I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Comparatively speaking... the fighting skills of the Arius family are not well known..."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Saori did not resist Amamiya's slightly intimate gesture in front of everyone. She accepted it readily, her expression one of relief.

Now that she is completely free from Beatrice's control, she can accept this care with a clear conscience.

As dusk fell, her voice trembled slightly, seemingly due to the overwhelming emotions she was experiencing: "...Thank you, Sensei, for giving us this opportunity to 'be reborn'."

【~???~】(from Saori)

Amamiya then looked after Misaki—who was supporting Hiyori, who was somewhat weakened by the awakening of her Persona.

Their complexions were both terrible, but it was clear... perhaps because of their direct confrontation with and victory over Beatrice...

For a long time, those who were dominated by Bebe Adorice's tyranny and nihilism have shown more or less a sense of relief.

"Misaki and Hiyori... you've worked hard too."

"You must have put in a lot of effort to disperse the enemy on the way back, right?"

【~???~】(from Misaki and Hiyori)

Finally, Amamiya gazed at the girl, who stood serenely in the twilight, her pale purple skin resembling a hyacinth.

From Akiko's crimson eyes, Amamiya saw a liveliness completely different from her own.

'Thank you, Sensei.'

Thank you for giving me this time that was "more wonderful than a fairy tale"... and for this temporary ending that was more dazzling than a fairy tale.

Amamiya smiled and patted Azuko's head without saying anything.

【~???~】(from Azuko)

After giving instructions to the four members of Arius's team, he turned around and explained to the curious Jing and the four girls from the tutoring department.

“They are another team fighting ‘in the shadows’... While we were fighting Beatrice, they were operating in another temple, dismantling Beatrice’s source of power.”

“At that time, the severe damage that Beatrice suffered was caused by them.”

The girls in the tutoring department suddenly realized—it turned out that the crucial opportunity for Beatrice to accumulate strength and launch a final attack, which was suddenly "opened up" and severely injured, was caused by this team they had never met before.

After explaining, Amamiya turned her gaze to the distant battlefield of Ragnarok.

At this point, the battle was drawing to a close.

After the last shadow of the Asgardian gods was annihilated, Loki, wielding the Flame Sword, smiled with relief.

"Hehehe... And so, twilight falls... Eden is shattered..."

"But the real-world 'Eden' will be reborn as a result."

As He spoke, as if sensing something, He turned to look at Amamiya and his group.

"Rebels...you have certainly not disappointed me."

After fully confirming the situation of Amamiya and his group, He laughed and handed the [Flaming Demon Sword] in his hand to the fire giant Surtur.

Then, this 'god of deceit' left behind a single sentence, waved goodbye to Amamiya and his group, and walked away.

"Remember this moment, and imprint this scene of twilight in your heart—"

"You deserve such an end."

This 'deceitful god' appeared as suddenly as he sailed his great ship 'Nagilfa', and then vanished just as quickly.

Surtr, having received the Flaming Demon Sword from Loki, wielded this enormous sword, magnified hundreds of times in his hands, and fiercely swung it into the sky—

The blazing demonic sword, wreathed in flames, flew into the sky and embedded itself deeply into the crown of the World Tree, instantly igniting it from top to bottom.

The next moment, the girls who were observing this scene all felt the earth shaking and collapsing beneath their feet.

"Alright... the last Eden has been burned down."

Amamiya waved the [Crown of Thorns] in her hand and said with ease, "...It's time to leave."

The illusory Garden of Eden has come to an end!

Chapter 44 My favorite is Hifumi... and everyone else too!

As the flames scorched the sky, they ignited the "World Tree" constructed of false lies, burning the "City of Eden" atop its canopy to ashes...

"Beatlece's Lies of Eden" has now come to a complete end.

The tree trunks were gradually burned to ashes; the chill of Fimbulb winter was gradually dispelled... The speed at which everything returned to spring was even faster than the four girls in the tutoring department had imagined.

Almost in the blink of an eye, sparks of light appeared before their eyes.

The "phantom thief outfit" on his body was gradually turning into clusters of eerie blue flames as the hall burned, reverting to his original school uniform—

In the very end, Hifumi turned back and glanced at the World Tree engulfed in flames.

This great tree, which drew sustenance from despair and deceived the masses with lies, has finally met its end.

The companions surrounding her, the adults standing in front of her... the sense of security that the real world gave her made the girl's happiness more abundant than ever before.

Her blonde hair shimmered with a honey-like glow in the setting sun. The girl was about to smile and say to her friends, "Thank you for your hard work," when her expression froze. She suddenly realized that something seemed a little off.

because……

The students of Trinity and Gehenna present stared intently at her.

"Wow... is that the phantom thief who just defeated that bloated monster and burned down the World Tree...?"

"Come to think of it, she looks somewhat familiar...did she help me before?"

"Huh? So Sensei is this cool when he's fighting... Sensei~! Look over here, from today onwards I'm your loyal fan!"

Hifumi blinked, belatedly realizing... the current situation seemed a little bad...

Although the vast majority of students' attention was drawn to Amamiya as Sensei...

But the gazes falling on them were so numerous that they made her heart pound.

The girl who had just fearlessly declared her "declaration of youth" to the false god and then defeated him now revealed the shyness unique to an "ordinary girl" like herself.

'Being stared at by so many eyes...I'm so shy...'

Trying her best to suppress the feeling of embarrassment in her heart, the girl quietly moved her feet and hid behind Amamiya. Then she quietly looked up to observe the back of the man who was less than 20 centimeters taller than her, but who inexplicably exuded an adult's generosity and maturity, and could be described as 'tall'.

