I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Traces of the 'Cross God's Name' have appeared in this academy."

Kei's 'meaningful' and unusually serious words startled Amamiya slightly.

Amamiya had previously heard this special nickname from Himari when she was trying to conquer Rion Palace and find her.

In addition, he can also learn about it through the [Déjà Vu] (Guild Leader's Bond Skill).

If we're just talking about its 'mystery,' the name of the Cross God is no less than many secret arts, colors, the 'nameless gods' of ancient times, etc., and can be considered one of the 'many unsolved mysteries of this world.'

It is said that the true form of the Cross God is a 'special being' equipped with the latest AI and gained self-awareness due to an unknown power.

He left the tenth prophet, whose name was on the cross, with a proposition to prove God's will.

Sensing something was a little strange, Amamiya subconsciously became serious.

He slowed his pace and followed Kei, looking towards the engineering department under the cover of night.

"...What happened?"

"do not know."

Kei shook her head decisively, then after a moment's thought, she added what she already knew: "According to what I know so far... this newly emerged reaction, which is suspected to be 'Cross God Name,' is related to that SRT student who recently joined the Millennium Project Department."

A reaction that seems to be related to the name of the cross god...?

Does that mean it's not completely confirmed yet?

Amamiya hummed in agreement, mentally reviewing the student files she had recently received from the engineering department.

Previously, when Ge Yuan contacted him, she also 'bonus' a student file with a slightly unusual resume.

This student file records the life of a student named Yuriko Amanishi. She was a first-year student at SRT Special Academy, but for some reason, she was transferred to Millennium Academy by the former Federation student council president who had disappeared. After transferring to Millennium, she joined the Engineering Club.

Could the 'suspicious reaction' that Kei sensed be related to this student who recently joined the engineering department...?

Having already guessed what Kei was referring to, Amamiya withdrew her gaze from the engineering department building and casually asked, "Why did Kei sense this peculiar 'abnormal reaction'?"

“It’s not that I sensed TA…” Kei’s expression was slightly complicated, “but rather, TA contacted me on its own initiative.”

Seemingly realizing that his explanation was somewhat incomplete, Kei paused and then revised his statement a second time: "...To be more precise, it was TA who took the initiative to contact the princess and then sent a signal to her."

Amamiya stroked his chin and nodded slowly: "When exactly did this happen?"

"It was shortly after Rion finished her repentance... and the day she returned to the engineering department after finishing her so-called 'outing mission' with that student named Yuriko. The timing almost completely overlapped."

Amamiya compared the information in the student files she received from Utahara with the general description and summary of the messages sent by Utahara.

This "Yuriko Tenshi" was already officially working in the engineering department before Amamiya arrived in Kivotos.

Why hadn't Amamiya met this member when she dealt with the engineering department before?

According to Utahara, Yuriko deliberately left the academy temporarily under the guise of going on a mission in order to avoid mentioning "a certain person" (Rion).

Only after confirming Rion's repentance did she end her 'outing mission' and return to the engineering department.

Furthermore, not long ago, I asked Kagahara to send me a message.

"so……"

"I will investigate this matter separately later."

After roughly "making a decision" on the matter, Amamiya followed Kei to the "new club activity room of the game development department" that she had mentioned.

It was a separate hut that had been specially cleared out, which had previously been a sports storage room or something similar—it was much more 'luxurious' than the previous club activity room.

From afar, Amamiya could see the brightly colored graffiti exterior of the specially decorated, pixelated little house, as well as the glowing club logo made up of pixelated dot matrix screens that shone brightly in the night.

Kei led Amamiya to the door and waved his hand at the nearby card reader.

"Beep—Verification successful."

'laugh--'

The heavy metal gate was opened with a loud bang, and then, a warm scene completely decorated with wallpaper, floor tiles and ceiling to resemble a 'pixel game world' slowly unfolded before Amamiya's eyes like a scroll.

The game development department has really made something of itself. Not only has the club activity room been divided into separate sections, but the room's decor has also been significantly modified. It doesn't look like a private activity space; it looks more like a small game studio.

Amamiya followed Kei into the room, glancing around at the surroundings.

All I can say is that the cleanliness of the room is worlds apart from the previous state where personal clothes were haphazardly stuffed in the corner and oil stains were visible on the carpet.

After walking a few steps, Amamiya heard Momoi's soft, slightly distressed sigh.

"How exactly should we develop this [Chapter Two]..."

Looking in the direction of the sound, Amamiya saw Momoi, dressed in winter clothes, sitting on the sofa in the rest area with a game controller in hand. She was wearing cyber cat ear headphones and a cat tail, looking listless and pouting as she sighed at the game controller in her hand.

The little green-headed girl, engrossed in drawing on a graphics tablet, didn't look up and replied casually with a slightly disdainful tone: "Sister, the first chapter was only recently released and is currently receiving rave reviews. There's no need to rush into developing new chapters now..."

"That's right..."

Seemingly having completely overcome her psychological trauma, Yuzu, who was no longer hiding in the metal cabinet, echoed in her unique, rather soft and sweet voice.

She, who was closest to the door, heard the noise coming from the doorway. Upon hearing the sound, she temporarily put down her tablet and was about to greet Alice as she entered.

Gently brushing aside her messy bangs, Yuzu said, "Alice-chan, come back... Huh?!"

Upon noticing Amamiya traveling with her, the girl abruptly stopped both her actions and the words she was about to say, the last part of her sentence condensed into a cry of surprise and delight.

After a brief moment of 'freezing' while standing still, Yuzu lowered her head shyly and greeted Amamiya in a softer voice, "Um...Sensei... good evening..."

"Welcome to...the Games Club..."

