Stealing Spree

Time quickly passed and lunch break arrived.

Like yesterday, I decided to eat with Satsuki and Aya in the classroom. This time I brought a lunchbox made by Miwa-nee. Because of that, the attention to us was minimal since I also invited Sakuma to join us.

However, before we knew it, Chii and her gyaru friends joined us. Furthermore, after coming back from the cafeteria, Nami, Hina, Saki with Kikuchi tagging along also crowded around us. Naturally, the trio of Ogawa, Tadano and the silent guy couldn’t rest easy in their seats and also joined the crowd.

The original small square created from our tables gradually became a circle with more and more members joining us for lunch, even those classmates that I probably knew the names of but was too lazy to remember one by one.

Well, not everyone joined to eat their lunch. Some had already finished eating and they just thought it's interesting to join the crowd. Soon enough various discussions sprang out with various gossips being put out on the table.

At one point, the matter of who my girlfriend is got brought up again. And like that time at the gym, I answered as vaguely as possible, I told them that she’s in our class. It was narrowed down from last time. Instead of being there with us inside the Gymnasium, she’s now specifically in our class.

Upon hearing that, the girls who were clearly intrigued looked at each other, scrutinizing each other’s expressions to see if the one in front of them was my girlfriend.

Well, it didn’t last long though.

Kanzaki, our diligent Class President, objected and called me out for misleading them, saying that whoever my girlfriend is... she’s surely not in our class.

With that kind of statement, all eyes gathered on her. And when asked to further clarify her claim, she fixed her glasses and abruptly closed her mouth. She then retreated quietly without saying anything else.

Under their confused expression, the girl sent me an apologetic gaze.

Due to that gesture, it’s like she’s confirming that she’s telling the truth and she’s apologizing for her blunder.

Their eyes returned to me. But I only slightly smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

Following that, I put back my empty lunchbox and stood up from my seat, leaving the room right after leaving an excuse. “Sorry guys, I have an interview for my Student Assistant application.”

With their curiosity peaking like that, it’s a lot better to escape than to ignore it. Good thing I had an excuse.

About Kanzaki though... I’ll deal with her later.

That’s her unintentional outburst. Probably.

How’s it going with that wimp of a boyfriend of hers anyway? Are they still getting along? I don’t know. Although we got a new connection in the form of Misaki, we’re acting like classmates all this time even though I knew her secret of being into a relationship and she’s holding onto mine.

That secret of mine was where she pulled her outburst.

On the third day of the school year and the day of Club Recruitment, she witnessed me and Kana kissing on the stairs.

That’s what she used to have me teach her ‘how to kiss’. However, because she only wanted tips and not an actual practical lesson, I soon gave up on making a move on her or stealing her from that unknown boyfriend that’s too wimpy to level up their relationship and kiss her.

Although there were few instances where she’s looking at me helplessly as if she’s deliberating whether to ask me for help again, whenever there’s a chance that I would pass by her, I’d offer her those few bits of tips and inquire about the state of her relationship.

Anyway, with that outburst, doubts began to cloud my classmates’ minds, those who were unaware at least. That Kanzaki was telling the truth and my girlfriend might not be in our class.

Whatever conclusion they reached, at least, they’d start to look outside first rather than check the girls close to me in our class.

In a way, that somehow helped our situation. It’s not like I’ll let them catch me seeing Kana, Haruko, Himeko or Mina and Serizawa-senpai.

In fact, I hadn’t been to the second floor and third floor of the School Building for a while now. The last time I went there was when I looked for Ishida-senpai to excuse myself when I went to meet my girls at Akane’s school.

A few minutes later, I didn’t immediately go to the Administration Building like I said in my excuse.

I went to a secluded place where there’s little to no students. I already have a lot of those marked in my memory so it's easy to find one now.

I opened my girls’ messages, replied to them and checked how they’re doing.

Lastly, I messaged Hina and asked her if she wanted to come and spend time with me after I returned from Shio’s room.

It’s no surprise that the girl happily accepted and told me that she’d wait for me right outside the School Building so we could go somewhere together.

Once that’s done, I returned a videocall that I missed.

“Mom, dad...” I forced a smile as soon as their face showed up on my phone’s screen.

They’re still inside a moving car and seated on my mom’s lap is none other than Minoru.

Before greeting me, she’s dotingly patting the boy’s head who seemed already close to her even if that’s supposed to be the first time they meet.

Naturally, Miwa-nee was on the wheel.

“What’s that fake smile? Are you not happy to see us, son?”

That’s my dad. He truly looked like me except, he’s sporting a professional cut and silver-rimmed glasses often worn by intellectuals. He’s wearing a business suit with a plain red tie.

However, despite how professional he looked, that smile on his face made him look like an idiot.

Well, that’s one of the reasons why Aunt Akemi was calling them an 'idiot couple’. They always have this happy-go-lucky air around them.

Surely, they’re only like this in front of me or us.

Whatever their job is... there’s no way they could go on by having this kind of attitude.

“Why will I not be happy? After who knows how long, you’re finally coming home. Anyway, thanks for the help these past few months. Especially with the thing with Akane.”

“Dear, are you hearing this? Our son is thanking us!”

“I do so stop grinning like an idiot. Be like our Ruki.”

Is thanking them too big of a deal now?

Ah. Right. I was probably too disconnected from them during the time when my desire was running rampant. I probably took everything they did for me for granted and never thanked them for how they looked out for me.

It’s even a wonder why they didn’t send me to an institution to be checked and cured of my desire. Although they sent me to a psychiatrist, I couldn’t remember how many times that was.

Furthermore, given that I still had my desire even to this day, they gave up on curing it.

I don’t know. I can’t think of anything else why they let me do everything I did when they had long noticed my abnormality.

“Let’s talk later. Tell Miwa-nee to take care with driving and... can I see her?”

Upon hearing what I said, my mom and dad had differing reactions. My mom squealed like a young girl while my father’s grin froze.

I could understand dad’s reaction, my words probably came off as me caring more for the woman driving for them.

“Oh, before I forget. I missed you, mom, dad.” I added.