I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Amamiya didn't directly respond to Makoto's words, but instead turned her gaze to Iroha: "Iroha, are you alright on your end?"

As the 'parties involved,' Iroha was well aware of what Amamiya was trying to convey.

She did not question it immediately, but instead agreed to Amamiya's request.

Straightening her slightly crooked military cap, the girl calmly replied, "No problem. I'm ready to cooperate with Sensei anytime."

After Iroha indicated that she had no objections, Makoto immediately clapped her hands and laughed.

"As Sensei said... 'cooperation' is a process from point to line, and from line to surface... Today, the Pandemonium and Xia Lai have reached a cooperation at the 'point' level... It's truly a day worth celebrating!"

Makoto, who seemed to feel that she was one step closer to her "grand plan" of "conquering the world," laughed heartily and reached out her hand to Amamiya.

Judging from the gesture, it's clear that they want a "handshake after the deed is done".

Amamiya: "..."

After a moment of hesitation, he still chose to respond to Makoto's 'special enthusiasm'.

【~???~】(from Makoto)

"To celebrate this pleasant collaboration... Would Sensei like to stay overnight at Pandemonium? I can show you around the Garhena self-governed area, so you can experience the power of Pandemonium and the local customs of Garhena—"

Sensing that if she accepted Makoto's invitation to stay overnight, Amamiya would spend the rest of the day visiting various factories, she decisively and tactfully declined.

"While I really want to explore the scenery of the Gehenna territory under the guidance of the Pandemonium members... I'm busy with work lately, especially with some other plans for the next few days, so I'll postpone it for another day."

Makoto seemed slightly disappointed, but she wasn't discouraged.

"So……"

She glanced at the group of members she had brought with her, and soon her gaze fell on Iroha, who was trying her best to make herself inconspicuous.

"Then Iroha will escort you back."

Iroha: "..."

After Amamiya, the red-haired girl who was also singled out by Makoto had a pouty face. Although her facial expression was not obvious, one could easily feel a very subtle bitterness that a working person feels when faced with an unreasonable demand from their boss.

"……it is good."

After deliberately drawing out her agreement, Iroha immediately got up and walked towards the door of the reception room.

“Sensei, please come with me… I will take you back with ‘Toramaru’.”

Amamiya followed Iroha out, waving goodbye to the rest of the Pandemonium members inside.

The "Tora-maru" mentioned by Iroha is actually named "Super Invincible Ironclad Toramaru".

The name sounds bizarre... but in reality, it's a tank—the famous 'Tiger Tank' that Amamiya remembers.

To be honest, before coming to Kivotos, Amamiya had never experienced what it felt like to "ride in a tank".

He also thought that riding in a tank would feel cramped and confined due to its design.

In fact, this is not the case at all.

After Iroha led Ibuki into the Tiger tank's interior, Amamiya, sitting in the crew seat, watched the two girls, one tall and one short, skillfully operate the tank, and felt the two completely different fragrances lingering around her nose. Amamiya suddenly felt...

It seems that "riding a tank with a beautiful girl" is a rather surreal thing.

Sitting in the tank as a "passenger," chatting with Ibuki and Iroha from time to time... maintaining this state, Amamiya felt herself gradually approaching the station at the border of the Gehenna self-governing district.

It wasn't until Toramaru arrived at the station that Iroha finally voiced the questions that had been building up in her mind.

"Sensei... what exactly was the meaning of your previous request?"

To the girl's long-held doubts, Amamiya's reply was simple: "A 'sacrifice' that had to be made for the sake of activities in the other world."

Recalling the "sacrifice" Anzu made when conquering the [Art Museum] hall, Amamiya sighed inwardly.

At that time, Anne almost became Yusuke's "special model" in order to open the "door that could not be opened" of the art museum.

A 'phantom thief' operation in another world...?

Iroha understood it after just one thought.

Do something in the real world, 'show it off to others,' and thereby change the corresponding perception in the other world...

So, when Sensei talks about being 'embroiled in scandals,' does it mean that... all sorts of strange rumors might gradually spread about my and Sensei's swaggering behavior?

She looked at Ibuki beside her: "Sensei, can Ibuki come with us to the 'Trinity Event' this time?"

Amamiya was slightly taken aback.

Bringing Ibuki along too... might be an excellent idea.

With Ibuki present, the awkwardness could be greatly reduced, and the suspicion of an intimate date could be completely eliminated.

In fact, if Ibuki could make a trip to Trinity and be discovered by Beatrice... the deterrent effect she would have would be far greater than that of Makoto herself.

After taking a stroll around the Pandemonium, Amamiya clearly realized Ibuki's 'group favorite' status.

He didn't believe that Beatrice wouldn't realize that Ibuki's "weight" was greater than Makoto's.

"Okay...then let Ibuki come along too."

Amamiya's earnest reply made Ibuki jump up and down with great joy, waving her extra-long sleeves with an exceptionally happy and adorable expression.

"Huh? We're going to Trinity with Sensei and Iroha-neechan?! Ibuki is so excited!"

Amamiya bent down slightly and touched the nascent horns on Ibuki's head.

Amidst the energetic laughter of the tiny blonde girl, "Haha~ Sensei, don't touch Ibuki like that, it tickles!" and under Iroha's increasingly dangerous gaze, Amamiya earnestly 'promised', "I'll find excuses like this to hang out with Ibuki from now on."

【~???~】(from Ibuki)

【~???~】(from Iroha)

"Huh? Really?!"

