I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"They all call me 'the Moriarty of the criminal underworld.' But to me, 'Moriarty' is merely the threshold to meeting me."

Her emerald green eyes reflected a deep, unfathomable light. With her eyes half-closed, the blonde girl slowly fixed her gaze on the photograph at the very top of the intelligence tree—

The photos were obtained through 'special channels' from a student who was frequently active in the black market.

The figure in the photo has a special 'dynamic' quality; it is Amamiya dressed as a phantom thief, pulling at his glove amidst a sea of ​​eerie blue flames.

This 'death shot angle' from bottom to top gives off a strange sense of 'this might be the last trace left by the person being photographed'.

It's probably data extracted from a Kaiser robot that witnessed the phantom thief's activities and was then 'dealt with'.

The visuals are incredibly powerful; just looking at them gives you the feeling that they might jump out of the photo and tear off all the disguises at any moment.

After adjusting the position of the magnetic sticker, the girl looked at the few photos and documents stuck to the clue board, lowered her eyebrows slightly, and tapped the ground lightly with the end of her cane.

Amidst the rhythmic thumping of the wooden floorboards, the girl tilted her head slightly, gazing out the window at the sparsely lit moon and stars.

"Could you be the 'Sherlock' I desire...?"

While joking about the photos, the girl also began to seriously reconsider something: the clues that led to this were not enough to bear the weight of her 'getting involved'... or rather, the risks.

Even so, should I take the risk, get involved, and pretend to be an ordinary student to get close to Sensei?

To the average student, crime may simply be an act of violence.

But for her, it was an art no less than 'phantom thief'.

Art, however, often needs a fulcrum, however ethereal, yet still effective, to support it; it cannot be built out of thin air like a castle in the air.

Or to put it in plain terms... in her view, only "crimes that are premeditated and planned, and in which the perpetrator can escape unscathed afterward" can be considered crimes.

The kind of behavior that ordinary students would readily draw their guns and start fighting... is at best nothing more than child's play.

A master criminal has a master criminal method; they can't 'gamble' without sufficient prior investigation.

The courage to get involved is on a completely different level from that of a "brainless brute."

Looking at the photo of the red-haired girl in military uniform at the very bottom of the intelligence chain, she weighed her options.

“Natsume Iroha…a mid-level councilor of the Pandemonium, not particularly conspicuous in the Pandemonium, but an indispensable presence.”

"He often acts alongside Danhua Yibuki, the highly anticipated 'future Demon Emperor' of the Pandemonium, and is responsible for looking after Yibuki's personal safety."

"She will definitely attend this academy exchange meeting... and she will accompany Ibuki almost the entire time."

The blonde girl leaned her cane against the information board and set it down. She took a few steps back and lifted the hem of her British-style white lace skirt with her index finger and thumb...

……

Having changed into a Pandemonium member uniform, the same style as Iroha's, customized by "TsukiFox," the girl stood in front of the full-length mirror, carefully examining her reflection.

After changing into Iroha's clothes, apart from the hair and eye colors not being reproduced, the similarity should be at least 85%.

Furthermore, if you add a highly realistic wig and colored contact lenses, the level of realism can reach 90%.

Picking up a small notebook that she had specially prepared for imitation, she reviewed the behavior patterns of Iroha that she had investigated and tried to imitate them.

"Sensei... Shall we slack off together?"

"..."

The difficulty of imitation is not a problem.

Iroha is 'simple' – except for dealing with Ibuki, he can usually get away with it by taking advantage of Iroha's 'lazy' nature.

Given the nature of those students from the Demon Palace... it's highly unlikely they would discover that one of the students had been replaced.

If we also imitate Iroha's personality and style, the similarity will definitely reach over 95%, at which point the possibility of being exposed will be reduced to almost zero.

But there are always exceptions... and the 'exception' she was worried about was the possibility of being 'discovered in a special way'.

'Should we take this risk to get close to Sensei...?'

