I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Yes." Amamiya nodded, then gestured to Rin with her eyes, "Is this okay?"

“Of course you can…” Rin pushed up her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses carrying a hint of 'dark urgency', “You can go ahead and do it… let everyone personally experience your command and deployment abilities.”

Judging from her behavior, Amamiya knew that... this 'advisor' was still angry.

Whether it was a challenge to her authority or the disruption of her prior arrangements... in short, there were many reasons that made her 'angry' at this moment.

"..."

Amamiya said nothing more, but quickly scanned the entire battlefield with his [Third Eye].

In the gloomy, sketch-like gray world, Amamiya 'saw' the dangers marked by his [Third Eye]; hiding places; the best path; the source of the danger; and the next absolutely safe zone...

These different factors are marked with various highlighted color blocks in the world of "The Third Eye".

"Although we did not strike first... the advantage is on our side."

As Amamiya spoke, she placed one hand on her cheek, making a gesture that might seem chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur) to outsiders—'arrogantly covering her face with one hand'.

'call--'

His clothes fluttered without wind, then were scorched by clusters of eerie blue flames that appeared out of nowhere.

In the blink of an eye, the originally ordinary clothes were transformed into a jet-black swallowtail butler's uniform.

The large glasses that completely covered her 'beautiful to the point of being bewitching' were also burned by this dark blue flame into a single gold-rimmed lens that matched the butler's uniform.

A fierce hurricane swirled around him, enveloping him.

The terrifying whirlwind and flames drew the attention of the 'students' who were preparing for battle.

What kind of power is that?!

The once clear sky suddenly became overcast, with lightning and thunder.

The rumbling thunder and storm became a harbinger of the 'Demon King's' appearance.

"PSONA—!!!"

"I am you, and you are me... Come..."

"Satanyal!"

Chapter 8 Rin: Where did Sensei learn her command skills?

"Psona—Come, Satanyal!"

Clusters of eerie blue flames burned fiercely, as the sky was shrouded in darkness, rumbling thunder and heavy clouds filled the air—and the heretical demon king with jet-black wings slowly descended upon the world.

It was a kind of grandeur and majesty that was difficult to describe in ordinary words.

Wearing a crown symbolizing authority, and holding a rifle embodying the seven deadly sins, always ready to hunt down gods.

The enormous, jet-black shadow holding a hunting rifle descended from the overcast sky amidst flashes of lightning and thunder, finally landing behind Amamiya and shrinking to its 'normal size' relative to Amamiya.

【psona - Satanyal (Arcana: The Fool of the World)】

[Introduction: A heretical archangel. Said to be the form of Satan, the king of demons, before his fall. He is God's unknown second son and a "those who disobey God."]

It is said that He broke the covenant that "God made mankind worship Him," bringing free will and chaos to humankind.

"That...that is..."

None of the 'students' present could have predicted that this 'sensei,' who had only recently arrived in Xialai, would possess such a 'special' ability.

"Satanyal...Ready!"

"Sensei... what is this...?"

Even Rin hadn't expected that Amamiya would suddenly come up with such a strange 'power system'. She pushed up her glasses, her eyes, reflecting the Demon King's imposing figure, were filled with shock.

"A power called 'Persona'... I'll explain that later."

As Amamiya spoke, he slowly raised the God of Destruction in his hand and pointed the platinum-colored 'toy gun' at the battlefield not far away.

"Satanyal—Rise up in fiery passion!"

Contrary to everyone's expectations, the Demon King's giant shadow did not raise its disproportionately large gunblade to fire, nor did it flap its wings to unleash dazzling "magic," nor did it use its jet-black feathers to unleash the "Demon's Judgment."

He simply raised his other free hand and slowly made a 'one-handed fist' gesture.

But with such a simple action, beams of red, green, and blue light were projected from His clenched fist, accurately landing on the five 'students,' including Rin.

The blood is boiling.

Emotions are running high.

The fire is burning.

The Demon King bestowed his 'blessing,' and then, under the gazes of the five 'students' filled with astonishment, disbelief, and surprise, his figure swayed and transformed into a cluster of ghostly blue flames, returning to Amamiya's cheek and reverting to the seemingly ordinary monocle.

"Everyone, the real battle is about to begin."

As Amamiya spoke, he was already raising his hand to aim at the target.

“Next, I will use another method that only you can see to ‘guide’ your behavior in a cascading manner.”

"Psona! Ariadne!"

"The Line of Ariadne".

【psona - Ariadne (Arcana: Destiny)】

[Introduction: In classical mythology, the daughter of Minos, King of Crete, used a ball of thread to help the warrior Theseus solve the labyrinth, ultimately leading to Theseus's slaying of the Minotaur.]

Ariadne's ball of thread thus became the lifeline and destiny thread that could solve the labyrinth and provide 'guidance'.

Invisible 'guiding lines' appeared in everyone's field of vision. In an instant, shortcuts to avoid the enemy; cover to evade attacks; the best shooting angles; the most suitable support angles... everything became exposed under the control of 'fate'.

At this moment, the five girls entangled by the 'Ariadne's Threads' did not feel powerless against their fate; instead, they felt an unusual sense of ease—as if they could easily escape the 'maze' simply by following the guidance of the 'threads'.

"The best angle to dodge the first wave of attacks is here, Hasumi. Your best firing angle is the cover in that direction. See it? It's the high ground over there."

"Suzumi, go to this position and be prepared to provide support and harass."

"Yuka, the main pressure of the first wave of enemy attacks will fall on you... But don't worry, I'll provide you with 'navigation' and try to reduce the pressure on you..."

"Chika, stand by for now. I will give further instructions based on the battle situation when the battle 'officially begins'."

