Stealing Spree

After dropping off both Yae and Hiyori right in front of their house, I rode a bus to get to my next destination.

It’s also reachable by train but because Hiyori’s house was closer to the bus stop, I opted to use that.

While waiting, I messaged Aoi who was already with Ohori-senpai.

She sent a photo from the same coffee shop and the same table wherein they caught Ohori-senpai’s boyfriend coming in with another girl. Following that, the direction to reach it.

Our city, if compared to the biggest ward in Tokyo, was considerably bigger. Even if I lived in this city for my whole life, I haven’t explored the whole place yet. My area of activity during middle school was only in a tiny circle in the southwestern part of the city.

4th High School where I attended was still considered around the southwestern but it’s closer to the middle. The affiliated 3rd High School where Nao studies were further north. Perhaps, the closest landmark to it that I had gone to was the airport.

Anyway, the café, where Aoi and Ohori-san are waiting, was a place I hadn't gone to yet so I needed directions. Well, there’s also the internet but it’s a bit easier to be guided by real people.

15 minutes later, I showed up in the area and strolled inside the café. I dressed up appropriately and even styled my hair a bit. I was also going to Auntie Yayoi’s salon later to get that free haircut. She’s a bit particular about it, so if I showed up without even fixing my hair, she might make a scary face and be overly enthusiastic about fixing it for me in the process.

As the bell hanging at the door of the café chimed, some of the customers’ eyes went to me. But that attention was momentary. It’s kind of common courtesy to not stare at places like this and besides, they’re not someone who would be too curious about an ordinary guy like me. Ordinary in their eyes, at least.

“Welcome, are you alone?” A server of the café greeted me with a kind smile before inquiring. This seemed to be not just a simple one where it’s mostly self-service for the most part. It’s more like a restaurant.

Well, from how fancy their decoration was in the photo, I already guessed that this wouldn’t be like the small café next to the supermarket. Moreover, even though the seats were almost full, the place was tranquil. I could even see some men or women in office attire silently working on their laptops while sipping their coffees or teas.

It's Sunday. Really, most adults are workaholics.

Says someone whose only rest was when he’s relaxing at the side of his girls. Right?

“No. I’m with them.” I pointed in a certain direction.

Since the photo they’d taken was beside the window, I easily noticed the two. Aoi was even waving her hand energetically. Her unruly trait was surprisingly well-behaved.

“Oh! Please have fun.” The server retained her kind smile and bowed slightly.

“Thank you.” After saying that, I went to Aoi and Ohori-senpai’s table.

Ohori-senpai still looked the same. Or rather, the hazy memory I had of her finally cleared up.

Unlike Aoi’s long curly hair, Ohori-senpai sported a dark brown shoulder-length bob haircut. One section of it was longer, braided and rested comfortably on her shoulder. She often used hairpins to manage her bangs but this time, she had a stylish hairband on.

Upon seeing me coming closer, Ohori-senpai’s eyes narrowed as though she was trying to recognize my face.

She failed and eventually gave up.

For the reason Aoi called her out today, she was supposed to introduce her new boyfriend; me. And curious enough because Aoi had just recently dumped her ‘long-time’ boyfriend, Ohori-senpai accepted it.

Anyway, after greeting them and sitting next to Aoi, the server who followed me waited to get my order. Since we couldn’t converse properly if she remained, I picked the second cheapest one.

Although this wasn’t a date, I simply just took the habit of not being seen as dirt-poor and incapable of eating or drinking at a luxurious place such as this.

And having noticed that their cups were already empty, I also ordered a refill for them.

Once the server left to prepare my order, Aoi who was on her limit of restraint finally stopped doing so.

She raised my arm and snuggled close to me, not minding the eyes of the girl in front of us.

“Heh, look Ohori-nee. This is my boyfriend. Ruki.”

“Girl, what kind of lame introduction is that?”

“Huh? You already know each other. Did you forget?”

“We know each other? No. no. I don’t think so… This is the—” Halfway through her words, Ohori-senpai paused as she focused her eyes on me.

Perhaps not convinced at just staring at me in the front, she shifted in her seat to look at my side frame.

Bit by bit, the girl’s expression changed from confusion to utter surprise… “Don’t tell me… You’re Onoda?”

My lips curved into an amiable smile and nodded, “It’s been a while, Ohori-senpai. I see that you’re still the same. Quick to forget someone’s face.”

“No. No. It’s not the case of forgetting someone’s face. You’ve changed a lot. Incorrect, it’s your hair… where’s that lame hairstyle you always have?”

Lame hairstyle, huh? I guess she’s not a fan of it.

As an answer to that, I took out a comb and restored my hair to its original state.

Once I had done that, Ohori-senpai who now had a look of disbelief stood up and reached for my hair. She then grabbed the comb from my hand and reverted it to earlier. Not perfectly though.

However, that was enough for her to be dumbfounded.

“Is he this handsome before?” Her question was directed at Aoi yet her eyes remained on me.

I had no idea that this would be an effective surprise for the girl. In any case, I guess we’re successful at letting her remember me.

“You’ve been blinded with your bias about unkempt hair, Ohori-nee. My Ruki has always been this handsome!” Aoi proudly answered. She then reached for my hair and combed it with her fingers to fix it properly. Once she was done, she cupped my cheeks and giggled affectionately.

For sure, this wasn’t just her acting. The girl’s aim was also to proudly present me to this childhood friend or sister of hers. Our planned objective was secondary.

“Impossible. Do you think I didn’t spend a lot of time with him back then? What can I say… It feels like he transformed from a gloomy guy to someone bright and cheerful. I can’t even remember him smiling.” Ohori-senpai went on and on with her reasoning. And when she was done, she gave me another discerning look before giving up entirely.

What she said was probably true. I never smiled or acted the least bit cheerful in front of her. She’s not Aoi. She’s not the one I was trying to impress back then. Although I was always acting whenever Aoi was with us, Ohori-senpai had already dropped any interest she might have in me early on.

“Thank you for the flattery, senpai. Should I introduce myself again, then?”

“Uh… You don’t have to anymore. Just… can you ask that girl to stop flirting?”

“I’m sorry. With how unruly this girl is, I doubt she’ll listen to me.”

“You’re her boyfriend. Don’t tell me you can’t rein her in.”

“I think that’s not the point here, senpai. I also adore her a lot that I don’t see the need to stop her.”

After saying that, I lifted Aoi’s chin and kissed her in front of the irritated Ohori-senpai.