Stealing Spree

Why is Kujou Marika here? That’s the first question that popped up in my head as soon as I saw the golden ringlet girl that was approaching me.

However, I quickly got the connection or the possible reason she appeared here.

Ichihara-san. Ichihara Jun’s aunt.

Kujou-senpai had this brilliant smile on her lips as though seeing an acquaintance in me delighted her a lot. She strode forwards elegantly, drawing numerous gazes be it from men, women or children.

There’s no doubt that anyone would not mistake her for a common girl. Everything about her screamed that of a sheltered princess that stood above the masses.

Our interactions could only be counted on one hand. And even if that last instance at the convenience store lifted me to a higher standing in her eyes, it’s definitely unusual for her to act like this.

Obviously, my suspicion that she’s not as naïve as she showed was still in my mind. She could be a cunning bitch that would do anything to destroy the obstacle blocking her beloved Jun-kun’s enemy, who knows?

The innocence that she’s fronting was distinctive to Misaki’s innocence. This girl was aware of social strata but at the same time acted oblivious to it. On the other hand, Misaki was just a sweet and innocent child who got so hooked on the word ‘close friend’.

Anyway, the ringlet girl wasn’t in her uniform. In fact, she’s wearing what most people wear here; sports attire. Up top, she's wearing a pinkish-white shirt without any print with sleeves only a few centimeters from her shoulder. Down below, breathable cotton shorts and a pair of expensive-looking rubber shoes.

Imagine those pro-tennis female players, except for the visor and ponytail hairstyle, that’s how she looked at the moment.

Nonetheless, even with a somewhat plain combination, it didn’t diminish the graceful aura surrounding her. Kujou Marika was probably most people’s ideal rich girl archetype.

Although I couldn’t spot a follower of her from the same school, I easily noticed a few men in suits watching over her from a distance. Some were still in that car while the others just stood menacingly, scaring off some passersby.

If something happened, they’d probably rush in immediately, putting the girl out of danger.

Even here, she’s a bigshot yet the girl was seemingly unaware of it as she carelessly interacts with just anyone.

“Yes, what a coincidence, senpai. Are you here for the gym as well?” I answered her without changing my neutral expression. I also made sure to keep Sena at my side regardless of what the girl would think.

Sena, on the other hand, who picked up on the situation also reacted accordingly as she stared at the girl. She tugged at my sleeve, asking for clarification. That was answered when I greeted the ringlet girl back.

“Yes, I am. Jun-kun’s aunt recommended me here. She said they’re offering a great program for a beginner.”

So, it’s really Ichihara-san who pointed her here, huh? However, that didn’t answer why she was here. If it’s Ichihara-san, she’d surely mention that the program was on its last day and the next one would be two weeks from now…

Did Ichihara-san tell her my name or that the Instructor was someone from the school as them?

I had no idea how close they were so I could only put out an assumption.

In any case, even if she’s here, there’s no reason for me to postpone what was already scheduled. I better just continue acting normally in front of her.

Even if she found out what I was doing here or that I was dating the girl next to me, it would be rather irrelevant to me unless she’s really a cunning girl.

“I see. But senpai, if you're here for that program, you won’t be able to get in for the next two weeks.”

Upon hearing that, Kujou Marika looked genuinely surprised. She even had to cover her mouth with her fingers.

“My! And why is that?”

“Uh… Did Ichihara-senpai’s aunt not tell you? The program will end today and it will restart in two weeks.”

“Oh? Oh! I see. So that’s why, hmm?” She exclaimed before a tint of red ran across her face. She’s embarrassed. “Thank you, junior-kun. It appears I’m about to disgrace myself here. How careless…”

“Don’t be. I doubt it will bother you. The lady at the front desk will also inform you of it so…”

“I disagree. I got over-excited upon hearing about this very easy program from Jun-kun’s aunt that I came here without getting all the details. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, an error on my part.” Kujou Marika pulled out a paper fan from out of nowhere and fanned herself even before sweat beads ran down her forehead.

Through that, I was somehow convinced that everything she just said was true. But I couldn’t disregard the fact that she could also be a great actress.

From what I heard, she’s part of the Theater Club, the one that’s closely related to Misaki’s Drama Club.

“Anyhow, what about you Junior-kun? What brought you here?” Perhaps she had already recovered, Kujou Marika changed the subject and threw the question back to me.

On my side, Sena was already whispering to me she was going inside to not let Kujou know about our relationship. She’s being considerate again. But from what I observed, the ringlet girl wasn’t even looking at her.

The girl’s focus was solely on me. As for what kind of meaning I could get from that, I had no idea. She must really just be relieved and delighted to see me here.

“Let’s see. I’m working part-time here, senpai. I’m the Instructor of the said program.” I answered while scratching my cheek, making the girl raised her eyebrows in interest.

Moments later, Kujou Marika’s lips broke into a pleasant smile as she ran up to me to grab my hands and shake them excitedly while saying, “My! It’s you! How amazing, Junior-kun!”

Actually, revealing that to her was something I already considered after everything she showed today. Whether Ichihara-san told her or not didn’t matter. She would still find that out sooner or later.

So, by revealing that truth like this, I got to observe how she would react.

Surprisingly, her reaction seemed too genuine to me…

Following this, Sena’s existence was really ignored by her or she couldn’t bother to ask what she is to me.

We then entered the gym. I invited Kujou Marika inside, saying that she could observe us. But that’s probably not needed anymore because Ichihara-san came running to us as soon as we showed up.

She apologized that she told someone else about my part-time job and admitted that she ran her mouth off uncontrollably when Marika showed up during the time she allocated for the set exercises earlier. She also asked me to allow the girl to observe. Looks like even a woman of Ichihara-san’s standing seemed rather wary of upsetting the girl. Whether it’s because of Kujou Marika herself or the family behind her, I had no idea and it would be too intruding to ask. It’s a little personal and the person in question was right beside us.

Anyway, with this, the curtain for the last lesson of my program was drawn…

I didn’t prepare anything special, of course. But with a special observer like that, I might do some things differently.

There’s still no indication whether Kujou Marika would be against me but there’s nothing wrong with being cautious around her.