Stealing Spree

Chapter 2839: Rival or?

Sakuraba Mikan jogged toward us with that same competitive fire still burning in her eyes. Her orange hair, now freed from ponytail, bounced at every hop. She was already wearing a black shirt and her face was quite refreshed. She possibly went to a washroom to freshen up before exiting the gymnasium. The fringes of her hair were still wet, after all.

I don’t know what her deal is for calling out to me again, but I can hazard a guess.

She’s going to vent about losing to me again, isn’t she?

Her friend, Takamine, trailed a half-step behind, looking equal parts intrigued and annoyed. Possibly because she still hadn’t moved on from the way I treated Sakuraba Mikan last time.

“Tsk. Go and deal with that. Come to the bus as soon as you finish,” Orimura-sensei clicked her tongue one last time as she shot me a knowing glare that promised she’d collect her own ‘reward’ later. Then she continued on her steps towards the parking lot of the school, leaving me behind.

I smilingly shook my head watching her back before exhaling. Then, I shifted the heavy duffel bags higher on my shoulder and placed down the cooler before turning to face the two Hirari girls who were now standing right in front of me.

With her hands on her hips, Sakuraba Mikan stared at me with the same stubborn fire she’d carried all game and when she was asking me to honor my promise.

Takamine stood half a step behind her, arms crossed under her chest. Her gaze reminds me of Fuyu whenever Akane would come and find me during middle school.

“Onoda Ruki. Good job. First, you steal our championship, then you show up here and turn the whole second half around for the second time. How does it feel?”

I blankly stared at her for a second before my lips twitched slightly upwards, “Am I being interviewed right now?”

Sakuraba Mikan’s competitive grin widened as though I’d just fed her the perfect setup line.

She stepped close and chuckled, “Interview? Pfft. Maybe? We’d be playing you again before the tournament, so... I need to gather data about you. Anyway, your name. Onoda Ruki. Sounds kinda cool when I say it out loud. Suits the guy who keeps stealing our wins.”

Takamine’s eyebrows twitched upon hearing that. And then, she glared at me for a split second. If I weren’t observant, I’d probably miss it.

“Mikan, that’s...”

“Cher, this is important.” Sakuraba waved her off without breaking eye contact with me.

Cher? A foreign name? No. It must be a nickname. Or not?

Either way, is it short for cherry? Possible. Because of her hair. A bit purplish and dark red.

Looking at her right now, her hair was now in a half-ponytail, complemented by two hairclips adorning one side. Somehow, she didn’t look like an athlete like this but a graceful lady of some noble house.

If I didn’t see her in the court, I’d probably think she’s someone like Miho who’d look great when sitting before a piano.

Pulling my thoughts from her friend, Sakuraba jabbed a finger at my chest. “Hey, don’t stare at her. Look at me and answer. I heard you’re not even on their roster officially yet, but you’re already their secret weapon. How does it feel knowing you’re the reason we lost twice?”

I kept my neutral face and answered, “I don’t know. It feels like I did my job well, I guess? They only asked me to help and I did. Nothing more than that.”

At that answer, both of them furrowed their eyebrows. I had no idea if they took that as an insult but it didn’t seem pleasant to their ears. After all, they probably racked their brains trying to figure out how to counter me earlier. But in the end, they still lost.

Now, I’m telling them it’s nothing special. I’d probably be pissed at myself too if I were in their shoes.

That’s why I switched up my tone.

“Honestly, you two played amazingly out there. Hirari High is so strong because of you two. And my strategy only worked because your plays are almost centered on either of you. Putting a stop to that got us the window of opportunity to turn it around.”

They should have realized that by now, right? That’s the current weakness of their team. They rely too much on Sakuraba Mikan’s playmaking and Takamine’s wide range of field goals. If they managed to patch it up before the next tournament, they’d be a strong contender.

Alright. I might’ve doomed our team’s chances here. But well, I’m gonna help them out from now on. I’ll just have them adapt as well.

“Pssh. Hearing you say that is pissing me off. Right, Cher?”

“...”

Sakuraba Mikan hissed before turning to her friend, who just silently glared at me before turning away as if uninterested.

