Stealing Spree

Chapter 2647: How are they letting you get away with it?

As we approached the staircase, Yumei skipped ahead, turning to walk backward as she grinned at me. “Sooo, Handsome-senpai, you’re gonna love this. I promise you. It’s, like, a big deal. I wanna make a splash on my socials, and I need your help to pull it off!”

Whatever that was... I could only nod at her. I mean, I could try to guess but it’d be best to simply wait for her to reveal it.

A splash, huh?

I raised an eyebrow, already sensing this was going to be more than a simple cosplay request. Is she going to ask me to model for her? Possibly.

We continued upstairs, going to the 4th floor where the designated connected clubrooms that we were going to use for our booth were. To ensure that Tadano would not encounter us, I had Arisa and Izumi keep him in the Student Support Club by giving him more tasks than normal.

Upon reaching the clubroom, I gently ushered the girls inside, but paused to address Mami, who lingered hesitantly at the doorstep.

“Are you okay staying here for a bit, or would you prefer I escort you back down to where Ogawa is?” I asked.

“Uhm. I think it’s fine for me to stay here for a bit, senpai. I don’t want to disturb him... Also, I didn’t tell him I was coming.” She said as she twirled one of her twintails.

“You didn’t tell him? Now, that’s interesting. So I will be in trouble not only from Tadano but also Ogawa if they find out you’re both here.” I replied, pretending to be exasperated, complete with a feigned distressed expression, acting like I was dreading dealing with those two.

In truth, however, I was far from concerned. Nami, Hina and Saki alone will be enough to grill them and fend them off, not to mention all of the girls inside.

“Huh, are you scared, senpai? That’s not like you.” Mami remarked with an amused eye-roll, clearly not buying into my act.

“Not like me? How do I normally act in your eyes?”

“Shamelessly stupid that it’s making me wonder why everyone is so infatuated with you.”

“Ouch... Now I’m truly hurt. Is it only Ogawa who captures your heart in a princely manner?” I shot back half-jokingly, frowning and clutching my chest for dramatic effect.

“Of course! He’s my... boyfriend, after all.” Mami’s eyes glimmered with pride. She was truly so infatuated with that guy that she had already forgotten how he was like a man possessed and fixated only on Nami.

“Heh... Good for you. By the way, have I even congratulated you yet?”

“Pfft. Why bother, senpai? Not like Kazuo-senpai will be happy to hear about you interacting with me... Really, I should hate you, right? You caused him so much pain.” She countered.

“Correction, Mami-chan,” I said with a smirk, “I only slapped him with the truth. If he has truly wizened up, he shouldn’t let his resentment towards me come between you two. Instead, he should be focusing on taking care of you.”

Mami’s eyes narrowed, but a faint flush crept up her cheeks at my words. “Hmph. You’re too smooth for your own good, senpai. Kazuo-senpai’s already doing that, so don’t worry your handsome head about it.”

She then turned away, twirling her twintail again, but I caught the tiniest smile tugging at her lips before she stepped fully into the clubroom, walking towards Nami and the others.

Inside, the room was already a scene of organized chaos. Props were strewn across tables, half-finished decorations hung from the walls, and the girls darted around as they kept the communication going.

I found the usual group of Rumi, Kana and Hana at the whiteboard along with Yuika and Minori-senpai.

Minori was actually surrounded by Himeko, Rae and Aya, considering Haruko wasn’t around. That girl was still helping at the Student Council with the budget assessment and logistical planning for the various clubs.

Mina was going around, delivering tea to everyone but I saw her getting pulled down next to Nikka-senpai.

Whatever they’re talking about, even Reira-senpai was too busy to notice my arrival.

Meanwhile, Sumire was already pulled by Chii and the two gyarus, who were sorting through a pile of colorful fabrics.

Umi lingered near the door as her fingers found my sleeve again while Nina dramatically bowed on my path, acting like she was a vampire minion, guiding me to the red carpet towards my throne.

