I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Yes... these hypocritical 'Asgardian gods' need to be corrected with blood and fire..."

Nidhogg's dragon eyes seemed to spit fire as she interrupted herself halfway through her sentence, saying, "No...they need a Ragnarok to reshuffle the deck!"

Amamiya twitched the corner of her mouth.

It seems... that the Mika I know is also one of those who act in extreme ways?

"Very good... Your arrival has successfully reminded me of what I should truly be doing..."

Nidhogg, which had almost fully recovered, slowly rose from the ice.

She raised her head and gazed at the lush green canopy at the edge of her vision, and at the faintly visible City of Eden above it.

"remember……"

Seeing that she had broken free from the 'shadow' on her own, Amamiya said nothing more. He took a few steps back and returned to his own group.

"...'Ragnarok' is never just about destruction—if you do it with destruction as your sole purpose, no matter how many times you do it, it will all be in vain."

Nidhogg seemed to have carefully considered Amamiya's words before smiling at Amamiya and his group.

“…Thank you.”

"I... will regain my fighting spirit and, when you need me, launch the final assault on this world."

"If you intend to create that twilight calamity... then I will go with you."

After his amber gaze finally settled on Amamiya, Nidhogg seemed to feel a slight pang of regret.

"However... it's a real pity. You... someone as special as you already have a group of very interesting companions."

"If you are alone... then I will certainly sign a contract with you, making you my contractor."

She stood there and waved to Amamiya and her group: "You've achieved your goal, haven't you? It's time to leave..."

"Let us see... your magnificent performance in the fall of Eden."

After saying that, she turned around and jumped towards the roots of the World Tree. Suddenly, a pair of mini dragon wings grew from her back, allowing her to fly in human form.

She flapped her wings and instantly flew into the gaps between the branches.

Soon, she transformed into a pink shooting star and plummeted to the earth, hovering in front of Amamiya and her group.

"I have no way to repay your kindness... so I will give you this special 'spoils of war'."

She tossed a bird egg that looked particularly large, so big that it required both arms to hold it securely, to Amamiya.

"These are the eggs of the 'Vidfulnir' bird... Perhaps they will be of some use to you."

After waving goodbye to Amamiya, she flapped her wings and flew away—this time she never returned.

After watching Nidhogg's figure disappear into Niflheim, Amamiya and his group turned their attention away.

At that moment, Amamiya could clearly feel the girls around her letting out a long sigh of relief or making relaxed micro-expressions.

“Now… ‘Nidhogg’ can bite through the tree roots at any time. The great ship Nagilfa has already fallen into the water… and Hati and Skul… they began chasing the sun and moon the moment their fate was unsealed.”

After glancing around, Amamiya handed the enormous eagle egg to Hanako, then clapped his hands and concluded, "Now... all three prophecies of Ragnarok can now be completely fulfilled..."

"Next, we'll release the announcement."

"Next, what we need to do is accumulate strength, prepare ourselves... and then crush the enemy in one fell swoop."

Will the next trip to the palace be the time to steal the secret treasure...?

Amamiya's words elicited considerable anticipation from the other girls, except for Hifumi.

As for Hifumi... she was slightly worried about just how powerful Beatrice would be on the day of the "treasure theft".

As long as Sensei is here... as long as I'm with my friends... I should be fine!

I guess so?

"Goddess Norren" clapped her hands lightly: "Hehe... In that case, it was quite a show... The trip was worthwhile."

She looked at Amamiya, waved leisurely, and her figure began to fade and disappear.

"You...have other things to do? In that case...I won't bother you any longer...see you in the future."

Amamiya definitely had other things to do...

With a serious look, he glanced around at the four members of the tutoring club: Akira, Sophia, and Amamiya. Finally, he looked at Hanako, who was holding the bird egg of [Videfornil] and seemed a little lost.

"Before leaving... the last thing to do is..."

"Help Hanako complete the [Personality Awakening]."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Hanako's [Personality Mask]

Help Hanako achieve... Persona awakening?!

Amamiya's words caused all the girls present to turn their attention back to Hanako, who was holding the bird eggs.

Hifumi blinked, stared at the bird egg in Hanako's arms for a while, then suddenly turned her thoughtful gaze to Amamiya: "Sensei...you mean..."

Hifumi's relatively extensive 'otherworld knowledge' made her the most knowledgeable about the otherworld among those present, besides Amamiya and Sophia—her rich experience in the otherworld made Hifumi realize that Hanako's "persona awakening" was almost... no, it should be said that it was absolutely true.

It's definitely related to this bird egg from [Videfornil]!

“That’s right… this ‘bird egg’ is actually a source of shadow—in a way, it can also be considered a newly born persona.”

Meeting the slightly strange gazes of the girls, Amamiya calmly nodded: "You can think of it as... a special fragment from the source of another world. Or... a small animal cub? It looks like this now... but as long as a contract is signed, it can also become a Persona."

After a pause, Amamiya did not reveal the additional mechanism that "personas awakened in this way will have higher initial strength".

Jing leaned closer to IX Zero Temple and tried gently stroking the bird egg.

The texture was almost identical to the eggs she was familiar with...

She thoughtfully flicked her cat ears and looked at Amamiya, asking, "So... should we 'hatch' it?"

When it comes to how eggs are laid, the first thing that comes to mind is "hatching".

