Stealing Spree

Chapter 104: Steering his Suspicion Elsewhere

”This way youʼll understand it better, right? I used to live with her.”

Sakuma smiled shyly.

Ah. This guy, heʼs probably thinking about that time.

”Youʼre a lucky guy. So how was it? Did you come to like her during your time there?

One thing is for sure, Satsuki fell in love with him during that time.

”Weʼre pretty close during 6th Grade. I helped her with the bullies by receiving the beating instead of them.”

Eh? So you willingly got beaten up by Satsuki? Are you a masochist?

Ah. He probably has that tendency. Heʼs willingly receiving her insults now.

”Man. Are you proud to be her punching bag?”

”Yes? Thatʼs better than her getting into troubles for beating them up. Sheʼs kind of violent before. Plus her parents told me to look out for her.”

Sheʼs still a bit violent today but she transferred most of those in her mouth.

This must be one of the reasons she fell in love with him. She mustʼve known what he was doing for her.

”Iʼm sure there were other ways but you chose that.”

I acted as if Iʼm backing away from him. This masochist. I wonder what happened to that picture we took? I told her that we will stop that plan to send it to the whole class. I planned to just show it to Sakuma through my phone after she edited it. Iʼll make an excuse for it, something like I found it in the internet.

”Hey! Those eyes. You look like youʼre looking at a freak. Itʼs the only way if I wanted to not get in trouble as well.”

He hurriedly explained himself.

”Alright. Continue your story. Looks like weʼre still at the intro.”

Maybe what he did contributed to her feelings for him. She got an early growth spurt back then which made her even taller than most boys in their grade, resulting in her being teased in their school.

”This guy. Alright before I continue, tell me Onoda. Do you not feel attracted to Maemura?”

Err... Iʼm more than attracted to her. I already love her.

This guy still couldnʼt rest about his suspicion. Heʼs not wrong anyway.

”Iʼll be lying if I told you I donʼt. Her height isnʼt an issue, sheʼs even more attractive that way.”

Iʼve also tasted her. If not for you, sheʼll probably be completely mine already.

”Hmm. I see youʼre really honest, Onoda. Can I ask you not to make a move on her?”

This guy.? Couldnʼt he just say it straight to me? To stop helping Satsuki with their affairs.

”Haa. Iʼm trying to help you two but Sakuma, are you that pessimistic about your chances with her?”

I asked him with a serious face. I wonʼt say yes and accede to his request or even lie just to satisfy him.

”No. Iʼm just jealous of how close you are to her.”

He also answered seriously.

Satsuki is already mine so him asking like this wonʼt make any difference.

”You know, if you keep doing this, even if itʼs not me, someone might get to her before you. Stop stalling for time, dude.”

Iʼm giving this idiot a push at the back again. Well, Iʼm also getting impatient now, he keeps on stalling for time and thatʼs making Satsuki confused as well.

I donʼt care even if he noticed that Iʼm purposely not answering his questions and requests which concerns my relationship with Satsuki. I wonʼt tell him any lie. At least that much, I can do for him.

”… Your words make sense, Onoda. But the thing is, I still donʼt know if I can resolve what happened. I asked for a week and kept acting like this but itʼs still not clear whether I can resolve that.”

Sakuma looked down, the worry on his face was apparent.

Whatʼs that thing he needed to resolve anyway? This is what I really wanted to know and weʼve already taken a lot of detours to reach here.

”Tell me about it. I donʼt know if I can help but let me hear it first.”

I egged him.

I wonʼt let him take another detour. This is why I am wasting my time here.

”Alright. Itʼs not actually about Maemura. Itʼs about her sister.”

Eh? Weʼre talking about the two of you, why will her sister be involved? And from what I heard from his mother last Sunday, it sounded like itʼs something that also involved Satsuki. Or maybe his mother just didnʼt know the real story.

”Huh? Thatʼs confusing Sakuma. If itʼs about her sister, why canʼt you talk to Satsuki or even go to their house again?”

Iʼve just finished acting with Nami, now Iʼm acting again to make this guy talk.

”There was an incident before. Everything stemmed from that incident.”

Incident? I see. Thatʼs why they both donʼt want to talk about it.

”So this incident, it involved the three of you?”

I asked curiously, hoping to hear about the whole incident.

”Yes. But Onoda, I wonʼt tell you what the incident is about.”

His next words disappointed me but I didnʼt let it show on my face. I already expected this so itʼs fine. I already heard an important piece, Iʼll ask Satsuki about it.

”Itʼs fine. If Maemura also wonʼt tell me then I wonʼt push it.”

That incident held the key to everything, I guess? Well, just hearing that involved the three of them, I started having theories about it but without confirmation from them, it will just stay as my speculation.

”Thanks. Anyway, what happened made a crack on my relationship with both of the Maemura sisters. Iʼm not really sure if thereʼs a crack but I canʼt get the courage to set foot near their house again”

He looked up at the sky while drinking the canned soda I gave him. This guy was probably thinking about that incident.

