I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

“Sensei, it’s not entirely safe here… Please come with me. I’ll tell you about Gerina when we get to the Disciplinary Committee headquarters.”

Amamiya watched the young chairman's retreating figure as he turned away, responded, and followed him.

Perhaps because the danger had been dealt with in advance, Amamiya did not encounter any other 'terrorist attacks' along the way.

After arriving at the 'Discipline Committee Headquarters' that Hina had mentioned without any incident, Amamiya saw the Disciplinary Committee members taking a break.

When these disciplinary committee members saw the young chairman, they all stood up straight and showed great respect.

Then, when they see Amamiya following beside them, they show the curiosity that girls of this age should have.

'Is that the new... Sensei from Xia Lai?'

'I feel he has a similar aura to the Chairman...'

'He's so handsome...'

'I feel she might be a gentle and considerate person...'

Having been a 'phantom thief', Amamiya, with her exceptional ability to detect anything, naturally overheard the girls' whispers.

He didn't pay much attention, just waved and greeted the students around him from time to time, and then followed Hina to an area that looked like an office building.

Here, Amamiya saw the other members of the disciplinary committee whom he had met not long ago.

As soon as Amamiya stepped into the corridor, he bumped into the white-haired girl with wheat-colored skin.

She carried a sniper rifle and hurried toward somewhere, her crimson eyes seemingly filled with anxiety.

Upon seeing the Chairman, she tried to say something: "Um, Chairman, I..."

But before she could finish speaking, she noticed Amamiya standing to the side, so she 'slammed on the brakes' and swallowed back what she was going to say.

Taking this opportunity, Amamiya used her third eye to observe the other party.

[Assistant: Silver Mirror Iori / The Demon King's Castle's 'Patrol Guard']

【Arcana: V.The Chariot】

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

When observing her from a distance, Amamiya had already sensed that she was different from others.

Whether it's their temperament or their fighting style...

The white top and black tutu create a striking contrast with other students' attire. The red disciplinary committee epaulettes on the top, from a purely design perspective, can be considered a successful "single red dot in a sea of ​​flowers."

At first glance, it gives people a very distinct impression of competence, justice, and reliability.

Unlike Hina's snow-white long hair, her hair color is silver-white.

Her waist-length hair was tied into pigtails with black ribbons, giving her a slightly sharper look.

What's most noteworthy is her very distinctive 'tail' that sways behind her.

Black, slender, with black triangular 'barbs' growing at the tip of its tail... it looks just like the legendary 'succubus tail'.

“Iori, I need to talk to this Sensei from Sharai about something and give him a basic overview of the place…”

Hina's simple explanation dispelled all of Iori's concerns and doubts.

"Hello, sensei... My name is Gin-Kagami Iori, and I am a member of the Disciplinary Committee."

After waving briefly to Amamiya and introducing herself, Iori turned and left.

"Um... Chairman, I'll go and organize my equipment first."

That clearly meant, 'If you have other things to do, I won't bother you.'

The girl arrived with the same gusto as she left—at least judging from her 'drive,' she was indeed a perfect fit for the [Chariot] Arcana.

After watching Iori leave, Amamiya's gaze fell on Hina.

Hina was already standing in front of an office door when she pushed it open.

“Sensei… Please come this way.”

Chapter Twenty: Teacher, let's have a talk about life.

The moment he entered the office, Amamiya began to observe the surrounding environment.

First of all, the office interior is bright and clean, entirely based on pragmatism—if Amamiya used his "third eye" to take a look, he could see far too many traces of people lingering here.

This means that... this office is almost always occupied by people handling various official business.

The documents inside the desk were piled up to a height of more than half a meter, and there was more than one stack of them.

If calculated using A4 paper size, these documents would likely number at least ten thousand pages.

This level of file stacking... to be honest, Amamiya had only seen it in some offices before.

'Squeak—'

The sound of a chair being dragged.

Amamiya turned slightly to the side and glanced at Hina, who was making a move, and saw her drag a chair from the room and use it to temporarily 'block the door'.

Only then did Amamiya have a feeling... a deep-seated weariness, slowly 'pouring out' from this petite body like a wave.

After completing this set of movements, Hina seemed to deflate immediately... She let out a deep, long sigh, her clear amethyst-like eyes filled with an emotion called "annoyance with something".

She looked at Amamiya, hoping to elicit some kind of 'emotional response' from him.

After a moment, she spoke with a complicated expression: "Sensei...you should have noticed...Ghena's 'uniqueness' by now."

Amamiya immediately nodded in agreement: "To be honest... based on all the things I've seen along the way, I can understand the hardships people like you have gone through."

"...Hmm." Hina, who could not detect any hypocrisy in Amamiya's words and actions, gave a soft "hmm" and then asked in a calm but questioning tone, as if she were consulting a counselor, "...Sensei, why is this?"

A calm "Why is that?" perfectly encapsulates all the hardships she endured after becoming the "Disciplinary Committee Chairperson".

Hina, who asked the question, didn't seem to expect an answer from Amamiya. She wanted to force a smile, apologize, and say that she had impulsively vented her emotions on others...

"……Eh?"

