Stealing Spree

What's her problem this time?

That's the first thought that came into my head when Fuyu stopped in front of me. She's close enough that the two guys nearby gawked at how ridiculous it seemed.

Nonetheless, with both Eri and Futaba not saying anything, they simply took a step back, clearing up the space.

I don't know what they're going to think of this but I guess that's not my problem anymore.

Anyway, having no reason to decline her, I wittingly faced the girl with nary a change in my expression. However, I couldn't help but think that this was too abrupt on her part.

Was talking to me more important than her upcoming match? What triggered this?

And here I thought she was in a good mood after seeing Akane and the others coming here to cheer for her. Moreover, didn't we just separate on a good note the last time we met? I could still recall how happy she was from being patted by me that night she slept in our house…

If I could put up a guess, there's only one reason why she's reacting like this; the girls with us today.

Before answering the girl, I first checked on my girls' reactions.

While some of them were confused at Fuyu's move, most were actually intrigued. They weren't unfamiliar to the girl since I already mentioned her a few times to them. Furthermore, with Akane providing them with more context to Fuyu's connection to me, some of them were already on board with the idea that she'd also fall into my hands sooner rather than later.

At this point, it's already way past them to be surprised at the new girls falling for me or vice versa.

As for Saionji… Nao was there to hold the egocentric girl back. I mean, if not for Nao, that girl would probably keep sticking by my side just so she could relax. Or maybe, to get that reward that I told her earlier.

Anyway, I'll deal with the girl later. After pooling in their reactions, I came to the conclusion that Fuyu asking for me specifically wasn't that big of a deal to them.

Either they trust that I could handle her – whatever her problem may be – or they're certain that they'd still hear about this from me later. Whichever the case, the most reasonable choice here was to nod and listen to what Fuyu had to say.

"Sure. Shall we talk here?"

Fuyu shook her head.

"No, can you follow me for a moment?"

Perhaps she was expecting me to decline, I noticed her heaving a sigh of relief.

Her gaze then returned to Akane.

"Uhm, I'll be borrowing Onoda-kun. Is it fine?"

Heh. And here I thought she was not going to hear Akane's opinion. Initially, she probably acted on impulse. Now that the tension abated a bit, she got her head in order.

"Un. Go ahead. You can drag him there if you need privacy." Akane promptly answered as if she was already expecting this.

She even pointed us to a rather deserted corner, a distance away from here.

Fuyu followed her finger and nodded. Next to Akane, Eri and Futaba alternately looked at the three of us. They're both flabbergasted at this incredulous turn of events. For sure, that exchange raised a few question marks in their heads. And Fuyu not clarifying anything wasn't going to help with that.

With this, Fuyu started walking and gestured for me to follow.

Upon arriving there, the girl first looked around us, perhaps ensuring that no one was around to listen in on us.

She then cautiously inched forward, only stopping when she was about to crash into me.

She then lifted her face that had 'suspicious' written all over.

“Yuuki-san?” I called out her name, putting a hint of skepticism in my voice.

To fully understand what this was about, I had to play along with her.

Not that I needed to be but it would definitely be easier that way.

"I don't get it, Onoda-kun." She started.

"What do you mean?"

"You're still acting oblivious. You know what I mean. Why are they here? I know you claim to be close to other girls but they… No. Some of them… I've seen them with you before." Fuyu shook her head as though she was trying to shake off her suspicion of me but as she gradually made sense of why she was acting like this, the shaking of her eyes stabilized, and looked straight at me.

It's worth noting that this girl had already made an effort to stop being prejudiced against me but it seemed that upon seeing the other girls with us, it resurfaced in her head.

No wonder she's this conflicted.

In any case, I managed to comprehend what she was trying to say here… as it turns out, it was another blunder on my part. Or rather, I got too lax at being careful around her.

This girl, Fuyu, followed Akane around during our middle school. And recently, she already claimed that she saw me with different girls back then… Hence she couldn't trust me so easily when I finally accepted Akane.

I was successful in convincing her but now that some of the girls with us might be those she'd seen with me before, she decided to confront me about it.

"I see… So that's the reason for this." I put on an awkward smile and scratched my cheek.

Fuyu raised an eyebrow, possibly thinking that I was about to give her an excuse.

With her gaze seemingly trying to stab through my head to check what I was thinking at the moment, the girl inched even closer.

I had no idea if she noticed but I could already smell her fragrant breath brushing against my face. Fishing an answer from my mouth was probably her number one priority this time.

"It is. You said I can trust that you're not cheating on Akane. But Onoda-kun, how can I do that when those girls are still this close to you?"

"Alright. I also don't want to lose your trust so… I'll be honest with you."

"Go on…"

"They're still close to me. That's the reason why they're here. And if you ask Akane, Eri, or Futaba, they all can attest to it. They've already talked and got to know them."

Although that's not being completely honest with her, it's still within that realm. We're close because they're all my girlfriends and Akane was fully aware of that. As for Futaba and Eri, they're already convinced about the girls being my close friends, albeit a little doubtful since it's not common for one guy to be close friends with a lot of girls.

There were only two possibilities on those, either I am gay and I'm considered one of them or I am a playboy in a relationship with all of them.

Naturally, the latter will be what most people think about this but without further proof, it falls back to being a speculation.

"That… I can sense you're being truthful with it. But Onoda-kun, why do I still feel uneasy? It's as if you're holding back something important."

Fuyu took a while to reply but little by little, her aggressiveness died down.

If she was tiptoeing earlier, the girl had long planted her foot to the ground.

However, now that she lowered herself down, this angle and the tennis uniform she was wearing became a den of temptation for my eyes. Somehow, I found myself drawn at the little gap that was open for my eyes to peek in. It was a flawless white and with her size a little bigger than Akane, there's more than enough to see.

I know I should reel in my perverted nature given the seriousness of the situation but who could I blame when this girl had already rooted her presence in my mind?

"If that's what you feel, I guess I have to apologize, Yuuki-san. You have an important game today and yet, here I am, putting your head in conflict."

To prevent myself from continuing to peek in that forbidden area, I put my hand on top of her head, blocking my eyes with my arm.

Of course, Fuyu reacted with that. She raised her head again to look at me. She still appeared troubled but she's probably putting an effort to dispel her suspicion on me.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy.

After a while, the girl opened her mouth and said in a rather embarrassed tone. Her voice was softer yet, at the same time, shakier than normal.

"... Then, help calm my head down, Onoda-kun. It's now your responsibility."

Perhaps too embarrassed to continue staring at me, Fuyu averted her gaze right away, and then she reached for the hem of my shirt.

Okay. That's not the reaction I was expecting… How should I respond to this?