I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

[★1 Ability: 'The Serenity of an Innocent Girl' has been unlocked!]

Amamiya breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself that her long speech hadn't been in vain.

"As long as it helps Hanako... Wait, Hanako, what are you doing?"

Noticing that the other party had suddenly resumed their normal performance, Amamiya was both surprised and somewhat speechless.

"I just wanted to further confirm whether Sensei would have any 'special reactions'~"

The pink-haired girl, who instantly reverted to her squinty-eyed smile in 'racing mode', chuckled lightly, her words carrying a hint of provocation: "Sensei... do you really have no reaction to a girl standing in front of you wearing a school swimsuit like this?"

"Or……"

"You... prefer someone like Hifumi...?"

At the same time—Hifumi, who had just run to the front of the tutoring center and taken out her key to open the door, froze in shock.

"……Eh?"

Chapter Thirty: The True Exploration of Another World?

The blonde girl, who occasionally focused her attention and looked around, ran on, leaving behind a silhouette that was particularly vibrant in the morning light.

'Thankfully... I wasn't too late...'

She hurriedly boarded the tram just one minute before it was scheduled to depart, and only after finding a seat did she finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

'I made it...'

Holding her backpack in front of her, Hifumi didn't pay much attention to the stares from the other students. She quickly went through her 'plans' in her mind about what she would do and say after meeting Sensei.

'I should be fine...'

But then again...

This ability of having a "third eye" is really useful...

By making every detail clear, it can help to avoid various potential disasters in advance, such as "If you step on this brick, you may fall because of its imbalance."

They can even clearly sense in advance whether there is malice in the various glances directed at you...

Or, there are various hidden dangers.

However... such a useful ability naturally comes with a negligible price to pay—it's easy to get addicted to using it.

If you can observe the world more clearly with 8K resolution, then although 2K resolution is also very high, it appears blurry and even boring compared to the former.

'The first exam for the tutoring department is coming up soon...'

'A message from Nagisa-sama... asking me to help Sensei mentor everyone in the tutoring club...'

'Um……'

As the tram gradually came to a stop and she confirmed that she had arrived at her destination, Hifumi picked up her backpack and left the carriage with the other students who had gotten off the tram.

While pondering and tidying up the breakfast (a sandwich) she had bought on short notice due to time constraints, the girl finally managed to enter the school just in time, albeit without any major incidents.

When Hifumi arrived at the tutoring center and was about to open the door, she found that there was no activity as usual, which made her a little puzzled.

Logically speaking... shouldn't there be Hanako-san or Koharu-san's particularly distinctive voices at this time?

As she approached the door and tried to push it, Hifumi's doubts deepened.

'Hey... is the tutoring center still locked?'

Hifumi was completely baffled when she tried to take out her key to open the door and found that she couldn't turn it.

'And it's locked from the inside...?'

Fortunately, the doors to these classrooms are specially designed to prevent students from having a series of 'follow-up reactions' caused by locking themselves in.

If you twist it one full turn in the opposite direction, it can still be opened...

Somewhat bewildered, Hifumi deftly pushed open the door—and then, with the classroom's soundproofing broken, she heard Hanako's meaningful question.

"Sensei... do you really have no reaction to a girl standing in front of you wearing a school swimsuit like this?"

"Or……"

"You... prefer someone like Hifumi...?"

Hifumi was taken aback, and then a cloud of water vapor shot out from above her head and quickly dissipated.

She paused, still holding the door open, staring blankly at the scene inside—

Amamiya sat listlessly at the podium, seemingly waiting for the club members to arrive one by one.

And Hanako-san...

She was wearing a school swimsuit, the light pink uniform-like garment of which was now loosely hanging on the ground.

What on earth was she talking about with Sensei?!

Hifumi stood there stunned, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"Oh~ Hifumi-chan, you're here so early."

Hanako was the first to react.

She casually picked up her clothes that had fallen to the ground, calmly dressed herself, and didn't forget to greet Hifumi in a nonchalant manner.

Amamiya also waved to Hifumi: "Good morning, Hifumi-chan."

【~???~】

Hifumi opened her mouth, her head full of question marks. The girl, who was very confused about the current situation, could only utter two confused "hmm" sounds.

"Ah... um."

What exactly just happened?

With her mind in complete disarray and not yet fully understanding the situation, Hifumi followed her instincts to her seat, put away her bag and other belongings, and then sat down to begin her brainstorming session.

Although I don't know what Sensei and Hanako talked about before that... based on the bits and pieces of conversation I overheard...

Sensei must have arrived at the tutoring center early in the morning, just like Hanako, to start preparing, right?

Then... Hanako must have started chatting because she had some unresolved issues or problems to discuss with Sensei.

Then... as we chatted... we ended up talking about some strange topics?

Then... out of curiosity, or for some other reason... Hanako asked Sensei what kind of girl he liked...?

