I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Xiaoxue's sleeping posture is very restless. She will turn over from time to time or try to hug other things around her.

Then they would be quietly pushed back by the two seniors who were not asleep at all and Amamiya.

The hardness and coldness of a large floor mat, which mattresses lack, is not actually the 'main factor' that makes people toss and turn in bed.

'Sensei...'

'Sensei~'

Are you asleep...?

The girl's shy whisper, barely audible, reached my ears.

Amamiya turned over slightly and looked at Yuka, who was sleeping on his side.

The snow outside the window had stopped sometime earlier, and it seemed that with the cessation of the snow, Kiwatos's 'Christmas' had come to a less than perfect end.

The bright moon outside the window was cold and solemn, hanging high in the clouds and out of sight, leaving only the spectacular sight of the twinkling stars and the enormous arc of their 'halos'.

It evokes the imagery described in the ancient Chinese poem, "The bright moon rises over the Tianshan Mountains, amidst the vast sea of ​​clouds."

The girl facing Amamiya had a cool hue cast by the moonlight on her cheeks, and the cold Christmas moon draped her in a thin veil of modesty.

Yuka seemed quite pleased when she noticed Amamiya turn around.

She moved as slightly as possible, her hand probing under the blanket, finally finding the reassuring, broad, strong, and reliable hand of her 'adult'.

'call……'

After letting out a soft breath, the girl chuckled softly.

'...I never expected that, even though it felt like I only spent a very, very short time with Sensei, the memories are so vivid...'

It felt like an incredibly long time had passed between us.

Amamiya didn't speak immediately, but silently held the girl's delicate hand that reached out from under the covers, casting a gentle gaze at her across the pillow.

'Although some unexpected things did happen...'

'But looking back now, those unexpected events, big and small, were perhaps proof of the bond between Sensei and me.'

'A momentary impulse... sigh...'

After letting out a soft sigh, Yuka blinked, her clear purple eyes seemingly painted with a dazzling, dreamlike galaxy.

'Let's not talk about these strange things anymore... um... Sensei.'

Amamiya finally spoke up at this opportune moment: "What's wrong, Yuka?"

"...I just suddenly wanted to say thank you."

Amamiya, puzzled, asked, '...Thank you?'

But then he chuckled and looked up at the ceiling: 'Shouldn't I be the one saying thank you? Yuka was the first to agree to my request; she's practically my first real student in Giwatos who helped me…'

'If it weren't for Yuka's approachable nature…' Amamiya gently stroked her slightly anxious hand, 'perhaps, because of Giwatos's condition, I might have developed a bad impression of the students, like being skeptical.'

'Once the seed of doubt is planted, how difficult it is to remove it.'

"It was your arrival, Yuka, your aura... and the memories you gave me that allowed me to experience the beauty of everyday youth in Kiwatos, aside from the daily 'small-scale armed conflicts,' and the miracles they (the students) achieved together."

Yuka was slightly taken aback when she saw the young man's serious profile.

Yeah……

So, I held such a special meaning in Sensei's heart...?

As an accountant, Yuka was certainly aware of the ancient economic saying from the Classic of Mountains and Seas: "All the world's hustle and bustle is for profit."

Thinking about it carefully... when Sensei first arrived in Kivotos, it must have been very difficult for him to find someone trustworthy and reliable in a completely unfamiliar world where even common sense was very different from the outside world.

'Sensei...'

After letting out a soft sigh, the girl's gaze gradually softened.

But then, in an unusually earnest and soft voice, she began to speak: 'Now I'm "confessing my feelings," you mustn't interrupt me.'

'I'm listening.'

【~???~】

'...'

After closing her eyes slightly and taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Yuka spoke in a slightly choked voice.

'To me... Sensei is truly a 'special' existence.'

'Whether it's your special status as an outsider from Kiwatos, or the various feelings you evoked in me during our interactions...'

"Trustworthy" and "reliable"... perhaps this feeling is mutual.

'Without realizing it... Sensei has become an indispensable part of my world.'

Following Amamiya's example, Yuka looked up at the ceiling, her tone gradually becoming more ethereal.

'I don't know when it started, but simple mathematical calculations can no longer provide me with absolute stability and security.'

'Among the many formulas I've calculated, a peculiar "variable" has gradually appeared...'

'That variable is you, Sensei.'

'When I was alone before, I would think about how to plan my nutrition intake for the day and how to balance my food expenses while eating breakfast...'

'But now, I'll wonder, Sensei, what will you eat today? What kind of food do you like? Are you eating well? Are you mindful of your spending...'

