I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Amamiya remained silent for a moment before shaking his head with a light laugh.

"It seems you haven't fully grasped the true meaning of the 'Sky' card you received."

Thinking back to my "third semester" at Shibuya, Tokyo, at Shigenjaya, I thought of that "world" woven from mist and lies, and the resolve the members of the "self-proclaimed Special Investigation Team" had when they were searching for the truth...

Amamiya's eyes held a hint of nostalgia.

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he took a deep breath and, as if before telling a story, began in a solemn tone: "Before I formally answer this question, let me tell you a story first."

"The story begins with an honest and well-behaved high school student..."

On her way home, she accidentally encountered someone who resembled the student council president (Amamiya changed the terminology to some extent for ease of understanding) committing evil deeds. She tried her best to stop him but was falsely accused and became a juvenile delinquent with a criminal record after being falsely accused.

Because of the prejudiced views he faced, he had no choice but to move to a different place to start a new life. However, rumors soon followed, and the story of him being a "delinquent youth" spread like wildfire...

They were once ridiculed for having such a label that "can never be erased from one's life."

Unrecognized, wronged...

Through a series of coincidences, they learned of the existence of the "other world" and encountered their first "detestable adult".

He was a physical education teacher named Kamoshida. Although he had an Olympic gold medal, he was addicted to the vanity that came with his honor. In the end, this vanity developed into a distorted arrogance of being superior to others.

He gathered information on high school students, and it was through his spread of rumors that these students became 'celebrities' in the area, avoided by everyone, simply because 'they seemed particularly unpleasant'...

To avoid the vain physical education teacher's threat of expulsion, and also to free more students like himself who were bullied but dared not speak out for various reasons from his clutches, the high school student chose to become a 'heart thief'.

Risking being condemned and convicted by conventional laws, he began to take down one self-righteous adult after another, stealing their twisted desires and reforming them. He also met many others like himself, who, for various reasons, drifted away from the city and were equally unwilling to follow the crowd.

As he listened, Hoshino gradually noticed something amiss.

This story... is less like Sensei telling 'someone else's story' and more like 'directly recounting his own experience'...

"That teacher named Maruki Takuto prayed for the happiness of everyone, and ultimately took over the power left behind by 'God,' using this power to create an extremely absurd and terrifying 'utopia.'"

At this point, Amamiya's expression gradually became serious.

"In this 'utopia,' the deceased will have their 'death' altered by the 'remembrance' of others, thus coming back to life..."

"The wishes of the vast majority of people will be fulfilled, everyone will become happy, and they will not have to worry about anything."

"Faced with this reality," Amamiya paused, her gaze meaningful, "Hoshino, you have the power to 'destroy it' or 'accept it,' so which will you choose to destroy it or accept it?"

"..."

A 'utopia' where the dead are resurrected with strong desires... Most of these desires are answered and fulfilled...

To be honest, Hoshino couldn't even imagine how "dreamlike" such a world really was.

But while it felt like a dream, she also sensed a chilling unease.

If most people's wishes were granted, how chaotic would the world become?

Hoshino was certain that there were many people in Givotos who harbored the vision of "I want to become XXX (the name of an idol)", and many others who had the evil thought of "If only XXX (the enemy, the person I envy) could die".

If these wishes were met with a large response and were fulfilled in large numbers... what would the world become?

Hoshino couldn't even imagine it; just thinking about the consequences sent chills down her spine.

Your perception is easily manipulated; you have to be who others think you are. If they think you should die, then you must die; if they think you're still alive, then even if you're dead, you'll be dragged out of your coffin to play house with those who wish you were alive...

Such a 'world' with no future only evokes feelings of hypocrisy and blind faith.

"I think... I would choose 'destruction'."

After a long silence, the pink-haired girl sighed and gave an answer that even she herself was somewhat unsure of.

At first glance, it seems like a wonderful utopia... but if you think about it a little deeper, you'll realize just how big the flaws are in such a world.

“Yes, that’s a good choice.” Amamiya nodded in agreement. “Those students who gained the power of the ‘Persona’ thought the same thing back then.”

Even if their deceased loved ones reappeared and gently accompanied them, even if they received the best treatment in this world, even if they could have anything they wanted in this world... they still chose to give up.

"Because they know that the preferential treatment they receive is solely due to their special status—they are 'beings who defeated gods,' 'the Phantom Thieves in everyone's mind.' And the vast majority of ordinary people in this world, without the Phantom Thieves' power..."

Amamiya sighed deeply and calmly recounted the truth: "Their understanding is rewritten almost every day, every moment, and they are manipulated like puppets."

"Deviating from one's own ideas, losing one's autonomy in thinking... whatever the manipulator behind the scenes decides one should do, one must do, even if one dislikes this and prefers another."

Is that kind of 'future' really the right one?

"Do we really have to choose the future of a minority at the expense of the future of the vast majority?"

"The young members of the Phantom Thieves were thinking this way, and ultimately they made their decision—"

In mythology, Adam and Eve gained wisdom because they tasted the forbidden fruit.

'Only after being expelled from Eden did they truly gain autonomy, becoming truly self-governing humans, acquiring unwavering will and limitless possibilities.'

'But the Garden of Eden—the Garden of Eden that God intended to create—had nothing but blind folly.'

Reflecting on his feelings at the time, Amamiya paused for a moment before reading aloud the notice he and the others had written.

"Maruki Takuto, you pray for the happiness of everyone."

"In the end, he committed the grave crime of fabricating a reality that he believed to be correct."

"But we will not indulge in false happiness, but choose to move forward beyond pain."

