I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The club room in Xia Lai.

After taking in the clean and tidy environment of the club office with a fresh and curious look, Noah immediately fixed his gaze on Amamiya.

"Noah, shouldn't we finish our meal before we start 'getting down to business'?"

Amamiya watched as this 'literary girl' pulled out a small notebook from somewhere, looking as if she had been prepared all along. Amamiya was both curious and a little puzzled.

"I'm more interested in Sensei's 'past story of the phantom thief' than 'enjoying the bento box'~"

Noah naturally felt the sentiment behind the bento box, as well as the "warmth" that seemed to be conveyed to the holder just by holding it in her hand. However, in order to maintain her usual gentle and graceful image, she did not choose to eat it on the spot like the engineering department.

—If, like the engineering department, someone inadvertently loses their composure, then it would be a case of 'more harm than good'.

"Perhaps... the 'spiritual nourishment' that Sensei provides is more novel to me."

So she said.

"Alright... let's get straight to the point."

Realizing that he might not be able to see how this 'literary girl' ate elegantly, Amamiya didn't press the matter further. Instead, he began to gather his thoughts and figure out where to start.

Normally, the story of Amamiya would definitely start from the point where he was falsely accused after doing a good deed, and then, for various reasons, he was labeled and had to live in Shibuya, Tokyo.

But...

If we really start talking from here, it might have some impact on Amamiya's personal reputation.

It's worth noting that Amamiya's first "villain" was none other than the "physical education teacher"—Kamoshida.

The mastermind behind the "Castle of Lust," a physical education teacher who covets the students and even assaults them...

The main reason for the hesitation in starting here is that Amamiya is a little scared.

They were worried that if the game were released and became a hit by chance or for other reasons, the students at Giwatos would then associate him with the identity of 'Kamoshida'.

Then rumors will spread that 'many students are being held captive in Xia Lai's basement,' 'Xia Lai's Sensei harasses the students every day,' 'he licks the students' feet,' and so on...

Well, for a "phantom thief," such rumors are quite unseemly and should be avoided as much as possible... right?

Once integrity starts to crumble, there's truly no going back...

After much deliberation, Amamiya decided... not to start with the story of Kamoshida.

Some games do this anyway—they release a prequel when the team is all set and the story has progressed to a certain extent, allowing players to learn about the characters and world-building through the main story. Then, based on players' curiosity, they release a prequel to complete the story.

After much deliberation, Amamiya ultimately chose to begin his story from the point after the events of "Shibuya, Tokyo, Shigenjaya," when he had reached a point where he was "fully accomplished in all five dimensions."

After considering this, Amamiya ultimately decided against starting the story directly from the beginning.

"I won't start directly from the beginning of the story. Instead, I'll begin in the 'middle' of the story, where the Phantom Thieves have finished one adventure and started another."

Noah, who had already begun to take notes, lowered his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashing in them.

"Well then, Sensei, please begin."

After giving a soft "hmm," Amamiya lowered her voice and began to narrate: "The story begins with the 'mental breakdown incident'..."

The story begins after the events following "the false god - Yaldabait".

After reclaiming the world from the false gods and being imprisoned as a 'witness' to prove Shido's stain on justice, Amamiya was quickly 'bailed' because of her deep bond with the people she had helped.

After skipping over the "Valentine's Day Nine-Ship Jumping Shura Field Incident" and the "White Valentine's Day Incident," which could not be told to Noah at all, Amamiya began to tell the 'core of the story' in detail.

Since then, the "Phantom Thieves" have been targeted by the National Security Bureau. Almost every suspected member of the Phantom Thieves, Yue-Yi@伊陵壹?七五玖咝_蹴紦, has been under close and covert surveillance.

Amamiya temporarily bid farewell to his companions at that time, returned to the countryside, and lived there for a period of time.

However, during this period, in the real world, there were also special phenomena that seemed to be caused by "bad guys suddenly repenting" and manipulation of human minds... The Metropolitan Police Department and the National Security Bureau therefore suspected that these were all done by the Phantom Thieves.

During summer vacation, the members of the Phantom Thieves reunite at Leblanc Cafe in order to spend a memorable summer together...

'Artificial Intelligence Emma...'

'A blue velvet room…'

'Lavenda, the blonde girl who guards the Velvet Room…'

Under Emma's "guidance," I participated in the activities of a teenage idol group called [Hiiragi Alice]...

'As a result of Emma's friend-adding function, they underwent "other-world navigation" and entered that other world constructed from the collective unconscious of people's hearts... a prison.'

'Then, just as he was preparing to explore the otherworldly palace and steal desires, he was ambushed and captured, brought before [Hiiragi Alice] in that other world…'

After being beaten up, he was thrown into the "underground junkyard" located beneath the hall, where he found a strange black cube...

'Out of curiosity, I touched it anyway...'

As the question "What would you like me to become?" was asked, the black cube gradually changed...

The black cube eventually transformed into an AI girl named "Sophia."

Following her navigation, after finally overcoming a multitude of shadows, they returned to the real world…

As Amamiya narrated, Noah organized these narratives into keywords, and then, relying on his writing skills and imagination, he added some 'details' to this record of events. Gradually, the story of a palace in another world was written and completed.

Before they knew it, it was already noon, and Amamiya had finally finished telling the entire 'chapter' of the story at a leisurely pace.

—All the stories about the teenage idol, Hiiragi Alice.

After letting out a soft sigh of relief, Noah tapped his notebook with the tip of his pen.

She didn't ask any questions throughout the entire process; she was a 'literary girl' who simply took notes on whatever Amamiya said. Only now has she had the chance to express her questions about the keywords she had marked.

