Stealing Spree

Chapter 2835: I can admit it now

Nagisa’s kiss wasn’t gentle or hesitant. It crashed into me with months of pent-up longing. It was almost desperate, even. As if she were afraid I’d pull back from it and disappear the moment she let go.

Slowly, her arm around my nape tightened and her fingers threaded into my hair, keeping me from moving.

The sweetness of her lips and the way her body melted against mine were making me remember every curve and angle from all those stolen encounters.

Gradually, my arms tightened around her waist, then slid up her back, pulling her closer until she could tell I wasn’t going to pull away from her.

And that made the girl pause our kiss momentarily, showing me a genuine, joyful smile as if her wish had been finally granted.

Then, she pushed back in, deepening our kisses and making it more intimate. Like this, we spent quite a few minutes there, indulging in each other.

We only stopped when we heard footsteps coming towards our direction, preventing us from escalating it further.

Still, a satisfied expression occupied Nagisa’s face, prompting me to plant one more kiss before pulling away.

With cheeks flushed in deep crimson color, she whispered, “...You really are shameless. You really didn’t push me away.”

“How can I when you said I shouldn’t blame you? Besides, it’s really my fault for taunting you like that.”

“Hmph. You made me do that. And after I told myself I’d just listen and leave...”

I brushed my thumb across her swollen lower lip, wiping away the traces of our intimacy. “Yeah. You can blame me for that, Nagisa.”

Nagisa puffed up her cheeks and hit me on my chest again before her forehead pressed on my chest.

Then, with her voice muffled slightly, she said, “You idiot... I told myself I wouldn’t ask for anything. That just hearing my name from you would be enough. But now... now I want more. Is that bad? Am I being greedy?”

“Mhm. It’s not bad at all. I’m the greedy one here, remember? I showed you how I was still the same shameless guy. Still surrounded by girls, still taking what I want... but now I actually care if you want it too.”

“I don’t know what I want yet, Ruki.” She confessed. “Part of me wants to run and never look back so I don’t get hurt again. Another part... wants to stay and see who this new Ruki really is. Especially if he’s the kind of guy who coaches a girls’ basketball team like it’s the most natural thing in the world and wipes sweat off his girlfriend’s back in public without caring who sees that gesture.”

She then lifted her head as a small, teasing smile finally broke through her lingering uncertainty. “That grumpy girl, Maemura Satsuki, is it? She’s lucky. But I’m not going to ask you to let me take her place. I just... don’t want to be a stranger to you anymore.”

“You’re never a stranger to me.”

“But you treated me like one.” Nagisa huffed but rather than making her look angry, I found it adorable instead.

“Alright. That’s my bad. I was such a bastard, after all.”

“Ugh. I don’t want to hear that anymore. But Ruki... Can we start over? You know... talking sometimes? Without the past hanging over everything like a shadow?”

I nodded, leaning down to press a light, chaste kiss to her forehead, the kind I never would’ve given her before. “We can. Anytime you want. And Nagisa?”

She blinked up at me, cheeks coloring faintly at the casual use of her name again.

“You were never nothing to me. Even back then, in my messed-up way... you mattered. I just didn’t know how to show it without ruining everything or rather, I was just denying it entirely. This time, I won’t make that mistake twice.”

Her eyes shimmered again before giving me one last, lingering hug before stepping back with a watery but genuine smile.

“Good. Because if you do, I’ll hunt you down and make you call my name a hundred times until you get it right.” She paused, then added with a playful glint, “And tell Satsuki I said she better keep you in line. You still look like the type who needs watching. Who knows how many girls you will catch without us knowing? You already got Mikan curious about you.”

"Mikan? Oh. I doubt it’ll develop into something more than rivalry. I already beat her team twice."

"And that’s where you’re wrong, you idiot. You don’t know that girl enough... At least not yet."

Nagisa’s words sounded like a warning to me. But the teasing in it told me it would not be some kind of disaster. Rather, a challenge.

She then stepped back to create a sliver of space, yet her fingers still lingered on my clothes, as if she wasn’t quite ready to let the moment slip away completely.

“You’re really selling her as some kind of persistent rival, huh? I thought she was just mad about losing twice.”

That should just be it, right? Granted, she had never forgotten that promise of me telling her my name when we met again. She even chased after us earlier.

There’s no way I’d see her at our school looking for me, right?

“Mad? Mikan doesn’t get mad like normal people. She gets... invested. Un. That’s the right word.” Nagisa’s smile turned a little mischievous. “She skipped practices just to hunt for something she saw on TV. And now that she knows your name and saw how you turned that game around? She won’t let it go. Mark my words, Ruki. You’ll be hearing from her again. Probably with that bright, competitive grin while pretending it’s all about basketball.”

I raised an eyebrow, imagining the orange-haired point guard charging at me again with that same fiery determination. “Sounds troublesome. But if it’s just a rivalry, I can handle it.”

Nagisa poked my chest once more, “That’s what you always say. Then suddenly there’s another girl in your orbit. Just... be careful. Or don’t. I’m starting to think you thrive on chaos.”

Before I could reply, the distant sound of voices and footsteps echoed from the gymnasium direction, probably someone from our team looking for me since I was out for so long now.

Nagisa glanced that way, her expression shifting back to something more composed but the blush on her cheeks lingered. The kiss we shared washed away all the longing she had for me.

“I should really go now. Mikan might come looking for me if I take too long. I mean, I should comfort them for this loss, no? Oh, right. I kind of became the senior she looks up to. As to how that happened, I’ll tell you next time.”

Well, it’s quite obvious with the way Sakuraba Mikan reacted earlier. And it actually made me feel both guilty and bitter while feeling a little warmth in my heart. After all, back when I had her by my side, there was no one like Sakuraba Mikan around her. She was closed off to almost everyone except me.

Either it’s because she didn’t want anyone finding out about how I got a tight hold on her despite having a boyfriend. Or it’s just her way to protect other students from me.

After all, if I saw someone with a boyfriend back then, she’d eventually become one of my targets.

“You became silent, Ruki. Are you already planning on how to capture Mikan? Shameless guy, she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

“Girl, even if she has one, I won’t be planning on doing it.”

“Oh, really? I thought you changed.”

“Not that kind of change.” I shrugged, which made the girl burst into laughter.

“Pfft. Alright. If you say so, Ruki. Go on now, your girls are probably waiting. Especially that grumpy one. She looked ready to drag you off earlier.”

“Mhm. Satsuki’s not the patient type when it comes to celebrations.” I reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face again, letting my fingers linger just a second longer than necessary. “But Nagisa... this isn’t goodbye. If you need me or anything, feel free to text or call. Whatever feels right. We’ll talk properly. I won’t order you again. A new beginning, right?”

She nodded, biting her lower lip as if holding back another wave of emotion. Then, with a quick, impulsive motion, she rose on her toes and pressed one last soft kiss to my cheek. It was chaste but full of unspoken things.

“Take care of yourself, Ruki. And... thank you. For calling my name like that. It meant more than you know.”

With that, she turned and walked away, her steps lighter than before, though she glanced back once with that small, teasing smile before disappearing around the corner.

I stood there for a moment before shaking my head with a wry chuckle.

How should I tell the girls about this? Tell them I ran after Nagisa before I knew it? Yeah, right. They knew me enough to understand that even if Nagisa didn’t start it, I would’ve done it either way.

I can admit it now. I missed her too.