Ah wah wah wah...

After 'imagining' the general cause and effect, Hifumi, sitting in her seat, was so embarrassed that she buried her face in her desk like an ostrich.

Considering that Hanako and the others already knew about their 'interactions' with Sensei...

Aside from Haru, who might be a bit of a simpleton, and Azusa, whose emotions seem somewhat unusual...

At least, Hanako, who is exceptionally emotional... she definitely already knows!

My...special relationship with Sensei...

Thinking of this, Hifumi felt her heart beating faster and her blood rushing to her head—she subconsciously raised her head and looked at Amamiya on the podium.

Then she froze.

Because in her field of vision... a very special tarot card was floating above Sensei's head.

The card depicts a handsome young man with black hair holding a mask. Half of his body is hidden in the darkness, while the background of the other half is red, which seems to be the emblem of a school or place.

[The World (XXI.The World)]

Following the tarot cards were one, two... a total of five stars.

Among them, the first, third, and fifth stars shine with a unique brilliance.

If you try to focus your gaze on that area, you can even see a special introduction.

【★1. Ace's Unrestrained Negotiation: Can fully understand the language of shadows and subdue them, making them one's Persona. During negotiations, as long as the shadow agrees, the strength of friend or foe can be ignored to reach a contract.】

【★3·The Ace's Third Eye: Open your 'third eye,' also known as your mind's eye, to see more details that were previously overlooked. You can use the third eye in battle, daily life, and other aspects; different situations will reveal different details.】

【★5. The Mature Aura of an Ace: Gradually acquired through learning, this is an excellent and sharp aura, like that of an 'ace', currently manifested primarily in battles in another world, and less frequently in everyday life. This mature aura will inspire many others.】

'This is……'

Is it a special 'bond skill'?

Hifumi instantly calmed down, her bright eyes filled with an unprecedented 'novel hope'.

Turning my gaze to Hanako... sure enough, there was a tarot card above Hanako's head as well.

【The Moon (LES PLANTES)】

However, the relationship is only one star...

According to the interpretation of the Persona games, just one star means that the relationship between the two people has only been established for a short time and they are not yet very familiar with each other...

However, even a single star can provide a special synergy skill.

【★1·The Disguise of a Top Student: Slightly enhances charm, while making it easier to disguise oneself as a 'top student' or a 'poor student.' 'I have a thousand faces; which one you see is me? Can you be sure?'】

This this……

Hifumi was speechless.

She originally thought that the 'coopation system' was just a balancing element created by the game to balance daily life and battles in another world.

I never expected... that it actually exists.

Although both its manifestation and 'effect' were somewhat different from the 'bond skill' I had imagined...

However, since such a 'special skill' exists... it also means that the idea of ​​making friends with others, learning from their strengths and discarding their weaknesses, and constantly 'enriching' one's own 'wings' is correct.

"Hifumi-chan~"

Noticing that Hifumi's gaze was a little strange, Hanako suddenly looked at her with a 'perceptive.jpg' look: "Why are you staring at me like that?"

“Ah… no.”

Realizing that staring at someone's time was impolite, Hifumi quickly shook her head, saying, "I just... suddenly got a little distracted."

After calming her mind, the girl turned her gaze to the podium, to Sensei, with whom she had already established a 'deep bond'.

Hey hey hey...

In this way, even if everyone in the tutoring club becomes a 'Persona user', I can still be an extraordinary, special being...

A little secret between just myself and Sensei...

At this moment, the girl gradually realized that her "daily life" was gradually becoming less ordinary.

It was shining brightly, as if it were praying and longing for something.

Before long, Xiaochun and Zi, who were late, also arrived at the tutoring center.

Once everyone was confirmed to be present, Amamiya ended her "slacking off" state, picked up a piece of chalk, stood up, faced the blackboard, and began writing.

This is not the schedule for the "Academic Ability Enhancement Plan" that everyone is not looking forward to.

But...

Everyone is looking forward to it...

"Another world...exploration?"

Chapter 31 Hifumi: Huh? Me, me?!

Upon seeing what Amamiya had written on the blackboard, the three members of the cram school, including Hanako, who had already witnessed the magnificent and spectacular scenery of the 'other world,' became excited.

Is it finally... coming?!

“Sensei…” Hanako sighed softly, a hint of disappointment in her voice, as she touched her cheek, revealing a melancholy reminiscent of a literary young girl. “So, you’ve finally decided to… take us to… the ‘adult world’ (with a deeper meaning)?”

With a "whoosh," her little wings unfurled, giving her an "alert.jpg" look. Xiaochun, already blushing so much that her pupils turned into vertical lines like a cat's, immediately jumped out with her hands crossed.

"Adult world... Forbidden! Forbidden topic!"

"No! Absolutely not! Lewd things are absolutely, absolutely forbidden!"