I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

With many questions in her mind, Hana took a deep breath and turned the small card with the Phantom Thieves' logo over.

The fragments of text edited from various print media were perfectly pieced together and presented to her in a somewhat bizarre way.

Her brows furrowed even deeper, and driven by her subconscious, Hua Ye softly read aloud the contents of the 'pre-announcement letter'.

"To: who has committed the grave offense of being immersed in empty pretense,"

"The form of jealousy stemming from excessive concern about others' opinions,"

"Ms. Shiranui Hanaya."

"Your happiness is built on an endless competition with others."

"Your desire is to be revered and admired by all."

“Your excessive jealousy has become a great sin.”

"That twisted desire will be taken away by us."

"The Phantom Thieves of Hearts - Respectfully yours."

"..."

Has my excessive jealousy become a grave sin?

but why……

No.

Perhaps because she was just waking up from a nightmare, Hana, whose mind was in complete disarray, suddenly looked up and stared sharply at Yukino. Then she swept her gaze across the Fox team, who were standing half a step behind her, their eyes filled with coldness and aloofness.

They were all armed and remained constantly on guard.

...Let alone being armed, even if they were all standing unarmed at such close range while she was armed, Hua Ye wouldn't be confident of taking on four of them at once.

Sensing the enemy's intentions, and with the situation at hand... Hua Ye smiled instead.

She still had that squinty-eyed smile, but the smile no longer carried a feigned friendliness; instead, it carried a violent, reckless abandon.

"Are you... going to betray us?"

Facing Hanaya's 'fierce aura', Yukino did not back down in the slightest and confronted her without fear.

She calmly and steadily retorted, "There is no question of betrayal."

"Chief Huaye, you have always treated me and the Fox team as tools to be used and discarded."

"and……"

After a pause, Yukino let out a soft "heh".

"Ah... Chief Hanaya. This is the last time I will address you with respect."

"—As the head of the Defense Office, you never even considered fulfilling your promise, did you?"

Hua Ye: "..."

At least in that respect, Yukino really hit the nail on the head.

Hanaya remained silent, and Yukino continued, "...To control a weapon, one must first understand the concept of a 'double-edged sword.' A weapon is a tool that can harm the user if it doesn't harm the enemy."

"Besides, we are not weapons; we have our own will."

"We are the elite of SRT."

"This is not just an identity, but also an honor, a belief and a responsibility. A...heartfelt emotion."

“I believe that what you have felt so far is not the support of ‘like-minded people,’ but rather the repeated exploitation and humiliation of this belief.”

Hua Ye: "..."

It's only at times like this that things become clear.

Hana was speechless. All the PUA tactics she used on the Fox team in the past were rendered meaningless by Yukino's 'monologue'.

Knowing that Fox Squad's 'betrayal' was irreversible, Huaye snorted and changed the subject, asking, "Besides sending the pre-announcement letter... do you have any other missions? Like... arresting me or something?"

“The disparity in strength between us is enormous. If Sensei, in addition to sending you a pre-announcement letter, also demands that you ‘arrest’ me… I have absolutely no power to resist, you know?”

“Sensei has given us control over this period of time, allowing us the freedom to choose whether or not to make an arrest…”

Nicole stood up with her fox ears perked up, displaying a coldness that was the complete opposite of her usual gentleness.

She ignored Huaye's 'deliberate mockery' and her tone showed no trace of 'hatred' or other negative emotions.

"After unanimous discussion, the Fox team's internal decision was to handle the situation quietly."

“We don’t intend to do anything extra, nor will we continue to obey your orders.”

"Effective immediately, the Fox Squad will sever its affiliation with the Federal Student Union's Defense Office."

"...and, as a 'tainted witness,' I will expose the numerous misdeeds committed by the head of the Defense Office, Hikari Shiranui."

"above."

The Fox team ignored Hana and turned to leave after speaking, not even wanting to leave a disdainful glance—acting like lazy audience members who no longer pay attention to the puppets after the show is over.

As for Huaye's threat, "If you don't control me now, I'll activate some backup measures," the Fox team completely ignored it.

A significant portion of Huaye's 'methods' were prepared by the Fox team.

The Fox team knew all too well what special skills she had up her sleeve.

Why did the Fox team choose to ignore Hua Ye?

Because of a profound saying.

"Silence is the greatest contempt."

Will Huaye bring an 'unexpected surprise'...?

Fox Squad has absolutely nothing to worry about.

……

On the island resort in the crisp autumn air, with the sun shining brightly, the girls, having just finished a round of 'swimsuit beach volleyball' warm-up, were either replenishing their electrolytes or taking a break.

Fubuki, who is the Navi in ​​the team and does not need to participate in direct combat, did not participate in this 'warm-up activity before conquering the Hall of Fame'.

With nothing to do, the girl lazily sipped her drink through a straw, stirring the ice cubes in her glass and making a sloshing sound. She asked, her words slightly mumbled, "Sensei, are you really not worried that Hanaya might do something in a fit of anger?"

