Stealing Spree

Chapter 2677: Can I get more lessons?

After what felt like another interrogation with no direction at all, Marika and I finally left her house. Her aunt’s piercing gaze followed us until we turned the corner. I mean, no matter what I said, she’s not going to easily nod at what I did. After all, she was sent here to ensure that Marika would continue with the engagement with Ichihara Jun.

I’m just really waiting for Otoha’s grandfather’s update. Or if Kagura-san would suddenly change her stance on us. That would mean the Kujou Family patriarch accepted the Kaneko Family patriarch’s proposal of leaving Marika alone in exchange for giving them another construction magnate who’d take the job of restoring their ancestral home.

"Ruki, look. I can now do this!" Marika jovially went ahead of me, climbing the bus and using her phone to pay for her fare. She then turned to me with a proud grin. "Hehe, I’ve filled the wallet with a lot of credits. I can also pay for you if you want."

With her golden ringlets seemingly bouncing with each step, Marika twirled as she waited for me.

"Good job. But no, you will only have to offer to pay for someone when they truly need it. You should also learn how to save, alright?"

"Eh... I’m not used to having my own... allowance to spend. Most of the time, everything was already prepared for me. I just have to use a card."

Yup. That’s a rich noble girl for you. Mizuki and Otoha were also like that before but I got to teach them how to manage their own money, no matter how trivial the amount.

"Then start practicing now. Save up for something you want to buy yourself." I tapped her phone screen displaying the wallet balance. "Like that limited edition cat-eared headband you showed me."

Upon saying that, I grabbed her hand, leading her to a double seater near the back. The bus rumbled to life, vibrating beneath our feet as Marika nestled close, her ringlets brushing my shoulder.

"I’ll save every yen then," She whispered with eyes sparkling with newfound determination. "And when I buy it, you have to wear it first, Ruki-kun. Promise?"

"You want me to wear a headband?"

"It is the cat ears, Ruki-kun. You’ll look adorable with it!" Marika giggled before letting her head land on my shoulder.

Looking at her like this, will I have the heart to refuse?

"Fine," I sighed a little exaggeratedly. "But only once. And you can’t take pictures."

"Once. And I may take a photo of you. One that I can use as my phone’s wallpaper." Her triumphant giggle was muffled against my shoulder, a warm puff of air against my neck.

Outside, the city blurred past us. Shops opened, and salarymen and students rushed as we quietly waited for the bus to reach our destination.

I still had a lot of unresolved thoughts about Tsubame’s sudden call, but Marika’s warmth against my side grounded me in the present. Well, I should stop thinking about it and just wait for tomorrow.

For today, I should focus on what’s ahead of us.

Since I promised last night. Marika and I got off a few stops before our school. I had her wait for me there while I picked up Nami.

Well, I thought I could also catch Saki, Hina and Shizu but Nami told me they went ahead of her. After all, I spent most of the morning at the other school. They did message me that I owe them one though.

Surprisingly, Mei-chan was also there. Since I promised to introduce her to someone who could help her take better photos to post on her social media, the girl now decided to keep sticking close to me, under her brother’s notice, of course.

Due to that, the four of us rode another bus together. Nami even yielded her seat on my other side to Mei-chan since she’s going to get off at the next stop. When there were only three of us, Marika and Nami winked at each other before I was showered by their affection.

---

The morning came and went. During the first period, Shio concluded her lesson by simply giving us a list of topics that would be included in this semester’s final exam, which would happen the week after the next one. I did my job as her student assistant, escorting her to the next class. Of course, since she left early, we got plenty of time to ourselves.

The second to fourth period was quite a slog. It was bearable because of my girls. Satsuki, with her usual grumpy antics, and my sweet Aya, who couldn’t help but continue bringing me to the fantastical world of her books through her narrative summaries and many more.

When we switched classrooms, the other girls then took their opportunity to bring me next to them. Mio, in particular, made up an excuse to get me to stay with her after the science class in 4th period.

And that’s the current situation. There were only a few minutes left before the lunch break but we were still inside the science classroom.

Mio, as our Class President, volunteered to tidy up the room after the science class. She handed me a stack of textbooks to reshelve.

"Ruki, here. Help me organize the teacher’s desk. It’s... messy." Mio quipped as she avoided my gaze, hiding her pink cheeks.

This girl, her face was too honest. I took the stack but instead of carefully taking it off her hands, I intentionally grabbed her hand.

She flinched, a tiny gasp escaping her lips. "H-hey, we won’t finish here if you keep teasing."

"Am I teasing you? I just thought of holding my Mio’s hand." My lips curved up slightly as I tried to draw more reaction from her. Even though she knew I understood why she had me stay here with her, the girl was acting quite reserved.

Was she embarrassed? Or did she not plan ahead of this? Hence, she had no idea how to proceed.

Thinking about it, the few times she acted boldly with me were all done in the heat of the moment. Like when she asked me to teach her how to kiss or that time in the bus on our way to the camping trip.

Now, having settled with being one of my girls, she had no idea how to properly broach the subject of wanting to spend more time with me.

She’s not like this with her cowardly ex, where she’s always the one trying to advance their relationship. She’d seen and experienced what I could offer her. Especially after I brought her to the Book Club. Haruko and the girls there must’ve been telling her stories about me.

After a while, Mio bit her lips before raising her gaze, looking straight at me.

"I... I’m not good at this," she confessed softly, fingers tightening around mine. "I know I should be bolder like Hana or clever like Hina, but when it’s just us... I freeze."

Her eyes darted to the classroom door, ensuring we were truly alone. "I’ve been practicing what to say all morning, but now... it’s gone."

I grabbed the books and placed them down on the desk before stepping forward to close the distance between us. Mio instinctively took a step back until her hips bumped against the teacher’s desk.

The girl gasped as I caged her in, my arm hooking around her back.

"You know you don’t need to be like them," I said as I began tracing her jawline before pressing my thumb on her lips, "Just be my Mio. Our class president who once dared to blackmail me into teaching her how to kiss."

"You’re still bringing that up." Mio lightly hit my chest before fixing her glasses that were slowly fogging up. "I did that because I was desperate. And then... you gave me lessons on how to treasure myself more."

She paused for a moment before her hands landed on my nape, pulling my head down, "But I’m greedy now. Can I get more lessons on how to become the girl you’ll never forget?"

"You silly girl, you don’t need a lesson for that. You already are." I flicked her forehead lightly before lifting her chin and capturing her lips. It was a soft and fleeting one but one that carried my feelings for her.

"I can tell you have something else on your mind. Will you tell me about it? After we finish tidying this room." I continued.

Mio nodded as she blushed. Even without her saying it, I could already guess what’s on her mind.