I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The group wasn't banned, hmm...

Let me elaborate on this in a separate chapter.

Recently, some readers in the comments section have reported issues such as "unable to join the group"...

Actually, it was because I, the author, had a momentary lapse of judgment and somehow set it so that no one could join the group...

Actually, the group wasn't banned...

(By the way, this group was banned, it must have been banned for doing lewd content, um...)

(Remember to add Cyber ​​Valhalla)

Also, this volume is nearing its end... and we're about to get into the main storyline.

Let me think about how to write the summary for this volume... Hmm. How about using the traditional technique of summarizing the volume's "ranking up" (improvement in bond relationships) as the end-of-volume summary?

Chapter 87 There are more experts?!

"This is……"

Shizuko, who took the document from Amamiya, showed a momentary look of confusion.

But then she immediately became serious—because the document bore two special stamps.

One of them, "Beritas," symbolizes the Millennium Science Academy—a club that is arguably unmatched in Kiwatos in areas such as information gathering and cybersecurity.

The probability that the information provided by Beritas is false... is not entirely impossible.

But how low the probability is is something that can be foreseen.

As for the second stamp... that's even more 'exciting'—it's the stamp of the Federal Student Council.

Beritas verifies authenticity; the Federal Student Council's authoritative endorsement...

The weight of those two stamps alone was enough to make Shizuko take them seriously.

After carefully picking up the document, Shizuko composed herself and began to examine its contents.

...Then, the first page of the document gave her a 'baptism of fire'.

"A Behind-the-Scenes Investigation into 'Paradise Lost Resort': How a Company That Went Bankrupt Twenty Years Ago Had Its Name Stolen. (Information Collector: Code Name: jade)"

Jingzi: "...?"

She jolted awake, then bent forward slightly and sat up straight.

Although her "mascot girl" persona allowed her to hide her emotions and expressions well, Amamiya still sensed that Shizuko was on the verge of losing control.

Amamiya wasn't the only one who noticed Shizuko's unusual expression; Uika also noticed it.

Noticing that Shizuko was acting a little strange, Haika tried calling out softly.

"President Shizuko...?"

"..."

Shizuko remained silent, simply flipping through the documents.

She flipped through the pages faster and faster, and the light in her eyes faded more and more quickly.

After reading the first page, Shizuko's expression turned very strange.

If I had to describe it, it would be a kind of paleness, like "a vague premonition that something bad is going to happen to you, but you still don't want to believe it."

She then looked at the second page of the document.

"An investigative report on the mastermind behind Octopus Bank's 'full resort usage rights': The true purpose of Director Caesar, who instigated Hyakuyado to acquire the development rights to the Lost Paradise Resort Islands. (Information gatherer: codename Rainbow)"

Shizuko froze abruptly, as if struck by lightning, her pupils widening suddenly.

Hai Xiang, who was quite worried about Shizuko's reaction, leaned closer to examine the contents of the document and was then somewhat surprised.

"At the time, our celebration operations committee did indeed purchase the 'resort usage rights' on the recommendation of the board members of that octopus bank..."

Hai Xiang's explanation immediately stunned Amamiya: Is that so?

He, who was observing Shizuko's subtle changes in expression, immediately looked up in surprise, his expression and movements almost synchronized with Yuriko's, as he looked at Kaika who was speaking.

Hai Xiang, who was being stared at by two people at the same time, gritted her teeth slightly and said the unavoidable truth in one breath: "For this... the Celebration Operation Committee paid a huge sum of money."

Yuriko: "..."

After a brief silence, the black-haired, fox-eared girl, still with an incredulous expression, picked up a napkin from the table and wiped the watermelon seed and a faint red mark from her lips.

"You...the festival operations committee, don't you conduct any preliminary investigations before purchasing goods?"

"We conducted preliminary investigations!"

The one who answered her question was Shizuko, who was already showing signs of breaking down in anger after realizing she had been clearly tricked.

She clenched her teeth, and a soft whimpering sound, similar to that of a small animal raging, escaped her throat.

His expression was so pitiful, aggrieved, and helpless.

"I read the contract over and over again before signing it, and I didn't find any problems before I did..."

Yuriko: "..."

She wanted to make a sarcastic remark like, "I really don't know if the event's operations committee is just rich and powerful or if they've always been this bold," or offer advice like, "It would be best to conduct an on-site inspection."

But given the current situation, anything she, as an 'outsider,' said would be seen as condescending and kicking someone when they're down, so it was best to leave it at that.

As for Amamiya... she was speechless, so she just put her hand to her forehead.

What is this thing called?

Abydos at least won the lottery, which is why he came here...

Abydos being scammed is already considered quite idiotic.

As for the Hundred Nights Hall...

Are there any experts? !

Furthermore, Hyakuyado didn't come here after winning a so-called "resort invitation voucher" as Amamiya had imagined... They also spent a large sum of money to purchase the so-called "island development rights."

