I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Chika shook her head hastily, trying to dispel the strange thought from her mind.

How could I possibly compare that disgusting 'King of Flies' to the petite and adorable Chairperson?!

"Gentlemen... let's set aside those targets who have lost their fighting ability due to fear for now, and start 'targeting' those targets who still have the strength to act."

Amamiya's words temporarily brought the girls, who were deep in thought, back to reality.

Only then did they have time to notice the situation of the formation composed of delinquent girls—

At this moment, most of these delinquent girls were deathly pale, their legs trembling, standing there clutching their guns, completely at a loss. Their pupils quivered slightly, as if even their basic ability to move had been 'gripped by the immense fear of that moment'.

Everything in the outside world seemed to have lost its meaning for them.

This time, without even needing Amamiya to give detailed instructions, Yuka, Hasumi, Chinatsu, and Suzumi were able to easily crush these delinquent girls.

— Shooting these delinquent girls who are too afraid to do anything is easier than shooting a stationary target.

They didn't even need to fire directly at the target; simply firing a warning shot into the air was enough to frighten a large number of delinquent girls into dropping their weapons, crying and crouching down in defense, or simply surrendering outright.

Rin, who hadn't participated in the battle but had only observed, watched as Yuka and the other three, who were in charge of the fight, ended the battle simply by firing warning shots and threatening fire. She even felt a little sentimental.

The knowledgeable 'advisor' lady adjusted her glasses, lowered her head slightly, and mentally reviewed the moment the 'Lord of the Flies' smiled, contrasting it with the reactions of these 'victims'—delinquent girls frozen in place by sheer terror…

The behavior of those delinquent girls is clearly that of someone who is gripped by extreme fear and whose mind has been temporarily 'destroyed' by fear.

It gives people the feeling that 'if you scare them a little more, you could definitely scare them to death'.

Rin's guess was actually completely correct.

A person experiencing extreme fear could potentially become mentally exhausted and die from cardiac arrest if they were to experience another shock.

"Another battle that was 'resolved without taking any damage'... Everyone worked hard cleaning up the battlefield."

After greeting the four girls who were cleaning up the battlefield, Amamiya looked up and glanced at the [Federal Investigation Department - Sharai] headquarters building, which was now almost within reach.

'If there are no problems, the next step should be the normal handover of power and such... I should prepare in advance.'

“The danger has been confirmed to be eliminated,” the gentle and kind 'advisor' smiled with relief, her words seemingly carrying a hint of 'getting revenge' satisfaction. “Then, Sensei… please follow me.”

Amamiya glanced at Yuka and the other three girls who were cleaning up the battlefield—none of the four girls seemed to intend to follow.

Seeing this, Amamiya decisively followed Rin's steps and entered the office building that might be where he would live in the future.

Unlike its exterior, which is almost entirely made of various types of glass and appears dazzling under the sunlight, the interior of the office building is quite deserted.

The corridor, the floor, the ceiling... everything here has a silvery-gray metallic texture, exuding an atmosphere of 'near-future technology' or 'future technology'.

Amamiya maintained a sense of novelty and freshness, trying her best to accept everything here.

Then, he followed Rin and took the elevator all the way to the building's basement.

"...Fortunately, the items were intact."

As Rin said this, she handed something to Amamiya.

"...computer/tablet?"

Chapter Eleven: Artificial Intelligence Arona? I think it's more like artificial stupidity.

"...computer/tablet?"

Amamiya was stunned for a moment when she saw the item handed to her by the 'advisor'.

The reason he paused for a moment was not because he was unfamiliar with devices like computers and tablets... it was simply because there was a huge gap between the objects he remembered and the objects in reality.

He imagined that the item representing the highest authority in Kiwatos should be some kind of magnificent treasure, such as a high-tech transforming key, or some kind of black authority card that looked incredibly high-class... something like that.

Who would have thought that the 'authority symbol' for the operation of the Kivortos College wasn't that kind of thing, but rather a seemingly ordinary flat panel...

Even this tablet doesn't look like the latest full-screen model.

In a world where holographic projection is easily achieved and various cutting-edge technologies are astonishing, a tablet that doesn't even have a full-screen display... really seems a bit "outdated".

