I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The overall meaning, or theme, of the card 【The Star】 is "hope".

Stars are a symbol of hope—the more desperate the situation, the brighter the hope shines.

The upright Star signifies 'hope for the future', 'hope in both emotional and spiritual aspects', 'achieving goals', and 'a healthy and beautiful future'. It also represents 'good fortune is coming', 'a beautiful mind and body', 'a peaceful life', 'inner healing', 'imagination (creativity)', and 'a wonderful romance'.

The reversed Star signifies: 'hope is nowhere in sight'; 'loss of hope'; 'no progress'; 'an overly unrealistic love affair'; 'obsession with ideals'; 'shattered hopes'; 'things not going as planned'; 'secret romance'; 'a life lacking love'.

A secret affair, a life devoid of love...

Amamiya remembered the "star female Go player" he had befriended before, [Togo Ichifumi].

This female Go player, who plays with a rather eccentric and childish style, actually lives a life "lacking in love," as Togo Ichifumi's parents don't really care about her.

Her father taught her to play chess, but that was all he did; he didn't really supervise her much otherwise.

The mother, on the other hand, was very strong-willed and had extremely high expectations for her daughter, hoping to train her to be a star female chess player who would appear on television. As a result, she even devised schemes such as "fixing games".

One, two, and three were therefore heavily criticized, and appeared to be in great distress, feeling lonely, helpless, and without any support.

As for secret romances... well, that brings us to Amamiya.

Amamiya originally just wanted to learn how to play Go from this female Go player, but unexpectedly, they ended up having a 'secret romance'.

Interesting... Is she yet another girl whose inner self and outer appearance are not entirely consistent?

I'll try to build a bond with her in the future... maybe I can learn something new from her.

"Then let's not delay... let's set off immediately."

Chapter Thirty: Curiosity from a Literary Girl

On the way to the official campus of the Millennium Technology Academy, the girl, who was half a step ahead of Amamiya, walked with her hands behind her back, taking steps that were neither light nor heavy.

“Sensei…you are a ‘special person’ from outside Kivotos. Can you…tell me what the outside world is like?”

She suddenly asked a question that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"...What is the outside world like?"

Amamiya hadn't expected that the casually chosen topic of conversation would lead to such a difficult question.

—It seems that to try and negotiate with this 'literary girl,' one needs a certain amount of 'knowledge,' 'charm,' and 'thoughtfulness'...

Fortunately, Amamiya is no longer the 'fool' who was ignorant, unremarkable in charm, and indifferent in consideration.

With encyclopedic knowledge, a captivating charm, and a compassionate thoughtfulness, I am now more than capable of engaging in a friendly exchange with such a literary young woman.

With this thought in mind, Amamiya shook his head with a meaningful smile.

"Although as a 'sensei' I have an obligation to help you solve your problems... you really are something else, giving me a difficult problem right from the start."

Amamiya stopped walking and, under the girl's violet gaze, plucked a leaf from his head that had just been blown down by the autumn wind. He gently twirled the leaf's stem between his index finger and thumb, as if deep in thought.

"If I start by talking about historical science like the 'Big Bang,' and then talk about the Triassic, Ordovician, and Silurian periods, that's probably not the answer you're looking for... So, I must first state this..."

Amamiya slowly exhaled, her eyes shining brightly as she responded to Noah: "Just this once... let's try to interpret and understand from a 'non-scientific' perspective."

After a pause, Amamiya lowered her voice and deliberately used a "deep" tone to say, "The world... is dark."

"It is ruthless and can easily destroy all of a person's efforts and struggles over the smallest things (Takuto Maruki). It is full of malice and can put a lot of pressure on people because of all kinds of things in life (members of the Phantom Thieves), and may even turn black into white and make a person pay the price for his so-called justice."

"That's a very...emotional answer."

Noah tried to savor Amamiya's 'emotional charisma' that seemed to come from nowhere, and then she inexplicably felt a kind of dazedness as if she had been drawn into it.

