I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Misaki, you've worked hard too... Do you want to come along next time you go to the Classic of Mountains and Seas?"

Misaki tugged at her collar, but didn't answer directly.

"...Let's talk about it later."

【~???~】(Misaki)

Interacting with the members of Arius's team is so easy...

Right now, only Hiyori is left to be conquered... Hmm.

Straightening up, Amamiya glanced out of the corner of her eye at Hiyori, whose expression was gloomy, who seemed to be secretly hoping to speak but hesitated, and whose sensitivity to her gaze was unparalleled.

Even out of the corner of her eye, she could easily notice it. Hiyori shrank her neck and shifted her position uncomfortably.

Then, she accidentally sat on the TV remote that was on the sofa.

With a "beep," the television in the living room was turned on, and an energetic voice immediately spread out.

"This is the Kronos News Department~ Welcome to this morning news!"

He was a reporter from the Kronos News Agency's tabloid whom I had dealt with before.

Amamiya narrowed her eyes slightly, temporarily shifting her attention from Hiyori to Shion, who was sitting in front of the camera on the screen. After greeting the camera, Shion's expression became unusually calm, and her tongue twisters were clear and articulate.

There was no 'sponsor advertising' segment that was present in the past.

There was no deliberately exaggerated or embellished tone, nor the intense expression often accompanied by body language typical of journalists.

Shion, sitting in front of the camera, was so normal it was almost unrecognizable.

"This is Shion Kawakami, a reporter from our station. I have an urgent news briefing for our listeners."

"The acting president of the Federal Student Association is suspected of being ill from overwork and intends to take a break."

"The recent activities of the Federal Student Association have been quite 'strange,' and I imagine that students on various campuses have felt this directly or indirectly. I believe that these recent activities are closely related to the current acting president's health condition."

"I imagine that once the acting president has recovered, the Federal Student Council will gradually get back on track!"

Sitting upright with fluent and proper speech, the advertising segment mysteriously disappeared...

Numerous details made the members of Arius's team realize that something was 'abnormal'.

After listening to the report, Yajinzi remarked with a sigh, "...Today's morning news report is somewhat different from the usual ones."

After blinking and staring at Amamiya for a while, her clear red eyes suddenly asked a question, seemingly knowing the answer already: "Sensei... why are the reports from the Kronos News Department so 'serious' when it comes to news about the Federation Student Council?"

That's because... they'd be gone if they weren't proper.

The Federal Student Council is the 'authority' of Kiwatos.

Only established universities like Trinity, Ghenna, and Millennium, or those with core technologies and strong resources, dare to defy and challenge the Federation Student Council.

Ordinary schools...wouldn't dare to provoke such trouble.

"That's because... Kronos's press department knows what's going on."

Having interacted with journalists like Ichiko Otaku, Amamiya naturally knew some of the survival strategies of 'journalists'.

They know perfectly well what they can and shouldn't say.

I know clearly what should be said and what I shouldn't say even if I know it.

Even 'doomsday speculation' can make headlines, but they dare not add even the slightest bit of embellishment to this topic.

If that were to actually happen—the news would likely be broadcast in the morning, the warning received at noon, the various disciplinary actions from the finance department issued after lunch, and the defense and human resources departments knocking on doors in the afternoon.

Oh...maybe not that slow.

Amamiya simplified the whole story as much as possible and told it to Ajinko.

After hanging her head and seemingly lost in thought for a moment, the girl suddenly spoke: "Sensei..."

Amamiya smiled gently and immediately looked at him: "What is it, my 'Princess'?"

“Recently, the children in the Arius region have made some requests to me. One student said that she…”

"To learn more, Sensei..."

"Personal hobbies."

When Azuko said this, Amamiya had no doubt that Azuko might have the suspicion that "I have a friend".

After all, the relationship between Arius's team and himself had long since become so deep that it was unbreakable... such a relationship was not so serious that even asking about someone's hobbies required careful consideration.

