Stealing Spree

Chapter 2818: Escort Duty Fulfilled

Knowing the trouble her friend was causing, I couldn’t help but return her smile with a subtle shrug, mouthing back, “Sorry, I’ll make it up to you.”

Mami rolled her eyes, seemingly unconvinced. Nonetheless, the amusement in them was clear before she turned back to wrangling Nina, who was now trying to convince Mei-chan to let her borrow the phone for ’just one quick post about her Night Prince escort service’. Really, she’s doing her best to get my attention.

Beside me, Kazuha-nee followed my gaze and her eyebrow arched as she pieced it together. “Why do you ask? Kazu-kun knows we’re going out. And Tadano? Probably aware of this as well. It’s just they don’t know you’ll be here. If they find out later, that’s your problem. You’re good at explaining yourself, aren’t you?”

A smirk formed on her lips as if she was already looking forward to how I would navigate that.

“You make it sound like I’m always in trouble. But no matter, I’ll handle it if it comes up. Wouldn’t want to ruin your girls’ day out.”

Kazuha-nee clicked her tongue with her free hand, lightly swatting my arm.

“You’re always in some kind of trouble, shameless brat.” She muttered, but her tone had softened, laced with that reluctant affection she tried so hard to hide behind her sharp words. “Just... behave today. Don’t make a scene in the mall. The girls are excited about picking swimsuits, and I don’t need you distracting them with your... whatever this is.”

“Whatever this is?” I teased, squeezing her hand gently. “You mean us holding hands like a couple on a secret date? Or me thinking about how good all of you would look in whatever swimsuit you pick out?”

Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink, and she elbowed me again, harder this time. “Shut up! Don’t say stuff like that out loud. And no, you’re not seeing me in a swimsuit. That’s not happening.”

“Why not? Afraid I’ll like it too much?”

Kazuha-nee turned her head to glare at me. “Ugh. If you keep this up, I’ll make you wait outside the store while we shop.”

“Pfft. Don’t worry, Kazuha-nee. I’m only an escort today, remember? I’m just here to make sure you all arrive at your destination. We still have a practice game to catch.”

“You and your tendency to fill your schedule for all of your women.” Kazuha-nee sighed. Not exactly disappointed but she’s clearly lamenting my decisions. After all, she’s probably thinking, I could’ve chosen not to spread myself thin like this, yet here I was, doing it every single day.

I chuckled softly while squeezing her hand firmly, “Can’t really change that part of me now, Kazuha-nee. Even if you girls protest against it, I’ll feel bad to neglect any of you. That’s why I’m holding onto these small opportunities. Hopefully, when things are already stable in the future, I can then relax, spending my time with all of you.”

Kazuha-nee rolled her eyes, but the faint smile tugging at her lips ruined the exasperated act. “Don’t look into the future yet. You still have a long way to go. But... I can at least commend you for your consistency.”

“Oh? Is that praise?”

“Shut up and just take it. Anyway, I get the gist of it. The little one clinging to you earlier? It’s her birthday wish to accompany you throughout the day, huh? Is she not bothered to see you with the others when she acts as if she owns you?”

“Bothered? I don’t think so. She’s a smart girl. She’s among those who accepted the fact that I’m like this.” I admitted with a wry smile, glancing back at Ria a few rows behind us. She was sandwiched between Sumire and Umi, animatedly chatting about something that had them gasping in awe.

Kazuha-nee followed my gaze, her expression softening a touch. “Haa. It’s... impressive, in a weird way. I don’t know how you keep up without exploding.”

“You can just call it my ability to be this shameless,” I teased, “But seriously, Kazuha-nee... I’m grateful for you arranging this. I should’ve been taking all of you out on dates... Spend time on a weekend like this to strengthen our bond. But all I can do is spend a few minutes escorting you. I suck as a boyfriend.”

