I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Hoshino's overflowing joy and excitement, filled with the intense 'joy of reunion,' instantly froze on her face, and she held back the tears that were about to fall.

She lowered her head, her eyes darting around, as if she couldn't find the right words to answer.

How should I answer this?

Should I tell my senior that I have been in a state of confusion and depression since her "death" and have provided almost no help or guidance to the younger generation?

Or should we say that he let his descendants fend for themselves and let their growth trajectory be completely unaffected by him?

Yume seemed to see through Hoshino's hesitation. The seriousness in her eyes quickly faded, replaced by her gentle yet slightly 'reckless' smile: "Haha~ It seems that Hoshino-chan, as a senior, is behaving even worse than me."

Meng was very clear—she was not qualified to speak to Hoshino from the perspective of a senior.

Because in every sense of the word... her own performance was actually quite poor.

Sometimes, even though she was the senior, she still needed Hoshino, who was the junior at the time, to "hold her back."

There was no blame in Meng's tone, only gentle tolerance and a hint of teasing Hoshino, as well as self-deprecation... which, of course, left Hoshino feeling awkward.

The more Meng said this, the more uncomfortable Hoshino felt.

The battle for the Caesars Group's palace in the desert...

Awakening her Persona, temporarily acquiring the final Persona, stealing desires and seizing the future... these stories that happen in a very short time stand in stark contrast to her previous 'giving up'.

It was precisely because she understood the principle of "shame leads to courage" that Hoshino dared not and did not want to deal with Yume's questioning with a "get away with it" attitude—and then she didn't know what to say, so she was at a loss for words.

Hoshino awkwardly raised his hand, gently scratched his cheek with his index finger, and pretended to look into the distance, not knowing what to say for a moment.

The scene was somewhat reminiscent of "parents teaching children," which made Amamiya, who was standing to the side, smile slightly.

Because the scene was so "interesting," Amamiya simply watched with great interest from the sidelines and did not immediately break the subtle interaction between Yume-senpai and Hoshino.

Just as the atmosphere was about to fall into a long, deathly silence, Amamiya broke the silence with a light cough and summarized Hoshino's recent performance.

"As a senior, Hoshino certainly has many shortcomings..."

Looking into the petite pink-haired girl's gradually brightening, blue-gold heterochromatic eyes like those of a Persian cat, Amamiya said earnestly, "However... as Sensei, I will guide her and make her a reliable senior."

【~???~】(from Hoshino)

Hearing that her "boss" had expressed his opinion, Meng decided to stop "putting on airs".

“If we were to entrust Hoshino to your care… it would indeed be a ‘special best option’.” Yume nodded gently, her usual stern elder-like demeanor softening.

“My current situation is somewhat special… As you can see, Hoshino-chan. I can indeed be considered ‘alive’… but in a special way.”

After shaking her head with a wry smile, Yume clasped her hands together and made an apologetic expression: "I have become an assistant in the [Velvet Room]... Currently, I exist in a way similar to... a soul in your understanding, and I am responsible for liaising with the [Special Guest] (Hifumi)."

"So... I'm sorry, Hoshino-chan. And... everyone in Abydos. Although I really want to come to the 'real world' to see you in person, I can't do it right now. For now, I can only watch over you silently from 'another world' in this way."

The vague explanation in the dream made Hoshino realize something.

—It turns out that 'Senior Dream' ultimately died during that deep desert exploration.

To be able to meet her in such a way, almost like a "soul," and to live on in another form, is already a miracle; it is truly remarkable.

"..."

Hoshino sighed deeply, seemingly beginning to understand something. She looked up at Yume: "Senpai... what do you mean by 'special guest'?"

Meng did not answer immediately, but instead smiled and nodded, as if she was organizing her thoughts.

After a moment's hesitation, Meng replied in a very formulaic, gentle voice: "First, you need to understand the background of the [Velvet Room]."

"The Velvet Room exists deep within the collective unconscious, nestled between the material and spiritual worlds, between time and space. Only 'special guests' who have signed a contract with the Velvet Room can reach it, and services are provided for these guests."