'How does Sensei manage to remain so calm while being stared at by so many eyes at once?'

'Because we've had this experience more than once before...?'

Not only Hifumi, but the other three members of the cram school also felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Being exceptionally sensitive to gazes and not wanting to be noticed at all, Zi frowned slightly, her white hair flowing, her small face cold, instantly revealing the aloofness of the "Ice Witch".

Hanako maintained that slightly awkward, yet unreadable, squinting smile.

Xiaochun's behavior was completely different—she confidently puffed out her chest, put her hands on her hips, arrogantly tilted her head slightly, and pouted her little nose, while her little wings on her head flapped occasionally.

It looked exactly like a "Yes, that's right, I'm an elite, so you should all look at me like that" attitude.

Then, as the gaze gradually focused, Xiaochun quickly couldn't hold on any longer.

'I'm under so much pressure...'

'How come they're completely different from the Tsurugi-senpai and the others I remember...'

Unable to maintain her composure, she immediately shrank back, contemplating retreating.

As for Akira... long before she realized something was wrong, she whispered in Amamiya's ear, "I'll contact you later," and then quietly left and disappeared.

……

The students' various voices, as if they were admiring a hero, were still coming from the noisy stream.

But it's highly unlikely that Amamiya and his group will stay here any longer.

After waving goodbye to the students of Trinity and the students of Gehenna, Amamiya snapped his fingers and teleported away with the four girls from the cram school in a cloud of smoke that obscured their vision.

It was evening, at the tutoring center.

As the sun sets and the "false Eden" is burned down, a magnificent sunset replaces the apocalyptic scene created by "Fimbourne Winter".

Accompanied by a wisp of smoke, Amamiya teleported here with the girls from the cram school.

After regaining her footing, Hifumi immediately looked around warily before quickly taking out her keys and opening the door.

After the members of the tutoring club entered, Amamiya immediately locked the door to their club activity room from the inside.

Hanako then worked together seamlessly to draw the curtains, check that the windows were closed properly, and make sure there were no strange cameras in the room.

After confirming that everything was in order, the girls finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that awkwardness had completely dissipated.

It surprised me that……

For them, the most exhausting part wasn't fighting against the [False God Beatrice] in the otherworldly palace...

Instead, they consider afterwards how to avoid being treated as idols or heroes, and being the center of attention.

After letting out a long sigh, Hifumi hesitated before finally speaking, "Um, Sensei..."

Knowing what she wanted to ask, Amamiya waved her hand with a smile.

"Don't worry, everyone... listen to me."

“I know what you’re worried about—worried that from today onwards, you’ll be treated like ‘idols,’ living under the spotlight every day, with no private time of your own?”

The wisp of hair on the side of her elf-ear hairstyle floated up and down slightly with the girl's gentle swaying.

Hifumi nodded slowly, while her three companions each displayed their own reactions—

Having experienced a similar feeling of being the center of attention before, Hanako squinted, seemingly smiling, but Amamiya clearly caught a fleeting hint of deep emotion in the pink-haired girl's emerald green eyes.

Now that she has awakened her 'persona' and has a deeper understanding of interpersonal relationships, Hanako values ​​the friends she met in the tutoring club even more.

She knew that "happiness" was hard-won, so she wanted to do her best to protect it with her own strength.

Amamiya only needed one glance to know... that the pink-haired girl, who gave off an elegant and ladylike impression, had already begun to weave a coping strategy in her inner world.

Zi awkwardly folded her pair of pure white wings, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her expression one of utter distress.

Xiaochun nodded slightly, a little scared... She could only withstand that terrifying gaze for a few seconds before she couldn't take it anymore.

If we have to live under that kind of gaze from now on... that kind of future is terrifying.

"Don't worry... After the 'Garden of Eden' is completely burned down, most people will quickly forget about this memory and treat it as a dream."

"Most people will probably forget about this by the time they wake up tomorrow—and even those who remember it well will gradually forget about it within a week. So, you don't need to worry, you will always be regarded as heroes."

The definitive news from Amamiya brought a sigh of relief to the four girls in the cram school club—along with a slight sense of disappointment.

They feel relaxed because they can return to such ordinary daily life.

The disappointment stems from the fact that... after all, they could be considered to have "saved the world"...

As a result, such "achievements" are quickly forgotten by the vast majority of people.

Hanako's expression gradually relaxed: "So...Sensei, we won't have to worry about 'being the center of attention in our daily lives' anymore?"

Amamiya nodded.

Hanako immediately felt somewhat relieved—as long as it wasn't the kind of life where you lived under the spotlight every day, and every move you made was over-interpreted… it was actually fine.

A small number of people still remember the burned Garden of Eden... the defeated false gods, and that's enough.

At least their tutoring department will always remember.

Her emerald eyes swept over Amamiya, who had just teased Koharu, causing Koharu to blush, pound her chest, and shrink back on her desk, too afraid to utter a sound. The girl's lips curled slightly, gradually revealing a meaningful smile.

"Speaking of which... is the crisis completely over now?"

she asked suddenly.

Hifumi was a little confused, but vaguely realized that Hanako might be about to "drive" again.

Xiaochun perked up her ears warily, ready to interrupt the "racy topic" at any moment.

Amamiya nodded and then shook her head: "It's over... for everyone in the tutoring club. There will still be follow-up matters, but that might be related to Trinity and Ghenna. Hanako, what's wrong?"

Hanako clasped her hands together, her smile growing increasingly meaningful: "Sensei~ Don't you think this is a perfect opportunity?"