I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Deep within the palace of another world, various dark secrets are hidden...

Also, when the Persona awakens, there are dazzling clusters of blue flames.

"The man in the black suit"...

[Ra, the Shadow Sun God]; and that...

The battle to reclaim the future.

The familiar black and red fluctuations began to spread from Amamiya's phone as the center, and the world turned into a black and red bright color, and then seemed to be kneaded into a ball.

Distort it, then redraw it...

Hifumi closed her eyes, skillfully resisting the momentary dizziness.

The world before them, after being gradually redrawn, unfolds like a scroll, presenting a 'fantasy medieval world' once again.

Towering, lush trees; a gray, cloudless sky.

A cluster of buildings with ornate spires;

A transparent spiral staircase stretching to the end of the tree canopy, and... a city resembling the Garden of Eden faintly visible on the World Tree's canopy.

The moment she saw the city, Hifumi thought of the "Seven Ancient Rules of Kivotos" that she had learned before.

The fifth of the "Seven Ancient Laws" passed down in Kivotos is about the 'Paradise'.

"Garden of Eden……"

Last time I only saw it from a distance, so I didn't really get a feel for the city...

This time, Hifumi finally understood where that 'sense of unease' in her heart came from.

“That’s right… it’s ‘Eden’.”

Amamiya let out a soft sigh and 'remarked': 'However... it is a so-called Garden of Eden built up from the purest 'negative desires'.

Hifumi couldn't help but think of the Tower of Babel that she had seen before in the 'City of Sin' deep in the desert, stretching to the sky.

"...Is it also a palace?"

She drew her cane sword [Five Acts Tragedy], and at the same time picked up a large-caliber pistol similar to Amamiya's for ranged use. The girl, who took Amamiya as her benchmark, asked cautiously in a soft voice.

"Um……"

After a pause, Amamiya withdrew her gaze and said in a meaningful low voice, "Moreover... it is very likely that she is one of the highest-ranking members of the tea party... or their shared sanctuary."

Hifumi took a light breath.

Having anticipated this outcome, she did not show excessive surprise or shock—instead, after a moment of surprise, she composed herself and was full of fighting spirit.

Since such a twisted palace exists... then I should explore it properly, just like last time, and steal the treasure... to make it repent.

"Sensei, I also found a few more requests from Trinity students today..."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it while I'm at it."

With Hifumi by his side, Amamiya began searching for their target within the Trinity Impression Space, while simultaneously 'visiting around'.

After observing the surrounding buildings and the tree roots that could be seen everywhere nearby, and confirming their characteristics, Amamiya had confirmed her thoughts.

as predicted……

On these tangled tree roots, there are very few 'black thorn' vines that are almost invisible if you don't look closely.

Before seeing Beatrice's 'Royal Palace of the Mist', Amamiya would have naturally assumed that these black thorns were just permanent 'decorations' in the Impression Space.

But now... after learning about Beatrice's temple, whose most prominent feature is the 'black thorns', it's hard for Amamiya not to have doubts about the black thorns coiled around the tree roots.

...It seems that the relationship between Trinity and Arius can indeed be considered a "composite hall";

Or, to put it another way, a "nested palace."

Beatrice's palace is shrouded in mist and black thorn roses. Amamiya has the power to dispel the mist (Izanagi), but one cannot rashly venture in.

If he's not mistaken... right now, Beatrice's sanctuary is 'empty'—or rather, the desire [Shadow Beatrice] isn't even in her own sanctuary.

If I'm not mistaken... she is now unwittingly controlling the temples of the Holy Trinity region.

If you don't conquer the Temple of Trinity, Beatrice's Temple will be in an "unselectable" state, so even if you invade it, it won't be of much use.

Conquering the Temple of the Holy Trinity would obviously put Beatrice on her guard... and might even make her accelerate her 'plan'.

That's the situation right now.

While conducting his 'on-site visits,' Amamiya translated his guesses into simple language and described them to Hifumi.

"That is to say..."

"The 'temple' of Trinity and the Arius branch presents a very special relationship..."

Holding her mask, Hifumi, with clusters of eerie blue flames swirling around her fingertips, fell into deep thought.

She seemed to understand, to some extent, one of the reasons for the recent 'change in atmosphere' at Trinity...

She believed that Trinity students, even if they were inherently bad, wouldn't be that bad—at least not to the extreme of 'bullying someone whose wings don't match the color'.

The changing atmosphere among Trinity students, the frequent occurrence of bullying... and the increasing number of requests for repentance...

Does this reflect, to some extent, the connection between the halls and the relationship between the spaces of impression?

Realizing the seriousness of the problem, the girl's gaze gradually hardened.

No matter the outcome... she will follow the sun before her eyes...

Or to put it another way.

She will once again... steal away all evil desires as she follows the silhouette of the "legendary phantom thief" who embodies the seven deadly sins and shoots down gods with rebellious bullets.

Sensing the change in Hifumi's emotions, Amamiya walked over and gently patted her head.

"Let's start with the simplest thing... Let's deal with today's [Repentance Request] first."

"……Um."

Chapter Fourteen: Xiaochun emitted a sharp, explosive sound.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

"As expected... Hifumi-chan's 'changes' are because of Sensei...?"

Hanako, observing this scene through footage transmitted by the drone, murmured softly.

