I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Or to put it more bluntly—[I like it].

Leaning on the broad shoulders of the adults, the 'Grey Wolf Girl' calmly and greedily absorbed the care from those around her, nodded.

"Thank you for your concern, Sensei. I'm fine now."

Having said that…

But I still want to rely on Sensei for even just one more second like this...

This completely different feeling, of truly finding one's own "place to belong"...

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl's little thoughts were disrupted by four pairs of bright, sparkling eyes.

"Wow—this is the awakened 'Phantom Thief' outfit?! Can...can I touch it?!"

"Sister... this is a bit impolite, isn't it..."

"The Persona...that's amazing..."

"Could you teach Alice the necessary conditions, or the secrets, to become a 'Phantom Thief of Hearts'?!"

Bai Zi, who was being stared at by four pairs of bright eyes, felt a rare sense of shyness and timidity.

Slightly bewildered, she finally straightened up and looked at Amamiya, who was sitting next to her and had been offering her his shoulder to lean on.

Amamiya stretched her shoulders, which were a little stiff from being used as a pillow, and then asked jokingly, "How does it feel to be cared for by your 'juniors'?"

"..."

“It’s… ‘strange’.”

After pondering for a while, Bai Zi finally summarized his feelings with a slightly conflicted expression.

"Cough cough..."

After clearing his throat and trying to further disrupt the somewhat delicate atmosphere, Hoshino looked up at the astronomical spectacle of the sun and moon piercing the sky, a sight that seemed to belong to another world.

"Sensei... Is it alright for us to rest in this other world like this?"

Hoshino's concerns were not unfounded.

After all... in the past, whenever any of their members completed their 'awakening,' it was essential for them to leave the other world to rest and recuperate before exploring it again another day.

And this time... is it going to start resting directly in another world?

Is there really no problem...?

"Don't worry, Hoshino," Amamiya smiled. "This is an 'absolutely safe zone'... It's fine to rest here. It's just that the 'rest efficiency' in another world will be significantly reduced."

After giving Shiroko's wolf ears, which were unusually perky with excitement, a good rub, Amamiya patted his knees and stood up.

"For the rest of the event, we don't need to fight... We just need to check the 'Tavern' for any information, and then we'll head back."

Sofia 'jumped' at just the right moment: "I've found the exact location of the 'tavern' for Jok. Shall we go together now?"

"Then I'll trouble Sophie to lead the way... But before that, let's follow the usual practice and give Shirako a code name for the operation."

As soon as Amamiya finished speaking, everyone in the group fell into deep thought.

"Jok," "Falcon," "Copain"... these codenames have very regular formats, so what about the codenames for new members...?

Amamiya tilted her head and looked at Shirako: "Shirako, do you have any thoughts?"

"Um..."

After pondering for a moment, Bai Zi calmly raised his head and uttered a single word.

"ndit," my code name.

'ndit...?'

Amamiya pondered for a moment and realized that this word was also filled with a special kind of 'dramatic color'.

This word translates to "robber".

This specifically refers to criminals who make a living by robbery in relatively desolate and remote areas.

This word carries a touch of 'drama,' and because it has romantic or chivalrous connotations, it is generally not considered derogatory.

"Then, please take care of me, ndit-senpai."

Sofia immediately waved to Bai Zi, indicating that she had memorized this special 'operation code name'.

Hoshino leaned closer, a hint of curiosity in her voice, "Speaking of which... I thought Shirako would just choose a simple code name like 'Wolf'..."

In fact, Amamiya also has a similar 'déjà vu' feeling.

While Shirako was pondering, Amamiya had a feeling that perhaps she would simply give herself the code name "Wolf".

Unexpectedly, Bai Zi's self-definition was not that of a "wolf," but rather a "bandit/robber" with the qualities of a chivalrous thief...

Shirako answered Hoshino's questions very seriously.

"I want to maintain the same format as everyone else."

Maintaining the format doesn't have to be done to this extent...

Amamiya thought to herself, "The code names of the Phantom Thieves aren't all the same length; some are long and some are short."

In short, the poor guy Yusuke Kitagawa, codenamed 'Fox', only has three letters.

If we're talking about length, Ann Takamaki's codename 'Panth' is the longest among the Phantom Thieves.

"Alright, let's head to the tavern next... and then we'll wrap up our exploration for today."

They didn't dwell too much on the 'code name' aspect.

Guided by Sofia, Amamiya and her group headed straight for the tavern in "Elidoo".

The tavern, nestled in this fantastical city, is a bright red-roofed building that seems to exude the aroma of alcohol. Its fantastical architectural style and two-story height make it stand out conspicuously in the city.

The tavern's 'door' is a standard salon door, somewhere between a fence gate and a traditional gate.

Standing outside the door, Amamiya could hear the clinking of glassware, the laughter of the guests, and the noisy conversations coming from inside the tavern.

"Wow... is this the tavern in the fantasy world...?"

"It really has the unique style of a 'fantasy world'..."

The most lively Momoi has already begun to observe her surroundings.