Amamiya chuckled and said confidently, "Having personally experienced part of that 'visitor from another world's' life, and with the 'hope' sprouting in her heart acting as a check, Hanaya won't get angry and do anything foolish."

"She might not even have time to review her 'dream experience'."

The olive tree seed provided by 'Huaya*Terror' indeed became a carrier of information after it sprouted and matured, but it did not have any effect on Huaye herself.

Last night, Amamiya played the second half of "The World of Hanaya" by manipulating the subconscious mind of individuals and cooperating with the "poor screenwriter's script." This second half was a concrete manifestation of the "Hana* Horror" experience.

Considering reasons such as minimizing the traces of "color" in Kiwatos, 'Huaya*Terror' did not actually extract and encapsulate its entire personality into Huaye herself.

For the average student, 'coloring' might be a boost to their abilities... but this boost has far more negative than positive effects.

Just like in the neighboring city where people are the priority, there is a distinction between [EGO] equipment and [Twisted].

Intense emotional fluctuations can awaken an [EGO], but if the [EGO]'s emotions are too intense, it will become distorted.

As for colorization... it only has the effect of 'enhancing strength' or 'adding special abilities', and everything else is negative, with no controllability whatsoever.

Directly enhancing her strength is unrealistic for Huaye, and Huaye 'can't afford' it.

But 'Huaya*Terror' still tried her best to take care of herself in this world—she extracted her experience as the 'President of the Federal Student Council' and then awkwardly stuffed it into Huaye.

It's just that she suddenly has a memory of 'herself', and that's all. It won't have a significant impact on Hanaya's personality... at least not in the short term.

There was no mention of 'spiritual resurrection' or 'possession'.

Analogous to a game character, this is not "switching skins", but more like "feeding experience books".

Amamiya took out her phone to check the time, stretched, and got up, calling out to the swimsuit-clad girls who were leveling the sand pits and tidying up the beach sports field.

"Everyone, that concludes our warm-up activities."

"—Ready to proceed with the Palace of Heaven strategy."

Upon hearing this, the girls did not immediately run to change their clothes—because no matter what clothes they changed into, they would all become 'phantom thief outfits' in the other world, so there was no need to change.

They put down their nets, beach balls, and other sports equipment and immediately gathered around Amamiya.

Amamiya didn't waste any more words and directly opened the Otherworld App, choosing to enter Hanaya's Palace.

"We only have one goal today—"

"Steal the palace's secret treasures!"

"set off!"

Chapter Sixty-Three: "The Last Supper"

"when--"

The twelfth bell rang out from the pristine, white marble hall.

“Psona…Satanyal!”

The Demon King lowered his hands, and his wings suddenly unfurled, forming an invisible barrier.

"His mark is already on my forehead. From now on, no one will be able to torment me."

"when--"

"Why did I not choose you, the twelfth? Because one of you is a devil who betrays his master."

"I had barely landed and hadn't even had time to get my footing when I heard two bells ring... It really was true."

After brushing off non-existent dust from her clothes and making a 'sigh', Amamiya turned to look at the girls beside her, who were all full of ambition and high spirits after their pre-warm-up exercises.

"This is the Parthenon, the last safe house before the location of the temple's secret treasure."

"Before we officially begin... let's finalize the battle plan."

"The most crucial objective of this operation is to steal the secret treasures of the Flower Palace."

"In order to steal the secret treasure, a physical exchange with the 'master of the hall' is inevitable..."

"Hua Ye's inner will may not be considered firm, but her overall strength should not be underestimated."

"During the confrontation, do not let your guard down in the slightest because of your contempt for Huaye."

After giving his final instructions, Amamiya strode confidently, leading the team away from the drafty Parthenon.

[BGM: Life Will Change]

"The surrounding scenery... has changed."

As soon as she stepped outside, Fubuki couldn't help but turn back to look at the brand-new temple, which was as pure and holy as white jade.

The world before me was completely different from the holy and peaceful atmosphere I had experienced when I first arrived.

The once magnificent buildings, adorned with gold and silver, are now dilapidated and twisted, barely pieced together to form the shape of a building, and everything looks like it is on the verge of collapse at any moment.

Even the roads paved with sea crystals are no longer continuous, but are lifted up by several different ocean currents, becoming a discontinuous space similar to a 'jumping puzzle'.

The entire 'ancient city' looked as if it had been struck by divine retribution, completely fragmented and broken.

The shadows that used to roam the city have now vanished without a trace.

In contrast...

The Parthenon, however, has shed its moss and transformed from something dilapidated into something pristine, as if it were brand new.

The Parthenon is the sanctuary of Athena.

And its renovation means that...

"Look over there—"

Following Kirino's astonished voice, Fubuki looked over and saw a chariot moving freely through the shattered world in the distance.

With her long, flowing hair, gleaming light armor, and radiant spirit, the 'Goddess of Wisdom' descended from the sky in her chariot.

It was still the same 'Athena' who had dealt with Amamiya and her group before.

Unlike before, as the olive tree grew vigorously, the goddess of wisdom seemed to have regained her rightful wisdom.