Stealing Spree

“Relax, Itou. Have you been waiting? You should have messaged us.”

Facing Itou’s anger, I simply played it off by throwing another question at her. Although I wouldn’t mind telling her about that clubhouse for Himeko’s sake, there’s really no point in doing so when we haven’t even finished renovating it for our use.

“What?! Why will I message you?!” Still playing with her anger, the girls who weren't the target of her gaze giggled at what they were witnessing. On the other hand, Himeko went to my side. Most likely, she’s going to calm her sister down.

Well, I could’ve let her do that. However, Itou was unusually fixated on me.

“I said ‘us’. Not me. If you continue shouting, you’ll gather attention. Let’s go to that tree to talk.”

Not waiting for her to reply, we went to the shade of a lush tree nearby the school gate.

Well, the girls followed since we planned to all go together. And… looking at their amused expressions, they somehow wanted to see the outcome of this ‘talk’. They also distanced themselves a little as though they were giving us the space to settle whatever that needs to be settled.

Are they trying to watch me fumble with my words? Maybe. But I guess that’s just their consideration again.

Ah. I kept Himeko by my side though.

A while later, Itou reached our vicinity and stopped a few steps away. Her eyes quickly focused on the two of us.

“Look, you know my relationship with your sister. Can’t you just let us have our alone time? No. Let me rephrase it, can you give us your understanding? We’re a couple, no matter how complex it may seem to you.” I started, my eyes focusing on the angry girl. Although she resembled my Himeko, the girl’s attitude was the complete opposite.

As far as I know, she’s only like this to me. Her reputation in her class and her club was certainly great and a lot has been infatuated with her. Too bad, she’s a big siscon. They would never be put in her eyes at all.

“I… I get that! But at least inform me where you’re taking onee-sama. I’m waiting here for an hour. I even checked the clubroom but you’re all nowhere to be found. I got worried…”

Ah… So that’s why, huh? The thought of informing her flew by in our heads. We got too focused on each other.

“Ya-chan… I’m sorry.”

“No, onee-sama, it’s this shameless guy’s fault.”

Himeko muttered an apology but her sister quickly turned it down. Itou didn’t want to hear it from her beloved sister.

Clearly, she was putting the blame on me. Which isn’t wrong, anyway. Normally, this should be annoying to deal with but if I consider their relationship as well as how they were separated for years, I could somehow understand Itou’s sentiment.

“Indeed, it’s mine. If I promise to inform you, will you let this go?”

“… As long as you keep it.”

“Then that’s settled.” I grabbed Himeko’s hand and pulled her closer. “What do you think, Himeko?”

“I agree… We won’t keep you in the dark next time, Ya-chan… Uhm… Let’s go?”

“Y-you can stay with him a little longer. I’ll wait in the car.”

After saying that, Itou ran away as though she was escaping from us. Seeing her back growing little by the second, Himeko squeezed my palm.

“Y-you don’t need to worry about her, Ruki… Ya-chan is a strong girl…”

“Mhm… I know. The two of you are both wonderful. I won’t be able to rest if I become another wedge between you two.”

“Ya-chan is interested in you, that’s why she’s acting like that…”

We already had this conversation just the other day. I clearly acknowledged that it’s a fact. However, I can’t just suddenly turn my attention to her.

“She knows how I am and what’s going on around me. Won’t it be better to be interested in another guy?”

“Hmm? You say that but you seem awfully protective of her, Ruki. Which is why…”

Himeko didn’t finish her sentence and just flashed me her pretty smile. Well, I could somehow guess what she meant by that.

-

-

We continued on our way and little by little, our group continued to dwindle.

By the time we reached the train station, Chii and I were alone. Just like yesterday.

Riding the train together, we found ourselves a spot and settled down like a normal high school couple.

“Kii… Are you not tired? You can rest on my shoulder.” The girl offered as soon as the train started moving.

“Then I’ll take you up on that…” I smiled and rested my head on her shoulder. It’s not wide since her figure was clearly on the skinny side but it’s comfortable enough. And her addicting scent was a plus.

Although I couldn’t see her reaction, I heard the girl’s giggles and felt her hand settling on top of my head, stroking my hair gently. “This is nice…”

“Yes, it is…” I replied, which made the girl’s lovely giggles reach my ears again.

A few minutes later, I broke the peaceful silence around us as I asked her a question, “Chii, are you not worried anymore?”

“What should I be worried about?”

She hadn’t remembered, huh? Or she probably hadn’t thought I would bring it up again.

“You know, that stuff with Fukuda. We reconnected because you wanted to help him, right?”

“Ah. That, huh? Uh… Honestly, I have no idea what’s happening to him anymore. He’s still messaging me but there’s no mention of his worries anymore. I’m just replying like how I usually do…”

“Then we can safely assume that it’s all an act. To get your sympathy.”

“Maybe… He was a pretty cool guy when I first saw him during middle school. Unfortunately, I never even considered seeing him in a different light other than a helpful friend.”

If Fukuda heard this, he’d surely shed tears of blood. Going by their past, that guy was possibly harboring affection towards Chii ever since they became friends. Or when he decided to take her into his group.

I can give him a trophy for protecting Chii and letting her gain confidence. I somehow left her in tatters after cutting her off… Too bad for him, I made a mark on Chii that she couldn’t erase. And her feelings for me never truly faded… And now that I reciprocated that, the slim chance of Chii developing feelings for him went down to zero.

“I see. These upcoming days, I might be involved in our school’s delinquents…”

“Because of your position, right?”

“Mhm… As much as possible, as a classmate and someone who helped you, I don’t want to clash with him. I mean, like you said, he’s a pretty cool guy and he looked like he had some kind of principle going on. But if he starts antagonizing me because of his frustration over you, I will not hold back.”

“… Should I help you, Kii?”

“I should say ‘no’, however, I told you all that I will be relying on you at times. You’ll just worry if I shouldered everything.”

“It’s good that you know…” Chii heartily laughed. She’s elated that I was confiding in her like this. “I’m aware that you originally hated all the guys surrounding us. It’s probably unnerving especially if the guy had feelings for us. But know this… no matter what, you’re the only one for me…”

She wanted me to trust her. I guess that’s what she wanted to say but she went on it indirectly to elaborate.

In any case, I never really doubted her. There’s just a pinch of worry. But if I started telling them to cut ties to anyone, that’s just going to suffocate them and I didn’t want that to happen. Our complex relationship is based on trust and honesty, not control or monopoly. That’s why it’s working this great.

“Mhm… Then can I rely on you to collect information?”

“Yes! Leave it to your Chii… I expect a reward.”

“Sure… Name it and it shall be done.”

“This guy… are you a genie now?”

“Mhm… Just don’t ask me for a car or a million yen. I’m saving up for our future.”

“You’re really an idiot. A lovely idiot.” Not minding the gazes that we would acquire, Chii hugged me tightly, her affection overflowing.

Like this, our train ride became fluffier and more comfortable. And surprisingly, we didn’t run into Sumire this time.