I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

'No...get engaged?'

Should I... refuse?

Or perhaps…

Yuka was even more at a loss, but Amamiya continued to speak.

"Yuka, I've thought you were really cute from the very beginning. Whether it's your resilience, your strictness in separating public and private matters, or your helplessness when you encounter things you're not good at... that innocent and pure feeling; that youthful charm, it's really... very special."

"Ah...ah..."

Yuka nodded blankly and subconsciously, but her mind was a jumbled mess.

...My cheeks must be burning red right now, like in those 'explosive red' scenes from shoujo manga, right?

"To be able to meet a student like Yuka from the very beginning of my life at Kivotos... perhaps, it really is the greatest treasure of my life."

"Although it doesn't have a particularly strong personality trait, that's precisely what makes it most relatable and easier for me to connect with..."

'Ugh...'

Feeling the coolness from her ring finger, Yuka panicked and instinctively lowered her head—then she saw the ring that shone on the knuckle of her ring finger, giving her a cool sensation.

"Yuka, could you... grant my 'special request'?"

[Here, it seems we should choose our words carefully...]

Amamiya took a deep breath, her gaze calm and resolute: "I want..."

"Yuka, you..."

"Become mine..."

"Lovers."

Yuka, whose mood fluctuated instantly due to Amamiya's seemingly deliberate "breathing-out speaking style," mumbled an "Mmm" after a slight silence and pause.

[I sensed Yuka's dependence on me...]

[I've developed a special relationship with Yuka...]

There's no going back...

Coopation has been improved!

【Yuka Hayase (Temperance) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆】

[★7 Ability - 'Emotion Factorization' is now unlocked!]

……

"Although... I may have many shortcomings, whether in terms of age or other aspects..."

"No, but... since you've said so, Sen, Sensei..."

"If these things were brought up in the open, they might be 'disgraceful' and leave a bad impression on Sensei... or something. But, if they're kept as a private matter, it should be fine, right..."

Yuka, who seemed to have finally calmed down, uttered a complete sentence.

"...Please give me your guidance."

Chapter Twenty-One: Yuka: Noah, don't ruin my plans!

"Uh hey hey..."

"Hehehehehe..."

The girl in his arms, whose body temperature was gradually calming down, and the occasional, unnatural, happy giggles that she would let out, left Amamiya somewhat speechless.

"...Yuka? This is the 14th time you've made that 'strange laugh' now?"

After pinching that wonderfully soft cheek, Amamiya counted with a slightly 'helpless' expression.

"how to say……"

"Perhaps it was because it was so 'dreamlike' that I felt an unexpected happiness..."

"It's all Sensei's fault."

The girl in his arms sighed softly, her voice full of charm.

After shifting her position slightly to find a more comfortable one, Yuka didn't stop. Instead, she continued her playful rubbing and nuzzling motions, wriggling back and forth in Amamiya's arms.

how to say……

Sensei serves as my 'human body pillow,' allowing me to do all sorts of daring things... It seems quite stress-relieving?

With such thoughts and ideas lingering in her mind, and still in the special state of 'overwhelmed happiness after being confessed to', Yuka boldly straddled Amamiya's lap, wrapped her arms around the back of Amamiya's neck, and pressed her cheeks almost against Amamiya's.

'call……'

At such close range, the girl's exquisite and graceful figure, her slightly sweaty, orchid-like and musky fragrance, and the pure, lovely yet alluring warmth that wafted towards him with each breath...

With a smile playing at the corners of her eyes, Yuka maintained an extremely close proximity, slightly pouting, and began to 'complain' in a tone that might express dissatisfaction, but was clearly even more adorable.

“Sensei…really.”

"To help me relax and recover, he agreed to Noah's suggestion without hesitation—a suggestion that sounded incredibly unreliable... and, moreover..."

"And so, I took this opportunity to confess my feelings..."

"What a 'bad adult who knows how to seize opportunities'."

Amamiya gave a noncommittal smile. Then, she extended her index finger and gently poked Yuka's cheek repeatedly.

Poke, poke, poke...

Feeling the occasional touches on her cheek, Yuka was initially a little embarrassed, but quickly revealed a deadpan expression that said, 'Sensei, you're not a child anymore.'

"Sen, Seni... please stop poking my face like that..."

Seemingly unsure how to express herself, Yuka quickly let out a soft sigh, sounding somewhat resigned.

"It's not that I hate this kind of thing... ah... how should I put it..."

"Although things seem pretty good now... I always feel like they should be more... profound, more memorable..."

Amamiya certainly knew what Yuka was trying to say.

After all, no one doesn't yearn for the "eternal vows" found in youth romance novels.