It felt like my back was being gently pushed by some force.

This force was extremely small, insignificant compared to the artillery fire and bullets she had previously endured.

But this gentle push, far weaker than artillery fire and gunfire, achieved something that artillery fire and gunfire could not—it shook this small body that always stood firm and unyielding on the battlefield.

The sensation of being embraced by an adult, like a gentle haven, left Hina's mind blank.

"...Why is that?"

With his other free hand, Amamiya gently stroked the forehead of the stunned girl and said meaningfully, "Perhaps it's because... you're very lonely."

"Sir, let's talk about life."

「この前どうなら楽ですか?」

「そんなのWho is it?

The lyrics of a song she had heard before echoed in her mind. Amamiya frowned slightly as she tried to find the right words to express her opinion: "The reason I say this is because someone told me this."

"The higher a person stands, the farther they see, and the colder they become. And in the process of 'standing higher,' they also have fewer friends around them." I remember that's what it said.

The saying goes, "The higher you climb, the colder it gets."

Amamiya paused, sighed, and continued, "But whether it's emotional loneliness or practical difficulties... these are things we must experience and overcome, because they are part of 'rebirth.'"

"Rebirth..."

Hina seemed not yet to have grasped the fact that she was being hugged, and was slowly processing the meaning of this unfamiliar phrase.

“A friend of mine once told me… the world is shaped by each person’s feelings. If you feel pain from the world, then the world’s hue is one of despair. If you feel joy from the world, then the world’s hue is one of brightness.”

"The world is 'infinite'... Once you can step out of your current shadow, reach that door, push it open, and look out... you will understand."

"Even if everything is pitch black before your eyes, as long as you hold someone's hand, connected by a bond, the world... will not end."

A look of distress crossed Hina's face—she didn't quite understand the 'grand principles' that Amamiya was talking about.

However, Amamiya didn't need her to try to understand, because he also knew that... simply talking big and trying to enlighten someone and get them to change was completely ineffective.

Arcana's 'Journey of the Fool' is a process of continuous learning, progress, facing judgment, and ultimately transcendence.

Now that Amamiya has completed this step, he knows how to help others complete it as well.

—Take action to help that person and awaken their "resistance."

—Let them accept their deepest, most authentic 'true self'.

In a sense... it's actually about giving them a "persona" to 'confront reality'.

"It's okay if you don't understand now... In the future, I will gradually try to make you understand the true meaning of what I said today through my actions."

As Amamiya spoke, she silently used her skill without summoning her Persona.

【psona-Soma (Arcana Moon)】

[Introduction: Dionysus, the god of wine in ancient Indian mythology. He is ranked alongside Indra, the god of thunder, and Agni, the god of fire, and is considered the foremost deity.]

[It is said that Soma sake is the nectar of the gods, which can grant the drinker supernatural powers or immortality.]

In the epic, Soma is the god of sacrifice, asceticism, constellations, and herbs, and is the patron saint of these four arts. Later, the name Soma evolved into the title of 'moon god'.

'...Soma wine. '

The legendary god of wine tilted his cup of divine wine slightly, and a drop of the legendary 'divine wine' dripped from the rim of the cup, naturally landing on Hina's head.

Soma's divine wine possesses the special ability to restore all physical strength and injuries to the target; restore all mental strength to the target; and remove all pain and curses from the target.

—Sommo Divine Wine can achieve such exaggerated effects simply through 'skin contact'.

In fact... if one could really drink a cup of Soma wine, one could truly achieve "immortality" as described in myths.

After all, this is the 'Breath of Immortality' drunk by the gods, how could it be bad?

Having quietly finished all this, Amamiya observed Hina's micro-expressions—her rapidly disappearing dark circles and the visibly improved energy were enough to prove it…

The best recovery items they obtained in the other world can also have the same effect on the students in this world.

"..."

Perhaps because she had come into contact with even a single drop of the divine wine, Hina's cheeks showed a slight flush, as if she were drunk.

I feel like I slept for a long time without realizing it, and I feel more energetic than ever before.

Then… Hina suddenly realized that she had been embraced by this newcomer, Sensei, without even realizing it!

"?!"

Feeling something was off, Hina instinctively tried to break free from the embrace... but then, just as she was about to make a move, she suddenly felt... being held like this wasn't so bad after all...

Why? Why...?

At this moment, I felt as if all the pressure was being drawn away by the warmth of an adult's embrace...

No, no!

How could I... how could I be so troublesome with Sensei, whom I've only known for a few hours? How could I be so willful and act so spoiled towards him!

A strong sense of unease and a nameless fear prompted the girl to no longer crave the warmth of an embrace.

She bounced back like a spring, panting slightly, her heart pounding as she escaped Amamiya's embrace.

【~???~】

Once she came to her senses, Hina's first reaction was to cup her cheeks in her hands and pat them several times.

What...what was I doing just now?!

Why... did he suddenly run into Sensei's arms?

Could it be... that I really want to act cute?

……

"You can come to me anytime you want to act cute, it's no problem." Just then, Amamiya's slightly teasing words reached the girl's ears, "I can tolerate tears and whims here anytime."

【~???~】