Stealing Spree

Chapter 2921: It’s today

Once I finished fixing her clothes, I picked her up by her waist, lifting her off my lap so she could find her footing. Yumika reluctantly stepped back, her legs still feeling a bit like jelly as she smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt. She tried to pull her shoulders back to reclaim that poised, commanding presence of a senior, but the lingering flush on her cheeks and the slight tremor in her hands gave her away. She looked at me, her expression softening into something genuinely tender, before she caught herself and quickly cleared her throat.

”You’re gonna visit our booth, right?”

”Of course. I need to see if my sponsorship of the archery club actually paid off,” I teased, giving her a playful wink.

Yumika huffed, though she couldn’t hide the small, satisfied smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She reached out and gave my shoulder a light swat, a gesture that was far more affectionate than corrective.

”It’s worth it! Just you watch.”

”Heh. Then, if I win the challenge of your booth, will I be able to take you away?”

”Y-you! I’m not part of the prize! Who do you think you are, treating a senior like some sort of trophy?” Yumika snapped but her face kept the vivid shade of red.

”Right. Right. I can’t treat you like that.” I chuckled, stepping back to give her space to fully recover her composure. ”Anyway, since I will also be busy these coming days, you can always look for me in our classroom if you need me, senpai. You know... if you need more,”

”You pervert. You’re already planning for next time.”

”What do you mean by planning? Senpai, this is me considering your future curiosity flaring up. It’s my responsibility for corrupting you.”

The girl furrowed her brows before reaching in to hit my chest, ”Don’t say it like that! Hmph. But I guess... I’ll consider it.”

”Mhm. For a freak like you, senpai. Only I can handle your curiosity,” I teased, flashing her a grin as we finally stepped out of the storage room.

The girl puffed up her cheeks, clearly unhappy at being called a freak. But rather than correcting it, the girl linked arms with me as we walked back to the School Building.

A few minutes later, Suzuki Yumika separated from me upon entering the building. Her courage to show up in our classroom like this dissolved like mist.

I guess she realized she’s still not bold enough to face my girls. For her, what happened between us was a result of her curiosity amplified by her boldness. Even if she had already immersed herself fully in it, she’s still a girl with a shred of modesty left.

I offered to escort her back to their classroom but Yumika declined with a hasty wave of her hand, practically jogging away while glancing back at me with a mix of longing and lingering embarrassment.

As I watched her disappear around the corner, I felt a strange sense of accomplishment. I mean, who would’ve thought things would develop so quickly with the prideful archery captain? I only thought of teasing her for peeking at us earlier but somehow we ended up in a storage room together, doing almost everything there is to do between a man and a woman.

I let out a soft sigh and started heading back toward our classroom. I’d think about what to do the next time we get another chance.

Anyway, since I was out for more than an hour, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for leaving the work to my girls.

When they saw me entering the room, I earned a probing look from Nami who immediately dragged me to her side, informing me of what I missed. To make up for my absence, I spent the next hour acting as the general laborer for the group, moving heavy boxes of decorations and rearranging tables. My focus was split between the physical work and the various girls who seemed to take turns checking on me.

Of course, most of them showed a hint of jealousy, which I had to navigate through a series of strategic compliments and small gestures. I spent a good deal of time massaging Nami’s shoulders or whispering a quick, reassuring word in Hina’s ear whenever she looked too pouty.

Then, there was Satsuki who would click her tongue every few minutes as she stared at me with a frown, calling me ’shameless idiot’. I could only sneak in a kiss to curb her mood, which worked exactly as expected.

Once the school hours ended, I volunteered to be left behind with those in the Cleaning Duty to help tidy up the classroom.

By tomorrow, we’d start transforming the interior for our Haunted Mystery House. I’d finally have something to do other than being a wandering soul, inserting myself in every group.

—

On my way to the Club Building, I checked my phone, finding a new message from Futaba.

That’s right. It’s today. I don’t know exactly what the plan is. Do I pick her up at their school, will she wait for me at our house or do I just go to hers after I arrive home?

As for whether she would change her mind, it was close to impossible. Having resolved herself to get another lesson from me, even getting Akane and Fuyu’s permission, backing out would be the last of her worries.

Oh. I have no idea what she’s going to say to her boyfriend though. Obviously, he’ll be in the dark.

Will it be a betrayal on her part? Obviously, yes. However, after the first time, she’s way past reconciling herself to the morality of it. The thrill of the secret, the risk of getting caught, and the physical craving for my touch had likely overridden any sense of loyalty to her partner. Of course, on the surface, it was still all for him.

Uh... As for me, I probably feel a little conflicted. But only a little. Even with my shamelessness, I didn’t lack a basic sense of guilt when it came to Futaba. What I can do is just to make sure that the pleasure I provide her outweighs any guilt she might feel. In a way, that’s the most merciful way to handle a situation like this.

Ugh. I’m really a bastard.

“Onoda-kun. It’s today.”

That’s all she said. A simple reminder.

I thought for a moment before replying, “Yes. I didn’t forget.”

She didn’t reply right away but I saw that she read it right as I sent it. As for whether she was waiting for my reply or it just so happened that I replied just as she opened the app, I had no idea. I put my phone back in my pocket, deciding to check her reply later.

My day at school hadn’t ended yet, after all.

Anyway, I first came to check on Shizu and Haruko at the Student Council before coming to the Literature Club booth, joining the girls as we prepared for it.

This time, even though I still made a round to check on everyone, Rumi kept me by her side as we finalized the expanded scenarios for the booth. Then, while those free started with memorizing their lines and rehearsing their roles, as the only man in our joint booth, I started working on the more physical tasks.

Still, it’s not like the girls let me do it all on my own. With the lighter tasks, they’d find any excuse to ’help’, which usually just meant they were trying to get as close to me as possible.