I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Then it looked at Amamiya: "Head of the henchmen... judging from your demeanor, you seem like a veteran who has served the shogunate for a long time. You should know that, shouldn't you?"

Amamiya stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded.

"As far as I know... the legendary 'Smiling Strategist' never acts directly, nor does he appear on his own initiative. No one knows his true face. He is like a ghost, appearing and disappearing without a trace... He maintains trading relationships with the Seven Deadly Sins, including the 'Fox Demon of Calamity'..."

"Heh... Do you think this 'smiling strategist' might be involved in testing that 'foreign traveler'?"

"Will that 'smiling strategist' be involved in this behind-the-scenes scheme?"

The Shadow Warrior shrugged indifferently: "I've only heard it secondhand. Believe it or not."

Amamiya: ...

To be honest, the Shadow Warrior's guess actually makes some sense.

Before the Pandemonium publicized this event, even if the 'Squinty-Eyed Professor' had noticed the exchange, he would probably have simply ignored it as something completely unrelated to him.

But when the Temple of Ten Thousand Demons spread the word, things changed—from something that was originally 'unprofitable' to something that was 'profitable'.

Both the evil forces of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and the evil forces of Gehenna have taken notice of this place, waiting for the academy exchange meeting to turn into a mess.

Muddy Waters... is the perfect opportunity for a behind-the-scenes manipulator like the 'Squinty-Eyed Professor' to 'slack off'.

“You’re right, we will investigate this lead.”

The samurai, who was about to ask for another bottle of wine, looked up and suddenly noticed something amiss.

"Wait...you don't seem to be ninjas..."

"Why does it smell like a thief...?"

As the Shadow Warrior spoke, he reached for the katana hanging at his waist.

What if you get discovered while playing a stealth game?

The answer, of course, is to resolve the battle swiftly and decisively.

Before the other party could react further, Amamiya stepped forward and kicked the other party in the chest. Then, stepping on the target's chest, she leaned forward and grabbed the demon mask on the other party's face with one hand.

"正体お见せる!"

Chapter Seventeen: Xiaoman's "Personality Mask"

Battles in other worlds sometimes begin just as suddenly.

Immediately stepping forward and swiftly pinning the Shadow Samurai, who was about to draw his sword, against the wall, Amamiya stepped on the man's chest and, while leaning forward, grabbed the demon mask from his face.

"Show me your true colors!"

With a 'hiss' sound, the mask was torn off, accompanied by a gush of black and red mud.

Amamiya casually tossed aside the demon mask that had been torn off and was gradually dissolving, then swiftly retreated, taking Komatsu and Tsukuyomi with her to create distance as quickly as possible.

Background music: Last Surprise

His muscular body swelled up like an overinflated balloon, and his negative emotions solidified, pouring out from the samurai's exposed cheek.

"That despicable thief..."

"To actually impersonate a Shogunate ninja... Unforgivable...!"

"Such an enemy should be eliminated..."

Before the 'monster' could take shape, Xiaoman and Yueyong heard their vicious curse and their indescribable hatred that would last until death.

It expanded, collapsed, and turned into a swamp of gushing blackish-red mud.

And this mud quickly sculpted some... strange creatures with wings, masks, and long human-shaped noses.

Such a classic image made Xiaoman, who had already prepared her gun, widen her eyes immediately: "...Tengu?!"

Tsukuyomi blinked, already somewhat dumbfounded, and didn't even bother to prepare for battle immediately: "Huh...?"

The various 'winged, long-nosed humanoid creatures' presented to the girls were so classic and familiar that Xiaoman and Yueyong felt a little unreal and absurd when they saw them.

Karasu Tengu, Konoha Tengu, Kurama Tengu... all sorts of strangely shaped tengu are like mythical creatures that have run out of the scroll of "Hyakki Yagyō" (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons).

However, these mythical creatures, wearing masks and equipped with samurai swords, appear so ferocious under the cover of black and red mud.

