I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Referring to the story of how Alice obtained the 'Sword of Light,' Momoi suggested that this time Alice should also fully utilize her 'cuteness' and get a new weapon from the Engineering Department for free!"

Make full use of your 'cuteness'...?

Get it for free...?

To Kai, these two keywords, Yue and Yi Yi, both carried a subtle, almost sinister feeling, as if shrouded in conspiracy.

what happened……

Who made this suggestion?

After scanning the area, Kai quickly concluded that this 'plan' was 90% likely proposed by Momoi.

To verify his suspicions, Kay pretended to be 'moved'.

“My…weapon…”

Seeing that Kai seemed moved, Momoi puffed out her chest confidently, with an expression that said, "I knew it would be like this," and hummed twice.

Just as Momoi was about to speak, she felt Kai's increasingly piercing gaze fall upon her.

The chilling atmosphere and the premonition that her internet cable was about to be unplugged made her decisively back down and shut up.

Kai frowned and emphasized his tone, with an air of surprise that he didn't know he had ordered a weapon, and a chilling look that was directed only at Momoi.

"What... exactly is going on?"

Momoi immediately broke out in a sweat.

"That, that...that..."

"I...I...we just wanted to give Kai a surprise..."

Although Kai could sense the affection between Momoi, Midori, and Yuzu, and also Alice's protectiveness towards them, this matter was, after all, a matter of paramount importance concerning the 'princess betraying her cuteness'...

After weighing the options, Kay remained silent for a moment, and finally suppressed his anger.

Kai waved his hand at the trembling Momoi and gave her a curt "cough".

"Let's eat first..."

While the girls in the game development department were having lunch, Kai, who had already eaten, let out a soft "ah" and sat down on the sofa next to Amamiya.

Kay tugged at Amamiya's sleeve and asked in a low voice, trying to keep her voice quiet, "Sensei, what's going on...?"

After a moment's thought, Amamiya told Kai what she knew about the whole story.

Back then, when I took Moe to the Millennium to borrow the engineering department's "base vehicle" to help the Rabbit Squad rebuild their camp, I encountered Alice...

At that time, Alice was asking Utahara and the other two for help.

At that time, Alice told the girls in the engineering department a strange story about how there was definitely a "master" guiding her, and successfully won over the three girls in the moment with her innocent and cute appearance and pure and lovely temperament, arousing their latent maternal instincts.

And then……

Alice was then hugged by Utahara, Cortoli, and Hibiki, who were all acting like mothers.

Alice, taking advantage of the moment when Kagawa and the others were feeling maternal, asked to have custom-made equipment made for Kai.

The three members of the original group readily agreed to help with the customization—and it would be free of charge.

At this point, Amamiya concluded, "...What Momoi meant by 'selling cuteness' is probably this."

Kai's face grew increasingly gloomy as he listened, and he gritted his teeth as he glared at Momoi, who was eating.

Even from a great distance, Momoi was startled by the sudden gaze and almost choked.

"Why does Kai seem a little unhappy?"

Amamiya asked 'curiously,' 'After all, this is a special surprise prepared for Kai.'

"……no."

"What's not working?"

"...It is absolutely unacceptable to sell one's cuteness cheaply in order to gain something for nothing."

Amamiya nodded in agreement.

Indeed, this kind of 'taking advantage of small things' behavior...

Unexpectedly, Kay then said, "The princess's 'cuteness' shouldn't be so cheap. Only those who are worthy of it can enjoy it—in my opinion, Sensei, you are the only one who is worthy of it."

"Just because I wanted to get a good deal, I was treated like a child by some crazy scientist with a 'maternal instinct'... Absolutely not."

Amamiya: "..."

He thought Kay would convey a righteous concept of truth, goodness, and beauty, but Kay turned around and conveyed a concept that sounded more distorted and subtle.

Time passed in this casual, one-off conversation with Kai.

Amamiya was having a relaxed conversation. But for the girls at the table... this was probably the most unsettling meal they'd ever had.

After finishing the meal, Kai didn't plan to wash the dishes right away. Instead, she clapped her hands and got up from the sofa.

"The surprise should be received immediately to maintain the feeling of surprise. Plus, exercise is definitely necessary after meals..."

With a 'fierce' gaze sweeping over Momoi, Midori, and Yuzu, successfully arousing their unease, and then lingering deliberately on Momoi for a moment longer, Kai addressed the members of the game club with an undeniable air of authority.

"How about we all go for a walk over to the engineering department? Consider it a 'post-meal digestion'."

Momoi, Midori, and Yuzu usually submit to Kai's strict "discipline," so they wouldn't dare to voice any objections at this time.

Despite the scorching sun outside, they still had to make the trip at this time.

And Alice...

As a heroine, she has always been very enthusiastic about the keyword "adventure".

Alice, having triggered some kind of 'event radar,' suddenly perked up and became interested.

"Alice... senses it, a sign that the bond event is about to trigger!"

"An adventure with Kai, with Sensei, and with everyone..."

Alice has started a team-up!

Amamiya then got up from the sofa and was the first to echo Alice: "I'll join."

"Waiting for our partners to prepare... Momoi, Yuzu, Midori?"

