I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

At this point... even if it means going all in, you must remain calm and have the courage to 'take a gamble'.

Even without the "third eye," Amamiya, as the leader of the Phantom Thieves, still possesses such courage and resolve.

Moreover, he now has the help of the "Third Eye".

Amamiya removed his mask, his gaze instantly becoming sharp and piercing, and his [third eye] silently opened.

With the simultaneous activation of three bond abilities—【Eyes of Destiny】(Koyuki), 【Intelligence Analysis】(Ako), and 【The Fundamentals of the Color Master】(Maki)—Amamiya's world instantly became 'spectacular' in every sense of the word.

The numerical 'Luck' attribute marked by the 【Eye of Destiny】 fluctuates, with the gold symbolizing the changing luck value sometimes dazzling and sometimes pale.

The intelligence analysis feature, with its refined and comprehensive information processing and the highlighting of suspicious items, has further enhanced Amemiya's already exceptional observation and comprehension skills.

[The Basic Theory of Color Masters] Various 'hackable/accessible' electronic devices are represented in a vibrant graffiti style...

【Cold-blooded Calculation】+【Emotional Factorization】(Yuka) Dual Bond Ability Specialized Analysis Ability;

【The Allure of a High-Class Flower】(Himari) + 【Threads of Mist】(Nagisa) Further enhance understanding and analytical skills...

Having accumulated so many bond skills since arriving in Giwatos, Amemiya can say that "she is not fighting alone," even when she is all alone.

The caged Iroha was actually able to distinguish the real from the fake using Amamiya's "Third Eye" from the very beginning—it was real.

That means that the 'Laughing Professor' never really intended to do anything to Iroha, or at least not now.

The reason she put the girls in the Ninja Research Club in a difficult situation and made Iroha in the cage unwilling to speak was because she used a little bit of 'dark psychology'.

The information gathered through the bond of [Intelligence Analysis] allowed Amamiya to clearly determine that there were no 'bombs' or other dangerous contingency plans planted in the room, creating the dangerous outcome that "choosing the wrong option would trigger a bomb."

[The Basic Theory of the Color Master] tells Amamiya that in addition to the cameras prepared for the "Warakuhime" performance, there are several 'unknown devices' secretly spying on him in the room.

The combination of ruthless calculation and emotional factorization allowed Amamiya to immediately understand the Smiling Professor's true intentions—the reason she created this 'sense of danger' was mainly to see what methods she could use.

The reason for not actually setting up dangerous scenes is due to the fundamental principle of 'leaving a way out'.

—Whether it's a harmless probe or a sarcastic provocation, the relative importance is clear.

The Laughing Professor's intention was to conduct a 'harmless test,' so she didn't actually put Iroha and Ibuki in danger, but merely exploited their psychology.

Iroha doesn't have any 'unknown communication devices' on her, but she still refuses to reveal the truth—because Professor Laughing had previously hinted to her that 'revealing the truth would lead to everyone exploding'.

The allure of the "high-mountain flower" and the "wisps of mist" further expand Amamiya's thinking.

Could the Smiling Professor have foreseen that he would expose her scheme on the spot? Obviously, he could.

Will she make any 'contingency plans'? Of course—

Considering the possibility of being discovered, even if the probability was extremely low, she still needed to have a way out.

Where is the Smiling Professor hiding right now?

The fundamental principles of color mastery enable one to keenly perceive electronic devices and pinpoint their location.

Thoughts begin in an instant and end just as quickly.

Seeing that Amamiya quickly stopped 'stroking her chin in thought', Izuna immediately moved closer to Amamiya.

"My lord...?"

Xiaoman then nervously approached and asked, "Your Highness Sensei, what should we do?"

"..."

Tsukuyomi didn't speak, but she was already tense, ready to deal with any possible sudden battles or unexpected situations.

"What do we do next..."

Amamiya did not answer directly, but chuckled and glanced furtively at the 'unknown device' in the room that was different from the camera equipment used for performances.

What to do? The answer is simple...

Amamiya quietly took out her phone and called Sophia, asking her to help her locate and hack all the 'unknown devices' in the room.

Subsequently, the specially customized virus package was uploaded with a single click.

