Stealing Spree

‘Why are popular guys like him so competent?’ was a question that shouldn’t even be asked. The answer was too obvious, after all. Yet, I heard some boys, not particularly the ones who openly hated me, murmur to themselves when I passed by them. Of course, there was the follow-up of ‘I wish I can do that as well', fully exposing what was really beneath that envy.

They couldn't be the same as me so all they could do was wish for it.

For those kinds of people, the best way to deal with them was just to continue normally. Either they would soon get tired of feeling that way and do some effort themselves or simply continue deluding themselves that they could change their situation without taking initiative.

In any case, if I was the Ruki of last year, I would probably do everything to stay out of the spotlight. Not that I experienced that situation myself but it’s the kind of observation I picked up when I stayed under the radar by doing everything in secret.

I have changed and… like most people eager to have a transformation, I am comfortably adapting to that change. As could be seen by my recent actions.

One could argue that the transformation was too much and I just put myself in another absurd situation. But as always, there’s no regret to be had in this decision. Everything was worth it for my girls’ happiness.

Let’s not go in the direction of tackling my morality. There’s no backtracking on that and I had long crossed that line ever since I let myself become a slave to my desire.

Anyway, I better stop with this line of thought. Those idiots were irrelevant to me or my situation. And what we showed, or specifically, what I showed in the activity was all from my effort. Eguchi-sensei’s bias was only on the surface which never affected the result in any way or form.

A win would remain a win and nothing could change it. They could be envious watching me receive the honor and the admiration for all I care. Their opinion would never matter. Besides, they’re just the minority.

Fukuda’s group whose third round flunked because of him getting distracted and Ogawa’s group who failed to communicate properly could only be salty at their side. Fires of rivalry still raged within their eyes. However, they all accepted the result of the activity. That’s why I didn’t hear a peep from them.

And with that, along with Satsuki, Aya and Sakuma, our group walked to the middle when Eguchi-sensei called us.

Accorded with the honor and reward she prepared, all four of us became more like a celebrity with more people cheering for us rather than becoming the same as those consumed by their envy.

And given that Eguchi-sensei was still enlivened, not only with the result but also with the success of her activity, she received us with her splendid smile rarely seen in public.

Thanks to that, it made the moment become the true start for both Class 1 and 4 to understand that the terror teacher in front of them wasn’t really terrifying like they first thought. She’s just pretty much any other passionate teacher who wants to do her best for her students.

With that enlightenment, Eguchi-sensei would finally be free from the stress of what to do to get her students to accept her. And that’s indubitably a better development than her growing infatuation with me. Right?

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After announcing our reward of being able to skip the next activity, Eguchi-sensei also mentioned the bonus points. On top of that, she also promised to get us a gift worthy of our accomplishment.

While I think that’s already too much, it drew positive reactions from the students. For sure, in the next activity, the enthusiasm that they showed today would double or triple. In their minds, rather than thinking that it was boring or difficult, they’d remember the fun that they experienced.

A while later, soon after concluding a short lesson drawn from the activity, Eguchi-sensei soon dismissed the class on a positive note.

To complete my work as her assistant today, I stayed behind to help her put away everything that we used for the activity.

Hana also tried to help us. However, Chii appeared behind her and dragged the girl away. Yep, the fake gyaru would once again bring her to her Mentor.

From what I heard from Chii, she’s gonna use Hana’s difficulty in dealing with the kind of person her Mentor is to understand Hana better.

Not only that, she’s also going to bring the girl and meet up with Hifumi after school.

Naturally, I volunteered to escort them. To spend time with Chii and check on Hifumi. Hana would just be a plus.

It would be a sight to see how Hana was going to react upon getting reminded about our time years ago where I only have all three of them.

She might still be adamant at her decision but like earlier, she might also fold at the sight. That’s something to look forward to.

Continuing on, although Eguchi-sensei and I got another chance to be alone, nothing too intimate happened between us on our way to bring the carts back to where they belonged. The lovely woman simply reveled in my achievement earlier, repeating it a few times as if she was reliving the memory over and over. I could only smile at her side, not knowing whether to laugh or act embarrassed.

At the moment, we’re approaching the Club Building, the point where we’re about to separate. She’s going back to the Administration Building while I would be changing before meeting up with Izumi.

However, it was at this point that she suddenly exclaimed. Looking at how ears started turning red and how her face flared up, she finally remembered it.

“Ah! Onoda-kun, I forgot to tell you this earlier because of… Uh…”

Yep. Despite stuttering at trying to convey that, understanding where she’s going with this was fairly.

Earlier, because we somehow got lost in cuddling each other in her office, she forgot to bring it up.

What is it?

Our upcoming trip for tomorrow.

“Hmm? What happened, sensei?” I asked to confirm.

She glanced straight into my eyes and almost magically, her maiden-like reactions stopped and her grace as my teacher returned.

After smacking her forehead as though to clear her head up, she started, “Ugh. Alright, forgive me for that unsightly display. What I want to say is… Tomorrow, you can go straight to my office, Onoda-kun. I finished informing Kinoshita-sensei and the other teachers about our trip. If you have something else to do before we leave, you better do it before the school bell.”

Oh. That sounds great, to be honest. It would give me the time to still escort Akane to her school and check on my girls. I guess I should also start studying that folder Hayashi-sensei handed to me for the task.

“Mhm. I understand. I’m looking forward to it, sensei.” I nodded in affirmation.

“Yeah. Me too.” Releasing a small sigh, she then dreamily muttered, “A day with you sounds like a date, doesn't it?”

However, not a second later, perhaps realizing that she made a blunder, panic covered her face. Her feet quickened its pace, leaving me a few steps behind her.

“No! Forget I say that. I can’t insinuate something like that. See you tomorrow, Onoda-kun!”

Without glancing over her shoulder, Eguchi-sensei yelled in a quick burst before dashing to the distance, disappearing from my gaze.

What a capricious woman, one moment she cleared her head up just from glancing at me and the next moment, she became flustered once again. And in the end, she took back what she said…

I wonder, what kind of reaction is she expecting from me?