Stealing Spree

“You’re finally here, you damn brat!”

An exasperated yell and an arm slung across my shoulder, courtesy of Setsuna-nee, immediately putting me in a headlock, welcomed me inside the third room.

But I must say, it was a weak headlock that I could get out of if I so wished.

In fact, I’ve seen it coming from my peripheral vision. I simply opted not to dodge her. I even helped her by ducking slightly. With her height, it’d be a difficult task for her to truly lock me in place.

Shaking my head inwardly, I caught a glimpse of the woman’s expression. Despite her furrowed eyebrows, a clear hint of relief could be seen in her eyes as though my arrival soothed her conflicted feelings. She also poked my cheek and ruffled my hair that Hina and Yua painstakingly styled to their preference.

Uh. Am I already this complex in her head that I can bring her this kind of contrasting reaction? I don’t know. Perhaps, this is the perk of being accepted by her. Who knows?

In any case, for her to be this worked up as soon as she caught a whiff of my presence, I could surmise that she was venting out her frustration on me and at the same time, releasing her repressed feelings as expressed relief for finding a familiar face. If I’m not wrong, she must’ve been feeling so out of place here.

What can I say? She found me as a convenient outlet for that.

Should I be happy? Let’s see. I’ll take it as a positive. The last thing I want to see from her is her unreasonable acts that are truly annoying.

But really… Was she staking out for me near the door?

Talk about her dedication. Sakuma would cry if he saw me this close to her. Moreover, did she not learn her lesson yet?

What's the point of putting me in a headlock? Rather than get strangled by her hold, half of my face involuntarily sank within her bountiful, springy softness, bringing me more comfort than anything else. Add to that, her wonderful scent which was closely similar to Satsuki flooded into my nostrils. Not a lemon scent but another citrus fragrance pleasant to the nose.

And because of that, I reflexively held onto her waist. Not in an overtly intimate way, of course. Only a couple of my fingers latched onto her, feeling up that part that was probably Sakuma’s dream to hold.

Surprisingly enough, Setsuna-nee didn’t react to that. She expected me to put up a struggle. My hand landing there was considered to be it.

It worked in my favor so there’s no reason for me to take it back, no? Let’s just say it’s the payment for doing this without any rhyme or reason given.

On another note, did Juri ditch her to her lonesome so she could socialize with my girls?

Before dealing with this woman, I lifted my gaze to look in front of me. And like the previous two rooms, the table was crowded by my girls who were watching us with interest.

And Juri was among them.

Of course, she didn’t ditch her best friend.

Even if I somehow climbed over Setsuna-nee’s standing in her head, she wouldn’t simply leave her best friend alone. They’re already like siblings connected by the hip. These past few years, they did everything together.

I even heard from Juri that Setsuna-nee was also scouted to be a model before. She just refused to continue after trying it once, saying it’s a hassle for her to dress up like a doll every time.

She’s the type who’d rather wear a hoodie in the middle of summer than wear a summer dress that shows a lot of her skin. Her fashion statement was also ‘throw everything that fits’. And having Juri by her side, Setsuna-nee’s mismatched clothes were often corrected by her.

Pooling all that together, my best guess was Setsuna-nee herself opted out of that situation. Either she’s not clicking with any of them or she’s just this anxious when inside a room with strangers – a new side of her that I was witnessing for the first time.

As those thoughts filled my head, I noticed Juri winking at me as her lips gradually bloomed into a meaningful smile. A moment later, I read the movements of her lips, ‘Ruki, take care of Setsu for me’

Next to her, Akane was cheering for me like always. And so was Nao and Yae.

Haa… What should I do with these girls?

"Why are you only arriving now? Didn't you say you're going to pick up Satsu-chan? Where is she?"

Pulling my attention back to her, Setsuna-nee delivered those questions as her arms tightened further by joining up her hands together.

It’s still weak and negligible. But because of this, my face just sank deeper into paradise which most men would probably die for.

At this sight, the girls watching us from afar had varying reactions. Some covered their mouths to prevent themselves from letting out a sound while some appeared confused by Setsuna-nee's actions.

