Stealing Spree

'I shouldn't be involved with her further than this… She got her freedom back and my interest in her already waned down to a simple memory that I put to the back of my mind.'

With that thought firmly set in mind, I remained standing in front of the girl, watching how her confidence to move me gradually crumbled.

Her act of shivering soon stopped and she inadvertently looked from her left and right, perhaps looking for a place to hide.

My boredom was one thing, right? But I couldn't simply break the rules I set for myself just for her. She's not an outlet for my desire anymore. She's simply an old acquaintance who denied knowing me yesterday.

It should've stayed that way…

"Alright, come in."

I had no idea what went down in my mind but before I knew it, I already stepped aside to let the girl inside the house.

Her reaction was also the same. Even with the blockade gone, she stared blankly into my face with a confused expression.

Yeah. Tell me. I wasn't acting like myself.

But then again, I couldn't take back what I already said.

Soon enough, she moved her feet and crossed that small distance to enter our forlorn house.

The first thing that the girl did after entering was look down. Not because she's depressed but to check if there's another shoe in the house aside from mine.

"You're alone again, huh? Did you once again tell the girls you caught to spend this holiday with their boyfriends?"

"They deserved it," I answered without a second thought.

Why bring the other girls up now? It's not as if she hadn't experienced the same. I also let her spend Christmas with her boyfriend last year.

"You truly never change. You keep on believing that we still want to return to our relationship." The girl incredulously muttered as she shook her head. She then took her boots off and continued inside.

I closed the door and followed behind her without responding to that.

That's the truth, anyway. I might've taken advantage of them but most of the girls remained hoping to return. And that's the main source of my desire.

Indeed, there were a few exceptions who confessed to having fallen in love with me. However, I dealt with them swiftly, giving them their freedom back.

I did not need that kind of emotion, it wouldn't fulfill the twisted nature of my desire. All I wanted was to steal them and revel in the sense of accomplishment for having conquered them while they remained loyal to the guy they were dating.

And that's why even that girl next door who kept on proclaiming how she loves me couldn't even move me. That one's adamant for sure, holding onto our past relationship where we practically cannot be separated.

Anyway, enough about that.

The girl paused her steps for a moment to also take her winter coat off and put it on a hanger.

Sure enough, she's wearing a rather impressive dress, something that a girl going on a date would wear. The color scheme was even themed for this season, red and green.

In any case, even when I thought about how lucky her boyfriend is, my desire to steal her again never appeared. There's just no such thing as a second chance to me. Once I let them go, that's it.

There's another girl who contacted me a few days earlier, the girl who I kept beside me all year round. Yae. But in her case, she's one of those who fell in love with me.

Yeah. That's a double violation.

Anyway, when the girl noticed me staring at her from behind, an impish smile rose from her lips.

"What? Does this remind you of old times? Are you not going to jump at me?"

Perhaps thinking that I was once again taken in by her appearance, she turned around to face me, flaunting that dress.

Without a change in my expression, I replied, "I'm only letting you take shelter from the cold. Stop trying to get a reaction from me."

Following that, I walked past her, leaving her behind.

Though I could admit that she was wearing that beautifully, she would never hear me say that. Because the best way to deal with this intruder was to continue acting unconcerned. Sooner or later, she will leave on her own.

Upon arriving in the living room, it only took a few seconds for the girl to show up behind me. And as though this was her home, she flopped down on the sofa I was sitting on earlier.

It's not her first time in this house, after all. She's already familiar with everything.

A few seconds of silence later, I raised a question, "Coffee or tea?"

She's cold. If I let her warm up, that would speed up her departure. Right?

"Hmm? You know my preference. I always like your tea."

"Well, sure. Wait there."

Serving her like this was not an issue. I always did it for them whenever I brought them home. But I guess, to do this for someone I already freed, this felt a little different… I couldn't quite put it in words and I had no energy to spend time thinking about it…

Fifteen minutes later, I returned to the living room with the tea.

I poured a cup and handed it to her. The girl excitedly received it and took a sip right away.

With her lips stretching into a satisfied smile, the girl looked up at me and said, "Thank you, Ruki. I missed this."

"Then you can drink the whole pot. Anyway, I let you in and served you tea. You know your way out, right?"

Upon hearing that, the girl's face fell as she stared at me in disbelief, "Huh? Are you telling me to leave right away?"

"After you warmed up. Look, like I told you, I only let you in to shelter you from the cold. Stop trying to get a reaction from me."

"That's…" The girl tried to say something else but upon realizing that I wouldn't change my mind at all, her approach changed, "I get it, I'll leave after this. But Ruki, won't you even call me by my name?"

"What for? I let you go. You shouldn't even be here right now. Drink that tea and leave. I'm going upstairs to sleep."

"You're colder than the weather." Upon saying that with a hint of helplessness in her voice, the girl downed the cup and stood up.

As I watched her close our distance, I replied to that remark "Yeah. I know. So, are you done?"

However, what I got from her wasn't an answer but another question. "Ruki, you really don't want to talk to me? Won't you ask me why I came here today?"

"Like I said, what for? There's nothing to talk about. You got your freedom. Live your life away from me. You're better off that way. If you're worried, what I used to threaten you won't ever leak at all and—"

Before I could finish my words, the girl dropped her strong act and pushed forward. She dodged my arm which tried to keep her at a distance and eventually stepped in front of me. She closed her eyes and crossed the remaining distance. Following that, her arms wrapped around my back, embracing me tightly.

A moment later, her calm and affectionate voice reached my ears, "Thank you, Ruki."

Whether she was thanking me for freeing her or the assurance that I wouldn't leak anything, I had no idea. But my response came in a heartbeat. "Don't ever thank someone like me."

After saying that, I pulled away from her and left her alone there before going upstairs like I planned. She's not a burglar and she knew her way out. Encountering her yesterday was only a coincidence and most likely, today was the same.

An hour later, after not getting the sleep that I said I would get, I went downstairs to check.

The girl already left like I thought.

However, next to the half-emptied teapot, I saw a small box sitting there.

It's a gift.

Though I was reluctant to open it, curiosity bested me in this regard.

I picked it up and opened it.

Like I expected, there was a small card inside with the girl's writing, along with the supposed gift.

"Ruki, Merry Christmas. I will be visiting you so, I won't say anything else. But just in case you refused to talk to me (which I know you will probably do), I'll write this here;

I apologize for denying to know you yesterday. I never expected to see you there and with how you heartlessly cut me off, I couldn't process it quickly. When I recovered, you were already gone.

Lastly, I do not hate you. I want you to know this. If ever I encounter you again outside, I swear I won't deny knowing you again.

That's all. I won't tell you to correct your ways, I lack the right to do that. But if ever someone comes along that will change your entire perspective, I hope you treat her better than you treated me. Take care not to get into trouble. Bye.

--Nagisa"