I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"As for the 'spying' you just felt, it was from one of my... 'special friends,' hmm. I'll introduce her to you later."

“My ‘special friend’ is a bit curious about you, so… please don’t mind.”

Amamiya didn't reply immediately, but instead slowly sized up the other person.

In his "Third Eye" annotation, there is also a tarot card above the girl's head.

[Assistant: Yuriko Amanishi / The 'Scientific' Craftswoman]

[Arcana: The Priestess]

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

'The Pope...'

This card, upright, represents inner intellect and insight, with clear distinctions between right and wrong, good and evil. It also represents 'mystery' and 'waiting for the right opportunity'.

If reversed, it represents naivety; having wisdom but not knowing how to use it; losing 'inner wisdom'; obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc.

I never expected that the Engineering Department, a club focused on 'scientific creation', would produce such a person who embodies the delicate and passionate spirit of an inner world.

Considering his 'mysterious' background...

Amamiya believed it was necessary to build a good relationship with her and get to know her better.

"Hello, Yuriko-san."

After exchanging brief greetings, Amamiya decided to get straight to the point.

“My main purpose in coming here this time is for ‘Erpis’, and secondly for you.”

The girl nodded knowingly, as if she had expected it.

"Ok, I know."

After a moment's hesitation, the girl turned around, picked up a tablet she carried with her and began rapidly inputting data, while gesturing for Amamiya to follow.

“Sensei, please come with me.”

I will explain the current situation to you on the way.

Chapter 54 As everyone knows, prototypes are all cutting-edge technology.

"May our gathered prayers become shining stars of new life, paving a path of radiant light! Synchro Summon!"

As soon as he entered, Amamiya heard that rather peculiar 'summoning line' again.

Hearing the powerful and confident "start command" coming from the engineering department workshop, Yuriko, who was about to say something, had her fox ears droop down due to her emotional fluctuations.

Then, she slowed her pace slightly and gave Amamiya a gentle shrug.

"The seniors seem to have a particular fondness for 'special summoning lines'..."

The girl turned her gaze to Amamiya, and after a brief silence, she spoke softly: "...It seems that Sensei has also 'experienced' it in advance."

Amamiya thought to herself, "It's not just that."

The engineering department's 'scientific ideas' were personally confirmed by high-ranking members of the seminar, including Yuka and Noah. In addition, Amamiya had indeed seen their strange inventions.

It can be said that there is nothing that Amamiya cannot do, only things that she cannot think of.

After nodding in agreement with Yuriko's words, Amamiya followed her into the engineering department's club activity room—a huge, open area that resembled a factory workshop.

As expected, Utahara, Hibiki, and Cortori were conducting the final command tests on Sophia's body.

Considering that this was a 'special order,' they did not make any major modifications to this special bionic body.

It also did not embed any special AI or other random 'operating system' or anything like that.

However, it is precisely because there is no AI to assist in testing that testing bionic bodies becomes extremely difficult.

To facilitate testing, the three members of the team designed a simple 'command response' function for this bionic body—by speaking corresponding lines, the bionic body can complete different action tests to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

When Amamiya saw Utahara and the other two, they were still engrossed in the final tests of the bionic body 'Erpis'.

The red-haired girl with her eyes closed was walking around the room, while the three of them took turns issuing strange 'summoning words' as test commands, making her run and jump and sometimes perform tactical movements such as rolling and hiding.

Amamiya watched this scene with great interest.

Seeing that Amamiya didn't seem to intend to interrupt, Yuriko waited for a while.

Only after the test had temporarily come to an end did she clear her throat and greet the three people, who were still engrossed in the test: "Seniors, I'm back."

"Oh, Yuriko's back... Hmm?"

Immersed in her own world, Utahara slightly turned her head and cast a glance at Yuriko—after seeing Amamiya beside Yuriko, a fleeting look of surprise appeared on Yuriko's face, which was stained with a little oil but still couldn't hide her beauty.

"Sensei is here too... Oh, right, I sent Sensei an invitation text message a while ago..."

The girl, whose aura was somewhere between charming and mature, casually put down her notepad, then awkwardly tidied her disheveled hair before greeting Amamiya: "Welcome, Sensei, to the Engineering Department..."

"I've been quite busy lately, so... I apologize for any inconvenience caused."

Amamiya knew that Utahara and his group had been working hard for the Millennium Grand Prix lately, and it was understandable that they were somewhat focused on the future.

"it's okay no problem……"

With a smile and a wave of her hand, Amamiya glanced at Utahara's complexion and then gently advised, "Remember to balance work and rest. Don't exhaust yourself over trivial matters."

【~??~】(from the original song)

Noticing the gaze lingering on her cheek, Kahara casually wiped it with a handkerchief she always carried, which was stained with oil.

"Is Sensei concerned about my situation? No need to worry... This is just normal for members of the engineering department."

"Furthermore, what makes a girl beautiful is not makeup, but passion."

Utahara's slightly strange words made Amamiya's lips curl into a smile.

Does this mean that... compared to regular 'cosmetics,' oil and sweat are more 'beautiful' to her in her normal state...?

It seems like I do have that feeling.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with Utahara, Amamiya turned her gaze to the 'Erpis' bionic body standing in place.

Looking at her appearance, which seemed to be cut from the same mold as Sophia, Amamiya went up and pinched her cheek, then walked around her once.

It truly deserves to be called a masterpiece that embodies the highest technical expertise of the engineering department... With the support of "Eden Metal" and advanced bionics, this body is already infinitely close to the level of "black technology" like Alice's.

