Stealing Spree

Chapter 2833: Apology

After escorting everyone back to the locker room, I slipped out quietly before the girls could bring up the ‘reward’ for me.

Not that I was escaping from it. I just thought they should relish in their victory first and rest.

Besides, I promised to meet someone after the game.

As I walked along the hallway, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

Satsuki sent a string of messages demanding I come back inside ‘or else’, followed by a pouty selfie of her still flushed and sweaty. The way the jersey clung to her body was teasing me.

I smiled, typing a quick reply: “Girl, you earned your full celebration package tonight. Wait for me, alright?”

Before I could pocket the phone, another message popped up from Ria.

“Dumb-senpai, Nagisa-senpai should be waiting near the side exit. Don’t keep her waiting too long~”

That girl. How did she even know where Nagisa would be? She was stuck by my side throughout the match.

She’s always one step ahead.

I exhaled and headed toward the side exit.

The late afternoon light was directed right at that area, casting long shadows across the corridor.

I immediately saw Nagisa standing under the shade, arms crossed under her chest, straight black hair catching the glow.

When she spotted me, her eyes widened for a split second before she reined in her expression into something closer to calm and collected. Still, the faint tremble in her fingers as she faced me gave her away.

“You really came, Ruki...” She softly said as she trailed her voice on my name. Now that we were alone, the longing in her voice became more obvious. Furthermore, the way her legs seemed to shudder as though she’s holding herself back from running into my arms told me enough of what she’s currently feeling.

“I promised, didn’t I?” I stopped at a respectful distance, hands on my sides as I put on a smile, “Sorry for the wait. The girls were riding the high of that win.”

Nagisa’s lips twitched slightly before a small, genuine smile broke through. “I saw. You turned that game around like it was nothing. They looked... unstoppable after halftime. Even Mikan couldn’t break through in the end.”

She paused there, glancing down at her shoes before meeting my eyes again. “But that smile... I never thought I’d be seeing you with that kind of expression on your face.”

“You’ve really changed. The old you would’ve just watched from the sidelines, maybe thrown in a few sharp words to rile them up for your own amusement. But today... you truly coached those girls. I even saw you wipe Satsuki’s sweat. You were considerate. I know that. But in a public setting? It’s... weird. In a good way.”

I chuckled softly as I had no idea how to react to that, “Weird is one word for it. A lot happened this school year. And yeah, I can now smile genuinely like this.”

Nagisa couldn’t help but reach for my cheek, poking it once as though confirming whether I was just holding that smile up or not.

She awkwardly giggled and pulled her finger back before saying, “Un. That’s genuine.”

“I know it’s hard to believe but well... it happened. The heartless bastard changed. Still, I don’t consider myself someone reformed. I am still the same bastard, you know? After all... I’m still...”

I paused there. She might not want to hear about my current relationship, after all. What she wanted to hear from me was how I transformed into this. Or rather, what triggered it.

“Anyway, the change didn’t just come suddenly. I was set on doing the same things as before during the first few weeks of this school year.”

“Tell me, Ruki. What made you change?” She asked. The light in her eyes told me she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if I didn’t tell her.

“It’s Akane. You’ve met her, right?”

“Yes... But how? Isn’t she the one you’re always rejecting? The one chasing after you?”

“Mhm... That’s how it was. But I realized that someone else might’ve been exploiting her love for me the same way I exploited or was exploiting the love of the girls I stole.”

“You mean...” Nagisa gasped as she realized where I was going with this.

“Mhm. It’s not that I don’t care about her. I was just intentionally looking the other way because of my desire. And realizing how she’s not even entertaining the thought of having a boyfriend just to get me to steal her, it got me overthinking that if I keep it up, she might truly get caught by a guy like me. Forced to satisfy their desire while letting her keep her love for me.” I ended that with a wry, mocking smile directed at myself.

For someone like me who did the same thing to a lot of girls, it was hypocritical to be worried about it being done to the girl I was pushing away at every turn.

Nagisa’s eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place. Her fingers, which had been fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, stilled completely. She stared at me for a long moment, processing every word like it was a puzzle she’d been trying to solve for months.

“So... Akane was the trigger,” she murmured, voice barely above a whisper. “The one girl you kept pushing away became the reason you stopped pushing everyone else. That’s... poetic in a twisted way. The girl who never gave up on you ended up saving you from yourself.”

I gave a small nod, rubbing the back of my neck as shame crept to my face. “Pretty much. Seeing how far she was willing to go just to stay in my orbit while I was busy stealing others... it hit different. Satsuki is also a part of it. After all, she’s that girl I was trying to steal when I realized that. I kept telling her that it’s fine to keep loving her childhood friend while she succumbs to me, serving as an outlet for my desire.”

Nagisa’s eyes glistened as a mix of understanding and lingering ache flashed within them. She stepped closer, her arms stretching to hold onto me, as if testing whether I’d pull away like I used to. But I didn’t. I opened my palm, accepting her hand in mine.

The girl trembled slightly before a small smile peeked from her lips.

“So that’s why... You saw yourself in that hypothetical guy who might take advantage of Akane the same way you did with us. And Satsuki... she was the one who made you confront it head-on.”

I nodded even as the old guilt twisted in my gut.

“Yeah. I was about to do the same thing to her. Steal her from the guy who also clearly loves her, use her as another outlet, then toss her aside when I get bored. But something clicked. I realized I didn’t want to be that guy anymore. Not for her, not for Akane, not for any of you. So I stopped. Cold turkey at first, then... slowly started fixing what I broke.”

Nagisa let out a shaky laugh, wiping at the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. “Fixing... You make it sound so simple. But it’s not like that at all, right?”

“Mhm. I realized I love Akane. I don’t want to lose her. And I also love or loved all of you. Well, I was kind of an idiot who only focused on my desire but many of the girls let me understand how much I cared for all of you back then. Of course, that doesn’t negate all the horrible things I’ve done. That’s why... I want to apologize. Not just to you but to everyone.”

Upon saying that, I lowered my head and bent my back sincerely.

Nagisa stopped me from bending down further before saying, “Geez. What an idiot. Don’t just bow to me in an apology like that.”

She cupped my cheek, lifting my head to meet her gaze. And then she smiled.

“But I admit. Hearing you call my name like that earlier, looking at me without that cold distance... it’s not simple for me, Ruki. It feels like I finally untied the knot I had in my heart ever since that Christmas day.”

“I won’t lie. Part of me still aches when I think about how you used to summon me like I was nothing more than a toy. But hearing you apologize, seeing you actually care about how I feel... it helps. More than you know.”

I reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, the same way I’d done with Kawakami-senpai earlier but without any of the calculated charm. Just honest.

“I’m sorry, Nagisa. Truly. For treating you like that. For not giving you a proper goodbye. For making you feel like you had to wait for scraps of my attention.”

Her lips quivered as she leaned into the touch for a second before stepping back, composing herself. “Apology accepted... Ruki. And thank you for saying my name like it matters. It does. It always did to me.”

The air felt lighter after that, the tension easing into something closer to closure. Nagisa straightened her posture, brushing imaginary dust from her skirt as she glanced toward the gymnasium doors.

Perhaps she couldn’t take it anymore, Nagisa was already planning to escape this scene. Well, not in a bad way.