I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

She believes... that the temple's 'Apostles' are related to several secret arts?

"...Sensei, what are your plans regarding this matter?"

Composing himself, Amamiya answered without hesitation, "Go ask him yourself."

This behavior, which resembles a 'post-traumatic stress response', is itself highly suspicious.

Kivotos, this 'world built on the miracles of everyday youth', is most lacking in communication.

Many unnecessary "chaos" arise from a complete lack of communication, leading to misunderstandings, or from being completely out of sync.

Good communication can prevent or even solve many problems in advance.

Not long ago... Aoi completely dispelled a potential misunderstanding that could have led to a betrayal at a crucial moment by having a 'good conversation' with Amamiya.

After confirming more basic information with Saori, Amamiya did not hesitate and headed to the Millennium.

Stepping into the bright and refreshing autumn scenery, Amamiya went straight to the engineering department and entered the engineering department building, which was gradually being tinged with the red of the maple leaves. Without contacting Yuriko, he made a 'surprise visit' to her gun workshop.

In autumn, foxes will make themselves even fluffier in preparation for winter.

Yuriko, who possesses one of the few complete 'fox girl' characteristics in Kivotos, seems to be no exception—even though it's only been a few days, Yuriko's tail and ear fur seem to have become thicker as she put on her autumn clothes, making her even more fluffy and adorable.

When Amamiya pushed open the door, Yuriko, with her long black hair, trembling fox ears, and slightly fluttering eyelashes, was holding a work tablet and seemed to be in a daze.

Although Yuriko was also involved in the accounting and verification of the Valkyrie Police Department... she was clearly not worried about the 'accounting' issue right now.

"Ah... Sensei."

The girl, who was momentarily stunned, only realized the workshop door was open after a moment of surprise. She forced a smile while maintaining her worried expression.

"Welcome... Why this sudden visit?"

Amamiya didn't pay much attention to Yuriko's tail and ears as usual, remaining silent and calmly observing her.

Let's speak frankly and openly.

Chapter Forty-Six: I still haven't heard your answer...

"Let's be frank."

Leaning against the counter, and glancing briefly at Yuriko, who was becoming increasingly unlikely to 'hide her thoughts' in front of him, Amamiya cut to the chase and said directly, "I'm here to inquire about the attack on the Arius region."

Yuriko froze, her facial expression immediately darkening slightly.

Seeing her silence, Amamiya continued, "...I heard that the traces of battle extend from the entrance to the catacombs all the way to the Arius campus - in front of the principal's office."

"Yuriko, what... are you looking for?"

For once, Yuriko fell silent.

She didn't answer Amamiya's question immediately; her expression instantly became unnatural, revealing obvious struggle and hesitation.

She remained silent, and Amamiya did not say anything more, but continued to look at her with a calm and inquisitive gaze.

After a full half-minute of silence, Yuriko gave a vague answer that seemed to have no meaning: "We need to investigate some things... about what happened to the 'Hall of Fame'."

She did not deny that she left the 'battle marks', but she clearly did not intend to go into too much detail.

Amamiya did not deliberately adopt the kind of imposing manner that requires getting to the bottom of things, like an interrogation or a staring contest.

Because Amamiya knew Yuriko fairly well, he knew that simply giving her the cold shoulder would be completely ineffective.

Amamiya considered her words carefully before speaking in a tone that maintained an open and inquisitive tone: "Could you elaborate?"

"..."

"...It's about the 'intruder' with the dark aura that we encountered in the hall."

“I suspect that it was very likely Beatrice’s doing.”

"Due to time constraints, I used some relatively 'simple and intuitive' methods to conduct the survey."

They spoke vaguely and ambiguously, saying as little as possible... clearly unwilling to reveal the truth.

Seeing through Yuriko's attempt to bluff her way out of the situation, Amamiya remained silent for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head: "...I see."

"Then let me tell you my 'investigation results'."

"First, it's about the one who descended with the 'Dark Halo'."

"In my [vision], she is the being called 'Shiranui Hanaya'. But she has no relation to the Shiranui Hanaya of this world. She has only passed through that sea of ​​collective unconsciousness through some kind of 'projection' or other means, temporarily donned a body, and tried to communicate with us in a way that we can understand."

"Secondly..."

After a pause, giving Yuriko ample time to react and think, Amamiya calmly added, "Secondly... there are those 'Apostles' who appeared in the hall. They are a personification of the 'seeds of desire' buried in Hanaya's heart, a product of cognition."

"No matter how similar the products of cognition are to things that already exist in the real world, they are ultimately two different things."

Since it's about 'speaking frankly'—or at least unilaterally speaking frankly—Amamiya has nothing to hide.

He briefly explained to Yuriko his plan to enter the 'other world' with Hanaya, and to awaken Hanaya's 'persona' to absorb and refine her personal desires.

Indeed, Amamiya's actions are suspected of being 'entrapment'.

However, this suspicion is based on the premise that Kaya already had the prototype of a palace—even if Amamiya hadn't done so, Kaya's 'palace' could have formed and erupted at some point after the 'End'.

Since the problem was discovered early on, why not resolve it sooner?

"at last……"

"Yuriko, the things you don't want to talk about are probably related to 'colorization' or 'nameless priests'."

Yuriko pursed her lips and gritted her teeth, her fox ears drooping to the sides, neither confirming nor immediately denying.

“It’s okay if Yuriko doesn’t want to tell me. After all… the ‘keeper of secrets’ must always keep the secret.”

"But while keeping the secret..."

Amamiya stopped looking at Yuriko, his eyes becoming unfocused and empty.

He looked down at the glass display case, but what was reflected in his pupils was another 'Sex City' in the truest sense, cast entirely in dark red, with buildings covered in blood vessel or neuron-like cracks.

