I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"This power will ultimately belong to you, and you will grow again... As for what kind of growth?"

"Heh... Well, that's beyond my control... Fate is uncertain, who dares to predict?"

"In short... let us become those who truly 'grasp the hand that leads to the future,' those who are truly worthy of our expectations..."

"...Don't become like me."

Amamiya watched this scene silently, thinking to himself that the phrase "Be a great hero, don't end up like me" sounded strangely familiar.

"……Um."

Zi nodded slowly but firmly again.

Shadow Azusa said no more. Her body gradually began to dissolve, turning into a ball of azure light that floated in front of Azusa.

With a whoosh, the ice and snow that spread instantly blinded Hanako and the other two.

Hifumi, Akira, and Amamiya, protected by their Personas, clearly saw... in a ball of light, Shadow Azusa gradually transformed into a Tarot card with Azusa's own image, slowly floating before Azusa's eyes.

"I am you, and you are me."

A hollow, icy voice echoed as it appeared.

Guided by 'fate', Zi subconsciously lowered her head and began to repeat the words that seemed to possess mysterious power.

"You are me, you are me..."

"I will wash away all my worldly vanities and cast aside that powerful strength... From now on, I will serve you."

"Don't let this power go to waste."

"remember……"

A deep blue flame began to entwine and swirl around the tarot cards.

Finally, a torrent of fire, like a pillar of flame, erupted from below and enveloped Zi's figure.

"From this day forward... my name will be 'Gerda'."

The laughter gradually changed from a divine, aloof tone to a charming, lively one, like that of a spirited young girl.

"hehe……"

"Go...go and pursue the 'Frozen' you have found..."

Chapter 44 Saintia: Haha, I don't understand what you're saying?

"Go...go and pursue the 'Frozen' you have found..."

As if sighing or lamenting, after uttering this sentence in a deep voice, 'Shadow·Azusa's' voice completely disappeared.

The eerie blue flames slowly faded and went out.

Amidst the flickering flames, Amamiya and her group clearly saw that a long-sleeved, black, gothic-style dress with separate sleeves had replaced her original outfit and become her 'phantom thief costume'.

An elegant gentleman's hat; feathers; a bow tie adorned with noble dark purple gemstones; a black lace-trimmed skirt; and matching over-the-knee boots.

Like a 'gothic girl' in a fairy tale, it gives people a very special 'dark and gorgeous' aesthetic.

"So this is... Azusa's 'phantom thief outfit'..."

Hifumi opened her mouth slightly in surprise, her words filled with obvious admiration.

"so cute……"

Amamiya nodded in agreement.

【~???~】(from Azusa)

Indeed, Hifumi's description is very 'accurate'.

This 'dark gothic style' outfit might look very 'sexy' on a mature person (like Hanako or Akira here), giving off a powerful, dark, mature woman vibe.

But when worn by Zi...

But it only makes people feel cute.

"Oh... I knew it was going to be 'dark' style..."

Hanako began her critique with great interest: "Indeed, it's inexplicably cute~"

Xiaochun watched this scene in silence, filled with envy: "..."

It's an outfit that's absolutely flawless...

After everyone commented on Azusa's 'phantom thief outfit,' Azusa seemed a little uncomfortable being stared at, showing a rare display of shyness and unease.

After hesitating for a moment, twisting the hem of her skirt, she moved silently to Amamiya's side and hid behind him.

"Please don't look at me like that...it's...strange..."

Unable to pinpoint exactly what this feeling was, she ultimately chose 'strange' to describe her current state of mind.

A feeling I've never experienced before...

Is this a change brought about by 'another self'?

Seeing that Azusa was really a little shy, Akira, who was about to say something, decisively abandoned the evaluation she had prepared and changed her words to ask Amamiya: "Sen... no, JOK, there are still two things that need to be resolved... I'll just say them together."

After a pause, Jing posed the first question: "'Gerda'...who is that? Why do I have no recollection of this name?"

Jing had heard of the 'Juliet' she had awakened... After all, she was the heroine of a famous opera story that had been passed down in Givotos since ancient times.

In addition, she could find prototypes for all the various 'spirits' she encountered along the way in works of art she had appreciated...

Naturally, Jing came to the impression that 'personas must have originated from ancient books or works'.

And who is 'Gerda'?

Why hadn't she heard of it?

“Gerda…”

Amamiya considered the name for a moment, then suddenly laughed and shook her head at Akira: "This name... there's a good chance you haven't heard of it."

After a pause, Amamiya slowly spoke under the curious gazes of the girls: "Because 'Gerda' is not a character commonly depicted in mainstream literature. Rather... she originates from a 'fairy tale.'"

Jing was slightly taken aback.

fairy tales……?!

