I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

“Sensei’s…”

"A one-day wife treatment voucher?!"

Chapter Nineteen: She developed a special relationship with Noah...

...The timeline temporarily rewinds to one day earlier.

"A wife recognized by all of Giwatos? Noah... do you know what you're saying?"

Noah put away his meticulously recorded notebook, which he treasured dearly.

Her clear, light purple eyes revealed only earnestness.

"Sensei, do you think I'm joking?"

She did not display her signature squinty-eyed smile.

This was the first time Amamiya had ever seen such a 'serious' expression on her face.

“Even if you say that…” Amamiya shrugged helplessly, “'Marriage' is obviously still a very unlikely thing—”

After all, firstly, the laws in this world regarding marriage or the protection of minors are still very vague... at least, Amamiya cannot understand them through her [déjà vu] ability—there has probably never been any precedent for this before.

When the laws were being drafted, the possibility of this "pioneering" approach was never considered.

Seemingly finding Amamiya's extremely surprised expression unexpectedly amusing, Noah covered his lips with his hand and chuckled softly.

"Hehe... Sensei's reaction is really... quite interesting."

After his gaze lingered on Amamiya for a moment, Noah softened his voice, almost whispering in her ear, deliberately creating an intimate atmosphere akin to 'whispering'.

"If I could 'fall in love' with Sensei... it would definitely be a love story worthy of a literary work, right? Hehe~"

Amamiya: "..."

He stood still without making any move, only glancing at Noah's situation with his "third eye".

Through her keen observation, Amamiya noticed that although Noah's words carried a subtle hint of teasing, her heart rate and the speed at which she asked the question both increased slightly when she said them.

The feeling...

It's like using a "joking" tone, using a joke as an excuse...

Go and express the feelings buried deep in your heart, those distant feelings called "longing".

"Let's get back to the main topic, Sensei."

After making this 'meaningful' little joke, Noah quickly and nimbly withdrew.

“Yes, Sensei, you’re right… Kiwatos has no precedent for my ‘proposal’ (referring to marriage)—but as the saying goes, anything not prohibited by law is permissible.”

Noah paused slightly, then offered a meaningful 'hint': "Besides... do you think the laws enacted by the Federal Student Council, Sensei, are particularly harmful to those colleges or certain exceptionally powerful individual students... will they comply with them, or will they rebel against them?"

Amamiya: ...

The thought that Kivotos was a world of simple, honest people, where gunfights and shootouts happened every day made Amamiya feel at ease.

Although the Federal Student Council has a well-established set of laws... if those laws really touch upon something, those students would probably disregard them.

—If it were during the president's term, there would be SRT students, as well as police forces and many other resources available.

However, with the departure of the president, SRT is in a slump, and the police station is also somewhat overwhelmed... At this point, it is worth reconsidering whether the students will take care of the Federal Student Association.

"Noah..."

After a few seconds of silence, Amamiya said helplessly, "...You're committing a 'crime'."

Noah, of course, knew that Amamiya's "crime" did not mean "breaking the law" in the literal sense, but rather that her behavior was extremely dangerous—one could even say that she was walking on the edge of danger.

But so what?

If there's no precedent, then I'll be the one to set one.

Sensing that Noah's next move might be to 'take a step forward and suddenly recite, 'Early in my youth I knew the world was hard, yet I still allowed myself to soar like a wild goose among the clouds.', Amamiya quickly interrupted her.

"I think it's better to do it in a 'safer' way..."

Sensing Noah's unwavering resolve, Amamiya hesitated for a moment before proposing a compromise to Noah.

Anyway, getting married directly is impossible.

It's unlikely, at least not until the finale... probably.

After all, many novels prefer to place the wedding at the end of the story.

Since 'direct marriage' is not feasible, how about 'a one-time privilege voucher'?

Just like the card collection tickets issued by maid shops, there are special prize tickets such as 'head pat ticket', 'lap pillow ticket', and 'anything ticket'. You can use these tickets to ask the maid to do various things...

After proposing this idea, Amamiya could clearly feel that Noah's gloomy aura of "If you don't agree immediately, I don't know what will happen next" dissipated by a great deal.

"Ha ha……"

Noah visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression and demeanor suddenly conveyed a sense of relief, as if he had finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Sensei..."

"You really did come up with a 'special' idea."

【~???~】

'Sensei, what are you really thinking?'

"Is doing things absolutely bad?"

Or...did you notice something was wrong with me?

With various thoughts swirling in his mind, Noah realized that he might really be a little 'intoxicated' and, after some consideration, chose to back down.

"Although it's a very conventional idea, it's surprisingly 'very meaningful'..."

Why is Noah in such a hurry to match Yuka and Amamiya?

The reason was actually very 'simple' for Noah and easy to understand, but it might sound absurd when stated.

—If I could just let Yuka and Sensei develop into that kind of 'special relationship' in one go, I could completely sever those unrealistic thoughts that were gradually surging in my heart... even though I might feel sorry for myself for a while because of it.

