Stealing Spree

Chapter 2383: Standing by her decision

After the call from Otoha, I got another message, this time from Nina. The vampire fanatic says theyʼre going to visit again later after school.

And yep. Sheʼs not going alone this time. Most likely, Mami will come with her. Sheʼs now Ogawaʼs girlfriend, after all.

As for Umi and Sumire, Nina said she would ask them at school. That girl knew how to make me look forward to something. Maybe I could indulge her a little bit in her fantasy.

Once I finished going through all my messages and then greeting my girls with ʼgood morningʼ, I went down for my daily exercise. Akane joined me before we ate breakfast with Miwa-nee and Minoru.

And the rest was our usual morning preparations for school.

Like yesterday, Eimi joined us at the station. She looked so sleepy as if she forced herself to wake up early to catch us.

I told her she shouldnʼt push herself if itʼs going to conflict with her body clock. Well, her argument on it was as I expected, sheʼs simply increasing the number of times she could be with me.

How could I still scold her for that?

Thereʼs also the part of her growing competitiveness knowing that Anzu-nee could become the same as her. Sheʼs worried that my attention during our weekend supermarket date will now be split between them.

Mhm. Iʼm guilty of making them restless like this because of their increasing numbers. And as much as it was painfully obvious, I couldnʼt do anything to stop myself from falling for another girl.

Itʼs clearly a failure on my part. Because no matter how much I remind or restrain myself, I still end up getting drawn to those girls.

Anyway, thatʼs enough pessimism for the day.

When we took our seats, I immediately offered her my shoulder which Eimi happily claimed, resting her eyes for a bit to make up for the lost sleep.

Fuyu joined us at the next station then Eri and Futaba. Just one look and everyone could tell that Eri picked her up from her house. The usually sensible girl looked a little awkward but with Eri holding her tightly by her wrist, she had no choice but to approach us.

When our eyes met, Futaba helplessly smiled, clearly resigning herself to the situation.

With Akane and Fuyuʼs eyes locking on her, the girl shrunk back slightly, her cheeks tinting a light shade of pink.

”Futaba, come here, thereʼs a space between us,” Akane said as Fuyu slid to the right, opening a space for her.

Of course, in her eyes, itʼs like an invitation to hell. But then again, there wasnʼt really running away for her anymore.

To save her from the awkwardness, I spoke up while donning a playful smile, ”Futaba, itʼs fine. They wonʼt eat you. That will be my fate.”

And just like that, the tension lightened up. Futaba took a deep breath, her eyes flickered between Akane and Fuyu before she sat down. Eri remained standing in front of us, giving me a thumbs-up.

Naturally, they wouldnʼt talk about our agreement openly but they communicated with gestures. Akane and Fuyu squeezed her like a sandwich and Futaba could only lower her head in shame. Occasionally, she would look at me for help but Akane would block her view.

With that, the train ride ended up becoming like a silent grill for Futaba. The tension remained the same, as Akane and Fuyu wouldnʼt really make it difficult for her in a public setting. Itʼs just their way of teasing her.

But knowing those two, theyʼd definitely have her spill her thoughts later. What is she currently thinking or what is she planning for her relationship? At that, thereʼs really no way for me to back her as it was something she promised she would face when she agreed to tell the others about what happened.

Surprisingly, their boyfriends didnʼt show up on the train. Either they were late or they intentionally told them not to come. Itʼs probably the latter considering they wouldnʼt want her to be put in a more awkward situation.

When we reached the station, I borrowed the girl to take to her for a bit. Akane and Fuyu handed her right away while Eri whispered to take it easy. As for Eimi who had just woken up from a short nap, she just blinked a few times before tilting her head.

Anyway, I brought Futaba to a less crowded and rather obscured spot of the station. Akane and the others were waiting not far from us so... nothingʼs going to happen aside from talking to her and hearing her thoughts.

Futaba was fidgeting a lot. She had her shoulders drooped while rubbing one of her arms awkwardly. Nevertheless, she didnʼt look like she was feeling uncomfortable. If Iʼm not wrong, having me stand in front of her reminds her of the other.

”Futaba,” I started, ”Will you be alright like this? You know theyʼre more worried than mad at finding out about it.”

”I know.” She let out a sigh as she bit her nibbled her lower lip while looking at them... I signed up for that, Onoda-kun. I expected this all to happen. E-even my guilt and shame. It will be this awkward for a while but... Iʼll manage.”𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Although she was stuttering, her determination remained the same. Just like she said, she might feel guilty or shameful but it wouldnʼt really change the fact that it already happened. Furthermore, the experience and the sensation I brought to her were something sheʼd continue seeking from me.

”Well, itʼs a bizarre situation so itʼs to be expected but if itʼs too much for you, we can always put a stop to it.”

”D-donʼt say that, Onoda-kun. If we stop now. Whatʼs the point of all this? I will just feel empty...”

”Is that really the case? How will you face your boyfriend then? Wonʼt you start comparing us?”

”... Iʼll do my best not to. Onoda-kun, I am doing it for us.”

Right. Sheʼs going to use that phrase a lot. Either sheʼs using it to escape from the truth or she already forces herself to believe that it was the sole reason for it.

Either way, itʼs clearly bad for someone with a boyfriend. At the very least, Eri knew that her closeness to me was wrong but Futaba was trying to deflect it with a reason that could easily break down when confronted with the reality of our situation.

But should I call her out for it? Sheʼs clearly aware of it but sheʼs purposely ignoring it.

”Alright. If thatʼs your reasoning then I wonʼt force you to change your mind. But Futaba... Iʼm also worried about you. Iʼm helping you but that doesnʼt mean I will let you ruin yourself

for it.”

”T-thanks for the reminder, Onoda-kun. But Iʼm fine. I can... get past this. Can you also trust me?” Futaba looked up at me with her round eyes trembling with hope.

I patted her head and ruffled her hair, ”Alright. Iʼll trust you know what weʼre doing. Akane and Fuyu may question you a lot but theyʼre also only looking out for you, because as you know by now, itʼs a situation where things can go wrong quickly.”

”Yes...” Futaba nodded and took a step forward, her forehead resting on my chest as she leaned into me, taking comfort from my hand caressing her hair. ”I know youʼre just looking

out for me too.”