”That crack was the thing you still couldnʼt resolve, right?”

He remained silent from my question so I followed it up.

”I donʼt know and you wonʼt tell me about the incident but Sakuma, you told me itʼs really about her sister. Did something happen between the two of you?”

Of course, something happened between them. He wouldnʼt be like this if thatʼs not the case. Now my curiosity towards Satsukiʼs older sister heightened.

He nodded as his answer to my question.

”Do you like both of them?”

What does her sister look like anyway? I didnʼt try finding out about her last Sunday because I was too focused on making Satsuki mine.

Ah. She will surely bring it up this Sunday. I just need to get more information about her from Sakuma right now.

”W-what? No.”

Sakuma hurriedly denied it but that look on his face says otherwise.

”You stuttered there, Sakuma. I didnʼt see her sister last Sunday, Maemura said she left home to live near her college.”

If sheʼs already in college, then 4 years ago sheʼs already a high schooler. What could possibly happen that involved two 6th Graders and a High Schooler?

Is her sister like her? Is she also someone taller than most guys or itʼs just Satsukiʼs unique trait?

”Thatʼs right. After my stay there ended, I never saw her sister again and I couldnʼt get myself to go to their house again even when sheʼs not there anymore.”

”This guy. I donʼt know about what the incident was about but youʼre clearly emphasizing about Maemuraʼs sister, was that why you couldnʼt confess to her?”

He nodded again.

”Are you sure itʼs Maemura who you like? Or is it just her sister? Are you chasing after Maemura because sheʼs her sister?

Thereʼs that possibility but yeah, it will only be a possibility unless I learned what the incident was about.

”That. I donʼt know. This is why I told you itʼs complicated.”

He answered with a complicated expression on his face.

Heʼs really thinking over my words. If heʼs really just chasing after Satsuki because of her sister then this guy, I can just push him to her. That way, it can help Satsuki forget about him.

”Dude. You better clear that up first. From what I can gather, you really like Maemura but that might be you seeing her as a replacement since sheʼs the one closer and someone you can reach. What will you do if her sister appeared in front of you again?”

Even if Iʼm just assuming things here, Iʼll confuse him by pushing that idea in his mind.

”I…”

Itʼs taking him way longer to respond now. Is it working?

Well, Iʼll ask Satsuki about her sister this Sunday and learn everything about that incident this guy mentioned.

”You know, Maemuraʼs feelings for you are too deep. Looks like you did something that got imprinted in her heart but if youʼre just confusing her to her sister, then you better clear that up before you confess.”

”Am I really just confusing her? All this time I was watching Maemuraʼs back.”

”Her back? Does it resemble her sister?”

He was taken aback by that question.

”…Onoda, I donʼt know.”

In the end thatʼs all he could answer.

”Haa. I wonʼt ask about that incident anymore but Sakuma. Donʼt make a mistake. In the off chance that you like them both, who will you choose?”

Heʼs not like me so he will have to choose one. I feel a bit bad for stealing Satsuki from him so I guess Iʼll try pushing him towards her sister. It will be up to him though if he can make a college girl fall for him.

I might possibly steal her in the future as well but yeah letʼs give him a chance. I havenʼt even met her sister so letʼs cross that thought out for now.

Because of the lack of information, I can only assume but this is enough to confuse this guy and push his attention away from his suspicions about us.

”Maemura is the one Iʼm looking at since then.”

This guy, he answered differently on purpose. He didnʼt choose one.

”Are you sure youʼre properly looking at her? You know, if you are really after Maemura, you wonʼt have to wait until now. It turns out thereʼs that incident which also involved her sister and that was the thing holding you back.”

Letʼs confuse this guy more. Make him think that itʼs her sister that he really likes and not Maemura herself.

”… I need to meet her sister again. But sheʼs away from their home.”

This reaction. Itʼs working.

”Why donʼt we ask Maemura?”

I suggested. Iʼll still ask her even if itʼs not for this guy. Iʼm already curious about her older sister.

”Huh?”

”Iʼll ask her for you. Where she is or when will she come back.”

I patted his shoulder to assure him that I will do it for him.

”Arenʼt you helping Maemura?”

”Youʼre also a friend, you know? And if you confess to her and it turns out itʼs not really her who you like, thatʼs just sad. Iʼll help you clarify whatʼs confusing you right now.”

And hereʼs the final hammer to completely nail it.

”Thanks, Onoda.”

He nodded and thanked me. Now his suspicions about us were probably sent to the back of his head. His mind will now be full of her sister.

”Alright. I have to go now. See you tomorrow. Check on Maemura for me, okay?”

I stood up and bid farewell to him. I got what I wanted and itʼs now time to meet Kana.

”Okay. Iʼll tell her you also came to check on her.”