I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

The art style of otherworldly stories is always surprising.

The impression space of Abydos is a brightly lit "city of sin";

The space of impressions spanning millennia is the fantastical city of Elidu, inhabited by 'magicians' and 'scholars';

The impression space of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons is a perpetually dark city where demons and monsters coexist;

The Federal Student Council's Impression Space has gone even further... transforming into the "Lost City," a legend from ancient civilizations.

The palace, with its understated yet luxurious style, was clearly recognizable to the knowledge Amamiya had acquired before arriving in Kivotos.

—Atlantis.

A legendary ancient civilization, a lost city in the deep sea.

The written records about this civilization are indeed somewhat fantastical and ethereal.

It is said that this ancient civilization considered itself "the children of the sea god" and had an extremely strong worship of the sea.

The civilization is highly developed, possessing a wealth of knowledge from a bygone era.

At its peak, Atlantis suffered a "flood"—or, more commonly, the "doomsday flood" found in various mythologies.

Various civilizations have myths related to the 'building of arks'.

Atlantis, however, was different... they were unfortunate "victims" of the flood.

After being submerged by a great flood, this lost city has since become inextricably linked with the 'ocean'.

One theory suggests that everything related to "Atlantis" was a fictional story created by the ancient philosopher Plato to promote his "Republic."

Therefore, Atlantis can also be called an "ideal country".

Or rather, it is a synonym for 'utopia', with a specific meaning.

It refers to those cities that 'exist only in ideals, embodying all the best wishes, but are unattainable'.

After quickly reviewing the knowledge in her mind, Amamiya heard Kayoko's cool and cautious question again.

Holding guns in both hands and keeping her body low to minimize the chances of being noticed, the girl remained vigilant and serious at all times, like a 'secret agent assassin' on a mission.

"Sensei, what... should we do next?"

Kayoko's performance reminded Amamiya of the elegant and legendary assassin 'John Wick' from 'John Wick'.

As expected of the only 'normal person' in Convenience Store 68, this latent talent... seems to have destined her to be adept at operating under the dark sky created by the 'phantom thief'.

After waving to Kayoko to relax, Amamiya removed the smoky eye mask from her face and looked at Kayoko curiously, asking, "...Kayoko gets into character very quickly."

"...Before joining the convenience store, did you work at the Pandemonium?"

Kayoko relaxed her guard slightly, her expression unchanged, but a complex look flashed in her eyes.

"...Hmm. Did Sensei notice?"

Seeing Kayoko's apparent reluctance to reveal the truth, Amamiya decided to leave it at that.

"Basic knowledge of 'phantom thief'... Kayoko should have played the game 'Phantom Thief Chronicles' from the game development department, right?"

Kayoko guessed what Amamiya wanted to say, and was therefore somewhat surprised.

Eh……

She originally thought that all the 'phantom thief knowledge' appearing in the game was fictional...

Or rather, in order to prevent those with ulterior motives from discovering the strangeness of this other world, at least part of it should be fictional, used to confuse the public.

But who would have thought... that the knowledge of the phantom thief shown in the game was actually true?

“Yes.” Kayoko nodded. “Sensei, are you saying… that acting based on the knowledge from ‘The Phantom Thief Chronicles’ will basically prevent mistakes?”

"That's pretty much what it means."

After surveying his surroundings, Amamiya turned his gaze to the shadow of the "mermaid" in the street.

As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," the various shadows appearing in the lost city at the bottom of the sea... as well as the student shadows mainly composed of members of the Federation Student Council, actually have strange "fish" characteristics, such as "side openings in clothing" or "the ends of slim-fitting long skirts being replaced by fish tails."

The shadows, too, mostly appear as various 'oddly shaped' fish.

It does follow the impressionistic style of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) – the more human-like it looks, the stronger it is.

Having found a concealed spot suitable for a surprise attack, Amamiya moved quickly and silently before crouching down.

Seeing this, Kayoko followed closely behind, jogging quickly to another secluded corner where she could keep an eye on Amamiya at all times.

A familiar feeling of being connected by the "Ariadne Line" then appeared. Kayoko did not resist it, but carefully observed the shadow of the [mermaid] moving back and forth not far away.

'Sensei... Shall we launch an attack on the enemy next?'

'No… Next, we need to help Kayoko obtain her own unique "Personality."'

Persona... huh?

Through the games played by the game club, Kayo Iki no Ichiro IX also gained some understanding of the mysterious power system of Persona.

After awakening their Persona, students can also obtain the title of "Masked Persona".

So far, apart from Gehenna, it seems that the other major academies all have 'mask users' trained by Sensei.

The mask at the beginning of awakening is very weak and not strong enough to summon in the real world.

A powerful Persona user can even enter "Phantom User" mode in the real world, donning a Phantom Thief outfit and summoning Personas to fight alongside them.

