I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Then... it's time to evacuate."

【~???~】(Alu, Kayoko)

With the two girls, Amamiya returned to the evacuation point and, using the otherworld navigation, chose to return to the real world.

[Back in the real world, thanks for your hard work.]

After a slight dizziness, the world before Aru's eyes finally returned to normal.

The ruined glory of the 'Sunken Undersea City' is gone, replaced by the 'Sanctuary Tower' standing tall under the setting sun.

Feeling a sense of security that cleanses the soul from the real world, Aru had an urge to lie down on the grass and rest for a while.

But in order to maintain the demeanor of the company president and the elegance of the 'phantom thief', she held back.

After observing her surroundings, Aruru, a newcomer who had just entered another world and awakened her Persona, immediately noticed the 'abnormality' again.

...In another world, it seems easy to confuse the concept of time.

It feels like we haven't been exploring this other world for very long...

When they entered the other world, it was morning, but when they left, it was already dusk.

Ah... I'm so tired.

But it was also quite fulfilling...

Temporarily setting aside the "minor problem" of "what to do with the spoils," Aru's mind was completely immersed in reflection, recalling her "brilliant performance" in the other world.

Kayoko, on the other hand, was the most 'thrifty and good at managing the household'. She waved the shoulder bag in her hand, which was filled with various spoils of war.

"Sensei..."

Amamiya waved his hand: "Leave these spoils to Kayoko to handle."

【~???~】(Kayoko)

"After that..."

"For the next period of time, Kayoko, Aru... you should be prepared to assemble at any time and dive into another world."

"Yes, got it."

……

After saying goodbye to Aru, who kept smugly smirking, and Kayoko, who was pondering what to do with her spoils, at the train station, Amamiya boarded the shuttle bus from the Federation Student Council to the Sharai office building.

'At this time, Arios's team should have finished setting up their "club" and be experiencing a normal student's summer vacation.'

'The Helmet Squad's small-scale retaliatory attacks are still ongoing. Once they accumulate to a threshold that can be taken seriously, they can use this incident to hold Valkyrie accountable. Then, the next step is to deal with Shiranui...'

Looking out the window at the street scene after the rain, Amamiya, who had a rare moment of mental clarity, began to consider her next steps regarding Hanaya.

'Ding--'

My phone's momotalk suddenly received a new message.

Amamiya took out his phone and saw a "highlighted in red" notification that immediately made him frown.

[Shiranui Hana: Sensei, I suddenly feel a little uneasy...]

[Shiranui Hanae: Can we talk sometime?]

Chapter 55 Fubuki: Huh? A phantom thief? Me?

Evening, at the shooting range in the Xialai training area.

The firing range, which used to be filled with the sounds of various weapons firing regularly, was rather quiet today because no Arius members were using it.

He flicked the brim of his cowboy hat, gripped his revolver, and imagined himself as the righteous sheriff wandering the streets at midday, amidst the swirling yellow sand and swaying grass, a figure whose presence terrified and sent evildoers fleeing in terror...

She spat out the leftover lollipop stick she was biting on her lips to the trash can, and then chuckled softly, awkwardly performing a fancy gun-wielding move typical of Western cowboys.

He then placed the revolver back into his thigh holster.

With one hand on his thigh holster, he prepared to draw his gun, while the other hand made a pistol gesture. He then put his index finger to his lips and gently blew on it.

"call……"

"Despair is your end..."

"It's high noon..."

Maintaining her pistol grip, Kirino made an aiming motion, but instead pulled the trigger on the "Necessary Pain" holster on her thigh.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang——

Gunshots rang out in succession, but the bullets did not leave the muzzle in a manner consistent with physics.

One after another, bullets of the future, wrapped with thin red threads, appeared out of thin air from all around Kirino, and then, like a barrage of throwing knives, attacked the target—the furthest target in the shooting range.

streaks of red light, like miniature guided missiles, streaked through the air, performing various irregular artistic flights that could "break through the defenses" of ballistics and physics. Wrapped in red lines as thin as a hair, the bullets split into two groups, hitting the vital points marked in red: the head and the chest.

