I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

With a soft hiss, an invisible cloud of steam rose from the girl's head, and she blushed instantly, her eyes bulging like mosquito coils, her mind going completely blank.

"It's not safe here, let's leave first."

Her heart was racing faster than ever before. Faced with the prince's voice, which sounded like he was asking for her opinion, Hifumi had no time to think and didn't know how to react.

She responded softly in a gentle, sweet voice, purely out of instinct.

"Um……"

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Most Heartbreaking Episode

"..."

"Um...please don't...look at me like that...sob..."

After being stared at with eyes that seemed to 'look at rare animals' for a long time, Hifumi finally couldn't hold back any longer. Like a cunning little white rabbit, she jumped up and hid behind Amamiya with a shy and frightened little movement.

“Idol stage outfits…” Nomiya murmured softly, withdrawing her gaze, “It seems like the clothes on my body change a little when I use my Persona~ Is this some kind of special rule?”

"Hifumi's aura seems different from before. She seems to have become... more dazzling."

"Yes...it's like a completely different person, it's incredible."

"How exactly did that power awaken, Sensei?"

The girls on the countermeasures committee naturally gathered around Amamiya, looking up at him expectantly, hoping he could provide an answer.

"You all saw how Reiji died without a grenade, and the special 'power' that Hifumi just used was something she awakened herself, a persona symbolizing her rebellion against reality."

After a moment's thought, Amamiya decided to explain the concept of Personas to the girls who might need power right now.

"The Persona, like the shadow monsters we've seen before, is a manifestation of the human inner world... There is no absolute good or bad in this world. Even the worst person will have a moment of good thought, and even the best person will have a moment of evil thought."

After a moment's consideration, Amamiya continued, "And the 'Persona' is born from the inner world of a person... 'unwillingness to accept defeat'."

Hoshino paused slightly upon hearing the strange keyword "Amamiya".

"...Unwilling to accept it?"

"Hmm... I'm not reconciled. It's like, 'Why don't I have the power to stop all of this from happening?', 'Why am I forced to submit to the status quo?', 'Why must I become a conformist, a good girl who goes with the flow?', 'Why must I be allowed to be exploited without any remorse?'... That kind of resentment."

Recalling the feelings of his companions when they awakened their Personas, Amamiya's tone became more somber.

"The courage to face death, the determination to seek the truth, the will to accept one's painful, weak, and incompetent self and resolve to improve, the rebellious spirit in the face of anger and despair... these are all key factors in hearing the call."

"In short... stimulated by these extreme emotions, those who are willing to take off all masks, face reality with their true faces, and resist reality have the opportunity to awaken their personas."

As Amamiya spoke, she turned her head and casually ruffled the hair of Hifumi, who was standing behind her.

"It's likely that Hifumi's 'extreme emotions' at that moment awakened that power..."

"So that's it..."

The girl, whose head was patted by Amamiya, first showed a sweet smile of enjoyment, and then suddenly made a 'sudden realization' expression.

'Was my state of mind at that time... the key to gaining this power?'

'Face your true self...'

"Alright, it's getting late. Hifumi just exhausted a lot of her energy because of awakening the power of her Persona... Today is not a good day for exploration. Let's go back first."

Having brought the girls to an abandoned platform in another world, Amamiya chose to evacuate.

After the world was 'repainted and recolored', the familiar world reappeared before everyone's eyes.

After adjusting to the distortion and changes in her vision, Ayane immediately noticed the 'abnormal change': "Huh? Hifumi-san's idol outfit... has changed back to the original one?"

Amidst Ayane's confusion, the other members of the countermeasures committee also noticed that Hifumi's idol outfit had disappeared at some point, reverting to her original clean and refreshing Trinity-style school uniform.

The girls looked at Hifumi's clothes, which had returned to normal, and then at Amamiya's 'phantom thief outfit', which hadn't been removed. They were clearly curious as to why things were a little different.

"After all, the Persona is a power used to deal with other worlds. Not everyone has the ability to use it in the real world to influence and change reality... Moreover, Hifumi has only just awakened her Persona, and its strength is not yet sufficient to maintain it in the real world."

"Once the Persona becomes powerful enough, it might be able to be summoned in the real world and influence reality. In the real world, one could also change into that special outfit anytime, anywhere."

As Amamiya spoke, clusters of dark blue flames ignited around him.

His phantom thief outfit vanished along with the flames, coalescing into an ordinary, unremarkable mirror.

"Let's sort through the information we gathered from the other world... From the shadows cast by those security personnel in that other world, we can learn..."

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

Then, Hoshino slowed his speech, his tone filled with hatred: "The debts owed by Abydos Academy are actually controlled by that black market bank..."

Celery pinched her temples, her expression confused.

"Ugh... So... in reality, the debts Abydos repaid all went to the black market bank... Doesn't that mean we're actually emboldening that black market bank?!"

Ayane felt a chill run down her spine, and after a few seconds of silence, she incredulously uttered her conclusion:

"Combining Hifumi's questions with the answers given by those security personnel in the shadows... that black market bank, and the Caesar Group behind it, have used this method to control countless academies or clubs like Abydos that have no power to resist..."

"..."

To be honest, Ayane's conclusion was something the girls present could never have imagined.

It's not that we can't imagine what the Caesars Group has done, but rather that we can't imagine how many other atrocities that massive shady organization has committed.

"……hateful!"

Celery clenched her fists. The feeling of having "power but nowhere to use it" and "powerlessness in the face of a behemoth" made her extremely angry, yet at a loss.

Ayane took off her glasses and sighed meaningfully, "It's practically an unsolvable situation..."

Nomiya, who always liked to make jokes or lighten the mood with a smile, remained silent.