"I hope that Yuriko can truly protect all the secrets that should be kept until they can be revealed."

"I also hope... that Yuriko can tell me in person the reasons for your choice after the incident is over."

"Instead of only looking at each other with disappointed eyes when all hope is lost and the truth comes out."

“'I still haven’t heard your answer…it’s buried beneath your responsibility as a keeper of secrets.'”

"After looking at each other, they could only say goodbye with these words."

"I don't want to see that outcome."

Having said what he needed to say, and reminiscing about the 'past', Amamiya patted his thigh, no longer maintaining his leisurely posture leaning against the counter, and prepared to leave the gun workshop.

A wave of emotions, mixed with slight disappointment and an unprecedented sense of alienation, washed over me, so heavy it was suffocating.

Yuriko opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she could only let out a sigh.

—In the 'game script' provided by Sensei, at the end of the story, when facing the false god, the false god presented Jok with a very tempting choice.

'If you agree to this deal, I will restore the world to its original state... and in return, you will continue to act as the 'phantom thief,' exercising your powers as a phantom thief.'

The assistant, dressed in velvet blue, asked hastily and anxiously, "But... is this really the right world?"

'I refuse.'

'All right. ’

The game presents two options here.

If Jok had come this far with the help of others, and had ended up like this, even if she was suffocated by the suffocating feeling of the false god and unable to move, she would definitely choose to refuse without hesitation.

As the provider of the story, Sensei must have chosen this 'option', rejecting the false god's temptation in order to continue his journey and eventually arrive at Givotos, becoming Sensei.

But what if it's 'agree'?

It will directly enter a d Ending.

The helpers who formed a bond with the protagonist have disappeared, and the companions who fought against false gods through several halls have vanished without a trace...

At the most crucial moment, Jok did not transform into an 'ace', but instead became a 'clown' who mocked everything.

He abandoned his family and friends, went his own way, and became a person who wandered in the real world, able to exercise his own judgment at will, whose behavior was no different from that of "Light Yagami".

Set your target, travel to another world, and change their heart...

The phantom thief's justice seems to have been served. The world also seems to have been purified.

The world, firmly bound by a distorted sense of 'justice,' has become more oppressive than a prison. When people talk about the phantom thief, it's not with anticipation but with horror and fear, lest the 'shadow' appear in their own inner world…

But this is irrelevant to the protagonist.

'If small sacrifices can forge true justice, then their sacrifices are worthwhile.'

"Justice" for one person...

Did Sensei personally 'experience' such an ending, or 'witness' it?

A secret that you know and need to keep...

With a complex expression, Yuriko watched Amamiya's figure gradually disappear into the distance. At that moment, she suddenly understood the lines those 'villains' would shout when they went mad: "What do you know?! What do you know! Do you understand my pain?!"

...In the right context, this is not an empty and pale venting.

Yes, I do feel that 'no one can understand me, no one can comprehend my pain'.

But I never thought of informing them proactively—without informing them, how can I talk about understanding them?

If they don't tell you, fine... but what's even more terrifying is that when they dig deeper and investigate, you feel like they're reopening old wounds, rubbing salt into your sores, and insulting you in this way, and then you start baring your teeth and hissing.

When you interact with someone, you expect that person to take the initiative to be warm and caring towards you, and then to be attentive to you and ask what happened when you show the slightest sign of emotional distress. If you don't tell them, they will investigate on their own.

Interpersonal communication is a very tiring thing.

Keeping it to yourself means suffering, one person is anxious and the other is stressed, but you have to remain silent because you're very handsome and stylish. It's miserable, but you have to wait for the other person to take the initiative to explore why it's so miserable... How is this different from those mainstream novels about suffering and abuse unique to the Classic of Mountains and Seas?

Where can you find such a 'saint' who suffers no pain himself, yet possesses compassion, shows meticulous and equal care, empathizes with the pain of others, and tries to share it?

In the real world, if you see someone who's been bullied like this, it's already considered kind of you not to bully them.

Many people might choose to roll their eyes, say something like, "Who are you? Do we even know each other?", and then avoid the situation like it's a plague.

"..."

After staring blankly for an unknown amount of time, Yuriko suddenly gathered all her thoughts.

The reason she thought about so many things was mainly because she suddenly realized something—

I... have never tried to truly understand Sensei.

To me, the 'bad ending' in the game is nothing more than a pale text description plus a few CG animations.

But what about Sensei, who 'witnessed' or even 'experienced' it firsthand?

Yuriko felt a slight burning sensation on the name tag hanging around her neck. She picked it up and saw that the "High Priestess" card, which depicted her portrait, was no longer as ethereal and spirited as before, as if it were shrouded in a layer of mist.

The "High Priestess" figure, which had been covered in dust, has been reversed from upright to reversed.

Although the cards are just upside down, the meaning is completely different.

The reversed "High Priestess" has lost her mature and steady inner wisdom.

She became conservative, stubborn, and superficial. She became tense and emotionally 'cold war' over certain things.

The tranquility is gone, replaced by 'passion,' but in doing so, one loses one's most precious inner wisdom. One refuses to follow one's intuition and ignores the voice of one's heart.

While there are still many thoughts and insights, they remain superficial, shallow, and stubborn. Emotional expression, though no longer reserved, is no longer sincere or approachable.

They often make wrong or rash decisions, disregard others, insist on their own ideas as absolutely correct, and act unilaterally based on their own wishful thinking.

'...'

Looking back on the tarot card knowledge she had recently learned, Yuriko sighed and put away the tarot cards, ending her temporarily meaningless musings.

"At least, let's deal with the Valkyrie-related matters first."

Chapter Forty-Seven: From the Colors of the Stars

"……I see."