Stealing Spree

Chapter 2182: Unfinished Business

The door slid shut, and at last, silence returned.

Instinctively, I let out a breath I hadnʼt realized Iʼd been holding. I guess I wasnʼt as unaffected by the tension as I thought. Peeking through the narrow gap in the partition, I checked to make sure they were gone.

Kazuha-nee lingered by the door for a moment, her hand resting on the handle as if she were waiting to ensure they wouldnʼt come back. Only when the coast was completely clear did she turn, locking eyes with me through the narrow gap.

A playful smile tugged at her lips, half amused and half exasperated. She approached the door, and with a soft click, it slid open again.

Standing face-to-face again, Kazuha-neeʼs smirk widened. ”Why are you looking at me like that? Hiding in here was a bad idea, so I locked it to ensure you wouldnʼt misbehave again.” I grinned, shrugging nonchalantly. ”Yeah, right. Itʼs certainly not because you wanted to escape after leaving me hanging. By the way, Ogawa still noticed that blush on your face, Kazuha-nee.”

”Whose fault do you think that is?” she shot back, narrowing her eyes but a playful glint flashed on them.

”Alright, thatʼs on me.”

She sighed, though I could see relief flicker in her eyes. ”Shameless idiot. Letʼs not test our luck next time, okay?”

I chuckled as I leaned closer to her. Our distance dissipated once more. ”Next time?”

Her gaze met mine, and for a brief moment, the tension from earlier melted away, replaced by something warmer, more intimate.

”Letʼs just make sure thereʼs a ʼnext timeʼ where we donʼt have to hide,” she whispered, her alluring voice soft but resolute.

And with that, the atmosphere shifted once again. Kazuha-nee didnʼt resist as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her back into my embrace.

”Sure. Next time, itʼll be your turn to introduce me to Ogawa.” I murmured as my lips brushed against her ear.

”H-huh? You shameless boy. I donʼt mean it that way!” Her face flushed as she lightly slapped my chest.

”Really? How else should I interpret that?” I teased, smirking as I tilted her chin up to meet my gaze.

Before she could protest further, I closed the distance between our faces as our lips overlapped once again.

This time, there was no urgency, no threat of being caught. Just the two of us, wrapped in the momentʼs warmth as if the world outside didnʼt matter.

Perhaps still a little mindful of Ogawaʼs potential return, Kazuha-nee slid the partition door shut again. Once again locking us into this small, enclosed space.

The sound of it clicking shut was almost final, like a shared secret that wouldnʼt escape beyond these tall, improvised room dividers.

”Youʼre getting the hang of this, Kazuha-nee,” I leaned back momentarily in between our kisses to tease her and take this wonderful sight of her lovely expression.

Hearing that, her eyes narrowed followed by her face flushing with both embarrassment and annoyance. “Shut up... Iʼm experienced, alright? Youʼre not the first guy Iʼve kissed.”

There she goes again. Experienced. But that night in Hinaʼs room, I confirmed that even though she claimed to have been in a relationship before, she never had any experience being intimate with someone else. Iʼve taken a lot of her first. But sheʼs denying it for a reason. She didnʼt want me to look down on her...

I couldnʼt help but chuckle at her defensive tone. Then, I whispered in a sarcastic tone, ”Sure. If you say so.”

”Ugh! You really have a knack for getting under someoneʼs skin, Ruki-kun,” she huffed and then bit my lips conveying her palpable frustration.

It wasnʼt painful though. It was only a light bite and it extended to my tongue when it invaded her mouth again.

”Iʼm not trying to annoy you. Iʼm just saying... if only youʼd be more honest with yourself, we could both enjoy this even more.” I eventually replied after getting another window to catch our breath.

Kazuha-neeʼs eyes flashed with a mix of emotions. There were hints of defiance, vulnerability, and maybe even agreement.

Shortly after, she pursed her lips and frowned, almost as if she were trying to hold back from saying more. ”W-what else do you want, Ruki-kun? Iʼm being very honest tonight, more than Iʼve ever been. I canʼt believe it myself.”

”Yeah, right. Honest with your desires, maybe,” I smirked, provoking her further but at the same time, our lips closed in again as I gently pecked on her pout, ”But donʼt worry, weʼre in the same boat.”