What are your personal hobbies?

"It's... about 'coffee tree' cultivation."

Yajinko briefly recounted her most noteworthy recent experience—

Nowadays, apart from a small number of Beatrice's extreme supporters who have been thoroughly 'brainwashed'... the vast majority of Arius students have been absorbed by Trinity.

Because of this premise, the members of Arios's team are occasionally approached by former Arios students who are filled with longing or other emotions.

Then... I was forced to endure the interactions with my 'idol'.

Saori, Misaki, and Hiyori are alright... but the key one is Azuko.

After all, he is of 'royal blood,' so he has been designated as the next student council president, Aius.

Yajinzi was happy to agree and would do her best to help resolve some of the problems of the original Arios branch school students.

Amamiya listened and understood.

'A certain student named Arian wanted to get closer to him... so he wanted to try growing coffee trees, harvesting coffee... and learn coffee-making skills from him, hoping to gain the 'courage to survive'?'

Coffee... is probably more associated with 'trustworthy reliability'.

Since there wasn't much to do in the morning, Amamiya taught Azuko, who was diligently taking notes in her notebook, some basic coffee knowledge.

"Hmm... So, planting and maintaining coffee trees is just as complicated as cultivating flowers..."

Wouldn't it be very rewarding to drink coffee that you grow and brew yourself?

"Sensei...can I try planting coffee trees in Charlemagne?"

Amamiya immediately couldn't help but chuckle when he recalled the expression on Rin's face as she handed him the 'application for a dedicated plot of land to grow coffee'.

What a coincidence...

As 'Princess Arianus,' Akiko's request is very practical, not some grandiose demand... so Amamiya has no objection.

Anyway, there's plenty of open space around Xia Lai, so let Ya Jinzi plant whatever she wants.

“If Yazuko wants to do it… then let’s give it a try.”

"If there's nothing else, everyone can leave now..."

Having said that, Amamiya felt there was nothing more to say, so he clapped his hands and prepared to dismiss the group.

"Wait, there are some other things..."

Saori called out to Amamiya, who was about to leave.

"Oh? What happened?"

Amamiya raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.

"It's...about the Arius region."

Chapter 45 Haki Fox Breathes

Recalling the details she had heard during her recent interactions with the students of Arios, Saori sighed softly, then spoke in an incredulous tone: "...Recently, the Arios region has been 'attacked'."

"The attackers' primary targets were the very few Arian students who chose to remain in the 'Arian region' and, even now that 'Madame' has disappeared, still uphold her beliefs."

"According to the bullet trace analysis report I obtained, the attackers mostly used individual weapons that emphasize firepower, such as grenades, heavy hand grenades, and portable explosives that are easy for individual soldiers to carry."

"In addition, the attacker's combat style was very 'simple and brutal'. Perhaps because the target was not worth paying attention to, her combat strategy was to 'charge straight ahead' and crush everything in her path."

"As far as I know, several of 'Lady's' followers have been seriously injured and hospitalized due to such attacks, and have been forced to receive medical assistance from the Knights of the Aid."

—Because she received tactical training after joining Xia Lai, Saori's way of summarizing and reporting intelligence is very organized and orderly.

However, the 'outcome' that the series of events she reported pointed to was somewhat unbelievable to Amamiya.

Due to Beatrice's hate-based education, as well as a series of policies targeting students such as high-pressure management and brutal training, the average combat ability of Arius students is among the higher tier.

All things considered, they should be second only to the SRT squad before the school was closed, and even on par with Ghena.

To crush them in one fell swoop, to rampage through a group of students with a high average level with overwhelming force, requires extremely high personal strength.

In Amamiya's personal opinion, only a group of mysterious "top players" like Hoshino, Wakamo, Mika, and Hina could have accomplished this.

If we include the Persona summon state, Crystal can also be included.

