Stealing Spree

“Huh? Onoda-kun?!”

“Sorry, Yuuki-san. Looks like we got swept away…”

In a somewhat unexpected turn of events, Fuyu and I ended up in this kind of unfortunate and baffling situation. I had her hand tightly within my grasp and my whole body used to ward off any more push from behind, opening up a space for her to move and not to be squeezed into this corner.

How did this happen?

I should dial back a few minutes before all this.

Mornings in our humble city are rarely bustling. Our population isn’t as dense as those in the metropolitan area, after all. So only in rush hours or when there’s an occasion where people tend to gather would one encounter it.

However, as rare as it might be, it’s definitely still happening.

And to our luck, we encountered it this Monday morning.

Having spent the early morning with my two girls, we left the house half an hour later than normal.

When we boarded the train from our station, there was already the sign of being crowded. Nevertheless, I still found two seats for Akane and Yae between the other students from their school when two boys gave up their seats.

Of course, that meant I had no choice but to stand in front of them and use the strap handle. They did propose the idea of sitting on my lap but I doubt the boys who voluntarily gave up the seats for them would be thrilled. I mean, even if their reason for giving that up was to make an impression on the girls, I considered that a kind gesture. It’s enough for me to spare them from seeing our intimacy.

However, a different situation occurred when we arrived at the next station.

The more passengers boarded the train. It felt like we were really from those metropolitan areas wherein they’re like a swarm of ants piling into their anthill in an unorderly manner.

They squeezed and pushed each other in a rush as if there wasn’t going to be another train that would arrive later.

And the result? The whole train car became more cramped.

I could hold my ground and not be affected by the wave of passengers. Unfortunately, that was when the situation changed.

Among the passengers who squeezed in to enter, the three of us spotted Fuyu getting pushed and almost squished between people. The girl was fine initially but someone pushed her from the back which made her tumble in front of her. That prompted her to hug her bag in front but it resulted in her becoming completely helpless at the subsequent force pushing all around her.

Upon noticing that, even before Akane and Yae could ask me to help and bring her to us, my body moved on its own as I let go of the strap handle and went against the wave to reach her position.

Using my strength to open up a path, I made it a task to grab the girl’s hand to guide her with me.

I was initially successful.

She was surprised for a moment to feel her hand grabbed by someone but as soon as she recognized me, relief washed over Fuyu’s haggard expression, letting herself be taken away by me.

That should be the end of it. However, we wouldn’t be in our current situation, right?

So… on our way to return to where I was standing earlier, a few more passengers rushed in. Fuyu was almost swept again and to prevent her from being separated from us, I followed after her, securing a space in this corner…

At the moment, I could still see Akane and Yae looking at us from their seats. With how crowded it became, it would probably take us to another situation before we could return to them.

“Sorry, Onoda-kun. I was careless.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s rare for us to encounter this. We’re just unlucky.”

I forced a laugh to try and diffuse her need to apologize. There’s no reason for it and I could honestly say, I helped her out of my own volition.

I know she will probably be fine even without my help but since I’ve already made a move, I’ll see through it to the end. Besides… I feel like we have some unfinished business in light of what happened the other night at her house.

“Y-yes,” Fuyu replied and lowered her head.

Since I’ve opened up enough space for her to move and not be restricted, the girl was probably checking if I was uncomfortable in any way. She glanced past my shoulder and below my arm before looking up at me with concern.

“Onoda-kun, you know, you can step closer. You’ll tire your arms if you keep this up.”

Upon saying that, she looked to her left and right where my arms served as a barrier.

Although I was still holding her hand, my elbow was jutted out so no one could squeeze in this corner.

“If I did that, I’ll have no choice but to press against you, you know? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” I replied with a shake of my head.

Even as a pervert, it’s inappropriate in this situation. Not to mention, this girl trusted me enough to hold onto me.

Maybe I was overthinking it but I planned to just keep her from being squished while we wait for the next stop. For sure, this cramped situation would ease up considering that’s where most companies and workplaces were located. The salarymen and office ladies would be getting off the train.

“Okay… Thank you.” Accepting my reasoning, Fuyu could only nod and move a bit to stabilize her footing.

She tried glancing at Akane’s direction too but with the heads of other passengers blocking her sight, she couldn’t see them.

“Will Akane be fine without you there? I can’t believe you chose to trouble yourself with me.”

“It’s not trouble, Yuuki-san… Besides, she’s also going to ask me to help you out. We have the same mind when it comes to helping you out.”

Fuyu unknowingly flashed a small smile before nudging her forehead on my chest. But upon realizing what she did, she scrambled back to straighten herself up.

Too bad for her, I caught all of that in 4K.

Feeling her excited pulse through her hand, I gently pushed my thumb into the middle of her thumb.

Fuyu’s fingers twitched before they curled and restricted any more movements from me. She then looked up and pouted, “Don’t be mischievous, Onoda-kun…”

“I’m not. I’m just trying to help you calm down.”

“That’s not what it feels to me.”

“Are you still bothered by the other night?”

“... I am. How can I not?”

As I expected. This girl… She’s still finding it absurd to hear me not pick between her or Akane. On top of that, our conversation where Akane mentioned not being bothered by it before we left.

“I see. That’s fair.”

“Give me more time to process all of it… I’ll scold Akane and you…”

“You know it will be futile, right? Especially Akane.”

“Even so… I feel like I need that. To accept all of that…”

I carefully observed her facial expressions and bodily reactions. Noticing that she was showing signs of discomfort with this topic, I decided to switch our topics.

“I understand, Yuuki-san. Take all your time. You know we still have that tennis match, right? Make me regret challenging you.”

“Pfft…Onoda-kun, stop being so smooth like that. But yes, you better prepare yourself for it. I won’t be merciful.”

Fuyu laughed and then lifted her free hand, curling it into a ball, showing her eagerness for the match.

I’ve only practiced swings and the basics so I was probably going to be obliterated by her. But well, that’s a small price to pay if it means getting closer to this girl.

A few minutes later, we finally arrived at the next station. We successfully rejoined Akane and Yae. Furthermore, Eri and Futaba also boarded, growing our group to six.