I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Always remember, there will be reverberations.

Suddenly, Aru felt as if the world around her had completely stopped.

Then, amidst the various tones that were infinitely stretched and thus distorted, she heard, exceptionally clear and at a normal flow, the sound of leather shoes stepping on the ground, approaching from afar.

"You want to become a phantom thief because of your 'partner'...?"

"That's unprecedented."

Hehehehe...

Accompanied by a low chuckle, Aru looked up and saw a figure wearing a bright red suit, a top hat, and a pair of demon wings on his back.

Aru's eyes trembled.

Upon hearing this sound, she felt an intense, tearing pain originating from the depths of her mind.

Without needing to introduce itself, along with the information flowing into her mind from that intense pain, Aru naturally understood some basic information about the semi-transparent figure covered in dark blue flames.

My name is Robin.

"Or... you may call me 'Lupin III'."

"I am the grandson of Arsène Lupin."

I also have reliable partners I can entrust my back to without hesitation, and things I can't part with.

"Jigen Daisuke... Goemon. 』

"Oh."

After a soft chuckle, the devilish figure raised his hand.

Aru subconsciously looked up, half-forced, and met those eyes that trailed light and burned with demonic flames.

"You must have someone like that too."

Go...go and seize that longing you have for the phantom thief and for your comrades.

"Transform it into your power."

"I am you, and you are me."

As you gradually adapt to the pain, it tends to subside.

Alu suddenly felt a sticky sensation on her cheek. When she reached out to touch it, she discovered that a half-face mask, resembling a ball gown, had somehow "grown" on her face.

Without the initial shock and stunned silence, Aru knew very well what she needed to do next.

As Lupin III said...

Seize this opportunity you've been longing for.

She staggered and swayed, tearing at the ball mask on her face until it was ripped off, skin and all, bleeding.

You can't even cry out in pain.

Because that would damage the president's demeanor... and also tarnish the mystery of the phantom thief.

"I am you, and you are me..."

Alu trembled all over in pain, but did not cry out directly.

"Come on, Robin!"

Hahahaha...

"Very good, very good!"

This is the kind of performance only a true follower should have!

The 'blood' on her cheeks transformed into a ghastly blue flame that then gathered and flowed across her entire body, temporarily burning away the 'president's uniform' and replacing it with a more ornate outfit, like that of a blazing witch, with the hem, sleeves, and skirt blackened and still smoldering with embers.

An aura erupted, then quickly subsided.

Amamiya tilted her head slightly, looking at the figure that appeared behind Aru after the cloak gradually stabilized.

【Psona - Robin (Arcana: The Fool)】

[Introduction: Also known as Lupin. Or rather, it is because of the name 'Lupin' that he is so well-known.]

[Grandson of Arsène Lupin, a descendant who inherited his grandfather's 'phantom thief blood.' Like his grandfather, Arsène, Lupin was a highly intelligent and skillful phantom thief.]

However, Lupin is different from his grandfather Arsène Lupin, a chivalrous thief who preferred to work alone.

Lupin relies heavily on his team—the professional assassin Daisuke Jigen and the comedically contrasting Goemon Ishikawa. Without these capable partners, Lupin's solo actions would almost certainly have resulted in him being on the defensive, or even facing certain death.

['An outlier among thieves', 'a thief full of a sense of justice', 'a genius who is almost omnipotent', 'always on the defensive without a capable partner'.]

This thief, so different from his chivalrous grandfather, is truly unique.

'interesting……'

Arle had long dreamed of becoming a 'phantom thief', and the persona she awakened was indeed closely related to the 'phantom thief'... and even to her original persona - Arsène.

Amamiya, who witnessed Aru's awakening, felt a strange urge to laugh.

Ah Lu... in another way, she's gotten involved with me.

Although the initial Persona that was awakened was somewhat unexpected... it can still be considered that the Persona has been awakened, and one has become a 'Mask User'.

After exchanging another glance with a slightly surprised Kayoko, Amamiya breathed a sigh of relief and tightened his grip on the trigger slightly.

After all, this is Aru's first awakening, so let's give her a stage to perform.

"We've asked everything we needed to ask..."

"Now, let's settle this once and for all."

Chapter 54 Hua Ye: I sense an evil presence watching me...

"Come on... Robin!"

Flames rose up, gathered in a bizarre way, and then climbed up the hem of the clothes.

As Aru called out with a particularly peculiar 'villainous aura' at this moment, Robin, the 'Red-Clad Gentleman Phantom Thief Demon' behind her, snapped his fingers, and a pillar of fire swirling around him burst forth from the ground.

Like a fountain suddenly gushing from the ground, the towering column of fire appeared without any warning.

Aru seized the opportunity to close in, and like a whip, extended her cloak, which was burning with flames and had sharp edges, and then lashed it at the defeated shadow like a whip.

Robin's flames struck first, and the towering pillar of fire crashed into the shadow, almost burning it to ashes, while simultaneously exploding into a ball of rose-colored flames.

Ignoring the scorched hem of her clothes, Alu took out her phone, made a peace sign with one hand, and recorded her 'wonderful moment' of outstanding performance.

The flames flashed and disappeared, gradually dying out, leaving behind a string of embers forming characters.

"That's so me!"

After holding the pose for about two seconds, Aru, whose cool demeanor only lasted three seconds, acted as if she had been burned. She quickly patted down the small flames clinging to her body and clothes, and then let out a long breath.

'Hmm... As the sole highlight at the end of my final attack, that should be special enough, right...?'

'Next time, how about sitting in a chair, or even posing in mid-air?'

