Stealing Spree

Chapter 2812: Extended Surprises

"Come on, Dumb-senpai. Try one. We promised a surprise. This isn’t it yet. It’s in them." Ria said as she picked up one of the chocolates and held it out to me.

I stared straight into her eyes and they were sparkling with a mix of mischief and anticipation.

Well, even if they put hot sauce in them as a kind of mischievous prank, I’ll still eat. But they said surprise so... it must be something wholesome, right?

I took the chocolate from her fingers. It was still slightly warm, like they’d rushed it straight from the molds to the table.

I popped it into my mouth, the outer shell cracking with a satisfying snap before the rich, velvety center melted across my tongue.

It was sweet but not overpowering, with a hint of something nutty. Almonds, perhaps. There was also a subtle bitterness from the dark chocolate that balanced it perfectly. But then, as I chewed, my teeth hit something small and crinkly inside.

I paused, glancing at Ria, who was watching me like a hawk, her lips pressed together to hold back a grin. Carefully, I pulled out a tiny slip of rolled paper, no bigger than a fortune cookie message, smeared with a bit of melted chocolate.

These girls... What if I gulped it down without searching through the melted chocolate?

"Unroll it, Dumb-senpai," Ria urged as she leaned forward on her elbows. How adorable...

Anyway, Akane was already snapping a quick photo with her phone, while Eimi put on a meaningful smile as she waited for my reaction. Anzu-nee crossed her arms, smirking like she knew exactly what was coming, and Machida just watched with wide-eyed curiosity, clearly still trying to process how she’d ended up in the middle of this.

I unrolled the slip carefully, wiping off the chocolate smudges with my thumb. The handwriting was neat and precise. It was Ria’s, no doubt. In tiny letters it read:

"Dumb-senpai, thank you for always being my unsinkable ship. No matter how rocky it became, you never threw me out of the tower. And even when I act mature, you’ve never stopped treating me with more adoration. Love, Ria. P.S. Don’t eat too much, or you’ll get fat. I can’t carry you."

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I finished reading it aloud for everyone.

Ria’s cheeks turned scarlet, but she didn’t look away. She beamed at me with a proud little smile like she’d nailed the perfect mix of sweet and sassy.

"That’s... adorable," Machida said softly, her sharp eyes softening as she glanced at Ria. "You put messages in all of them?"

Eimi shook her head, “No. Every chocolate has a different surprise. The birthday girl wants to give him a message. As for mine...”

Her voice trailed there as she picked up another piece of chocolate and held it out to me with a playful wink. "Mine’s a little different. Go on, Ruki. Take a bite."

I accepted it from her fingers, popping it into my mouth. The outer layer was smooth dark chocolate with a subtle hint of mint that cooled my tongue before the richness hit.

As I chewed, my teeth encountered something small and metallic this time. I fished it out carefully and held it up for all to see.

Again, what if I chewed on it, ruining the surprise? These girls...

Anyways, once the smeared chocolate residue cleared up, a tiny silver keychain shaped like a mini-spatula appeared. It’s not like Satsuki’s self-made lemonade can keychain because I had already seen this keychain before.

It was in her bag. It’s something she adored.

“You’re giving this to me? Don’t you have this in your bag?” I asked.

“Heh. Of course, I will. That’s an exact copy of it, silly. I still have mine. Why will I put something that was already hanging in my bag for more than a year in your chocolate? That’s unsanitary.” With a tone that was part-scolding and part-amused, Eimi crossed her arms under her chest, pushing up those modest curves.

"Besides, it’s symbolic. You know, like how you’ve whipped my life into shape. Now you have a mini-me to remind you of that."

Mini-her? So, the spatula represents her now? Another chuckle escaped my lips as I turned the tiny spatula keychain between my fingers.

It was cute, thoughtful, and somehow perfectly encapsulated Eimi. Practical with a dash of sentiment. "Symbolic, huh? I like it. Thanks, Eimi. I’ll hang it on my bag as well. So you’re always with me."

