Stealing Spree

Fearless she may have tried to appear, Sachi still sprinted away from me the moment we reached the door to our classroom. As an athlete, her feet were proven to be quick enough to traverse the distance between our classroom and theirs in the blink of an eye.

She was like a flash of lightning who didn’t want anyone to catch a glimpse of her.

Nonetheless, before she disappeared inside their classroom, I saw the girl glancing back at me with her tongue stuck out.

Alright. I must say, that’s adorable of her even though she basically escaped before a disaster struck her.

Well, she probably didn’t want all of us to be troubled over something minor. Little did she know, my girls weren’t in the dark about her attempts to get closer to me.

Rather than glare at Sachi, they’d probably raise their eyebrows at me, questioning whether there was progress on her side.

Anyway, I continued on my way in and unlike the previous times, I didn’t become the center of attention right away.

Instead, I noticed that the festive atmosphere yesterday could still be felt. Our classmates, especially those who watched the match. Apart from that, some of them were also talking about the fine dining they received at the restaurant, gushing about how delicious it was. In the middle of them, there was the grumpy girl who was like the star of the current show.

Like Eguchi-sensei and the rest of the Basketball Club, it’s her day off today. It’d be fine even if she didn’t come to school. But well, it’s Satsuki. And there’s no need to guess her reason for coming despite the exhaustion yesterday...

“Idiot. You’re late.”

“Am I? Did you miss me?” I replied. Upon reaching my desk, I dropped my bag and turned to the girl. With my eyes focused on her, I closed the little distance between our seats and pulled her head into my embrace

“Geez. Onoda-kun, that’s too much air early in the morning.”

Even before Satsuki could scowl at me, someone else did it first. Wakaba who was at my right and behind Aya gestured with her hand, fanning in my direction.

Aya giggled from that followed by the others who heard it.

In response, I put her in my gaze and smirked, “What? Did you miss me too, Wakaba? Should I come and give you my embrace too?”

“In your dreams, you playboy!”

Almost instantly, the girl backed away, crossing both of her arms in guard as though she was trying to block me off.

Of course, that kind of response elicited more laughter around us.

“Ouch. That hurts. Aya, heal me?” Exaggerating it by acting like I got stabbed in my chest, I turned to Aya who was already anticipating my next move. I could also see Nami and the others shaking their heads at my antics but none stopped me. I could also see Hana itching to join in but she’s possibly waiting for the right moment.

I guess she’s not going to mindlessly be an annoyance to the other girls or butt heads with Nami anymore. Nonetheless, that didn’t mean she was going to stop in her attempts to one-up me. If she found the opportunity, she’d jump right in.

At the moment, however, it’s Aya’s stage.

“Yes! Come here, Ruki...” With her pleasantly brilliant smile, Aya opened her arms, seemingly welcoming me to cuddle in her chest.

I could jump at it right away but Satsuki was still hugged by me. With the girl’s face buried deeply in my chest, I heard her muffled voice discouraging me, “This idiot. Don’t go away. Pull Aya instead.”

Of course, that was also picked up by the girls that were surrounding her. Shimura and Misumi had this kind of bitter smile on their lips. Possibly, they’re trying to imagine if they could also be in the same situation as Satsuki.

When they saw me looking at them, the two bit their lips and averted their gazes. Following that, Misumi decisively stepped forward before whispering, “What about me, Onoda-kun? You won’t ask me if I missed you?”

On the other hand, Shimura just embarrassedly fidgeted at her spot.

Yeah. There’s always that contrast between them. It’s the same as yesterday when I sat with them at their table.

I gave Misumi’s forehead a flick before gesturing for Shimura to come forward a little, which she did. Instead of a flick, I gave her a headpat resulting in her flushed cheeks.

Following that, Aya came to my side hugging me. Then Chii, who probably went outside with An-rin and Kushii, arrived and instantly jumped in to join the commotion.

Just like this, even if I wasn’t the center of attention at first, I unknowingly put myself back in that spotlight.

The other boys were naturally either frowning or still amused and amazed at what they were witnessing. Of course, no one even attempted to stop or interrupt us. Not Ogawa and certainly not Fukuda.

As for Sakuma... well, he looked like he made good progress with Setsuna-nee. Or maybe I was overthinking it. I mean, after getting that embarrassed yesterday, he probably became the outlet to vent that woman’s frustration.

... He’s really becoming a pet, isn’t he?

Classes soon started and Shio, who walked into the sight of me being surrounded by girls, faked a cough, dispersing us back to our seats. She then leered at me as a hint of jealousy flashed from her eyes.

I haven’t seen her since yesterday. I guess we do miss each other, huh?

Anyway, she started by informing us about the camping trip. She already contacted most of our parents and got their approval. Those she failed to contact, she called them one by one and gave them some printouts to take home.

Then, for the homeroom, she only did a small quiz before she let me and Kanzaki present some materials regarding the upcoming trip. The Do’s and Don’ts as well as other reminders.

Kanzaki was seemingly more eager since she got the chance to interact with me. In the end, I simply became a support for her, explaining things she would forget to say.

And that’s how our first period came to an end.

When the second period rolled over, I once again escorted Shio to her next class. And with new rumors floating about me, the classroom I entered instantly went abuzz. Thankfully, there’s Komoe and Watanabe to disperse the attention I’ve gotten.

Komoe expressed her regret for not coming with us yesterday. As for Watanabe, she updated me with some of the things I asked her to do. For example, her attempt to get closer to Marika.

Looks like she’s actually facing some difficulty because of those followers creating a wall around the girl. I told her a shortcut by referring Tanaka-senpai to her.

After yesterday, she probably reported to Takashima already. And with Marika expressing her disappointment, that girl would surely do anything to get her approval again so it’s a wise choice to use her for this.

Anyway, since Komoe was already always with her, she also expressed her enthusiasm at helping Watanabe but in exchange, she sneakily asked me to dote on her like before.

She probably thought she was lagging on whatever race she was in and she could only take whatever opportunity that would come her way.

I didn’t deny her that. In the end, I still feel responsible for her and I’m fond of the girl, just as much as her sister, I guess?

Anyway, Yanagi Kaede also soon joined the duo, looking as lethargic as ever. While she already brightened up a bit, her motivation was still lacking. The girl also expressed her regret for not coming to watch the basketball match.

Now, because of that win and their guaranteed ticket to the prefectural tournament, everyone from that club was already like a celebrity on our campus. And apparently, that piece of news was a boon for me. It somehow shadowed the new rumors about me. Hence, despite how controversial I became, no one truly bothered me about that except Sachi.

Soon enough, I concluded my conversation with them and returned to our classroom.

With this, time quickly passed. The lunch break as well as the end of today’s school hours approached us. There were still other clubs competing in the Interhigh so... it’s free time again.

In any case, I already have a lot lined up for me. First on the list, reporting to Hayashi-sensei.