Stealing Spree

Fukuda's comment was nothing more than a loser's grumbling that was only enough for me to laugh at his pettiness. Why not say that to my face, hmm? By doing that, he was just proving himself a coward who couldn't fight against someone he knew he couldn't defeat.

I had a good impression of him before but by acting like a sore loser like this, it's already gone in the wind.

Although I couldn't blame him for being interested in Chii since the girl was definitely a looker, in more ways than one. Unfortunately for him, he was doomed to fail as soon as I showed up again in the girl's eyes.

Maybe he could have gotten a chance if I never changed and remained an idiot who only moved for my desire. That's all in the past so… the fight was already over even before it started.

"See that? That's what I'm telling you, Onoda." Recovering from his shock at my answer, Sakuma caught up to me and pointed at Fukuda who had already disappeared from the crowd in front of us.

"You think I care about his comments? You know, even if you also started hating me, I'll be fine. I have my girls and that's enough."

Well, I mean, I expected him to avoid me after I stole Satsuki. Yet after seemingly moving on from her, he remained stuck to me as though he found a best friend in me. In any case, since he's asking me for advice and I never really have any bad blood against him except my annoyance at how extremely passive he is, I don't mind him hanging around. As long as he's aware of his place.

Furthermore, my girls also appeared to have been wishing for me to have a male friend I could talk with. Maybe because they always saw me only catering to them every passing day, they wanted to give me a breather or at least, a sense of normalcy just like how they also have friends of their own.

"Dang, you're that devoted. Fine. I won't say anything anymore."

"Good. If you're like that then we'll have no problem. Thanks for carrying my bag, by the way."

There we go. It's great that he acknowledged that no matter what he said, I wouldn't change my mind.

Upon hearing my thanks, Sakuma scratched his head, not expecting that to come from me. He even looked a little proud about it. This guy is too simple. In a way, this trait of his was possibly another reason why I couldn't even bother being threatened by his existence.

"Ah. Sure. Carrying your bag was nothing compared to what you faced there. But, man, now that we're still on this topic, how did you manage to piss that guy off? He's like… a very popular senior known for his tendency to throw his weight around and hit on any girls. Guys, even the seniors in my club, are conscientious not to cross him."

"Do you think I will cross him because I want to?"

Well, I can't say I'm surprised to hear that. Apart from Enomoto who was moving behind the scene, that guy was sticking out at the surface.

Sakuma processed my return question for a moment. "… Maybe? I wasn't there when the commotion dispersed but word is… someone entered the same room and at the next moment, he retreated along with his followers."

Alright. That's a little weird. I expected people to spread the story of Marika showing up and Shizu also moving to disperse the crowd but the details seemed to be cut to their very basics.

No mention of Marika nor Shizu or how Ichihara Jun retreated shamefully.

I was inside the room so… I never really saw how many there were at that time but considering the narrowness of the hallway and the tendency of others not to care about something that didn't involve them, there were probably fewer people who witnessed everything than I first thought.

I mean, my classmates also had no idea about how I got away from that situation.

Either my girls did something to alter or suppress the details or Ichihara Jun used his influence to prevent himself from being put in a cowardly light.

"I see. So, that's the story that is circulating, huh? No matter. I never intentionally piss him off. But you see, I got close to his fiancée—"

I didn't mind announcing that but for the sake of not becoming more high-key today, I lowered the volume of my voice on that.

As expected, Sakuma cut me off as soon as I mentioned the involvement of another girl.

The guy widened his eyes as he stared at me partly in awe and respect and partly in fear.

Following that, he wryly smiled as he said, "… Yeah. I finally understand why he's that pissed at you. What should I say? You're extraordinary, Onoda."

"Oh? Thanks for the compliment."

"Ugh. I'm not complimenting you. By the way, correct me if I'm wrong, is his fiancée also going to be…"

Stolen?

Completing his question in my head, Sakuma closed his mouth as he cautiously waited for my answer.

This guy is curious, huh?

To answer that, I simply put on an enigmatic smile before continuing on our walk silently.

And until we reached our classroom for the 4th period, Sakuma got his brows furrowed as he tried to interpret that. And perhaps, it's the same for those who were eavesdropping on our conversation.

In any case, I'll let them interpret it however they want. And if it becomes another rumor, it will be another slap to Jun's face.

The fourth period went uneventfully this time which led us quickly to lunch break.

Since I was told to return to the Director's Office by Hayashi-sensei, I naturally used half of the allotted time with my girls.

It actually became a feast because apart from the lunchboxes and bought meals from the cafeteria, Nami brought up Shizu's prepared lunch for me.

Moreover, before we could start eating, Mina arrived at our classroom, delivering Auntie Yayoi's packed lunch. And comparing it to the tall lunchbox prepared by Eguchi-sensei yesterday, it was only two layers shorter.

Yeah. It was more than what I expected when she inquired about what kind of food I like.

It didn't end there.

Tagging alongside Mina, my lovely silver koala, Edel, also showed up with her handmade dessert that originated from her birthplace.

Obviously, given that we had yet to start eating, I asked them to join us, ignoring the sudden silence by our classmates because of their appearance.

While Mina acted like a tsundere again that I had to stand up and bring her to my seat, Edel happily clung to me like the koala she is.

And with that, I once again became an eyesore for those jealous of me being surrounded by gorgeous girls.

Well, there are some who appreciated the gathering of beautiful girls that people from the other classes who accidentally peeked inside our classroom would stop and admire them.

As for the other feedback from our classmates, I decided to just laugh it out and ignore whether it was positive or negative.

Besides, Hana, Chii's friends, and the others also joined in. Sakuma also got a seat but the guy got overwhelmed pretty quickly.

So, in a way, our lunch truly turned into a picture of a lively feast rather, veering the focus away from the fact that more than half of them are in a relationship with me.

Unfortunately, time was limited and I soon left the classroom after I tasted every meal there was. They're made by my women, even if the foods bloat my stomach, I would savor all of them.

Now… I stood before the same door I had just left earlier this morning.

To ensure I would find her here, I first visited the infirmary to check for the fake school nurse.

Three knocks later, Hayashi-sensei's mature, enticing voice rang out from inside, "Stop knocking and come in, Onoda-kun. I don't expect anyone else to visit me aside from you."