I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

And so, the Eden Treaty incident is considered over, hmm...

Personally, I think it was a fairly decent ending.

(However, to be fair, this book of mine has gradually grown from a tiny seedling into a million-word novel...)

(However, the number of collections is not even one-tenth of that of [Survival in Azur Lane], which I set as my target...)

Well... I can only say it's progressing steadily.

Now, let me express my "wishful thinking"—when will my collection count be one-tenth of that of the big shot next door?

Even one-tenth of that would be enough for me, hmm.

After all, 100,000 favorites is an unattainable goal for a struggling author like me...

If a work receives 10,000 views, it represents a significant milestone for the author.

-

-

If possible, please lend me your strength to give my collection a little boost?

(If the novel doesn't get 10,000 views, oh dear!)

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Alright, that concludes the rant section unique to bookend remarks.

—Next, is a "preview" of the next volume.

It's been just the main storyline all along... The purpose of the next volume is to explore the [event storylines] outside of the main storyline.

The current plan is [Cherry Blossom Festival] + [Swimsuit].

Since it is independent of the Major Arcana, I chose to use the Minor Arcana (i.e., the Holy Grail, the Sword, the Scepter, and the Pentacles) as the chapter titles for the event.

—The promise I made to the big boss back then (to keep writing) has now come to fruition.

Thank you for being with me all this way.

I may be a lonely person in the real world, but the thought that there are so many readers 'watching me'...

Ok.

All I can say is that it will continue.

If you continue to support me, I will persevere and keep going.

The overflowing of the Holy Grail

Chapter One: Is Valentine's Day Over? (As if...)

Xia Lai was quiet in the dead of night.

Almost right at midnight, Amamiya, carrying a shoulder bag full of chocolates given to her by her students, returned to her residence in Charleigh.

The chocolate boxes of all shapes and sizes were piled up almost like a small mountain.

A strangely shaped "155mm shell" chocolate stood upright to the side;

Looking at the various chocolates that occupied a corner of the room, Amamiya really didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

'...'

'I'll leave next year's Valentine's Day for me to think about next year.'

After much deliberation, Amamiya finally decided not to worry about that 'vague' future—what does the difficulty of dealing with this year's Valentine's Day have to do with next year's?

As long as you handle things properly, a chaotic situation isn't guaranteed to happen.

Sinking into her own "sea of ​​the heart," Amamiya sorted the chocolates she had collected into a special souvenir collection area. Feeling that it wasn't too late, she decided to end the day.

With a sigh of relief, Amamiya went to the curtains and tried to draw them down.

The next second, a white phantom, seemingly lurking there for a long time, swayed her light pink, agile cat tail and gracefully stepped onto the balcony outside the window.

"Hehe... I've been waiting for a long time."

Under the moonlight and stars, the girl slowly removed the white half-face mask from her forehead, revealing light red eyes beneath the mask that held a hint of feline languid charm.

"As fellow 'phantom thieves,' we can't just 'forget each other' after fighting side-by-side."

Amamiya stepped forward and opened the French windows.

Then, in the darkness, a girl dressed in an unusual white phantom thief outfit landed lightly and naturally in the room.

With her slender figure, she moved with the grace of a cat, making a general circle around the room.

"You can smell many different 'chocolate' scents..."

The girl twitched her nose slightly and frowned slightly: "...As expected, choosing to meet under the cover of night, while fitting the style of a 'phantom thief,' is already too late."

After circling around, she returned to Amamiya's side and took out a meticulously designed chocolate box from the inside of her white dress. The box was decorated with a white and gold color scheme and featured a half-face mask unique to Akira.

"Prepared especially for you~"

After a few seconds of silence, Amamiya sighed deeply and took the Valentine's Day chocolate from Akira's hand.

"I really didn't expect... there would still be a 'final kill' this late."

After sighing, Amamiya shook her head with a smile: "However... that does indeed fit the impression Akira gave me."

【~???~】

"For a phantom thief, the first essential thing is to 'maintain elegance,' and the second most important thing is to 'wait for the right opportunity'... Jing did both the first and the second very well."

Amamiya's praise made the cat ears on the girl's head flutter twice.

Seemingly pleased, Jing casually added, "Sensei is right... but now, I've learned a third point—'Time waits for no one.' Waiting passively might actually cause us to miss the best opportunity..."

As the girl spoke, she stepped onto the windowsill, leaned against the window frame, and looked out at the street bathed in the moonlight and starlight.

She gazed at the street scene outside and murmured, "I'll remember this 'lesson'..."

"I won't disturb you any longer. Sensei, have a peaceful night."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jing leaped out, like a white cat in the dark night, her figure flashing between the tops of buildings before quickly disappearing from sight.

I sensed a change in Jing's mindset.

【Coopation↑UP!】

【Clear Crystal (Mobs' Order/The Moon) ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

After the last little incident before the day ended, Amamiya finally got through his first Valentine's Day since arriving in Giwatos.

Next, we still need to deal with some of the aftermath related to the "Eden Treaty"...

Then, if things go as expected, I should be entering a relatively long period of adjustment...

Lying in bed, pondering her next steps, Amamiya felt her eyelids gradually grow heavy.