Arlu casually took the Persona mask that had gathered into a ghostly blue flame and floated toward her. After putting it on her face, she suddenly felt an indescribable fatigue and exhaustion.

"Eh... how... how could this be..."

My body wouldn't obey me; my legs were so weak I couldn't stand up...

In a panic, she immediately grabbed Amamiya's clothes to maintain her balance, while nervously looking up at Amamiya.

“sen, Sensi… I… I… this is…”

Completely different from her Flame Witch demeanor when the 'final attack ended', her cowardly and timid reaction now reveals itself, the switch between showing off and being humiliated is completely seamless...

As expected of you, Aru.

He casually grabbed Aluna's devil horns, which grew outwards from her shoulders like croissant horns, and helped Aluna 'stabilize her balance'. At the same time, Amamiya reassured her in a doctor's tone, "Don't worry, this is just exhaustion. It's a normal reaction after the first awakening. Go back and rest for a day or two and you'll be fine."

"Is...is that so..."

After confirming that there was nothing strange wrong with her body, the exhausted Aru just wanted to quickly 'follow the doctor's orders' and go back to rest.

Activities in another world... can easily lead to fatigue, but compared to that fatigue... there is also a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

Starting today... I have a new identity in addition to being the 'President of Convenience Store 68'—

A 'phantom thief' who can move freely even in another world!

A phantom thief who battles powerful 'shadow' monsters, steals intelligence and loot from them, and then gracefully walks away after leaving them behind their remains!

Whether it's the Convenience Store 68 or the Phantom Thieves... they should all maintain this kind of 'style'!

[Feeling Aru's novelty and excitement...]

[My bond with Aru has deepened...]

【Lu Bamo Alu (Executed) ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆】

[★4 Bond Skill "The Most Appropriate Cooperation" is now unlocked!]

"Has the mission objective been achieved?"

With Amamiya's somewhat 'special' support, after barely regaining her strength to stand, Aruna's intention to 'want to leave quickly but still maintain her dignity' became even more undisguised.

While Amamiya was comforting Aru, Kayoko had already quietly begun cleaning up the battlefield, picking up the spoils left behind after the Shadows were eliminated.

After the 'Shadow of the Merfolk' was destroyed, it left behind several pieces of loot that looked quite valuable.

There is a crystal-clear and very valuable pearl, some scales that can probably be sold for a little money, and a few pieces of "octopus" that are sparkling and possibly worth some money.

What caught Kayoko's attention most was a blue gemstone that flickered with her breath, looking exceptionally mysterious and elegant, so perfectly arranged it seemed to have fallen from a necklace.

"This is……"

The mask on her cheek shattered automatically, and the Cheshire Cat leaped down, snatched the unique gem in its mouth, then jumped onto Kayoko's shoulder and placed the gem in her palm.

Using her growing appreciation skills honed through her work as a phantom thief, along with her already rich understanding of common sense, Kayoko quickly deduced that... this seemingly valuable gemstone was a lapis lazuli.

Crystal clear and pure, with just a little polishing, it can become a treasure buried in the sea.

Besides being sold directly as a valuable trophy for a high price... Kayoko also vaguely felt that if this gem were processed into jewelry, it might come with some 'supernatural effects,' like the equipment dropped by the shadows.

Although it's very slight, it's better than nothing... but it's still a change from nothing to something.

Although she knew the general effect of the gem, Kayoko still couldn't make a clear judgment about the various spoils she had collected.

She held up the gem in her hand and gestured to Amamiya.

Amamiya scanned the area with her [Third Eye] and was slightly surprised.

This is truly an exceptionally high-quality gemstone...

In this other world, only rare shadows of the "Treasure Demon" level can produce special loot.

【'Pseudo-Heart of the Ocean': 'As the seawater recedes, who, with an unseen hand, cradles forth the heart of the ocean?'】

["Lapis lazuli symbolizes the gods of sky and water, wisdom and power, and is a protective gemstone. However... it is, after all, a replica of the 'Hope Diamond,' and is therefore prone to acquiring the bad luck characteristic of the original."]

[Type: Money Exchange Tool/Accessory]

[Effect: Although it's just a replica made to imitate the famous Tanzanite piece 'Heart of the Ocean,' the lapis lazuli is of such high quality that gem enthusiasts would be willing to pay an astonishingly high price to sell it as a money-making tool.]

[When processed and worn as an accessory, it provides the wearer with the 'Ocean Affinity' effect, but also brings bad luck. It slightly increases the damage dealt and received, but also increases the probability of being affected by negative effects, making the wearer a more likely target.]

The "intelligence analysis" provided by Ako, along with several other bond skills used to enhance the analytical effects of the [Third Eye]... are truly useful.

"This is an extremely high-quality gemstone."

After confirming all the details about the 'replica Heart of the Ocean', Amamiya briefly explained, "While it certainly has value as an accessory... wearing it as an accessory can easily bring bad luck..."

"As for selling it as spoils of war, it should be enough to allow Convenience Store 68 to directly buy a club activity room, and then the remaining money can be squandered for at least a month."

Upon hearing that this beautiful-looking lapis lazuli would bring bad luck, Kayoko immediately solidified her idea of ​​'providing better living support for the members of the 68 Convenience Stores'.

"Has the battlefield been basically cleaned up by now?"

After packing all the spoils into bags, Kayoko placed the 'replica Heart of the Ocean' separately. Confirming everything was in order, she cautiously nodded, "Mm."

"The mission objective has been achieved... and President Aru is indeed exhausted."