After all, these were the most basic pieces of knowledge I learned when I first started working as a Velvet Room assistant...

Even if a dream is a disaster, it's unlikely that it can't remember these most basic facts.

Amamiya then provided an explanation, using a simple and easy-to-understand analogy to help Hoshino understand what this so-called "special guest" meant.

"Hoshino, you should be familiar with that Persona game from not long ago, right? If you are familiar with that game, you know... the Velvet Room is practically designed specifically for the protagonist."

【~???~】(from Hifumi)

'Huh?!'

'Sensei...'

Hifumi, standing next to Amamiya, paused slightly, then cupped her cheeks in her hands to hide her momentary embarrassment.

'Sensei means... I'm... the heroine...?!'

Hoshino seemed to understand, but not quite. She felt like she understood, yet she didn't quite grasp it.

After pondering for a while, seemingly understanding but not quite, Hoshino Nezumi concluded, based on the available information, that Yume-senpai had 'survived' in a special way and become an assistant in the Velvet Room…

And if I want to see Senior Yume again...

"So, in other words, Senior Yume has become the assistant in charge of receiving Hifumi... and if I want to see Senior Yume, the only way is to go to Hifumi...?"

Wait, there seems to be another option.

Velvet rooms are for special guests and are usually only available to such people.

If I want to see Senior Yume... wouldn't it be enough to just become that kind of person?

Once I become a "special guest" who has signed a contract, I can see Senior Yume more often, right?

As the long-standing knot in her heart was untied, new doubts arose in Hoshino's mind.

How can one become a "special guest"?

After a brief moment of doubt, Hoshino was filled with conviction, his burning gaze fixed on Amamiya.

"It was after coming into contact with Sensei that Hifumi gradually became 'outstanding,' gradually developing what's called special qualifications, and becoming a special guest received by the Velvet Room..."

The girl's mind raced.

Perhaps... it's because she spends a lot of time with Sensei and has been influenced by him...

"What if I were also..."

After standing there in silence for a long while, Hoshino sighed softly, looking as if she were burdened with worries and suddenly felt exhausted.

"I know what to do..."

[I sensed the surging will emanating from Hoshino.]

Coopation has been improved!

【Takanashi Hoshino (Sun) ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆】

[★5 Ability - Solar Flare - is now unlocked!]

With her burning gaze fixed on Amamiya, the girl uttered a firm, soft murmur.

'Sensei...I will contact you more frequently...'

Try to become the "protagonist" yourself.

Chapter 5 Congratulations, you have obtained a bed-warming AI girl!

"JOK, any special 'outing activities' today?"

Early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, Amamiya heard the energetic and lively voice of AI girl Sophia, a voice that instantly brightened her mood.

Feeling the warmth emanating from the AI ​​girl's incredibly precise bionic body, mimicking the delicate and fragile form of a young girl, and the accompanying fragrance, Amamiya awoke from her sleep.

He turned over and stared directly into Sofia's eyes for several seconds.

The AI ​​girl doesn't seem to think there's anything moral or logical wrong with her behavior.

After staring at Amamiya for a few seconds, Sofia blinked blankly and tentatively asked, "...JOK?"

Amamiya silently withdrew her gaze, said nothing more, and sat up from the bed.

After obtaining the 'Bionic Body Erpis' from Sophia, this AI girl, whose emotions were even richer than most ordinary people but whose common sense was obviously somewhat lacking, was very keen on things like this, having "intimate contact" with Amamiya unintentionally.

The thought that such "bed warming" or other similar behaviors would become more frequent in the future led Amamiya to choose not to be surprised but to try to get used to it.

After changing out of her pajamas and into Xia Lai's uniform, Amamiya answered Sophia's questions while washing up and getting ready.

"I plan to contact Arios's team today... to inform them that it's time to begin the exploration of the 'Rosy Palace of the Mist City'."

Several days have passed, and the Temple of the Holy Trinity is still reeling from the aftermath of the destruction of Asgard.