In the darkness, Amamiya could sense a blue mist, symbolizing the "Velvet Room," enveloping her.

The ethereal chanting of the poem of the soul of all mankind, accompanied by the clanging of alternating chains, came from afar.

Amamiya "opened her eyes" again.

It's still the familiar second-floor loft of Leblanc Cafe.

The recreation of the "Velvet Room" is still flawless.

Yawning, Amamiya went downstairs.

The first floor was also very familiar to him, now painted with a blue hue symbolizing a velvet room. Apart from that, the interior of the "Leblanc Cafe" had not changed much in style.

Amamiya was taken aback for a moment, then felt Ravenda's gentle gaze, which seemed to melt one's heart like honey.

The instant their eyes met, Amamiya heard Ravenda's voice, sweet and reserved only for lovers, whisper in his ear: "My dearest 'My Trickst,' the man I acknowledge as the best in the world... Finally, amidst all my busy schedule, I can see you again."

By now, Amamiya is no longer surprised by Ravenda's "special confession segment" every time they meet.

Nodding, Amamiya stepped forward and gently stroked a few strands of golden hair on the girl's head. Seeing Ravenda's closed eyes and quiet, contented expression, he softly asked, "Did you call me here because of something 'special'?"

"Ah."

Ravenda slowly opened her eyes and explained, "Sen... no, JOK."

She almost blurted out "Sensei" again, then awkwardly corrected herself: "Not long ago, you helped a girl who was also a 'Fool' complete her unique transformation..."

"Now, the Velvet Room will serve as a witness and recorder of this story. To the girl you have found, named 'Hifumi Ajitani,' we present her with the final tarot card."

Amamiya nodded, understanding why Ravenda had called him here.

—Back then, after defeating the false god [Yaldabait] and undergoing the "baptism" of the third semester, he resolved to move towards the true future.

After that, at the 'end of the story,' he went to the Velvet Room and received his last Tarot card—[The World].

Now that Hifumi has completed her own story and reached the "end of the Fool's Journey," she deserves similar treatment.

"So... Ravenda specifically called me here so that I could witness this special 'ritual'?"

Lavenda nodded slightly, then suddenly shed the mystery and maturity of her role as the [Velvet Room Assistant], playfully taking Amamiya's arm and explaining lightly, "In human terms..."

"It's like 'witnessing the final platinum achievement'... such a special kind of ceremony, I don't think my dear JOK would refuse to participate, right?"

Amamiya: "...Of course I won't refuse."

Guided by Lavenda, Amamiya pushed open the door of her "Velvet Room" - Leblanc Cafe and stepped into the ethereal world outside.

After a moment of disorientation, Amamiya found herself standing in front of another "Velvet Room".

This velvet room looks like an arcade—it's a velvet room exclusively for Hifumi.

Ravenda quietly released her grip on Amamiya's hand, deliberately creating a slight distance between them to maintain her mystique and maturity as a "senior."

She opened the arcade door and led Amamiya inside.

As expected, the "Velvet Room Assistant" Dream, which is connected with Nifumi, is also there.

The moment Amamiya entered, a girl with long green hair and a sky-blue dress with a velvet assistant was fiddling with a small device that clearly looked like some kind of chocolate processing machine.

From the obvious chocolate splatter stains on her cheeks, hands, and hem of her clothes, as well as her pitiful expression that seemed to be crying, Amamiya could tell that she was in distress.

Busy with her struggle with the "chocolate machine," she didn't even notice Amamiya and Lavenda's arrival at first.

It wasn't until Ravenda coughed lightly that Meng belatedly stopped what she was doing.

"Huh?! La-Lavenda-senpai... and..."

Startled, she quickly put the chocolate machine aside, her head slightly lowered in embarrassment, her hands twisting the hem of her skirt as she awkwardly explained, "Um, I..."

Ravenda waved her hand 'helplessly': 'No need to explain.'

Standing beside her, Amamiya heard Ravenda's subsequent, much quieter, self-murmur.

'I had initially hoped this junior would be proficient in using modern machinery, but now it seems I'd be better off doing it myself than relying on her.'

Meng breathed a slight sigh of relief, then suddenly remembered something: "Senior Lavenda, you... came for the 'ritual,' right?"

"Hmm." Lavenda glanced at Yume, whose clothes were stained with chocolate and whose mystique as the velvet room assistant had vanished. "Are you ready?"

Meng immediately straightened her chest and raised her head: "This is an important matter entrusted to me by my senior, so of course I have been prepared for it for a long time!"

As she spoke, she snapped her fingers, and the chocolate stains on her body instantly turned into white smoke and evaporated completely.

Having confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the dream, Ravenda looked at Amamiya.

Amamiya nodded, and then walked with Ravenda into the shadows, where no one would notice them, to sit in the 'audience seats'.

"……let's start."

Chapter Two: The "World" Acquired by Hifumi

The ethereal sound of chanting reached her ears, and the sense of peace and stability that guided her consciousness to the velvet room slowly awoke her.

'Haa~'

After yawning wearily, Hifumi got up from the 'ocean' of plush toys.