It seems that popularizing anti-fraud apps in Kiwatos is imperative...

In the future, students should be taught not to mindlessly say "I have read, continue installation" when signing contracts...

No, now is not the time to think about this.

Let's keep watching.

Amamiya helplessly told Shizuko not to rush to get angry or do anything, and to continue reading.

The brown-haired girl, who was already somewhat anxious and irritable, remained silent for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement before continuing to read the documents.

"The truth behind the Lost Paradise Resort's scheme: using the 'credit' of the Hundred Nights Hall as a commodity for buying, selling, and exploitation. Director Caesar's supposedly 'perfect plan.' (Information gatherer: Eclaircie)"

After reading the document, Shizuko subconsciously picked up and clenched the object in her hand tightly, as if she wanted to crush and crush it as if it were a target of her hatred.

"Kaiser Group..."

"They...had their sights set on Abydos before..."

"Now, they're targeting us again...?"

With a 'plop', the metal Coke can in her hand was crushed. The dark red Coke didn't spray out, but instead flowed onto the ground with a gurgling sound as she handled it.

Shizuko had no time or inclination to continue flipping through the pages. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and looked at Amamiya across the table with a pleading expression.

"Sensei, regarding the contents revealed in this document..."

"Why does the Federation Student Union own these islands, and how did Caesar forge full usage rights...?"

"Please explain these parts to me in detail."

She really didn't understand why the Caesars Group would do this.

"Actually, it's quite simple... Caesars Group forged the resort's usage rights in order to make a fortune—but that wasn't enough."

"They want a 'winner-takes-all' scenario."

Amamiya gave a general overview of the Kaiser Group's 'strategy'.

During the island battles, the Caesars Group can sell weapons, provide services such as purchasing and transporting building materials, and constructing buildings.

This is already a recipe for making a fortune.

What happens after the battle for the resort islands ends?

There's no limit to how much profit you can make; there's always more to come.

Once the resort islands are settled, long-term cold chain transportation, procurement and transportation of high-end goods will be required... all of which will only lead to higher prices and very stable long-term profit points.

It is often said that "people who sell tools and food in areas frequented by gold prospectors earn more than those who actually work in the gold mines."

Yes, that's right... If a resort island is fully taken over and a resort is built, it can indeed bring in a lot of profits.

But why not take some steps to further maximize profits?

With this idea in mind, the Caesars Group, after a series of 'operations,' planned to make a fortune from the war.

"Even more than that."

Having overheard this, Yuriko, who already had a basic understanding of the situation, calmly added: "I remember... Hyakuya-do's service industry and reputation are outstanding, ranking among the best in the entire Kiwatos."

"The reason why the Caesar Group also 'attracted' Baiyetang... might also be due to a desire to 'utilize Baiyetang's reputation.'"

Amamiya nodded, agreeing with Yuriko's statement.

Yuriko's analysis is not without merit.

The whole resort battle is quite unfounded – something baseless and baseless is hard to believe.

But what if a highly reputable 'benchmark' is used as a promotional gimmick?

They publicly announced that Baiyetang had already invested.

Then came the classic tactic of exploiting information asymmetry: telling the winners of the Gehenna lottery, "Do you know the Hyakya-do of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons)? They've all voted, you're the only one missing."

Then say this to the students on Odyssey's side: 'Hyakuyatang and Gehenna have already boarded the bus. If you don't board now, it will be too late.'

Through this information gap, Caesars Entertainment has effectively established the "resort hunting" guise.

— This news is one of the main reasons why Baiyetang is considered the 'mastermind behind the resort hunting'.

Amamiya cleared his throat and, after Yuriko added some supplementary information, finally gave a summary that Shizuko could understand immediately.

"The overall approach... is roughly the same as the 'mastermind' from a while ago."

As soon as he said that, Shizuko understood.

Who was the mastermind behind the recent events?

The chairman of the shopping street where Hyakuyado is located—Miaotianmaru.

What does it do?

This damaged the reputation of Baiyetang and led to the dissolution of the "Celebration Operation Committee"... which allowed it to conveniently reclaim the relevant authority to 'host celebrations'... and thus make a fortune.

Since Sensei has already said 'the goals are aligned'...

Furthermore, the repeated verification by these professional hackers in Beritas confirmed its authenticity...

There's no reason for these messages to be wrong anymore.

Shizuko clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction, her anger rising, yet she felt a sense of powerlessness with nowhere to vent it.

“Sensei, since you’ve come to resolve this trouble, then… do you have any plans, or suggestions?”

From Shizuko's gaze, Amamiya sensed the kind of hope that a drowning person grasps at a straw, a hope rekindled from despair.

It seems that Shizuko has become her lifeline...

My bond with Shizuko has deepened...

【Kawa and Shizuko (love)★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆】