Stealing Spree

Chapter 2532 Tuesday Morning

Tuesday morning started for me when I sensed Shio, who occupied my right side, sliding out of the bed.

It was still around three or four in the morning, with the sky outside still blanketed with the night sky.

We had a long night, but we didnʼt stay up past midnight because Miwa-nee and Shio got themselves drunk quite early. They didnʼt just drink wine. They also had a few cans of beer before I arrived home.

I thought sheʼd be out like a light until the first rays of sunlight, but sheʼs up already. Possibly, it was her wind-up body clock working for her. It was trained to wake her up early during weekdays.

When Shio noticed my eyelids opening as she fixed her crumpled nightwear, her lips curled upwards as she bent back down, planting her lips on mine. ”You light sleeper. Iʼm not leaving yet, Ruru. I just need to go to the bathroom.”

I rubbed my eyes and gave Shio a sleepy grin as her lips pulled away from mine. ”Really? Good to know. Thought you were sneaking off to go home already.”

She chuckled softly, brushing a hand through my hair before straightening up. ”Not yet. Iʼd wake you properly if I were. Go back to sleep, Ruru. We still have a couple more hours. You canʼt always rely on that tea.”

Her voice was warm, but there was that familiar edge of authority she carried so effortlessly. Like a teacher reminding me to rest, even after a night where sheʼd let herself melt in my arms.

I watched her silhouette slip out of the room, the faint sound of her footsteps marking her path to the bathroom.

On my left, Akane also stirred, her arm tightening around my waist as she mumbled something incoherent into my shoulder.

Her breath was steady, still deep in sleep. I couldnʼt help but smile at how clingy she got, even when unconscious,

As for Miwa-nee, I made sure to tuck her in last night when I carried her to their room. Hopefully, she didnʼt roll over Minoru.

I let my eyes drift shut again, sinking back into the warmth of the blankets and Akaneʼs hold. Shio was right. I shouldnʼt overly rely on that tea. It would run sooner or later. By then, I had to get proper sleep and rest.

A few minutes later, the mattress dipped as Shio returned, sliding back under the covers with a soft sigh. Her head found its spot back on my chest as she looked up, ”Youʼre still awake, Ruru?”

”Barely,” I replied, voice rough with sleep as I draped an arm around her. ”Just making sure you return to my side.”

She let out a quiet laugh as she crept upward, planting another kiss on my lips, ”You worrywart. I already told you I wouldnʼt leave yet.”

Her tone gradually softened as she snuggled closer, her hair tickling my chin. ”Last night was... nice. Thanks for keeping us in check.”

”Someone had to,” I teased, giving her a light squeeze. ”You and Miwa-nee were about two glasses away from drinking too much and squeezing me dry,”

Shio groaned, burying her face deeper into my chest. ”Hmph. Squeeze you dry, you say? Your stamina is boundless, Ruru.”

”Well... I wonʼt deny that. Itʼs my way of ensuring that I can always satisfy you.

”You donʼt have to push yourself every time though... You tell us to scold you but you should do the same for us. Because you see, sometimes, we just wanted to get more of you.”

”I get that. But itʼs a small price to pay. I basically put myself in this situation, so itʼs my responsibility.”

”... There you go with your mature take. Hurry up and graduate so I can put your name on our marriage certificate.” Shio gave up arguing further and just settled in. She knew she couldnʼt win against me, after all. Or rather, she couldnʼt refute that. After all, we all know what kind of relationship we have and Iʼm staying true to my promises to them.

Her breathing slowed as the warmth of the bed lulled her back toward sleep. I let my hand rest on her back, feeling the steady rise and fall, and closed my eyes again.

The next time I stirred, our Tuesday morning started for real.

Shio had to leave early since she had to reach the school first. I didnʼt let her go without eating breakfast with us, of course. Then, Akane, Miwa-nee and I went to our normal routine.

The weather forecast today was still cloudy with the chance of rain so Akane and I brought our umbrellas as we made our way to the train station.

When we arrived there, Eimi met up with us at the entrance and surprisingly, Anzu-nee was there too. Since it was still early, she somehow managed to give Eimi a ride on her motorcycle, cutting the walk for a few minutes.

Sheʼs wearing a brown leather jacket that makes her look like a middle schooler pretending to be a part of a bike gang.

I didnʼt say that out loud for my safety, but she still sensed my amusement through my gaze. Before we entered the station, I snuck in a kiss on her, our first morning

greeting kiss after smoothing out our relationship.

Akane greeted her too but Anzu-nee got so stiff from embarrassment that she immediately dashed away with her motorcycle.𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

I guess itʼll still take a bit of time before she gets used to seeing me with other girls. Still, I sent her a message, wishing her a nice day.

Her reply? A grumpy anime girl sticker that oddly resembled her. When I pointed that out, she filled my screen with it. How adorable.

On the train, Fuyu joined us, too, and eventually, Eri and Futaba. Itʼs now our usual

group.

Eri was still as quirky as ever, treating me as her boy bestfriend even in front of her boyfriend. Futaba, on the other hand, was gradually returning to normal. She would chide Eri for her antics, but whenever our gaze would meet, sheʼd awkwardly turn her head away.

Since theyʼve already talked about what happened last time, Futabaʼs reaction was just the lingering awkwardness from that night. Despite coming clean, she still has no plans to back down with her request. She wanted to understand her body more. As for whether itʼs still for the sake of her relationship or not, thatʼs now up in the air.

After walking them up to their school gates, I waited for Hifumi at the train station, surprising her. I carried her heavy bag filled with her books and brought her to the cafe where Miyako was waiting.

I thought Iʼd get some quality time with them, but I ended up getting scolded by the

two girls.

Their reason? My lack of awareness that Iʼm always running late to school. Even if I told them that I was still arriving on time, save for that one instance where I had to skip the whole morning classes, they still thought I was being ridiculous.

They missed me, and they liked that. I was putting in that kind of effort for them, but they didnʼt want me to keep doing it for my sake...

They probably talked about that in their group chat already, but theyʼre the minority when it comes to that opinion.

So how should I resolve that? At the moment, I couldnʼt give a solution yet, and I stubbornly declared that Iʼd still do it just to get a glimpse of them. In the end, they both sighed and didnʼt argue further.

When I walked them to school, they alternated between being upset and affectionate with me. It was a bizarre experience. One moment, theyʼd cling to my side, asking me to pamper them; then the next, theyʼd let go and put some distance between us. In any case, itʼs still a satisfying morning for us. After that, I went to pick up Marika and took the bus with her.