I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Amamiya tugged at his red cut-resistant gloves and said seriously, "We're going to rescue Serika now, and teach those guys who still have designs on Abydos a lesson."

"We've been waiting for Sensei to say that."

"Alright~ Let's go then, the mission objective is to save Celery Sauce~"

"Phew... it's time to teach those guys a lesson."

"Well, let's go."

After spending a day or two with Abydos, Hifumi had a general idea of ​​his 'way of doing things', and she declared, "I... will do everything I can to help rescue Serika!"

"But the problem is... the Helmet Gang has already discovered and discarded Serika's transmitter. How are we supposed to track her down now..."

Having already prepared riot shields and firearms, Hoshino raised the most crucial question at this moment.

The Abydos region is vast and extensive, buried and obscured by sandstorms, making it inaccessible to scientific communications.

If we rush to the last area where Celery went missing and conduct a thorough search, will it be too late?

"Don't worry, I have a way."

Upon hearing Amamiya's words, the girls immediately cast curious or intrigued glances at him.

So far, this seemingly endlessly resourceful Xia Lai Sensei has surprised them in one way or another more than once.

After all... they've fought dragons from another world, so it's normal for them to have tracking magic that's a bit detached from science, right?

Amamiya didn't say much, but led the girls out of the school and to an open space.

Searching, tracking? That's easy...

Even if I escape the Three Realms and am outside the Five Elements, I can still find you!

"PSONA! Listen carefully!"

As Amamiya called out, clusters of eerie blue flames rose from his body and coalesced into a "strange beast" with a tiger's head, a single horn, dog's ears, a dragon's body, a lion's tail, and unicorn's feet.

【psona-谛听（АР ...

[Introduction: A mystical beast lying beneath the altar of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. It is said that it can discern all things in the world through hearing, and is especially adept at understanding people's thoughts.]

[Legend has it that it is the mount of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Due to its auspicious beast characteristics—a tiger's head, a single horn, dog's ears, a dragon's body, a lion's tail, and qilin's feet—resembling nine different creatures (not quite dragon, tiger, lion, qilin, or dog), it is believed to be imbued with "nine energies" and thus regarded as an auspicious omen.]

[It is said that in the story of "The True and False Monkey Kings," the mythical beast Di Ting was used as a definitive means of distinguishing between Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque. Di Ting correctly identified Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque, but because saying it out loud would cause the Six-Eared Macaque to immediately turn against them, it did not reveal it.]

The colossal beast, standing over ten meters tall and comparable to some modern war monsters, caused the girls watching to gasp in astonishment.

Amamiya waved to them, waking them up.

"Get in...come on."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Episode Where Celery Was Most Resentful

"It's like this... General Chai. I'd like to ask for a few days off..."

"Oh, is it about school?"

"Um... thank you for taking care of me all this time, General Shiba. Also, I'll probably be reducing the frequency of my part-time jobs a lot recently."

“I understand. I heard from those delinquent girls that a Sensei from Sharai recently came to Abydos... If the academy will improve because of him, I will be happy.”

“Go do what you need to do, Serika. You don’t need to worry about Shibase Ramen. I’m planning to hire some other staff soon… I’ll contact the ‘Alios Squad’ later.”

...skirt two balls two ink coral bell? shrimp two?

The roaring sound in her ears and the turbulence she felt brought Qinxiang back to her senses in the dimly lit little space.

here it is……

Inside a closed train carriage?

After a moment of confusion, Celery's consciousness quickly cleared, and combined with the feeling of being bound, she realized what she had been through—

She was kidnapped.

If I'm not mistaken, the impact I felt before I lost consciousness... should have been equivalent to that of an 88mm cannon...

Is it... the Helmet Squad...?

Serika naturally recalled some information she had heard in the other world.

Reflecting on her experiences today, Qinxiang's quiet gaze shone brightly in the darkness.

She went to Chaiguan Ramen today...

As for the purpose... actually it was to ask for a few days off and to settle the recent wages.

He also informed General Chai that he might have to resign recently due to being busy with academy affairs.

General Shiba expressed his understanding of Serika's reasons for resigning. He settled Serika's wages on the spot and said that although Shiba-Gan Ramen was missing a waitress, he still welcomed Serika to visit as a customer in the future, along with the other members of Abydos and the Sensei from Shalai.

'Then... on my way back, I was spotted by members of the Helmet Regiment, and they ambushed me with their 88mm cannons...'

This brand new life is just around the corner, but then he gets caught in a crisis that could kill him... It's really frustrating.

'Even though we were prepared and on high alert, we still ended up in danger because of a small oversight...'

Frustration, negative thoughts... all sorts of emotions surged towards her like waves, suffocating her.

Serika recalled some of the things Amamiya said about the [Awakened Persona] in the other world.