She huffed, turning her head to stare out the window as the city blurred by, “Don’t thank me. And stop with that. It’s enough that you’re aware. You simply have to make up for it in your own way. And I can tell. No one’s complaining because they understand it as well.”

Of course, she’s not wrong. They’d rather wait for me to come to them than demand my time. It’s their own way of being considerate of the other girls.

It’s quite rare for someone to act selfishly.

The bus rumbled on for another ten minutes, the chatter from the girls filling the air like background music.

Kazuha-nee stayed quiet mostly, but every so often, I’d tease her to catch a smile from her. Of course, I always end up getting pinched, but that’s not too bad as a tradeoff. This moment is precious.

I cannot change a lot of things for us but in moments like this, I’ll naturally lean towards making it meaningful for them rather than fill it with negativity.

Eventually, the mall came into view. The bus slowed to a stop at the curb, and the girls started gathering their things with excited murmurs that filled the bus like buzzing bees.

Kazuha-nee finally let go of my hand as we stood. She shot me one last warning glance over her shoulder as she led the way off the bus, her ponytail swaying with each step like she was trying to outpace whatever chaos I might bring.

The mall entrance loomed ahead, automatic doors sliding open with a welcoming whoosh as the group piled through.

The cool blast of air conditioning hit us first, carrying the mingled scents of popcorn, perfume, and fresh pretzels from the food court. Weekend shoppers bustled around, some laden with bags, others sipping oversized drinks while window-shopping.

“Alright, have fun, girls. I’m looking forward to those swimsuit photos later.” I teasingly said as I sent them off into the mall with a wave.

Well, of course, most of the girls didn’t want to be separated like this from me.

They dragged me inside, found a secluded place where the girls took turns scolding or pampering me. In particular, Izumi grabbed me by my collar and complained that I didn’t look for her on the bus.

Yep. Despite her attempt to act unbothered, she’s the one looking forward to being pampered by me the most.

And there’s also Sumire, who kept hitting my chest before tip-toeing to get a kiss from me. A proper one.

Well, if we were in a more private place, I’d probably not just pamper them all but also... do something more intimate. Alas, we can’t do that here, right?

Anyway, once the girls dispersed, Nina finally found her chance to run up to me, hounding me to treat her like my most favored minion again. In the end, I still indulged her fantasy, giving her a mission. To be my eye.

She demanded a bite for it. And so I did. Another bite on the side of her neck, making the girl swoon in delight.

She’s a lost cause as always.

After that, Ria and I sent them off with our eyes as the group disappeared into the crowd.

As we turned to the exit, Ria tugged at my sleeve. Her intelligent eyes sparkled with mischief and contentment she’d worn all morning.

”Dumb-senpai, you’re really letting them go, huh? Even though Sister Kazuha looked like she wanted you to tag along?” She tilted her head up at me, lips curving into a knowing smile.

“You know, I wish I could split myself. But that’s not possible. Well, I’m certain my phone will be filled with updates from them later, it’ll feel like I still accompanied them.” I said, “Besides, we’ve got our own plans. Satsuki’s practice match is next. You ready to cheer for her? Or should we grab something quick before heading over?”

Ria’s cheeks puffed out in that adorable way, but she nodded eagerly, falling into step beside me as we headed toward the nearest train station.

”Cheer? Un. I’ll try not to embarrass her too much. But Dumb-senpai, you know I’ll end up analyzing the game more than yelling. Basketball’s all about strategy, after all. Angles, timing, exploiting weaknesses...”

She trailed off into one of her mini-lectures, gesturing animatedly with her free hand like she was diagramming plays on an invisible whiteboard. It was cute, watching her shift into that mature mode where her brain fired on all cylinders, turning a simple game into a chess match.

I listened with a grin, occasionally chiming in with questions to keep her going, loving how her eyes lit up when she explained something complex in simple terms just for me.

Little did she know, we weren’t going to sit on the audience stands... After all, Ryouko-san, Satsuki, or Kawakami-senpai would surely employ me to lift the whole club’s fighting spirits again.