I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Amamiya didn't keep them in suspense or keep them in suspense, and said directly, "I took Ye Zhu out with me."

“The audit is nearing its end, and Ye Zhu’s mission as a ‘tainted witness’ has now concluded.”

"Shiranui...she got the punishment she deserved, but this is only the beginning."

"Valkyrie was not greatly affected, and the children that Ye Zhu paid 'special attention' to were also fine."

"The entire defense room will be reorganized... and Valkyrie, which is reopening, also needs someone to step up and take charge."

—The 'good news' brought by Amamiya may not be entirely good news for Ye Zhu.

"……so."

After recalling Valkyrie's situation, Ye Zhu nodded calmly in response.

In reality, as long as Valkyrie remains affiliated with the Defense Room, the current situation for Valkyrie... is unlikely to change much.

Furthermore... if the real power in the defense room is still controlled by the remnants of Huaye's 'faction', then the living conditions for Valkyrie will only be worse.

However... the reorganization of the Defense Office is indeed the only good news among these reports.

Even if it is still controlled by the remnants of Huaye after the reorganization, the Defense Room's control over Valkyrie will at least decrease significantly after this reorganization.

A girl with light blue hair appeared in Ye Zhu's cubicle, took out a key, and unlocked Ye Zhu's handcuffs.

"Although lifting the restrictions now is somewhat against the work process... it shouldn't be a big deal in this situation."

She looked at Amamiya through the glass, exchanged a glance with him, and then jokingly remarked, "Being able to remove the shackles and break the chains for the 'future head of the defense department'... that must be an unparalleled achievement, right?"

Ye Zhu, who hadn't quite grasped the situation yet, was about to stretch his wrists, which were a bit stiff from being handcuffed for so long, when he heard this and paused for a moment.

What does that mean? Why did she say that?

Due to the period of confinement, Ye Zhu has found it difficult to revitalize his still sluggish thinking.

After a moment of stunned silence, Ye Zhu realized why the 'prison guard' in this solitary confinement cell would do this and say this.

"The future head of the defense office...me?"

She also stretched out her hand, pointed to herself with her index finger, and asked the question that was on her mind with great uncertainty: "Sensei, what exactly... is going on?"

"literal meaning."

Amamiya crossed her arms, crossed her legs, and answered casually.

At this moment, he felt a certain degree of resonance with Sae Niijima, who had come to pick him up before his 'release from prison'.

At this moment, Ye Zhu's behavior... is so similar to that of himself back then, when he was imprisoned as a tainted witness to prove the existence of another world and denounce Shido Justice.

At that time, Sae Niijima also shared the successful result after a long wait through the viewing window, using a tone of relief and joy that seemed to say, "The clouds have parted and the fog has cleared."

“What has been done will be done again, what has been done will be done again. In order to break the ‘cycle’ of the defense room, there must be ‘justice’ that confronts the stain.”

"Ye Zhu, do you still remember what I said back then?"

Ye Zhu wasn't overwhelmed by the sudden 'joy' and gave a soft 'hmm'.

Having spent more than a month in 'prison', Ye Zhu did not remain completely without reflection.

Indeed... in order for Valkyrie to function properly, they even had to accept bribes from Caesar and make deals to obtain supplies from him.

This is undoubtedly a stain on his own sense of "justice".

The very definition of "justice" is quite vague.

Must justice be "pure white, without any blemish" to be considered "justice"?

—That may not be the case.

From a fair perspective, the Phantom Thieves' "justice" is itself an "unjust form of justice."

To commit evil deeds while performing good ones.

If this leads to hell... then bear all the punishment and stride forward with your head held high.

If resistance is ultimately futile... then grit your teeth and struggle to the end, facing your purest self.

Justice...

This kind of philosophical proposition is never just empty talk.

Ye Zhu admits that her "justice" has been tainted by the stigma of "dealing with the Caesars Group" because she had to survive and struggle.

Even if I do become the next head of the defense office... there will definitely be people in the know who will treat this as a 'painful past', a 'scar', a 'stain', and attack it relentlessly.

but……

For me personally, it's not a scar, nor a stain, and it's not something I should be ashamed to recall, so I'll just leave it at that.

That is something I need to face, and something I will inevitably have to face.

"...The reorganization of the defense office has been put into progress."

“From now on, Ye Zhu will regain his freedom... At the same time, Valkyrie will no longer be subject to the Defense Room in every way.”

"With these conditions..."

After pausing deliberately for a long time, Amamiya leaned forward, trying to look directly into Ye Zhu's seemingly unmoved eyes at close range.

"Ye Zhu. Do you... have the confidence to carry out your sense of justice to the end?"