After a moment of disbelief, Jing felt like it wasn't a big deal... After all, she could awaken a character from a literary work, so what was so strange about someone awakening a character from a fairy tale as a persona?

"Gerda comes from the famous fairy tale 'The Snow Queen.' It should be noted that this is not the same story as the similarly named 'Snow White.'"

【Psona-Gerda (Arcana: The Tower)】

[Introduction - The 'heroine' in the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Snow Queen".]

Legend has it that a demon's mirror was shattered, causing havoc on humankind. To break the curse placed on her friend, a young girl named Gerda embarks on an adventure.

Legend has it that her selfless devotion to her friend even moved God, who then sent an angel to help her.

Because of this fairy tale, a famous children's literary society later adapted it, making it a more popular and widely known story—"Frozen."

In this more widely known adaptation, Gerda is portrayed as Anna, the little princess of the icy kingdom of Arendelle.

After listening to Amamiya's lengthy introduction, Akira seemed thoughtful: "...Is that so?"

She clearly had no knowledge of 'fairy tales'... so it was impossible for her to awaken such a persona.

And this little white-haired girl... she awakened such a personality mask.

Does this also indicate that the key element of "what the persona awakens" is actually related to "what an individual's cognitive scope is"?

"So, the second question... Now that we've all obtained the 'Persona,' isn't it time to adopt the 'Phantom Thief' codename?"

Hifumi then belatedly exclaimed, "So... she doesn't seem to have a phantom thief codename yet...?!"

Amamiya looked at Akira, scrutinizing her current phantom thief attire... then her gaze lingered on her cat ears and her tail, which remained quite prominent even after her phantom thief transformation.

“In that case…” Amamiya hesitated for a few seconds before tentatively asking, “Then, Akira will be called ‘Catgirl’?”

Jing pondered for a moment and then shook her head.

"Any other suggestions?"

"So, 'Artiste' (artist)?"

【~???~】(from Jing)

Jing's eyes lit up.

“That’s good…then my code name will be ‘Artiste’.”

"So... what was her code name?"

Amamiya then looked at Azusa, who was looking at him with a slightly uneasy but expectant gaze.

After some deliberation, Amamiya chose to name the child in an 'artistic' way this time.

"How about 'Glaciére' (French; a neologism; glace - ice; icy; glacier. -ière - a suffix commonly used for females)?"

After pondering for a moment, Zi lowered her head slightly and hummed in agreement.

"Glaciére... I understand. This will be my code name in the 'other world' from now on."

Compared to Hifumi and Akira, who were unable to adapt to the code name for a while, Azusa, who was very good at 'encrypted communication', accepted the code name very quickly.

Just as the atmosphere was getting great, everyone suddenly heard a faint voice again.

"Have you finished discussing your matters...?"

Hifumi, who was already preparing to start celebrating, suddenly realized that there were still things she hadn't done.

Amamiya sighed and walked to the cross binding 'Noren', examining the magical seal on her body.

It was a barrier made of clusters of dark purple thorns—it looked like touching it would break some kind of restriction.

Amamiya raised the "Paradise Lost" in his hand, and the flames of the curse rose from the blade.

He didn't immediately swing his sword down, but instead turned around and glanced at Hifumi and her group.

“Next, I will break the shackles on ‘Noren’... So, you should retreat back to the vicinity of the ‘evacuation point’ first.”

“But…” Hifumi immediately realized just how dangerous the next move was, “Sensei…!!”

As 'Shadow Azusa' said... if, if the seal is broken...

Not only will the shadows covering the mountains and fields immediately become alert and mobilize...

This other world is going to start collapsing!

For a moment, Hifumi lost her composure.

It was precisely because she was well aware of just how dangerous things were going to be that she felt an urge to stay and face it together with Sensei.

Compared to her, Jing was much more rational.

She patted Hifumi on the shoulder, signaling her to turn around and pay attention to Hanako and the other two, who were not wearing Personas and were only accompanying the exploration team.

"We're just making things worse by staying here."

Hifumi gritted her teeth.

She had to admit... Jing was right.

After all... even with the powerful protection of 'Satanyel,' she can also protect her companions at the same time...

But the more people there are, the more dangerous it becomes during an evacuation.

If an accident happens, Sensei will have to distract him and help him...

If I stay behind and let Jing, whose Persona strength is still very low, and Xiaozhi and her group retreat, the process of retreating back will be very dangerous... After all, it is very easy to encounter the shadow and have to fight.

After taking a deep breath, Hifumi's expression became resolute as she glanced back at her classmates in the tutoring department.

"...Then, let's leave now."

Amamiya then nodded to Hifumi and her group: "This is the kind of decision 'Ace' would make. You can leave now... wait for me near the evacuation point."

"I'll come over after this place starts to 'collapse'."