I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Realizing that if she continued to remain silent, she would only be caught red-handed climbing out of the closet, Yuzu had no choice but to timidly speak up amidst the silence: "Sensei... have you arrived...?"

Thinking that Futaba's initial level of autism was 'no less' than Yuzu's current level... Amamiya's puzzlement and speechlessness gradually subsided.

With an eye that could be described as having seen countless people, Amamiya clearly saw that this game department head, who possessed the "Hermit" Arcana, had a lot of potential for... I mean, for further growth.

Futaba Sakura was initially so withdrawn that she wouldn't even leave the house, but she eventually grew into a quirky and charming girl with a "girlfriend vibe," even though she still had some communication problems.

"Yuzu... I'm not that scary, am I?"

Thinking it over, Amamiya, who had originally intended to ask Momoi and Midori where they had gone, changed her words at the last minute and said helplessly, "...I feel a little sad that Yuzu is 'refusing to see me' like this..."

"Is my aura really that scary? Why won't Yuzu come out and face me?"

'Well……'

The metal cabinet trembled slightly, and Yuzu, who was only one door away from Amamiya, felt a pang of guilt from Amamiya's words.

One second... two seconds... one minute.

With a creak, the cabinet door was gently pushed open.

The timid red-haired girl peeked cautiously out of the closet, and only after confirming that there was 'no danger' did she breathe a sigh of relief and leave her 'haven' in her padded slippers.

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

"Woo..."

Seemingly unsure how to express or describe it, Yuzu lowered her head slightly, looking quite troubled. After pondering for a moment, she finally said, "Sensei... to me... is a very gentle person..."

"I didn't mean to distance myself from Sensei... it's just, just a little bit..."

"Maybe it's because...it's more comfortable and makes me feel safer when I'm alone in the closet...or something like that..."

Amamiya: ...

The number of extraordinary people who have lived for thousands of years is also increasing.

That celebrity, Hiyori, is lazy and wants to maintain her public image, so she spends all her time in a smart wheelchair...

As for Yuzu Hanaoka, she felt safer in the closet, so she stayed in the closet all the time.

"That's it..."

With his gaze fixed on the cabinet, which seemed to have been specially modified by the girl, with an added layer of warm fleece padding for winter and other 'stickers' and such, Amamiya stroked his chin and nodded thoughtfully.

"By the way... where are Momoi and Midori?"

Seemingly feeling a little embarrassed, Yuzu paused for a moment before explaining in a slightly apologetic low voice, "They... went to... the club meeting in my place... they should be back soon..."

It was probably a mobilization meeting about funding allocation and something like the "Millennium Grand Prix".

However... as a minister, being so socially awkward that even his department members have to attend meetings on his behalf is indeed a bit... tragic.

The girl in front of me was clearly not the type I could easily start talking to.

After a brief silence between them, Amamiya had to take the initiative to start a conversation: "Yuzu, do you like playing games?"

Amamiya asked a completely pointless and stupid question.

But sometimes, it's these kinds of 'silly questions' that are needed to break the ice.

Yuzu nodded calmly and gently: "I... I like... I especially like RPG adventure games... fighting games... and music games..."

Upon hearing this, Amamiya looked intrigued: "I see... Then I feel like Yuzu and I can find some common ground. I also really like games and am a loyal gamer."

Under the girl's increasingly bright gaze, Amamiya continued with great interest, "For me... 'clearing the game' and 'achieving all achievements,' or rather... the 'Platinum Trophy,' are aspects that I absolutely have to try..."

"Especially after reading through the game development and testing personnel's acknowledgements without skipping any sections, and finally seeing the 'And You' thank you at the end..."

"And the game producer's words, 'Thank you so much for playing my game,' were truly touching."

【~???~】

"Uh-huh……"

Yuzu, who seemed unable to find a suitable moment to speak, finally nodded with a rather sympathetic expression.

“Indeed… as Sensei said… that feeling… is very comfortable.”

"When you say goodbye to your friends after finishing a story... it's like saying goodbye to a group of real friends who actually existed."

This is not something that can be negotiated or discussed normally.

Amamiya chuckled inwardly, then looked around the game club room before finding a controller nearby.

"It should be a while before Momoi and Midori come back, right? Yuzu, how about we play a game that can be played in two-player co-op or two-player versus mode in the meantime?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Amamiya felt a sudden... queen-like chill emanating from the red-haired girl who had been so gentle and introverted just a moment ago.

"Okay... so what games can Sensei play..."

Yuzu picked up her special controller with great fighting spirit and began skillfully searching for cartridges in the room.

"The game department has the KOF series; the Fatal Fury series; the Samurai Shodown series... the Guilty Gear series..."

While searching, she rattled off a long list of well-known fighting game series, as if reciting a menu.

"Then let's try the 'KO One Ni Liu Yao Jian 2 Jiu Er F' series..."

Amamiya stretched his hands, which had become exceptionally nimble due to his activities as a phantom thief, and began a fighting game match with Yuzu.

His gaming skills are, to be honest, quite impressive.

After all, he had learned some gaming skills from the "super player" (Shinya Oda) and also enjoyed playing games in his spare time.

However... this 'not bad' is only comparable to Yuzu's 'unserious state' in terms of her beauty.

After winning a few rounds, Amamiya was sweating profusely as he played.

