I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes... how could they have imagined that the world, right before their eyes, had truly become a completely different place?

The sky darkened in an instant, the somber starry sky replacing the original clear blue sky and blazing sun. A gust of evening wind swept over them, making them feel the chill of the night.

An exceptionally bustling "city that never sleeps" unfolded before them.

Chapter Nine: Information Gathering Methods from Another World

"This is the world made up of 'everyone'... well, at least the 'collective unconscious of Abydos'."

Amamiya's long leather trench coat fluttered in the wind as she turned around, opened her arms, and introduced herself to the astonished girls.

"This 'inner world composed of all people' is conceived by everyone—in the eyes of the vast majority of 'intelligent beings' in Abydos, it is a region perfectly suited to be a gray area, and also the most suitable place for criminals to gather. Therefore, the scene here is a 'city of sin.'"

"Do you see that tall tower in the distance? I call that tower the 'Tower of Babylon,' symbolizing the desire to ascend Abydos, overlook the region, and control it."

"As for this world... you can simply call it 'another world,' but I prefer to call it 'the Impression Space.'"

Receive everything here through your eyes and senses, then quickly comprehend it through your brain...

After a moment, Ayane, who had been feeling quite down, finally came to her senses and exclaimed in amazement, "...If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would have been really hard to believe..."

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, who would believe that such an 'inner world woven by everyone' exists?

Instead of her usual gentle elegance, Nomiya unusually gazed thoughtfully at the "City of Sin" before her.

"The inner world of everyone..."

Celery's pair of delicate and charming cat ears stood straight up. Perhaps because of the intense emotional fluctuations, she was particularly irritable when she was 'sighing'.

"This place... gives me a very uncomfortable feeling."

Shirako, behaving 'not quite right,' said in her peculiar, emotionless voice, 'It looks like... the black market.'

—That's right, the black market.

This was the first impression this city gave them all.

If they had seen Los Santos, where crime is as common as eating and drinking, or a cyberpunk city, perhaps their impression of it would be more profound.

Hoshino, on the other hand, since it wasn't his first time here, showed no surprise at all. Instead, he tried his best to gather information from Amamiya and to further understand the current situation.

“Sensei…you just said that the tower signifies a particular impression of ‘wanting to control Abydos’…so can I understand that a ‘special being’ who wants to control everything about Abydos lives in that tower?”

Amamiya nodded amidst the girls' gazes, which were filled with either nervousness or indignation.

"It's okay to understand it this way—this world is a reflection of the inner world, so those who want to grasp the real world will naturally 'hold a high place' in this inner world."

Hoshino narrowed his eyes and asked casually, "What would happen if we just rushed over and 'defeated' that being?"

"Theoretically, defeating the 'mastermind' in one's inner world and persuading them to do good is equivalent to eliminating their inner desires. And once a person begins to repent for their mistakes, they will stop doing evil due to the condemnation of their conscience, and thus repent and atone for their sins..."

Amamiya was now having the same feeling he had back in Morgana—it was really not easy to explain this 'other world' in a way that people could understand.

After a pause, Amamiya spread his hands under the expectant gazes of the girls: "But for now, that's absolutely impossible—did you see the height of that tower? It must be a heavily guarded labyrinth."

"With just the strength of a few of us, it's obvious that we can't complete Takanashi's proposal overnight... Leaving aside the logistical aspects like preliminary reconnaissance and route planning, if we just rush in, it would take several days and nights to climb to the top of this tower, right?"

"We can call in helicopters..."

Ayane instinctively wanted to object, but then she looked up at the towering tower that seemed to pierce the clouds and silently swallowed her suggestion.

This altitude... is probably not something that ordinary helicopters can easily reach.

Besides... we don't even understand the situation in this world yet, and we're already thinking about taking down the mastermind behind it all... that's really taking a bit too big a step.

"Well, Sensei is right. We haven't even understood the basics of this world yet, and we're already thinking about doing something... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

In the midst of the silence, Nomiya took the initiative to change the subject, and she came to Amamiya's side, observing Amamiya closely and meticulously.

