Stealing Spree

Chapter 2761: Swimsuit Approval Committee

Sakuragi’s grin widened, undeterred. She leaned forward on her elbows, chin propped in her hands like she was posing for a magazine shoot. “Oh come on, Onoda-kun. Why will they ban you? Besides, you look like someone who can be a walking swimsuit catalog magnet. And aren’t you close to many girls? I bet one or two of them had already dragged you into one of those stores. Don’t pretend you’re innocent.”

Hayakawa-san cleared her throat delicately, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Sakuragi-chan, let’s not pressure him. It’s... not exactly appropriate. Onoda-kun, pay it no heed.”

“Mhm. It’s fine. I can tell Sakuragi-san is just joking. After all, it’s your swimsuits. Won’t you show it to your boyfriends first?”

“B-boyfriend? I don’t have one!” Hayakawa stammered.

“I don’t have one either. Only Watanabe has one! How enviable.” Sakuragi finished with a dramatic sigh, batting her lashes at Watanabe like she was auditioning for a soap opera.

Watanabe immediately went on the defensive, cheeks puffing out as she crossed her arms. “Hey! Don’t drag me into this! And stop acting like having a boyfriend is some rare achievement. Ma-kun and I are just... normal.”

“Normal, huh?” Sakuragi leaned in, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Then why do you blush every time someone mentions him? Come on, spill. Is he the jealous type? Would he mind if Onoda-kun tagged along for swimsuit shopping?”

Watanabe’s face exploded into crimson. She slapped the table lightly, making the glasses rattle. “Sakuragi! That’s not... I mean... Shut up!”

Hayakawa-san hid her smile behind her teacup, while Kaede just tilted her head slightly, watching the chaos unfold with that quiet, unreadable expression. But I caught the tiny upward twitch at the corner of her mouth again. She was amused.

I crossed my arms and let the banter wash over me like background music. “You girls are ruthless. Poor Watanabe. She just wanted a peaceful weekend hangout.”

“Peaceful?” Sakuragi snorted. “With you here? Doubt it.”

She wasn’t wrong. The moment I decided to follow her, her peaceful day was already ruined.

Before long, their orders arrived. And with that, it became my cue to stand up and leave.

I said I was only going to say hi, after all. And I’m not going to bother them anymore. Besides, I also have other places to be.

“Wait, Onoda-kun. Where are you going?”

Although all four stared at me, wondering what I was doing, it was Kaede who spoke first.

“I’m gonna pay for your drinks and then leave. I can’t intrude on your girl’s day out any longer.”

Kaede’s brows furrowed slightly, the closest thing to a frown she ever showed. “You’re... leaving already?”

“Yes. Well, I do want to talk to you more and catch up but another day, I guess?”

Sakuragi chirped with a dramatic pout. “Boo. You show up, cause chaos, buy us drinks, and just vanish? That’s cruel, Onoda-kun. At least stay long enough to accompany us to pick our swimsuits. I mean it. Who else can better evaluate it than a guy? Especially one like you.”

Hayakawa-san almost choked on her tea again, coughing delicately into her napkin while shooting Sakuragi a look that screamed ‘behave’.

Watanabe just stared at her friend like she’d grown a second head, mouth opening and closing without a sound.

Kaede tilted her head slightly, eyes alternating between Sakuragi and me. Her expression stayed neutral, but her fingers tightened around her iced coffee glass just enough that the condensation beaded faster.

I couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped out. Sakuragi really had no filter. Bold and unapologetic, like she was testing exactly how far she could push before someone snapped.

“Mhm. Tempting offer,” I said as I sat back down in my chair with a lazy smirk. “But I’m pretty sure the store security would escort me out the second I stepped into the changing area. And I’d hate to ruin your girl’s day with a scene.”

Sakuragi’s grin didn’t falter. She put her elbows on the table and propped her chin on her hands like she was posing for a selfie. “Oh, come on. We’ll say you’re the boyfriend of one of us. You’re free to pick. Will it be me, Prez, Watanabe, or Yanagi?”