As for Yumei, Mami joined her poke at the props along with the trio of Nami, Hina and Saki.

Maaya, Misaki and Marika were still at their clubs. I was still planning to visit the clubhouse later. Most likely, they’ll show up there to spend time with me.

When I tried looking for Otsuka-senpai, I found her creeping towards my side.

Noticing my gaze on her, her purple eyes sparkled as she giggled like a silly goose. I don’t know what she’s planning but, was she about to surprise me? I guess she’s now being creative in how to gather my attention.

After all, most of the girls in the room were girlfriends. She, who only had that promise with me, couldn’t easily approach me as she’s afraid to gather their ire.

Or maybe, she simply had no topic to discuss with me yet. We’re still waiting for that group date to be set where I will pretend to be her boyfriend.

Before dealing with her and my vampire minion, I glanced down at Umi as I grabbed her hand to hook her arm around mine instead of just holding my sleeve and pulling closer, “You good, Umi? Not feeling too overwhelmed with this crowd?”

She shook her head, her shy smile warming the air between us. “I’m okay, Ruki-senpai. It’s... lively. I like it. And, um...”

She hesitated as her fingers tightened around my arm, “I like being here with you.”

This... How’s a guy supposed to stay composed when she says stuff like that? I gave her a gentle nudge with my shoulder before quickly giving her a fleeting kiss on the lips. “Careful, Umi. Keep being that cute, and I might not let you leave my side to study for your exams tomorrow.”

Her sweet giggle echoed as the shade of her cheeks took on a deep red. “You’re terrible, senpai.”

“Terrible? Nah, just shamelessly charming.” I winked, earning another laugh from her before she finally let go of my sleeve and wandered over to help Sumire.

Nina, of course, wasn’t about to let the moment pass without her theatrics. “Oh, Noble of the Night, may I request to be graced by your bite?”

With a silly smile on her face, she started tugging at her sleeve again, giving me a glimpse of her flawless neck where I bit her last time.

I shot her a deadpan look before flicking her forehead, “Nina, I told you to tone that down, didn’t I? Should I stop being your Night Prince?”

She gasped, clutching her chest as if I’d stabbed her. “Oh! You wound me, senpai! Anything but that!”

Yumei, who’d been eavesdropping while rifling through a box of glittery props, burst out laughing. “Oh my gosh, Nina-senpai, you’re too much! Handsome-senpai, you gotta admit, she’s got flair.”

“Flair? Sure. A whole theater production’s worth. It’s not even helping that her appearance was more of a gothic girl, yet she’s so overly dramatic.” I said, shaking my head as I moved toward the table where Chii and the others were working. “Alright, let’s focus. We’ve got props to sort, and I’m not letting you all distract me from slacking off.”

Chii glanced up from her pile of fabric, smirking. “Says the guy who just kissed one of her girls again. Hey, when will we get our turn, Kii? You’ll be a walking distraction if you don’t treat us fairly.”

With those words, everyone’s gaze landed on me. They even paused everything they were doing just to wait for my answer.

I smilingly shook my head as I approached the fake gyaru, kissing her, “Alright, your wish is my command. But admit it, I can also be a productive distraction.”

“Pfft. How can you be productive if you’re a distraction? Make it make sense, Kii.”

Just like this, the usual scene of me making rounds within the room ensued. While I aimed to give them all a kiss or just dote on them. Some girls, like Rumi, were content with me hugging them. They’re afraid that they would lose their cool composure if I kiss them. Which was understandable. I could still kiss them later anyway.

Naturally, I also included Reira-senpai, Otsuka-senpai and the two gyaru who acted like they didn’t want me closing in on them, especially An-rin. But in the end, my insistence prevailed.

When I returned to Umi and Yumei, the former asked for another kiss while the latter was just staring at me as if she had just witnessed something magical.

“That was... something else, Handsome-senpai.” Yumei muttered, “You’re, like, juggling all these girls like it’s nothing! How are they letting you get away with it?”