“Ovkill”.

Fubuki, leaning against the wall, had a donut in her mouth, her eyes half-closed, and gave a perfunctory clapping: "...Impressive."

"Fire from anywhere imaginable except the muzzle, then in an even more incredible way, precisely hit the target and body part you want to hit within your line of sight, and then cause damage..."

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

After slowly shaking her head and clicking her tongue in amazement, Fubuki immediately thought of the unspoken, unspoken matter that had recently occurred at the Valkyrie Police Department.

Now it seems... the situation at the Valkyrie Public Security Bureau really does fit a famous quote from a certain oddly styled manga—

"Taking the long way is my shortcut!"

Speaking of which, doesn't the Classic of Mountains and Seas contain similar ancient sayings?

It seems to be called...

"Haste makes waste."

I think I saw this somewhere before...

The second half of the sentence seems to be the more essential part...?

After thinking for a while, Fubuki vaguely remembered the second half of the ancient proverb.

"One who focuses on small gains will not accomplish great things."

If the Valkyrie police department could contact Sensei sooner, communicate, and explain their predicament...

Even if we don't expect all members to get this level of "exclusive personal customized equipment", at least they can get some extraordinary standard equipment, right?

Just like how the Tea Party and the Cram School Club, after obtaining a small amount of otherworldly equipment, immediately equipped some of the Justice Committee members with it...

After calming down her complicated emotions, Fubuki once again cooperated by expressing (perfunctory) "envy" to Kirino, who was "obsessed with her new equipment".

"I wish I had a weapon like that..."

"Unfortunately, such weapons are essentially 'bound to an individual'..."

Despite being tricked and coaxed by Kirino into coming here to test the otherworldly weapon that Sensei specially customized for Kirino for an afternoon, Fubuki could clearly feel the difference between the "otherworldly weapon" and real equipment, even as a temporary scorekeeper and recorder of weapon parameters and tests.

First of all, this special weapon is completely immune to loss... and cannot be taken away. The true owner can summon it at will, even if it is not in hand.

Secondly, it seems to be 'destined'... even if you obtain it, you cannot use it without the holder's permission.

Previously, Fubuki had conducted a 'gun-grabbing' test with Kirino.

The moment she 'snatched' the gun, Fubuki could feel as if she were holding a heavy, red-hot, irregularly shaped block of metal weighing hundreds of kilograms.

Exaggerated temperature, exaggerated weight.

The shock she felt upon receiving it made Fubuki immediately throw the gun away like a hot potato before the 'chains' could wrap around her wrist, thus avoiding the outcome of severely burning her hand and being unable to get rid of it.

Fortunately, the halo provided protection, and the instantaneous heat did not cause serious damage...

Although there is no definitive experiment, based on the available information, Fubuki can imagine what would happen if someone saw Kirino's weapon during a battle and, without thinking, tried to steal it for themselves.

First, it will be "taught a lesson" by the extremely high temperature that is already scorching hot from the start and is constantly increasing.

If it can withstand the extremely high temperature of molten metal, then the next thing to consider is the astonishing weight of the 'chains' that suddenly appear and begin to climb up from the wrist, gradually imprisoning the wrist and each finger.

If they haven't given up yet, they'll probably be 'cooked' (living things) or 'melted' (non-living things) by being scorched by high temperatures and chained up.

Even if someone could withstand the extreme heat of molten lava and the terrifying weight that felt like their hands were bound by several metal shackles, barely manage to pick up a weapon and try to aim... they would definitely find that even if the trigger of this weapon was pulled until it started smoking, it would absolutely be impossible to fire.

Is the "account binding" system of the otherworldly armed forces really that reliable and unsolvable?

