I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

What left her speechless was that, afterwards, Chise also mimicked Amamiya's deep and somber expression and echoed the sentiment.

"This is... Gehenna's hot spring development department."

Shizuko: "...Forget about Chise."

"Why is Sensei saying such strange things too..."

Shizuko, unable to immerse herself in the subtle atmosphere of "I don't know why, but I'm just so passionate," felt like rolling her eyes for a moment.

"Alright... now that we've dealt with Gehenna, shall we move on to the next location?"

Chapter Ninety-Seven: My Phantom Thief Occupational Disease Strikes Again

At midday, the sea breeze and sunlight were particularly intense. Girls in swimsuits stood on the beach, letting the clear seawater, laden with foam, lap against their calves.

"Is that... the 'Golden Fleece' that the Helmet Group mentioned before?"

Seeing the huge, modern luxury cruise ship docked near the island's coast, occasionally emitting the sound of an antique steam turbine, Shizuko kept her head tilted back until she felt a slight soreness in the back of her neck before finally lowering her head in awe and withdrawing her gaze.

"What an exaggeration..."

"After all... they are the originators of the 'Kōrin Grand Festival,' and the Odyssey Ocean Academy..."

The pink-haired girl gently stroked the white, jade-like seashell in her hand, which had been washed by the sand on the beach, and sighed softly.

After her reflection, she turned her gaze to the absent-minded residents of Kivotos, who were queuing to board the luxury cruise ship, as well as the students from other academies.

After hesitating for a moment, Mimori finally stood quietly beside Amamiya, and asked softly with a mixture of doubt and wariness, "Sensei... I have a feeling..."

Mimori did not make his point clear.

The reason is that the behavior of the 'tourists' queuing to board the boats near these beaches is extremely abnormal.

It wasn't just their behavior; even a small number of tourists wore unusual clothes, especially their hairstyles.

Amamiya didn't even need to observe carefully—just a quick glance was enough to spot several students with strange hairstyles and even stranger outfits.

These strangely dressed girls mostly wore light summer clothes, and their hair was deliberately styled with hair gel and some kind of special hair dye into a shape resembling a lightning bolt, or other unexpected shapes that are difficult to describe in words.

Although their clothing styles and hairstyles vary, one thing remains constant.

Without exception, they all wore something resembling arm armor on their dominant hands.

Amamiya immediately understood what was going on, and with a helpless chuckle, waved her hand at Mimori: "It's not what Mimori imagines..."

【~???~】(from Mimori)

Having witnessed Izuna's 'supernatural powers' not long ago, and having some tricks that could be spread by outsiders as 'mind readers', Mimori has recently become particularly sensitive to the term 'Phantom Thief of Hearts'.

Seeing this unusual situation of 'collective disorientation', she subconsciously assumed that some strange 'otherworldly phenomenon' was occurring...

Actually it is not.

Amamiya saw it clearly—the main reason these 'tourists' were so distraught was not because of the activities or repentance in the other world.

Or rather... it's not particularly related to that.

The real reason they were so distraught was... because 'it's time to play cards.'

That's how card dealers are.

They might feel unbearably itchy if they don't play cards for a day, or be excited all day long after defeating a particularly disgusting deck.

A soft, fluffy substance snuggled up to Amamiya from the other side.

At the same time, Amamiya also heard Izuna's pitiful yet adorable, almost coquettish words, as if she were trembling with fear.

"My lord, next we will face the 'White-Eared Monsters' who lead the losers to ruin... Izuna is a little worried..."

Amamiya, whose arm was being held by Izuna: "..."

Despite being completely unafraid of the "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" while exploring another world, she showed fear in this strange little thing?

"So...are they really just playing cards?"

Hai Xiang swallowed hard, still somewhat doubtful: "This name... and everyone's expressions, like they're lost and dejected puppets..."

"It doesn't feel like we're playing cards...it feels more like we're engaged in..."

After racking her brains for a while, Haixia finally offered a rather vague summary of what she was seeing: "It's like playing a dark game where the loser loses everything!"

Believe it or not, besides Kiwatos, there really are cases where playing cards can save the world and make all the decisions.

"It shouldn't be that bad..."

To alleviate the girls' inexplicable tension caused by their current situation, Amamiya turned her attention to Chise.

"Don't worry, we have the idol of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons... Chise is here."

"A thousand years of charm and a sunny disposition will dispel all darkness!"

Holding a beach ball, the girl, who seemed to be fully engaged yet also completely detached, hadn't yet realized why the topic had suddenly turned to her.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on her, Qian Shi blinked, thought for a moment, then bent down to put the beach ball down and held it between her sandals.

Then, she recalled her impression of the image of a 'shrine maiden' and tried to imitate it.

After waving a non-existent 'gohei' in the air, she tried to say, "...Evil spirits, begone?"

Her unique performance as a 'radio-eccentric girl' instantly dispelled the already tense atmosphere, which wasn't particularly serious to begin with.

【~???~】(from Qian Shi)

After doing all this, Chise slowly picked up the beach ball and followed Amamiya, swaying her head slightly.

Her series of actions, whether erratic or miraculously connected, left Amamiya speechless.

What left him speechless was that, following closely behind, there was also a notification that a new bond had suddenly been unlocked.

[...I seem to have come to understand Chise a little better.]

Coopation is now unblocked!

