Stealing Spree

A new girl. And he’s taking the girls to the same love hotel over and over. That guy... He must have a thicker face than Ichihara Jun. Still thinner than mine though.

Anyway, because of the distance, I failed to get a clear view of their faces. However, Ohori-senpai’s reaction was enough confirmation.

A few seconds after muttering that, she fell powerlessly on her seat. Her eyes burst into tears as they flowed down incessantly.

The handkerchief she brought wasn’t enough to stop it.

The girl couldn’t hide it anymore. Forgetting the place or the people in front of her, she had broken down into a mess.

The hope of not seeing her boyfriend coming to the love hotel was crushed and there’s a plus. He’s with a different girl that Ohori-senpai was unaware of.

Aoi quickly moved to the girl’s side and supported her. As for me, I just watched on the side and waited.

There’s not much I could do, after all. Consoling words and comforting her wouldn’t be enough.

Besides, Aoi was already doing that in my place. She’s also not my girl, just a friend of one of them.

Am I coldhearted? I don’t think so. But with this, I also understood myself better. I’m a sociopath to those I deemed unimportant to me or those I am not fond of.

At the moment, even though we had a bit of history together, I could only extend a little bit of sympathy to Ohori-senpai through her connection to Aoi.

Yep. I wasn’t interested in her. At least, not at the present.

However, what’s making my emotion turbulent at the moment was Aoi’s concerned and sad expression. She truly cared a lot for her older friend. Being the unruly girl that she was, Aoi never requested anything from me. She’s also the type to do things by herself. For her to think of asking for my help was a sign that it was something she couldn’t solve by herself.

Ohori-senpai, despite the betrayal she’s experiencing, couldn’t let go of her love for the guy. Any advice that Aoi uttered was falling on deaf ears.

And perhaps, Aoi’s words earlier about how I would be able to understand it if I met that guy were already making sense to me.

Aoi had probably tried to confront the guy to leave Ohori-senpai alone. Not just once or twice. And she failed every time.

The same as how Ohori-senpai didn’t want to give up on him, that guy was the same for her.

Really, that sounded like they’re meant for each other. If I had to guess, those girls he’s bringing to the love hotel were only flings for him. Fishes that he caught on his net. And what are fishes to humans? For sustenance and consumption.

He’s living his life to the fullest while keeping Ohori-senpai shackled to him.

Well, Ohori-senpai could also be blamed here. She could get out if she wanted to but... she’s still choosing the guy over and over again.

And with that, I came to a decision to... undertake Aoi's request.

“Darling, help me out... Can you bring her home?� When Ohori-senpai calmed down, Aoi pleadingly looked at me.

“What about you?�

Judging from the glint in her pretty eyes, Aoi was indirectly telling me to start stealing Ohori-senpai’s affection.

However...

“I can do that but Aoi, come with us,� I said with a certain conviction. Even if she wanted to. I didn’t want to just leave her alone when she’s the one I came here for. Meeting Ohori-senpai was just secondary.

“This guy, are you going to be stubborn? You won’t be able to--�

“Well, just leave it to me.� I looked her in the eye and winked.

Although we were conversing while Ohori-senpai was next to her, it was too vague for her to understand.

The sore-eyed Ohori-senpai looked at us in confusion.

In any case, there’s no need to explain the situation to her.

Aoi supported Ohori-senpai to stand up and get out of their seat before I went to her other side. She’s not disabled so I only walked alongside them as we left the café and walked straight to the nearest bus stop.

“Uh... Onoda, can you forget what you see there?�

That’s the first thing Ohori-senpai said after a long silence.

We’re already inside the bus but instead of taking the seats at the back, we’re on the two-seaters.

Still away from most of the passengers though.

And even though I was next to her instead of Aoi who sat on the other side, she never commented on it.

Anyway, Ohori-senpai looked like a wet chick at the moment, she appeared small, battered and weakened. A little nudge would make her tumble but her eyes still burned in skewed determination to protect their relationship.

I first looked at Aoi at the side, she raised her thumb stealthily before looking the other way. She’s going to pretend that she’s not hearing us.

It’s kinda stupid, true. However, Ohori-senpai was also not thinking straight at the moment. She’s still hung up on what she witnessed. The tears might’ve stopped but her mind remained there.

I didn’t want to imagine how much emotional pain she’s enduring but I guess, I could at least commend her for that.

“What do you mean, senpai? That your boyfriend brought a girl into the love hotel?� I answered with a straight expression.

“I just told you to--�

“It’s weird, you know...� I cut her words off. I turned to her and inched closer, squeezing her to the side. With this, I got her in full view. She really had the looks to pass up as someone pretty. Her eyes were a little big and because of her crying, they looked even bigger from the red soreness on the corners. It’s actually her beautiful eyelashes that carried her up.

“... why does the unruly Ohori-senpai become head over heels on someone openly cheating on her? Does he truly love you?� I continued with a question.

Thinking about it, that question was also something that would be asked to my girls if ever someone else found out about our complex relationship. I’m basically openly cheating on all of them, after all.

Uh... Scratch that thought. Gotta focus on this pitiful girl.

Upon hearing that, Ohori-senpai’s mouth closed. She pursed and nibbled on her lips, not wanting to answer at all.

But having noticed how I was squeezing her, our shoulders already touching, she attempted to push me to my side.

I didn’t resist and let her get breathing room. Seconds later, she put on a resolute expression before taking in a rather aggressive stance. “Stop talking shit, Onoda. What do you know, huh?�

“You do know that I’m not spewing bullshit, senpai. It’s easy to see. Why do you even have the tears to cry for such a bastard? Don’t tell me you’re getting a kick for being treated as trash that he could set aside?� Meeting her aggressive stance with the same intensity, I grabbed her wrist and held her shoulder.

Although our voices were subdued, there’s no guarantee that Ohori-senpai wouldn’t shout when her fuse blew up.

The girl laughed hysterically – still subdued – and wrest away her wrist out of my grip. She then pushed a finger on my chest, poking until it bent. She’s already shaking in anger but surprisingly, she’s holding it in coolly. “Heh. Who gave you the right to confront me like this? Oh... I see.�

Ohori-senpai grinned, her eyes lit up in realization, “It’s Aoi. She can’t change my mind so now you’re here to do that for her. How diligent. You deserve an award, Onoda. But sorry, just give up with what you’re trying to do.