Yuzu's voice also attracted Momoi and Midori, who were busy at work.

Subsequently, the two 'best friends' reacted quite differently.

Momoi sprang up from the sofa as if a switch had been flipped, and looked in Yuzu's direction.

"Ah... Sensei is here... Is it really Sensei?!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Momoi's first reaction was delight: "Could it be... that Sensei knew we were having some difficulties developing Chapter 2, so they came to us specifically...?"

Xiao Lü slowly looked up from the graphics tablet, then immediately lowered her head again, carefully controlling her facial expression to make sure there was no dirt or foreign matter on her face and that she had finished cleaning.

"Um... Sensei, good evening."

After putting down the digital pen, she trotted over to Amamiya in her slippers and looked up at her slightly.

"It's so late... Sensei, is there something you need to do at the games club?"

Amamiya shook her head: "Nothing special, I was just invited by Kei, so I came to check out the games club."

After a slight pause, he added very gently, "Just checking in on how everyone in the game club is doing... and catching up with you all. It's been a while since we last saw each other... Did you miss me?"

"I've been thinking about everyone all the time."

【~???~】(From Little Green; Alice; Kei)

【~???~】(from Yuzu; Momoi)

After the pleasantries, Amamiya tactfully got straight to the point: "What has everyone been preparing lately?"

Momoi and Midori seemed very enthusiastic, and the two of them chatted with Amamiya about the latest developments in the game club.

Because the game club developed a "masterpiece," most students in the millennium had a much different opinion of their abilities.

Naturally, there has been a significant reduction in cyberbullying.

As a result, Yuzu gradually emerged from the psychological shadow of being 'cyberbullied', and consequently, the game club no longer experienced any strange 'bomb letters' or similar harassment.

Currently, the game department is in a 'nothing much' state, planning to take a break for a while and try to explore other new directions.

"...Other new directions?"

Amamiya was somewhat surprised after hearing Midori's description of her future plans.

"Hmm, for our next game we want to..."

Momoi was about to continue talking about her 'grand plan' when her 'good little sister' covered her mouth as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Ugh...?!"

"Ahem..." Little Green coughed lightly, covering her sister's mouth, and quickly explained her intention: "Sensei, our future project is a 'dating game'... a dating game with you as the protagonist."

"So, could you do us a favor... and let us experience what 'being in love' feels like?"

Chapter 52 Kei: Little Green, you don't want that matter to be made public, do you?

"So, could you do us a favor... and let us experience what 'being in love' feels like?"

As she cautiously made this request, the blonde girl wearing green cyber cat ear headphones looked expectant, her emerald green eyes filled with a hint of urgency, as if she had mustered great courage and felt a little disappointed that she "couldn't bear to do it but had to."

This was the first time Amamiya had sensed such strange emotions from these four "clowns" of the game club, and he couldn't help but feel curious.

"...Little Green?"

Little Green, however, kept her eyes straight ahead. Yuzu was surprised, and Momoi, with an unexpected expression, squeezed out a few tears, revealing a pitiful and tearful appearance.

"……?"

Logically speaking, would Little Green, who likes to 'hide secrets,' make such a bold request under the guise of 'developing a new game'?

Based on his interactions with Midori and his understanding of her, Amamiya believed that this was unlikely.

Amamiya did not respond immediately, but instead glanced around the room and quietly observed Momoi, Yuzu, and Kei, who was currently logged in.

Momoi was clearly surprised by Midori's last-minute change of heart. She opened her mouth slightly, hesitant to speak, with an expression that seemed to say, "This was not the original plan."

Yuzu hadn't fully grasped what was happening; her expression was somewhere between surprise and terror.

Kei... her reaction was interesting.

The moment Kei met Amamiya's gaze, he seemed a little guilty, his red pupils, covered by the white halo, momentarily erratic.

Amamiya withdrew his gaze, having already formed a general guess about Midori's actions.

It's likely that Kei found some dirt on Xiao Lü, and then Kei secretly forced Xiao Lü to do this through threats...?

Seeing Midori's teary, almost pleading expression, as if to say, "Sensei, you absolutely have to say yes," Amamiya had no choice but to sigh and nod thoughtfully.

"Love... it's not entirely out of the question."

【~???~】(from Kei)

【~???~】(From Little Green; Pomelo)

【~??~】(from Momoi)

After Amamiya answered, Midori, who seemed 'anxious', quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Momoi's struggles finally stopped when her 'good little sister' released her from covering her mouth.

Almost suffocating from being suffocated by Green, she gasped for breath and immediately expressed her confusion: "Green...wasn't our original plan the second chapter of Persona? Why...uh..."

Before she could finish speaking, her mouth was covered again—but this time it wasn't Little Green who covered her mouth, but Yuzu, who had suddenly mustered up her courage.

Momoi's pupils dilated slightly as her mouth was covered for the second time, her pink eyes filled with a shock that could only be described as "disbelief".

No... Little Green is one thing...

Why grapefruit too?!

Difficult, could it be...

Has even Yuzu, the minister, betrayed us?!

Momoi blinked, revealing a 'pure and innocent' look, even clearer than the eyes of a college student.

"Actually, I think..."

Meeting Momoi's incredulous gaze, Yuzu also turned her head away slightly, feeling a little guilty, and tried her best to express her opinion: "'Dating games,' y-yes, that's also possible..."

Yuzu didn't seem to be threatened... it seemed more like she made the request herself.

"The princess told me... she had no objections either."

Kei stood still, his eyes shifting between pink and blue, as if he were talking to Alice.

After a moment, she gave a soft hum and glanced warily at Amamiya: "However, although I've said I have no objections in previous years... for the sake of the princess, I will supervise the entire production of this 'new game'..."