Stealing Spree

It’s a surprise. Of all the girls that I previously stole, the caller turned out to be someone I least expected.

Like I said, the first time I held a phone was during middle school. That’s the time when my father stopped working at the law firm and started leaving the house for an extended duration along with my mother. It’s something they bought for me so that they could easily contact me anytime.

That’s why it’s a mystery where Hana got ahold of my phone number and email. And based on what she just said, she heard about my change. No one else should’ve known about that except my girls as well as those close to me.

Thinking about it, she could’ve just searched me on social media and that would be understandable. But by doing this, she created a layer of mystery surrounding her source of information.

Looking at the girls in the room, they all bore the same puzzled and curious expressions as they waited for what was going to happen next.

Hana spoke to me with a clear sense of familiarity. And by the tone of her voice, it sounded like she was talking to her long-lost lover.

At least that’s how her words got conveyed in my ears.

I grabbed Chii’s hand to calm her down before finally responding to the girl.

“It’s been a while, Hana. But do you have to act that mysterious?� Unlike Chii, I maintained my calm all the while anticipating what she was going to say next.

Thinking back to our time together, Hana and I were never suspected to be close to each other. At least, in public, we were never seen together.

Chii was my classmate at that time so there were times when we could be seen together; for example, during PE classes. Still, that’s not enough to link us up as a couple.

Hifumi was in a different class like Hana but more often than not, the kids would see us together. Carrying her books for her or... just spending time together in the library. While she’s busy studying, I would be next to her, filling up my desire.

As for Hana... Apart from being considered the most beautiful, she’s the friendliest girl in school because of her infectious, angelic smile. From what I remembered, no one saw her being mean to another student. Even if there’s someone who didn’t like how friendly she was... Hana would approach him or her to personally talk to them. The next day after that, the hater would show up as her new friend.

And so, taking that into account, it’s almost impossible for me to get close to her when she’s always surrounded by everyone.

That’s why apart from the initial effort I put in when I worked my way to steal her, the next instances where we became alone together were mostly made possible by her.

In a way, it’s not wrong to say that Hana herself maintained our relationship.

Yet, the ignorant me still heartlessly cut her off. If anything, I expected her to be mad at me or just straight up resent me for doing that to her.

But with the way she spoke today, that sounds like someone who resented, or... she’s just hiding it well.

“Mysterious, you say? Come on, Ruki. It’s my way to imitate you. Remember the day you slipped your love letter in my bag?� With another burst of laughter, Hana replied to me while also dropping a detail that made the girls around me astonished.

“A love letter.� Aya dreamily muttered. She then raised the letter that they were just reading earlier. The other girls also looked at it before focusing their eyes on me.

Most likely, they either started suspecting Hana to be the sender or they were more surprised to know that I penned a love letter before.

Obviously, I leaned more on the latter. It’s a coincidence that she called me the same day I got the love letter.

She’s not even here in the city, how could she slip that in my shoe locker?

Anyway, with the way this conversation started, I should at least focus on getting information from her rather than be swept by her pace.

“Mhm. I remembered. It’s just a way for me to approach you without needing to deal with the dense crowd of ‘friends’ surrounding you.�

“You didn’t write your name on it but I still have that letter. Want me to read it for you? Chizuru, do you want to hear it?�

Knowing that Chii’s listening with me, Hana dragged her back to the conversation.

“Uhm. I want to hear it.� She answered quickly.

No. Not just her, even Nami and the others all nodded their heads, easing up the puzzlement in their faces.

These girls... They’re now more interested in hearing about the letter I wrote rather than being more informed about Hana.

“Wait. Hana, why did you keep that?�

“Ruki, I thought you were smarter than this. Must I need a reason to keep the first love letter I got from the boy I love? This is my treasure that reminds me of you.�

Although her voice sounded a little disappointed at first, the last sentence got me taken aback.

She’s treating it as a treasure... And by the tone of her voice, I couldn’t find any falsehood in it.

Uh. It’s not that I don’t believe her words... I just couldn’t wrap my head around her fixation on me.

More than three years have passed since the day I cut her off... This isn’t like Hifumi who ran into me at the train station or Chii who saw me again in the same class as her.

Hana sounded like she’s been waiting for this day to come...

But based on how I understand her personality and character, she shouldn’t be someone who’d be this obsessed over me.

Well, there’s no indication that she’s obsessed. However, out of the three, Hana’s the only one who smilingly accepted being cut off by me. And after that day, I never saw her again.

“I’m sorry but this just doesn’t make any sense, Hana. Don’t you resent me?� After thinking for a while, instead of being as excited as them, I raised a question.

Upon hearing that, Chii put on a complicated expression. She also resented me just that her love for me prevailed in the end. And for Hifumi, she clearly moved on but... it’s possible that she also didn’t expect to be instantly reminded of the good parts of our past upon seeing me that day. Otherwise, she wouldn’t return to this city.

Hana failed to answer right away.

Instead, we clearly heard the faint sound of activity from the other side. She didn’t walk away again but it was as if she reached for something. She opened a drawer and picked up something from it.

Following that, the sound of rustling paper echoed along with her pleasant laughter.

“Why should I resent you? If you’re going to say that it’s because you tricked me and cut me off from your life without giving me consideration, don’t bother. I’m well aware of your character. And I love it a lot.�

After saying that, the girl paused for a while as though she was trying to gather momentum before continuing, addressing Chii this time.

“I’m sorry, Chizuru. I can’t read Ruki’s letter to you. It will lose its value if someone else becomes aware of its contents. Let me be selfish for this one as it’s my treasure. And to end this, allow me to make a declaration... I’m going to steal Ruki from all of you. He’s mine so... you all should start savoring the remaining time you can be with him. I’m confident that I can make him mine... using any means possible.�

After saying all that with full confidence, Hana then ended the call from her side without waiting for us to respond to it.

Alright. That’s a bold statement coming from her.

However, I wasn’t even threatened by it. I mean, it’s not aimed at me. And with her ambiguous behavior and the way she answered me... I couldn’t feel anything except the initial surprise.

However, that’s not the case for Chii and the girls around me.

Blazing fire of their fighting spirit had been instantly ignited in their eyes as they all crowded around me. Even the meek-looking Aya grabbed at my sleeve tightly, asserting that she was not going to back down.

And on the side, Satsuki exploded as she raised her fist in the air, her face as scary as a soldier going to fight in a war. “What a daring girl... Bring it on!