I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Yuka boasted that she knew Amamiya better than Noah.

In her opinion, Sensei, which feels almost 'perfect' both in terms of its physical feel and touch, actually has quite a few minor flaws—

For example, he's not good at maintaining a proper distance with girls...

For example, sometimes we seem to act without considering the consequences...

"Noah is absolutely right..."

Thinking of this, Yuka echoed Noah's sentiments with a 'heartfelt' tone: "I feel that Sensei still needs to improve a bit in terms of doing things. Even without a clear plan before doing something, you should at least have a general idea and understand the consequences..."

As she spoke, Yuka blushed and stammered, unable to continue.

'At that time... my mind was a complete mess...'

'Besides, even if we use excuses like "today is a dangerous day," the actions at that time...'

'It's impossible to stop, is it...'

Her headband swayed and drooped down, and Xiuyang, unable to continue speaking, covered her face in embarrassment and helplessness.

The girl, whose mind was in turmoil, did not realize that the meaningful words spoken by her 'best friend' beside her did not refer to the same thing as what she herself thought.

"Ah ha ha……"

Amamiya gave a forced, guilty-looking chuckle, clasped his hands together, and replied earnestly, "...I'll be more careful next time."

"What exactly were the seniors talking about?"

Xiaoxue was probably the only one who was there but didn't quite grasp the atmosphere – she would look curiously at the two seniors one moment, and then blink and look at Amamiya the next.

The interaction between the two seniors and Sensei feels rather strange...

What are they saying?

Why can't I understand anything at all?

"..."

Xiaoxue was fine when she didn't speak, but as soon as she did, she was greeted with Noah's smile, which was shadowed by his bangs and seemed exceptionally kind, yet sent chills down one's spine.

"A-Anyway..."

Feeling like she was about to get a head full of bumps, Xiaoxue quickly shrank back and forced herself to change her mind: "Anyway, let's start the game as soon as possible, shall we?"

"I'll go prepare the game items right away!"

As if suddenly remembering something, Xiaoxue changed into slippers and ran out onto the Christmas-themed wooden floor.

After watching Xiaoxue go to get the 'queue toys', Noah finally felt a moment of relief.

She took out her well-preserved "One-Day Wife Treatment Coupon" from the collar of her pajamas, handed it gracefully to Amamiya, and then winked at him.

Without saying a word, Amamiya could still understand her meaning from that special hint.

'Sensei~ It's okay to be a little "willful" and "crazy" today, right?'

Amamiya did not respond verbally, but simply took back the ticket and nodded slightly to Noah.

Noah then understood perfectly, tossed his side hair aside, and gave a knowing smile.

Then, she nudged her 'best friend' with her elbow, wondering if she was sulking or just spacing out.

"Ugh... Huh? Noah, is there anything else?"

Yuka, who was somewhat lost in thought, was 'poked' awake by Noah and asked, half-surprised and half-anxious.

"With the game just around the corner, shouldn't we also make some preparations like 'rinsing our mouths'?"

Yuka paused for two seconds, her brain's CPU quickly processing Noah's words, whose implications were already off the charts.

The next second, her pupils trembled.

"Noah?!"

"What the hell are you saying?!"

No, no way...

Could it be that Noah really... witnessed almost the entire 'interaction' between himself and Sensei that day?

With a tense feeling rising in her chest, Yuka suddenly didn't know how to face her 'best friend'.

At this moment, tension might be secondary... What Yuka thought of first were questions like 'What is the relationship between Sensei and Noah?', 'Does Noah also like Sensei?', and 'How far has the relationship between Sensei and Noah progressed?'

I recalled Noah's recent behavior from my memory...

Hmm... Noah's mood seems to be quite 'unpredictable' lately. He usually seems to have a good expression, but the subtle changes in his behavior reveal his true emotions.

When exactly was it...?

Yuka, who started brainstorming, tried to trace back a key moment—when exactly Noah fell in love with Sensei.

Yes... Initially, I was too busy, so I asked her to take care of welcoming the newcomer Sensei and showing her around the Millennium Academy.

Or... when I received a commission from Sensei to advise on the equipment needed for Charlene and to oversee the project...?

Yuka clearly remembers that Noah also came to Xialai at that time, and under the pretext of reviewing the script, he spent a long time with Sensei, and afterwards even showed an expression of 'benefiting greatly'...

Or in other words...

Was it when Noah was on the verge of 'falling ill' and wanted to ask Sensei to help him relieve stress?

Yuka knew it.

The path of 'emotion' needs to be paved gradually... and so-called 'love at first sight' is probably a very small minority.

She values ​​rationality and logical thinking, and through meticulous thought and a deep examination of details, she can clearly see the shadow behind Noah every time she interacts with Sensei.

Could it be...

Noah also fell in love with Sensei because of his own reasons...?

Yuka, still deep in her brainstorming session, felt a light nudge from her 'best friend's' elbow.

