Stealing Spree

“I’ll answer that with another question, Onoda-kun. Do you want me to give up on you?”

Faced with that counter question, I found myself defeated. She got me there. It’s really an idiotic question to ask when, deep inside me, I was hoping for here to choose to stay.

And stay, she did. I dangled a way out to her earlier and Eguchi-sensei staying should be enough answer.

What am I doing, really? I could argue that I wanted her to be certain, however, was there even a need for her to prove that?

Her own interpretation of my situation already says it all. While it sounded a little icky to what the real deal is, it’s not without truth. Falling out of love was irrelevant to me. I can keep falling in love with another girl without leaving anyone behind.

And so, calling what we have as being in that same process, she’s basically saying that she doesn’t mind if I stay with Satsuki. Because once we finished processing our feelings for one another, there would only be two possible outcomes; either we solidified our relationship or not.

“I don’t…” It took a while but I managed to voice that out.

And as if she was fully expecting that answer, Eguchi-sensei's face brightened up as a beautiful smile bloomed from her lips.

“That settles it. If you’re worried that I’m disregarding the fact that you can be perceived as a playboy. Don’t be. You certainly are one. I won’t twist that to fit my view. And Onoda-kun, you should also see me as the sinful woman who falls for my student. We’re both sinners here.”

And there it is. The clearer interpretation of why she’s okay with this. While prioritizing her attraction to me, she will never disregard that she broke a taboo. She also weighed those as balanced on a scale.

Is it a good mindset? I honestly don’t know. It’s quite different from how my other girls perceived our complex relationship, after all. They all have their unique take to it yet the core is always the same; our mutual affection for each other.

And that’s all that matters.

A while later, Eguchi-sensei once again started the car and we continued on the road.

I remained sitting next to her side while occasionally watching over Satsuki at the back.

We talked about a bunch of things concerning how we’re going to go from here. And while nothing has been fully decided yet, Eguchi-sensei and I agreed that whatever we have at the moment should never be known by others.

I honestly told her that Satsuki isn’t my only girl but she simply nodded at it, indicating that it still doesn’t bother her. However, when I started telling her the usual story of the past as my attempt to make her understand why I’m like this, Eguchi-sensei signaled for me to stop before saying, “Can I hear that at a later date, Onoda-kun? I am indeed curious about everything concerning you but if it is of the same importance as my past trauma that turned me into who I am today, can you wait until I’ve also finished preparing myself to tell you everything about me?”

Naturally, I agreed to that.

I’ve already heard about half of it; the molester incident which left behind a scar in the form of freezing when touched in a certain way. We weren’t even sure yet if we’re successful in casting that out but at the very least, it stopped surfacing if the one doing it is me.

And if I have to guess the one I refused to hear back then must be heavier in terms of importance. Why does she always have a solemn expression when looking at the rain clouds? And how is it connected to her awkwardness when dealing with the opposite gender?

So far, I was the only one who bypassed it. And even though she already toned down being too harsh on the others, it’s still there. Her male colleagues couldn’t even approach her for a talk and it’s always the female who’s helping them communicate with her.

Anyway, since it’s still a long drive despite the clear destination, our conversation also veered off to the Basketball Club; their performance, and their worries for tomorrow’s matches.

She revealed that her research on the first seed wasn’t that extensive because there were also rookies who shone like Satsuki in their matches. She also worried that they might be swallowed by the pressure even before the match began.

While it’s not yet decided who their opponent will be, the chance to draw the first seed is 50/50.

Regardless of who wins between Kitarai High and the team that didn’t get to play in the second round, they won’t face them.

It’s ideal to draw the other team instead of the first seed since the chances for them to qualify for the prefectural tournament will be higher. However, they still have to win before thinking about that.

For sure, the other team who won their second match will also be a strong contender.

They cannot be complacent even if they dominated their opponents today. Add to that, looking at Satsuki as well as the other seniors, they pushed themselves on the verge of exhaustion today.

It’s quite uncertain whether they can make a full recovery for tomorrow’s match or matches.

When Satsuki woke up, Eguchi-sensei had already stopped the car near their street.

My initial plan was to walk her to their gate when we arrived but with everything that happened, we needed a bit of time to talk, right?

And with Satsuki’s mind clearer than earlier, we told her about what happened while she was asleep.

She digested it silently and in the end, didn’t comment about what we decided to do. If I have to guess, it’s not that she doesn’t care. She’s just confident that I will never lie to her.

The two of them stared at each other though and while none backed down at first, Eguchi-sensei soon surrendered, making the grumpy girl smile triumphantly as though she won another intense battle.

Then, as if they communicated with each other telepathically, I saw them nodding in agreement about something.

Curious, I asked them about it.

“It’s about you, idiot. Sensei and I agreed to set aside talking about our relationship with you.” And while at it, she whispered something else, “Ruki, I’ll only let that one slide. Next time. Focus on me even if she’s with us. You know how much I want you.”

Yep. As I expected, she’d bring that up.

Before I could answer that, Eguchi-sensei added. Most likely sensing that it’s about that.

“I apologize for that, Maemura-chan. It’s a hasty mistake. No, let me correct that. I knowingly did it because I want to.”

Uh. Is that still an apology?

In any case, Satsuki was definitely amused by it. Not counting what happened earlier, that would be the first time she’s seen Eguchi-sensei being this bold.

The girl pinched my cheek before replying, “Sensei, I never thought you’d be this interested in someone. And of all people, it’s this pervert. I get it though… He’s such a menace that no one can escape his grasp.”

Ending that with a shake of her head and another pinch, Satsuki then boldly lunged at my lips, once again showing everything to Eguchi-sensei.

At first, Eguchi-sensei only watched us be all over each other from the driver’s seat but she failed to resist the temptation.

Now that she was free from driving, she moved over to the backseat and took my other side, joining us in it.

In this way, whatever awkwardness from earlier had been swept away. While she acted a little competitively, I realized Satsuki’s intention.

She once again took this as a chance to help me. Right, of all things she could help me with, it’s to make her coach and our PE teacher comfortable with this setup.

Man, what else can I do but spoil them both?