I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

One hand remained in the opening position, while the other held a can of coffee that was releasing icy steam, as if it had just been bought from a vending machine. She wore summer clothes and had short hair, looking both dashing and mature.

After their eyes met, Chihiro nodded in greeting.

Amamiya nodded in response and asked, "Is that alright?"

Chihiro smiled confidently: "No problem."

“Since it is Sensei’s request, and this matter is indeed for the sake of the overall situation... we, Beritas, are naturally happy to lend a helping hand.”

At this point, Chihiro's gaze sharpened.

“Sensei… You can trust us with your information investigation skills.”

"Just go for it... use your 'phantom thief' skills to catch the potential culprit."

I felt Chihiro's powerful presence...

The bond between him and Chihiro has deepened...

【Kamu Chihiro (Empress) ★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

:2 Hatozaki 6 Guiyi (Part 3) VI Triumph [★3 Bond Ability "Hacker's Righteousness" has been unlocked!]

It's clear that Chihiro really dislikes these kinds of 'underhanded tactics'.

"Then thank you for Beritas's intelligence gathering..."

In the real world, there's Beritas's intelligence gathering; the actions in the other world and the actions in the real world must be coordinated.

Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Rabbit Squad's "First Mission"

The sparks from the campfire drifted along the way, then scattered into embers just before rising into the night sky and turning into stars.

The little rabbits gathered around the campfire, some staring blankly at the flickering flames, others gazing up at the deep starry sky.

Noticing the team members' individual thoughts, Miyako, sitting by the fire, sighed silently.

The newly established camp retains a touch of 'fantasy world' style, with green vines climbing the wooden lampposts, their verdant branches weaving into cages that imprison the flickering, warm-toned spirit fire.

To be fair, the engineering department's 'stylized campsite renovation' was indeed efficient and rapid, and it also met the public's aesthetic standards.

With the help of millennia-old technology, the campsite of Rabbit Park has undergone a qualitative change in terms of protection level and decoration style.

But this did nothing to fill the emptiness in the little rabbits' hearts.

"What's going on... I haven't seen Sensei for only half a day, but it feels like I haven't seen her for a long time..."

Moe gritted her teeth, looking inexplicably annoyed.

Moe's statement did not elicit a verbal response from the other three members.

However, they also expressed some agreement with Meng Hui's explanation.

"I'm feeling a bit anxious and uneasy because I can't see Sensei."

"What's going on?"

Saki, who was in charge of heating up the bento boxes, looked strange. After looking around at her companions and receiving their approval, she showed a relieved and relaxed expression, as if she had gained their approval.

"So everyone's situation is pretty much the same..."

"Could it be... that Sensei really stole our hearts?"

"Probably not..." Moe smacked her lips, crushing the last bit of lollipop in her mouth. "Generally speaking, wouldn't the person whose heart was stolen have a particularly exaggerated reaction? Like confessing their sins in public or something..."

“We don’t feel that way.”

After a pause, Moe's eyes darted around, and she leaned back in her chair, her expression playful as she guessed, "Rather than saying we were 'repented' by Sensei... it's more like, hehehe..."

"It's our 'adolescence,' or rather, our 'growth phase'..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Saki's panicked voice, which rose eight octaves: "H-How is this possible?!"

"I haven't developed any feelings for that adult yet... I guess I haven't gone that far?"

As a calm observer, Miyako silently watched the interactions among the team members.

Lost in thought, the girl turned her gaze back to the deep night sky filled with countless stars.

Will Sensei message me tonight...?

'Buzz-'

The message notification from momotalk instantly pulled Miyako back to reality from her reverie.

Could it be news from Sensei...?

Anxiety, nervousness, excitement, anticipation...

With mixed feelings, Miyako immediately unlocked her phone and opened momotalk.

The first message that caught her eye made the stars reflected in the girl's eyes light up one by one.

'A message from Sensei...'

After subtly noticing the subtle movements of the other three members of the team, Miyako, holding her phone in both hands, even began to feel a sense of...

A subtle, sweet feeling.

Did Sensei only message me...?

[Amamiya: Miyako, there's something I need to ask the Rabbit Team to do...]

It was just a task assignment after all...

Miyako was slightly disappointed, but the thought that 'the mission request meant she could see Sensei again' made her look forward to it a little more.

Glancing at her team members out of the corner of her eye, Miyako quickly typed a reply: 【Sensei, what are the specific mission details?】

This is, after all, Sensei's first time building mutual trust and reliance with the Rabbit team...

No matter what the task is, we will do our best to complete it.

At that moment, looking at the messages sent by Miyako, Amamiya couldn't help but chuckle.

Although we can't see Miyako's actions while sending the message through the screen, we can roughly imagine her expression at the time.

'At first, she was the one with the strongest "wall of the heart" in the Rabbit Squad, and now she's also the most proactive one in the Rabbit Squad...'

