Stealing Spree

Chapter 2890: You’re making fun of me

”I see. How do you know where to find me?” I asked despite already knowing how she arrived here.

The older girl pursed her lips for a few seconds before answering, ”S-someone said you went here.”

”Someone?”

”Y-yeah... I went to your room, but they said you stepped out. So I asked around.”

Ah... Of course, that’s quite a good excuse. But if I wasn’t wrong, my earlier guess was right. She saw us exiting and followed us from the School Building.

As for her reason for finding me, she’d probably remind me of that promise.

Since it’s preparation time for the cultural festival, we can get permission to leave the school to make a trip outside to buy more materials.

She was probably aiming for that instead of waiting for the end of the school hours.

Too bad, she came at the wrong time. And then, she even dared to follow us.

I wonder what’s going on in her head now.

Looking at her current expression and how heavy she was breathing currently, it must’ve been a thoroughly stimulating scene despite not having a better angle to peek.

I mean, most of what she’d seen would be my backside, right?

“I see. I apologize for the trouble, senpai.”

I stepped forward and slowly crossed the room while watching Suzuki Yumika’s fingers twist the hem of her skirt.

Her gaze alternated between my face and the door to her side, but perhaps thinking I wouldn’t do anything to her, she made no move to escape.

Did she think she could threaten with what she saw? Possibly. Given her naivety that cultivated a slightly arrogant attitude after getting featured in a magazine, she would think she still had an upper hand.

But then again, I didn’t have any reason to make a move on her. Teasing her and asking her if she liked what she witnessed was a little tempting. However, since it’s Hana’s first time, that would be appropriate. Especially now that I left the girl resting there. Usually, I would’ve cuddled her first and waited for her to regain her strength. Or perhaps bring her to the infirmary to get a proper rest.

Yet here I was, meeting this peeping girl.

I put on my usual amiable smile before picking up the chairs I often used with Arisa and Izumi, and placing them in front of each other.

”Senpai, please sit.” I gently gestured like a proper gentleman.

Suzuki Yumika’s eyes blinked a few times, bewildered at how I was acting. Then, after a few moments of hesitation, she still complied.

Judging from her expression, she had mostly regained her composure. She smoothed her skirt and sat primly on the chair, back straight, knees pressed together, as if the past fifteen minutes hadn’t seared forbidden images behind her eyelids.

I inwardly nodded at her attempt at formality but as always, her subtle reactions were easily caught by me. For example, her face paled for a moment before regaining a rosy complexion, the way her fingers intertwined as she placed them on her thigh and the uneven rise of her adequate chest. Those were enough to peel the layer of her composure more than any confession could.

Sitting across from her, I intentionally moved my chair a few inches closer which made her flinch, perhaps anticipating that our knees might touch. But I stopped at a respectable distance. Just outside her personal space but close enough that I could reach out to her if I leaned a little closer.

”Hmm? Senpai, you went silent. May I know why you’ve sought me out?” Sensing that she’s a little tongue-tied at how to restart our conversation, I tilted my head slightly while maintaining my mild-mannered expression.

That seemed to be effective. Suzuki Yumika seemed to get out of her currently dazed state. And this little gesture seemed to break her image of me inside her head.

Suzuki Yumika chortled, exhaling through her nose. Then, she smoothed her skirt which seemed to have imaginary wrinkles from how much she paid attention to it.

”Onoda-kun, you do know my one and only reason to seek you out.” A little smile was left on her face as she lifted her chin slightly, her voice regaining that polished confidence though her thighs remained pressed tightly together and slightly restless.

I wonder... it’s probably a little wet, huh?

Anyway, her act was passable at best. It would work on other boys but to my eyes, it was like she was trying too hard to act normal.

Honestly, I would be more pleased to see her act embarrassed. At least with that I didn’t need to ask her anymore if she liked what she saw, her reaction would be enough.

