Stealing Spree

Chapter 2948: Silent Protest

Ten minutes later, Akane and I arrived at the station, waited a few minutes for Eimi and boarded the train.

Anzu-nee didn’t stay too long. She immediately left as soon as she dropped Eimi at the entrance of the station, leaving me no chance to pull her into a corner to give her a morning greeting.

She had her reason and she wasn’t trying to avoid me. Apparently, she didn’t head back home and went ahead to her college campus. There was an activity related to one of her electives she had to attend, and it was scheduled early.

Although only an elective, it’s something she needed for her credits.

A train station later, Fuyu expectedly joined us on the train.

The moment she saw me, her usually bright smile she used to greet me with in the morning was nowhere to be found. Instead, her cheeks gradually became rounded, puffing up slightly while her lips puckered into a pout.

Although there was no anger on her face, I could tell Fuyu was currently operating in something like a ’silent protest’ mode.

She didn’t reply to my greeting and instead closed in on me, her hand disappearing to my side.

Not long after, I felt her fingers pinching my side as though she was using this action to compensate for her lack of words. It wasn’t a violent gesture, but it was giving me a statement that she’s not pleased with the result of the previous evening’s events.

Naturally, I could only endure it while reaching for her other hand, giving it a squeeze.

Akane and Eimi, who were seated nearby, exchanged a knowing glance. Akane didn’t even try to hide her amusement, leaning back against the train window with a smirk that said ’you’re on your own, husband’. Eimi just tilted her head and watched the silent battle of wills between Fuyu and me.

Right. Since Eimi would also witness some unnatural behavior from Fuyu and Futaba today, I at least subtly told her what happened between Futaba and me. Eimi was surprised. After all, she had also seen Futaba’s boyfriend since she started riding the train with us. Of course, she never talked to him, or, at most, just exchanged a greeting once or twice.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully explain it to her yet but with Eimi knowing almost everything about me and my complex relationships, even letting her older cousin be with me, she didn’t have much of an opinion about it. She was just worried about how complicated the situation had become.

"I won’t talk to you today, Ruki. Reflect on your own actions." Fuyu sternly whispered before plopping down next to Akane.

I could only put on a wry smile as I nodded before reaching out to caress her cheek while I remained standing in front of them.

Right. I should really reflect. Even though the initial reason I told them for accepting Futaba’s request was to help her, it was undeniable that I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have any interest in Futaba. I just couldn’t admit it back then.

The next few minutes as the train moved towards the next station were spent in silence. At this point, the train car was already close to being crowded but to make sure no one would approach the girls, I had to remain standing in a way that effectively acted as a shield.

I was actually expecting Futaba to take the day off today. She should still be sore from last night. But because she promised not to hide anything from Akane and Fuyu, she might’ve forced herself to come in.

Soon, the train arrived at the next station and a new wave of passengers entered. Before long, the figures of Eri and Futaba squeezed in and reached us.

Eri nimbly navigated the crowd, her eyes brightening as she spotted us, but Futaba followed at a slower pace. She looked exhausted, or rather, like someone who had spent the entire morning fighting her own body to remain upright.

"Morning, Ruki!" My tomboyish ’girl best friend’ greeted me as she stood beside me. "How did it go last night? Futaba wasn’t telling me anything."

This... I’d honestly be amazed if Futaba could tell every detail of last night to this girl. But given that she’s part of their group, she won’t be in the dark for long. Heck, she might even listen to their talk later.

By then, I could only imagine the shock she would receive after realizing that her innocent mind had failed to comprehend what kind of ’lesson’ Futaba was taking from me last night.

It’s making me wonder if she’ll still insist on getting her turn as well.

"Morning," I greeted back before shaking my head, "I’m not telling you about it. It’s private."

"Boo! Then... I’ll pester Futaba later. Hmph." The girl acted disappointed as she pouted adorably

Meanwhile, Futaba finally managed to squeeze into the space beside me,

Seeing her sway, I couldn’t help but reach out to steady her.

Her body shivered for a moment before letting herself lean into me. However, her head turned sideways, refusing to meet my gaze.

The tip of her ear was already crimson red as she stutteringly greeted Akane and the others, "G-good morning."

Akane and Eimi greeted her back but Fuyu stared at her then patted the remaining empty seat beside her. "Sit down. You shouldn’t keep standing. Ruki, help her."

Hearing Fuyu speak in a commanding tone, I didn’t know whether to laugh or be wary. The ’silent protest’ had shifted into a focused, maternal sort of authority. I carefully guided Futaba toward the seat, mindful of how she winced slightly as she lowered herself.

The sight of her, usually so composed and elegant, now trembling and unable to look me in the eye, sent a surge of possessiveness through me.

"Thanks, Fuyu," Futaba whispered, her voice barely audible over the rattle of the train. She sank into the seat, her legs pressing together tentatively.

At the moment, her lower body was extremely sensitive.

Eri, who remained standing next to me, tilted her head. She probably sensed the unusual situation but she couldn’t quite understand what exactly was different. In the end, she could only nudge my side and whisper, "I’m curious. Don’t leave me out of the loop!"

"You’ll find out about it later. Besides, it’s not appropriate to discuss it here."

"Not appropriate? Hmm... what exactly did you do?"

"Nothing that would shock you, Eri," I replied with a playful wink, not intending to say anything more.

Eri could only pout and turn her attention to the other girls, chatting with them animatedly.

Soon, the train started moving again and I dutifully shielded them from the increasing crowd.

When the train reached the next station, another wave of passengers squeezed into the train car. And as expected, two boys spotted us.

One was Eri’s boyfriend. And the other was Futaba’s.

That guy. He still decided to come to school despite the scenes he witnessed last night.

Is he truly going to act oblivious or is he planning to confront Futaba privately later? In any case, observing him now would reveal whether he knew it was me who his girlfriend was entangled with or not.