Stealing Spree

Chapter 69: A Greedy and Stupid Guy (1)

The clubroom was surprisingly normal. Well, what should I say? There were something like scrolls pasted on its walls containing poems. Maybe written by the members or from popular poets.

Ah. I see.

The room was cut in half. Upon entering the door, youʼll be met by a wall on your right thatʼs filled with excerpts and poems to live up to the name of the club.

Of course, behind that wall is the room connected to the Book Club. But yeah, that room only took half of that walled space. So thereʼs another room apart from it. Maybe they made it look like a storage room or something. Iʼll look at it later and maybe peek inside that other room as well.

Apart from Himeko and Mina, no one else was here. Like Haruko told me, the other 3 were with her.

Thereʼs a long table like the one from the Literature Club and there are chairs around it.

Himeko led me to a corner with a low round table surrounded by pin cushions. Thereʼs a teapot in the middle.

I sat at one of the cushions while the other two positioned themselves on the left and right side.

Mina whoʼs silent since earlier reached for the teapot to check its contents. She raised it up. From how easy it was to raise, itʼs empty. She turned red from realizing that which made her stand up hurriedly to prepare tea leaving Himeko and me alone.

”Uhm. Haru, she told us youʼll come but didnʼt tell us what to do.”

”Well, just do what you want to. Iʼm here to observe whatʼs happening there, but Haruko told me to accompany you two.”

Himeko couldnʼt look at me directly. Scared? What happened yesterday made her more scared of me?

I only kissed her and she even told me that she wonʼt let me steal her away from Haruko. What happened to her bravery?

”O-onoda-kun, what you did yesterday…”

”Ah. Did that kiss make you conscious of me, by chance?”

”N-no! Haru asked me if you did something and I told her you did that.”

”Then, what did she say?”

Ah. Maybe Haruko already predicted I will do that. These girls of mine, somehow they know more about me than what I realized. Even Satsuki and Kana are like that.

”She asked me what I thought about it.”

”What did you answer?”

”Itʼs gentle…”

”I thought you would answer her with the same words you told me.”

She was cute yesterday. She shouted how she wouldnʼt let me steal her. But to think thatʼs what she really thought of it.

”If itʼs Haru, I canʼt lie.”

”Ah. So thatʼs what you felt about the kiss. Iʼm moved, Himeko.”

”Itʼs only that, no other meaning. I still hated it.”

”We can redo it, Himeko. This time, properly. Iʼll let you feel how I want you, just like how I feel about Haruko.”

Hearing what I said, Himeko blushed more and she somehow pulled away from me.

I have many girls igniting my desire but it doesnʼt show any signs of being enough.

”No. Mina is here.”

”She can watch. Soon I will also steal her so it doesnʼt matter.”

I heard a clanking of the teapot from a distance, Mina is listening on our conversation.

”W-why are you like this? Boys in my class are not like you. If they like someone, they devote themselves to that someone.”

”Huh? Thatʼs where youʼre wrong. Every guy has his own fantasy and itʼs not just on one girl. They fantasize about each and every girl they feel attracted to. The difference between us is they keep it to themselves while I follow what my desire wants.”

Right. Thereʼs no way a guy will only look at one girl. Even if they only devoted themselves to one, they fantasize about other girls in their head.

”Your desire again...”

”Yes. I canʼt put a stop to this so here I am.”

”Youʼre just too greedy.”

”Maybe I am. But Iʼm being honest here. If someone ignites this desire, I will want to steal her and make her mine.”

Slowly, Himeko settled back to her seat. Sheʼs slowly getting comfortable talking to me. But our topic went back to this. Maybe she wanted to understand my desire. Even I donʼt fully understand it. Well, Iʼll let her try.

”But we like someone else, itʼs Haru, you canʼt force us to be yours just because you want to.”

”Youʼre right. Thatʼs why Iʼm working hard to steal you.

”Haru, she let us fall in love with her and she also loves us back. But you, you only want to steal us and not our love. Thatʼs twisted.”

”Haruko loves me, right? And I accepted it. Maybe before, I wonʼt. However, I donʼt mind if you also fall for me now. Maybe thatʼs what I need to do to steal you.”

Accepting their love. Itʼs a form of progress on my side and I didnʼt feel any rejection from my desire when I did that. Akane, Aoi, Ria, Yae and Haruko. They expressed their love towards me and it made me comfortable when I accepted it.

”I donʼt understand. Why canʼt you love Haru like how she loves you? Weʼre actually jealous of that. Even if you donʼt love her, sheʼs doing everything for you.”

”Weʼre back here again. I really canʼt feel that emotion. But I care for her, sheʼs mine. I take responsibility to the girls I steal. If they want to be cut off from me, I will let them.”

”Youʼre weird. Too weird. I may be an introvert but, what you just described is also a definition of love.”

