Stealing Spree

Upon entering the first room, the girls inside seemed to have anticipated my arrival. A few of them, namely Edel, Himeko, and her little sister, Maaya, sprang up to their feet, welcoming us.

Here, Haruko and the whole Poem Appreciation Club are present.

And when I said everyone, that included Minori and Yuika-senpai. I probably didn’t pay them much attention earlier but they also came to watch the match. However, I did greet them and checked if they were comfortable in their seats. That’s my due diligence as their junior, no?

Anyway, I easily noticed Minori-senpai’s wary gaze with a slight hint of anticipation. As someone who expressed her willingness to be courted by me if it meant Yuika-senpai would be the last in the line, picking up the subtle meaning behind this attention she’s affording me was fairly easy. On the other hand, Yuika-senpai remained the same as ever. She’s noticeably refusing to glance in my direction by busying herself with the food on the table. However, she still couldn’t help but stealthily glance, perhaps due to your curiosity.

Really, if she continues to be like that, I may not be able to stop the urge to tease her if I ever get the chance to do so.

Apart from them, Miyako and Ririka are also in the room. Looking at where they’re seated – next to Haruko – I could somehow guess why they chose this room instead of joining the other girls from the same school.

If I’m not wrong, they’re here to consult Haruko about something or they just wanted to hear her wisdom about certain things. Whichever the case, I’m more than happy to see them getting along with each other.

Returning my attention in front of us, the three girls soon arrived before me, all three wearing bright and cheerful smiles that could probably blind anyone.

Ah. Not all of them. Maaya was trying her hardest to contain her smile, after all.

What a troublesome girl.

“Ruki…” Being the first to reach me, Edel muttered my name as she reached for my hand. Rubbing her flushed cheeks on it, both my palms and her face soon warmed up.

Himeko remained silent but unlike Edel, she didn’t settle on just my hand. The girl embraced me and buried her face against my chest.

“Don’t misunderstand this. I… I’m only looking after Nee-sama.” And as usual, Maaya couldn’t be as straightforward as Kanzaki when it comes to vocalizing her inner thoughts.

“Sure. If you say so.” I teasingly put on a smirk which made her cheeks instantly puff up.

The girl then grabbed my arm and took a few steps forward. She alternately looked between me and her sister before biting her lips and lowering her head on my shoulder. At the same time as that, she consciously slung my arm to her back, giving me the consent to hold her close.

To answer that, I firmly gripped her waist, letting my playful fingers feel the pleasant softness of her skin through her clothes.

The sensation made her squirm a little but instead of complaining, Maaya pressed on. She closed our distance, enough for me to feel the warmth of her body and racing heartbeat.

I could tease her more but Himeko beat me to it.

“You’re so adorable, Ya-chan. I’m jealous but I understand now, you’re like me. You also deserved to be comforted by Ruki.”

Like a mouse caught in a trap, Maaya couldn’t get out of the situation she put herself in. All she could do was cover her flustered expression and act like she was not affected at all by her precious older sister’s teasing.

Unfortunately for her, that just fueled Himeko’s rare impishness.

“Ya-chan, let’s go on a date with Ruki again. The three of us together like last time…”

Himeko emphasized ‘last time’ there, triggering the memory of our date back then. Or more specifically, the last few minutes of it.

And sure enough, Maaya became even more flustered. Add our recent intimate moment, she’s now like a candle melting from the fire of her sister’s attempt to tease her and the memories flooding in her head.

To make sure that she wouldn’t just flop down powerlessly, I tightened my hold on her. Himeko heartily laughed before also extending her arm to support her sister.

And from there, we started moving again, joining the others at the table. Edel and Himeko remained by my side.

Of course, I didn’t forget who I came here with.

I turned around and pulled Hana and Kanzaki with me.

I didn’t bring them here to witness me flirting with the other girls. They’re here because the same with my girls, I also wanted to spend time with them.

Haruko and the others opened up a space for us. They’re already familiar with Kanzaki making it easy for the girl to fit right in with them.

Hana, on the other hand, appeared a little standoffish with her continued stubbornness.

Due to that, Haruko couldn’t help but express her sentiment not long after.