After confirming that all the unknown devices in the room had been hacked, Amamiya put her phone back in her jacket pocket and smiled confidently.

"Now……"

Let this complete stranger, this "challenger," accept the "final surprise" we've prepared for her.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Smiling Professor: This is my escape route!

Soon, the Smiling Professor learned what it meant to 'You will witness the swiftness of my thoughts'.

I also understood what 'The Last Shock 3?邬〆留弍喜' meant.

When she saw Amamiya's gaze through the monitor on the screen, she sensed something was amiss.

A top-tier black market intelligence dealer, her experience walking the line of danger gave her a sense of impending doom: she had to retreat, or she would miss her chance.

'Fortunately, we had more than one backup plan...'

'By now, the members of the Demon's Clan should have already set off. They should be able to hold off Sensei for a while…'

'As long as Wakazama senses movement, she will appear and at least be able to distract Sensei, at which point my retreat should be possible...'

With a quick thought in her mind, the blonde girl with naturally curly, fluffy hair lowered her eyes, picked up her suitcase and took her cane, and chose to leave without hesitation.

After swiftly emerging from her concealed hiding place, still disguised as Iroha, she avoided eye contact and skillfully made her way to the almost deserted garage, where she drove out the "Super Invincible Ironclad Tiger Maru" tank, whose name was unknown.

Her petite body and her personal belongings were all inside the tank, enveloped by this steel behemoth modeled after the Tiger tank. Feeling the sense of security brought by the gradually roaring engine, the blonde girl breathed a sigh of relief and began to operate it skillfully.

'Next, just create a little chaos, then abandon the vehicle at the right moment, and then…'

With her own plan in mind, the blonde girl calmly controlled the tank and began to accelerate away despite the perilous situation.

With a loud 'boom,' the tank easily smashed through the garage roller shutter door and rushed onto the street in the Hyakki Yagyō area, predictably causing a commotion among the students of Gehenna and the Hyakki Yagyō.

"Huh? I didn't see that wrong, did I... a tank? Are the vehicles they use for getting around on Gerina's side really that outrageous?"

"Pandemon Temple tanks? I don't remember them being driven like this normally..."

"If it were Makoto who had an attack, it wouldn't be hard to understand, but she's still on the airship. So, is it Ibuki or Iroha who has an attack? That's unlikely..."

"Everyone be careful—avoid the tanks!"

"Life, can you please spare me this once..."

The shouts of surprise, disbelief, and terror from the students on the street reached her ears through the microphone inside the tank's driver's cab. The blonde girl remained silent, focusing solely on operating the tank.

Although she didn't drive the tank to the point of "crashing around recklessly," it still caused quite a commotion.

Following the pre-set route, the blonde girl's gaze was focused as she repeatedly avoided obstacles, turned, and adjusted her angle.

'The plans I experienced firsthand were indeed different from those I devised behind the scenes…'

'Experiencing it firsthand was an indescribable...thrill.'

'Oh... Sensei has already located my position so quickly, and is it planning to catch up...?'

In his spare time, the Smiling Professor can also spare some attention to observe the footage transmitted back by his drone, which is connected to a real-time video transmission device.

But in the scene... a figure is reflected, gradually rushing towards him.

……

"I never expected...it would turn out like this."

The tank's unusually loud movements, which could be heard from afar, along with the noise of the street, made the tank's true 'commander', Iroha, sigh helplessly.

After sighing, Iroha, feeling a slight jolt, silently hugged him tighter.

“Senior Iroha…”

Ibuki, who was also feeling a bit bumpy, blinked and said, "The sound Ibuki heard..."

Due to the angle, the tiny blonde girl had a very limited field of vision. Held in his arms, she could only see a tiny bit of space above and to the side of Amamiya's neck.

Iroha responded in an even more languid and helpless tone: "That's right, it's Toramaru's voice."

The little guy seemed to want to pupate and see the situation from a different angle, but thinking that it might cause trouble for Sensei, he decisively chose to give up.

Then, she felt a sense of weightlessness, as if she had been temporarily thrown into the air, and a sense of security as she sat in the arms of strong men.

