I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

I haven't even had a chance to care about you yet, have I?

Faced with Rion's almost businesslike seriousness, Amamiya sighed and accepted the Valentine's Day chocolate that Rion offered in public.

The moment Amamiya accepted the chocolate, she felt Yuka and Noah's intense, unsettling gazes simultaneously fixed on her.

Sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Amamiya could only take the initiative to create a topic: "Before I came in, I think I heard something about... Kei's bionic body?"

"Um……"

After giving out the chocolates, Rion sat back down as if nothing had happened, and handed a thin document to Amamiya.

Amamiya took the document and read the title clearly: "[Preliminary Research on 'Nameless Gods Technology'; Discussion on the Possibilities Brought by Bionics and AI'"].

This should be Rion's upcoming project.

Amamiya took a look and found that both projects were quite simple—or rather, they were only in their infancy at the moment.

The first project involves the technological deconstruction and research of the nameless gods discovered in the suburban ruins of the Millennium Self-Governed District.

Rion's initial idea for this research direction was to bring in Himari from the Special Phenomena Investigation Department. If she couldn't spare the time, she could have Himari look after the research. If she had the capacity, they could take turns looking after the research.

As for the second plan...

Noticing that Amamiya had turned over, Rion explained, "From the 'Sophia' that Sensei brought, and the Engineering Department's latest bionic technology—'Bionic Body Erpis'—I saw... a 'special possibility'."

"Special" (AI girls) like Sophia and Alice possess untapped potential."

“If Sensei is interested in this, he can contact me privately when he has time, and we can discuss the plan further.”

Rion maintained the slightly cold tone that comes with rationality, befitting the person in charge of the seminar, but as she spoke, Yuka's expression grew increasingly strange.

—At this rate, the already tight budget for the symposium will likely be further strained…

"I remember."

[...I sensed the expectation from Rion.]

【Coopation↑↑】

【Tiaoyue Liyin (World)★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆】

[★3 Ability "Nameless Technology" has been unlocked!]

Amamiya handed the document back to Rion, then looked at Yuka, who had a tense expression, and Noah, who was taking notes in a small notebook, finding Yuka's reaction quite interesting.

Sensing the two girls' subtle desire for private space, Amamiya sighed softly.

It seems I need to speed things up for my 'Valentine's Day trip'...

Chapter 59 Yuuka and Noah's Valentine's Day Chocolate

As expected... the moment Amamiya took her seat, the "open and covert struggles" of the seminar had already begun.

Having just helped the girls at the seminar process a few documents, Yuka, who was sitting at the table next to Amamiya, suddenly stood up, somewhat 'uncomfortably', carrying a stack of documents.

Using the documents to conceal her shyness, and hiding the true meaning of the girl's Valentine's Day preparations—Valentine's Day chocolates—which she had prepared long ago in the interlayer, Yuka coughed lightly, and hesitantly extended her 'invitation'.

“Sensei… I have a document here that you need to copy. Could you come with me to the copy room downstairs…”

Almost simultaneously, Noah quietly stood up from his office seat, holding a 'book' that looked like a finely bound collection of poems, his violet eyes gleaming with a profound and mysterious light.

"Sensei~ Regarding this collection of poems that I recently wrote and has not yet been published, could you please read it and offer some suggestions for improvement?"

coming……

Yuka and Noah's 'Valentine's Day Offensive'.

Amamiya composed himself slightly and nodded gently to Yuka and Noah: "Everyone at the seminar, take this opportunity to rest."

Surrounded by Yuka and Noah, after leaving the seminar office, the purple-haired girl immediately glanced at her best friend, who was holding a book of poems in her hands and seemed to have ulterior motives.

'It seems... Noah hasn't completely given up yet...'

'No wonder, given how secretive his relationship with Sensei is. In Noah's view—as long as it's not made public, he still has a chance to win her over, right?'

'If you think like that, you've already lost from the start, Noah.'

After mentally evaluating her 'best friend's' behavior, Yuka, thinking this, led Amamiya towards the stairwell.

Noah stood at the top of the stairs, squinting his eyes in a 'kind' way, and waved to Yuka.

She didn't speak, but her meaning was clear: 'I'll print the documents for Yuuka-chan~ Yuuka-chan, feel free to "do whatever you want" in the meantime~'

Once she reached the corner of the stairs and felt that she was no longer being noticed, Yuka breathed a slight sigh of relief.

After gritting her teeth and hesitating for a moment, she chose a rather bold approach to contact—

“Sen~sei~!”

The girl, displaying a youthful and innocent girlfriend-like demeanor, slightly furrowed her brows, and then very forcefully cornered Amamiya against the wall.

Leaning against the wall with one hand, the girl, who had taken the initiative to 'wall-slam' the boy but was now embarrassed and hesitant, stammered slightly, "This...this is a special Valentine's Day gift for you..."

After a moment of slight embarrassment and shyness, Yuka's voice took on a resolute, "what's the use" tone.

"This is a 'special gift' that I made after searching through many chocolate recipes and measuring the precise amounts..."

"Please accept this carefully... and tell me how you feel."

Amamiya smiled and took the girl's "heavy gift": "Yes, when I get back, I will savor it and give Yuka feedback on the taste and feelings."

【~???~】

Having received the satisfactory answer she expected, the shy girl finally revealed a smile as if she had finally seen the light after all the storm.

Amamiya then added leisurely, "Don't worry, Yuka, I'll prepare a special 'return gift' for you on 'White Valentine's Day'."

【~???~】

As he spoke, Amamiya leaned forward slightly and pressed himself against the girl who was leaning against the wall at an extremely close distance.

