Stealing Spree

Chapter 2750: Meeting Tsubame

Twenty minutes later, I left Mizuki’s place after pampering her like I did the other girls at home.

Since there wasn’t a quick solution to what Kyoka wanted to happen, I set that aside for now. Mizuki told me Kyoka would be contacting me later tonight. She had already gone ahead and given my number to Kyoka.

Although I had that woman’s business card, it would be more meaningful if she contacted me instead.

After that, she also promised to send me the official contract after that call tonight. It’s natural to have a contract for it, it involves a lot of money, after all. She’s going to get her money’s worth. But still, it feels surreal that Kyoka ended up becoming a candidate for chairmanship.

It hadn’t been that long since that business dinner we had. And she’s still fuming over Mizuki getting more favored by the same client who took their advisor service. Now, she hired us to help her out in taking the highest seat in their conglomerate.

What an interesting turn of events. Especially for me, I still had no idea how that candidacy works. Do they have to vote for her? Or did she just need to convince other board members to pick her? What about her shares? If she were named a successor, shouldn’t she be given a huge bulk as well? She could’ve lived off of that without getting into conflict with Hassen’s parents. Or maybe it’s part of the clause in the will. If she didn’t fight for it, she might not be able to claim what the former chairman left for her.

Either way, my role here was still small and it didn’t actually touch the business or advising aspect. I just needed to convince 8000 to support her. Mizuki was still the one who would advise her moving forward.

As Mizuki sent me by the door, Suzuki-san was already waiting by the car with the engine idling.

She gave me the tiniest nod of acknowledgment when I slid into the back seat, the breakfast box now empty and tucked into a paper bag on the seat beside me.

“Straight to the pet shop, Onoda-sama?” She asked, eyes on the road.

“Mhm. Thanks, Suzuki-san.”

She pulled away from the curb without another word. The silence in the car was comfortable, familiar.

I closed my eyes for a second and let the gentle hum of the engine settle the storm in my head.

Mizuki’s voice still echoed in my head. “You can do it. You can break him quietly and permanently.”

What did she think of me? A professional jobber? Haa... well, she’s not wrong. I’d probably come up with something if I heard about how to contact that guy.

I mean, it would be quite easy considering how crazy he was for his older cousin. I just needed to shake him up and have him believe he might get a chance to truly become her partner if he stood by her side.

Anyway, Tsubame’s shaky whisper from last night layered on top of Mizuki’s voice...

“Morning is... safer.”

Right. This was also important. I need to understand that girl’s situation. Regardless of what happened in the past, I still owed her for stealing her from her boyfriend. Even if she’s the one who disappeared on me, that wouldn’t change.

The car rolled to a smooth stop exactly at 8:57 a.m. in front of the old pet shop.

The sign was slightly faded but the bell above the door still jingled the same cheerful tune it did years ago.

If I recall correctly, it was owned by an old couple. More than a store, it felt more like a shelter for those animals. With the rise of pet cafes, the popularity of this shop has declined a lot.

After thanking Suzuki-san, who immediately drove away after I told her that Mizuki also set aside breakfast for her, I walked over to the door.

Through the glass window, I immediately spotted Tsubame’s figure.

She stood near the back by the rabbit cages, hoodie pulled low over her face, hands buried deep in the front pocket. The same hoodie from the blurry doorbell footage.

She looked smaller than I remembered. Thinner. Shoulders hunched like she was trying to fold herself into nothing.

I could see the old couple looking at her, concern in their faces. They’re probably hesitating to approach. Or maybe they already did, and she just turned down their gesture.

In any case, I pushed open the door which immediately caught the attention of the owners. I bowed respectfully to them before walking over to where the girl was.

Since she also heard the chime of the bell, Tsubame’s head snapped up as she glanced in my direction.

Our eyes met and for a second, we just stared.

Her gray eyes were wider, red-rimmed, like she hadn’t slept. The bruise I’d spotted last night was still hidden by her hair and hoodie.

When she saw me close the distance, her hand flew up instinctively to cover it before she tried acting normally.

“Ruki... You came.” She put on a smile but it didn’t escape me how noticeably brittle it was. Like thin ice over a deep lake. One wrong step and it would crack straight through.

I stopped just outside arm’s reach, close enough that she could see I wasn’t the same guy she remembered, far enough that she didn’t feel cornered.

“Mhm. I promised, didn’t I?” I kept my voice soft and gentle, something that I probably haven’t done before because of my desire.

That made her eyes tremble slightly as though she was meeting someone she hadn’t recognized at all.

Tsubame’s fingers curled tighter into the sleeve of her hoodie. Her gaze flicked to the old couple behind the counter. They already stopped looking when they noticed that I came here for her. They’re being pretty sensible.

“W-what can I say, you’ve changed, Ruki. I didn’t know you could sound so...” Tsubame’s voice cracked on the last word, like she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.

She swallowed hard as her eyes dropped to the floor between us, then back up again, searching my face like she was trying to find the cold, emotionless bastard she used to know.

“...gentle,” She finished quietly. “You sound... gentle. You smiled last night and now... this.”

I let the silence sit for a second. The rabbits in the cages rustled softly.

Somewhere in the back, a puppy yipped once and went quiet.

“Although not much of a change yet, I had a lot of people teach me the hard way,” I said with a deprecating smile. “Turns out, I just shut off my emotions for my desire. Now I remembered it all. I’m still a bastard though. I just stopped stealing so much and learned to be conscious enough regarding how precious the girls are to me.”

Her lips twitched, the ghost of the old teasing smile I remembered. “Sounds great. You’ve finally been enlightened, Mr. Stoneface. The girls with you... they must’ve been happy, huh?”

“Mhm. They are... And I vowed not to hurt them anymore regardless of how complex things become. I’m also thankful that they accepted me for what I am.”

“I see... Good for you.” Upon saying that, she fell silent again. Her eyes dropped back to the floor as if she didn’t know how to face this changed me right now.

And so, I guess it’s up to me to break her open. To finally hear the reason she reached out to me again. The bruise could wait. I could tell she’s avoiding that topic. Maybe it would be more awkward for her if I pushed her to talk about it right away. For now... it’s best to just enjoy the current ambiance of this shop and make a nostalgic trip back to when we were still together.

Without warning, I reached for her hand and whispered, “Hey, you can take your time. I’m willing to hear you out today. But first, why don’t we check out these little guys?”

I nodded toward the rabbit cages.

Tsubame blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift, but the corner of her mouth twitched upward. Just a little but enough to cast away some of the gloominess radiating from her body.

Then, she let me take her hand without pulling away. Her fingers were cold, trembling slightly, but she squeezed back like she was afraid I’d vanish if she didn’t hold on.

In response, I filled the gaps of her fingers and tightened my hold on her. I could see her slightly blush as the warmth of my hand slowly transferred to her.

“... This is.” She whispered.

“Shh... Isn’t this normal for us?”

Tsubame stiffened slightly before nodding again as she also tightened her grip on my hand.

We moved to the nearest cage. A lop-eared rabbit with charcoal fur pressed its nose against the bars, whiskers twitching.

I crouched down, tugging her gently with me. Tsubame hesitated, then folded herself beside me. We were close enough that our shoulders touched.

I was tempted to pull down her hoodie but considering what she’s hiding there, I decided not to.

“This one looks like the rabbit you used to feed behind the gym,” I said quietly. “The one that only lets you touch it.”

Tsubame softly gasped. “...You remember that?”

“I remember everything about you, Tsubame.”

Honestly, I could only vaguely remember, but there’s no point saying it, right?