Amamiya did want to continue exploring the Temple of the Holy Trinity and conquer the area as soon as possible—but he also knew that, especially in matters like this, there was no point in rushing.

It might sound like a bit of nonsense, but that's the gist of it.

Being overly anxious about something can backfire.

The same applies to conquering temples. Rushing in without taking a gradual approach will only have the opposite effect.

"Want to explore the palace? Got it, JOK!"

Sophia's azure eyes were covered by a light blue film, and she entered a special communication mode: "I'll help JOK contact them right away!"

'Ding ding—'

The next second, she connected to Amamiya's phone, opened MomoTalk on the phone, and sent communication messages to the four girls in Arios's team.

Soon, Amamiya received a reply from the squad leader, Saori.

[Saori: Shall we explore the palace today...? Understood.]

Saori seemed to have been preparing for this day for a long time.

When she replied, Amamiya could even read a hint of longing and anticipation in her brief reply.

[Saori: I'll assemble the team right away.]

Amamiya has never worried about the efficiency of Saori and her group of four.

After helping Sophia comb her android body's hair and clothes, Amamiya began preparing the [Personality Summoner] for the three members of Saori's team.

“Previously, we prepared a special [Scapegoat Angel] for Misaki. This time, we will also prepare special [Personality Summoners] for Saori, Akiko, and Hiyori…”

Submerging her consciousness into the velvet room, Amamiya went directly to the workbench and began creating their own unique [Personality Summoner].

First, there's Saori's summoner.

"Considering my impression of her... well, the materials and style, let's leave it at that."

When choosing the prototype for Saori's [Personality Summoner], Amamiya chose a well-known character—[Longinus].

Psona - Longinus (Arcana: Hope)

[Introduction: Longinus is the centurion in the myth of Jesus Christ who pierced Jesus' side with a spear.]

According to the Bible, when Jesus' blood fell into Longinus' eyes, Longinus was instantly moved and became a saint.

[Because he severely injured the 'Savior' and was moved by his actions, his hope and nobility were awakened within him, and he was posthumously honored as 'Saint Longinus'.]

[He himself may not be very famous... but the spear that pierced Jesus Christ appears frequently in various myths and well-known works—such as the famous work "Neon Genesis Evangelion."]

After Amemiya meticulously disassembled, reassembled, and repeatedly adjusted the parts, he assembled a revolver based on the prototype of the [Anaconda].

[Atonement Saint: A Persona summoner refined from the souls of 'Atonement Saints'. Only a select few can use it.]

[Type: Summoner/Weapon (When used as a weapon, the magazine capacity is 6 rounds)]

[Skill: Saint's Blood / Stamina +10]

[Saint's Blood: Restores the same amount of HP and SP to all allies except yourself. Reduces your own HP and SP to 50%; (Cannot be activated if either your HP or SP is below 50%.)]

[Endurance +10: Greatly increases the holder's 'vitality'. Reduces the probability of entering abnormal statuses and decreases damage taken from physical attacks.]

This [Personality Summoner], which is practically a 'graduation weapon', already possesses a divine beauty that is no less than that of the [God of Destruction] used by Amemiya.

The gun body is made of ivory-white bone material, with dark silver metallic patterns covering the surface, like an ancient remains solidified after being soaked in the blood of saints.

The grip is wrapped with ever-growing crimson thorn vines that pierce the palm of the gunholder without drawing blood—these living thorns change shape according to the user's mental state, blooming into pure white roses when the will to atone is firm.

Even the chambers, which are not normally visible, were deliberately designed by Amemiya.

Thanks to the bond skill "Gunsmith's Knowledge" provided by Yuriko, Amamiya's understanding of firearms has improved significantly, allowing him to notice the 'beauty' that was previously easily overlooked.

The cylinder is etched with a series of images depicting Longinus piercing Jesus Christ with his spear and becoming a saint through atonement.

Unlike the [Scapegoat Angel], which requires drawing on the negative emotions of others, the [Atoning Saint] requires the user to confront their inner darkness and draw on negative emotions from the depths of their own heart to generate bullets that can be fired at themselves or at their enemies.