. What dark past does this 'powerful' and 'unique' woman harbor?]

"So... let's talk about the 'commission' next."

Chapter Thirty-Five: I acknowledge the professional competence of the yarn weaving team.

Saori took out a stack of paper documents and handed them to Amamiya.

“Sensei, as per your request, here is some information I’ve gathered about the black market… I’ve tried to select and streamline the information that is most relevant to current events.”

Amamiya took it and glanced through it.

Then he couldn't help but marvel at Saori's 'professional skills'.

She is truly "dedicated and hardworking"...

The "request" I made at the time was actually just a "welfare distribution method that would be acceptable to the other party".

As it turned out, Saori had actually collected so much rare and valuable information...

It even gave Amamiya the feeling that "spending those 100,000 credits was well worth it".

Amamiya remained silent as she flipped through the documents, and the girls who were with Saori also kept quiet. So, for a short time, the only sound in the park that afternoon was the rustling of papers turning.

"I've gathered all the intelligence..."

Amamiya took out a folder specifically for holding documents from her shoulder bag, carefully clipped them together, and then continued, "The information Saori provided is all of 'special value'..."

"Based on the usefulness of the information Saori provided, I will send you the 'final payment' along with the 'additional payment' later... Although I would like to say that, I don't have any liquid funds on hand at the moment."

"How about this……"

Amamiya reached into her shoulder bag again and finally pulled out a money-changing tool that had a distinctly otherworldly feel to it.

It is an exquisitely crafted golden moon artwork—the kind that looks exceptionally valuable.

"This is an artwork called 'Golden Moon,' which I brought from a world outside of Kiwatos. In this world, it should fetch a considerable sum... My minimum estimate for it is around 500,000 credits."

Amamiya tossed the dazzling golden moon to Saori.