“What did I do wrong? I’m just being honest. Besides, that no-look pass in the third quarter? That’s clean. Not even Kawakami-senpai could do that. And your mid-range game, Takamine-san, it’s no joke. If our team hadn’t adjusted the defense the way we planned, you’d have dropped thirty easily.”

Takamine’s eyes narrowed, but the corner of her mouth twitched like she was fighting a reluctant smile. Is she weak at compliments?

“Flattery won’t make me forget you basically called our plays before we ran them.”

“Oh! This must be why you’re always surrounded by girls. You always know what to say. Now that I remember, Shinonome-senpai... she’s also into you. I can tell it even from the way she asked you to call her name earlier!”

“Huh? That happened? Shinonome-senpai and this guy?”

Now they’re gossiping. Should I just walk away? But with their eyes focused on me as though they’re scanning from head to toe to figure out my value as the guy who keeps beating them.

I scratched the back of my head as Sakuraba Mikan’s competitive grin sharpened and Takamine’s glare drilled holes into me.

“Is this still an interview? I’m flattered, but Shinonome-senpai and I just... caught up. Old acquaintances, that’s all.”

I know I can easily tell them what my relationship with Nagisa is, but I’ll let that girl decide whether to say what’s going on between us. She’s their senior, after all.

Nevertheless, Sakuraba’s eyes lit up, “Old acquaintances? Liar. She looked ready to jump you back there! Don’t play dumb, Onoda Ruki. I’ve never seen senpai act like that before.”

Takamine’s brows furrowed further. Most likely, she wasn’t just going to believe that Nagisa had something to do with me.

“What does Shinonome-senpai see in this rude guy anyway? Let’s go, Mikan. You said you’re just going to get some fresh air. Don’t get distracted over a guy.”

“Hey, I’m not distracted. I’m just curious!”

“Listen to your friend, Sakuraba-san. You’d better not get distracted over me.” I intentionally put on a smug smile, making Takamine react to it.

“That wasn’t praise! That’s quite shameless of you.” She gnashed her teeth and then grabbed her friend’s wrist, dragging her back to the gymnasium. Her hair fluttered even more gracefully as she turned around. Meanwhile, Sakuraba Mikan puffed up her cheeks while grumbling.

“Cher, wait! I still have a lot to say to him! Onoda Ruki, you’d better remember this face! Next time we meet on the court, I’m dragging your name through the mud until you admit we’re the better team!”

Takamine didn’t even slow down, her grip on the orange-haired girl’s wrist iron-tight as she hauled her back toward the gymnasium doors. “You’re embarrassing yourself. Let’s go.”

Before they disappeared, Takamine glanced back one last time. If I had to guess what’s in her mind, she’s probably still annoyed that I got her friend that riled up. Or maybe ever since that match back then, Sakuraba Mikan never stopped talking about me. It built up and instead of venting on her friend, she chose me as the target.

Well, what can I do? It’s not my fault, right?

Those two were a handful, no doubt about it. And if Nagisa was right about Sakuraba getting ‘invested’, I had a feeling I’d be seeing that orange ponytail charging at me again the next time we meet. Maybe that other girl would be tagging along too.

Haa... how did I get a rival out of nowhere? Or is that still rivalry? Who knows. My life’s already chaotic enough without adding another fiery girl or two into the mix, but the shameless part of me couldn’t help but feel a tiny spark of amusement at the thought.

I shook my head, picked the cooler box back up, and continued toward the parking lot.

The late afternoon sun was dipping lower, casting long shadows across the school grounds.

Orimura-sensei was already waiting by the bus when I finally arrived. Her arms crossed under her chest and one foot tapping impatiently on the pavement.

She’d already changed out of her coach-mode tracksuit into something more casual. A simple blouse and jeans that still hugged her athletic frame in all the right ways.

Is she going to drive like that? Or maybe... she dressed up like that for me? Either way, I’m not going to complain.

The moment she spotted me, her sharp eyes narrowed.

“Took you long enough, shameless brat,” She muttered, stepping aside so I could load the bags into the luggage compartment. “You’ve caught more girls’ attention. I should really hurry up and straighten your ways.”