I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

It starts again...

Amamiya squinted helplessly, watching this scene unfold like lightning.

Hanako... Is this the facade you use to conceal your true feelings, or the true feelings you deliberately reveal to seek approval?

After letting Hanako and Koharu interrupt, Amamiya continued speaking with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"I suppose... everyone already knows by now, after the last 'accident'..."

As Amamiya spoke, she suddenly focused her gaze on Hifumi.

Hifumi was stunned for a moment, then she felt that the gazes of the other three members also turned to her as Amamiya shifted his gaze.

"Eh...me, me?"

Hifumi, who was being watched, felt a little shy and subconsciously acted awkwardly.

To just admit to being a phantom thief like that... how embarrassing...

"Actually... Hifumi-chan, she is a 'Phantom Thief of Hearts'."

After pausing to make sure that Hifumi didn't show any signs of resistance, Amamiya continued, "And... for some reason, she formed a 'special bond' with me beforehand, and thus became a Phantom Thief of Hearts."

It would have been better if Amamiya hadn't brought it up; the moment he did, Hifumi felt a slight sense of disorientation.

Looking back on her past days as a 'phantom thief,' the girl was surprised.

'It seems like only yesterday that things happened in Abydos... but I have this feeling that a long time has passed...'

Under the watchful eyes of her three classmates from the tutoring club, Hifumi, who had been in a daze for a moment, lowered her head and laughed shyly.

“Sensei is right… Sensei and I did meet for ‘special reasons,’ and that’s why I became a Phantom Thief of Hearts…”

Sensing Hanako's curiosity, Haru's inquiry and wariness, and Azusa's envy and earnestness, Hifumi racked her brains to describe her experiences at Abydos Higher School in a way that was as clear and concise as possible without deviating too much from the overall story.

"...Because at that time I couldn't stand the black market staff's endless exploitation and bullying of Abydos students, and those petty thugs who were on leave of absence and hanging around in the black market, I...heard a voice from the 'deepest part of my heart'."

(Note: "The Sun" Volume, Chapter 24)

"And it was from that day on..." Hifumi took a deep breath, her expression no longer the innocent and cute one she usually wore, but instead filled with an unprecedented determination. "I became a true 'phantom thief.'"

"From the moment the mask was torn off... I think."

At this point, the blonde girl cast a meaningful glance at Amamiya.

"It also tore off its own disguise... that of a 'good student who longs for ordinariness'."

After hearing Hifumi's 'ordinary' yet legendary story, the three girls in the cram school fell into deep thought.

After a moment, Xiaochun gritted her teeth, her tone carrying a subtle hint of sourness: "It's practically like... the treatment of a 'leading lady'..."

The wings on her head flapped loudly, and the petite, cute pink-haired girl took the opportunity to glance at Amamiya, who was smiling silently.

'If only I had been the one enjoying the same treatment as Hifumi back then…'

'Am I capable of...'

'Wow... I knew it...'

Thinking of this, Xiaochun suddenly hopped over to Amamiya, shielding her face with her little wings on her head, and pointed at Amamiya, saying sternly, "You can't be erotic!"

Amamiya looked completely bewildered: "...?"

no……

What's wrong with me?

For some reason, Amamiya had a feeling that she was being accused of taking photos of someone secretly while riding the subway.

"Hehe..." Hanako smiled meaningfully, "Haru~ have you thought of something 'special'?"

To avoid the topic returning to Koharu's outburst and ending in a 'sexy idiot' moment, Amamiya coughed heavily.

"Zi, is there anything you want to say?"

He turned his gaze to the "Ice Witch" who had "unbound their relationship upon their first meeting".

Amamiya had always been concerned about this girl who seemed to be 'actively distancing herself' from others.

In his 'free time outside of work,' Amamiya had a brief chat with Saori about Shirasu Azusa's background—from her, Amamiya confirmed that this girl, with her innocent expression and exquisite, doll-like beauty, came from the Arius branch school, which probably had few normal students.

