Stealing Spree

Walking past the hallway, the shoe lockers, and the entrance of the School Building, Kanzaki never looked behind her where Miyoshi was trying to catch up on us.

She's nervous, for sure. However, at the same time, there's this hint of excitement oozing out of her whole figure. It might just be my imagination but her thick-rimmed glasses seemingly had this shiny glint as though everything was going according to her plan.

When I asked her where we were going, she gave a simple answer of 'Somewhere we can be alone'.

That's usually my line, right?

But I must say... I like it.

The Kanzaki who dared to take a photo of me and Kana at the stairs and used it to have me agree to her request has returned.

She was so determined to learn back then. Blackmailing me into doing that favor for her. Although I could've easily refused that, it was the time when I was still pretty much influenced by my desire.

Besides, it also didn't end well for her. Her coward of a boyfriend faulted her for not trying hard enough.

How dumb could that one be? We could say that they're both naive, even so, if you're a man, you should man up and stop being such a pussy.

Those guys who I've stolen from before were probably a lot better than him. Heck,

even Ogawa still has a redeeming feature of being a nice guy regardless of it being just a facade.

Miyoshi, on the other hand, had none.

He broke up with her because of his own shortcomings and when he realized he couldn't let go of her, he dared to try reconciling with her and get her back.

It's actually a good thing that at that time, Kanzaki was already shaken and lost her faith in him.

Perhaps if he did that the day after, there was a chance.

Again. His fault for being such a wishy-washy fool.

Anyway, enough about that.

Despite being aware of the guy who was probably going to tail us, I kept up with her pace, making sure that he was going to see how close we could be.

He could seethe in anger and jealousy but if my observation was correct, Kanzaki wanted this to happen.

I'll play along with her. Let's just say it's to make up for leaving her to Haruko and also a reward for not backing down.

Soon, we walked past the Club Building and made a turn towards the inner area of our school grounds.

Given the current time, even if classes were already over, most of the fields used by the athletic clubs were still fairly deserted.

Most of the students were still in the School Building, after all.

In any case, seeing that Kanzaki still had no signs of stopping in her steps, a mischievous thought popped up in my head.

He's still following us so... I'm gonna give him a service. It's up to Kanzaki whether to accept it or not.

With that thought in my mind, I took another glance at the girl whose eyes were fixed in front of her. Whatever was in her head, she was either in a state of concentration or her head was in a state of turmoil on how to proceed from here. Hence, she could only move forward.

I closed a step just enough for our shoulders to brush against each other.

It took a while but when she became aware of that, Kanzaki almost leaped to the side. But then, she managed to control herself fairly quickly, shooting me a questioning gaze.

I answered with a smile before gesturing for my arm.

Upon realizing what I was getting at, a hint of red streaked past her face. She pursed her lips and lowered her head.

Not long after that, the girl hooked her arm on mine, the same way she did when we went to the school store.

"No one's around," I said, confirming the condition I laid down earlier.

"Yes." She replied, albeit a little unsure. She’s still refusing to look behind her but she's aware that it's more than likely for him to follow us.

With this, we continued on our steps and we eventually reached the destination she set.

The baseball field. Or specifically, the equipment storehouse near it.

It's the place that is supposed to hold the baseball and softball club's unused equipment and spares. It's a little secluded but if the students from those clubs showed up, we'd definitely be spotted here.

While I was wondering her reasoning for this, the girl stepped forward to open the door for it.

Yep. It's unlocked.

And right before stepping inside, she turned her head back to me, "Here, Onoda-kun. Let's come in."

Well, I have a lot of questions but I guess I'll push that down for now.

Let me see what she's planning to do.

The same as the other storehouses, the place was filled with various unused equipment. They're all new but already gathering dust.

Well, there goes their budget. But thinking about it, it's probably the school itself who bought all the supplies here, and yet, the clubs seldom used them.

Anyway, after leaping onto some boxes, there's a small open area inside that looks like a deliberately opened-up space for people to stay at.

There are collapsible stools and a small table sitting on the side.

Kanzaki immediately went to it, picking up two of the stools and unfolding them in the middle.

She then looked behind, signaling me to take a seat with her.

"How intriguing." I couldn't help but comment as I followed her there.

I sat down and fortunately enough, it didn't creak like I thought it would. It's not new but certainly still in good condition.

"I know you'd say that. I've been to this place many times now and this all feels natural." Kanzaki said.

She moved her stool next to mine and once again made a bold move of leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Onoda-kun, thank you for coming with me without questioning my motive." The girl continued but this time the tone of her voice turned a little bit serious.

At this angle, we couldn't see the entrance to this place anymore. However, hearing if someone enters after us should be possible.

The floor is wooden and it will make a sound even if one's footstep is light.

"I promised. And besides, you know me, Kanzaki. I already had a hunch about what you're planning."

"... True. It's obvious, isn't it? Still, I'm thankful that you didn't press me to answer you right away. I've gathered my courage for this and I think this is my only shot. You're always with them so it's hard to find a gap I can squeeze in."

"I see. You can always message me, you know? Though I won't guarantee a swift answer, I'll definitely not leave you on read."

"Un. But for this, I want to be more like myself. The girl who's always straight to the point. The girl who caught your interest."

"Mhm. I admire that honesty and dedication." I nodded in approval before placing my hand on top of her head.

Kanzaki closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation. Little by little, the already close distance between us was bridged. By the end of it, my arm naturally stretched from behind her to pull her closer to me.

Upon noticing that, Kanzaki looked up at me before showing a pleased smile.

And as if acknowledging my acceptance, the straightforward girl lifted herself to reach for my lips.

Somehow, her movements seemed so natural that I wouldn't mistake her for the girl who was struggling to even make up her mind back then.

As an answer to this bold move of hers, I stayed in place and waited.

Similar to last time, our lips touched but just barely. Because at the last moment, Kanzaki pulled back as if she realized that she was leaping over a tall wall.

In the end, she lowered her head and clutched my clothes before she uttered in a small voice, "This was our meeting place, Onoda-kun. Miyoshi-kun and I."