Stealing Spree

Chapter 2591: Romance Novel Protagonist?

It was a short visit. I brought them drinks and then flirted with them without overly disturbing their work.

Naturally, Reira-senpai had raised eyebrows upon seeing it. And as for the three idiots, they all got starstruck by her appearance.

That was an expected reaction from them because, other than me, and perhaps Enomoto, no one could resist her charms. One would be forced to stare for at least a few seconds before they could gather their wits.

Anyway, I tried inviting Arisa and Izumi, but they reluctantly declined. Maybe if they werenʼt working on a request of a student, they would drop their post and leave the clubroom to Ogawa and the others.

In any case, Kikuchi followed us out. She remained there to accompany the two or maybe get some inspiration for her fanfic from those three idiots.

Yep. I heard from Hina that sheʼs writing one. She might even turn it into a manga with the help of her fellow fujoshis and showcase it in a doujinshi convention.

I wonder whoʼs going to be the top? Tadano maybe? Ogawa and the silent guy were bottom materials for how spineless they were before.

Ugh. Alright. Letʼs not imagine that. Itʼs disgusting to think about.

On our way back to our booth location, she curiously chatted me up about Reira-senpai.

Even though she could just ask her question directly, sheʼs probably afraid to be overwhelmed by my favorite seniorʼs charm.

But instead of answering her, I turned to Reira-senpai and said, ”Senpai, sheʼs curious about you. What should I say to her?”

At that question, they facepalmed as they glanced at me as if I were an idiot.

Well, I am if Satsuki was going to be asked about it.

”Onoda-kun, youʼre such a dolt,” Kikuchi rolled her eyes, her tone a mix of exasperation and amusement. ”Thereʼs a reason why Iʼm asking you instead. Geez, why is everyone always buzzing about you when youʼre like this?”

Reira-senpai let out a chuckle, her lips curling into a half-smile as she crossed her arms, the bag of drinks still dangling from my other hand.

”Oh, Kikuchi-san, right? Let him dig his own grave. Ruki-kunʼs good at that. But since youʼre curious…” She tilted her head, her glossy hair catching the hallwayʼs dim light, making her look effortlessly captivating. ”Iʼm just a senior trying to keep this guy in line. Not that itʼs working.”

Kikuchiʼs eyes sparkled with intrigue. Sheʼs probably trying to determine if Reira-senpai had already fallen into my clutch. ”Keeping him in line? Senpai, are you not afraid of how tall an order that is? I mean, Onoda-kunʼs like a walking romance novel protagonist. No offense, but youʼve got your work cut out if you want to accomplish that.”

I raised an eyebrow. ”Romance novel protagonist? Kikuchi, shouldnʼt it be ʼharem novelʼ? In any case, Iʼm just a humble Disciplinary Officer, serving the school and my girls.”

Reira-senpai snorted, nudging my shoulder with just enough force to make me sway. ”Humble, he says. Youʼre about as humble as a peacock, Ruki-kun. Has no one told you that you also drew attention to yourself?”

”I bet he didnʼt know that, senpai.” Kikuchi added.

This girl… Has she stopped getting afraid of me? Or is she now used to my antics? In any case, this isnʼt bad at all.

”Iʼm not as dense as that certain guy not to figure that out. But it only started recently. I was a background character before.” I insisted with a shrug.

”No oneʼs going to believe you, Onoda-kun. Hina and the others got hooked by you even without that haircut.”

”Well, thatʼs different, Kikuchi-san. Itʼs not like Iʼve instantly drawn their attention to me, right? I worked for it.”

”Uh… If you say it like that…” Kikuchi stammered, perhaps remembering how it all started.

Meanwhile, Reira-senpai sighed before turning to the other girl. ”Iʼm curious about how he is before meeting him. Kikuchi-san, can I ask for your help?”

”Oh! Are you sure, senpai? Iʼm not that… informed about him in a way that lets me see his secrets though. Wonʼt it be better to ask the other girls close to him?”

”I donʼt think thatʼs a problem. They may be biased about him, donʼt you think so? If itʼs you… you possibly see him in a different light.”

Is it fine for them to talk like this when Iʼm in the middle of them? Am I invisible now?