"Prepare to engage the enemy. The first wave of fire from the enemy target is predicted to be the most intense... Everyone prepare to proceed with further operations as instructed."

The girls seemed somewhat 'unclear' at first. However, they still followed Amamiya's instructions and began their operation.

Amamiya's 'command style' was different from what they had imagined—they thought that Amamiya's so-called 'command' was just issuing a simple tactical order and then letting them carry it out.

However, it is not.

Amamiya's 'command' was so detailed that it almost reached the point of 'clearly arranging what to do at every step'.

After giving his instructions, Amamiya let out a soft sigh.

Everything has been arranged... The next question is whether we will be "one move ahead" or "several moves ahead".

As for the consequences of this arrangement... we'll find out soon.

As it turns out... the wealth of wisdom and experience accumulated during the battles in the Amemiya other world was not wasted.

With Amamiya's real-time navigation, Yuka and her three companions, who were already elites among elites, not only defeated 'targets' several times or even ten times their number, but also simultaneously achieved an unprecedented and unparalleled feat of remaining unscathed.

Although Amamiya often held the platinum-painted "God of Destruction" in his hand, he hardly fired any shots, spending the entire time providing 'real-time support' to the four girls.

In the ever-changing battlefield of the streets and alleys, Amamiya can even make judgments such as 'avoid attack', 'reload', 'attack', 'auxiliary shooting', and 'cross attack' dozens of seconds in advance.

If it's a command system comprised of a few people and some near-future-level technology, then producing such "battlefield foresight" is actually quite normal.

After all, an excellent commander can make the best tactical judgments and arrangements even ten hours or several days in advance.

But Amamiya accomplished all of this alone, without any technological assistance.

At the same time, he methodically arranged the actions of the four people according to the changes in the battle situation, and the whole process was incredibly accurate... Even until the moment the battle ended, no 'our personnel' suffered any damage.

From Rin's perspective, who didn't participate in the battle but only stayed by Amamiya's side as an observer, providing equipment support and protection...

For a fleeting moment, Rin seemed to see the shadow of a fierce and wise "female chess player" behind Amamiya, and the starry sky behind that shadow.

Like a female general strategizing, she moves the pieces, anticipates the enemy's moves several, even dozens of moves ahead, and makes arrangements accordingly.

Rin seemed to hear the female general suddenly smile amidst the intense 'battle,' holding the 'King' piece, her eyes suddenly sharpening.

'In this way...'

As she said this, with a 'smack', she placed her chess piece on the opponent's last piece with the force of a crashing wave.

'Checkmate'

Snapping out of her illusion, Rin heard Amamiya's lighthearted encouragement.

"Battle over. All targets are temporarily incapacitated. Thank you for your hard work, everyone."

Rin adjusted her glasses and only approached Amamiya after confirming that Amamiya had finished her 'command'.

The mature and intellectual 'advisor' leaned forward slightly, looking at Amamiya with a hint of hesitation, revealing her curiosity for the first time.

Before she could ask her question, Amamiya spoke up first: "Where did you learn my 'command skills'?"

Rin frowned slightly, looking somewhat conflicted. After a brief pause, she nodded gently, acknowledging her 'doubt'.

In her view, it was already incredible that Sensei had some 'battlefield experience'...

What exactly is the "ability" released by that strange "persona"?

What exactly is this terrifying 'scheduling capability'?

She had many questions in her mind... but it seemed that the only ones she could ask at the moment were those related to 'command ability'.

“My talent and ability to command were learned from a ‘female chess player’ before I came to Kivotos,” Amamiya said with a smile. “Her name was Togo Ichifumi, and she was a chess player I respected.”

"I integrated the shogi tactics I learned from her with battle command, and it became a set of... self-contained command abilities."

[Assistant: Hifumi Togo / The female Go player in the church]

Arcana: The Star (XV. The Star)

[Assistance Capability: Togo System]

[A command system that utilizes shogi tactics to their fullest potential, enabling strategic planning and flexible maneuvering. Those who master this system can, like the player wielding a chess piece, comprehensively monitor and understand the entire battlefield situation and make precise, preemptive reactions.]

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, Rin commented on Amamiya's words and the command ability he demonstrated: "...Incredible, but it is indeed a very efficient and unique command system."

【~???~】

After she finished speaking, three blue eighth notes appeared above her head.

No wonder she could vaguely 'see' the shadow of a female chess player... It turns out that this command system was learned from that female chess player?

What makes it so unique is that it's not actually a true 'tactical maneuver,' but rather a special method of command derived from shogi tactics...

As Rin reflected on all the novel experiences she had had since meeting this peculiar 'sensei', her curiosity about Amamiya grew, and she gradually calmed down.

She looked at the [Federal Investigation Department - Sharai] headquarters building, which was now almost within reach, and said in a declarative tone, "The first wave of enemies has been eliminated. Let's continue, Sensei?"

"Ah."

Chapter Nine: Wakazama: I've formed a bond with my teacher; there's no going back...

After the brief 'firefight' ended, the girls gradually returned and gathered around Amamiya.

It is often said that 'sharing hardships together is the best glue for building trust'... and that is indeed true.

If not long ago, their impression of 'sensei' was merely out of politeness and awe at being 'appointed' by the Federal Student Council...

Now, their words contain far more than a little bit of "sincerity".

Regardless of this 'sensei''s direct combat ability... just her ability to control the battle situation, as well as her calm and composed demeanor, is enough to make them look at this new 'sensei' with new respect.

After an extremely brief silence, the [Priestess] smoothed her perfectly styled flaxen hair and praised in a rather 'mysterious' tone, "Truly worthy of being called Sensei... Under your command, we suffered not a single injury..."

【~???~】