Stealing Spree

“Any last advice, Master?”

As soon as I returned to the changing room, the five idiots whose names I kept on forgetting brought that up to my face. The same as earlier, they’re still looking up at me with reverence and expectation for more life advice from me.

Since everything I told me truly made an impact on their transformation into becoming less of a nerd, they probably didn’t want my stream of advice to run out.

Looking at them and comparing them to what they looked like the first time they appeared in this gym; especially the first three, they’re like different persons by now. If they continue on their current path then… it won’t be long for them to finally reach the realm of normalcy.

Yep. Only normalcy. I mean, becoming handsome or becoming cool enough to bypass the aesthetic sense of today’s society was a huge hurdle for them.

I only got lucky enough to be… handsome beneath my unkempt hair for all these years.

Wait. That probably shouldn’t be called luck. I simply inherited my parents’ genes. I just neglected my external appearance for so long and convinced myself that I was just a normal guy.

As for these guys, it will probably be an achievement of their lifetime if someone confessed to them. Not that I was trying to put them down, their natural gifts were just truly below average.

“Advice, huh? Let’s see… Apart from continuing the set exercises that I taught you here, remember to control yourselves in public. It’s fine to be passionate about something – like your hobby. However, don’t flaunt it too much as though it’s the only best thing in the world. For example, there’s me. Will you believe that I love listening to a certain popular female singer’s songs?”

It's the last time, so why not give them truly fulfilling advice?

Well, using myself as an example here would also make an impact even if it’s partly a lie. I only love Yue’s songs, if it was any other female singer or any other singer for that matter, my stance will always remain neutral.

“Eh? I thought sensei will be a ‘rock’ person. What a revelation!”

“Yeah. Do you get what I’m pointing out? There’s no reason for you to be overly passionate about something you love. As long as you continue appreciating it with yourself or within your circle, that’s enough. You’ll just be seen as weird if every day, that’s your main topic. Also, one other thing. Learn to read the room. If your conversation partner feels uncomfortable with the topic, quickly change it. Otherwise, you’ll just weird them out.”

“Ooh! Such wise words from the Master!”

“Ah. Also, stop that kind of reverence. I’m not a master or a saint. It’s fine that you admire me but if you started acting like a fanatic, that’s going to be a negative trait of yours. Keep it cool at all times.”

“… W-we understand!”

“Alright. That’s it. We won’t be seeing each other after this day. Your transformation will all depend on your own efforts.”

“Wait, sensei. Is there something we can do for you? As a show of gratitude…”

“Continue encouraging other people like you to come and enroll in my program. That’s all—” I thought of ending this conversation here. However, I remembered something else and it’s something that these five might be able to help me with.

They offered… so, why not take it?

“On second thought, I’m going to ask you for a favor. It can be only one of you but if all of you can produce better results then all the better.”

“Speak, and it shall be done!”

Ignoring their weird way of speaking, I opened my mouth. “You’re from the neighboring city, right? Do you know the Seven Stars Girls’ Academy? Help me find someone from that school.”

The girl who called out to me. I thought of just letting it go before but with Hana’s impending return, I should at least try to check if she’s the one who provided the girl with the information about me. And if that's the case, how did she know about my change…

-

-

After changing and leaving the five idiots, I met up with Ichihara-san at the same place we talked to yesterday. She already changed out of her sports attire and was now wearing a more alluring dress which fully accentuated her mature figure. Both her chest and butt were perky enough to confuse someone about where to look. Add to that her slightly wet hair that was still dripping from having taken a shower, the lady in front of me was probably the same as Nakanishi-senpai during her younger days, a natural temptress.

Well, enough with that. Ogling her wasn’t the reason I’m here. I shook my head and cleared my mind, preparing myself to answer that offer of hers.

Upon approaching her, Ichihara-san who looked a little restless suddenly relaxed as she let out a sigh of relief. Most likely she’s on her toes, trying to guess what my answer would be.

I had already come to a decision but before that, I wanted to hear something from her.

“Onoda-sensei… You’re here. About my offer.”

“Wait, Ichihara-san. Can I ask another question first?”

Well, this was also to calm her down. She still looked a little jittery, after all. She’s too worried that I would decline her offer. But again, her fixation on me was kind of unusual. Even if she considered me a top-class Instructor, I was still a student and without a license.

Ichihara-san paused for a moment before nodding, “Sure, go ahead.”

“The girl with you today. Kujou-senpai… Did you intentionally tell her about me?”

I know. There’s that story that Kujou Marika caught her doing those sets of exercises. However, that story was slightly problematic. Will someone like Kujou Marika suddenly barge into someone else’s home? Although I had no idea about their entire family dynamics, from the way Ichihara-san described Ichihara Jun, it sounded like she’s not fond of him.

If that’s the case, what more his fiancée? It couldn’t be that she gets along with her right? There’s the generation gap. She’s part of the older generation and Kujou Marika, the younger generation.

“Truthfully, I’m aware of their reputation in our school…” I trailed my voice here, not completing what that reputation entailed.

Nonetheless, Ichihara-san completely understood what I was mentioning.

“I…” With a hint of hesitation in her eyes, Ichihara-san looked around us. And after seeing that no one was around, she stepped forward and grabbed my wrist, pulling me into a blindspot and away from the corridor. “I apologize for this, Onoda-sensei… I hope you understand.”

“Mhm… I don’t mind. Nothing’s wrong with being cautious.”

Because of what she did, our current situation became a little daring. She’s pushing me against the wall, her whole body pressed on me. I could smell her fragrance and feel the sensation of her voluptuous front. I could lift my arm and hook it to her back so easily if I wished, but there’s no reason to do that in this situation. Besides, I’m more focused on hearing her answer.

At the moment, even though I felt like I already understood Kujou Marika’s character, Ichihara-san’s actions this time revealed to me that there’s more to it than what was shown to us…

“That girl… She didn’t hear about you from me… I apologize but it’s my daughter who told her about you. Or about ‘Onoda-sensei from the boxing gym’. She found Koharu in our garden, doing that set of exercises, and bragged about you. I have no idea she’s going to follow us here.”

“I see… Thank you for answering me, Ichihara-san.” Seeing how she’s shaking a bit – perhaps out of fear or something – I found that it was my turn to grab her wrists in a bid to calm her down.

The reason for that kind of reaction was still a mystery to me but I guess that’s enough indication that… I should dig deeper into this rather than keep on guessing. Although I’m not an avid hater of surprises, I don’t want something to blow up in my face and be late to react to it.

Once her shaking stopped, I looked her in the eyes and gave a small nod, “About that job off. Let me hear more about it.”