Stealing Spree

Chapter 2924: A Calm Before... (2)

Sometime later, Fuyu released me from her embrace, fully satisfied with the pampering she gave me. Unfortunately, with Eri and Futaba around, the girl put on some restraint. Or rather, her previous embarrassment from before surfaced again.

That’s why I took the initiative to bring her upstairs with me, where I pampered her as well. While my thick skin wouldn’t mind showing us being intimate in front of the two, I still had to consider what my girl would feel. Fuyu is far more modest than I am, and seeing her blush like a ripe tomato whenever Eri teased her was a reminder that she still treasures her privacy.

But then again, the last time they were all here, Akane and Fuyu dragged me upstairs without any hint of subtlety about what we were going to do.

When we came down back then, Eri had a knowing smirk, fully aware of what had transpired. Futaba, on the other hand, wasn’t any better. But she was more reserved.

However, that night was also when Futaba brought up her absurd request to get a ’lesson’ from me while I escorted her home. That’s why thinking about how she would be getting her next ’lesson’ tonight felt like a game of chess where I don’t know if I should openly check or keep things at a stalemate for a bit longer.

I mean, it’s not a secret anymore so... rather than make things awkward before it, it’s best to act a little normal.

As for whether Eri would cooperate, I had no idea.

Anyway, Miwa-nee had already taken the boy to their room when we came down. Akane, on the other hand, waited with the other two in the living room.

We tried to come quietly but with Akane’s ’Ruki radar’, being stealthy was useless.

”Husband, did you take care of Fuyu properly?” The girl mischievously tilted her head, her eyes scanning my face for any sign of exhaustion.

She was lounging on the sofa with Futaba, looking like a pampered cat who had spent the previous hour waiting for her owner to pick her up.

”Do you still need to ask, wife?” I replied with a smile. My arm then hooked around Fuyu’s waist and pulled her flushed against me.

The girl immediately blushed but she just let me hold her. Still, she silently protested by pinching my side.

”Un. That’s good then. Fuyu will be able to go home satisfied.” Akane nodded with a teasing smile.

I knew it. The reason she didn’t come barge in on us was to give Fuyu the opportunity to have me all to herself.

”Akane!” Flustered again, Fuyu hid her face against my shoulder. Although she was also pleased that no one disturbed us, finding out that Akane willfully chose to stay downstairs for the sake of her satisfaction always made her feel a mix of gratitude and embarrassment.

Really, they just couldn’t help being considerate towards each other, could they?

”Hehe. Are you going to complain, Fuyu? Should we have teamed up against husband again?” Akane smirked as she winked at me.

On the side, Futaba was already crimson red while Eri was intently listening to their exchange.

In the end, I had to walk over to Akane and flick her forehead, stopping her from leading the conversation into territory that would make Futaba completely combust.

But then again, it’s not like she was uninterested. She was just trying her best to maintain her composure. After all, she had to appear as the ’sensible’ one in the group, even if that mask was cracking more and more every time I looked at her.

”Alright, enough teasing for one night,” I said, stretching my arms and pulling the silly girl in my embrace.

”Boo, husband. I’m not teasing.”

”Then what do you call that?”

”Hmm, maybe it’s called ’strategic motivation’?” Akane giggled as she glanced at Fuyu, who seemed to have triggered her own competitiveness, hugging me from behind.

”Tsk. Are you seeing this, Futaba? Ruki and these two are showing off at us.” Eri eventually groaned, shifting her position on the carpet to look up at us.

She crossed her arms and shook her head, looking like she was about to give a lecture. ”If you’re trying to make us envious, you’ve won. I demand a similar treatment from my boy best friend!”

”Eri, please stop talking!” Futaba facepalmed, her voice strained. ”What the heck are you demanding? Do you know what that means?”

”Hmm? Of course I do. Ruki said it before, right? He doesn’t mind doting on us as he dotes on Akane and Fuyu! I think I want to experience that.” Eri’s lips gradually curled up.

Whether she was serious or not, I did say that before. But at that time, I was certain the closeness we had was something that would not interfere with her relationship with her boyfriend.

I told her to mind her boundaries but every time we met, she’d still be the same Eri whose sense of personal space when it comes to me was practically nonexistent. The fact that she was now openly demanding the same treatment as my official girlfriends was a shift in the wind, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

If anything, she had long been curious about it. She even asked me to touch her or kiss her before. She was a creature of impulse but her impulse seemed to be only triggered when it was related to me.

Right. Not even her boyfriend had the privilege of her acting this forward.

That poor guy. If he saw his girl acting like this, he might have started questioning their years of relationship. After all, they still hadn’t done anything more intimate than holding hands.

”Wait, Eri! You can’t just demand that!” Futaba exclaimed, though she didn’t sound particularly opposed to it. More than that, she seemed to be feeling her out. ”You have a boyfriend! Don’t you think about the implications?”

Eri puffed out her cheeks as she retorted, ”Ugh, what implications? I’m not asking for anything excessive from Ruki.”

At this point, it became Akane and Fuyu’s turn to listen to their exchange. As for me, if I said anything, things might spiral out of proportion. But as a man who prides himself on his shamelessness, I couldn’t just let the moment pass without a bit of mischief.

”Then how do you want to be doted on, Eri?”

Upon hearing that, Futaba’s head turned to me, her eyes narrowing slightly while Eri’s eyes sparkled.

Of course, Akane and Fuyu, who trapped me between their embrace, also reacted to it. Fuyu pinched me again while Akane looked up at me with an impish smile.

”Hmm, let’s see...” Eri trailed off, resting her chin on her hand as she looked me up and down. ”Maybe some head pats? Or maybe Ruki should carry me to the kitchen to get more donuts? Since I’m basically a fragile little flower!”

”A fragile flower, huh?” I chuckled, glancing down at her. ”You’re about as fragile as a landslide, Eri.”

”What? Do I look like a tall tree to you, Ruki?”

”A bamboo pole, maybe?” I teasingly replied as Akane and Fuyu released me from their embrace.

I walked over to Eri, reaching out to ruffle her hair and give her head pats.

Eri let out a loud, indignant squawk as she grabbed my wrist. After that, she pouted, looking extremely unsatisfied. ”Can I really only get head pats?”

”Don’t be greedy, alright. You’ve already eaten half of the donuts I brought. Don’t you know I specifically picked that for Futaba?” I intentionally brought that up as I shifted my gaze to Futaba.

”Hey! I knew it! You planned to stuff me with sugar again! Ugh... what a hateful guy.” Futaba reacted. Perhaps if her bag was by her side, she would have already thrown it to me. In the end, she could only throw the cushion next to her.