"Therefore, we cannot accept the 'salvation' you advocate and have decided to take away your desires."

"We want you back our future."

Hoshino: "..."

For some reason, just listening to the contents of this 'announcement letter' being read aloud gave her a feeling of being there.

Such a long story was as if it was telling her one thing.

"This world is very unreasonable. It can easily destroy all your efforts because of some trivial matter that has nothing to do with you."

"So what? Even so, we are determined to move beyond the pain and move forward."

"The future you've chosen is full of false beauty; it's not the future we want... You can't take away our right to choose our future! Even if it's full of thorns and leaves us bleeding, it's still the path we've chosen!"

"The existence of the phantom thief is not, as Takanashi-san and everyone on the countermeasures committee imagine, to punish injustice and uphold justice in another form."

Amamiya sighed softly and slowly began to speak: "The Phantom Thieves, or rather... the true meaning of the image of the 'Phantom Thieves,' is to give courage to the weak, to awaken the will to resist in more people, and to teach them to break free from the shackles that bind them."

"That's not something a phantom thief can do; it's something only they can accomplish themselves."

Listening to Amamiya's sighs, Hoshino slightly raised her head and looked out at the desolate night sky.

That's right...

No longer indulging in false illusions, no matter how painful it is, we must keep moving forward...

It's not about chasing after the shadow of senior dreamers... but about giving courage to those immature juniors.

So that they can eventually become...

They are truly capable of standing on their own and are affectionately called 'seniors' by children younger than them.

This is... what I should ultimately do.

Bring courage to more immature and weak people who dare not resist, so that they too can learn to resist and become stronger.

"I see."

Amamiya smiled sincerely as she looked out the window at the night sky.

He uttered these words as if to himself.

The psychologist Carl Jung once said something like this.

"The main purpose of psychotherapy is not to put patients into an impossible state of happiness, but to help them develop a philosophical patience and steadfastness in the face of suffering."

"Even though I know what to do..."

The pink-haired girl suddenly laughed with relief, then scratched her cheek with her index finger, awkwardly and somewhat at a loss for words, and said, "Heh heh~~ But as expected, this kind of 'courage' can't be built up in a short time..."

"Thanks to Sensei for imparting his philosophy of life... It'll take me a while to digest this bit."

She stood up, facing the night sky, her eyes shining brightly in the darkness.

Without any hesitation, he reached out his hand to Amamiya.

"Uncle, before I truly make up my mind, could you please... let Sensei be my support for now?"

Amamiya smiled, then stood up nimbly and grasped Hoshino's outstretched hand: "With pleasure... Takanashi... no, Hoshino."

[...I sensed the conviction emanating from Hoshino.]

The cooperation agreement has been changed!

Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Warm Sun Shining on the Yellow Sands

[...I sensed the conviction emanating from Hoshino.]

The cooperation agreement has been changed!

Specks of light fell from the sky, transforming into butterflies made of starlight, which landed on the halo above the girl's head, dispelling the slight gloom and darkness that shrouded her.

Subsequently, her Arcana reversed and became upright.

"I am you, and you are me."

"Here you have regained the true bond."

"As the saying goes, break free of the cage to seek the wings of new life."

"The bond gradually forms a pact of reincarnation, breaking the chains of restraint."

"You shall be bathed in the nascent birth of the 'Sun' persona, and cleansed by the winds of freedom."

"I grant you the power to run towards freedom and the future..."

-

[Assisted by: Kotori Hoshino / The Warm Sun Shining on the Yellow Sands]

Arcana: The Sun (XIX.The Sun)

[Assistance Rating: ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]

【★1 Assistance Ability: Shadow of the Past → Like Bathing in Warm Sunshine 〥〔亦齐li〣uQ陕谣O二疚】

[Like a Warm Sun: Your presence is like the warm sun, dispelling darkness and bringing light and warmth. Your sun-like, approachable aura will be widely recognized. However, the same aura will be a scorching nightmare for your enemies.]

[Greatly increases the healing effect of healing spells, and greatly increases the damage of fire spells and the probability of inflicting abnormal effects. Halves the mental energy required to cast healing and fire spells only.]

[Assistant's Profile: The chairperson of the countermeasures committee, with an extraordinary past. After undergoing my psychological counseling, she resolved to pull herself together and truly grow into a reliable senior, guiding her juniors to become equally dependable 'seniors' in the future... And I, in the process, inadvertently became a beacon of light for her to rely on...]

'The Arcana has been reversed... This means that she has completely let go of her inner conflicts and chosen to truly 'accept herself.''

'Furthermore… like Hifumi, her title also underwent a symbolic change after experiencing a shift in her state of mind.'

From a "shadowy sun" to a "warm and gentle sun"... this is undoubtedly a unique manifestation of a shift in mindset.

"Phew... It's getting late... And I've suddenly bothered Sensei like this..."

"Get some rest, Sensei..."

"You should also get some rest early, Hoshino."

Amamiya earnestly instructed, "There's an exploration mission tomorrow, so don't let improper rest hold you back."

After a slight pause in her steps toward the door, the girl touched the back of her head, her hair drooping slightly, and uttered her signature verbal tic.

"Hmm~"

【~???~】

"Uncle, I'll try my best to adjust my biological clock~ Also, thank you for your concern, Sensei."

After watching Hoshino leave, Amamiya withdrew her gaze and quietly closed the door.

...Nothing happened that night.

Amamiya was 'awakened' by Alona's rather disgruntled alarm clock when the morning light shone precisely through the window onto the desk next to the windowsill.

"Sensei~Sensei! Wake up—!"