It can be obtained and destroyed by someone other than the holder, but it is absolutely impossible for someone other than the holder to obtain and use it without the holder's permission.

Kirino's specially customized otherworldly weapon has only one weakness... or rather, a special design flaw: a single shot can never cause "excessive" damage.

During the power test phase, Fubuki used her blast shield and aura for protection and withstood a round of weapon fire. She was then surprised to find that parameters such as distance, wind force, and armor defense, which are important for the damage of ordinary weapons, were of little use for this weapon.

No matter what kind of armor you wear, or how you dodge or evade... you'll always get shot in the end.

However, the "damage" it causes will not increase or decrease, whether it hits the hand, chest, or head.

Fubuki's understanding of the otherworldly weaponry is not particularly deep yet, and this is the first time she has truly experienced the "necessary pain" given to her by Kirino...

Predictably, the otherworldly weapon Kirino received, according to the game's mechanics... will definitely be a character-specific weapon with both high rarity and rank.

As for ordinary otherworldly weapons... even if they don't have such exaggerated characteristics, since they have the blessing of another world, their effects should definitely not be too bad, and they should have some outstanding features.

"Hey……"

Seeing Kirino finish reviewing the test parameters she had summarized and start fantasizing about her future as a 'sheriff', Fubuki sighed softly.

To say I'm not envious at all... that's absolutely impossible.

However, more than feeling envious, Fubuki was concerned about the increasingly tense environment at the Valkyrie Police Department.

As a 'lower-level' member of the Bureau of Life Safety, she is well-versed in the art of slacking off and has become increasingly aware of a subtle abnormality.

The members of the Valkyrie Police Department are gradually becoming... "overconfident".

Based on her own experience of slacking off, Fubuki understood that the inevitable result of "getting carried away" was being "punished afterward."

Although this matter has nothing to do with me... I am, after all, a student of Valkyrie's Life Safety Bureau.

What if Valkyrie, this safe haven, is in trouble...?

Then I won't be able to slack off and do nothing in peace anymore.

Having anticipated this outcome, Fubuki felt somewhat saddened.

"The weapon has been tested, right?"

Yawning, Chuixue looked up and glanced at the electronic clock in the firing range.

"Hmm... the testing is basically complete, right?"

Having vented the excitement she felt upon receiving the 'special weapon,' Kirino left the training range in a flurry after saying 'Thanks for your help.'

Seeing Kirino leave in a hurry, Fubuki withdrew her gaze, picked up her shoulder bag, and prepared to leave, while taking out a donut from the bag.

'I wasted the whole afternoon working on something pointless... but in exchange, she'll be handling things for me that I should be doing for the next week... not a bad deal.'

The blue-haired girl, head down, munching on a donut, walked out with a perfunctory and lazy expression.

The thought briefly crossed my mind: 'Should I go find Sensei next?'

'Should we go look for Sensei...?'

'Never mind, I don't really want to move...'

Out of laziness, Fubuki dismissed the fleeting thoughts that had suddenly arisen in her mind.

Pushing open the door, greeted by the setting sun and the summer evening breeze, Fubuki was just about to stretch and prepare to go back to the air conditioning when a shadow suddenly fell over her.

Fubuki, who had just raised her hand, paused and looked up at the curly-haired youth with a calm gaze that seemed to say, "Sensei, is there something you need? If not, I'll head back." The gaze was slightly affectionate and intriguing.

"..."

"Is Fubuki always this 'lazy'?"

"With great power comes great responsibility. I only do what I'm supposed to do... I never do anything outside my scope."

With a donut in her mouth, Fubuki answered Amamiya's question indistinctly. After 'hesitating several times,' she reluctantly rummaged in her shoulder bag again, took out a paper bag, and handed it to Amamiya: "Sensei...would you like a donut?"

Amamiya didn't refuse... After all, seeing how much Fubuki liked the donuts, they must taste delicious.