I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

'...'

[Rin: Sensei, could you come to the Federation Student Council?]

'...'

Hina: 'Stealing hearts'... huh?

'...'

[Kayoko: Sensei...that heart-stealing phantom thief seems to be connected to you...]

'...'

[Mutsuki: Wow~ This really is the legendary 'special operation'~ The president has already listed you guys as her idols, right?]

'...'

[Noah: Does Sensei also like 'phantom thief literature'?]

'...'

Xiaoyu: I'm really looking forward to the success of the operation...

Dozens of messages refreshed his chat page in a row, and the number of messages on the chat page was still increasing and refreshing at this moment.

This is the negative effect of spreading the news too widely...

Amamiya smiled helplessly, didn't reply to anyone's messages for the time being, put away her phone, and continued to look at the distant horizon.

"Sensei...aren't you going to reply to my messages?!"

Alona's voice was tinged with surprise and a hint of urgency.

She herself was almost driven crazy by the bombardment of these messages and the sudden surge of the 'phantom thief' topic online, but...

Sensei, it didn't react at all?!

He even appeared to be a confident and masterful strategist!

If Amamiya knew what Alona was thinking, he would definitely smile and shake his head.

Then I thought to myself that I was just as confident when I didn't reply to messages back then.

“Um…Sensei.”

A delicate fragrance accompanied the girl's soft, sweet voice.

Amamiya turned his head to look at the girl who had come to find him at this time.

"Hmm, what's wrong, Hifumi-chan~?"

Having gone through a period of 'adaptation' and 'growth', the girl is clearly no longer the one who was almost overwhelmed by a casual, intimate term of endearment not long ago.

With her head slightly lowered, she slowly shuffled over to Amamiya's side. Then, mimicking Amamiya's posture, she leaned against the railing and gazed at the distant horizon, somewhat lost in thought.

"Sensei... does this 'story' end here?"

Amamiya could clearly hear the struggle and disappointment in her words.

The reason for her 'dilemma' is that Hifumi knows very well that the sooner the problem troubling Abydos ends, the better. But ending it means that the 'fairytale adventure' can no longer continue.

The sense of loss... stemmed from Hifumi's vague premonition that 'it will be difficult to meet Sensei again, who is becoming increasingly busy.'

"How can this be the end?"

"Hifumi-chan, the 'sun' we shot down in that other world symbolized noon. And the midday sun will eventually set, just as a new sun will rise."

"Stories never truly end... The end of one story is also the beginning of another. After seeing what happened in that otherworldly palace, can you be absolutely certain that others don't harbor such twisted desires?"

Hifumi shook her head firmly and gently.

Having witnessed the 'gray and black' aspects brought about by the Caesar Group, which controls the black market, Hifumi has every reason to believe that even her school, Trinity College, must have a 'dark side' similar to the black market.

Those wealthy young ladies appear glamorous, but what lies beneath that glamorous 'mask'? Could they be even more ferocious 'man-eating beasts' than the Caesars Group?

Determined to face everything with her true self, she could no longer tolerate the hypocrisy brought about by those "young lady masks".

"Hifumi-chan thinks so too, right?" Amamiya chuckled lightly, then leaned down slightly and looked at Hifumi seriously.

"So, the story is never over..."

Amamiya suddenly remembered a classic line from a globally popular game he had played before coming to Giwatos.

Where there are saints, there are thieves.

Where there are high mountains, there are also deep abysses.

Where there is a vast disparity, there will be bloodshed.

The achievement you get for defeating this boss is called "As long as the great thief lives, the saint will never cease to exist".

In fact, this achievement can also be said in reverse: "As long as there are saints, there will be thieves."

(PS: The second version is the 'original text'. The inverted achievement in Black Myth is actually a paraphrase.)

From Amamiya's personal perspective, the latter description is more fitting for him as a "phantom thief".

—If it was a mistake made by a god, then let the Demon King use the bullets of the god's rebellion to finish it off. That's the style of a "Trickster".

Amamiya himself is the thief who strips away the glamorous facade of a 'saint' to reveal his hideous true nature.

"..."

【~???~】

Indeed... this is probably not the end yet.

The power that arises from within oneself... will certainly not stop there.

"So... Hifumi-chan, can you grant me a request?"

Just as Hifumi was about to boost her morale and look to the future, she was taken aback by Amamiya's unconventional way of speaking and blankly uttered, "Huh?"

"Do you know 'Federal Investigation Department - Sharai'?"

After quickly regaining her composure, Hifumi nodded rapidly: "Of course I know."

In fact, during her 'daily rest time' when she wasn't engaged in any official activities, she had investigated this newly established department more than once.

The young ladies of Trinity mostly adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards this so-called 'Federal Investigation Department · Sharai'... those who were attracted were mainly drawn by Sensei's 'extraordinary' charm.

Seeing the girl's surprised and embarrassed reaction, Amamiya took a step back, coughed lightly, and then spoke in a formal tone, extending the invitation: "I am now... formally inviting you to join 'Federal Investigation Department - Sharai'."

This sudden attack caused Hifumi's brain to freeze instantly.

After an invisible cloud of steam hissed out from above her head, a shy image flashed through the girl's mind.

