I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

I recalled the awkward silence among the seniors when we drove over.

I thought of the subtle attitudes my seniors had towards me...

Xiaoxue suddenly understood.

The two seniors... must have had a falling out!

As Xiaoxue was thinking this, her gaze suddenly fell upon the 'absolute protagonist of the story' who was pushing a food cart from the kitchen of the residential area—

"Yo~~"

Not shy at all, Xiaoxue immediately smiled brightly: "Sensei~ Long time no see!"

Ignoring the increasingly slightly dangerous gazes of her seniors, she jumped up and swung her arms at Amamiya.

Then, he jogged over to the food cart, closed his eyes, and took a few deep sniffs of the lingering aroma emanating from it.

"Keeping everyone waiting."

After saying goodbye to the game club in the afternoon, he had been busy in the kitchen until now. He had finally managed to prepare the Christmas dinner and gave a gentle smile to the three girls at the seminar who had slightly different styles.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way~"

(Note: Classic melody - 'Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way~')

After singing half a line of a Christmas carol, Amamiya changed her tone, clapped her hands, and joyfully offered her blessing: "Mry Christmas~"

"oh oh……"

In the ensuing silence, only Xiaoxue, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere, responded very actively.

So enticed by the aroma that her mouth was watering, she started to slur her words.

"Sen, Sensei... Christmas carols (slip of the tongue)... Have you prepared any Christmas presents... glug..."

Facing the starry gaze of Yuki, Amamiya's smile remained unchanged as she calmly nodded: "Of course I've prepared 'Christmas presents.' However, now is not the time to open them..."

Xiaoxue thought about it and nodded in agreement.

【~???~】(from Xiaoxue)

“Sensei is right… (wiping drool)… Yeah, Christmas presents are all about maintaining a sense of mystery and anticipation, so we save them for last, when we're all alone…”

She stared longingly at the various upside-down plates that Amamiya gradually brought to the table, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Isn't dinner served yet?

Because of the 'sumptuous meal' promised by Senior Noah that evening, she deliberately ate much less at noon, saving her stomach for now...

"Don't worry, Xiaoxue, we'll start eating soon."

After taking a deep breath, Amamiya calmly met Yuka's shy yet enigmatic gaze, as well as Noah's even more meaningful gaze.

Thankfully, Xiaoxue was there to lighten the mood... otherwise, he didn't even dare to imagine how dangerous or how much of a show of force this 'pajama party' could have been.

'I must be careful what I say here...'

After all, the current relationship is perhaps a bit complicated.

First, Noah knew that he and Yuka had established a 'special relationship', and even knew that he and Yuka had done 'that kind of thing'.

Then, Yuka was unaware that Noah had actually confessed his feelings first and resolved to do "what he wanted to do," thus establishing a secret, special relationship with her...

And then... Xiaoxue knew nothing. At most, she would only think that she had close ties with her two 'seniors'...

After sorting through this delicate relationship in her mind, Amamiya let out a soft breath, her gaze lingering unabashedly on Yuka.

Feeling uncomfortable under that gaze, Yuka trembled slightly and returned a reproachful look.

“Yuka’s pajamas are quite special.” Amamiya chuckled, seemingly oblivious to Yuka’s alluring ‘warning.’ “Whether it’s the design with its delicate ruffles or the cat pattern on the pajamas, they are quite cute and unique. Moreover, her naturally flowing hair, compared to her previous twin-tail hairstyle, gives off a completely different vibe.”

"In addition, both the headband and the white hair tie have a very cute 'gap moe' effect~"

With a whoosh, a burning sensation spread from my cheeks throughout my body.

After a brief silence, Yuka covered her face with a pillow as if she had given up on herself, making it seem like she was sulking, but in reality she was just shyly hiding her face.

"Sensei... stop talking nonsense..."

【~???~】

'Sen, Sensi... don't be so blunt... after all...'

Amamiya then turned her gaze to Noah, carefully examining him in the girl's natural stance, which was much more relaxed than Yuka's.

Sensing the shifting gazes on him, Noah showed no 'shyness' whatsoever. Instead, he took the initiative, slightly extending his arm and shifting his body to present himself at a more favorable angle for observation.

"So~"

With a squinting smile, she asked in a gentle voice, "Sen~sei~ what about my pajamas?"

Having already prepared his comments, Amamiya naturally began to offer his own 'critiques'.

"Although it wasn't particularly 'novel' or eye-catching..."

'Hmm~?'

“However,” Amamiya paused slightly, “the change in Noah’s demeanor was still quite obvious and easy to sense… the relaxed feeling of him casually wearing slippers and the warm feeling of his pajamas made him seem less unapproachable.”

"It's like... 'to travel with someone to the other side of the darkness, to seek that warmth that seems so far away, yet so close at hand'... that feeling."