"That's right, it's a tengu."

With one hand wielding the "God of Destruction" and the other the "Paradise Lost," Amamiya stood in front of Michiru and Tsukuyomi, who were unprotected by their Personas, protecting them from the wind, lightning, and ice attacks that the tengu had immediately unleashed.

The emerald green vortex summoned by Konoha Tengu condensed into a blade;

The lightning formed from the tengu descended from the sky, furious and menacing.

The frost and snow exhaled by the saddle horse and the tengu condensed into cold mist and gathered into ice.

For a moment, Xiaoman and Yueyong, who were being protected by Amamiya, had a subtle feeling of 'myths all over the world, enemies everywhere'.

Little did they know... compared to the Holy Trinity's "Garden of Eden" and the performance of the "Asgardian Gods," the power and influence of these celestial dogs was far inferior.

In the field formed by the azure fire lines, the black and white smoky mask on Amamiya's cheek, which she was holding with one hand, shattered like broken glass. With Amamiya's call, a crowned samurai in red armor appeared behind Amamiya, standing back to back.

"Minamoto no Yoshitsune!"

【Psona - Minamoto no Yoshitsune (Arcana: Tower)】

[Introduction: A renowned samurai active during the Heian and Kamakura periods. He is said to be a legendary hero of the Genpei War.]

The era in which he lived was also one of the most flourishing periods for ninja-related cultural customs. In this era, Minamoto no Yoshitsune repeatedly distinguished himself in battle thanks to his bold strategies and unparalleled swordsmanship, making his life both legendary and tragic.

“?鹨翼起伊卅栮覇【?々咝死爸哦哦…”

Xiaoman's eyes sparkled as she clenched her hands, maintaining a curious expression as she looked up at the sky.

—Another name that seems to have been passed down from a lost era.

The 'belief' behind this name is now being brought into reality in such a visible way.

"Amazing……"

Tsukuyomi, who was taller than Amamiya but still huddled up, slowly raised her head, her long, drooping rabbit ears lifting slightly in shock at the scene.

The whirlwind created by Konoha Tengu was easily sliced ​​and dispersed by Minamoto no Yoshitsune's casual slash;

Then, the lightning summoned by the tengu was resisted by Minamoto no Yoshitsune with his katana, and gathered on it. After leaping high into the air carrying the lightning that fell from the sky, Minamoto no Yoshitsune swung his blade horizontally, and with a sweeping motion, returned the lightning, which had been amplified several times over, in full.

Facing the icy mist exhaled by Kurama Tengu, the samurai with beautiful red eye makeup drew her sword and charged forward, instantly unleashing a dazzling arc of light that lingered in the air for a long time.

He leaped high, retreated, and deflated the attack with the lightest touch, then immediately retreated behind Amamiya. He assumed a fighting stance, holding the sword in one hand and gripping it in reverse with the other.

This is... the battle of the Masked Warriors...

Xiaoman, who had just recovered from the overwhelming shock of seeing the mythical creature, then realized another fact.

In the future, I... and the members of the Ninjutsu Research Club, will likely become 'ninjas' who guard this shogunate city.

In the future, it will become inevitable to rise and fall between these pavilions, gather information as a ninja, and fight these mythical creatures when discovered.

Xiaoman doesn't know what kind of intense emotions and mindset Izuna had when he awakened his 'Persona'.

All she knew was that she should… no, she should say, she had to seize this opportunity.

Not to be missed.

As a 'ninja,' one should seize this fleeting moment, uphold one's beliefs, use it as a blade to cut through the shackles of stagnation, and serve one's lord...

Create an opportunity for His Highness Sensei!

Xiaoman's eyes hardened, and she drew her weapon, ready to join the battle, but she was immediately nailed to the spot by a pain that exploded from the depths of her mind.

"good……"

"It seems even a half-baked ninja like you has finally come to your senses..."

The excruciating pain, as if she were being torn in two, caused the girl's vision to become unfocused and double.