Although slightly unconvinced, Kazuha-neeʼs frown eased up, the pecking was doing its wonder as slowly but surely, her lips relaxed and responded to my kisses again. However, because of my words, Kazuha-nee couldnʼt set aside the fact that our meeting was wrong in a lot of ways. Though her desire and affection for me remained triumphant, we still needed to address it sooner or later. And this moment seemed to be the most appropriate. ”y-yeah... But donʼt think this makes things okay. You should repent, Ruki. Iʼm not like Hina or the other girls. Iʼm just someone you dragged into this... this complicated mess.”

I tilted my head, studying her closely. As I expected, There was something more beneath her words. An underlying uncertainty. Most likely her hesitance to fully acknowledge what weʼre currently doing.

”I donʼt think thatʼs entirely true, Kazuha-nee. The moment we realized we were attracted to each other, you stopped being different from them.”

As I said that, I used my thumb to wipe the frown from her face and kissed her again.

Kazuha-nee let out a silent gasp, but she quickly masked it with a glare. ”Whatʼs that supposed to mean?”

I smiled gently as I reached out to brush a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. ”It means youʼre not just someone I ʼdraggedʼ into this. Weʼre both in this, willingly. Just like Hina and the others, youʼre part of this now. Youʼve made your choice, and so have I.”

Her lips parted slightly as if to protest, but no words came out. Instead, she averted her gaze, the defiance in her eyes wavering.

Sheʼs aware of it. She knew I was right, even if she didnʼt want to admit it out loud. ”Kazuha-nee... Can I spell it out for you? What this really is between us?” I asked. Though I wanted her to be honest, I was aware that I might push her over the edge here.

She looked back at me, her eyes searching mine for a moment before she shook her head.

”No... You canʼt.”

Kazuha-neeʼs answer was shaky, but it wasnʼt entirely a rejection.

There was something in her tone. A silent acknowledgment that she wasnʼt ready to fully face

whatever this was yet.

And thatʼs for the best.

For now, the silence between us wasnʼt uncomfortable. It was filled with understanding and tension as well as the weight of what we both knew was already there. Unspoken but

undeniable.

As my fingers continued to thread gently through Kazuha-neeʼs hair, I watched her gaze fixate on me, her eyes searching mine. There was a softness in her expression now, a quiet surrender that hadnʼt been there before.

I stared back at her, catching glimpses of my reflection in her pupils.

I couldnʼt read her mind, not completely, but I had a pretty good idea of what was running through her head. The night had taken an unexpected turn, and while there were certainly conflicting thoughts swirling in her mind, one thing was clear; Kazuha-nee didnʼt want this moment between us to end. Not yet.

”... Shameless boy. Isnʼt it time for you to go home? Take the chance while Kazu-kun and Mami-chan are in his room.”

Despite her words, the intent behind them didnʼt match. Her arms remained wrapped tightly around my back as if to anchor me in place. Her body language betrayed her hesitation to let

me go.

I smirked and shook my head slightly, ”I will go home. But Kazuha-nee, you forget we have unfinished business. I have yet to take care of you enough...”

A faint blush rose to her cheeks but she didnʼt protest. Her lips pressed together as I began to guide us back toward her chair. The very spot she occupied every time she was working. Today, it gained a much different significance.

Kazuha-nee let out a soft sigh, though there was no real resistance in her movements. She

allowed herself to be led by me. Her gaze flickered down to our lower bodies, the part where

weʼre intimately connected.

She could feel that part of me didnʼt lose hardness despite the time she spent conversing with Ogawa and Mami. Likewise, I could sense the faint throbbing of her sacred place, anticipating the imminent resumption of what weʼve started.

”What a hopeless pervert,” Kazuha-nee whispered, her voice barely audible. Nonetheless, there was no malice in her tone. In fact, it was laced with something warmer. An acceptance of the situation, of us, of this intimacy we shared.

As we reached the chair, I paused, my hands sliding down to her waist as I gently lifted her feet from the ground before I sat down, ultimately putting her back on my lap, ”Hopeless, maybe. But youʼre not exactly stopping me, are you?”

Kazuha-nee inhaled deeply as she met my gaze, her lips parting just enough to reply, ”I never

said I would.”

That was all I needed to hear.

In the dim light of her workspace, the air between us thickened once more. The weight of our

words gave way to the unspoken quiet pull of something more than just our desire for each𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

other.

I could feel her heartbeat through our shared proximity, each breath drawing us closer into a space where the rest of the world ceased to matter.

This time. Alone in this small, enclosed space of her room. Weʼre locked in a moment that neither of us seemed eager to escape.