As long as Jing's own 'aesthetic beliefs' don't collapse, "Juliet" will remain one of the top personas.

Besides these... there's another student who can do it easily.

...Yuriko taught the Alios squad various tactical knowledge and skills, and could almost be called the 'coach of the Alios squad'.

Although she usually keeps a low profile and even appears to be a docile, gentle, and somewhat clumsy 'good fox' when not in combat, in reality... Yuriko's hidden strength should not be underestimated.

Compared to the other students who had absolutely no reason to attack the Arius region, Yuriko did have a reason to attack the Arius region.

'If I'm not mistaken... it should be related to what I saw and felt in the "Hall of Fame"?'

Recalling Yuriko's unusually cautious reaction to the 'Apostles' during her exploration of the temple, and her seemingly preoccupied departure after returning to the real world, Amamiya speculated that Yuriko might be 'searching for clues'.

However, perhaps due to the time constraints and lack of time for 'infiltrating and investigating', or perhaps due to other stimuli, Yuriko did not choose to investigate quietly, but instead chose to 'violently kick down the door'.

As for whether Yuriko knows where the entrance and exit to the Arius region are...

Amamiya believed that even if Saori and her group didn't tell her, Yuriko would have found out through other channels.

After all, when preparing weapons for Akiko, Yuriko may have mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, that she knew several "masters" of secret arts.

The information channels for the secret arts of numbers... should be quite abundant.

Noticing Saori's worried and hesitant expression, Amamiya, who had intended to ask her something, understood Saori's feelings.

After all, Yuriko was the team's coach and weapons supplier, so she was considered to have done Saori and her group a favor.

It's like asking the Countermeasures Committee to betray General Shiba... Even if you tell the members of the Countermeasures Committee that 'betraying General Shiba will restore Abydos,' the members of the Countermeasures Committee will undoubtedly choose to refuse.

Kiwatos is ultimately a world of 'youth' and 'miracles', not a 'people-centered' city.

Even if a trolley problem arises, the girls living here will definitely choose the outcome of 'crashing the trolley and pulling the driver off so that no one gets hurt and the driver regrets his decision and is punished'.

After thinking for a moment, Amamiya changed her question at the last minute: "Did the injured person who was attacked say anything about 'the attacker's purpose'?"

"……Have."

"I went to the Knights of Rescue and questioned several of the students who were attacked."

Saori lowered her eyes, her expression grave: "...When asked 'Did the attacker ask you anything?', several staunch supporters of 'Madam' did indeed give the same answer—"

"Regarding the whereabouts of the 'Madam,' and whether she left behind any 'inheritance.'"

Beatrice's whereabouts...

At that time, Beatrice, after being restrained and suppressed by Moses, who was summoned by Hifumi, did indeed disappear from Giwatos.

While the possibility of them still being alive cannot be ruled out, that possibility is far too slim.

After all, people have already become 'two-dimensional', and they are disappearing in the gap between reality and another world, where the temple is about to be eroded and disappear.

Even if they were lucky enough to survive, they would probably be bound and sealed by the "Ten Commandments" forever, and then be exiled like Kars, gradually ceasing to think.

If you're lucky, you might drift into the collective unconscious of some other world...

Then, if one is even luckier, one might be able to establish contact with the real world through methods such as 'summoning,' 'extracting,' or 'contracting' that the world possesses to communicate with the collective unconscious, thereby achieving a roundabout resurrection.

Although the probability is not zero, it approaches zero infinitely.

At that time, Yuriko had not yet awakened her Persona. Although she may have been wandering around Trinity at the time of the incident, wary of possible changes... due to the invasion of the other world, she may not have had, or may have had a blurred memory of that period.

It's not surprising that we don't know if Beatrice is still alive.

As for the search for 'heritage'...

This is a bit subtle.

Yuriko definitely didn't suddenly seek out Beatrice with the thought, "Hey, if I kill Beatrice, will I get some gold coins?"