She seems to embody a combination of seemingly contradictory traits: naiveté and extensive combat experience; poor everyday life skills and near-perfect hunter.

“Sensei, I have a question.”

Realizing it was her turn to speak, Zi thought for a moment and then raised her hand: "About Personas... I've heard that once a Persona becomes powerful, it can be summoned in the real world."

"Then, could we incorporate the Persona's magic, melee and ranged abilities into our own tactical system?"

Amamiya: ...

He thought this 'Ice Witch' would ask some strange questions, but she turned out to be so "realistic"...

After a slight smirk and a moment of speechlessness at the question, Amamiya answered seriously, "Of course... it's quite 'special' to describe someone whose Persona hasn't awakened."

"But in reality, the Persona is a 'second self,' an extension of one's own consciousness—the moment you acquire it, you naturally know how to use it."

"There is no need for training after birth. Each Persona user will naturally develop a special style of melee/ranged combat + Persona physical/magical combat after awakening."

As Amamiya explained the fighting style of the Persona users to Azusa, he stared intently at the unusually determined 'Ice Witch'.

Compared to Koharu and Hanako, this 'Ice Witch' possesses an exceptionally strong will to rebel and resist—

In Amamiya's view, she was the most likely 'promising candidate' to enter the other world and awaken her Persona on her own without natural guidance or the pressure of the situation.

In other words... this kid was born to do this.

[...I sensed longing in Zi's eyes.]

Coopation has been upgraded!

【Baizhou Azuki (Tall Tower) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

[★2 Ability "Ice Witch's Protection" has been unlocked!]

"……so."

The white-haired girl, having received a perfect and accurate reply from Amamiya, gently twirled a strand of her hair, then lowered her head thoughtfully, lost in thought.

After thinking for less than ten seconds, she raised her hand again.

"Any further questions, Azusa?"

“Hmm…” Zi nodded seriously and meticulously. “Sensei, I want to ask, is ‘melee attack’ necessary?”

Amamiya nodded with an air of 'of course': 'Of course it's necessary... There are many spirits in the other world that can defend against ranged attacks. If magic is ineffective against them, then we can only engage them in close combat.'

Zi fell into deep thought again.

However, the other four members of the cram school, including Amamiya, all heard her muttering to herself.

'Bayonet...knuckle duster...gurkha knife...tactical dagger...multi-purpose shovel...'

Clearly, this indicates that they are already considering which melee weapon to use when they need to engage in close combat.

Amamiya looked at Azusa, who was deep in thought, for a few seconds, and then looked away.

"Do you guys have any questions?"

Hanako and Haru exchanged a glance, then Hanako raised her hand first: "I'm fine now~"

Xiaochun, on the other hand, suddenly seemed to think of something. Her face, which was full of expressions, was first flushed with a blush that symbolized shyness or other emotions, then she struggled, and then she had a resolute look of "If I don't go to hell, who will?"

It's unclear what kind of internal struggle she went through, but Koharu lowered her eyelids, let out a soft "heh," and gave an expression that said, "I see... this is the so-called 'phantom thief recruiting companions' segment, right?"

"Let me make this clear beforehand... While I will join the team and do what I'm supposed to do... however, if Sensei does anything strange during this time..."

Its slightly squinted eyes and high-raised head, along with its nervous peeks through the gaps in its wings every now and then, made it look incredibly cute.

Amamiya decided not to delve into what this 'eccentric angel', whose thinking seemed a little different from ordinary people, was imagining, and nodded with a gentle smile.

[...a basic level of mutual understanding was reached with Xiaochun.]

Coopation is now unblocked!

【Xia Jiang Xiaochun (Devil) ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Amamiya, like a "Mr. Nice Guy," was neither angry nor annoyed by Haru's "accusations." Instead, he greeted her warmly and took the initiative to approach her, saying, "In that case, I'll leave my future behavior to Haru to supervise."

