I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

After the Demon King's castle collapsed, the hero who defeated the Demon King must escape the collapsed castle within a limited time...

"Yes, this place is going to collapse."

Amamiya released her hands from Alice's cheeks, shielded her face with her forearms, and looked up at the sky, which was already beginning to crumble and looked like it could break at any moment.

The otherworld at the edge of cognition could collapse directly, just like a palace whose 'treasure has been taken'.

Or rather... this small ruin is actually 'a small temple'.

The secret treasure of the temple is 'Kei'.

Kei has been taken away in a sense, so naturally, this place will collapse.

"This place is about to collapse... Let's save what we have to say for later."

Holding the unconscious Yuzu in his arms, he then called Sophia, as well as Momoi, Midori, and Alice, who were in relatively good condition, to his side. Amamiya's mask broke again.

"Psona! Nidhogg!"

【psona-Nidhogg (Arcana: Eternal/Judgment)】

[Description: A black dragon in Norse mythology, dwelling at the base of the World Tree. Legend says it, along with countless venomous serpents, relentlessly gnaws at the roots of the World Tree, its ultimate goal being to destroy it.]

[Legend has it that it appears in the underworld—Nastrond—devouring and chewing the bodies and souls of those convicted of murder, adultery, and breaking oaths.]

[It is said that at the end of Ragnarok, it will fly out from the dark mountains in the northern part of the underworld, carrying the remains of gods and many other living beings who died in battle.]

"dragon……!!!!"

Momoi's voice was trembling with excitement.

As a fantasy RPG player... what could be more awe-inspiring than witnessing the appearance of a legendary dragon with your own eyes?!

"As promised... it's time for the 'Triumphant Dragon Return' segment. Everyone, come up here."

The enormous dragon slowly lowered its tail, carrying the four little ones from the game club onto it.

"Nidhogg...takeoff!"

The dragon flapped its wings and roared as it destroyed the underground palace, which no longer held any treasures, before soaring into the sky into the light.

……

[...has returned to the real world.]

【Thanks for your hard work. 】

Chapter Sixteen: Curiosity from Riko

The wreckage of the building and fragments of the collapsing otherworld continued to fall from the dome, landing on the dragon's back, and then being repelled by an invisible barrier just before they were about to hit the members of the game club.

The dragon roared ferociously, spewing out bursts of dragon fire with its breath, shattering the various large fragments along the ascent path, while ignoring the smaller pieces.

This 'escape towards the light' can be both long and short.

By the time Momoi and Midori came to their senses, they were already standing outside the game club's activity room.

The persistent fatigue coursing through Momoi's body told her that everything they had experienced was not a 'dream'...

The mechanical wreckage lying at their feet, along with various strange 'loot', clearly showed the group that they had recently... experienced an exceptionally thrilling 'treasure hunt adventure' in another world.

Standing there, Momoi, whose brain's CPU was practically overheating, remained motionless for a while before finally realizing just how magnificent and epic her adventure had been that day, one that could be recorded in a heroic epic.

My blood is boiling...!

Alongside a trembling sense of lingering fear comes a profound and unforgettable exhilaration, akin to surviving a catastrophe, yet entirely different: the feeling of confronting an epic story head-on, even participating in it personally.

"Wow... So exciting, so exciting!"

"We must make this part of the story into the most exquisite CG and present it!"

Momoi jumped up excitedly and then hugged Amamiya, who was still holding the unconscious Yuzu, from the side and behind.

"elder sister……"

Naturally, Momoi's slightly 'overstepping' actions immediately caught Midori's attention, followed by her 'protest' and dissatisfaction.

After letting out a slightly helpless sigh, Xiao Lü didn't say much. Instead, taking into account the fact that there were unconscious and injured people, she immediately opened the door to the game development department's club activity room.

Upon opening the door, I found myself in an area filled with various game merchandise and other odds and ends, creating a retro yet slightly cluttered atmosphere...

Xiao Lü even felt as if she had entered an absolutely safe house...

This feeling of "peace of mind".

"Sensei... Yuzu, is she alright?"

After entering the club activity room and finding some temporary blankets to lay on the floor, making a makeshift 'floor bed', Midori returned to Amamiya's side with great concern, looking at Yuzu who seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.

"Won't……"

Amamiya gently shook her head, softening her tone and manner: "Yuzu... she just fell asleep because she was too tired..."

"This level of physical and mental exertion is quite a challenge for her..."

"Let her rest like this."

After placing Yuzu on the makeshift bed that Green had laid out, Amamiya then covered the 'sleeping' Yuzu with a blanket.

After making a 'shush' gesture to Alice, Midori, and Momoi, Amamiya immediately lowered her voice further and gave very gentle instructions.

"It's not just pomelos, everyone needs a rest."

"Let's stop here for today."

And so, Amamiya bid farewell to the four little ones in the game development department in a 'soft voice' and embarked on his journey back to Xia Lai.

As time goes by, the season in Kivotos seems to have finally turned into the gradually chilly winter.

'I wonder when... this world will finally see a real snowfall.'

Looking up at the clear, unobstructed blue sky of dusk, Amamiya sighed with a touch of anticipation.