When Alice looked at them with her innocent and pitiful eyes, pleading, the members of the game club responded one after another, even though they had no other choice.

Momoi: "Ah... since it's Alice's suggestion, then... then..."

Little Green: "Although it's very hot and I don't really want to go out, it's for Alice after all..."

Yuzu: "I still need to do some travel preparations..."

After a brief 'preparation', Momoi put on her portable backpack for cooling, Midori distributed parasols to all the members who needed them, and Yuzu reluctantly applied sunscreen.

"Bang Bang Ka Bang - The team is ready!"

"Transfer captain's authority to Sensei..."

Seeing Alice run over and look up at him after she finished speaking, Amamiya felt a little helpless.

In the end... do I still need to issue the departure command myself?

"Then... let's set off."

Chapter 54 Kay's "Special Weapon"

In the firing range used by the engineering department to test weapon performance, the girls from the game club witnessed the sacred and mysterious feeling of modern military equipment reflected in the transparent stained glass carved into the shape of raindrops by the poorly lit stained glass windows.

The fantasy-style lighting, like twinkling morning stars, also fell into the eyes of the girls, entering their minds in a most sacred and epic way.

"This is……"

Momoi's breathing faltered, her voice dry: "A weapon custom-made for Kai-chan... The level of completion is really high!"

The sleek metallic texture and the heavy, high-end-looking equipment are neatly arranged around the windowsill as a temporary backdrop, and even the way they are arranged gives a sense of style.

"And it's a complete set... In addition to that eye-catching offensive main weapon, it even has defensive equipment for the tank... and it even has the game club's logo on it."

"It looks like a very powerful and rare weapon..."

Xiao Lü swallowed hard, unable to hide the shock she felt, a sense of déjà vu.

No wonder Momoi's team was so impressed by the mysterious set and meticulous lighting...

The main point is that, apart from Yuzu, all the members of the game development department present had experienced another situation that was 'similar yet different'.

—The last time they experienced this situation, Alice obtained a weapon from the engineering department that could be called the 'Sword of the Hero'—the "Sword of Light, Supernova".

This wasn't the first time Momoi and Midori had experienced a 'similar situation,' so they felt a sense of déjà vu and were also quite shocked.

Yuzu, though it was her first time experiencing it, was immediately drawn to the particularly extravagant-looking equipment.

She thought of 'another scenario'.

Momoi and Midori recalled a scene as sacred as a hero drawing his sword, while Yuzu thought of the ruins on the edge of the world, the scene of her battle with the 'Forgotten Demon King' and the shadows under His command.

The hero's sword, radiating the righteous spirit of a warrior, gradually had its burning flames eroded into a deep purple as it was taken from him, a flame symbolizing the burning aura of fear from the demon king...

Alice was the one who felt the most deeply.

Alice remembered a key chapter of the game... "The New Sword".

After a fierce clash of beliefs, the Demon King and the Hero finally reconciled, with the Hero's sword shattering as a catalyst...

In order to repair the Hero's Sword and to explore the possibility of peaceful coexistence, the Demon King and the Hero embark on a new journey to find the hidden "Third Sword," which exists only in ancient legends and is separate from the "Holy Sword" and the "Demon Sword."

The sight of the scenery stirred up memories of the past... and for a moment, the usually lively girls from the game development department fell into a strange silence.

Amamiya, who had participated in and completed this story with the girls from the game development department, took in their subtle reactions and secretly shook his head.

It was Alice who broke the silence first.

"Was this specially prepared for Kai?!"

Yuriko maintained her kind and gentle smile and nodded to Kai, the only one present who didn't look too good.

"This gun is called Nonlinear Future, a weapon specially prepared for you."

Although she was smiling, Yuriko's tone was 'calm' when facing Kai.

Lifting the ridiculously heavy 'rail cannon' in its fully armed state with one hand, Yuriko went to Kai's side and handed it to him.

"Generally speaking, time is continuous and linear, and so is the future predicted based on timelines."

"But your future... has clearly been split into two completely unrelated timelines in your hands, just like this gun."

Kay frowned and didn't even answer the call immediately.

Because she could sense that the name and description of the gun contained a kind of 'malicious metaphor' directed at her.

Before Kai could even make a move, Momoi, who was standing to the side, began to sigh.

"Even the name has that 'I don't know what it means, but it's really powerful' feeling that's unique to high-end weapons..."

After smiling at Momoi, who was expressing her feelings, Yuriko raised her hand and pushed the weapon in her hand forward.

Kay still didn't answer.

At this moment, she not only sensed the 'malicious metaphor', but also felt the questioning that the other party was using this opportunity to raise.

'Born villains do exist. This applies to both demon kings in stories and the real world.'

'Kay, you were given a mission of destruction from the very beginning, you have the mission of 'awakening the princess,' you are someone whose destiny is inevitable... You were once one of them.'

'But ever since you came into contact with Sensei, your future has taken a completely different turn.'

'Through your time with the princess, you should have clearly felt and experienced... that this is not the future the princess hoped for.'

'Kay. You made such a 'non-linear' choice, instead of heading down a path that leads to destruction.'

From this moment on, your "future" has been split apart and become unknown.

'But, whether for the princess... or for "you" as an individual, this outcome is good.'