Can a person change so much?

In the scene, Hifumi jogged briskly to Amamiya's side, where she was then given a very affectionate hug by him.

'Oh...Sensei seems to have a special relationship with Rifuru @印齐亦兒爸逝〡【〆丝ba 囷美酱…'

Hanako, holding the drone tablet, frowned slightly. The next second, she felt a slight push from behind and heard Koharu's sharp popping sound.

"Eh?!"

"What on earth is this despicable adult doing?!"

"He...he...he's finally...finally revealed his true colors?!"

"No, a darker color is not acceptable...!"

At this very moment, Hanako, focused on observing the interaction between Amamiya and Hifumi, has no time to spare to tease Haru, who triggered a combo attack with a hug that doesn't seem to mean anything.

Hanako glanced back at Haru, who was shyly covering her face with the little black wings on her head, her pigeon-toed stance trembling slightly, one hand covering her face and the other pointing shakily at the screen in her hand. Hanako was unusually silent for a moment.

Xiao Zi, who was next to her, was much more serious. She just peeked around and moved left and right, trying to find a larger angle where she could see the drone's camera screen.

'...'

Ignoring the two of them further and without making any jokes, Hanako continued to observe the scene on the screen—

Because the distance was too great, the drone could collect almost no useful audio.

Hanako only saw that after Amamiya and Hifumi exchanged a few words, Amamiya took out his phone and opened a blurry app.

'Om—'

The next second, the image transmitted by the drone turned into a static screen.

What happened... the signal suddenly dropped?

Hanako keenly sensed that something was amiss—this drone was a 'special product' that Azusa had obtained through special channels, capable of withstanding EMP and other methods of damaging high-precision electronic equipment.

Hanako got up, observed the surrounding environment, and then, with Azusa and Haru, who looked determined to "prohibit lewd behavior," she quietly made her way to the vicinity of the empty Xia Lai Building.

Suddenly, a sound like a high-frequency buzzer filled their ears, causing Hanako, as well as Haru and Azusa who were with her, to subconsciously squint their eyes.

"Enemy attack...?"

"Ugh...what..."

She heard the increasingly serious and panicked voices of her two companions beside her. Fighting against the subtle dizziness, Hanako tried her best to open her eyes—and then she saw that the 'world' in her eyes had been redrawn by a thick mass of black and red.

Like a clump of intertwined liquid paint, it was stirred together and then quickly redrawn by hands into an unknown 'other corner of the world'.

Magnificent, pointed buildings rose from the ground, and the backdrop of the World Tree and the Garden of Eden stretched out like a curtain being drawn back, before falling to the sky.

The stars and moon in the sky moved so fast that they appeared to be trailing, as if they couldn't wait to 'leave' this world.

"This is……"

Hanako took a deep breath, her emerald green eyes gradually becoming clearer and deeper.

—It must be the 'other world' described in the game [Persona], which has recently become incredibly popular throughout Gewotos...

While playing this game and trying to understand Sensei through it, Hanako thought that this so-called other world was actually a product of the game's beautification filter—the real other world should be made up of desire and be dirty and unbearable.

Shaking her eyes with her hand, she looked up at the 'dreamlike' architectural complex at the edge of her vision, and further away, the towering, verdant trees that stretched to the sky... At that moment, Hanako suddenly felt a sense of awe, as if she were 'placed in another world'.

The colossal tree at the horizon must be the "World Tree" described in the ancient texts of Kiwatos...

So, could that city, faintly visible at the end of the treetops, be the Garden of Eden that Trinity College longs for?

What is the connection between this "Garden of Eden" and the "Eden Treaty" that is about to be signed?

In a flash, Hanako noticed that Azusa had already put on her gas mask, while Koharu had grabbed her gun in fear.

'...'

Hanako, having momentarily let her thoughts wander, realized the danger and prepared her weapons.

'The other world that Sensei explored.'

'So vast...'

If all the currently released chapters of Persona are 100% faithful recreations of the original stories... then...

'Just how dangerous are the palaces that Sensei and his Phantom Thieves have conquered?'

"Over there... we found Hifumi and Sensei."

Azusa's voice, which sounded dull and hoarse through her mask, temporarily interrupted her thoughts.

Hanako hummed in agreement and followed Azusa's gaze—

A black and white smoky eye mask, a long black trench coat like a magician's tuxedo, and a subconsciously upright posture that could no longer be concealed, along with an aura that blended into the darkness of another world yet somehow made people feel exceptionally reliable...

The dark, phantom-like figure standing against the night sky possessed a beauty that could almost be described as 'breathtaking,' making Hanako take several more glances.

After regaining her senses, Hanako couldn't help but sigh to herself.

Is this the allure of the 'phantom thief'...?

Then, she turned her gaze to Hifumi standing next to Amamiya...

'...Dazzling, idol-like attire.'

'Is this... Hifumi-chan's... "phantom thief outfit"?'

Having studied the current chapters of the game "Persona" in detail, Hanako naturally immediately thought of the concepts proposed in the game.

The "Phantom Thief Costume" is the clothing worn by the "Personality Manipulators" in another world, symbolizing their rebellious will. Besides being very stylish and beautiful, it also has the effect of resisting distortion and pollution, and provides great defense against magic and direct attacks from the other world.