“I’ve heard the story Sensei told… It is indeed a rather ‘wonderful’ and ‘unique’ story.”

Although he knew that these 'otherworldly stories' were just the tip of the iceberg of the vast adventure story, Noah still had a feeling that he 'understood Sensei better' thanks to his excellent empathy and literary skills.

The phantom thief's methods of stealing hearts, the adventure in another world, the monster called Shadow, the existence of Personas...

Steal desires, steal hearts, and make them repent...

This differs from the general description released solely through the Federal Student Association.

The 'adventure' described by the person in question truly gives one the feeling of being part of an 'epic' adventure.

"Well... I have a few more questions I'd like to ask Sensei..."

After asking a few more simple questions about 'stealing hearts' and 'the magic of Personas', Noah scribbled in his notebook, adding various settings composed of text and simple drawings.

In order to perfect the 'game script' for the game club, Amamiya answered as many of the questions Noah raised as possible.

As for those that cannot be answered?

Questions like "Sensei, what is your relationship with those 'beautiful girl phantom thieves'?" could only be glossed over or answered vaguely with clever wording.

"I see... All the basic records have been completed."

"Thank you, Sensei. You've told me a... very interesting story."

【~???~】

[I sensed Noah's growing curiosity...]

Cooperative status has been improved!

【Raw Salt Noah (Star) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

[Assistant's Profile: The seminar's scribe, and also a special 'literary girl.' After I described part of my adventure in another world, her curiosity and interest in me seem to have grown even stronger...]

“These are the stories I’ve recorded,” the white-haired girl said, handing her notebook to Amamiya. “Next, please have Sensei verify them further.”

Amamiya looked around carefully but didn't find anything that needed to be corrected.

As Noah's scribe, his records would certainly not be 'biased' due to personal subjective factors.

"Thank you, Noah."

Amamiya returned the notebook to Noah, and then casually took out a precious pen.

"To thank Noah for his 'dedicated efforts'... let's present him with this special 'high-end pen,' a reminder to himself."

A ballpoint pen...?

The cool touch when he held it made Noah wonder what the meaning of this gift from Sensei was.

Analyzing the three gifts Sensei gave to Yuka... the gifts Sensei gave either had some unknown stories behind them or came with some special effects.

Perhaps... this pen that I'm giving myself now also holds a story that only Sensei knows?

Seeing Noah deep in thought as he took the pen, Amamiya smiled and casually remarked, "Just as Noah thought... this pen does indeed contain a special story."

"In short... this is the story of a once-lost 'street speaker,' a 'populist politician.'"

“This pen was once a man’s most treasured possession. He passed it on to me, along with the beliefs it embodied, as a reminder to me. And now… I entrust it to Noah for safekeeping.”

"As for the story here... let's leave it for next time."

Noah's disappointment lasted only a moment.

Then she realized that perhaps the story behind the pen that had fallen into her hands was far more profound than she had imagined.

It's so heavy that it might take a whole morning to finish talking about it.

'Perhaps... this is another story that will take a long time to tell.'

【~???~】

'...It firmly grasped Noah's heart!'

After carefully putting away this 'special gift,' the girl regained her flawless smile.

"Thank you, Sensei... I'll be looking forward to the story behind this pen."

"I hope that at that time you will... tell me seriously."

"Regarding this copy... I will try to refine it as much as possible, and reorganize it before this evening and hand it over to Sensei."

"Please stay tuned."

Chapter Nine Noah: Yuka, we're rehearsing!

"So... today's 'renovation project' is now complete."

After letting out a soft sigh, the engineering department head, Kahara, who had been busy all day, announced the 'dismissal' of the other two members who had done just as much work but showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

"Now it's free time... Everyone is free to do whatever they want."

As the sun sets, the pale golden afterglow carries a hint of warmth, but there is no warmth at all.

After saying these words as the sun set, Kahara could clearly sense that the two members seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, while simultaneously plotting their own schemes.

After scanning the room with her bright purple eyes, Utahara noticed that her teammates were still full of energy, and her suspicions about the 'special breakfast' that morning were once again confirmed.

'It seems... that feeling of being protected wasn't just an illusion.'

'as well as……'

She glanced discreetly at the 'cool computing user' standing outside the 'base vehicle', holding a computer and wearing a scarf that wasn't particularly eye-catching but whose style seemed slightly out of place to her.

'She really did supervise us the whole day...'

"Is it over yet?"

“Yes,” Kahara nodded in response, “The residential area of ​​Xia Lai has been renovated. Sensei will no longer need to live in Xia Lai’s office building…”

"in addition……"

Geyuan paused deliberately, seemingly pondering the various projects he had participated in or personally verified that day.

“We have also upgraded and added equipment to the study rooms, training rooms, lounges, game centers, and other related ‘public facilities’ to some extent. At least, they should be sufficient to meet Xia Lai’s daily maintenance and other functional needs.”

Yuka pressed the calculator in her hand, and then checked the schedule again.

"At this pace, it will be completed by the afternoon of the day after tomorrow..."

With someone holding the power to allocate funds, and the seminar's accountant overseeing it, surely the engineering department wouldn't make such a bizarre modification as adding a self-destruct function to the main gate's identification system...

"Thank you all for your hard work today..."

After making a quick assessment of the progress and confirming that the engineering department hadn't made any strange modifications, Yuka stretched, her whole demeanor seemingly becoming slightly more relaxed as she 'finished her work'.

...Speaking of which, what about Noah?

According to my calculations, I should be able to put together a script that the game club can use before it gets this late, right...?