“In the eyes of most people, the world should be… a huge cage,” Amamiya said slowly. “This huge cage is built with injustice, with malice… with all human emotions that can bind humanity.”

"but……"

Amamiya changed the subject, raised her voice slightly, and said seriously, "In my opinion, the world is 'free,' and it is different in everyone's eyes, given an image entirely by their own intentions."

"The world is not a prison for anyone, and the so-called 'most real world' does not exist—it is the result of each person's 'subjective attribution' based on their different perspectives on things."

"For example... Noah, do you know about a psychological experiment?"

Noah gradually became engrossed in listening.

The adult in front of her, with his 'unconventional style', always gave her a... very special feeling.

In her view, this adult's willpower was terrifyingly strong. His inner "belief" even gave her a sense of déjà vu, where anyone who saw it would be attracted by the dazzling light and then be stung by the light to the point of tears.

It's practically a belief on par with a 'great hero who saves the world'...

"A psychological experiment...?"

The white-haired girl chimed in curiously.

"Hmm... that's a very simple 'psychological experiment'. For example... place the same half-full glass of water on the tables of an optimist, a pessimist, and a realist."

"An optimist will think, 'There's still half a glass of water to quench my thirst,' and therefore feel happy. So this glass of water is 'happiness' for them."

“A pessimist will think that ‘there is only half a glass of water left,’ and will feel sad and disappointed… so this glass of water is ‘unfortunate’ for them.”

“A realist would think, ‘This is half a glass of water to quench thirst,’ but to them… this glass of water is ‘practical,’ it can be used to quench thirst.”

At this point, Amamiya placed the fallen leaf she was gently twirling in her hand onto a stone platform in a garden.

"A glass of water appears differently to different people. How can something as vast and abstract as the 'world' be perceived exactly the same by everyone? Everyone's perspective is different, their understanding of people and things is different... naturally, their perception of the 'world' will differ."

"Therefore...some people hate evil as if it were their enemy, take it upon themselves to eliminate all evil, and are determined to bring peace and tranquility to more people."

"So some people want to create an 'Eden where everyone is happy and no one feels sad'."

"Therefore, some people need to rebel against reality and truly establish themselves in the world by their own strength, without being swayed by any other will or power."

At this point, Amamiya let out a long sigh and said nothing more.

In reality, everyone sees a different "world," and the reason for this is the "sense of disparity."

For example, imagine you and the top student in your class. You want to get the highest score, the same as the top student, or even higher.

But the truth is, top students are proficient in everything, while you are at best an upper-middle level, and the gap between you and top students is simply insurmountable.

This is the "sense of disparity," and there are many more similar "senses of disparity."

Because of this sense of disparity, people's perceptions can be significantly skewed.

【~???~】

After pondering for several minutes, Noah suddenly covered his lips with his hand and then laughed lightly.

"Hehe... Sensei really does offer a... truly novel idea."

After laughing, the girl approached swiftly, like a snowy wind in late autumn, leaving only a faint white shadow.

"So, the Sensei that Yuka has been mentioning and occasionally using as an example lately is like this..."

Just like what was said on the [Federal Students Association] forum.

Looking at it a little closer... the feeling is completely different...

Noah suddenly remembered a poem from a collection of ancient poems in the Classic of Mountains and Seas that he had seen before.

May I be like a star and you like the moon, shining brightly together every night.

If you compare yourself to a "star"... then this Sensei is indeed like the "moon".

For some reason, there was a subtle sense of 'attraction'.

“Sensei… I find your words very interesting. Regarding some life philosophies, stories, and reading materials… may I be able to discuss them with you like we did today in the future?”

Amamiya slowly smiled and said, "Of course."

[...I sensed Noah's curiosity.]

The autumn wind came gently, carrying away the sounds of chains and butterflies fluttering their wings into the distance.

I am you...you are me.

Here you receive a new covenant.

[As the saying goes, "Break through destruction to find the wings of resistance."]

Here you are bathed in the light of hope and receive blessings. You obtain a fragment of the ultimate mystery of the "Star"...