Rin clearly sensed Amamiya's momentary surprise. She lowered her eyes slightly and explained in a somewhat incredulous tone, "It's something the student council president left for the teacher... called the 'Shittei no Hako' (Setting Box)."

She paused, then continued, "It looks like just an ordinary tablet... we actually have no idea what it is. We have no way of confirming anything about it."

I get it, it's the legendary 'black technology'.

Listening to Rin's explanation, Amamiya pondered, trying to find the feeling of 'déjà vu'.

The moment Amamiya received the tablet, which Rin called the "Shitei no Hako," from her hands, she could clearly feel a sensation as if 'the flow of information from the outside world had entered the sea of ​​her heart.'

Immediately afterwards, Amamiya felt a unique... sense of déjà vu about the [Shittei no Hako] in his hand.

He already knew the gist of everything about how the device worked, how it was turned on, and what its functions were the moment he touched it.

You learn all sorts of knowledge, skills, and even some indescribable "secret techniques" from your "helper"... In the end, you can even surpass the skills possessed by the helper themselves. This is the "privilege" of the helper bond system.

“We can’t start this tablet left by the president… However, since the president left it for you, Sensei, you should have a way to start it.” Seeing Amamiya deep in thought while holding the tablet, Rin tactfully avoided any appearance of impropriety: “My work ends here. I’ll leave the rest to you, Sensei.”

As she spoke, she walked out of the basement as quietly as possible—closing the door behind her before leaving.

Amamiya, who was sorting through the knowledge gained from the [Déjà Vu] bond ability: "..."

He had no time to pay attention to Rin's movements for the time being; he was currently trying to understand the various functions of the 'Shiting Box'.

"What we long for are those seven lamentations. We still remember the ancient rules of Jericho."

【Connection password verification successful.】

[Welcome to link to Shiting's Box, sensei.]

After the screen lit up on its own, Amamiya saw a loading screen that resembled the startup of some kind of special operating system.

To perform biometric authentication and generate a certificate, you will now be redirected to the main operating system - ARONA.

After the world before her eyes turned slightly white, Amamiya felt as if the 'world barrier' around her was dissolving, changing, and then enveloping her.

This feeling is very similar to the feeling of entering a "different world," such as an "other world," an "Impression Space," a "late-night television world," or a "shadow world," which is different from the normal world.

Amamiya did not sense any malice in this change, so she did not resist it.

The world before my eyes was as if a liquid had been stirred, distorted, and concentrated. Countless colors blended, recombine, and were recolored.

In the blink of an eye, Amamiya found herself in a classroom where the water was ankle-deep and the floor and ceiling had collapsed to varying degrees.

The sun was shining brightly, and the air carried a slight damp chill, perhaps brought by the sea breeze. Amamiya stepped onto the ground, her brows furrowed as she looked at the pale red 'ripples' that appeared beneath her feet, distorting even the floorboards.

A black trench coat reminiscent of a magician, paired with bright red cut-resistant gloves—a "symbol of resistance against distortion"—has replaced his original attire.

This is the 'subconscious reaction' of the 'Personality Manipulator' when entering the world—because subconsciously, the 'other world' harbors many dangers.

The inhabitants of those other worlds are wary of the Persona Manipulators. In order to counter the distortion of the Persona Manipulators by the inhabitants of those other worlds, the Persona Manipulators develop this strange attire as their 'armor' to resist the distortion.

Amamiya straightened up instinctively, no longer hunching over, and his tense posture instantly became agile and powerful.

Arriving at the damaged, collapsed area, Amamiya looked out...

There's not much to say about the scenery in the distance; it's mostly made up of endless school desks against the horizon. Although beautiful, it always gives people a sense of 'fragmentation'.

Amamiya then looked at the only other person in the room who was somewhat special besides herself—

It was a girl who was fast asleep, lying on her desk.

Her navy blue top and white skirt made her almost blend into this 'world of blue and white', and the white headband and hair tie tied around her light blue shoulder-length short hair didn't look out of place.

'Meow... Nya... ZZZzzzz... Strawberry milk... Delicious...'

