Stealing Spree

Chapter 2949: I’ll coach you

"What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Futaba’s boyfriend asked, his voice carrying a hint of forced concern.

He might have thought he hid it well, but as someone who knew what he had seen and how he decided to act oblivious, it was too obvious for me.

Futaba didn’t answer right away, she just shook her head gently without looking up at him. Fuyu shifted slightly, letting Futaba lean against her.

"I see. I’ll bring you something later." The guy said as he stilled his restless hand and stood there like a proper gentleman.

Looking at him, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony. He was playing the role of the devoted boyfriend perfectly, providing a shield of normalcy for everyone to see. But beneath that polished exterior was a man who had silently accepted the displacement of his own intimacy.

He glanced at me when he greeted everyone alongside Eri’s boyfriend but I didn’t see any signs of hostility.

Did he really not know it was me or had he already committed himself to bury the scene of betrayal he witnessed in the depths of his memory?

Honestly, I had no idea.

In any case, aside from Futaba’s obvious state, she also didn’t do anything overly affectionate toward him. She even subtly avoided him when he tried to brush a stray hair from her forehead.

Although normally, it wouldn’t look like it was a deliberate act, Futaba’s avoidance was clear to me. And perhaps, to him as well. He didn’t even try a second time. He just curled his hand into a ball and stood there without a hint of awkwardness.

Seeing that, a sense of satisfaction welled up in me. To my eyes, Futaba had already kept in mind that she’s mine. Still, it could also just mean she was too guilty to face him but I’d rather lean toward the former.

"Ruki, we’re going to visit your booth this weekend. Give us tickets, okay?"

After exhausting her topics, the energetic Eri turned to me with a wide grin. The matter of what happened last night seemed to have left her mind already.

"Tickets? Oh. The entrance is free. It’s open to everyone. You only have to show your school ID to make sure you’re not going to be there to cause trouble. I’ll prepare coupons instead. You can play all you want when the time comes."

Ah. Right. Since it’s already Wednesday, it’s time for us to put in more heavy work. The classroom needed to be transformed into our booth’s layout so I’d probably be busy the whole day. And that’s the same for our club’s booth. As the only guy there, most heavy lifting wasn’t going to be done by the girls, but by me.

"Wow. Your school is generous. What if it becomes overcrowded? I’ve read some rumors about a surprise appearance of a celebrity. Those who probably didn’t want to visit might change their mind and come just to check if the rumor was true."

This girl... From what I heard from Yue and Shizu, they released that rumor yesterday. To start building up the hype. But Eri already caught it.

For sure, this year’s cultural festival would be crowded but that’s exactly what we wanted. The more people who came, the more the efforts of the students would be validated.

And this year is probably my first time being actively involved in it. Back then, I only coasted along the edges, playing my role while remaining an obscure figure. But now, not only did I become one of the representatives of our class’s booth during the workshop but I also led the idea of an interactive adventure booth for our Literature Club. To add to that, I even supported Yue’s surprise performance idea.

In a way, my life compared to last year had been flipped entirely on its head. I had gone from being the Classmate A to one of the most popular guys in the school,

"It’s going to be fine. We’ll make sure to maintain the order. Don’t forget, I’m part of the Student Council."

"Oh! Right! You’re such a bigshot, Ruki! Does that mean you can guide us and give us a private tour?" Eri beamed, leaning closer with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Her boyfriend tried to hold her back but the girl was too energetic to be contained.

"Mhm. If you can find me, that is." I grinned, matching her mischievous energy. "I’m going to be so busy, I’ll probably lose my leg from running back and forth. Of course, you just have to stick to Akane if you want to gain the benefits of my ’bigshot’ status."

"That’s a deal! You better not hide! You know Akane and Fuyu. They’re so beautiful, boys will keep on trying to hit on them."

"If anyone dares to do that, the prison booth will be their next stop," My tone was light, but there was a possessive edge to the smile I gave Eri.

Akane and Eimi let out a soft giggle while Fuyu, who was still trying her best not to look at me, nudged my leg lightly. She was also amused but her slight grievance towards me had yet to dissipate completely.

Just like this, the topic of conversation revolved around our upcoming cultural festival. Their school will probably have theirs after the summer vacation so they’re interested in hearing about ours.

"Will you really be able to enjoy that? Looks like you’ll be spread too thin, Ruki." Eimi raised a question. She clearly understood the weight of the responsibilities I had taken on. Our class, the club and the Student Council duties alone will already lock me into a schedule that makes a professional athlete look relaxed.

"Why won’t I? You’re all going to be there?" I answered with a wink which made the girl blush slightly.

Not long after, the train finally arrived at their destination. Along with the other students of their school, we got off the train and joined the tide of those heading toward their campus.

This time, Akane supported Futaba, helping the girl walk straight. Her boyfriend couldn’t even walk next to her with Eimi taking the other side, leaving him as a sort of trailing satellite to the group.

Eri and her boyfriend walked a little bit ahead while Fuyu intentionally slowed down, sidling by my side as we made up the rear of the group.

Sneakily, Fuyu reached out and gripped the hem of my blazer, tugging me slightly backward so the others wouldn’t notice we were lagging.

This girl. She didn’t want to talk to me but she also didn’t want to let me go. I glanced at her side frame and smiled. Then, without minding who might be behind us, I caught her hand and laced our fingers together, pulling her close.

"What are you doing? Someone will..." Fuyu’s protest was a mere whisper, her voice trailing off as she instinctively squeezed my hand back. Despite her declared ’silent protest,’ her body betrayed her, leaning into my side with a soft, contented sigh.

"What’s wrong with holding your hand? What if you get lost in this crowd?"

"I’m not a child." Fuyu huffed and then straightened her posture. As the future ace of their school’s Tennis Club, she usually carried herself with a level of poise and confidence that commanded attention. But in this moment, with our fingers entwined, she looked less like a star athlete and more like a girl who was every bit as feminine as any woman in love.

"Yes. Yes. My Fuyu is now a prospective pro tennis athlete."

"Flatterer. Are you still swinging your racket?"

"Of course. Feel my arm. I never neglect swinging a thousand times every day. Next time, I’ll practice my spins."

"When will that next time be? As if you can still squeeze in more practice time."

With our topic switching to her favorite sport, Fuyu’s mood shifted almost instantly. The trace of annoyance from the previous evening evaporated, replaced by a passionate spark in her eyes.

She started explaining a new grip technique she had mastered, her free hand gesturing wildly to illustrate the trajectory of the ball. Then she told me I didn’t need to perfect the spins yet. She wanted me to hone my control first, claiming I already knew the basics and that when we played last time, if I hadn’t made all those return errors, I might have actually beaten her.

"Control, huh. Got it. Then, should I ask for my Fuyu to coach me?"

"Who’s your Fuyu?" The girl rolled her eyes but the curve of her lips betrayed her. Her nails sank slightly into the back of my hand, not out of aggression, but as a playful claim. "And don’t think a little flirting is enough to absolve you of what you did..."

After getting satisfied with my feigned innocence, Fuyu let out a soft sigh, then she continued, "I’ll coach you... This summer vacation. At least two days a week. Three-hour practice sessions."