After sending the details of the request to investigate the mastermind behind the failure to continue the Grand Games, along with the information compiled by Beritas, to Miyako, Amamiya waited a while.

[Miyako: Mission confirmed. Investigate and stop the "Kōrin Grand Festival Opposition Association"... apprehend all involved members.]

[Miyako: I understand.]

[Miyako: The Rabbit team will begin operations immediately.]

After much deliberation, Amamiya finally decided to put the Rabbit Squad in charge of this 'infiltration and investigation mission'.

Although the Rabbit Squad cannot compare to the 'battle-hardened' and 'elite' Arios Squad in terms of experience...

But as the saying goes, "everyone has their own expertise."

Arius's squad excels in 'frontal assault' and 'high-speed blitzkrieg,' while the Rabbit Squad is indeed weak in terms of combat strength...

However, in areas such as 'infiltration operations' and 'secret investigations,' the Rabbit Squad, having received professional-level SRT Academy training, is more adept.

After confirming that Miyako had already led the rabbit squad into action, Amamiya looked at the 'literary girl' who had been waiting for a long time.

"Sensei..."

Noticing the gaze immediately, she turned her head and asked, "Have you finished the rest of the arrangements?"

"Yes, we should be able to take down all members of the 'Kōrin Grand Festival Opposition Association' before today is completely over."

Although Amamiya used the uncertain word "should" to describe her, her tone was very certain, as if she were stating a fact, and Noah had no doubt whatsoever.

after all……

Sensei is a "phantom thief," after all.

He will never let his target see his arrival, and will always let his target experience what it means to be a swift and decisive phantom thief.

"So, it's time to start the phantom thief operation...right?"

Meeting Noah's bright gaze, Amamiya nodded, put her phone away, and subtly opened the Otherworld App.

[Impression Space, Start Navigation—]

Accompanied by the mechanical navigation sound, red and black waves spread synchronously.

"Well……"

Noah frowned slightly, showing momentary discomfort at the sudden dizziness.

'Is this... the feeling that's been repeatedly mentioned, the feeling you get when you enter another world...?'

Concentrating on fighting the sudden, distorting dizziness, Noah half-closed his eyes and quietly watched as the world before him was rewritten like a stage backdrop.

The sky turned from black to white, and then was covered by a hazy gray layer;

The "urban" style of towering buildings that had stood for a thousand years was instantly melted into a medieval city-state with a completely fantastical world style.

A fresh yet dangerous breeze swept in from afar, reaching Noah and making her immediately feel the 'dangerous yet refreshing' air of this other world.

"Is this the 'other world' that corresponds to the millennium...?"

Looking up, Noah suddenly realized that everything within sight was something new and unfamiliar that he had never seen before.

Strange, reddish-black 'creatures' walking on the streets;

Almost indistinguishable from ordinary students, yet inhabitants of another world dressed in all sorts of fantastical costumes;

and also……

"The 'Beritas' Tavern, the 'Games Club' Guild, the 'Seminar' Town Hall, and... the 'Engineering Department' Equipment Shop, and the 'C&C' Secret Agency."

Taking advantage of his high vantage point, Noah immediately spotted those names that felt strangely familiar even in this other world.

This should...

So it's "the reflection of reality onto another world", right?

Noah observed with great interest.

Seeing that she didn't seem to intend to ask questions immediately, Amamiya, wearing a mask and dressed as a phantom thief, had her hands in her pockets and didn't speak. Her clothes were covered by a cluster of eerie blue flames.

Noah's observation was not yet over.

After scanning the streets more closely, she could clearly sense an indescribable "festival" atmosphere.

"The Akawa Grand Festival is being held in the Millennium..."

"So, when mapped to another world... it means that a special festival is being held in that other world?"

With a look of curiosity still on his face, Noah looked away.

"Sensei, is this also... a reflection of another world and reality?"

"Ah."

Amamiya, who had also used her "Third Eye" to observe her surroundings, withdrew her gaze and, while answering Noah, summarized what she had observed: "Noah noticed the atmosphere of the 'festival,' which is indeed a reflection of reality on the other world. Did Noah notice...?"

"A small portion of those 'otherworldly inhabitants' on the streets below are acting with 'ulterior motives'?"

Noah paused, then observed more closely, his gaze naturally settling on a small alleyway.

"Thieves gather there..."

After whispering to himself, Noah quickly realized that these 'thieves' were actually from the real world...

“Sensei,” Noah’s expression grew serious as he realized the situation, “Next…”

"Ah."

Amamiya tugged at his gloves and nodded at the group of "thieves".

"Make them...repent."

Chapter 78 The best-developed rabbit in the Rabbit Squad is...

Meanwhile, at the campsite located in Rabbit Park.

After forwarding the mission information along with the electronic version of Xia Lai's recommendation letter to the team members, Miyako waited for their reactions.