I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

'The target is Kay, so some special considerations are necessary.'

—Amamiya read this meaning in the gaze Yuriko cast at him.

Yuriko and Albatross's wariness of Kai is not incomprehensible.

After all... as the 'key key', Kai's situation truly carries a potential danger that must be carefully considered.

After their eyes met, Yuriko spoke up, "Sensei, come with me. I've completed all the parameter tests for the weapon."

Driven by curiosity about what Yuriko could do for Kai, Amamiya followed Yuriko out of the spacious 'workshop' and arrived at Yuriko's gun workshop.

Upon entering, Amamiya immediately noticed a complete set of equipment neatly arranged near the windowsill.

A folding riot shield with the game club logo, a heavy drum magazine, a pistol, and...

Railgun?

Chapter 51 Kai: What do you mean by "I've become the head of the game development department"?

Yuriko's gun workshop has always been decorated in a 'simple and practical' style, generally prioritizing simplicity over extravagance.

That's why Amamiya immediately noticed the temporary set, which was completely out of place with the style of the entire gun workshop and had a fantasy world vibe.

It was a stained-glass window sill, possibly made using 3D printing and simple assembly. "Sunlight" slanted into the stained glass from the "circular skylight" in the roof, casting a glow on the modern military equipment deliberately placed under the sill, giving it a subtle, almost sacred appearance.

Without a second thought, Amamiya guessed why Yuriko had gone to such lengths to prepare such a fantastical setting—

It's all for the sake of spoiling Alice, so that when Kai picks up a weapon, Alice can feel the sacredness of 'obtaining a weapon in an RPG game'.

Even with simple scene setup and lighting considerations, Kai, despite his dissatisfaction, had to grit his teeth and accept it for Alice's sake.

Amamiya's attention wasn't on the completely irrelevant background; his gaze was immediately drawn to the heavy drum magazine and the massive firearm that could only be described as 'heavy'.

The reason it's described as a large firearm is because Amamiya was a bit confused and didn't know which common firearm category it should be classified under.

Rifle? Submachine gun? Light machine gun? Heavy machine gun? ...

"what is this?"

If you don't understand, just ask. Amamiya looked directly at Yuriko beside her.

"It uses a 5.56mm twin-barreled mass-propelled rifle. Without any accessories, its net weight is equivalent to that of the M249 light machine gun. Fully equipped, it is even heavier, weighing 8.6KG, exceeding that of the PKP light machine gun."

"Although it adopts a dual-barrel design, which is uncommon in rifles, it also features two completely independent firing mechanisms with distinct designs... In Sensei terms, it means that ballistic coordination has been implemented, so it won't be as exaggerated in use."

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Amamiya couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, thinking to himself that this was really not something an ordinary student could afford.

Judging from its appearance alone, it has a very obvious sense of "extreme power that makes bricks fly".

Only students with 'natural superhuman strength' like Kai, Alice, and Mika might be able to afford such a weapon.

"So, this is a rifle? How should it be classified?"

Yuriko, who thought Amamiya was asking about the gun's specifications, was taken aback for a moment before realizing that Amamiya's question, "What is this?", was not asking about the gun's specific parameters, but rather about the classification of gun types.

With her fox ears swaying back and forth, Yuriko actually pondered for a while.

“It’s very blurry.”

Amamiya was immediately helpless.

It's very blurry. How exactly is it blurry?

After all, it is a gun. In the context of different schools in Kivotos having subtle differences and regulations on special firearms, this kind of weapon that looks unusual should have a clear classification, right?

"Although it looks very 'unusual'... however, if we were to classify it strictly, this gun would still fall under the category of 'assault rifle'."

"Oh……"

"Because it uses a heavy barrel, it can also be registered as a 'light machine gun'."

In short, we register whichever type of firearm is more leniently regulated in the various school regulations.

That's really... convenient.

"However... based on the firing principle, it is a 'railgun'."

...A railgun?!

Amamiya exclaimed in surprise, "The same type as Alice's 'Sword of Light'?"

"Hmm. This gun was designed with a mass accelerator component, which was encapsulated into an acceleration track using some... trivial tricks."

"During firing, the non-magnetic acceleration system generates a continuous and gradually strengthening repulsive field that propels the ammunition in the middle. With only a tiny initial velocity, the acceleration trajectory can apply kinetic energy to the projectile far exceeding that provided by the propellant gas, and adjust the in-bore trajectory and spin speed according to the type of ammunition."

With a calm expression, Yuriko explained the working principle of the firearm, and finally summarized in 'language that humans can understand': "...Because it uses the principle of repulsive acceleration and uses an orbital accelerator, it should be a railgun in principle."

"Although its implementation principle is different from that of the Sword of Light."

Amamiya felt a sense of bewilderment and novelty, as if she had learned something new.

When he looked at this weapon, which was the size of a heavy rifle, he suddenly felt that it was not bulky at all.

As a rifle, it looks a bit 'bulky'.

But as a railgun... he'd never seen a railgun this big before.

Although Yuriko glosses over the 'technical details' as 'trivial tricks,' the whole thing exudes an aura of 'unknown god's black technology.'

Subconsciously comparing the sound of the Sword of Light being fired, Amamiya curiously wanted to compare the performance of this gun... the railgun, with the Sword of Light.

"How lethal is it?"

"In terms of sheer scale, it can't even match the low-power burst fire of the Sword of Light. If Sensei focuses on 'appearance'... or rather 'special effects', then they might be disappointed."

"However, the damage should be sufficient. All common individual protective gear or shields, bulletproof vehicles, Kivotos's common bulletproof transport vehicles, and even the infantry fighting vehicles previously used by the SRT cannot stop this weapon's dedicated high-velocity discarding sabot armor-piercing round."