As Yuzu gradually gets serious, Amamiya even has to use his "Third Eye" for assistance and prediction in order to maintain a 'evenly matched' game with Yuzu.

When Yuzu goes all out... Amamiya could still continue, but he felt that relying on more [Bond Skills] to cheat was really too embarrassing.

He's not so badly defeated that he can't afford to lose.

After Iori Yagami, whom I controlled, and Kyo Kusanagi, whom Yuzu controlled, emptied their health bars and defeated them, Amamiya decisively gave up all operations, put down the controller, and raised his hands to indicate that he was not going to continue.

"Phew... I didn't know Yuzu was so good at games."

【~???~】

"Sensei is... also very impressive..."

"We must fight with all our might to win..."

As the saying goes, "Fighting is the best regulator of relationships."

Whether fighting side by side or 'as enemies'.

After a few simple rounds of fighting games, Amamiya clearly felt that the 'alienation' from Yuzu had eased considerably.

"The games I played with Yuzu today... I didn't feel like I had enough. Speaking of which, since Yuzu also likes RPGs... how about we play some older RPGs that I brought from Giwatos sometime later? What do you say?"

Yuzu's eyes suddenly lit up, as if a supernova had been ignited.

She stared intently at Amamiya with her bright, sparkling eyes, saying nothing, but her expression clearly asked, "Is it true?"

...A game from outside of Kiwatos.

What will it actually be like?

Seeing that Yuzu didn't react, Amamiya repeated, "Yuzu, would you like to be my gaming partner?"

Realizing what had happened, she quickly nodded.

"Okay, okay..."

[...I sensed the anticipation emanating from Yuzu.]

I am you...you are me.

Here you receive a new covenant.

[As the saying goes, "Break through destruction to find the wings of resistance."]

Here you are bathed in the light of hope and blessed. You have obtained a fragment of the ultimate mystery of the "Hermit"...

[To further propel us toward the future...]

……

[Coopetition restrictions have been lifted!]

【Hanaoka Yuzu (The Hermit): ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

【★Skill 1 is now unlocked!】

【★1·The Game Queen's Secret Techniques】

[The Game Queen's Secret Technique: Learned by observing Yuzu's attack patterns, key control actions, and gaming skills... This special 'game technique' can enhance your gaming talent and skills in any game and reduce the error rate.]

[Assistant's Profile: The head of the game development department, a strange girl known as the 'Lonely Game Queen'... She seems to possess an astonishing talent for games, as well as a deep love and dedication to them.]

I've decided to discuss some other types of games with her...

"So, what's next..."

Amamiya was about to say something when she heard the door behind her creak open.

At the same time, Momoi's exceptionally lively and highly recognizable voice also came through.

"Phew~ That pointless meeting is finally over... Games~ Games~ I can't wait to play the game!"

Immediately following was Xiao Lü's surprised and astonished voice.

"...Huh? Sen, Sensei...?!"

Chapter Thirty-Two: Cyber ​​Cats Are Cats Too!

"...Huh? Sen, Sensei...?!"

Her emerald green eyes flickered with doubt and worry, shifting between Amamiya and Yuzu before Midori's momentary surprise gradually subsided.

"...Did Sensei come to the game club to check out the 'demo' we created?"

Amamiya nodded, thinking to himself that it wasn't just for the demo; the game club's "ruin exploration" also needed to begin as soon as possible...

Realizing Amamiya's purpose in coming, Momoi immediately came over, displaying a smug and proud demeanor as if presenting a treasure, and ran confidently to Amamiya's side.

"Hehehe... Well then, Sensei, please take a look~~~ at this!"

"Persona demo!"

Under the gaze of Midori, filled with surprise, pain, and disbelief, Momoi, in her excitement, grabbed Amamiya's right hand and dragged him to a nearby next-generation console.

"Regarding the concept of this game... After receiving script support from Sensei, we have temporarily developed two platforms for the sake of expressiveness and multi-platform compatibility... One platform is the [PlayStation] version, while the other utilizes the latest [virtual reality game] technology, supported by the millennia-old Beritas."

When it comes to games, Momoi's enthusiasm and acumen have improved by more than one level.

With a slightly speechless expression on Amamiya's face, she first gestured for Amamiya to sit cross-legged on the spot with a gesture that was almost like hugging her from behind. After Amamiya did so, she patted Amamiya's shoulders, indicating that Amamiya should wait in place for a moment.

"Wait, Sensei is a guest from the games club, big sister, you..."

After ignoring the protests from Little Green, Momoi temporarily unplugged two controllers from several other next-generation consoles and connected them to the PS game console.

"Sensei, this is our demo result on the [PlayStation] platform..."

As Momoi spoke, she sat down next to Amamiya in a duck-like posture, picked up the main controller herself, and handed the secondary controller to Amamiya.

After the screen was activated, a game selection page familiar to Amamiya popped up.

Momoi then controlled the main controller and moved the cursor to the Persona icon, which featured a red demon and the Phantom Thief Gentleman logo.

After a brief blackout, Amamiya saw an area that was very familiar to him—

Shibuya, Tokyo, the alleyway of Shigenjaya, and Leblanc Cafe.

"The game's protagonist model uses Sensei's personal image... but with some slight modifications..."

Amamiya took a look at 'himself' on the screen.