Stealing Spree

For the girl to quickly unplug the earphone from her ear after seeing me, she sure has so many questions in store. I mean, our last encounter was when she saw me with Hana and Chii. And because Hana mindlessly grabbed my hand even when she was there, that added to the pile of questions that I had yet to answer for her.

Although I could simply tell her to back off and stop prying on me or my relationship with other people, I’m fond of the little preacher and her overexcited reactions about everything; especially the ones involving Asahi or Yue.

I already admitted to myself that whenever I would encounter her in this train, her presence was, more often than not, a source of comfort for me.

That’s why even if she would be annoying to some, I had this certain desire to keep seeing this girl acting like a gremlin, giggling and laughing alongside me as we conversed about mundane things – if Yue isn’t our topic.

“Hmm? You’re quick, huh? Asahi’s new single has just been released today and the two of you already ran to buy your copies. I admire the dedication.”

Upon finding us a seat specifically to fit all three of us, I beat her on starting the conversation by pointing at the things they were carrying.

Her friend was as timid as I remembered. Or shy, for that matter. She swayed her head a little before performing a short nod. It’s both a greeting and a response to me. After that, she avoided meeting my gaze again.

On the other hand, her bubbly friend, Sumire, faced me devoid of any awkwardness. Like me, she’s already familiar with my personality so I probably don’t faze her anymore. At least, not in her current understanding of me or the state of our closeness.

I know that she’s the closest to a friend to me compared to Misaki or Sachi. However, it’s more of a friendship between a senior to a junior. Part of her probably admired and looked up at me and that’s where the line was drawn in her mind.

“Of course! It’s Asahi’s new song. Have you heard of it, senpai? Coincidence! It’s a beautiful story wrapped in a wonderful melody. It’s so beautiful that I’m keeping it on repeat ever since they released it digitally yesterday!”

Sumire exclaimed as her trait of a fanatic once again won over. She’s grinning widely while looking at the merch and cd she bought. With one of the earphones still plugged to her left ear, her head was noticeably swaying along the rhythm of what she’s listening to.

Coincidence.

Yeah. No way I won’t recognize that.

It’s that song Yue made after reuniting with me. Although there was a plan to also release it in an album alongside the other songs that she was still finishing, the music label she’s under still released that one as a single.

That’s how it is in the music industry. Even if it’s just one song, they would market it a lot, especially for popular singers like Asahi.

Furthermore, it’s probably another strategy devised to drown out the recent controversy surrounding her answer to the question in that TV program.

Rather than let her popularity suffer from it, they elected to use it as capital to sell more of her music. Whoever thought of that, I commend him or her. That's brilliant marketing.

Anyway, Yue already informed me about it and perhaps knowing me, instead of letting me buy one copy for myself, she forbade me from doing so. Or rather, she stopped me when I brought that up. As for her reasoning, she cheerfully told me that she was going to bring me one personally. Complete with her rare signature and other freebies such as hugs, kisses, and more.

That last part was exclusive to me, of course.

That girl was already complaining about how much she missed me. It’s been weeks since she returned to Tokyo, after all.

This coming week or maybe next weekend, Yue already had me mark the calendar for her visit. And it was with a valid excuse. She’s going to pick up Akane, Miho, and Yua for the recording of the song they’re collaborating to finish.

“Heh. Is that so? Glad you liked it.” I tried responding a little sarcastically but my satisfaction to see this overzealous junior enjoying the song pulled that last part out of my mouth. I mean, I can’t help but be proud of my girl...

“Whoa... What’s with that tone, senpai? You sounded like you were already familiar with the song. Don’t tell me...” Sumire put a hand on her mouth and gasped, “... are you finally an Asahi fan like us?”

This girl... And here I thought she reached an epiphany from the way I spoke. Her main trait of being a fanatic won over.

She already forgot that she was going to ask me questions. Well, either way, this would be better for me if she forgot about it completely.

“What do you think?” I smirked.

When she was just about to react to that response, I reached for the earphone she unplugged earlier hanging down from her shoulder. I nonchalantly put it in my ear and lean my head close to her. Just so I wouldn’t stretch and break the wire.

Sumire’s friend, Umi, silently gasped at that sight. No doubt, she’s surprised that instead of taking her earphone back, Sumire allowed me to listen to what she was listening to.

Although this also happened during our first meeting, our closeness was now more apparent. Something Umi hadn’t foreseen considering I was just a stranger they initially met on the train.

“Geez, senpai. Can’t you say a word before taking that? I didn’t offer for you to listen to it.”

“Don’t mind the details, junior. It’s normal to share with your fellow fans.” I dismissively waved my hand. Then, a second later, I stopped supporting my head and allowed it to lean on her shoulder.

As soon as that happened, Sumire’s body seemed like it experienced an electrical shock. Her shoulders flinched rather strongly that she almost ejected my head off of it.

But well, the force was inferior to the weight of my head so it failed.

In the end, with her body turning rigid by the second, Sumire almost robotically muttered, “S-senpai. My shoulder isn’t your pillow.”

Perhaps if I lift my head and check on her face, I would be able to see her slowly becoming flustered.

In any case, I acted oblivious and shamelessly replied, “Hmm? But this is comfortable. If you want, you can lean on my shoulder next.”

“T-that’s not the problem! Oh, wait... I remember... I’m supposed to question you.”

“Oh. Yeah. You did mention that. It’s fine if you don’t though. I don’t mind.”

“I do mind... Ugh. Senpai, you’re intentionally misleading me away from that. That’s unfair.”

“How can you say it’s intentional? I only pointed out what you bought. Remember, it’s you who started raving about Asahi again.”

“That... He’s right, Sumi. You centered the topic on Asahi.” Perhaps finding her friend at a loss, Umi came to Sumire’s rescue. However, her words were more in my favor than Sumire’s.

“Is it really like that?” Sumire replied with a hint of doubt in her voice.

Umi nodded while I lifted my head again and did the same.

Because of that, she became even more flustered. In the end, the girl lifted the paper bag to her face and eventually rested her head on my shoulder. Or rather, after leaning that close, she squeezed her face to the back of my shoulder, hiding it from our sight.

Mhm. She’s embarrassed.

Umi couldn’t help but let out a soft giggle from seeing her friend acting like that but upon noticing my gaze at her, she once again avoided it.

Well, nothing I can do about that anymore. She’s either uncomfortable with me or she has no idea how to act around me.

A few minutes passed in silence with Sumire remaining hidden behind me. Or rather, she probably found it comforting there.

At this point, the announcement that the train was about to arrive at another station soon rang out.

It’s their station.

I thought for a moment before coming to a decision.

As I returned the earphone and pulled the girl from behind me, I said, “Alright, since we’re about to separate here, if you still want to ask me a question, I don’t mind answering it for you. However, I won’t guarantee that I will be able to answer it right away.”

“Eh? For real?”

“Yes. It’s a freebie for my favorite junior. Or if you want, it will be my payment for letting me rest on your shoulder and listen to Asahi’s song.”

“Ugh. That sounded like you just took pity on me, senpai. But I’ll take it. I want an answer to the mystery that keeps on bothering me...” Upon saying that, instead of muttering her question loudly, she pushed in close to my ear and whispered, “Senpai, what is your relationship with Asahi? Brother, friend or...?”

Even though she withheld that last word, the context was already implied.

Hmm... Let’s see.

So, she still went for that question instead of what happened recently. She’s really a fanatic.