Ah. There’s Mizuki who couldn’t be bothered as she’s currently busy munching on her meat dumpling.

Anyway, what do I need to do here? Cater to her whims? Push her down? Wait. Scratch that.

Although I’m thankful that the worst-case scenario in my head didn't happen, this was just a bizarre situation that I should handle delicately lest I mess up.

What she told me during the scouting trip must also be keeping her from thinking unreasonably. Still, lunging at me like this is pretty unreasonable, no?

Uh. Anyway, here goes.

"Wait. What has gotten into you, Setsuna-nee-san?"

Without offering any resistance and simply keeping my fingers where they were, I asked in an oblivious tone.

“If it’s Satsuki, she’s outside with the rest of the basketball team. This is a celebration for them, remember? I came here to check on you after hearing that you’re in this room.” I continued with the answer to some of her questions.

Then, after doing a slight pause and moving my head to look at her, I whispered in a lower volume, “Setsuna-nee-san, tell me. Have you eaten yet?”

“Huh? Where did that come from?”

“I mean, you’re here by the door and you seem distant from them. Are you not good with strangers? Should I introduce you to them?”

“This idiot…I don’t need you to… And I… I-I’m not terrible with strangers. I just don’t feel like it.”

“Hmm? Is that so? Why did you stutter then?” Slowly, I tried to straighten my back but stopped before she could be lifted from the ground.

With this, my face regained breathing space. However, it was still within the confines of her ample bosom.

Catching on that I wasn’t really uncomfortable with her stranglehold, Setsuna-nee clenched her fist and started drilling her knuckle into my cheek.

“Ugh. Stop asking questions, you brat. Bring me to Satsu-chan.”

As she showed signs of irritation, I continued with my attempt to handle her the way I saw fit.

“Before that, did you already talk to them? They’re also Satsuki’s friends. I plan on bringing her here later. Are you actually bad at socializing? Weird.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?! I… I’m not bad at it!”

“Alright. Alright. Don’t shout in my ears, I can hear you clearly. If you don’t want to then, I guess I’ll just have to escort you out. But Setsuna-nee, won’t you release me first?”

“No.”

A swift rejection…

“Huh? Are you trying to be unreasonable again? I thought we were already past this. I’m disappointed.”

“Hah! Not when you just tried to tease me. What? Do you think I won’t catch on with what you’re trying to do?” As she declared that, Setsuna-nee scoffed and put strength on her arm again. Another attempt to lock me in.

“Hmm? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I rolled my eyes, averted my gaze, and whistled.

Of course, that instantly made a vein pop up on her temple. I made it so obvious, after all.

Her eyebrows twitched as her lips curled up into a sneer.

“You brat… Don’t try to pull my leg here. Juri. Come here and help me deal with this guy. I’ll have to show him not to tease his elders.”

“Oh. You can do it, Setsu. You see, it’s unfair for Ruki if I helped you. We’ll watch you from here.”

“...”

Not expecting her friend’s refusal, Setsuna-nee became speechless there. Adding onto that, I raised an arm waving at Juri.

“Thank you, Juri! I love you! I’m the innocent one here, no?”

Juri heartily laughed at that, waving her hand back at me. Upon seeing that, Setsuna-nee facepalmed and expressed her exasperation more by pulling on my cheek.

“ Innocent, my foot! Ugh... Why am I getting worked up by a brat like you?”

“Maybe you’re just hungry, Setsuna-nee. Shall we eat?” I shrugged at her words, disregarding them completely. Following that, I stopped the powerless act and straightened my back, dragging her with me to the table.

Founding herself unable to move away due to my tight hold on her waist, Setsuna-nee drummed on my chest, struggling futilely.

By the time we arrived at the table, Juri, Akane, and the rest of the girls – except Suzuki-san – watched her turn into something like a child having a tantrum. Some of them giggled, making her embarrassed. Still, most of them welcomed her with warm smiles as they introduced themselves to her as my and Satsuki’s close friends.