【~???~】(from Xiaochun)

Finally, Amamiya looked at Hifumi and, for the first time, handed the decision over to her.

"What do you think, Hifumi-chan?"

Hifumi was taken aback by the sudden question and didn't immediately react.

The blonde girl paused, then blinked in slight surprise: "Ah... um? W-what?!"

Amamiya smiled and said, "Of course it's the 'operation plan'."

"As the head of the tutoring club, a special being who 'helps me lead the tutoring club members well'... Shouldn't the action plans in this other world be arranged by Hifumi-chan?"

"Huh?! I, I..."

After the brief moment of surprise, Hifumi was momentarily flustered and at a loss: "Should I make the arrangements...?!"

However, after only a brief moment of panic, a surge of courage inexplicably rose within her.

The composure brought by her mature aura as an ace began to take effect, and Hifumi's thoughts shifted from the panic of "Am I capable of handling this task?" to the consideration of "How can I minimize the chances of something going wrong?"

When it comes to going to another world, the first thing you need to do is "upgrade your equipment".

As for weapons, firearms are sufficient to deal with shadows of moderate strength, so there shouldn't be any problems.

The most important thing is 'armor'... Without the Phantom Thief outfit, it would be very dangerous to face the magic of the otherworldly shadows rashly.

So... does that mean I can use the "Velvet Room" to upgrade my equipment?

Thinking about this, Hifumi thought of her 'good friends in the desert' whom she hadn't contacted in a long time.

“Going to another world rashly is too dangerous…” The girl, deep in thought, was completely unaware of the increasingly surprised looks on the faces of those around her. “My suggestion is that we should at least make full preparations by tomorrow or the day after.”

"Before that, it is necessary to update some equipment and armor and make full preparations."

"So... everyone try to make time tomorrow. Also, prepare your weapons and supplies... there's no need to prepare modern armor. Its ability to protect against the shadows of another world is hard to estimate, and it might become a burden."

"in addition……"

Taking a breath, the girl looked at Amamiya with bright eyes: "Sensei... could I borrow a little time?"

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Japanese Beauty Got Up

After dismissing the members of the tutoring club, the blonde girl, who seemed a little uneasy and confused, called Amamiya down alone.

This was probably the first time she had made a somewhat 'willful' request to the adult in front of her, to whom she was now feeling increasingly profound and complex emotions.

Hifumi quietly raised her head and looked at the five stars on the World Tarot card above the young man's head, symbolizing deep bonds, and cheered herself up in her heart.

The relationship has gradually become deep enough... No problem, um!

Amamiya gave an "oh," then waved to Hanako, who was smiling with her eyes narrowed, Koharu, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and Azusa, who was still somewhat confused and considering which melee weapon would be better for her.

"Since Hifumi-chan has something to say to me privately, everyone should leave now."

After dismissing the other three students from the tutoring club, Amamiya pulled up a chair and sat down at the empty table next to Hifumi's desk, adopting the hunched posture she often used when she was in school.

Azusa, Koharu, and Hanako left first.

Hanako, the last one to push open the door and leave, even thoughtfully closed it behind her.

Amamiya scanned the area with her [Third Eye] and, after confirming that the Arcana symbolizing them was gradually fading away, turned her gaze to Hifumi, who seemed hesitant and at a loss for words.

"They've already left."

With half her cheek bathed in the setting sun, the blonde girl, her face tinged with melancholy, softly hummed in agreement.

"Sensei...I..."

With her eyelids lowered and a hint of unease lurking in her golden eyes, Hifumi finally revealed her inner doubts.

"I want to know... does an 'ace' have to do so many things?"

Daily life is gradually developing and progressing in the direction she longs for... The speed of progress and the exaggerated pace of advancement even gave Hifumi a very slight sense of unreality, as if she were the protagonist of the world.