"Yuka-chan~"

"Ah... um."

Yuka calmed down considerably.

After slightly raising her head to meet Amamiya's gaze, Yuka quickly sorted through the various key clues she had found in her mind—and pieced together a 'crucial formula'.

This is different from the deep bond that has already been formed with Sensei, and from the very beginning of their emotional expressions.

The relationship between Noah and Sensei... is most likely—[Noah's one-sided crush on Sensei].

Furthermore, she seemed to be suppressing her emotions due to her own feelings and other ethical considerations...

Therefore, I am in a position of 'overwhelming advantage'.

Is Noah acting as a 'wingman' to help himself?

...Judging from her current performance, it seems quite possible.

"Hmm...Sensei, then I'll go with Noah to sort things out first..."

Having pondered this, Yuka ended her 'brainstorming' and stopped daydreaming. Instead, she followed Noah, who was half-smiling and silent, to the bathroom.

Amamiya was stunned to see Noah so easily 'coax' Yuka away.

He was, of course, unaware of Yuka's brainstorming and rich inner thoughts—so he could only marvel at Noah's effortless control over his 'best friend'.

After escorting Yuka to the bathroom door, Noah held the door and waved to Yuka inside, whispering a few words to her.

Then, the door slammed shut from the inside and was locked.

The moment the door closed, Noah's gaze instantly shifted from a gentle smile to a... inexplicable, slight longing.

"The stage for their private world has been set up..."

As she spoke, the girl leisurely lifted the hem of her long nightgown, gradually revealing her already veiled body, which seemed to be partially hidden, and unveiling the 'clothing' that covered her.

"You must come with me..."

The upward curve of her fingers became increasingly pronounced, seemingly revealing the girl's little secret—

"That's the opposite of 'logic and reason'..."

"A world of 'madness and freedom'...?"

Chapter 44: The bond between him and Xiaoxue deepened...

(Guess if a chapter is missing here?)

(Everyone knows where to find the missing chapters, right? Details are at the end of the previous chapter.)

"Seniors, I'm back—huh?"

Xiaoxue, who was dragging a heavy toy box from afar, was a little stunned when she saw the scene inside the room.

Where have all the seniors gone?

I think I heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom... Listening carefully, it doesn't seem to be my imagination.

Ok……

With a wink, Xiaoxue began to ponder, wearing a [wise expression.jpg] look.

It seems like both of the seniors are taking a shower...?

Can I use the bathroom in the Xialai residential area?

Ok……

Could it be...

A suspicious gaze fell upon Amamiya, whose face remained calm. After a very brief moment of thought, the girl came to a conclusion.

"Could it be Sensei...?"

"Taking into account the seniors' cleanliness, they were specially arranged to take a bath?"

Amamiya: "..."

I really don't know whether to call her a genius or an idiot.

"...It doesn't matter if you think that way."

【~???~】

Having gained Amamiya's approval, Yuki immediately adopted a knowing look, as if to say, "See, I told you so." She half-dragged, half-pulled Amamiya up from the sofa and led him to the toy box she had brought.

"Hehe~"

After letting out that unique, slightly cheeky laugh, Xiaoxue tapped the large wooden box with the back of her knuckles.

"Sensei, guess what's inside? This is all 'gaming equipment' that my seniors and I specially prepared!"

Through indirect understanding gained from contact with Yuka and Noah, as well as information gathered through the "Third Eye," Amamiya learned that Yuki was a "prodigy girl who excelled in one subject but was unbalanced in another" and loved to gamble.

My favorite thing to do is try my luck... and guessing what's in a box is also a matter of luck.

Amamiya circled the box once, tapped and banged on it for a while, then stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"They are some rather large items..."

Catching a glimpse of the pink-haired girl's smug smile and expectant expression out of the corner of his eye, Amamiya calmly looked back at the wooden box and conducted a detailed observation with his [Third Eye].

"Hmm, so I guess there should be... a pirate barrel; a lie detector made by the engineering department; game props for the Joker game; game props for the King's Game; some pillows for the pillow fight; and... the mini remote control that you specially prepared for the lie detector, Xiaoxue?"

Amamiya counted on her fingers, meticulously listing all the special items that Yuki had placed in the toy box.

Xiaoxue's expression gradually changed from the initial confidence that 'Sensei definitely couldn't guess,' to the doubt that 'how could he guess so many correctly,' and finally to the shock that 'how could he guess so accurately.'

She blinked blankly, and after a while, she opened her mouth in surprise: "Sen, how did Sensei guess so accurately?!"

—These toys were all prepared on a whim, so Sensei shouldn't have seen them, and even Noah-senpai and Yuka-senpai shouldn't know about them.

Let's rule out the possibility that 'Sensei is actually a naive young man, deliberately guessing based on the 'smokescreen' he previously threw out'...

That can only mean...