“Pfft. You say that because your phone already had another key chain given to you by another girl,” Despite saying it like that, Eimi’s lips curved up playfully. She knew about it all along, after all.

“Not exactly. It’s to match you. But if you want me to tie it on my phone–”

“No! The bag is fine. I’m just kidding.” She hurriedly cut me off before leaning forward, wiping a trace of chocolate from my lips, “Now, read the note I left behind.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” I smilingly shook my head as I unfurled the note that was tucked in the chain.

“For the guy who captures my heart every time. Use this to remember our moments. Love, Eimi. P.S. Don’t lose it, or I’ll have to find another one. That’s the last stock from the supermarket."

There’s a P.S. too, huh? I see. So it’s among the things they secretly bought earlier. Still, she got it from the supermarket? And here I thought it was from some hidden collector’s shop. Not that I’m complaining. She gave it a lot of thought, after all.

After her, Akane and Anzu-nee also had their own special chocolate for me with a surprise inside.

I carefully bit on the chocolates to ensure I wouldn’t be breaking anything if it was something fragile. As for the notes... well... they’re naturally included.

Akane’s surprise was a... caramel candy. Right. Only after I inspected it and separated the note did she pull out a silver locket shaped like a tiny book.

She told me it was the gift that I refused to take from her two years ago. Yet she kept tucked in her room. She was waiting for my next birthday to give it but with Ria creating this opportunity, she immediately went and brought it with her.

“Don’t look at me like that, husband. You don’t have to apologize either. It’s all in the past. Here, in our present, you’re mine now.”

That’s all she said when she saw me about to stand up and apologize again because of how I ignored her all those times.

After that, she jumped into my embrace, which prompted both Ria and Eimi to do the same.

Machida went speechless from that scene but well, I didn’t have the time to mind her reaction anymore.

Because right after that, Anzu-nee pried me away from the other three so that she could get her turn.

At the same time, she pushed the special chocolate into my mouth, saying her surprise, apart from the note, wasn’t in the chocolate.

Then, the box that she had me reach for earlier appeared in her hand as if she had already prepared it for this moment.

She handed it over to me, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush that she tried to hide behind a smirk.

"Open it, shameless brat," Anzu-nee said, sounding both nervous and playful. It’s like she was handing over a piece of her heart wrapped in cardboard. "But read the note first."

I pinched her cheek first before unfurling the note carefully.

’Shameless brat, you’ve turned my world upside down in the best way. Thanks for seeing me as more than just ’tiny Anzu-nee.’ You’ve got my heart now. Never, ever drop it. Next year, let’s celebrate your birthday together. I don’t care if you come to me in the middle of the night after meeting the others.’

See this? She’s so sweet. If those guys she previously dated simply treated her right, I would probably have no chance to wriggle my way into her heart.

But they didn’t, and now here I was, holding a box that felt heavier than it looked. Her eyes locked on mine with a mix of vulnerability, anticipation and more importantly, affection.

I set the note aside carefully, then lifted the lid. Inside, nestled a tiny plush bear, stitched together with obvious care but a few uneven seams that screamed ’beginner project’. The bear wore a little boxing glove on one paw, and in the other, it held a heart-shaped tag that read ’For my shameless brat’ in her neat handwriting.

And here I thought, inside were some treasures she hid from her childhood. Looks like I got fooled.

Not counting what we did in her room, she must’ve planned this the moment Ria or Eimi told her about the ‘surprise’ for me.

Anzu-nee’s cheeks burned brighter as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other."It’s... stupid, I know. I made it during one of my craft classes. Thought it’d be funny. You know, since you’re always ’fighting’ for everyone’s attention or something. And the heart... well, you get it.”

How should I respond to this? Can I just pick her up and kiss her? Of course I can. Akane, Ria, and Eimi, too.

And upon further thinking, I’m certain that Ria’s plan to also celebrate my birthday today will extend to the other girls we are going to meet later.