[To further propel us toward the future...]

[Coopetition restrictions have been lifted!]

【Raw Salt Noah (Star) ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

[★1 Ability Unlocked!]

……

[Assisted by: Noah the Salt / The Literary Girl at the Seminar]

'Abandoning Billions of Pets> [Arcana: Stars]

【Assistance Ability: ★1 - Two Stars Accompanying the Moon】

[Double Stars Accompanying the Moon: A unique astronomical phenomenon. Two stars appear alongside the moon, with the moon moving in tandem with the stars. (Increases your attractiveness. This effect is further enhanced when there are two or more assistants interacting simultaneously.)]

[Assistant's Profile: The seminar's secretary, seemingly a relatively introverted literary young woman. She's said to possess a photographic memory. Curious about me, she decided to continue our discussions on life philosophies and various storybooks…]

The wonderful feeling of 'finding a kindred spirit' made Noah's mood unusually light and joyful.

She quickened her pace and led Amamiya on a general tour of the Millennium Technology Academy campus, showing her the locations of various clubs.

Finally, she led Amamiya to the entrance of a club room that looked remarkably like something out of "The Matrix."

Amamiya glanced around... There seemed to be various traces of 'graffiti art' and 'trendy culture' on the walls outside the door.

The various styles of art graffiti constructed from brightly colored blocks and spots are almost 'unique', and the feeling of them all coming together makes Amamiya feel as if a "cyberpunk style" has truly appeared in reality.

Overall, these graffiti aren't particularly brilliant... but at first glance, they're certainly eye-catching and refreshing.

"This is the millennia-old 'Ministry of Truth,' a society composed of highly capable 'geeks.'"

Amamiya nodded thoughtfully, noticing that Noah was described as a 'geek' rather than a 'hacker'.

He then smiled politely at Noah and said, "Thank you for taking the time to show me around here... I am very grateful."

"Hehe..." The white-haired girl chuckled, put her index finger to her lips, and winked playfully at Amamiya, giving her a 'wink~': "For me, taking on this 'special mission' might be my good fortune~?"

After the 'joking', she quickly became serious again.

“Sensei… this is all I can do for you. I have some things to take care of next…”

He claimed he had something to take care of, but it was just a random excuse.

Noah knew, and was well aware, that Sensei's purpose in coming was to investigate the predicaments of other academies and search for clues.

As an 'outsider,' she couldn't just take it for granted and infiltrate the group; she needed to carefully find out what Sensei wanted to do.

Having found such a simple and universal excuse, Noah hurriedly left.

After watching Noah until she turned the corner of the corridor and completely disappeared from sight, Amamiya straightened her collar, took a deep breath, and then...

They knocked on the door of the "Ministry of Truth".

Chapter Thirty-One: Intelligence Support from Beritas

With a soft knock on the door, Amamiya clearly felt that more than one gaze fell on her immediately.

Amamiya maintained a consistent knocking rhythm and motion while simultaneously opening her [Third Eye] to observe her surroundings.

It's okay if you don't look...

Seeing all those "eyes" around him, Amamiya was truly amazed—who would install at least a dozen eavesdropping or surveillance devices disguised as other gadgets at their own doorstep?

From his own "third eye" perspective, Amamiya clearly saw one bright yellow object after another being marked, and even their 'field of vision' and 'range' were clearly marked. Standing at the doorway, Amamiya was now under the surveillance of more than a dozen 'eyes'.

Based on this surveillance density, Amamiya has every reason to suspect that this corridor should have a 'surveillance network' consisting of at least dozens of surveillance systems, enough to form an extremely comprehensive information collection.

For a moment, he had a very slight, creepy feeling, like he was being watched by many eyes at the same time.

This feeling is something most people probably don't have... After all, not everyone has to constantly linger in the shadows, acting as a 'phantom thief who can't see the light of day'.

Amamiya, who was particularly sensitive to eye contact, slowly exhaled and tried turning the doorknob.