Stealing Spree

Chapter 2383: Standing by her decision



After the call from Otoha, I got another message, this time from Nina. The vampire fanatic says they're going to visit again later after school.

And yep. She's not going alone this time. Most likely, Mami will come with her. She's now Ogawa's girlfriend, after all.

As for Umi and Sumire, Nina said she would ask them at school. That girl knew how to make me look forward to something. Maybe I could indulge her a little bit in her fantasy.

Once I finished going through all my messages and then greeting my girls with 'good morning', I went down for my daily exercise. Akane joined me before we ate breakfast with Miwa-nee and Minoru.

And the rest was our usual morning preparations for school.

Like yesterday, Eimi joined us at the station. She looked so sleepy as if she forced herself to wake up early to catch us.

I told her she shouldn't push herself if it's going to conflict with her body clock. Well, her argument on it was as I expected, she's simply increasing the number of times she could be with me.

How could I still scold her for that?

There's also the part of her growing competitiveness knowing that Anzu-nee could become the same as her. She's worried that my attention during our weekend supermarket date will now be split between them.

Mhm. I'm guilty of making them restless like this because of their increasing numbers. And as much as it was painfully obvious, I couldn't do anything to stop myself from falling for another girl.

It's clearly a failure on my part. Because no matter how much I remind or restrain myself, I still end up getting drawn to those girls.

Anyway, that's enough pessimism for the day.

When we took our seats, I immediately offered her my shoulder which Eimi happily claimed, resting her eyes for a bit to make up for the lost sleep.

Fuyu joined us at the next station then Eri and Futaba. Just one look and everyone could tell that Eri picked her up from her house. The usually sensible girl looked a little awkward but with Eri holding her tightly by her wrist, she had no choice but to approach us.

When our eyes met, Futaba helplessly smiled, clearly resigning herself to the situation.

With Akane and Fuyu's eyes locking on her, the girl shrunk back slightly, her cheeks tinting a light shade of pink.

"Futaba, come here, there's a space between us," Akane said as Fuyu slid to the right, opening a space for her.

Of course, in her eyes, it's like an invitation to hell. But then again, there wasn't really running away for her anymore.

To save her from the awkwardness, I spoke up while donning a playful smile, "Futaba, it's fine. They won't eat you. That will be my fate."

And just like that, the tension lightened up. Futaba took a deep breath, her eyes flickered between Akane and Fuyu before she sat down. Eri remained standing in front of us, giving me a thumbs-up.

Naturally, they wouldn't talk about our agreement openly but they communicated with gestures. Akane and Fuyu squeezed her like a sandwich and Futaba could only lower her head in shame. Occasionally, she would look at me for help but Akane would block her view.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

With that, the train ride ended up becoming like a silent grill for Futaba. The tension remained the same, as Akane and Fuyu wouldn't really make it difficult for her in a public setting. It's just their way of teasing her.

But knowing those two, they'd definitely have her spill her thoughts later. What is she currently thinking or what is she planning for her relationship? At that, there's really no way for me to back her as it was something she promised she would face when she agreed to tell the others about what happened.

Surprisingly, their boyfriends didn't show up on the train. Either they were late or they intentionally told them not to come. It's probably the latter considering they wouldn't want her to be put in a more awkward situation.

When we reached the station, I borrowed the girl to take to her for a bit. Akane and Fuyu handed her right away while Eri whispered to take it easy. As for Eimi who had just woken up from a short nap, she just blinked a few times before tilting her head.

Anyway, I brought Futaba to a less crowded and rather obscured spot of the station. Akane and the others were waiting not far from us so... nothing's going to happen aside from talking to her and hearing her thoughts.

Futaba was fidgeting a lot. She had her shoulders drooped while rubbing one of her arms awkwardly. Nevertheless, she didn't look like she was feeling uncomfortable. If I'm not wrong, having me stand in front of her reminds her of the other.

"Futaba," I started, "Will you be alright like this? You know they're more worried than mad at finding out about it."

"I know." She let out a sigh as she bit her nibbled her lower lip while looking at them... I signed up for that, Onoda-kun. I expected this all to happen. E-even my guilt and shame. It will be this awkward for a while but... I'll manage."

Although she was stuttering, her determination remained the same. Just like she said, she might feel guilty or shameful but it wouldn't really change the fact that it already happened. Furthermore, the experience and the sensation I brought to her were something she'd continue seeking from me.

"Well, it's a bizarre situation so it's to be expected but if it's too much for you, we can always put a stop to it."

"D-don't say that, Onoda-kun. If we stop now. What's the point of all this? I will just feel empty..."

"Is that really the case? How will you face your boyfriend then? Won't you start comparing us?"

"... I'll do my best not to. Onoda-kun, I am doing it for us."

Right. She's going to use that phrase a lot. Either she's using it to escape from the truth or she already forces herself to believe that it was the sole reason for it.

Either way, it's clearly bad for someone with a boyfriend. At the very least, Eri knew that her closeness to me was wrong but Futaba was trying to deflect it with a reason that could easily break down when confronted with the reality of our situation.

But should I call her out for it? She's clearly aware of it but she's purposely ignoring it.

"Alright. If that's your reasoning then I won't force you to change your mind. But Futaba... I'm also worried about you. I'm helping you but that doesn't mean I will let you ruin yourself

for it."

"T-thanks for the reminder, Onoda-kun. But I'm fine. I can... get past this. Can you also trust me?" Futaba looked up at me with her round eyes trembling with hope.

I patted her head and ruffled her hair, "Alright. I'll trust you know what we're doing. Akane and Fuyu may question you a lot but they're also only looking out for you, because as you know by now, it's a situation where things can go wrong quickly."

"Yes..." Futaba nodded and took a step forward, her forehead resting on my chest as she leaned into me, taking comfort from my hand caressing her hair. "I know you're just looking

out for me too."