Stealing Spree

We didn’t stay longer at that parking lot. As soon as she finished returning three times of what I did through those kisses we shared, Hitomi returned to her seat and deactivated the tinting of the inner part of the glass after helping me wear back my top.

When that happened, she returned to being her usual self and resumed driving me to my school.

Along the way, we already exhausted the current topic so we spent those few minutes in silence. Nonetheless, at times, our gazes would just naturally meet through the rearview mirror.

But that’s it. Whatever happened between us during that time, none of us talked about it.

Well, I could ask her what was truly in her mind about me but the actions and gestures she showed during that time already answered that.

“See you later, Hitomi. Take care on the road.” I said before getting out of her car a few streets away from our school.

“Mhm. See you, Ruki-sama.” Hitomi answered with a slight smile on her lips.

Since Otoha’s grandfather had already woken up once, there’s a huge possibility that meeting him would happen soon.

Nonetheless, I expect Otoha will keep sending Hitomi to me while she’s staying cooped up in the hospital but once she returns home, seeing the two would surely be hard again.

Meeting and talking to her grandfather might be a way to alleviate that situation where her mother grounded her from going out.

By the time I reached the school gates, it was a few minutes before the closing and the start of the 1st period.

Seeing me arrive on time, Eguchi-sensei nodded approvingly.

As more time passes, she’s becoming more adorable, huh?

When I reached the classroom, our other classmates cheered and clapped as if it was an achievement for me to arrive on time.

After playing along with them for a bit, I then settled down next to Aya and Satsuki.

As always, Aya adorably greeted me. And perhaps influenced by what she witnessed, she also congratulated me.

Satsuki, on the other hand, put on a somewhat unenergetic smile but a relieved expression passed on it after a while. She had her head slumped on her desk and considering how her hair was still somewhat wet, their club probably had another intensive training today, draining most of her energy.

Being with her for more than a month now, reading her and translating her actual intention to everything she did was something I already mastered.

I leaned towards her desk and whispered, “Let’s go somewhere later at lunch.”

As soon as my voice entered her ears, the girl’s slightly sleepy eyes opened wide as if she’s hearing something unbelievable.

But to confirm that, I just nodded at her which resulted in her unenergetic smile transforming into a truly delightful grin.

After what I heard concerning Satsuki from Shizu yesterday, I thought of easing up this girl’s worry about me. And in turn, I wanted to let her know that her presence alone was enough to help me tide through the problems or any issues I was facing.

We agreed not to always meet up in that empty clubroom starting today so… for starters, I thought of inviting them like this from now on.

Perhaps, I would also look for Aya before or after spending some time with Satsuki. There’s always that urge in me to keep on doting on her.

Whenever I find some free time, I will decide who to spend that with.

After energizing the sleepy Satsuki, my eyes naturally looked for my other girls.

Yesterday before retreating to bed, Nami updated me about the progress of mending their circle.

Thanks to Shizu, talking some sense to Ogawa had begun. Although it’s clear that he still couldn’t accept that he already lost Nami, his rage lessened. Or rather, he’s not openly expressing it anymore.

In fact, when I looked in his direction, he’s already maintaining a calm expression.

Well, if he’s that calm, that didn’t mean that I have to be relaxed with him now. In fact, he’d become more of a headache if he began thinking calmly, weighing in his choices. As long as he still had a hint of hope of getting Nami back, I would never ease up on him.

A few minutes later, Shio arrived at the classroom at the same time as the bell rang, indicating the start of the 1st period.

Before starting her class, she announced something.

The opening of the application for being a Student Assistant.

It’s no surprise that once she finished her sentence, everyone, even my girls, all turned to me.

Ah no. Everyone except Ogawa.

That’s as expected. He probably decided not to be involved with me anymore. I was the cause of his rage after all.

Anyway, with that kind of attention, I had to put on the silly act again as if I was embarrassed by their stares.

But by doing that, it only intensified the enthusiasm of those ignorant of my relationship with Shio.

Someone even shouted “It’s finally your time to make it official, Onoda!” or “Your nickname will finally be justified! Go for it, Onoda!”

Once again, I became the source of their entertainment.

When I looked at Shio, there’s also an expectant smile on her lips. She’s waiting for me to nominate myself or submit my application to her right there and then.

In any case, since I already planned to do that, I fueled their enthusiasm by standing up and walking towards Shio’s table.

“Sensei, may I ask for the application form? Also, the requirements for it.”

“Onoda-kun, are you sure? I know I’m always asking for your help but it will be bad for me if you’re just forced to do so.” Although she asked me that with a hint of worry for my well-being, I could clearly feel her excitement concealed by her still lips that were on the verge of stretching themselves into a grin.

Upon hearing our exchange, our classroom once again drowned with cheers from my overly enthusiastic classmates.

My hope of returning to being the Classmate A still hadn’t died down but with how much I stood out ever since the start of the school year, I had no choice but to embrace that now. Besides, it’s for my Shio.

As her Student Assistant, being with her for an extended period would now have a justification.

“Uh. I feel bad for being late at times. Take this as me compensating for it. Moreover, being asked to help you more than once, I noticed how badly you needed assistance. If I could help and get a few points from it then I guess it’s a fair trade.”

That answer I came up with was actually my way to create formidable reasoning why I wanted to apply. This way, it would be way harder for them to connect the dots about my true relationship with her.

I made myself into an opportunistic student going after the extra points in my final grade.

After a few seconds of silence, Shio showed an understanding expression as she handed me the application form that I needed to fill up before sending me back to my seat and starting her lesson for today.

However, when I returned to my seat and checked on what she handed me, Shio gave me two pieces of the same application form…