”Really? But I canʼt feel it.”

I canʼt really be sure. What is love? Why canʼt I feel it? Why was it replaced by this desire? Was it really replaced or I just forgot how to because I was consumed with satisfying this desire?

”No. You just donʼt realize it.”

”No. If what youʼre saying is true, then doesnʼt that mean Iʼm falling for all the girls who ignited my desire? Thatʼs absurd, right? This is just my desire to steal you. What happens after that is me taking responsibility.”

”Youʼre hopeless Onoda-kun. You need to think it through. Why do you take responsibility after you steal them? Canʼt you just throw them away?”

”No. Thatʼs irresponsible. Iʼm done doing that.”

Thatʼs what I did before. And look at what happened. I hurt a lot of them, even those who fell for me.

”Then how do you steal before?”

”By any means. Even if itʼs despicable.”

”What about now? Are you doing the same thing?”

”I try not to but my means are still despicable.”

Eh? Whatʼs this? Am I getting a lecture now? No. This girl. Sheʼs still trying to understand my desire.

”Can I say something?”

”Go on, Mina.”

Himeko told Mina who just finished making tea. Sheʼs listening on our conversation and now she had something to say. Or maybe ask me like what Himeko did? To understand my desire

”Onoda-kun. You want to steal us right?”

”Yes.”

”Whatʼs the reason?”

”Because you ignited my desire.”

As I thought. She also wants to ask about that. But her voice, it sounded clear and not shy at all.

”Whatʼs that desire?”

”Honestly, I donʼt know what it is anymore. It changed a lot.”

”Then let me change my question. What do you feel about us?”

”I want you both to be mine. Along with Haruko and the other girls.”

Hearing that, Himeko and Mina look at each other. Looks like theyʼre communicating telepathically but I guess they can understand each other just by staring.𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

”Youʼre a greedy man Onoda-kun.”

”I guess I am.”

”So if you steal us and we told you we donʼt want to see you again, what will you do?”

”I will respect your decision. By stealing you, you already satisfied my desire. What comes after that is me taking responsibility for stealing you.”

Iʼm back at answering this kind of question. I guess this will always be asked by those in doubt.

”I see. Thank you for answering, Onoda-kun.”

”What do you think, Mina?”

”We shouldnʼt let him hear it, this guy better realize it by himself.”

”Eh? What are you two talking about?”

Huh? What happened? Why does it look like they understood something about me but they wonʼt tell me about it?

”Here, drink a tea. Iʼll leave you two and see the situation there.”

”Where?”

”That room, of course.”

After putting down a cup full of newly brewed tea for both Himeko and me, Mina stood up and walked towards the door leading to the walled space.

”I see. Can I join?”

”No, stay here with Hime.”

”Youʼre stupid Onoda-kun. Now I also feel stupid for being scared of you.”

”Eh? What really happened? Why canʼt I understand?”

Himeko, her tone also changed. Itʼs like sheʼs now above me. What the hell happened? Ah. They really did understand something and theyʼre acting like Iʼm a dense guy who couldnʼt understand it.

”Because youʼre stupid.”

”You girls…”

”Wonʼt you steal me?”

”How can I when you both act mysteriously like this?”

Now, Iʼm getting confused but they wonʼt tell me about it. Haa.

”Then all that talk about your desire only amount to this.”

”Huh?”

”Iʼm calling you weak, Onoda-kun.”

”Whatʼs with this sudden reverse in attitude?”

Iʼm really getting looked down by Himeko. This former introvert whoʼs just blushing earlier when weʼre talking about that kiss.

”Because youʼre stupid. Being scared of you, itʼs laughable.”

”This girl. Are you challenging me?”

”Yes! To think Haruko will love you more than us. I also feel stupid. Weʼll beat you! You wonʼt be able to steal any of us. And we will steal Haru from you!”

I stood up and pushed her down where she sat. I donʼt feel like answering anymore. This feeling of getting looked down on. I feel like Iʼm too stupid.

Ah. Damn. Iʼm also calling myself as stupid. I really am stupid.

”S-so, you can only be forceful. You canʼt steal me this way. Maaya is stronger than you.”

”But youʼre trembling Himeko.”

She said that but the moment I pushed her down, she started trembling, even her voice. Sheʼs just acting tough.

”I…”

”I want you. Even if you laugh. Even if you call me weak or stupid. I donʼt care. Youʼre igniting my desire. Iʼm all set to steal you.”

I really donʼt care what they think about me. But yeah, the way she looked earlier. I got agitated which led me to push her down.

”Youʼre just a stupid guy. If you donʼt realize things…”

”I will realize those. But right now, Iʼm focusing on you.”

No matter what that was. What Satsuki said I have to realize or the things Himeko said I need to realize, all of it was put at the back of my mind. My mind was focused on this girl. This is really stupid.