I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

After a long day of intense work, on the way home, the little foxes, including Nicole who was driving, finally relaxed and took off their slightly heavy autumn coats, revealing their sweat-soaked, semi-transparent inner linings.

—Only after feeling a certain unseen sensation, as if being 'watched,' leave them did they dare to return to their usual relaxed state after maintaining a day of intense mental concentration.

In a moment of relaxation, the members of the Fox team also conducted their 'final debriefing' for the day.

"As the saying goes, 'no fight, no friendship'... After clashing with my 'juniors' and 'future colleagues' today, I realized..."

With her fox ears twitching and an energy bar in her mouth, Yin Kui, whose eyes were dull and lifeless from exhaustion, sighed, "...They really are all talented people."

"Each has their own unique skill..."

Hu Tao, who was sitting next to her, snorted and said in a teasing tone, "I told you not to go easy on her just because she's a junior. Now you've got what you deserve, haven't you?"

"In terms of tactical positioning, when facing Rabbit4, I underestimated him and was silently ambushed from behind by the sniper, even having my throat slit..."

"No matter how you look at it, this isn't the kind of 'professionalism' a Fox team sniper should exhibit, is it?"

The cunning brown-haired girl didn't argue back. She drooped her ears, remained silent for a while, and then let out a dry laugh.

"I never expected Rabbit4's stealth and invisibility capabilities to be so strong, to the point that they've reached the supernatural level."

"At the time... I really didn't feel anything at all..."

Recalling the clashes between her seniors and juniors back then, Oto Aoi even felt like she was still shaken after watching a horror movie.

The other three members of Rabbit's team... well, their performance wasn't outstanding overall, but at least it met the standard of 'not disappointing'.

After all, due to differences in weapons and specializations, the Rabbit Squad, as 'daggers', does not have the advantage of 'rapiers' that remain highly lethal even when exposed to sunlight.

In the clash between the Fox and Rabbit teams, Otoko deployed drones for reconnaissance and made the best use of her tactical skills as a professional sniper in the team.

However, despite her utmost caution, an accident still occurred.

She relaxed a little as the other three little rabbits quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.

Then... it was controlled by Rabbit4, which appeared out of nowhere.

With Otoko restrained, the Fox team members, who had the upper hand, dared not make any rash moves.

What could have been a swift and decisive battle turned into a tug-of-war of balancing action.

In the end, it was Oto Aoi who found an opportunity to break free from Miyu's restraints and escape when she relaxed, thus breaking the stalemate in this tug-of-war.

As an admired senior, she ended up being captivated by a junior who had just enrolled, and even became the only one to suffer a defeat in her position... You can imagine how frustrated Oto Aoi was.

"But speaking of which... what's that called again?"

Hu Tao stopped talking halfway through her sentence.

She stroked her chin, pondering for several seconds, but couldn't recall the name she had heard during the introduction not long ago.

"...That Rabbit4, her stealth skills are indeed somewhat...supernatural."

"How did they manage to break through so many security measures so silently, even ignoring a significant portion of electronic devices..."

Yukino, sitting in the passenger seat, rested her chin on her hand and her elbow on the bracket inside the car window.

Leaning against the car window, she thought of her 'opponent', Rabbit1, and Tsukiyuki Miyako's performance.

The subtle changes in Rabbit Squad's combat style over this period, and the mutual explanations after the battles...

It seems that my junior has transitioned from 'following in the footsteps of others' to 'finding his own path'.

During her intimate moments with Amamiya, Yukino had heard Amamiya describe her, his 'junior,' more than once.

They say he joined Srt because of his admiration for the Fox team...

As a result, they didn't really 'worship' themselves.

At least when they met, Yukino didn't sense any obvious admiration from this junior... On the contrary, she even sensed a slight hostility.

The younger generation performed well, which is commendable.

But more importantly...

"...The second battle."

"That power called 'Persona'."