Meeting the gaze of those pure, golden eyes that held only longing, Amamiya nodded earnestly once more: "Of course it's true... I am an adult, and adults don't lie."

【~???~】(from Ibuki)

"...Sensei, isn't it about time you went back?"

Amamiya decisively stopped. Straightening up, she smiled and waved to Ibuki: "Ibuki, remember to be an honest and trustworthy good girl, okay?"

"Yes! Ibuki will become an honest and hardworking good child!"

[...I sensed Ibuki's energy.]

Coopation has been improved!

【Tanka Ibuki (Sun) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

[★2 Ability "Childlike Innocence" has been unlocked!]

After bidding farewell to Ibuki and Iroha at the station, Amamiya boarded the train back to the millennium.

"Judging by the time, the engineering department should have completed Sophia's full physical examination by now..."

"I wonder if Yuriko has finished her meticulous reinterpretation of firearms."

"It's time to prepare for the next exploration of the palace..."

Chapter 18 [7.5K Long Chapter] Yuriko: I've never felt so wonderful before!

at dusk.

When Amamiya returned to the engineering department, she happened to see Utahara and the other two preparing to test Sophia's combat abilities.

The huge 'engineering workshop' was temporarily cleared out.

A red-haired AI girl, holding a pair of yo-yos and with two revolvers mounted on her thigh holsters, stood in the center of the arena—surrounded by robots mass-produced by the original, whose combat power was no less than that of Caesar PMC.

"Next is the Persona summoning test."

“Let the ‘mothers’ see how capable you are, Sofia.”

Yuriko, who originally planned to conduct comprehensive tests including firearm performance and ballistics tests: "..."

The older generation really do consider themselves 'Sophia's mother'.

Putting away the tablet in her hand, the fox-eared girl sighed softly and brushed a strand of hair from her side behind her back.

She did not object to her predecessors' 'testing requirements'—after all, she herself was very interested in the 'persona', a strange, independent of any science, 'idealism' that 'cognition changes the world'.

"Hmm, Mr. Phantom Thief's return is perfectly timed."

The sound of an albatross echoing in her mind made Yuriko pause in her actions, as she was about to concentrate on analyzing Sophia's combat data.

'……Um? ’

She then realized that there was someone else beside her at some point.

It seemed like they'd been looking at me with a beaming smile for quite some time... and I hadn't even noticed?!

when……

Yuriko was surprised, but then she received a video recording from the albatross.

[He just arrived. Yuriko, didn't you notice? The Phantom Thief just swaggered right past you.]

The video that Albatross sent was a recording 'made' using the engineering department's internal surveillance system.

In the video, Amamiya seems to be in a state of complete unknowability.

After entering the engineering department's workshop, he came directly to his side and even waved his hand in front of his eyes—yet he didn't notice at all!

How exactly did they do that...?

There was absolutely no attempt to conceal anything, and the camera equipment could capture the footage normally, yet they themselves couldn't "see" it...

Is it some kind of special "psychological invisibility"?

Confused, Yuriko noticed that the young man in front of her seemed to be staring at her ears—realizing that her ears might be 'victimized' again, she quickly folded the fox ears on her head to the sides.

Only then did Amamiya leisurely ask, "How did the 'medical check-up' for Sophia go?"

Yuriko glanced briefly at Sophia, who was still undergoing combat testing, and the three of them, including Utahara, and quickly concluded:

"According to Senior Utahara, the 'physical examination' process ended 48 minutes ago, and now it's 'additional bonus questions - combat test'. As for Sophia's 'physical examination report', it will take some time to decipher it."

Can understand.

After all, Sofia is the 'crystallization of cutting-edge technology'—even her 'physical parameters' are quite difficult to read.

However, a combat capability test...

With his eyes slightly narrowed, Amamiya watched Sophia unleash her full power amidst the legion of robots, her Persona magic attacks slamming into large swathes of enemies with each strike.

The test conducted by the original author, coincidentally, precisely targeted Sophia's most effective method of combat.

Born in a 'prison' in another world, this AI girl has an exceptionally rich experience in fighting against massive amounts of ordinary shadows. Her 'combat preference' is not actually a single, powerful enemy, but rather a large-scale mob clearing.

In less than a minute, Sophia demonstrated to the three of them various combat techniques that were unbelievable to ordinary people but were performed smoothly in the other world.

Including but not limited to, as if one had activated "bullet time" and could continuously dodge and leap in the air without any leverage;

To coordinate tactical actions with one's own persona in a manner akin to a social dance;

He reloaded his pair of revolvers, "Athena," in mid-air, then, as if he had activated "Death's Eye," instantly locked onto several 'elite units' and fired repeatedly, destroying them...

This fighting style, similar to "Musou mowing down enemies," reminded Amamiya of the time when the Phantom Thieves began to swagger into prisons after the story of "Phantom Thieves" temporarily ended.

Unlike the "Palace," where the enemies are few and well-trained, the enemies in the "Prison" are not particularly strong, but their sheer number is astonishing.

It's often a massive amount, sometimes hundreds or even thousands.

Standing beside Sophia, I watched for a while as this battle test, which was no different from bullying a noob for Sophia, became a challenge.

Only when the testing of the umbrella and the shirt was nearing its end did Amamiya look at Yuriko and ask, "Has my 'weapon' been improved?"

"..."

Upon hearing the expected question, Yuriko expressed disappointment and guilt.

After a brief silence, she took out the intact [Destroyer Emperor] from her small tactical pouch and handed it to Amamiya.

"Sorry... Sensei. I tried to disassemble and reassemble this gun... Up to this point, there haven't been any problems."