【~???~】

"I see……"

Noah slowly suppressed his smile, then suddenly winked playfully at Amamiya.

"Is this how Sensei sees me when I'm wearing pajamas?"

Amamiya nodded slowly and seriously: "In my opinion, even if Noah changes, it shouldn't be too drastic—perhaps, it's more suitable for Noah if it changes gradually and subtly, with small changes each time."

"Haha~"

【~???~】

In response to Amamiya was Noah's gentle smile, which seemed no different from usual, along with a sixteenth note that increased his favorability.

Is Sensei commenting on the pajamas of her seniors?

Sensing something amiss, Xiaoxue temporarily stopped craving and curiously moved closer to Amamiya, spreading her arms and slowly circling in front of him.

"Then, Sensei, why don't you give me your evaluation?"

"I'm curious, compared to the pajamas of my seniors... what's my style like? Hehehe..."

Amamiya sighed softly, her gaze lingering briefly on Koyuki.

Xiaoxue was wearing a yellow set of pajamas that looked like a mascot costume with its mouth open.

The monster's gaping mouth and sharp teeth were designed as the hood of the pajamas and the edge of the hood for decoration, making it look ugly-cute.

"Sen, Sensei... haven't you decided yet?"

"Okay..."

Amamiya calmly replied, "Xiaoxue's pajamas do look very cute, but how should I put it... I feel that these pajamas can't hide your... 'lively and active' nature."

Listening to Amamiya's calm and indifferent tone, which seemed to show no interest, and the way he deliberately emphasized certain words, Yuka and Noah silently gave Amamiya a thumbs up for his "high EQ response".

But Xiaoxue seemed oblivious, even 'completely ungrateful'.

She blinked, showing a slight shyness: "Eh~? Is Sensei praising me?"

"of course."

Amamiya gave a decisive and calm reply.

【~??~】

"Hehe~ Well then, thank you for the compliment, Sensei~"

Feeling that she had indeed received praise, Xiaoxue didn't forget to turn around and give her seniors a disapproving look—

"Noah-senpai, and Yuka-senpai... you see, I'm not completely useless... Sensei really praised me!"

In response, she was met with the concerned and compassionate gazes of her two senior colleagues.

Yuka: "Mmm..."

Noah: "Hehe..."

After receiving a positive response from the two seniors, Xiaoxue seemed to have become a bit more assertive.

She strutted confidently, ready to begin the next move.

"Let's quickly enjoy the 'Christmas dinner' that Sensei has prepared especially for us..."

"Also...shouldn't we plan the games we'll play after dinner in advance? After all, for a 'pajama party,' the food is just a warm-up..."

"The real 'main event' should be the subsequent game projects, right?"

Feeling that she was an absolute expert in this area, Xiaoxue stepped forward without hesitation and made a suggestion.

"So, what should we do after dinner?"

"Card games?"

"King's Game?"

"truth or Dare?"

"And...the indispensable pillow fight?"

Chapter 42 Noah is challenging the taboo

"Is it the King's Game, or a card game... or perhaps a pillow fight...?"

After dinner, Xiaoxue suggested several games that were often played at 'pajama parties'.

While asking this question, Xiaoxue, who had eaten her fill, kept turning around to observe her two seniors who, instead of eating as freely as she had, were shyly restraining their diet.

"Um……"

Yuka, who seemed to be in a slightly tense and unnatural state, seemed to relax her furrowed brows slightly.

She glanced at Xiaoxue, who had offered a serious suggestion, with a hint of surprise.

Given this 'current situation,' today should have been the perfect opportunity for Xiaoxue to cause trouble, but instead, she's been behaving very well...

No unreliable suggestions were offered...

Are they still waiting behind us?

Yuka didn't relax because of Yuki's seriousness, but looked at Noah: "Noah, what do you think?"

"me?"

Noah was momentarily surprised when asked the question, but she quickly smiled gently and passed the question back to Amamiya.

"I'm fine with anything~ Sensei, what do you think?"

This special category of problem...

Amamiya sighed inwardly, thinking that this kind of problem was still the most troublesome.

You ask her, "What do you want to eat today?" and she replies, "Anything." Then you make a suggestion, but she says no.

Then you ask her again, "So what do you want to eat?" and she continues to answer indifferently, "Anything."

After a moment's hesitation, Amamiya tentatively suggested, "...If we have enough time, everyone can play whatever they want?"

【~??~】

Is Sensei a liberal who "does things without a clear plan"?

With a gentle, easygoing smile, Noah tapped his brow lightly with his high-end pen, slightly surprised.

"I thought...Sensei would be the kind of meticulous adult who would only act after having a clear plan."

Noah's somewhat unexpected sigh caused Yuka, who was standing nearby, to let out a soft sigh.

"Hey……"