"oh oh--"

As her vision spun, Ibuki exclaimed joyfully, steadying her military cap that had been lifted into the air.

"Hold onto her neck."

The calm voice that followed made her subconsciously do as she was told.

"Wow...the streets are so chaotic...!"

"Sensei, are we going to take Ibuki and everyone else... to chase after Toramaru, who was taken away by the bad guys?!"

With one girl hanging on his back, another in his arms, and three from the Ninja Research Club and Akiko following behind, a total of four girls with different styles and characteristics, Amamiya maintained her phantom thief demeanor without slowing down, gracefully leaping between buildings while responding with a shout.

"Yes. Now... catch up with Toramaru, find the bad guys who kidnapped Iroha inside, and the matter will be over."

【~???~】(Iroha)

Iroha, hanging behind Amamiya, silently tightened her grip on Amamiya's waist to stabilize her balance.

"So, how were you 'kidnapped' back then?"

"Just like Ibuki told Sensei before..."

Iroha let out a long sigh, her words clearly conveying a complex mix of dejection and resentment at being deceived: "That...the Smiling Professor, she used Ibuki as a hostage to threaten me..."

"When I met her, she was blonde with green eyes, dressed in a black dress, and her build seemed to be very similar to mine. I'm not sure if this was another layer of disguise."

"Furthermore, her style and taste highly overlap with those of Trinity students. The black tea they provided me while I was 'under house arrest' was Trinity's 'Angel NUN,' which I looked up when I came out with Sensei; it should be a well-known tea merchant in the Trinity area."

"Finally, there are the various 'props' she used when impersonating me... While I was under 'house arrest,' I tried throwing some conspicuous items out of the room. The chances of finding them were slim, but if I happened to stumble upon them, it should narrow down the search area."

"Finally... she seems quite interested in you, Sensei."

Amamiya was not surprised.

In Chivotosne, there are plenty of students who are interested in him.

Some were simply captivated by her charm, others shared a profound story with her; still others were interested in the "phantom thief," and still others were curious about the unique position of "Xia Lai's teacher"...

There's certainly no shortage of smiling professors.

The most valuable information provided by Iroha was the description of the Laughing Professor's appearance and physique.

"We need to speed things up."

With the third eye scanning the area, Amamiya spotted more than one "enemy unit" highlighted by its outline on the street.

Without exception, they all wore various kinds of masks, especially Noh masks and Tengu masks.

'Is it a demon... hired or tricked by the Smiling Professor to stir up trouble, or has it sensed an opportunity and is planning to take advantage of the chaos?'

'No matter what... we can't stop them from making a scene.'

"Izuna, Xiaoman, Tsukuyomi!"

Like shooting stars accompanying Amamiya, the girls from the Ninjutsu Research Club, who were constantly 'circling' Amamiya as they charged forward, immediately responded loudly.

"Understand—leave it to Izuna!"

The girl, who had been gathering her strength by bending over and quickly forming hand seals, leaped into the air with a fierce swing of her fox ears and tail.

"Izuna-style Ninja Art: Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

With the girl's shout, one after another, cute 'fox dolls' appeared beside Izuna amidst a puff of smoke. Then, with soft 'poof' sounds, these fox dolls transformed into figures almost identical to Izuna, except for their different expressions.

Shadow clones, especially multiple shadow clones... for ninjas, that's a truly versatile ninjutsu that combines practicality and style.

A dozen or so Izuna clones landed safely one after another, armed with their own guns and various ninja tools, and charged towards the suddenly appearing demon that was firing everywhere, in a 'one against ten' manner.

"Manliu Ninpo Technique: All-Seeing Tenyin!"

With her tanuki ears twitching and tail swaying, Xiaoman displayed a stunning beauty no less impressive than Izuna's.

A ripple-like purple ball of light appeared, accompanied by Xiaoman's shouts and hand seals, along with ninjutsu sound effects she had improvised, and then it spread outwards with a whoosh.

The members of the demon group caught by this light were briefly frozen in mid-air before being quickly pulled closer and gathered together.

"Tsukuyomi Style, Ninja Art...! Scorching Wave!"

Holding an unsharpened ninja sword, Tsukuyo paused briefly before gathering her strength.