“Hubby, I get the reason why you bring them here. I like Mio. She’s straightforward and knows what she wants. However, what about her? Will she stay mum and rely on you? Where’s the girl who declared war on us?”

Without holding back, she fired against Hana. The other girls shook their heads but didn’t say anything else to add. Haruko might be rather crude on that part but she’s just clearly expressing their thoughts about the girl.

Kanzaki was a little worried and so were Himeko and Ririka. Unfortunately, they knew that if they spoke up, it wouldn’t really resolve the matter.

Obviously, I could do that for her given that Haruko addressed me first. But will that improve her standing in their eyes? Nope. It will just prove Haruko’s point.

Nonetheless, as the idiot who brought the girl here. I also couldn’t stand just watching the tension rise up. Besides, I love both of them. That’s why it’s up to me how to resolve this without shooting myself in the foot.

I glanced at Haruko first and was met with her enigmatic smile that seemingly radiated the phrase, “Try me.”

Then at my side, Hana was silently staring at her, her hands trembling a bit. When she noticed my gaze on her, the girl meaningfully smiled as well. If I could put meaning into that, she’s basically saying, “Watch me.”

Anyway, not long after that, her eyes once again burned with the same fire of stubbornness as she opened her mouth and answered confidently, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Haruko-senpai. I’m not here to hide behind Ruki. Also, I’m not giving up on stealing him from all of you. Must I always announce that? Seems unnecessary to me.”

Haruko’s eyebrows twitched but that’s not enough to make her back down or falter. Nonetheless, knowing the girl, she might be savage to everyone else but she’s not going to act maliciously on occasions like this. She’s probably expecting something else from Hana, hence this disguised aggression. Whichever the case, I remained the crux of this situation.

I felt a squeeze on my hand and found Kanzaki conveying her support to me. Then next to her, Himeko was also doing the same.

As always, these girls are the best.

“Indeed. It’s unnecessary to keep declaring something you won’t be able to accomplish.” Haruko snarkily replied.

Hana chuckled in response. She looked unperturbed and a second later, she tugged at my sleeve, making me turn to her.

I thought she was going to go for a kiss but surprisingly, she only went for my cheeks which she started kneading with a bit of force.

Yep, this was her way to vent her current frustration.

“I’m aware of the difficulty of stealing this guy from all of you. But you know what? I don’t mind doing this for years on end.” She paused for a moment and her hand stopped fondling my cheek. Her slender fingers straightened up as she switched to cupping my face instead. Staring directly into her eyes, I could see Hana’s affection for me burning brighter than her stubbornness.

Then at the last second, a hint of sadness flashed by.

“You always have the option to kick me out if my presence is off-putting. And you don’t have to worry about him. I have been constantly reminded by him that when it comes down to it, he will always prioritize you over me.”

Upon saying that, Hana let go of my face. Then, as though she already said her piece, the girl attempted to stand up and leave.

Of course, I stopped her even before she could stand up on her feet. And without waiting for her protest to let her go, I put her in my embrace, locking her there.

“You… Stand by your words and prioritize them, you idiot.” She grumbled in her muffled voice. Although she didn’t even make an attempt to get out of my embrace, I could sense her whole body shaking.

“Hmm? Why do I have to? No one’s trying to kick you out. You’re gonna stay here with me, understand?” I answered her and sure enough, Haruko herself was giving me a thumbs up as though this was what she planned all along.

Well, I could see Miyako rolling her eyes on the side of the table. That girl also expected this but it’s probably because she’d seen this thing with her before.

Then, Minori-senpai and Yuika-senpai were frowning at the sight. I couldn’t blame them. It probably looked cringe for their taste.

Anyway, when Hana heard that, she also went silent. Following that, she slowly raised her head to look up at me then to Haruko and eventually to everyone around the table.

Upon noticing the gentle smile on their faces, the girl hit my chest with her forehead before saying, “Did I just get tested? No. Tell me. Is this some kind of initiation? Ugh. I can’t stand it. Kiss me, Ruki. Before any of them can do so, give me your lips.”

As soon as she said that, Hana tried to climb up to reach my lips. Unfortunately for her, someone else beat her to it.

“I’m sorry. You have to wait for your turn.”

Coming from behind her, Edel rushed in, claiming my lips for herself.