Stealing Spree

To my disappointment, everything I did was not enough to get Machida off of my back. Her persistence was astounding. Furthermore, she wasn’t lying when she said she was getting off at the same station.

As soon as we exited the train station, the girl caught up to my large strides – even if it was difficult for her – and followed me home.

And that's the current situation.

“Hi, Shimizu. Do you remember me?”

“... You, Machida-san from the next class. Why did you follow him? And husband, how come you failed to discourage her from following you?”

As I expected, Akane has always been pretty sharp when it comes to figuring out whether I've taken an interest in a girl or not. Unlike how she acted around the other girls, she immediately took an aggressive stance toward Machida who promptly hid behind me.

“You called him husband. How cute.” Machida mischievously snickered, causing Akane to glare at her with intensity.

That shut her up, at least.

Ignoring that, I scratched my head and wryly smiled, “Sorry, Akane. This one is difficult to shake off. She's like a gum stuck to my hair. Even if I disregard her existence, she's still going to follow me.”

“Eh? Onoda-kun, that kind of metaphor is… unsatisfactory.”

“No. It suits you.”

Machida tried to protest but Akane shut her down, plastering that label on her. Although she didn't want to accept it, Machida could only force a smile as she faced Akane's hostility.

Well, she should've expected this. Even if she's trying to be annoying following me after I acted particularly cold and dismissive to her, Akane was another issue altogether.

Besides, I trusted Akane could handle her or whatever she had in mind. Moreover, by observing Akane's reactions, I could say that she's pretty enthusiastic about this.

Like, she finally found something she could help me with. Taking up the task of dealing with Machida, she'd make that an accomplishment.

After a minute of having a standoff right at our front door, Akane stepped to the side letting us in.

While I went to change out of my sweat-soaked attire, Akane led Machida to the living room.

Of course, I made sure that they wouldn't suddenly claw at each other like cats.

I whispered to Akane how I encountered the girl as well as her request. Unfortunately, that's enough time to properly explain everything to her.

On the other hand, I still acted the same around Machida. I even kissed Akane in front of her to check on how she would react to it.

Surprisingly, the girl simply watched it in silence. There's no indication that she's shocked or embarrassed. She possibly steeled her mind on what to expect here.

Regardless of her intention, it's making me applaud her determination to see through this decision to follow me.

Nevertheless, I still don't think she can capture my interest like this. Moreover, Akane already knows what she has to do. She can get us answers.

I spent at most ten minutes going up the stairs, changing into a new set of clothes, and bringing my used clothes down to the laundry.

As I carefully approached the living room, I listened in on the two girls’ ongoing conversation.

“This is an eye-opener. It's honestly amazing to think that you've easily gotten permission to live together like a married couple.”

“Stop with your flattery, Machida-san. If you finished your drink, you can go now. I've invited you in for husband's sake. But remember, I'm not at all happy to see you here.”

Looks like Akane ran out of patience, huh? I mean, Machida was trying too hard here. She could've taken a step back after being confronted at our doorstep.

“Eh? Wait. Are you jealous of me?”

“No. You're just annoying. Do you think things will always go your way? I don't know what gave you the courage to follow him here. If I was any other girl, your face would be swollen by now.”

“Heh… I get that. You're quite tolerant, aren't you? Is it because you trust Onoda-kun completely?”

“That's part of it. The true reason is because he entrusted you to me.”

At this point, Akane must've already detected my presence. She even turned her head in this direction even though I was barely exposed to her view yet.

And judging from her smirk that instantly disappeared when she faced Machida again, she was about to dig through the girl's inner thoughts and allow me to hear it.

If I have to guess, they spent those few minutes alone sizing up each other without touching upon the crux of the situation.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Machida, I thought you were sharp. It meant he dumped you on me because you're not that interesting to him.”

“Eh? That's mean!”

“Mean or not, you can't deny it. You experienced it yourself. The fact that you're now sitting here talking to me is proof.”

Well, that's not really what I was expecting to hear but she's not wrong.

“You see. Ruki can see through your intentions right away. You said you're curious because he's an enigma but you never showed him a good reason to entertain you. You did nothing but to annoy him.”

“I'll be honest. I did approach him because I was curious. But I'm not trying to be annoying.”

“Of course, you can say that because you're oblivious to it. Machida-san, you're unaware because you're used to getting your way easily.”

“That… No. It's not true. You're misunderstanding something here.”

“Okay. I'll give you a chance. Tell me, why did you insist on following him? Even if you didn't encounter him at the station, I'm sure you could reach your destination without needing a guide.”

“Am I that untrustworthy?”

“You can answer that question yourself. What would you feel if someone followed you to your house after you rejected them multiple times?”

“I'd be creeped out. But this is different!”

Perhaps understanding that she was contradicting herself there, Machida clutched her hair and lowered her head.

A few seconds later, she looked up with a resigned look on her face.

“... Uh. This is embarrassing but don't laugh, okay?”

“Go ahead.”

“Onoda-kun… He has this enticing sweet scent that melted my reason. Before I knew it, I had already followed him here.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Yeah. I bet anyone who hears that reasoning will find that absurd. But considering I also noticed that behavior earlier, she's probably telling the truth.

But this girl, is she being dumb on purpose or she's originally like this without her group's backing?

“I'm serious!” Machida asserted by raising her voice.

Akane stared at her for a few seconds before turning in my direction.

“Husband, can you confirm?”

“What? Eh? Onoda-kun?”

Since I was called, I stepped out of the shadows and entered the living room. Machida jumped in surprise upon seeing me. And little by little, her clear complexion gradually changed color.

For the first time, the girl was caught in an embarrassing situation.

“Machida, that's quite a delay. Shouldn't you feel embarrassed way earlier on the train? Or were you too engrossed in sniffing me that it only caught up to you now?”

“Husband, I think that's not it. Machida-san here is embarrassed because eavesdropped while she was confessing her inner thoughts.”

“Ugh… It's both!” Machida shouted as she once again lifted her head. She tried to put on a straight face but upon seeing our amused expressions, the girl was instantly defeated. “... I'm sorry. I don't mean anything about that but can you forget about it?”

Akane swiftly shook her head, “Nope. Anyway, husband, I'll guide her to her destination. It's fine, right? I think we have a lot more to talk about.”

“Akane, don't tell me…”

“As always, leave this to me!”

Even before I could finish my words, the silly girl cut me off before winking at me.

Yeah. I know what she's thinking.

But this isn't it. Whatever is on her head isn't why I let her handle Machida…