Stealing Spree

Chapter 2554: Oddly charming

She rolled her eyes but the flush on her cheeks deepened, and I could tell Iʼd hit a nerve.

Minami Shouko wasnʼt the type to back down easily, and sheʼs also someone who moves with a plan. Simply because she wanted to find that genuine connection she was craving. But then again, she also wasnʼt used to being the one on the defensive. It was a rare sight, and I couldnʼt help but enjoy it a little.

”Okay. Iʼll tell you if youʼre that curious,” She said, stopping just before the turn to where the conference room was located and turning to face me.

Her posture was defiant, one hand on her hip as she attempted to look a little more composed.

”If you must know, the plan was to get you alone and… well, rattle you. I figured if I could throw you off your game, make you slip up, Iʼd get a better read on who you really are. All that mystery around you was driving me up the wall.”

I raised an eyebrow.”Rattle me, huh? Thatʼs impressive, to say the least, if ever you had succeeded. But what exactly were you gonna do to achieve that? Stare me down with that scary senpai glare of yours?”

She huffed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before letting out a soft giggle. Sheʼs like this kid who proudly presented her built sandcastle to her mom.

”I had… methods. A few well-placed questions, maybe some subtle pressure by saying Iʼll expose your secrets. Things to get under your skin. Something like that. If all of that failed, Iʼd show myself and maybe… seduce you? But clearly, I underestimated you. You didnʼt just dodge the trap. You turned it around on me.”

At the end of her sentence, Minami Shouko looked deflated and I couldnʼt help but reach for her cheek and pinch it to cheer her up, ”I see. Good plan. Too bad it doesnʼt work against me.”

The playful pinch coaxed a surprised squeak from Minami Shouko. Her hazel eyes widened, making her composed facade crack and revealing a mix of embarrassment and indignation.

She swatted my hand away, her lips pursing into a pout that was more endearing than intimidating.

”Onoda-kun!” She huffed, rubbing her cheek as if Iʼd done some grievous harm. ”You canʼt just do that! What are you, a kid teasing his crush on the playground?”

I tilted my head innocently, acting like I had done nothing wrong. ”Maybe I am. Youʼre adorable like this, senpai. I like it. But of course, all this is to keep you on your toes. Canʼt let you get too comfortable thinking youʼve got me all figured out.”

She crossed her arms and sighed. ”Oh, please. Iʼm not even close to figuring you out and thatʼs the problem. Youʼre like a puzzle with half the pieces missing and the other half from a different box entirely. And it keeps on changing every day. Every time I think Iʼve got a handle on you, you pull something like this.”

She gestured vaguely at me, her hand waving in the air as if to encompass my entire existence.

”Is that really the case with me? You know Iʼm also like an open book to my girls.” I said as I stepped closer to her and Minami Shouko instinctively retreated but her back was already against the wall. ”In your case, though, senpai, youʼre not an open book. All that scheming, those pranks, the whole ʼexpert manipulatorʼ vibe. Even after getting you to agree with me, youʼre still as much of a puzzle. Maybe thatʼs why we keep circling each other like this.”

Her smirk faltered, and she looked away for a moment, her fingers tightening around the papers she still held. Luckily for her, the hallway was currently deserted. The distant chatter of club activities was muffled by the walls.

And from one corner, the late afternoon light spilled through the windows, casting long shadows that danced across her face, highlighting the faint flush that had yet to fade.

”Circling, huh?” She murmured, glancing down as if she were looking at herself in introspective. ”You make it sound like weʼre playing some kind of game. But… I donʼt know, Onoda-kun. Sometimes I wonder if Iʼm just chasing shadows with you. Like, whatʼs the point of all this back-and-forth? Am I trying to prove something to you, or myself?”

The shift in her tone was surprising. It almost caught me off guard.

Itʼs not like weʼre doing this back and forth every day, but then again, each time we did, I somehow kept unraveling her. And yesterday, we even played that game where it ended with me carrying her.

From an outside perspective, it could be seen as us flirting with each other. But for Minami Shouko, who had yet to truly connect with someone wherein she could spill all her thoughts, that was a new experience.

At the moment, Minami Shouko reminded me of Sachiʼs vulnerability earlier, the way sheʼd laid bare her admiration and her doubts. And just like with Sachi, I felt that same pull to meet her honesty with my own.

I set the stack of papers down on a nearby windowsill, freeing my hands. One went to her face and the other to her waist as I pressed closer to her, almost pinning her to the wall.

”Senpai, you donʼt have to prove anything. Not to me, not to anyone. Youʼre already someone who stands out. Sharp, resourceful, and yeah, maybe a little manipulative, but in an oddly charming way. You donʼt need to chase shadows to get my attention. Youʼve had it since that letter. If anything… this should be the time for you to chase after the connection youʼre seeking. Not just from me. You have followers waiting for you, right? Treat me like this lighthouse you can return to if you somehow lost your way or you think youʼve failed at connecting with someone.”

Her eyes snapped back to mine, wide and searching, as if she was trying to gauge whether I was teasing or serious. ”Youʼre doing it again. Saying stuff like that with that… stupidly sincere face. Itʼs not fair.”

”Not fair, huh? I told you. Iʼm just being honest, senpai,” I said, echoing the same line I kept using to most of my girls. I canʼt help it. I can only be stupidly honest about things. Even if it meant that not everything can be solved just by being honest.

My hand lingered on her cheek while my thumb brushed lightly against her skin, tracing her lips. Meanwhile, my other hand rested gently on her waist, keeping her close but not to the point of zeroing our distance.

Minami Shoukoʼs gaze softened, her usual sharpness dulled by a flicker of uncertainty. She didnʼt pull away, though, and that alone spoke volumes. Her hands, still clutching the papers, hovered uncertainly before one of them reached up, her fingers brushing against my wrist as if to ground herself.

”Honest,” She repeated. ”Youʼre too good at this, Onoda-kun. Making people feel like theyʼre the only one in the room. I bet you say that to all your girls, donʼt you?”

I chuckled softly as I nodded. ”Maybe I do, but that doesnʼt make it any less true. Youʼre not just one of the crowd, senpai. Youʼre Minami Shouko, the girl who tried to outsmart me with a fake love letter and made me solve those harmless prank cases, yet you still managed to walk away with my respect. Thatʼs not something I give out lightly.”

Her lips twitched into a small, satisfied smile, but I could tell from her eyes that she was still observing me, looking for any hint of flippancy.

After finding nothing, she let out a shaky breath, her shoulders relaxing slightly.

”Youʼre impossible,” She said again but this time it sounded less like a complaint and more like an admission. ”I donʼt know how to deal with you, you know that? I keep trying to keep up, to stay one step ahead, but you… You just keep pulling the rug out from under me.”

”Then stop trying to stay ahead,” I said, my voice low and steady. ”You donʼt need to outmaneuver me, senpai. Just be you. Thatʼs more than enough. And I like that part of you.”

Upon saying that, I took a step back and pulled my hands off of her, leaving her flustered and wanting.