Or perhaps…

'...'

'As a phantom thief, Sensei's observation skills should be very sharp. Plus, he uses special methods to discern rumors about students…'

'If even a halo can be faked...'

Turning her gaze away from the information board she had been staring at for so long, the girl walked to the window, opened it, and rested her hand on the windowsill.

There's still some time before the college exchange meeting, enough time to make my own plans...

'Let me think about it some more.'

……

"Let's think about it some more, Tsukuyomi."

Standing unnoticed in the shady spot of the "Kamiki Observation Deck" in the Hyakki Yagyō region, Amamiya gave a final pep talk to the "giant ninja" beside him before preparing to enter the other world.

After summarizing with that sentence, Amamiya turned her attention to the purple-haired girl beside her, who was resting her hands on the railing and gazing at the distant sacred tree with a curious expression.

As the core of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, the sacred tree is evergreen throughout the four seasons.

Unlike ordinary cherry blossom trees, the cherry blossoms will not gradually fall in the summer.

The sky wasn't scorching hot, and a girl in a white sundress wore a wide-brimmed straw hat adorned with cute little ornaments. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the hat, casting dappled patterns on her flawless, bare back.

If you add a gentle breeze that just enough to sway the skirt and make the girl raise her hand to adjust her straw hat, the summer atmosphere would surely be even more intense.

"The area with the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons... has a very unique atmosphere."

Noticing that she was being watched, Akiko didn't react. Instead, she maintained her small posture of leaning against the railing and murmured with a hint of ambiguity, "If only we could take a few photos... as a special memory."

Is this a 'hint' at himself?

Since the main purpose of this trip to the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and the Impression Space was to help Tsukuyomi awaken her Persona and to further investigate the "Smiling Strategist"... or rather, the "Squinty-Eyed Professor," it was unlikely that Amamiya would make a promise like "there will be an opportunity later" at this time, even if he understood Akiko's hint.

After all, this really shows a lack of consideration for Tsukuyomi.

Turning her gaze away, Amamiya, who had already placed her thumb on the otherworld app's bookmark function and was ready to enter the Impression Space at any moment, asked one last time, "Are you ready, Tsukuyomi?"

At that moment, Tsukuyomi, who had only heard a little bit of the 'Mask Master's Insights', was still somewhat confused.

Every masked warrior has a reason for fighting for something.

'For this, they embody their own beliefs, presenting their most dazzling selves...'

'From what I saw, both Rabbit Team and Arios Team were firmly committed to their "beliefs"...'

'And one's own 'beliefs'...'

Amamiya's call brought Tsukuyo back to her senses immediately.

"Ah... I'm... ready!"

Answering the question hastily, the girl also strengthened her resolve at that moment.

'In order to share the burden with Izuna and Xiaoman...'

In order to become a mature "ninja" who can be entrusted with important tasks...

Hold fast to your beliefs... No matter what, face it with the courage to confront yourself...

This time, we must...

Awaken your persona!

I felt the unwavering belief emanating from Tsukuyomi.

Coopation is now unblocked!

【Ohno Tsuki Ei (Hermit) ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

"Now that you're ready, then..."

Amamiya pressed the "Start Navigation" button.

"lets go."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tsukuyomi, Go and Defeat the Final Boss.

Walking under the bright moonlight of the "Shogunate City", the cold moon hangs high above, while warm lights surround you.

Taking in the 'mysterious and ancient atmosphere of the old era', Akiko tightened the hood on her head, then tilted her head slightly, thoughtfully touching the hood protruding from her head like wolf ears, and the benevolent wolf mask on her cheek that just covered the tip of her nose.

"I see... Is this 'Impression Space' the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons...?"

Her current persona is Little Red Riding Hood, wearing a red velvet hood...

Or perhaps, is Little Red Riding Hood protected by the appearance of a "Big Bad Wolf"?

Wolves are also animals that readily display their sharpness... making them a perfect fit for this atmosphere of 'a hundred demons parading at night'.