No one doesn't look forward to a grand escape into the sunlight where two people fight against the whole world together.

Perhaps, in Yuka's view, all of this was just a smooth, natural progression, lacking that special surprise.

“Ordinary daily life possesses an extraordinary ‘miraculous charm.’” Amamiya smiled as she helped the girl tidy her hair at her temples. “Compared to the stunning beauty of a fleeting moment, I think it’s more about a life that, though seemingly ordinary, flows gently like a stream, each day a small miracle—”

"Wouldn't that kind of lifestyle be more suitable for me and Yuka?"

【~???~】

"Sensei..."

A thin layer of mist rose in Yuka's beautiful eyes.

She thought about it and realized that it made sense.

Indeed, a routine that is 'unchanging' yet subtly different every day is more suitable for my own pace.

'Small miracles blooming in the ordinary routine...'

She tried to imagine such a "future".

It's about two people snuggling together, sitting on an empty balcony, passing warmth through holding each other's hands, looking up at the night sky and stars, and feeling the night breeze flowing from their fingertips and cheeks.

When Sensei was working late into the night and still hadn't finished her work, she looked a little resentful and a little shy, muttering about how late it was. She took a piece of clothing and draped it over Sensei's shoulders, rolled up the sleeves, and sighed, "Sure enough, Sensei can't do it without me." Then they worked together.

He had overslept, but when he woke up, he smelled the aroma of food. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Sensei had already brought the food into his bedroom and was playfully rubbing his nose, teasing him, "You're the student council president now, and you're still acting so clumsy. That's not good." Then she turned and left to prepare the uniform he needed...

It was a coincidence and a bit embarrassing that after taking a shower in the evening, I suddenly realized that all my clothes were being washed and I wanted to wear something, but all I could find was an oversized boyfriend shirt. I had to go to the entrance to greet Sensei, who happened to be coming home, in this state...

It's plain and uneventful, seemingly nothing special—and certainly not the kind of bizarre stories typical of authors of the Classic of Mountains and Seas novels, like "loving the other person to the point of death" or "I would destroy the whole world for you."

(Arrow Palm: Yes, kids, that's right, it's the novel I wrote.)

But... it is precisely this 'plain and long' life that she desires most.

This reassuring warmth that permeates from the ordinary yet warm days is the closest thing to oneself.

—At least, it's closer to reality than any kind of 'vows of eternal love'.

Every day, they calculate and organize accounts. Apart from handling work matters, all that's left is to carefully budget for their life together as a couple—what's wrong with that?

“…I love it the most.”

The blush on her face instantly spread to her earlobes, and Yuka spoke softly with a very steady and firm voice.

Immediately afterward, Yuka felt a slight weight on the top of her head.

Immediately afterwards, a reply that was equally firm and gentle rang in my ears: "I like Yuka the most too."

【~???~】

"..."

I want to kiss him.

My body feels like it's gradually getting warmer...

I want to do something a little out of line with Sensei...

Such an atmosphere, such emotions, such a relationship...

It should be fine, right...?

With her eyelashes fluttering and after taking a deep breath, Yuka decided to be a little 'bolder'—

Calm down, Yuka... Now's the time to take Sensei's...

'Beep beep beep—'

Suddenly, her phone, which was in her uniform pocket, beeped with a new message notification. The high-frequency, piercing sound jolted the slightly confused girl awake.

"..."

Yuka, whose spellcasting was interrupted at the crucial moment, angrily squinted her eyes and took out her phone to take a look.

"……Why?!"

Strange... how come time flies so fast?

When I came to find Sensei, it was only noon...

How did it get to evening already?

And the contact person is... Noah?

"Hmm? What's wrong, Yuka? Aren't we going to continue?"

Yuka frowned slightly, a little embarrassed, as she showed the message to Amamiya.

"Noah sent me a message. She told me that she supervised Xiaoxue in handling today's official duties... Although she can confirm that today's duties were completed very well, she still needs to personally oversee the final submission..."

Amamiya didn't even need to think to know that Noah had probably 'observed' his and Yuka's interactions in some other way.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to time it so perfectly to send out such a message.

It's impossible for it to be such a coincidence.

"I see... Yuka still has to deal with all sorts of things from the past millennium."

After shaking her head with a wry smile, Amamiya said with great empathy, "In this respect, Yuka and I feel somewhat 'in the same boat'."

“Sensei, don’t give up on yourself like this…”

Yuka was both annoyed and amused by the obvious disappointment and sentimentality in Amamiya's words.

"You are a mature adult, entrusted with important responsibilities by the Federal Student Council... You must not give up on yourself, and you must not desert your post."