Jing's words made Xiaochun blush on the spot.

The pink-haired girl instantly bristled, her little wings flapping twice on her head.

Then, she stammered, "Incubate...incubate eggs?! How...how...?"

Upon hearing Jing's words, Xiaochun, with her vivid imagination, immediately conjured up an image in her mind—Hanako, holding a bird egg, kneeling gently on a soft mattress, smiling gently as she held the egg in her hands, constantly stroking and soothing it…

She shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the strange images from her mind.

"It's not what you think..."

Amamiya chuckled and waved to Haru, then gestured for Hanako to place the egg on the ice beneath her feet for the time being.

"Hanako, now do as I say..."

After a pause, Amamiya's voice suddenly became ethereal, as if it came from a distant morning star.

"Close your eyes, try to communicate and feel with your inner world..."

"Listen, feel, think..."

Under the semi-hypnotic guidance of Amamiya's "Voices of the Stars," Hanako maintained the position of placing her hand on the bird's egg and slowly closed her eyes.

Gradually, she felt all the sounds recede into the distance, and the world before her eyes gradually turned into a clear blue.

Hanako 'opened' her eyes again... and a wondrous 'world', as calm as the surface of a liquid, unfolded before her.

The 'bird egg' in his hand turned into wisps of hazy light.

When Hanako looked down at the ball of light, the constantly twisting and changing light conveyed a sound to her.

"...Can you hear my voice?"

'This is……'

Hanako was slightly surprised.

"This is your 'inner world.' And I... am the 'bird egg' in your hand. At the same time... I am also a special being residing in the human inner world."

"My name is 'Vedfornil,' and I am a falcon that dwells at the top of the World Tree... Once upon a time, I also had a pair of sharp eyes that could see into all things in the world."

The sound of "bird egg" seemed to carry a deep sense of regret.

"You... are very similar to me. You possess the wisdom to understand many things, and the sharp eyes to see through everything in the world..."

"However, precisely because of this, you've witnessed far too many 'not-so-pure negotiations' driven by interests and other goals—that's not the 'relationship' you're hoping for, is it?"

Hanako remained silent, but ripples began to spread across the calm surface of the "Sea of ​​Hearts" beneath her feet.

"..."

"Wisdom is a good thing... but it's not entirely a good thing. The same goes for 'sharp insight'..."

"Bird Egg" sighed and continued, "So... I willingly accepted the seduction of the 'fog of lies' and became a blind fool who only obeys orders while blindfolded."

"But it wasn't until I was seduced by the fog of lies that I realized one thing: lies are made up of what little hope humanity has left."

"You saw the power of those tens of thousands of proverbs, didn't you... to restore the truth to everyone and pave the way for the future—that is a power that only 'pioneers' and 'deceitful masters' can wield."

"Mortals are out of reach... but mortals also have their own little tricks... They rely on 'lies' to weave a web, maintain their little remaining hope, and thus they can also obtain happiness—even if this happiness is small, it is real."

"A lie can become the truth... but the way it's woven should never be so clumsy. Its true purpose is to gather the remnants of hope, to collect those fragments, and to forge them into a weapon to shatter the despair before us—"

The sound of the "bird egg" gradually lost its 'humanity' and became ethereal and divine.

Under Hanako's gaze, it slowly floated up, absorbing the liquid from the Sea of ​​Hearts, and condensed into a completely new form.

"Even false lies can weave hope, point to the future—and ultimately bring happiness."

"So...do you wish to touch the light that condenses from 'even a lie'?"

Hanako: "..."

She looked at the ball of light floating in front of her, just one step away from completing the shaping process.

She reminisced about her time at the tutoring center.

Although it was short-lived... I must say, every day was easy and enjoyable.

There was no pretense, nor any flattery.

Can she say that this "happiness" built on the crisis of the Holy Trinity is false?

No...no.

The momentary confusion faded from her face, and Hanako resolutely stepped forward, reaching out to touch the light that was so close at hand—

"There is a bluebird in the world—its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky, which can cross the maze and deliver the imperial edict."

"If there is still darkness in your eyes... wherever this wing goes, that is the path to 'happiness'."

"No way to Penglai Mountain? How laughable!"

"Wherever the fire of the heart leads—"

"All the peaks have become thoroughfares."

"I am you, and you are me..."

With a whoosh, a turquoise vortex appeared from the ball of light and then quickly swirled around it.

A small bird, brightly colored, graceful, and imbued with a divine aura, is gradually taking shape.

Hanako lowered her head, subconsciously repeating the seemingly magical contract phrase: "I am you, you are me..."

"This covenant is now established—and the agreement is written down."

"My name is Qingniao, and I am a messenger under the Queen Mother of the West, who carries out imperial decrees to tour the Three Realms."

"The darkness will then dissipate, and the light of day will surely come... I will be your green wings."

"Breaking through the fog of the nine heavens, ushering in eternal clarity."

……

For Hanako, the process of 'communication' within her inner world is a long one.

However, in the eyes of Hifumi, Azusa, Koharu and the others, their companion had only closed his eyes for a moment, and then his body began to emit wisps of dark blue light.

The ray of light did not attach itself to Hanako and transform into her "phantom thief outfit" as they had imagined.

Instead, it coalesced in mid-air and transformed into a tarot card depicting Hanako's own portrait.