Yukino's sudden words silenced the somewhat dejected members of the Fox squad.

Compared to 'testing the younger generation's practical skills,' this second battle left a deeper impression on them.

In this battle, they witnessed the fighting style of the "Masked Warriors".

One word is enough to describe the impression girls have of Persona.

【powerful】.

The clash with Arius's team left an even more 'deep impression' on the team members.

Otoko was somewhat annoyed by her defeat in the battle against the Rabbit team.

Therefore, when facing the Arios squad, on Otoko's advice, the Fox squad adopted a strategy of 'breaking the weak point' and planned to target the Arios squad's sniper.

Then... although the plan succeeded and they successfully captured Hiyori, who started crying after being caught, they also witnessed the power of "Persona".

The "Little Red Riding Hood" wearing a wolf skin had a red light trailing in her eyes. Her movements were steady and cold, exuding the aura of a hunter who was about to hunt down the big bad wolf.

The black wings of the battle angel swept across the sky, and the wisps of 'holy death' that dissipated could inspire longing in those with weak wills, leading them toward death.

If any person with wavering will falters... what awaits them is the cleaver of the battle angel.

The holy lance of the atonement saint is stained with the blood of a saint; its crimson double blades, the moment it is thrown, will flow into the sky before falling upon its target...

The power of the persona is something that no human can resist.

The Arios squad consists of members who are all 'masked'.

Aside from Hiyori being caught in the crossfire and unable to summon her Persona... the Personas of Saori, Misaki, and Atsuko are all incredibly memorable.

Fox Squad relies on three key elements—experience, stats, and teamwork—to engage in close combat with their target and conduct high-difficulty battles.

And coincidentally... Arius's team possesses the ability to overcome skill with brute force.

Neither the barrage of the Spear of Longinus nor the sword technique of the Battle Angel, which can pierce through several layers of reinforced concrete defenses, can be countered by mere 'skill'.

This is like the 'essence' of modern warfare: the richer you are, the more firepower you can provide.

Yes, you do have a combat squad composed of fully equipped individual soldiers.

But what can we do?

Artillery arrays locked on, drone bombing began.

Before you even see the person, you're bombarded in the face with so many explosives that they could kill you—and that's not even the worst part.

What's most terrifying is that these things are all based on 'mysticism', and none of the technologies you possess have the means to counter them.

They could only watch helplessly as these tracking attacks came at them, unable to defend themselves effectively.

As for using hostages as human shields... that makes no sense from the occult—the magic of Persona has a friend-or-foe distinction! As long as they are 'friendly,' they won't be hurt even if they are in the center of an area-of-effect attack!

...At most, they will only suffer some damage from the terrain destruction caused by AOE, such as flying bricks and tiles of unknown origin, or fall damage from the AOE blasting the terrain.

The only saving grace was that the terrifying barrage of holy lances, Little Red Riding Hood's hunt, and the angelic judgment all lasted only one round before ceasing due to the misunderstanding being cleared up.

For the Fox team, barely managing to withstand such an attack was an extremely difficult task, akin to walking on the edge of death—thankfully, it only had to be done once.

Walnut was pinned to the wall by the barrage of holy spears, the terrifying moment when the blades were lodged between her neck and the ball of the spear...

Not to mention Kurumi, none of the Fox team members, including Yukino, wanted to experience it again.

As for Hu Tao... after surviving the ordeal, she inexplicably thought of a work called "Neon Genesis Evangelion".

It is said that the female protagonist, who also has a tsundere personality, has enjoyed such 'treatment'.

Fortunately... although there was a slight mishap in the confrontation with Arius's team, the mishap was quickly resolved.

After experiencing the power of damaging magic, the Fox team now enjoyed the comfort of healing magic.

The healing magic takes effect instantly and can quickly restore an individual's energy and spirit. The only drawback is that it can make wounds a little itchy.