“sen…no.”

Suddenly realizing something halfway through her sentence, Akiko changed her mind, "...Jok, besides awakening the Personas, what else do we need to do this time?"

"Speaking of which... these 'common sense tips for phantom thieves' were actually taught to Akiko and the others by myself."

'And now...'

Noticing that Azuko was subtly paying attention to Tsukuyo while asking her questions, and then playfully glancing at herself, Amamiya naturally realized Azuko's 'intention'.

Her Highness's seriousness and gentleness shine only upon herself and the rest of Arius's team.

Even when 'being noticed by outsiders'... the girl will occasionally act willfully.

It's not to satisfy any 'mischievous impulses,' nor to highlight one's personality... it's simply to showcase one's 'uniqueness.'

'Look, Sensei and I have experienced special stories that you don't know about.'

...In addition, I also took the opportunity to educate my 'juniors' on the knowledge of working in another world.

"Princèss...the main objective this time is to investigate a target known as the 'Smiling Strategist.'"

Having received a definite response and seeing Tsukuyomi's slightly bewildered and confused gaze, the girl's smile, hidden behind her mask, brightened considerably.

"The Smiling Strategist..."

She repeated the keywords Amamiya mentioned in a halting tone, and Akiko looked on with an understanding look of "Oh, I see."

Then, as if she had 'remembered something,' she gave Tsukuyomi a lesson in the Phantom Thief's teachings: "In another world... especially when operating in a private area like the 'Hall of Fame,' it's best to address each other by code names."

"This other world might contain various 'cursed spells that can be cast simply by knowing their names'... or other 'magical arts' that can be manipulated by their names."

"However, those shadows capable of wielding such magic or mystical arts generally exist only as high-risk enemies within private spheres like 'temples'... In practical terms, it's like... 'talented employees with special abilities often only work for well-paid private companies.'"

Azuko's explanation quickly made Tsukuyomi, who had been blinking and looking completely bewildered, understand.

'I see……'

Amamiya, who was observing this scene, was speechless.

To be fair, Azuko's 'Phantom Thief Trivia' does have a hint of showing off... but it also allows Tsukuyomi to immediately understand the purpose of these little bits of knowledge.

After explaining, Akiko cast a look at Amamiya that seemed to say, "Sensei, how did I do? Do you want to praise me?"

To avoid upsetting Tsukuyo, Amamiya could only temporarily ignore her, responding with a look that said, "I'll make it up to Azuko later." Then, somewhat helplessly, he removed the Persona mask from his face and led Azuko and Tsukuyo toward the core area of ​​"Shogunate City."

The last time Amamiya and his group acted together with Izuna and Koman, they went directly to the core location of the Academy Exchange Meeting - the Whirlpool Cinema Village for investigation.

In the real world, the Whirlpool Cinema Village corresponds to a 'remote little village' in the other world, where, theoretically, the flow of information is far less efficient than in the 'Shogunate City'.

Accompanied by Azuko and Tsukuyomi, Amamiya and his group entered the bustling streets beneath the 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' scroll,' a collection of ghosts of various shapes and sizes. They slowed their pace, pretending to be tourists, but in reality, they were mainly paying attention to the conversations among the ghosts and shadows.

Most of it is of little practical significance, but there is a small amount of noteworthy information.

As Tsukuyo walked with Azuko to a food stall, Amamiya happened to hear a beautiful 'demon girl' gathered around the table. One of her hands was a giant demon hand, and she had demon horns.

"Gentlemen, have you heard...?"

She spoke mysteriously: "The latest gossip..."

Amamiya and Akiko immediately slowed their pace in unison. Then, Akiko raised her voice, deliberately speaking in a way that could be easily heard: "Shall we buy something to eat?"

"it is good."

With Azuko's help, Amamiya came to the stall under the pretense of 'selling things' and looked at the wide variety of items on the food stall as if he were picking and choosing.