"Has the testing completely ended?"

Hibiki answered Amamiya's question.

Pushing the goggles up to the top of his forehead, his fluffy dog ​​ears swayed gently. Hibiki nodded confidently to Amamiya: "All the verification work has been completed... We can confirm that this 'Erpis' bionic body has reached the peak of technological capability of the past millennium—"

As a core member who provided a great deal of technical support, she naturally carried an unprecedented sense of confidence.

“We would even dare to say that she… is already infinitely close to the technological achievements left behind by the ‘Nameless Gods’. Even we cannot guarantee that we can create a second ‘bionic body’ of the same or even better level.”

Hibiki's confident explanation drew earnest agreement from Cortoli and Utahara.

“That’s right, that’s right~” Cortoline pushed up her peculiar teardrop-shaped half-rimmed glasses, her tone cheerful and lively, “You’ve probably heard of Sensei, right—similar legends.”

"The so-called 'prototype' is a 'crystallization of cutting-edge technology' formed by a combination of factors such as the ultimate use of materials and a flash of inspiration! Therefore... even the designers, developers, and manufacturers of this technology cannot guarantee that they can produce a second set of the same quality!"

"Besides funding... the inspiration and impromptu modifications that arise along the way are also quite important!"

Seeing that Cortori seemed poised to continue her rambling, Yuriko gave a soft "hmm" and then interrupted the 'talkative senior': "Excuse me, senior... let's end the introduction here for now. Sensei must be pressed for time; he has other things to do..."

"For example, transmitting AI data, Elpis's final adaptation and activation, etc..."

"Too……"

Cortori was slightly disappointed when her spellcasting was interrupted, but she quickly became excited again.

—We will soon witness the moment when our achievements are truly 'activated'.

This special sense of accomplishment is no different from the moment the Eureka moment is activated!

The captivating pleasure derived from engineering science stems from this!

"Is it okay to input the consciousness now?"

Amamiya was somewhat surprised.

He had assumed that Sophia would only be able to obtain a body and integrate into his consciousness after the Millennium Grand Prix...

"No problem..."

"In fact, Sensei, we are looking forward to you doing so."

As Ge Yuan pulled over a data adapter cable and opened the data cable interface, he said very seriously, "You can input 'Sophia's' consciousness into it first, so that she can adapt in advance... If she can appear in the Millennium Grand Prix with scientific research results, it can also increase our engineering department's chances of winning awards."

Amamiya understood Utahara's intention.

So their engineering department wanted to directly showcase a super-realistic robot with an intelligence level comparable to 'Alice'.

—At least in terms of the sheer impact of the exhibits on the judges, the "Erpis," who only follows simple instructions and has no self-awareness, is far less impressive than Sophia, who can act directly and autonomously.

Amamiya took the data transfer device that Utahara supposedly used the USB11 protocol, connected one end to her phone, and then Utahara connected the other end to the small port that extended to the front neck of 'Erpis'.

"Next, it's time to witness a 'miracle'..."

After mimicking a famous line, Kahara, feeling a great sense of accomplishment, pressed the 'Start Data Protocol Transmission' button.

The next moment, the data protocol line burst into a dazzling stream of light.

'Hu~'

The respiratory system of the silent Erpis bionic body was activated first.

As the girl's slightly heaving chest began to expand and contract gently, the sound of her even breathing could be heard.

Immediately afterwards, the blood module, heart module, sensory module, bionic nerve module, and many other functions were activated simultaneously.

The girl, who had been 'sleeping,' slowly opened her eyes.

With this movement, the body's temperature and the vibrancy of life instantly filled her body.

The AI ​​girl, awakened from her 'slumber,' looked around with curiosity at the world that had suddenly changed in her senses.

"……good afternoon."

"JOK!"

Chapter 55 Song Origin: Suddenly I Have a Cyber ​​Daughter?

The data stream in his eyes was initially chaotic, but gradually returned to normal.

The various systems were gradually awakened, like the birth of new life.

Sofia blinked, her pupils repeatedly focusing several times before finally settling into a steady state.

She looked around, accepting the influence of her surroundings on her body. Then she pinched her cheek and tried to do some relatively simple movements.

"Is this what the body feels like...?"

In a short period of time, the four girls from the engineering department successively experienced extremely human-like emotions—even emotions that some 'people' could not express—within the bodies controlled by the AI-made soul.

She looked around with curiosity, like a newborn baby, seemingly filled with curiosity about everything in the world around her.

"It feels completely different from being in another world."

Muttering to herself, she tried to summon her Persona.

Clusters of eerie blue flames rose from beneath her feet, swirling and clinging to her cheeks, forming a pixelated 'mask'.

"Psona—Pandora!"

Clusters of flames stretched into lines of fire, howling and intertwining, forming a strange phantom image of a 'woman carrying a box' behind her.

"Summoning the Persona is no problem... my body is completely within its limits, but the energy consumption has increased..."

Sofia, preoccupied with testing her body's condition, soon noticed the expressions of Utahara, Cortoline, and Hibiki, which were somewhere between novelty and excitement.

She retracted her Persona, and her unique 'phantom thief outfit' vanished as a ball of ghostly blue flame.

"Utahara-senpai, Hibiki-senpai, and Katori-senpai... Thank you so much!"

The AI ​​girl bowed slightly and addressed the three members of the Utahara group as "senpai" to express her heartfelt gratitude for their recent dedication.

"Thank you... for giving me a second life!"