“By the way…Sensei, your clothes and mask…”

Everyone, including Hoshino, then noticed that Sensei's outfit seemed different...

What's with this magician-like outfit?

"Just a special kind of 'phantom thief outfit'."

After briefly mentioning her own changes, Amamiya, along with the girls from the countermeasures committee, quietly infiltrated this "City of Sin".

He stopped after leading them to the rooftop of a secluded building.

The girls hiding on the rooftop immediately began to use their professional skills to be on alert and investigate their surroundings—and soon they discovered another strange 'anomaly'.

"That's... the Helmet Gang...?!"

"Why do they all look so dark and blurry..."

"Hey~ Uncle, I know that these people who look like members of the Helmet Gang actually turn into all sorts of terrifying monsters after they're knocked down~ Serika, be careful."

Whispering and exchanging information, they began to pay attention to the shadows roaming around them.

"Speaking of which... has the background of that Xia Lai's Sensei been thoroughly investigated?"

"Why are you in such a hurry... What can you possibly find out in just one day? I think you need at least a few days to prepare..."

"Caesar is pressing us again, what should we do?"

"What should we do... stall for time. Just send a message saying that we've got information on Kuromi Serika's whereabouts..."

"Then we'll wait for that Xia Lai's Sensei to make contact with Serika, and then we'll launch a surprise attack when she gets off work..."

"Hehe, that way I can both complete the task Caesar assigned me and pin the blame on that Sensei... a win-win situation!"

The 'shadows' who perceive the world generally don't have the concept of 'whispering,' so the words spoken by the shadows of the helmeted group members coming and going were clearly heard by the members of the countermeasures committee upstairs.

While filled with shock, the other members of the countermeasures committee all looked at Serika without prior arrangement.

"Little sister Qinxiang... have you noticed anything unusual lately?"

"Well……"

When asked this question, Celery began to ponder deeply.

After reviewing her work experience over this period, her crimson eyes, which gleamed faintly in the darkness, began to tremble slightly.

"That does seem rather strange..."

“I remember seeing quite a few members of the Helmet Gang around the Chai Guan Ramen area recently. General Chai even remarked, ‘When did my ramen become so popular? Even delinquent girls like it so much.’ I’ve also seen Helmet Gang members around at other workplaces…”

Thinking of this, a slight sense of fear gradually welled up in Qinxiang's heart.

I've been investigated and followed all this time without my knowledge?

"Those helmeted gang members... they're despicable."

While feeling angry, Serika was also somewhat afraid—what would happen if she were ambushed by members of the Helmet Gang while walking home alone?

She was all alone, and Abydos was such a vast area with no communication coverage...

She'll be buried in an area covered by yellow sand, disappearing into the dust, and probably no one will be able to find her.

Hoshino narrowed her eyes slightly. Although she still looked somewhat languid, Amamiya could clearly feel the fierce and sharp aura emanating from her.

"Uncle, I've seen it before, Sensei, you extract information from these monsters disguised as Helmet Crew members... Sensei, shall we try doing that this time?"

It seems she wants her 'juniors' to witness that kind of battle firsthand...

"Takashi's suggestion is indeed worth considering... In that case, let's all go together, and let everyone witness it..."

"A special combat method from another world."

Chapter 10: Hoshino's most chaotic episode

Nomiya took out a pair of binoculars with many additional functions, including night vision, from his bag and began to observe his surroundings with them.

Shortly after, she put down the binoculars, handed them to Amamiya, and then stood beside Amamiya, pointing in a direction.

"Found him... He looks like a 'small fry,' his aura is different from the other 'Shadows.'"

“Sensei…look at that ‘shadow’ over there, could it be a suitable target?”

Following the instructions of the 'rich young lady,' Amamiya looked around, put down the binoculars, and nodded confidently.

"That's it... Everyone, come with me."

After sneaking up to the target with the girls from the countermeasures committee, Amamiya gestured to them, indicating that she would go first, and then they would follow.

After making the gesture, Amamiya extended her right hand, and the grappling hook hidden in her right-hand trench coat shot out.