"When a 47mm long tungsten alloy arrow-shaped projectile is launched at a speed of over two thousand meters per second, it can penetrate 30-40mm thick inclined steel plates at a distance of 500 meters. All common or less common hostile targets and non-concrete bunkers in Kiwatos are equal under this level of penetration capability...all are equal."

Amamiya gave a thumbs-up, agreeing with Yuriko's statement.

Yuriko's explanation was calm, even 'formulaic'. But sometimes, a confident sense of superiority needs to be expressed in such a calm and rational tone.

This feeling of 'all beings are equal under the power of firearms'... is truly amazing.

After summarizing Yuriko's "technical details," Amamiya felt a sense of déjà vu regarding the "technical weapons" from the movie "2077."

While it may seem appealing, that ignores the gun's exaggerated weight and the fact that its usability would deter the average student.

"To sum it up..." Amamiya stroked his chin, carefully saying, "There's a kind of numerical beauty in 'powerful bricks flying'."

"Thinking about the principles of weapons and Kai fighting with weapons, I have a strange feeling of... like a hedgehog with its feathers bristling and its breath coming out in a huff."

【~???~】(Yuriko)

'Pfft...'

"?"

Amamiya reacted quickly, turning to the side at the sound and immediately looking at Yuriko.

The fox-eared girl had clear, calm eyes and an exceptionally serious expression, without the slightest hint that she was almost unable to suppress a laugh.

"Sensei, what's wrong?"

Amamiya looked Yuriko up and down, who was gradually showing some doubt.

"Yuriko... just smiled?"

Yuriko slowly shook her head: "No. That must be Sensei's imagination."

Amamiya withdrew her gaze.

I'll just assume for now that this is my imagination.

"Sensei, shield, pistol, and other accessories—do you need to know the specifications or details?"

Compared to the eye-catching 'rail cannon', the combination of shield and pistol is less appealing.

Amamiya himself is a fairly experienced handgun user. Even without using his "third eye," he can roughly tell the potential strengths and weaknesses of a handgun at a glance.

As for shields... well, the Phantom Thieves members never used such things when fighting in the other world.

Why stand still and use a shield to defend when you can dodge attacks with flair or resist them with your Persona?

"What's so special about this shield?"

Knowing that Amamiya wasn't very interested in shields, Yuriko didn't directly discuss the technical details. Instead, she used a series of 'metaphors' in a very novel way.

"First of all, it weighs about the same as Rion."

"Secondly, in its unfolded state, it is slightly shorter than Ibuki."

"Then, it has a built-in shield generator with very high instantaneous power and an ultra-thin design. It can 'activate the shield' like in some RPG games."

"Normally, it can be used as a skill that 'increases damage reduction rate after activation and disappears after resisting a certain amount of damage.' When overloaded, it can be used as a high-level skill that 'provides temporary invincibility upon activation.'"

"When folded, it can be used as a single-armed shield with a 'multi-layered armor' effect. When unfolded, it can deflect attacks to protect targets, much like a 'Royal Guard.'"

"You can activate the invincibility mechanic if necessary. However, it's not like in a game where activating the shield makes you absolutely invincible."

Really... they even considered the 'game style' that the game department likes?

only……

The thought of Kai, fully equipped, having to fight with a riot shield that weighs almost as much as Rion made Amamiya's expression subtle.

Even without the defensive combination of shield and pistol, the 'railgun' as the main weapon is not so easy to control.

"What are Sensei's first impressions of this equipment?"

"My first impression was good... but that's not my word."

Amamiya shrugged: "This is, after all, equipment prepared for Kai, so..."

"Let's call Alice and Kai over and have them test the weapons before we give our evaluation."

Chapter 52 Kay, the New Mom of the Game Development Department

The game development department is never short of fun.

This club, which stands out as 'special' even within the Millennium Technology Academy, is home to a group of... 'naive girls active in the pixel world'.

Like in the story of King Arthur, they lived in an "ideal world isolated from the world."

Here, whether you are a 'hero' or a 'demon king';

Whether it's a 'warrior', 'assassin', or 'priest';

They all lived under the same roof, cherishing the peaceful and tranquil moments of their daily lives, which were distinct from the tension and excitement of their "otherworld adventures."

Thinking about 'What games should we play today?' and 'What should we do today?', the girls' steps became lighter and more leisurely as they pondered these topics of growing up.

The 'Demon King's Castle' was boiling with lava and heat waves. The sign hanging there, 'Demon King's Forbidden Land, No Living Person Allowed,' was pieced together from the cracks in the lava using pixelated blocks.

The four-member team—warrior, mage, assassin, and hero—watched intently, feeling the heat emanating from the Demon King's Castle workshop.

The white-haired girl, who was the 'Demon King' and lived in the Demon King's Castle, sighed helplessly.

With her bright red eyes slightly tilted back, wearing an apron and holding a wooden soup spoon, her gentle smile carried a latent maternal instinct that had been subtly awakened, and she was surrounded by the aroma emanating from the soup pot beside her.

"Sensei... Good afternoon."

Kay's voice sounded somewhat weak: "...Welcome."

Amamiya, who didn't enter through the main entrance but climbed in through the window, looked at the girl's slightly disheveled and tired expression and teased, "Haven't seen you for a while, Kai, how come you've become so disheveled?"

"Is it because you encountered various troubles that are inconvenient to talk about after 'becoming human'?"

Despite the teasing, Amamiya noticed Kai's 'difficulty moving around' and naturally moved closer to the girl, helping her gently lift her slightly messy, Alice-style, super long white bangs.

Kai remained calm. Although he did appear somewhat disheveled and tired, his red eyes shone brightly, showing no sign of displeasure.

"That's probably part of the reason... but compared to occasionally needing to borrow the princess's body, which is more about residing in her body..."