Is it tricky?

It's really tricky.

The news was so sudden that I wasn't prepared for it at all.

After a brief silence, Ye Zhu felt a clarity that seemed to break through the clouds and reveal the moon.

If what awaits Valkyrie ahead is an even more violent storm...

Now I must use myself as a shield and clear the way for Valkyrie.

Ye Zhu nodded emphatically.

"I am prepared."

As Ye Zhu nodded in agreement, a semi-transparent blue butterfly fluttered up from above her head, circled around the tarot cards that Amamiya could only see with her third eye, and transformed them into brand new card art.

Then, the butterfly, accompanied by the fluttering of its wings and its chirping, gradually drifted away into the distance.

"..."

"I am you, and you are me."

"Here you shall remove your crown and cast aside your scepter to be reborn."

Those who are bound should confront their past; those who move forward should forge ahead through thorns and brambles.

"You have found your own path of 'justice' and will be reborn."

"When I grant you boundless power..."

[Coopation Changes!]

[The Emperor (.The Empor) → Justice (VI.Gechtigkeit)]

[COOP Improvement!]

【Hanae Tailblade (Justice) ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆】

[Changes to Bond Skills!]

【★2·Sense of Guilt→Courage to Use Oneself as a Shield】

【★3·Justice...? →The resolve to overcome all obstacles】

[★5 Bond Skill "The Faith to Confront Stains" is now unlocked!]

[Title changed!]

[Valkyrie's Vicious Hound] → [The Justice Arbiter of the Defense Room]

A true 'complete transformation'...

Watching Ye Zhu undergo such a dramatic transformation in such a short time, Amamiya couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and reflection).

So many changes, presented in the way of 'facilitators', are simply this:

[Assistant: Hanagisa Oiba / Justice Arbiter of the Defense Room]

[Arcana: Justice (VI. Gechtigkeit)]

[Assistance Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆]

But what it symbolizes is a transformation akin to being reborn.

With a sigh in his heart, Amamiya waited for the girl with light blue hair to complete the final verification process and release Ye Zhu.

The moment Ye Zhu stepped out of the confinement cell, he felt as relaxed as if he had shed the last layer of shackles.

"Do you have anything to say?"

Ye Zhu looked up at the sky, his heart filled with countless emotions, yet he couldn't express them in a single sentence.

So she slowed down and looked at Amamiya, who was standing to the side with her hands behind her head.

"Sensei's question...can I not answer it right now?"

"of course can."

Ye Zhu smiled, a smile with a refreshing quality that Amamiya had never seen before.

"Then I think... I'll leave the answer to this question until I've thought it through more carefully."

"I believe I will be able to answer this question when the story has calmed down."

The brilliance of the stars

Chapter 1: The Foxes of Kivotos Are Not Simple

The autumn rain continued incessantly throughout the night.

As the weather gradually turns into late autumn, parts of Kivotos have also entered a relatively long rainy season.

As dawn broke, a misty veil of rain shrouded the stone steps. The air was fresh, carrying a delicate, natural fragrance from the quiet woods.

On the mountain path, the vermilion torii gate of the shrine is far overhead, with paper tassels and bells hanging from the differently colored shimenawa rope.

Looking up at the shrine so close at hand, Amamiya continued climbing the steps with her head down.

The refreshing feeling of "after a fresh rain in the empty mountains, autumn arrives in the evening" is very real...

But this sense of reality is a product woven from dreams.

As soon as he stops, the surrounding scenery freezes and stands still.

Once you take a step, the scenery changes, and you always end up in completely unexpected locations.

Standing at the entrance of the torii gate, Amamiya tried to look inside.

What appears before you is a shrine with a peculiar sense of déjà vu.

Unlike the pristine vermilion torii gate and the newly tied shimenawa ropes, the scenery inside the shrine has a weathered, dilapidated feel, barely maintained despite years of neglect.

To describe it in one word: dilapidated.

'I always have this feeling that a red and white shrine maiden might suddenly appear out of nowhere and kick the worshippers into Gensokyo...'

Thinking this through, Amamiya took a closer look at what, according to stereotypes, was the most crucial thing for a shrine—the offering box.

There was indeed someone sitting on top of the offering box.

However, it wasn't a shrine maiden carrying a gohei (imperial coin) and surrounded by red and white yin-yang jewels.

Instead, she was a pink-haired, red-eyed girl with multiple tails, holding an old-fashioned pipe, surrounded by wisps of smoke.

Each of the Kiwatos' pink furs has its own unique characteristics.

And foxes... are often no pushovers.

What kind of 'chemical reaction' will occur when the two buffs are combined, pink hair + fox?

the answer is……