Besides, the Fox team members had absolutely no doubt about the incredible efficiency of healing magic, which could bring the dead back to life and perform miracles in an instant.

Although they did not suffer severe injuries such as amputation or near-death experiences during their initial encounter...

But they had no doubt that even injuries of this level were not difficult to heal with magic.

Even if someone is on the verge of death... as long as there is that 'last sliver', healing magic can bring them back to life.

After clearing up the misunderstanding, Fox's team and Arius's team cooperated in a second round of combat.

In the second round of the confrontation... with none of Arius's team members using Personas, Fox's team once again gained the upper hand and ultimately outmaneuvered Arius's team.

After discussing the two intense battles of the day, the Fox team members were still shaken.

The discussion about Persona continued until the vehicle drove into the garage.

Nicole, who had been focused on driving without saying a word, stopped the car after turning off the engine completely.

"I will write the combat report for you."

The fox-eared girl clasped her hands together and smiled gently: "It's nothing, go and rest if you need to."

Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Storm Is Coming

For special tactical squads like Fox Squad...

Who is the most important character in the team? Is it the captain?

Do not……

Actually, he should be the cook in charge of the entire squad's food and lodging.

Nicole's 'domestic' qualities are beyond question. Taking care of the entire team's food and lodging, she is, to the other three foxes... practically a 'mother figure'.

Nicole's authority as vice-captain does not lie in how good she is at commanding or how high her combat skills are—though they are indeed quite high, of course.

But as the vice-captain of the Fox team, Nicole is the one who truly understands people the most.

Besides the minutiae of daily life, such as food and shelter, Nicole is also occasionally regarded as the 'confidante' of the Fox team—that is, responsible for listening to their innermost thoughts and trying to soothe their emotions...

To put it bluntly, it's the one who gets the complaints 'vented' on.

After returning to their residence, the Fox team members went back to their respective dormitories, some taking showers and others changing clothes.

After two intense and long battles in one day, they all looked a bit disheveled.

Without prior arrangement, they all chose to temporarily avoid Nicole and make preparations before dinner.

To be covered in dirt and yet want to sit at the table to eat... isn't that a blatant provocation against the 'authority of life'?

As the saying goes, "Never mess with a cook."

If you offend someone, at most that person will just make some threats, saying, "You'll regret this later."

If you offend the chef, and he gets upset, then 'nobody will get away with it'.

Nicole didn't say much, but the members of the Fox team were all very self-aware.

As for Nicole, she didn't cook or take a bath right away. Instead, she calmed her emotions, which were still running high from the battle, and quickly summarized the details of the two battles that day, compiling them into two battle reports.

After a quick check and revision of the wording, confirming that everything is correct, click send.

Nicole's actions were quite efficient.

For Amamiya, who was far away in the "Resort Islands," he had only just finished his "evening screening."

With the 'phantom thief' girls in tow, they arrived at the largest resort belonging to the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), jointly operated by the Onmyōbu (Onmyōbu) and Hyakya-dō (Hyakya-dō). Standing on the resort's now bustling shopping street, looking around at the surrounding street scene, Amamiya felt a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including nostalgia and reflection).

The last time I visited this resort archipelago was in early spring.

Standing on the beach, you can feel the warm breeze and the faint fragrance of flowers. The sun is shining brightly, the wind is gentle, and the sky is cloudless. As far as the eye can see, there are girls wearing all kinds of swimsuits.

And that past... is gone forever.

Besides Amamiya, Yuriko also shared similar sentiments.

"It really gives me a feeling of...times have changed."

Looking at the ancient-style buildings on both sides of the street, reminiscent of a parade of demons, Yuriko sighed softly.

During the last "resort battle," she at least accompanied them almost the entire way, and was even forced to engage in a gunfight on the beach while wearing a swimsuit and fighting with delinquent girls in similar boat swimsuits...

Students who participated in the "Resort Islands Battle" must have had a very memorable experience during that time...