Stealing Spree

“Ah! Senpai! You finally showed up! And who’s that? Your girlfriend?”

By the time I reached the train station, the people going in and out of it were still a little thin. It’s a quarter before six, the widely-known rush hour during the sunset.

However, when I reached my platform, Sumire, the avid fan of Yue, dressed in her middle school uniform, was specifically waiting next to the stairs for me.

After shouting at me which successfully gathered my attention, she pointed at the girl walking alongside me.

“For realz? Is that you, Sumimin~?”

“E-eh? Ch-chi… Chii-chan-senpai?!”

Chii instantly switched back to her gyaru persona as she recognized the girl. And likewise, Sumire or Sumimin as per her nickname made by Chii, sounded like she choked on her words by stuttering, recognizing the fake gyaru.

Before she could recover from her shock of seeing an acquaintance, Chii ran to Sumire with open arms and embraced the girl without putting any restraint. From the looks of it, she’s about to be crushed in Chii’s arms if she fails to gather her wits.

Well, fortunately for her, Chii loosened up her embrace. Following that, she grabbed the girl’s shoulder before scanning her head to toe, acting like an old man, even.

“It’s been a while, Sumimin~! You’ve grown up into a fine girl, aren’t cha? Look at these curves.”

When Chii let her palm run from Sumire’s shoulder to her ‘still in the process of blooming’ curves. Feeling ticklish from that, Sumire quickly jumped back by letting out a cutesy yelp.

“Hyah~!”

With how loud her voice was, the girl instantly became the center of attention as the people also waiting for the train snickered at her.

Embarrassed, Sumire frowned and pouted at Chii before lifting her sports bag to be used as her shield. “S-senpai, why didn’t you tell me that Chii-chan-senpai is your girlfriend? I shouldn’t have come here.”

Perhaps she knew that she was helpless as the now-playful Chii at my side, so she addressed her grievance to me.

“You didn’t ask. Besides, is there a reason why you’re here? Looking at your attire, you went here from your school. What for?”

Obviously, I already knew the reason why she was here. The voice message that I sent to her yesterday. However, I probably underestimated her being a fanatic.

I kept on dodging her questions through the messages she sent me. Perhaps, losing the patience to wait for a chance to run into me again at the station near their school, she specifically went here to wait for me.

… There’s no other explanation to it but that.

However, she didn’t expect that I would be with someone, even more so, it was someone she knew.

“Ugh… Forget it. I’ll be going.”

Hearing my answer, Sumire looked troubled as she alternately looked at me and Chii who were still playfully smiling next to her. Perhaps trying to find a chance to run, the girl made a dash to the stairs when Chii wasn’t paying attention.

Despite her shorter build, the girl’s legs were quick as though it was expertly trained for a short-distance sprint.

Yet, because she’s going against the flow of people, the girl quickly slowed down as she descended.

Seeing that, Chii threw her bag to me before chasing after the girl. “Wait for us here, Ruki. We’ll be back.”

Only leaving those words, the girl’s back promptly disappeared from my eyes as she also descended down the stairs.

Whatever she was thinking of chasing the girl, I could only put on a smile as I took a seat on a nearby bench to wait for them.

From that short interaction, Sumire was most likely a favorite junior of Chii during their middle school. On the other hand, Chii was an object of terror for the girl’s mind. She even dropped what she wanted to do by coming here.

Understanding that, I was clearly intrigued by their past. I was curious about the Chii after grade school. Although she’s telling bits of her story, it’s surely biased to her own views. Through Sumire, I might hear more of Chii’s gyaru exploits and how annoying of a senior she was.

Mhm… It’s a great coincidence that Chii chose to wait for me so that we could go home together after I sent Nami’s group as well as Haruko’s group to their bus stops.

While waiting for the two to return, I pulled my phone out and checked Otoha’s message.

“Ruki, Kazu-nii said he wants to meet you. Check if you’re still the junior he remembers.”

Upon reading that, I felt like I got doused in cold water… That Kazu-nii is her second brother… Someone aware of my relationship with Otoha also… he’s hiding his own preference while living the life of a young master of the Kaneko Family.

I mentioned meeting him once or twice but in those few cases, I was only focused on Otoha and only interacted with him minimally.

What could be the reason for this sudden interest aside from checking me out?

With Otoha telling me this, she’s probably fine even if I rejected. The guy could just ride with Otoha when she’s meeting me to get a good look. Is he trying to be polite or there’s more? Is he actually asked by their father to gauge me?

I mean, it’s not difficult to guess that Otoha already let her grandfather meet me. They only needed to investigate where he could’ve gone yesterday and ask the nearby people that could see him meeting a young man along with the young lady, Otoha…

“Check me, huh? What do you think about it, Otoha? Is there another ulterior motive?” I replied with a question. She’s clearly expecting that as her next reply came within a minute.

“Yes. Hitomi-nee and I suspected that it was my mom or dad who asked him... You can reject it, Ruki.”

“Well, as long as you two are also there, I don’t mind. I miss you, after all. And I want to hear more concerning your return to school.”

If it’s a test or something, I couldn’t care less. I clearly stated my resolve on taking Otoha as my future wife to her grandfather, not caring about the status attached to her. Besides, as someone who helped hide my relationship with Otoha during middle school, I should at least show him my gratitude.

It's just a proper way to do so and it’s not like he’s about to go after me. Who knows? I might learn a thing or two from him, similar to how Mizuki educates me on her line of business.

“Thank you, Ruki! Don’t worry. It won’t be happening soon. He’s about to leave for the south. He might be back in a week or two. In the meantime… I can now get permission to go and meet you without worrying about my mom or someone following us! Grandpa let me have my free time!”

Oh great. I thought it would happen right away. I could still prepare for that.

Anyway, even though it’s only through text, the last bits of Otoha’s message was exuding her undeniable excitement. And to match that up, I also replied enthusiastically about the fact that she wouldn’t be like a caged princess anymore.

After a few more minutes of lively exchanges of messages with Otoha, I heard two heavy steps stopping next to me. “We kept you waiting, Ruki! Look at my catch!”

While carrying Sumire who already resigned to her fate on her shoulder, Chii huffed for breath as she smiled beautifully at me.

What should I do with this girl? Praise her for catching a runaway junior? Or scold her for not letting the girl go? Obviously, both…