With a 'click', the grappling hook landed steadily on the neck of the helmeted figure in shadow, wrapping tightly around his neck.

The helmeted creature instinctively began trying to tear at the increasingly tight grappling hook around its neck, while simultaneously trying to do something warily. Unfortunately, bound by the hook, it could only utter the most: "Who goes there..."

"正体お見せる (Reveal your true colors)!"

Following the force of the grappling hook, Amamiya leaped directly from the shadows, just like the 'great thief' in the story who could use the grappling hook with ease to scale walls and rooftops.

Using the recoil from the grappling hook, Amamiya delivered a knight kick that knocked down the shadow of the helmeted creature, then swiftly grabbed its helmet and forcefully ripped it off.

CHANCE!

A dark red, muddy substance sprayed, splashed, and dispersed, then spread across the entire ground at an astonishing speed, covering a distance of tens of meters.

Serika, who had already prepared her gun, was somewhat stunned by this 'extremely bloody' scene.

“This…” Celery hesitated, then continued, “The amount of bleeding is too much…”

Although these 'helmeted group' shadows only look like people, the girls on the countermeasures committee feel no psychological pressure at all about shooting at or even directly killing these strange and subtle beings.

But the visual effects with such an astonishing amount of 'bleed' are truly breathtaking.

"This isn't a 'human'~ Be careful... those monsters called 'Shadows' are about to appear..."

Having witnessed such a 'grand scene' once before, Hoshino casually offered a reminder.

As if to confirm her words, the next second, the gathering and dissipating blackish-red mud gathered together as if it were alive, gradually transforming into a colossal creature with a body length of more than ten meters.

【Shadow - Set (Arcana: The Tower)】

[Introduction: A malevolent god in Egyptian mythology. His name means "southerner," and he was originally a principal deity worshipped in Upper Egypt.]

[It is said that He is in charge of power, war, deserts, storms, and other divine functions, and is one of the Ennead of Heliopolis.]

He was the second son of Geb and Nut, the husband of Nephthys, and the father of Anubis. He tricked and killed his brother Osiris, but was later defeated by his nephew Horus.

"Dragon... Dragon?!"

Overwhelmed with surprise, Ayane, who was at the back of the group preparing for her usual support mission, had a slightly distorted voice.

She stared blankly up at the fantastical creature in front of her, a creature that could induce mild megalophobia in people like them, a creature whose megalophobia alone could bring an absolute sense of oppression.

What are you doing...

Fighting 'dragons' in another world... something no one would believe if they heard it, they are now experiencing it firsthand?

Will the combat experience we've accumulated really be of any use against this kind of 'mythical creature'?

"Fighting a mythical dragon... Nobody would believe it if I told them! We feel like we're the unsung heroes who slay dragons!"

Unlike Ayane, whose voice was distorted with surprise, Nomiya, who had already raised his gun, spoke with an unprecedented excitement.

Unfortunately... he hadn't prepared a special type of "dragon-hunting crossbow" like a whaling gun, nor had he prepared various "anti-weapons" that might be effective against different fantasy creatures...

Imagine deploying strategic equipment amidst the roar of a dragon, then aiming at it, piercing it with a crossbow bolt secured by a giant rope, dragging it to the ground, and giving it a good beating... Wouldn't that feel like a mythical epic?

"...It's such a strange feeling."

Bai Zi, who hadn't said much, felt a strange sense of disgust when she looked at the giant dragon roaring at them from the sky.

Along with this inexplicable aversion, there was also a very strange feeling... of fear.

'Bang Bang—'

The clanging sound of metal brought the stunned girls back to their senses.

Hoshino, who had somehow tied her hair into a single ponytail and picked up a riot shield made of special material, tapped the shield with the butt of her gun, thus 'reminding' the rest of the countermeasures committee.

"Here we go, juniors! Don't get distracted at this moment."

Among the girls on the countermeasures committee, Hoshino probably had the most unique feelings about the 'dragon' in front of her.

Besides a sense of déjà vu, like "I've seen this somewhere before," she also had a feeling of "I can easily take down this dragon," a kind of overwhelming power that was different from absolute confidence, like a "natural enemy."