Perhaps due to personal factors... compared to the scorching summer days of July, Amamiya prefers, and likes, sitting on the balcony watching the snow-covered landscape outside the window, holding a cup of coffee and feeling the quiet winter world outside the window.

—Since most of today was spent driving around in the other world and exploring the underground labyrinth, it's unlikely that Amamiya will be able to continue meeting up with his assistant to deepen their bond.

Even so, before officially ending the day, Amamiya still checked her phone to see if she had received any new messages.

[Nero: The 'thing' provided by Sensei has been delivered to Rion.]

What was immediately visible was a message from the 'small, fierce maid' whom Amamiya had met before, symbolizing a report on the mission's progress.

[Saori: Regarding the recent situation...]

'...'

Hina: Sensei, do you have time lately...?

Hina: It seems the Pandemonium needs Sensei's contact... The Pandemonium's secretary, Motomiya Chiaki, came to the Disciplinary Committee today...

……Um?

Pandemonium...

Upon seeing the message from Hina, Amamiya frowned and pondered for a moment.

Come to think of it, the Pandemonium was actually Ghenna's, nominally a 'student council' organization.

But maybe it's because I've had a lot of contact with the members of the Disciplinary Committee... I always feel that the Disciplinary Committee is the one that's truly legitimate.

Haruna: Sensei, I've heard you're quite talented in 'cooking skills'...

Haruna: Would you like to chat with our 'Food Research Club'?

This is... a friend added through a 'friend card' forwarded by Fengxiang?

It is indeed necessary to make contact with those special students in the Food Research Society.

[Hifumi: Sensei...are you free lately?]

[Hifumi: I'd like to talk to Sensei about the problems the tutoring club is facing...]

'...'

[Utahara: Regarding the recent inventions from the Engineering Department...]

'...'

[Aru: Sensei, do you have time to come to the convenience store? (Current location of the convenience store attached)]

……

Similar news stories are countless.

'The world I came into contact with... gradually became more lively...'

Looking at the messages from these students, Amamiya felt a strange sense of accomplishment.

With these thoughts in mind, Amamiya was about to turn off her phone.

Suddenly, the message interface refreshed itself, and a dialog box popped up like some kind of 'rogue pop-up'.

[Himari: Sensei, how's the progress in the other world?]

[Himari: Do you have time to chat?]

Amamiya paused slightly in her grip on her phone, and after a brief hesitation, she opened the message from Himari.

[Riju: [Short video.mp4]]

Amamiya clicked on the short video that Himari sent her, which was no more than 10 seconds long—the scene in the video was quite interesting.

The time stamp is from not long ago, and the photographed interior is...

That is, the moment Amamiya appeared with the four members of the Game Club directly from the corridor outside the Game Club activity room.

[Himari: Sensei... Do you have time to talk about 'this'?]

Chapter Seventeen: Riko's Warning

Upon seeing the 'short video' sent by Himiko, Amamiya frowned.

Himari knows some things about the 'other world'...

Why would she deliberately extract such a frequency band and then forward it to herself?

Are you curious about certain aspects of activities in another world and want to learn more?

Or...

The sender wasn't Riko at all?

Is the other party just using Riju's account to try and arrange to meet him?

Regardless, since the other party has forwarded such a video, Amamiya feels it's necessary to go and take a look at the Special Phenomena Investigation Department.

So, instead of returning to the Rain Palace in Xialai, they turned around and went to the Special Phenomena Investigation Department, which had been around for a thousand years.

After all, they are both located in the same academy, and the Game Club and the Special Phenomena Investigation Club are not far apart.

Amamiya walked for only a short while before arriving at the ground floor of another event building.

Perhaps considering that Amamiya wasn't a first-time visitor, Himari didn't have Amy meet her downstairs beforehand. Instead, she remotely activated the barrier when Amamiya arrived downstairs, allowing Amamiya to enter the building directly.

The club activity room is still the same familiar room... After all, it's only been a few days, so there won't be much change here.

The door was unlocked, and it seemed to have been left slightly ajar, as if deliberately waiting for the 'arranged person' to arrive.

Standing at the door of the club activity room, Amamiya gently pushed the door open and, by the blue light emitted from the blue-green screen, was able to see the scene inside the club activity room, which seemed to have a slightly different art style.

Good evening, Sensei.

Himari, seemingly enjoying tea while seated in her smart wheelchair, heard a slight opening of the door and...

She actually stood up very gracefully and elegantly, then bowed slightly forward, like a noble lady, and gave Amamiya a slight nod and a 'skirt-lifting bow'.

Thinking back to how she was in a wheelchair the whole time during their last 'encounter'... and comparing that to Himari's 'strange' behavior now, Amamiya felt a strange sense of unease.

Seemingly sensing the surprise on Amamiya's face, the 'genius beauty' exuded an even stronger air of 'elegant pride' on her fair and delicate cheeks.

"Heh...Sensei, your current behavior is...surprising to someone who is the [top genius pure and beautiful girl at the pinnacle of the Millennium Academy], isn't it?"

Leaning back slightly and comfortably settling back into her smart wheelchair, Riju's light purple eyes held an ambiguous, seemingly self-deprecating glint.