But it's better than not extinguishing this flame now, and then having it burn your heart in the future, leaving you 'powerless' to do anything about it.

That's right... all we need to do is take precautions.

If you don't want to end up "sorrying Yuka," then you just need to nip the flame in the bud right now...

The thoughts of a 'literary girl' are more delicate than those of other girls her age.

They are usually relatively reserved and appear 'fragile and sensitive'.

In reality, just as we cannot underestimate the "retaliation of honest people after being bullied".

The 'literary girl' usually suppresses her emotions.

But when they erupt, it is far more intense and catches people off guard than other girls their age.

"..."

Various thoughts intertwined, swirled, and entangled in my mind... I tightly gripped that heart formed from pure desire.

Since Sensei arrived in Kivotos... Noah's [records] have gradually become somewhat unbalanced.

She unusually didn't record anything, and didn't write down everything in detail.

Despite having a photographic memory, she is occasionally tormented by the burden of having such a clear memory.

If we compare memories to a galaxy... then the memories of ordinary people will gradually 'extinguish' and 'collapse'.

As for Noah... her memories remained as brilliant and intense as a quasar, pulsating with life.

"Noah..."

Amamiya sighed and suddenly asked, "Noah, do you remember that special high-end pen I gave you not long ago?"

Noah, whose mind was gradually tightening with complex thoughts, paused slightly, and his clenched hand naturally loosened.

Fragments of memory flashed through Noah's mind, and she naturally thought of the scene not long ago when she went to Xia Lai for her turn to do chores—

"As Noah thought... there is indeed a special story contained in this pen."

"In short... this is the story of a once-lost 'street speaker'."

"This pen was once a person's most treasured possession. He passed it on to me, along with the beliefs it embodied, as a reminder to me."

"And now... I'm entrusting it to Noah for safekeeping."

Noah took the pen, which he had kept carefully, out of his shirt pocket, placed it in his hand, and carefully examined it with his palm. This item, which "felt like a high-end product" and carried special significance, was something he had carefully examined.

"The person who gave me this pen is named Yoshida Toranosuke. His true identity is a disillusioned politician."

"Because of the mistakes he made when he was young, and because of various misdeeds, he was called 'useless Yin'; 'good-for-nothing Yin'..."

Noah didn't quite understand why Amamiya would suddenly bring up this story, but out of respect for the story, she immediately became an excellent listener, silently listening to this story of the 'disgraced politician' that was neither too long nor too short.

As Amamiya spoke, Noah gradually began to see a figure that resembled President Rion—

After repenting and reforming, Yoshida Toranosuke wanted to make something real, but he was hampered by his past stains and was therefore not well-regarded...

He was harshly criticized by ignorant people, deprived of even the chance to "repent" or "atone for his sins," and thus remained disheartened for quite some time...

She almost gave up on her beliefs... but after coming into contact with the 'phantom thief', she noticed the boys and girls who were still holding on to their beliefs despite the lack of recognition.

Thus, he rekindled his faith and remained true to himself—ultimately, through a deeper understanding of the phantom thief, he learned the inside story of what happened back then…

Having learned the inside story, he felt relieved and was finally able to let go of his resentment and cleanse himself of his stains.

'That person... who helped Sensei when he was a phantom thief before he came to Giwatos...'

"Mr. Yoshida Toranosuke?"

At first, Noah thought he was listening to a version of Rion's story...

But as she listened, she seemed to see a reflection of herself in the story.

We also saw many more blind spots that were not noticed.

Even if President Rion sincerely repents, will all the mistakes she made disappear?

Whether it's the Millennium or the Federation Student Council, they'll probably only focus on Rion's 'misdeeds' and use that as an excuse to imprison her.

Is it enough for me to simply cut off the 'flames'?

The sayings in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, such as "It's better to dredge than to block," and proverbs or four-character idioms like "Drawing a knife to cut water only makes it flow more, and drinking wine only makes sorrow more sorrowful," all express a different viewpoint.

"...That's what Mr. Yoshida Toranosuke said at the end of his speech."

Amamiya thought for a moment, recalled the memory from that time, and imitated Uncle Sun's words, delivering a passionate speech using the [Charismatic Speech Technique] (Yoshida Toranosuke's full bond skill).

……

"Is there anything you 'want to do'?"

“I once met a young man.”

"He is using a different approach than I am, and he intends to correct the world."

"However, this is an extremely steep mountain."

“I…cannot travel with him.”

"...But I won't say goodbye to him."

"Because we will definitely meet again at the top of the mountain."

He's working hard to do what he "wants to do."

"Everyone, go find what you 'want to do'."

“I will support everyone. This is exactly what I ‘want to do.’”

……

After delivering Uncle Sun's moving speech in one breath, Amamiya let out a long sigh of relief. As she switched her Persona to [Lucifer (Star)], her expression and demeanor softened.

"...That was the heartfelt advice that 'Uncle Sun' wanted to tell me before."

"And now... I pass these words, along with that pen, on to Noah—and I also hope that Noah can inherit this 'will'."