But well, she was trying to salvage her dignity here. The least I could do was play along.

”Ah, of course. I promised to accompany you, senpai.” I returned a smile before acting a little troubled, ”Could it be... you’ve already gotten permission, senpai? I thought it’d be after school.”

Suzuki Yumika shook her head, ”No. I haven’t. Yet. I am planning we go together so...”

Together, huh? This girl. Is she trying to maximize her time with me? After all, she was quite excited at the prospect of me accompanying her.

When she namedropped me that day? Did she hope for this kind of result? Improbable. Many girls in our school might’ve started admiring me but they wouldn’t go as far as planning intensively just to get a chance to be with me. Besides, there was even a huge chance of failure back then. If I didn’t come to the conference room back then and then offered to sponsor her club, there wouldn’t be a promise of me to accompany her.

If there’s someone who could plan flawlessly like that, there was only Minami Shouko, the great manipulator.

Anyway, how should I deal with this girl?

”Oh...Go together. I’m afraid I can’t accompany you at the moment, senpai.” I put on a regretful smile while glancing toward the door where Hana slept. ”As you might’ve witnessed...I have a prior commitment.”

At first, Suzuki Yumika looked a little disappointed but then, she realized the implication of my last sentence. ”T-that! I didn’t witness anything, Onoda-kun!”

Looking at how she easily cracked, I suppressed a chuckle. ”Didn’t witness anything? Then why are your cheeks this red, senpai? Someone who didn’t witness anything wouldn’t even know what I was talking about.”

Suzuki Yumika’s fingers twitched against her skirt, her knuckles whitening as my words stripped away her flimsy pretense. The flush creeping down her neck betrayed her more thoroughly than any confession could.

”Th-that’s irrelevant!” Her voice cracked mid-protest, the polished cadence crumbling under the weight of my amused stare. She crossed her arms defensively, but the gesture only emphasized how her elbows trembled. Oh, it also accentuated her figure.

As an expert in archery, she does know how to maintain her figure. Her arms and shoulders were smooth yet toned, a testament to her discipline. Yet now, those same arms trembled slightly, not from drawing bowstrings, but from the memory of what she’d seen through the door.

”It is relevant though. But don’t worry, senpai. I won’t hold it against you.” I maintained my smile, watching her eyes dart between me and my crotch, unconsciously trying to see if she could spot any traces of what happened earlier.

Realizing what she was doing, she gathered herself and pulled back slightly. However, because of how sudden it was, the chair tipped backward.

With my reflexes quicker than my thoughts, I lunged forward, grasping her wrist and pulling her to me while my other arm slid across her lower back to stabilize her.

Suzuki Yumika gasped sharply as she closed her eyes, probably anticipating her disgraceful fall. However, when she noticed she wasn’t falling but was instead pressed against my chest, her golden-brown eyes flew open, wide with shock and something else entirely.

My fingers lingered at the small of her back, feeling the rapid flutter of her pulse through the thin fabric of her blouse.

”Careful, senpai.” I whispered before gently releasing her and quickly moving to right her chair back.

”T-thank you, Onoda-kun.” Suzuki Yumika stammered, hastily smoothing her skirt as she perched back on the chair. The accidental intimacy left her flustered and that made her rosy complexion turn even darker.

Her composure was lost again and she was probably wishing to hide her face somewhere just to escape my gaze. Unfortunately for her, there wasn’t such a place in this room. Unless she used my chest instead but that’s unlikely to happen without me encouraging her.

”Mhm. I should apologize. I must’ve startled you, huh?” Once again, I maintained my gentle tone while I reached for a strand of her hair that had been displaced by her abrupt movement.

Suzuki Yumika stiffened and her blush became more pronounced as I tucked the stray lock behind her ear. Her lips parted slightly before meeting my gaze, looking troubled and embarrassed, but also intrigued.

”... You’re making fun of me, Onoda-kun.” She said with a little grievance.