Amamiya took a closer look and found that the girl's biological characteristics were quite obvious.

She purred softly like a cat, occasionally uttering a few disjointed words before slightly parting her lips and drooling.

From Amamiya's perspective, by simply lowering her head slightly, one could see her slightly heaving chest hidden between her arm and the desk, her delicate collarbone, and large expanses of snow-white skin.

Amamiya had no doubt that if he were willing to find a better angle, it wouldn't be impossible for him to see her slightly raised 'mysterious domain'.

But he didn't, and couldn't, do that.

Amamiya took a half step back, straightened up, and began to observe the other party using her [Third Eye].

[Assistant: Alona / The AI ​​Girl in the Box]

Arcana: The World (Damaged)

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked (☆☆☆☆☆)]

[Due to the shattering of Arcana, it can only develop to five stars until it is repaired.]

[Assistant's Profile: An AI girl residing in the 'Shiting Box,' seemingly referred to as 'Arona.' She is likely the core operating system of the Shiting Box, the most crucial element.]

'Another "world"...'

Seeing the 'World' card floating above Alona's head, which looked badly damaged, Amamiya couldn't help but think of the "Federation Student Council President" with whom he had formed a bond not long ago.

Judging solely from their appearance, Amamiya can only say that... the two are remarkably similar.

However, this proves nothing, and it does not necessarily mean that there is any relationship between "Arona" and "Federal Student Council President".

Amamiya was only slightly surprised, surprised that the "World" card had become so ubiquitous.

You must understand... "The world" signifies the end of the "Fool's Journey," meaning standing on your own two feet in this world, not being swayed by any external will, and freely controlling the destination of your future journey.

The rarity of this card cannot be described as "extremely rare".

After thinking for a moment, Amamiya decided to wake the 'AI girl' from her sleep first.

He stepped forward, took off a cut-resistant glove, and gently poked Alona's cheek.

The girl, who was fast asleep, suddenly showed annoyance at being disturbed. She pouted slightly, and her expression changed from a sweet dream to a nightmare.

'Hmm...'

After uttering a few unintelligible syllables, she shifted her calf slightly, and then...

There was no further reaction.

Amamiya: "..."

He increased the pressure slightly and poked a few more times.

"Ugh...who is it..."

The girl, whose sweet dreams had been repeatedly disturbed, seemed to have an unusually bad temper when she woke up. As soon as she got up, she started complaining in her half-asleep, groggy voice before she even opened her eyes.

Amamiya silently watched the scene of this blue and white outfit, which resembled the awakening of the 'sea spirit' of this ocean.

—As it turns out, sometimes… Sleeping Beauty’s behavior when she wakes up is far less wonderful than everyone imagines.

You might not see her long, fluttering eyelashes, nor feel her adorable, dreamy charm...

But the 'morning grumpiness' you sense and the face you see, still half-asleep and in dire need of makeup and touch-ups, are real.

"Hmm... eh?"

"Eh?! Eh?!"

Amamiya: "..."

The 'AI girl' before him seemed far less "intelligent" than Amamiya had imagined. The moment she saw Amamiya, she expressed utter 'surprise' at his visit…

Amamiya, for some reason, sensed something amiss from this surprise.

After blinking blankly, like a program that had encountered a bug and slowly loaded... Arona seemed to have become much more awake.

Immediately... her expression cleared up—what Amamiya saw and felt in her truly sparkling starry eyes was a kind of 'children's worship of superheroes'.

"Wow... a phantom thief-style outfit...!!"

Amamiya: "..."

So this is what you're lamenting?

Shouldn't we start with some basic steps like self-introductions?

Arona seemed to realize her 'rudeness', and after making that remark, she immediately lowered her head in a panic, making strange gestures such as 'covering her face with her hands,' 'shaking her head in small, repeated movements,' and 'trying to cover her eyes with her hands and then observe through the gaps between her fingers.'

If described in terms of anime art style, Amamiya would probably see a blush on her cheeks that could see through her palms, escaping from between Alona's fingers as she tried to shield her vision, and then radiating an astonishing heat.

To put it simply, her CPU seems to be about to burn out.

"Um...that..."

"Um... ah!"