【Peaceful and Everlasting (The High Priestess) ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

[★1 Ability "Electronic Wave Type" is now unlocked!]

Amamiya: ...

Therefore, unlike the typical assistants whose personalities are mostly predictable and who can easily gain favor by simply pleasing them...

Raising the favorability of special assistants like the 'radio wave type' can sometimes be exceptionally difficult.

After unintentionally unlocking a bond relationship, Amamiya then turned her attention to the luxury cruise ship in front of her.

"In any case... there shouldn't be any 'monsters' or anything like that here... at most, the game rules are just a bit strict."

"Everyone, calm down, let's go up and take a look."

Amamiya and his group followed the 'tourists' who were boarding the ship, went up the gangway, and arrived at the deck.

At first glance, Amamiya even felt a brief sense of disorientation—the scene before him reminded him of his previous experience conquering the Lion Child's Palace, searching for clues and eliminating the shadows on the "luxury cruise ship" in another world.

As it is a large luxury cruise ship, its deck even has an outdoor swimming pool, as well as modern parasols and lounge chairs, and even an outdoor bar that probably serves drinks or desserts.

Standing at the gangway, Amamiya could even see part of the cabin in the distance.

Its level of luxury is comparable to the "cruise ship" palace that Shido imagined.

Amamiya truly never expected... that such a luxurious cruise ship would actually appear in 'reality' rather than another world.

The moment Amamiya boarded the ship, she noticed the girls who all seemed to be carrying heavy weapons, wearing special W-shaped goggles and white rabbit ear hair accessories, and with their hair tied in twin ponytails.

Without exception, they were all dressed in classic 'bunny girl' outfits and high heels, barely managing to highlight their 'maturity' with their immature figures.

Upon seeing them, Amamiya couldn't help but think of the Phantom Thieves' encounter with the 'bunny girl' shadow back in the days of Sae Niijima's Palace.

The shadow of the 'bunny girl' in another world, after the mask is removed, will transform into various female shadows similar to Valkyrie, Scáthach, Skadi, and so on.

These 'Odyssey students' unexpectedly matched Amamiya's perception of the 'bunny girl' security personnel.

Wearing goggles resembling a 'mask', dressed as a bunny girl, and even armed with heavy weapons...

This scene gave Amamiya a subtle feeling of 'occupational hazard kicking in'.

Perhaps it was a subconscious act—he really wanted to find a dark place to hide right now, and then suddenly pounce on a bunny girl waitress when she came over, tear off her goggles to reveal her true face.

“…Yue—Yi” weeping, two Shaanxi⊙〧abandoned…Sensei?”

Noticing that Amamiya's movements had subconsciously tensed up slightly, Shizuko became curious, tugged at Amamiya's sleeve, and called out.

"……nothing."

"Let's look around first."

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Sometimes Winning a Game Happens Outside the Chessboard

The bar inside the cruise ship was warmly lit, and the well-lit circular hall had about a dozen card tables.

On the semi-virtual card table, rows of special cards are neatly arranged.

The players sitting on either side of the table stared intently at each other, watching each other's every move during the game.

"My turn, draw a card!"

"I entrust all that I have, my future, and the bond between myself and my deck to my right hand—deck, answer me!"

"Come out, Waghatamashi—"

"A flashy gacha pull! -- Okay, I did it!"

"I activate a Trap Card and knock it down. Discard this card you drew to the Graveyard."

"No, it's impossible...!"

...Sounds like these rose and fell, one after another, in an endless stream.

Following Amamiya's steps, the group of girls who were part of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) walked through the hall. Their expressions changed from initial curiosity or shock to bewilderment... and then to helpless silence.

"They really are just playing cards."

After looking around, Shizuko sighed dryly, "I thought they were conducting some kind of strange illegal transaction... but it turns out they were just playing cards..."

Amamiya stopped and looked at a card table nearby.

The two sides at the card table were a girl with short blonde hair and another girl with colorful hair who looked like she knew how to play cards.

"Hmph... Watch closely."

"Melfi Forest is home to many adorable little animals. This is a rabbit, this is a pony, this is a puppy, this is a kitten, and this is a fennec fox..."

With a mysterious smile, the strangely styled girl slammed a card down on the table with an imposing aura and the force of crashing waves.

"This is the ultimate strike, the final blow, used to extinguish the calamity!"

"God-Slaying Weapon - Heavenly Thunder - Azeus!"

"I activate the effect of Thunderfury—remove two Xyz Materials and send all other cards on the field to the Graveyard!"

"Next, advance to the combat tier!"

"Skybreaker Arceus, attack directly!"

Amamiya: "...?"

Is there something wrong with my understanding of Yu-Gi-Oh!, or is there something wrong with her gameplay?

That beard is way too exaggerated...

Amamiya withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

"That's how playing cards is..."

Amamiya's wistful sigh left Shizuko both puzzled and on the verge of exasperation.

"Although it's not incomprehensible..."

"But why play in such a... weird state?!"

Mimori seemed thoughtful as Shizuko complained incessantly.

"Maple Sauce often says... this kind of card game is a dark game played on the honor and beliefs of both sides!"

Haixia, who wasn't very familiar with the situation, nodded in agreement, acknowledging and adding to Mimori's statement: "There might even be terrifying and cruel rules like 'the loser has to obey a request from the winner'... That's what Fina said!"