'hehe……'

She smiled, a smile that seemed long and filled with longing.

'If this "variable" is added... even the most repeated and precise calculations will struggle to yield an accurate result.'

'When I eat, I think of you, of your healthy eating habits and your physical condition…'

'When I'm handling official business, I think of you, wondering if you're being troubled by these current difficulties...'

'When I'm negotiating with the other members of the workshop, I think of you, and I recall the sense of security and warmth I felt when I was with you, a feeling of gradually finding support and warmth.'

'How was your workday? How are you feeling? Were you injured? Did you encounter any problems you couldn't solve on your own?' These are questions I used to ask myself occasionally.

'Now... among the parameters that need to be calculated, there's someone like you, a particularly special "variable" to me.'

For a time, I felt lost and disoriented because of this change…

'But now I understand. I understand that kind of "variable" is called liking.'

That phenomenon where the shadow of another person, whom you "want to live with," gradually appears in your own world, is called liking.

'That feeling of your mind going completely blank from time to time, only thinking about another person, is called liking someone.'

Amamiya gently grasped the girl's delicate, fair wrist, then tenderly interrupted her 'self-reflection'.

'Yuka, have you heard of the hypotheses regarding 'inequalities' and 'identities'?'

'The world is made up of inequalities and identities... The world we live in is constantly calculating a vast number of inequalities and identities every day, every moment...'

'...That's a very strange statement.'

Yuka seemed to pause for a moment, but then chuckled lightly, finding it quite amusing: "So, in that case..."

【~???~】

'I see. ’

Amamiya blinked: 'You understand? Understand what?'

'Sensei, you're right... life is made up of inequalities and identities.'

There are too many variables that cannot be calculated—this is the 'inequality' of life.

'But life goes on... even with unexpected results, we still have to live each day. This is the identity in the inequality ∠V = ∠B.'

'So...love seems to be a process of transforming inequalities into identities.'

'Let the ever-changing variables gradually solidify, becoming a constant that seems never to change. Let both sides of the formula always be equal, so that whether they are worlds apart or worlds apart, they will never be separated…'

Her expression gradually brightened, and her last traces of shyness and reserve seemed to fade away with this change.

'Sensei...'

'I want to build it together with you...'

This is an identity called "liking" and "love."

Would you... like to come with me?

Amamiya smiled and nodded firmly.

'certainly. '

You are me, you are me.

"Here, you transform the promise into a blood oath, binding it for rebirth."

"The bonds that bind us are becoming wings of rebellion, shattering the shackles of our souls."

"Now you have obtained a fragment of the ultimate secret of 'temperance'."

"Bathed in the light of bonds, I find blessings."

"I grant you boundless power..."

Coopation has been improved!

[Coopation level is maxed out!]

【Yuka Hayase (Temperance) ★★★★★★★★★★ (MAX/MAX)】

[★10 Super Awakening Ability - 'Love Equation' has been unlocked!]

'Um... since Noah and Xiaoxue are already asleep...'

The girl, who received the most heartfelt response, suddenly became a little shy, yet also somewhat expectant.

'So, so...'

She didn't continue speaking, but instead slipped a small box, about the size of a cigarette pack, printed using embossing technology, into Amamiya's hand.

'Next, can we... begin... the "research" immediately?'

What does Arius's Impression Space look like in Chapter 50?

The snowy Christmas night slipped away almost without mercy.

Whatever happened, the day is over.

"So……"

Having changed into a white seminar uniform skirt and black pantyhose, the 'literary girl' clutched her notebook and waved to Amamiya with one hand free: "Thanks for Sensei's 'special hospitality'~"

Unaware of what was going on, Xiaoxue casually yawned, agreeing with her senior's statement: "Mmm... Senior Noah is right..."

"Although I didn't sleep well and heard some strange noises in the middle of the night, it was probably because we were all together... I felt strangely restful."

"..."

Yuka, who had also changed into a seminar uniform, blushed and lowered her head. She came to Yuki's side and smacked Yuki on the head with a 'smack'.

"Wow~"

The pitiful Xiaoxue immediately covered her head and squatted down in fear.

"Yuka-senpai... I didn't do anything strange, did I?! Why, why did you hit me?"

"Little Snow~"

In response, Yuka said with a hint of guilt, "We still have missions to complete... We can't afford to slack off too much, okay?"

Koyuki winked at Amamiya in pain, "Sensei... I feel like Yuka-senpai has been getting more and more unpredictable lately, Sensei needs to be disciplined..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yuka grabbed her by the collar like a chick.

Amamiya cast a sympathetic glance at the controlled Yuki, then waved to the two girls at the seminar.