Indeed, as Ayane said, Abydos was practically on the verge of death, and it seemed that no matter how much it struggled, it would be futile.

At this point, all we can do is hope for a deus ex machina, right?

Suddenly, a kind-hearted person with immense power appeared and solved all of Abydos's problems in one fell swoop, even eliminating the hidden dangers of the Caesar Group...

"Don't worry, we haven't really reached the end of our rope yet."

Amamiya smiled and clapped her hands, drawing the girls' attention. Then, under their gaze, she continued, "Do you all remember the 'rules of another world' that I explained to you not long ago?"

"As long as we can find that 'evil thought' and defeat it, we can make the real mastermind 'repent'..."

Amamiya's words immediately brought Hoshino back to his senses, who had just started to have some thoughts about this.

Shirako, who rarely spoke, raised his hand and agreed with Amamiya's suggestion.

"We cannot give up yet."

After Bai Zi took the lead, the girls began to express their opinions one after another.

"Mmm~ Shirako is right~! Now is not the time to give up."

"Hehe☆~ This time, are we going to another world to find and defeat the Demon King, and save the world in this way...? Just like a hero's party~"

"To make the mastermind behind the real world repent by exploring another world... It sounds incredible, but the more incredible the method, the more worthwhile it is to try."

"Hmph...the mastermind behind it all...those guys won't get away with this."

The atmosphere suddenly became as exciting as a classic manga plot unfolding, leaving Hifumi, caught in the middle, feeling somewhat lost.

She... doesn't belong to Abydos, and theoretically shouldn't be involved in this...

However, the power of the 'persona' he had previously awakened, and the will to resist...

They all came to my rescue back then... When they needed my help, why did I just stand by and do nothing?

Absolutely not!

I absolutely cannot ignore these other people who are suffering so much!

After a few seconds of mental preparation, Hifumi took a shallow breath and strengthened her resolve.

"Count me in too..."

Chapter Twenty-Six: Saintia's Invasion of Dreams Ends in Being Caught in the Act

'Splash... splash...'

The familiar clanging of chains and the melodious sounds of interwoven instruments approached from afar.

Amamiya yawned, got up from the wooden bed made of beer crates and planks, and then familiarly looked around at his surroundings.

'Another velvet room…'

"Finally, the opportunity to meet again has arrived... my dear 'My Trickst'."

As soon as Amamiya went downstairs, a sky-blue color came into view.

A blonde loli girl in a blue velvet assistant dress, with a happy smile on her face, put her hands behind her back, tilted her head back, and stood on tiptoe to look up, meeting Amamiya's probing gaze.

"...Lavenda? What's wrong this time?"

"Although I really want to say that I brought you here so that you could be alone with the best man in the world, the one I admire..."

Ravenda, whose height barely reaches Amamiya's chest and abdomen, exudes a gentle and mature aura, and smiled slightly as if making a little joke.

After naturally enjoying Amamiya's pat on the head, she narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke in a tone that seemed to be announcing important matters: "However, there is indeed another matter that led me to the 'Velvet Room' this time..."

Amamiya raised an eyebrow slightly.

Could it be something like the Velvet Rooms reopening?

But now he has already acquired the true meaning of "one person, a thousand faces," an untamed talent... He has mastered all the personality masks that he could.

As for skill cards and special firearms and other unique items produced in the Velvet Room, they are indeed needed, but not actually that much...

“My dear Trickst, please come with me.”

Ravenda noticed Amamiya's confusion, but she didn't explain anything. Instead, she picked up her "Complete Book of Demons," led Amamiya through the cafe's door, and brought them outside.

Familiar pale blue smoke began to drift, and the scene before Amamiya's eyes began to change, gradually transforming into a circular prison cell with sky blue as the main color.

Before Amamiya could even remark, "This place is really familiar," she was led by Lavenda to the door of a prison cell.

"An 'intruder' attempting to invade your dream world has been caught."

After giving a brief explanation, Ravenda transformed into clusters of 'butterflies' and split apart, becoming two blonde lolis of the same size but with different personalities.

The familiar prison guard uniforms, the familiar electric shock batons and other instruments of torture... it's just right.

Carolina banged twice on the iron bars of the cell door with her stun baton, while shouting into the depths of the cell in an extremely irritable and impatient tone.

"Hey! Prisoner! Wake up!"

Amamiya, who was observing from the sidelines: "..."

It felt like I was back in a prison cell.

Then, Ristina snorted and spoke in a condescending tone: "A mere prisoner dares to invade the dream of a 'Trickster'..."

"Get up now and admit your mistake."

As Carolina and Ristina urged him on like prison guards disciplining inmates, Amamiya watched as a figure actually emerged from the depths of the cell.

She was a blonde girl with upright fox ears, wearing a spotless white dress.

With a serene demeanor and petite figure, her eyes lowered and closed, even in the setting of a prison cell, she still possessed the elegant and unique temperament of a 'noble young lady'.

[Assistant: Lily Garden Saintia / The Riddle Girl in Dreams]

Arcana: The Wheel of Fortune

[Assistance Relationship: Not Unlocked]

In the awkward silence, the blonde fox-eared girl sighed and spoke calmly and slowly: "...Sensei from Xia Lai, nice to meet you."

"I thought this would be a unique meeting... and it was indeed."

After sighing to herself, the girl then began to say things that were incomprehensible to everyone.

"The 'Sea of ​​Human Hearts,' a special being who watches over you in this otherworldly realm, and the title of 'Trickster' who manipulates fate... So that's how it is. You were once a special being who had already survived countless future destructions, forging your own path amidst ruin..."

Carolina banged angrily on the iron bars of the cell, rudely interrupting her: "Hey! Prisoner! If you know what's good for you, don't spout riddles!"