Ignoring Yuka's flushed cheeks, trembling eyes, and near-flight panic, Amamiya reached out and gently pinched her nose: "We'll be spending many more Valentine's Days together in the future... Yuka, you can't afford to behave like this again, okay?"

Small black circles seemed to appear in Yuka's purple eyes, and her mind gradually went blank—

She gave a blank "hmm" sound, and then let out a slight, fluctuating breath due to nervousness.

"Next time..."

Embarrassed to the point of almost losing her balance, she still stubbornly relied on her experience as a "cold and calculating" persona to put on a last shred of bravado: "Next time... I'll definitely... let Sensei... see an even more 'perfect' me..."

After saying that, Yuka deliberately took heavy steps upstairs, as if to ease her tension.

Knowing full well the special feelings her best friend had for Sensei, she hesitated repeatedly before finally deciding to give her best friend a space where she could send chocolates as well.

After saying goodbye to Yuka, Amamiya went down to the printing room—a small, dimly lit room that was 'empty' except for Noah, who had been waiting inside.

Amidst the whirring of the printer, the girl held the exquisitely bound 'collection of poems' in her hands.

Noticing Amamiya's footsteps, she turned her back to him, her long white hair and attire resembling a snow woman, and her movements subtly revealed a hint of joy.

“Sensei…do you know?”

With the creaking sound of Amamiya gently pushing open the door, a white-haired girl with her back to the door let out a low murmur filled with complex emotions.

"Because I started later than Yuka-chan, when it comes to our relationship, Yuka-chan, who can sense my feelings, will subconsciously 'take lightly' this relationship."

"But……"

He paused, then suddenly switched to a tone akin to reciting poetry, almost an aria: "But whenever everything about you comes to mind, my spirit soars like a lark at dawn."

Is this an excerpt from the Sonnets...?

With her encyclopedic knowledge, Amamiya immediately realized which line of poetry the 'literary girl at the seminar' was using to express her feelings.

"But just as I was about to belittle myself in this way, I suddenly remembered you, and my spirit, like a lark breaking through the gloom of dawn, soared up from the overcast earth, singing a hymn at the gates of heaven." — [Shakespeare, Sonnet]

Amamiya entered the room and gently closed the door.

After a moment's thought, Amamiya chose to follow Noah's lead and responded using a phrase from the same Sonnet.

"I would liken you to a charming summer day, but you are more lovely and tender... As long as there is breath in the world, you and this poem will live on forever."

The white-haired girl, who had her back to Amamiya, paused slightly before turning around nimbly.

“As expected…” She looked at Amamiya, “Sensei, you and I are alike… neither of us would ever underestimate… even the slightest bit of an emotion that is ‘accidentally born’ due to an accident, a coincidence, or anything else.”

With a light laugh, the girl leaned forward and placed the 'poetry collection' in Amamiya's hand, then gracefully withdrew.

"I truly hope that in the distant future... you will read that 'love poem' to me again, in 'another identity'."

[I sensed Noah's anticipation for the future...]

【Coopation↑↑】

【Raw Salt Noah (Star) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆】

[★7 Ability "Comet Mark" is now unlocked!]

['If I don't want this feeling to be as brilliant yet fleeting as a comet streaking across the sky... what should I do?']

Amamiya picked up the 'poetry collection' in her hand—it wasn't a book at all, but a chocolate box with a carefully designed book-shaped shell.

The box felt heavy in my hand; it was easy to tell how much the white-haired girl had poured into it, and how much of her secret feelings she held within it.

"There will be opportunities in the not-too-distant future."

【~???~】

Noah, who had also received a satisfactory answer, chuckled softly, holding the printed document, and passed by Amamiya.

As she passed by, Amamiya heard the echo of her gentle voice, filled with deep anticipation, lingering in his ears.

"Then I'll look forward to it~"

镹溜々事疤陾扒……

Amamiya did not return with Noah.

Because he has other students from the Millennium Academy to visit next.

"Next, let's go to the game club..."

"Then, go to the Engineering Department again... and the Millennium Academy will be successfully completed."

Chapter Sixty: The Most Special Chocolate and the End of Valentine's Day

Around noon, in the game development department.

"Although I really wanted to spend today playing games with Momoi, Midori, Yuzu, and Alice, I... have other things to do..."

Clutching Amamiya's sleeve and leaning back with all her might, Midori's pair of 'cyber cat tails'—something inexplicably attached to her clothes—swished wildly behind her. She pitifully suppressed her emotions, saying, "Sensei...is it really not allowed...?"

"Today is Valentine's Day..."

Momoi desperately tugged at the other corner of Amamiya's clothes, forming a "temporary united front" with her younger sister.

While tightly clutching the clothes in her hands, Momoi's eyes, which were somewhere between peach and pink, began to mist over.

"Yeah... Does Sensei not even want to join us for the limited-time Valentine's Day special event...?"

Alice wrapped her arms around Amamiya's waist from the front, pouted, tilted her head back, and looked at Amamiya with pleading eyes. The height difference gave her an 'endearing advantage', making her look exactly like "a little daughter begging her father not to go out and run around on Valentine's Day".

Alice wants to be with Sensei... and doesn't want Sensei to leave Alice on this "special holiday"...

Amamiya, unable to move after being hugged by the three little ones: "..."

Turning my head to look into the game development department's club activity room, I saw Yuzu standing awkwardly in place, at a loss for what to do.

The moment their eyes met, the red-haired girl with braided sideburns and a high forehead hurriedly looked away and hid the chocolate box she was holding behind her back even further.

Although Yuzu didn't "make trouble" like the other three members of the gaming club, she obviously couldn't be of much help at the moment.

"so……"

Amamiya stopped her 'struggle' and said helplessly, "Why is everyone so insistent on keeping me in the game club?"