……

"And the 'persona' is born from the inner world of a person... 'unwillingness to accept defeat'."

"...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."

"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."

……

So that's why Hifumi was so 'angry' back then...

It seems that at that time, she truly experienced the extreme emotions that filled her with "the resentment of being powerless" and "the rebellious spirit and the soul of resistance when she was in dire straits."

Faced with the same situation, Hifumi chose to 'rebel,' which is why she was able to obtain the power called [Persona]...

But for me, there seemed to be only one emotion called "unease" constantly echoing in my heart.

Content with reality, unwilling to accept it, rejecting all possibilities, wanting to maintain everything by oneself, only to find that it is all in vain.

Celery looked out the car window.

The view from the window was limited; all Celery could see was the endless yellow sand outside and the dust kicked up by speeding vehicles.

For some reason, a scene of conversation between a group of students who had recently come to Chaiguan Ramen suddenly came to her mind.

"Princess, what are you thinking about?"

"...I'm just wondering what that Sensei from Xialai will bring us."

"Ha, those people who are surrounded by attention and adoration wouldn't care about our little team that's been ignored and struggling."

"I mean... a small team like ours..."

"No, Misaki, Hiyori, you're wrong."

"Princess……?"

"Has Saori recently received a text message from that Sensei from Sharai?"

"That's absolutely right..."

"It was just an ordinary text message, but for us, it might have been the beginning of a meeting."

Even in fairy tales, the meeting of princes and princesses is not always a beautiful and magnificent one; sometimes they go through many hardships and there are gaps between them.

"Princess……"

"Saori, you said... if we were to use a fairy tale as a metaphor, would Sensei... be our 'prince' who saves us?"

……

'Princess' and 'Prince'...?

As the image of the expectant, gentle yet profound girl in her mind, along with the other girls beside her, gradually faded, Serika breathed a sigh of relief.

It's actually quite romantic...

A slight tingling sensation welled up in her nose as she recalled her recent encounters and interactions with Sensei. Celery couldn't help but feel an urge to shed tears.

Although he did not appear riding a white horse with a procession of golden-armored knights as in fairy tales, he unconsciously broadened his horizons, saw hope in solving the difficulties, and cared for himself with a fervor that seemed to offer his own heart to himself...

...In that case, wouldn't you consider him my "Prince"?

Amidst the darkness and turbulence, Celery gently shook her head, then tilted her head back slightly, looked at the non-reflective metal panel on the roof, and sighed.

What will the future hold...?

Celery cannot imagine.

She had never seen that 'true beauty,' so she could not imagine... that truly fairytale-like future.

If all of this were to unfold like a fairy tale... perhaps the next second, the car tied to him would be stopped, and then the prince riding a unicorn would descend from the sky, tearing through the darkness and bringing light?

But unfortunately, this is reality... so if my fate is as expected, I will be abandoned in a deserted wasteland and eventually disappear.

Perhaps... with good luck, someone will find his belongings?

……

If I hadn't kept distancing myself from Sensei...

If only I could be more frank...

If only I could awaken the same power as Hifumi...

Feelings of resentment lingered in her heart, and Qinxiang looked up at the window at the back of the carriage.

Outside, the yellow sand still filled the sky, but Qinxiang clearly had a feeling... a feeling that something was approaching from afar.

That feeling is hard to describe; if I had to put it into words, it would be like...

'Strange hearts grow closer.'

It's like... a beam of light piercing through the darkness.

Amidst the angry shouts from the driver and passenger, Serika suddenly felt a jolt of brakes.

Her back slammed heavily against the partition of the carriage. Although it hurt a little, Celery felt a sense of joy, as if she had seen a glimmer of hope.

"Damn it! What kind of monster is that?! A dog? A wolf?... What on earth is that thing?!"

"Damn it...why are you stopping us?"

"Why? Don't you all know the reason..."

Clearly, the sound of hooves and neighing horses appeared simultaneously, accompanied by the whistling of the wind.

'Om—'

A beam of light pierced the darkness, and the angelic shadows and the translucent bird of paradise converged together in the radiance.

Her Prince Charming has appeared.

Chapter Forty: Celery's "Phantom Thief"

'Whistle—'

With a hiss, Qinxiang felt that the 'narrow little space' she was in was being dissolved and diluted in a warm, gentle light in a chilling way.

As the curtain gradually faded, Serika saw a figure riding a "strange white horse" and wearing a black trench coat land directly in front of her.

The young man riding the unicorn removed his black and white smoky mask, his body still surrounded by clusters of eerie blue flames. After dismounting, a luxurious and sharp-looking dagger appeared out of thin air in his other hand.

'Zheng~'

The crisp metallic clang lasted only a moment before Celery felt all the restraints on her body being severed.