The four girls froze for a split second, like someone had hit pause on the entire cafe.

Hayakawa-san’s teacup hovered halfway to her lips.

Watanabe’s face cycled through every shade of red known to humanity.

Kaede’s fingers tightened around her iced coffee so hard the glass squeaked.

And Sakuragi just sat there, grinning like the cat that had not only gotten the cream but also knocked over the entire jug.

I let the silence stretch, then put on the most innocent smile I could muster.

“Sorry, Sakuragi-san. I’m flattered, really. But I already have more girlfriends than I can count on both hands. Adding a fake one for the day might cause a riot.”

Sakuragi burst out laughing, slapping the table hard enough to rattle the cups. “Worth a shot! You should’ve seen your faces. But wait, girlfriends?! Shoot!”

I only smiled in response to that.

Hayakawa-san finally recovered enough to set her teacup down with a delicate clink. “Sakuragi-chan, you’re going to give someone a heart attack one day.”

Watanabe was still gaping like a fish. “You... you absolute menace. I’m never bringing you anywhere again.”

Kaede then went back to quietly sip her coffee, but I caught her eyes wandering over as if she wouldn’t mind pretending to be my girlfriend.

In any case, that’s that. As much as I’d find it amusing to accompany them to pick their swimsuits, I didn’t have that much time to spare.

I stood up properly this time, pushing my chair in. “Alright, I really do have to go. Enjoy your drinks and the rest of your day. Kaede, message me when you’re free. I promise I will not let it be buried this time. We still have to talk about your club situation.”

Kaede nodded once, expression softening. “I will. Thank you... Ruki-kun.”

Watanabe muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “finally” under her breath, but she didn’t actually protest when I waved at the waiter to settle the bill.

As I turned to leave, Sakuragi called out one last time.

“Onoda-kun! If you ever need a fake girlfriend for real, you know where to find me! Also, is it fine to send you pics? You know, since you won’t come with us, we’ll just ask you over the phone. It’s also up to you if you want to see us in it or just hold it up.”

I paused and raised an eyebrow. The whole table went still again.

Watanabe looked like she was praying for the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Hayakawa-san adjusted her glasses three times in a row. Kaede just blinked slowly, like she was buffering.

“Sakuragi-san, you’re dangerous. I’ll keep that in mind. As for the pics... sure. Send them. I’ll give honest feedback. But fair warning. If they’re too good, I might demand that you show it to me in person.”

Sakuragi’s eyes blushed slightly, then, as if she had bitten into a challenge, resolve flashed in her eyes. “Deal! You better prepare your heart, Onoda-kun. We’re picking the cutest ones. Also, you have to show us yours!”

Watanabe finally found her voice. “Sakuragi! Stop enabling him!”

“Too late,” I said with a wink in her direction. “There’s no stopping her now.”

Kaede let out the tiniest huff of laughter, almost inaudible, but it was there.

She lifted her iced coffee in a little mock toast. “Thank you for the drink again, Onoda-kun. Take care.”

“Mhm. You too. Have fun.” I gave them one last wave, then turned and headed for the counter to pay before Sakuragi could rope me into anything else.

The bell above the door jingled as I stepped back into the mall’s air-conditioned bustle.

My phone buzzed almost immediately. I checked and I saw it was Sakuragi adding me to some group chat titled ‘Swimsuit Approval Committee’.

Alright, I guess I can just treat that as free eye candy when they truly go through sending it.

In the meantime, I quickly went down to the ground floor, bought a dessert at a shop and left the mall premises.

My destination was already set. Yayoi-san’s house.

Mina was probably also there with her mother and considering the time, lunch is already around the corner.

So, I sent Akane and the others a message, saying they could eat without me and promised to make up for not coming home to eat with them when I returned home from part-time.

Nao and the other two were still not planning on going home anyway.

After that, I also sent a message to Juri saying I’m gonna visit her today.

Her reply came in an instant, saying, “Ruki, I’ll send you the address to our dorm. Surprise us.”

Us, huh? Is Setsuna-nee-san gonna be there too? Probably.