Such a 'cool' fighting style is something that a considerable number of students dream of.

However, such strength requires facing one's own heart, having the courage to "cross over even death," or... facing one's true self.

"Kayoko," Amamiya, controlling the Ariadne Line, "why did you join the handyman's shop...?"

Is it that you're tired of the Pandemonium-style life, or do you crave something more 'ordinary'?

'No matter what... I think Kayoko likes it and wants to stay in this convenience store group, spending time with everyone and looking forward to one unpredictable tomorrow after another.'

Kayoko remained silent as she listened to the voice coming from the Ariadne Line.

Sensei is absolutely right.

In addition, I do have a slight 'regret'...

There are times when we feel powerless.

The voice in my heart...

"Make good use of the fear in your heart."

'Om—'

The sudden sound made Kayoko's pupils tremble.

Head hurts……

A sharp, piercing pain, as if being cleanly torn apart, instantly overwhelmed my mind.

"Your fear... is to maintain your current peaceful life."

Gritting her teeth and enduring the soul-wrenching pain, Kayoko forced herself not to make a sound, but then she saw a hallucinatory double image before her eyes.

"You, admit it."

"Do you... dislike the loneliness of being alone?"

Amidst the illusory double images... Kayoko seemed to see...

A black cat?

'Well……'

Why a cat?

"Yes...why would it be a cat?"

The phantom became increasingly solid, blurring the surrounding world as if the image were out of focus, before finally freezing in place.

A grinning black cat leaped down from a distance, landing gracefully and lightly in front of the girl who had inadvertently knelt on the ground.

Then, it licked its smooth, glossy fur and glanced at Kayoko with a condescending, indifferent look.

"You... always 'observe' the fantastical farce."

"In this respect... they are somewhat similar to us."

"You like cats... and even your personality is like a cat's."

"Is this why you see us?"

"Like us, they 'observe' the laughter and commotion, yet they help 'Alice' when she's in trouble at crucial moments... using completely opposite expressions to conceal their deep personalities..."

"And most importantly, I love cats and don't want to betray my friends."

The black cat maintained its smile, taking elegant cat steps forward, and finally placed its paw on the back of Kayoko's hand.

"Are you... willing to sign a contract with us?"

'Sign...contract...'

"It allows you to further protect the contract with your friends."

The pain that lingered in her mind was briefly suppressed, and Kayoko, almost instinctively, reached out and touched the upper half of her cheek.

Through the feedback from her hands, Kayoko realized... that a cat's half-face mask had suddenly 'grown' on her face.

"Very good... It seems you've realized it."

"Whether it's to meet expectations or to protect friends... whatever it is."

"Come, call upon my name, and sign a contract with me!"

"I am you, and you are me..."

Kayoko gritted her teeth and forcefully tore at the mask on her cheek, repeating it softly as if repeating a spell.

"I am you, and you are me..."

"Then... the contract is complete."

"We will become your strength for now..."

The eerie blue flames roared and rose, scorching and clinging to her body, eventually forming a black dress on Kayoko that perfectly accentuated her maturity.

“Psona…”

"...Cheshire Cat!"

Chapter Ninety-Five: The Unique Confidence and Shyness of Adult Students

“Psona…”

The mask was torn off, blood and all, and the iris was covered with a dazzling gold layer. Kayoko uttered the name of the black cat that had suddenly appeared in her memory.

"...Cheshire Cat!"

The mask in her hand shattered with the call, and clusters of dark blue flames coalesced once more into an elegant black cat perched on the girl's shoulder.

Its lapis lazuli-colored eyes shone brightly in the darkness, dazzling and captivating; its charcoal-black fur was spotless, nimble and glistening.

She always wore a mysterious smile, concealing a hidden side of herself.

【Psona - Cheshire Cat (Arcane: Emperor)】

[Description: A cat from the famous fairy tale "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," always wearing a smile.]

The Cheshire Cat appears several times during Alice's adventures in Wonderland, guiding or assisting her. It is elegant, unpredictable, and composed. Even the powerful Queen, who readily orders beheadings, is helpless against it.

It had once betrayed its friends due to the Red Queen's control. Later, under the Mad Hatter's accusations, it regained its faith and, through its own efforts, won back the respect of its friends.

'Cheshire Cat...'

'Indeed, a unique persona.'

Amamiya was genuinely surprised to see that Kayoko's awakened Persona was a black cat that looked exactly like an ordinary black cat in size, yet possessed a mysterious and elegant aura.

The 'shaping' of a persona is primarily based on individual cognition, supplemented by the collective unconscious.

Because of the "thousand faces of a thousand people", Personas often appear strange and bizarre - even Personas of the same prototype can have significantly different appearances and abilities when awakened by different people.

And Kayoko...