For the rest of our journey back to that room, I listened to the two talk about me. And like Reira-senpai said, Kikuchiʼs perception of me was different than the girls. She didnʼt see me as this overly considerate guy. In her eyes, I was this amazing guy who could somehow accomplish anything.

Yep. I didnʼt hear that wrong. Thatʼs how she described me to Reira-senpai.

When I tried interjecting to ask why she thought so, I got glared at by my favorite senior so… Kikuchi failed to explain it.

And by the time I got to ask again, we had already arrived at our destination.

With the bag of drinks on me, I immediately went around the room, handing them to the girls.

Ten minutes later, Sumire, Umi, Nina and Mami arrived, their arms laden with colorful snack bags and a few takeout boxes that smelled faintly of fried chicken and sweet pastries.

Their chatter filled the air, a lively mix of apologies for their tardiness and excitement about joining the booth preparations.𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Sumire took the lead with Nina following behind her, their voices bright as they set the snacks down on the long table.

”Sorry weʼre late, senpai.” Sumire chirped as she dodged Chiiʼs lunge at her. She then bowed dramatically and continued, ”I got held up by my club and we got sidetracked at the shopping district. But look! We brought offerings to make up for it!”

Nina didnʼt say anything but her eyes searched for my figure. As soon as she caught me in her vision, she hopped over, presenting me with a chocolate candy, ”Here is my offering, Night Prince!”

Sheʼs not going to stop acting like my minion anytime soon.

In any case, I grabbed the candy, popped it in my mouth and then patted her head. Thatʼs enough to deal with her. At least, for now.

After that, I moved over to Umi, giving my adorable junior a surprise hug from behind.

She was startled at first but upon looking up and seeing me holding her, the shy girl blushed before leaning back comfortably.

”Senpai, what are you doing to Umi?!” Spotting us from the corner of her eyes, Sumire called out. She weaved through the crowd, her energy infectious as she reached me, tugging at my sleeve. ”Youʼre being unfair again!”

I tilted my head, pretending to be oblivious, ”How am I unfair, Sumire? Do you want a hug too? Come here…”

”Kii! Youʼre teasing Sumimin again!” Chii chimed in as she appeared behind Sumire. With a mischievous grin, she rubbed the girlʼs head.

Sumireʼs frown deepened into a full-on pout. Her cheeks puffed out as she swatted at Chiiʼs hand. ”Chii-chan-senpai, stop messing up my hair! And Ruki-senpai, donʼt think you can just hug your way out of this! Youʼre totally playing favorites!”

I tightened my hold on Umi, who was still blushing and giggling softly at the same time, ”Favorites? Sumire, youʼre my favorite junior, remember? My heartʼs big enough for all of you. Want me to prove it with a group hug?”

Before the girl could reply, Nina, whoʼd been quietly munching on another chocolate, perked up at that. ”Night Prince, a group hug sounds like a royal decree! Iʼm in! You can bite me too while youʼre at it.”

She hopped closer as she threw her arms wide, nearly knocking over a stack of papers on the table.

Then, Edel, who woke up from her nap, also ran towards us. Yuika-senpai was hesitating next to Minori-senpai, so I just winked at her, making her blush.

The other girls watching this chaos unfold shook their heads or put a hand on their foreheads. An-rin was laughing as always.

On one side, I could also see Nami, Hana, and Rumi signaling with their eyes for me to behave. Well, what can I do? I should just make it up to them later.

Meanwhile, I heard Reira-senpai, who was already at her seat, sighing as she talked to Kikuchi, ”See, Kikuchi-san? This is what I mean. Heʼs a walking distraction. One minute weʼre talking props, the next heʼs got half the room ready to pile on him.”

Kikuchi didnʼt argue and simply nodded as if she were affirming that as a fact. ”Told you, senpai. Romance novel protagonist energy. Itʼs like heʼs got a gravitational pull or something.”

Alright. Thereʼs no denying that now. In any case, after this small disturbance, everyone went to work again.

At one point, I pulled the juniors on one side, helping them review their lessons for their upcoming exam.

And once the clock ticked 5:30 pm, we all moved to the clubhouse. We picked up Marika and Misaki on the way, while Maaya arrived a bit later with the seniors from the Game Club again.

There, we spent the remaining time either playing the board games brought by Maaya and the others or checking out our plant boxes at the back.

Of course, some girls pulled me with them to the second floor and I pampered them intimately without making too much noise.