Aside from her, Alice, who was the most excited, looked at the building in front of her with a sense of wonder, as if she were discovering a new world.

She tugged at Yuzu's collar, her expression one of innocent curiosity, and blinked as she asked, "Can you recruit heroes in the tavern?"

Grapefruit:"……"

I don't know either. I just came here once more...

"I... I don't think that will work..."

After nervously responding to "curious Alice," Yuzu, sweating profusely, moved slightly closer to Amamiya.

Amamiya turned around, made a 'get ready' gesture to the girls following behind him, and then pushed open the door and walked in.

The moment the door was pushed open, all the noise vanished, coalescing into a deliberately elongated, melodious, and epic voice.

"Welcome back! Find a seat by the fireplace, please."

The world seemed to have been redrawn. After a brief moment of dizziness, what appeared before everyone's eyes was a lively interior scene of a 'card table and tavern'.

Amamiya and his group instinctively looked first at the person standing behind the bar who had extended the invitation.

"Huh? Huh?!"

Momoi's voice rose considerably, filled with barely concealed shock.

"Members of 'Beritas'...?!"

The person standing behind the bar was none other than Chihiro Kagami, the vice minister of "Beritas," with short hair, a dashing appearance, and an exquisite outfit that was somewhere between a bartender's uniform and a waiter's uniform but still very eye-catching.

"real or fake……"

Little Green was also surprised.

Seeing an acquaintance in another world... is just too... strange.

"Do you know Beritas?"

Chihiro, who was wiping a wine glass, paused slightly, then her gaze suddenly sharpened.

After scrutinizing Amamiya, Hoshino, Shirako, and Sophia, Chihiro in the shadows seemed to think that this group was not easy to mess with, and quickly relaxed her hostility.

"Gentlemen, what brings you to this tavern?"

The girls around Amamiya all took a half step back at the same time, focusing their attention on Amamiya.

After being stared at with various 'Sensei, please' expressions or eyes for a while, Amamiya had no choice but to step forward and negotiate.

"We want to find out some... very 'important' information."

"Oh...?" Shadow Chihiro raised an eyebrow. "Feel free to tell me..."

"If you know the name Beritas, then you should also know how outrageous our intelligence methods are."

Amamiya paused, remained silent, and after a dozen seconds of contemplation, finally spoke in a deep voice.

"I need to investigate... information about the 'Demon Lord.' Can you accept this request?"

"..."

Shadow Chihiro put down her stemmed glass, slowly pushed up her glasses, and glanced at Amamiya, who had just made a startling statement, with a new, scrutinizing look.

"This is truly an unimaginably large order... but it's not like we can't accept it."

After expressing her wishes, Chihiro tapped the table with her index finger and lowered her voice slightly before continuing.

"However, this is an enormous commission of earth-shattering scale... I cannot make the decision on my own. The commission's fee and other tedious matters still need further confirmation from the actual 'tavern owner'."

'The real...tavern owner...'

'That must be Himari from another world.'

Amamiya also 'sensibly' lowered his voice and slipped a shiny gold coin from his sleeve onto the bar.

When exactly will a response be given?

“Well…”

Without batting an eye, Chihiro accepted the gold coin. After pretending to ponder for a moment, she gave her answer.

"...It will be at the latest tomorrow."

After seemingly observing the sky outside, Chihiro further confirmed her statement: "Contacting the tavern owner using 'communication magic' will take some time. Please come back tomorrow at the latest. By then, we will give you a definite answer."

After saying that, Chihiro glanced at Amamiya and his group with a look of 'confusion'.

"Foreigners from afar... If I'm not mistaken, your goal is probably to become heroes and overthrow the Demon King, right?"

"hehe……"

"I look forward to your performance."

Chapter 57 Alice Wants to Complete the Job Change

After leaving the tavern, it was already dusk in Elidu.

This 'magical city in another world' lit up its lights at dusk, just like the ancient technology academy in the real world.

However, it is slightly different from the 'real world'. The lights in this other world seem to be created by some kind of large-scale light elemental magic or magical science. The art style is somewhere between the steam age and the modern world, but the effect is comparable to the latest technology presented by the Millennium Technology Academy.

"Is it already close to dusk...?"

Sensing the obvious change in the sky, Momoi shaded her eyes with her hand and gazed at the city scenery in the distance. Afterward, she felt a strange sense of loss, as if her adventure was about to end.

The time spent 'running around' in another world seemed to pass exceptionally quickly.

There was hardly any particular feeling before time seemed to fly from afternoon to evening...

Compared to Momoi's disappointment, Alice is still full of energy.

"Alice has gathered a lot of information... The current mission objective is to 'find the Demon King.' Next, we need to wait for a response from the tavern owner of the 'Beritas Hero Tavern'..."

As she spoke, she tilted her head, her gaze shifting back and forth between Shirako, Hoshino, Sophia, and Amamiya, trying to find common ground to solve the most crucial problem—

What are the requirements for changing to the 'Masked Thief (Phantom Thief of the Heart)' class?