"If your thoughts are only this, then it is not enough to trace back to the glorious era of ninjas."

The world before her eyes froze completely, and Xiaoman then 'saw' a red and white figure bathed in flames, walking gracefully out of the frozen world.

As the sound of wooden clogs approached from afar, the white figure gradually became clear in the stagnant, out-of-focus, blurry world.

She wore a simple white top with red trim, and a red pleated hakama skirt that danced with the flames, swirling around the outer edge of the skirt, sleeves, and neckline.

The scarlet demon horns and the gorgeous white hair were like the ashes left after a fire, scattered with sparks and burning with clusters of plain and tiny flames.

"……who?"

Barefoot and wearing wooden clogs, the white-haired girl walked unhurriedly to Xiaoman's side. After staring at her calmly for a few seconds, she answered, "My name is 'Haiyuki Hikaru'."

"Or... you may also call me 'Fire Illuminates Life'."

For a moment, Xiaoman forgot all about the pain and looked up in astonishment, meeting the white-haired girl's divine eyes.

"No need for further words... Your will is not yet sufficient to enter into a contract with me."

"A ninja who is out of control is not a ninja at all."

"If you cannot control this power..."

"If that's the case, then..."

Under Xiaoman's gaze, the illusory image of the 'Fire Witch' wrapped in flames transformed into the image of a ninja, which Xiaoman was more familiar with.

Although it looks like she just tied her hair up in a high ponytail, changed to a more dashing hairstyle, and put on a ninja outfit, the aura she exuded had weakened considerably, and the fiery lines swirling around her and weaving her clothes had also disappeared.

"Let's regress to our original state."

The divinity in the voice was gone, replaced by a younger, more vibrant girlish voice.

"My name is... Hattori Hanzo."

"Having come upon hearing your wish, I may become your strength."

"I am you, and you are me..."

"I am you, and you are me."

As she repeated it softly, she touched the upper half of her face with both hands and quickly found a leaf shape, like the leaf mask that often appears with the 'tanuki' element.

Recalling how Amamiya and Izuna had demonstrated when using masks, Xiaoman gritted her teeth, enduring the intense pain of 'tearing off her face skin,' and ripped off the mask resembling a tanuki leaf.

Golden eyes and a halo shone simultaneously, becoming mesmerizing as if they were on fire.

Maintaining a slightly chuunibyou yet cool summoning pose, amidst the blazing blue flames, the girl raised her hand and called out loudly:

"Come on—Hattori Hanzo!"

Chapter Eighteen: Ninja Assassin Xiaoman's Kiss...?

The pain of 'awakening' is extremely long for the Masked One.

However, the tense standoff with the other world lasted only a moment.

...At least, this strange situation seemed very odd to Tsukuyomi, who didn't have a Persona.

"……minister?!"

Noticing that Xiaoman suddenly clutched her head in pain, Yueyong decided to go over and check on her.

But as soon as she got close, she was pushed back by a biting wind and a wave of heat.

Realizing she couldn't get close at all, Tsukuyomi could only watch with concern as Komatsu curled up on the ground, clutching her head in anguish.

In the time it took for the girl to prop herself up with her hands on the ground, a mask suddenly 'grew' onto her face.

Her attire also changed as the dark blue flames gradually gathered.

—From a ninja-style scarf and tie, a sailor-style top with ninja-style ribbons and a pleated skirt, it transformed into…

A pure white top, with vibrant flame patterns engraved on the sleeves and collar, a red knee-length pleated hakama skirt for shrine maidens... even the original black stockings were gone, replaced by bare feet and sturdy wooden clogs woven with continuous fire lines.

Tsukuyomi froze, then immediately realized what was happening.

This is……

Is it the moment of "phantom thief's awakening"?

As Xiaoman staggered to her feet, the eerie blue flames surrounding her, along with her imposing aura that carried both wind pressure and scorching heat, making her unapproachable, continued to intensify.

Eventually, it stabilized to a certain extent.