Stealing Spree

Chapter 2912: What do you mean?

As I moved, I could feel Yumika’s gaze tracking me. She wasn’t focused on the equipment but on the way the fabric of my school shirt strained across my shoulders with every lift.

And even though she was aware that I already caught her staring, she didn’t retract her gaze this time. Instead, she leaned back against a stack of supplies, her posture relaxing into something far more casual.

"You’re surprisingly strong for a guy who spends so much time talking his way into things," she noted, her voice regaining that playful, teasing edge. "Maybe I should keep you around as a permanent assistant. The club could use someone to move the heavy gear."

"Keep me around? Senpai, you’ll have to get past my girls before you can accomplish that. Besides, I’m only making an exception this time because I promised you. If I visit your club in the future, I expect a top-tier treatment," I replied, sliding the last board onto the cart.

Yumika let out a small, amused huff. "You’re so full of yourself. But it’s not difficult. With your status, if I don’t give you proper treatment, those girls around you will definitely come to complain to me, right?"

"Perhaps? But don’t worry. Since I’m already fond of you, senpai, they’ll team up with you instead."

"... What do you mean by that?"

"Heh. That’s something you should figure out yourself."

Upon saying that, I picked the last of the board and turned toward the next aisle.

Suzuki Yumika could only puff up her cheeks as she followed behind me.

For the next ten minutes, we picked everything she needed: high-grade arrows for demonstrations, a few spare bowstrings, and a set of protective armguards for the beginners.

Yumika handled the technical selection with a level of precision that left no room for doubt. She knew exactly what the booth required to be both safe and professional. By the time we were finished, the cart was nearly overflowing with the heavy straw targets and a variety of smaller accessories.

As we approached the counter to settle the bill, Yumika paused, glancing at the equipment and then back at me. A look of genuine appreciation crossed her face, though she quickly tried to hide it behind a small cough. "Well, you did actually manage to be useful. I suppose you weren’t completely useless as a pack mule today."

"Just ’useful’?" I teased. "I thought I was a ’perverted devil’ just a few minutes ago. My rank seems to be fluctuating quite a bit. Besides, senpai, don’t I deserve to be praised? No other sponsor will be like me."

Yumika’s face flushed, and she quickly shifted her weight, trying to put some distance between us. "Hmph. I’ll think about it later."

"Then, I’ll look forward to that," I smirked, watching her gradually move back to my side as we approached the old man sitting at the counter.

Although I was the one who handed the payment, Master Sato didn’t make the checkout process easy. He spent a good three minutes lecturing Suzuki Yumika on the proper way to store the straw targets, warning her that if they became damp, they’d be useless.

She took every word with a disciplined nod, her expression one of pure focus. It was almost endearing to see her so earnest, a complete contrast to the girl who had been playing a game of cat-and-mouse with me in the gelato shop.

Once the payment was settled and the equipment was securely loaded into the cart, which the old man allowed us to borrow to transport the gear, we finally stepped back out into the afternoon air.

On the way back to school, she tried to keep a few steps ahead of me, most likely to avoid my teasing. But from time to time, she’d glance back to check on me as I pushed the cart filled with the things we bought.

Suzuki Yumika led the way to the Archery Club. With archery being one of the traditional sports clubs, like the Kendo, Karate, and Judo clubs, they were all gathered in one place.

But unlike the other three dojos, the Archery Club has its own open-air range that connects to a smaller traditional-style dojo where they mostly meditate and store their equipment.

At the moment, with most of the students still confined in their classrooms, the place was currently deserted.

As we approached the range, the silence of the area felt heavy, broken only by the rhythmic clicking of the cart’s wheels on the pavement.

Yumika stopped at the entrance of the dojo, her expression softening as she looked over the pristine grounds.

She then turned to me, her expression showing a hint of concern.

Most likely, she saw my slightly sweaty appearance and felt bad. But little did she know, pushing the cart wasn’t really tiring. It was mostly the walk from the shopping district that had taken a bit of a toll. After all, she was also not looking very refreshed right now.

"Onoda-kun, you can go back now. I’ll bring that in myself."

"Hmm? Senpai, since we’re already here, let me complete this errand. Show me your storage room," I suggested, giving her a playful look. "I can’t just leave you to struggle with these heavy targets alone. That wouldn’t be very chivalrous of me."

Yumika hesitated, her gaze flickering toward the quiet dojo. After our conversation earlier, she must’ve been thinking about inviting me in. And with no one around, it’s an opportunity to keep me in her private space for a bit longer.

In the end, a smile bloomed on her face. "Alright, perverted gentleman junior, follow me."

"Ouch. Can’t you pick a better nickname for me, senpai? What will others think if you call me that in public?"

"I thought you were a proud pervert?"

"Only in private, of course. I still have my reputation to protect, no?"

"Pfft. What reputation? The reputation of being a notorious chick magnet?"

"Hey, that’s not what I’m known as. And you know it. I’m just the guy most girls can get easily close to."

"You braggart," Suzuki Yumika let out a hearty laugh, her eyes curving into crescents. "If we go by that ’guy girls can easily get close to’, isn’t that just a fancy way of saying you’re a shameless flirt?"

"Maybe?" I put on my usual shameless smile and shrugged, which made her laugh even more.

After that, she led me through the sliding doors of the dojo and the two of us pushed the cart into their storage room.

With one of her club members being the granddaughter of that old man, the cart didn’t need to be returned right away.

"Mhm. Well then, I guess it’s time to return." I said as I dusted off my hands.

Upon hearing that, Suzuki Yumika turned to me, her eyes shimmering with a mix of hesitation and desire.

"R-right. Let’s return." She stuttered in response, but her feet didn’t move an inch toward the door. Her head lowered slightly.

Looking at how she was fidgeting, I could tell that she was trying to come up with an excuse to keep me here with her.

"Hmm? Are you sure, senpai? You know we can still spare a few minutes before returning. Not like there’s a lesson we are going to miss," I said, probing her reaction.

And sure enough, her hesitation became more apparent.

With this storage room being this small, we all had the privacy we could have. If I tease her again this time, she might just succumb to the temptation.

"W-what do you mean spare a few minutes?" Her eyes darted to the left and right, but with nothing else to focus on, she still eventually locked onto me.

"You know. To rest our legs." I answered nonchalantly before my lips curved into a smirk. "What? Are you thinking of something else, senpai?"

She was about to shake her head and huff again but somehow, she stopped. Then, with a low voice, she whispered, "P-pervert. You’re the one thinking of it..."

"Thinking of what, exactly?"

"Y-you! Do you want me to say it again?"

"Not exactly. But I’m curious what’s running in your head, senpai."

Suzuki Yumika didn’t reply right away. She first stepped out of the storage room, most likely checking if someone was around to hear us before turning back.

"I’m thinking of... what you let me feel earlier."

As soon as she said that, her face flushed a deep crimson. Her eyes alternated between my face and the part between my legs.

Really, no matter how much she attempted to cover up her honest thoughts, with no one else to hear her, her bold honesty simply leaked out.

That look in her eyes that seemed to radiate her desire and undeniable craving from what she felt earlier... was really amusing as much as it was flattering.

I mean, this girl, because of her talent and acquired fame, is also quite inexperienced when it comes to the matters between men and women.

If she hadn’t followed us into that empty clubroom and witnessed us making love, she probably would have spent her entire high school life focused solely on archery.

Alas, she encountered a scoundrel like me. And now, that seed of curiosity had sprouted quite quickly. It was even quicker than Otsuka-senpai’s.