Wearing a phantom thief mask and a black trench coat, the 'prince' suddenly knelt on one knee, took her hand, and earnestly and affectionately invited her: 'My dearest princess, become the 'princess' of my castle.'

'Wow...'

【~???~】

"I...I do!"

For some reason, Hifumi subconsciously used a hurried and excited tone, as if she were accepting a marriage proposal.

Then, she quickly came to her senses, bursting with embarrassment, she covered her face with her hands, let out a soft "ooh," lowered her head, and squatted down, making a series of bewildered "squeaks and cries."

"Ah wow wow..."

What am I doing all of a sudden?!

[...I sensed Hifumi's emotions.]

Cooperative status has been improved!

[Assistance Rating: ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆]

[Helper's Profile: An 'ordinary girl' from Trinity College. After developing a special relationship with me, she's reluctant to see the adventure end... but I know very well that the story never truly ends.]

“Hifumi-chan is the first student I’ve ever invited to Xia Lai, which means a lot to me…”

Amamiya squatted down beside the girl, who seemed bewildered. He first affectionately stroked her smooth, textured hair, then took out a paper contract from his shoulder bag.

"I'm really looking forward to... Hifumi-chan's performance."

【~???~】

"I...I'll do my best...!"

Chapter Eleven: A Victory Celebration Before Parting

Breaking News: The Kaiser Group announces it is abandoning all actions in the Abydos region.

"It is reported that the chairman of the Kaiser Group, which is located on the black market, suddenly dismissed most of his employees and irrelevant personnel, and held a special press conference."

"At the press conference, the chairman of the Kaiser Group claimed that the Kaiser Group would correct and repent for the mistakes it had made. The first thing to do is to withdraw a series of plans regarding the 'self-governing zone' of the Abydos Higher Institute..."

"Next news: The Caesars Group's black market bank has suddenly stopped the flow and supply of black market funds and has rejected all transactions involving the sale of stolen goods in the gray and black market industries. What exactly is the Caesars Group doing?"

The 'news message' playing on the holographic screen made all the girls, who were still a little nervous and apprehensive while waiting for their 'food' to be served, breathe a sigh of relief.

After exchanging glances, Hoshino leaned back in her chair, watching the 'Kaiser Group' that she once hated now "tearfully" apologizing and repenting at the press conference, with almost all of its core employees being implicated. The exhilarating feeling of revenge made her let out a long sigh.

All the hard work has paid off...

They truly won the battle to "reclaim the future"...

Moreover, they actually succeeded, making those illegal organizations that exploit the gray and dark world to oppress and exploit others pay the price they deserve!

"So... this is what Sensei meant by 'repentance'..."

With his eyes half-closed in a relaxed and comfortable manner, Hoshino sighed amidst the various expressions of joy on the faces of the girls.

The effect of "repentance" is almost immediate.

This was only the second day after they stole the treasure... and the Caesar Group, located in the black market, had already begun a major operation that, to outsiders, seemed perfectly in line with the 'phantom thief's plan'—

First, the Kaiser Group began a massive layoff, killing the vast majority of its previously employed students who frequented the black market.

Then... the Caesars Group also began a radical change in its attitude towards that black market bank, resolutely refusing to accept any assets flowing into the bank with the ultimate goal of selling stolen goods.

Finally... the Kaiser Group even held a press conference, gathering many special daily newspaper reporters to announce in black and white all the mistakes and bad things they had done.

Every individual and every organization has made mistakes and done bad things to some extent.

Everyone tacitly understands that these things that can't be discussed openly will naturally not be discussed openly.

Now, the Kaiser Group has laid bare all the mistakes it has made... and even published them in black and white.

"The Demon King repented overnight and became a new man"...

Even the girls on the countermeasures committee who participated in the heart-stealing activity wouldn't fully believe it unless they saw it with their own eyes.

“Sensei also said before that ‘repentance’ has an immediate effect, and the subsequent changes become more and more obvious.”

Looking at the black market information gathered on her tablet, Ayane adjusted her glasses, lowered her head, and said very seriously, "The black market... is likely to enter a relatively long period of chaos... Small-scale firefights and other operations may become more frequent..."

Ayane's words made the girls present feel relaxed, but also gave them a headache of "I'm going to be busy."

The black market used to be controlled by Caesar, the "leader," so although there were constant conflicts, it was still able to maintain a kind of "chaotic order."

Now that Caesar has fallen, smaller groups than Caesar have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

Even though 9 Linglu + 4 Liu (7) 2* Dam Caesar still maintains a considerable level of armed forces, as well as various subsidiaries of different sizes...

However, any large or small company that operates in the black market could see the abnormality of 'Caesar' and guess that the Caesar Group in the black market was probably 'doomed'.

With dynasties changing and the old emperor gone, a bloody drama of princes seizing power is now brewing, just waiting for the Caesar Group, located in the black market, to truly disintegrate after fulfilling its promises.

"It is foreseeable that the black market will become even more chaotic... Abydos, which borders the black market, may also be coveted by all sorts of strange forces, such as the Helmet Gang."

Nomiya seemed quite unfazed by Ayane's worried words.

"Don't worry so much, Ayane-chan~ After all, we've already defeated the incredibly powerful Caesar Group, so a gang like the Helmet Gang... we can easily handle them now, right?"

"The last dish is ready and can be served immediately."

"Come and lend a hand, Hifumi."