Stealing Spree
Chapter 2650: The Kissing Thing

After picking up Misaki and Marika from their clubs, we did the short rehearsal before immediately letting the girls relax. Some of them started playing board games that Maaya and the girls from the Game Club left behind yesterday.

As for me, I decided to check on the garden plots at the back of the clubhouse.

As always, some of the girls followed me, and that includes Otsuka-senpai, whose curiosity over what I was planning on building got the better of her.

This time, we brought hand shovels, which I distributed to the girls. We still didn’t have a seed to plant but… it’s better to prepare the soil, right?

And with that, the girls busily started digging on the plots, making them arable. Or maybe, they just wanted to dig? It’s quite a fun activity as well, after all.

Meanwhile, I crouched a little far away from them, with Otsuka-senpai curiously watching what I was doing.

“Onoda-kun… Will the seed you’re going to plant really grow? Just like that? Shouldn’t you be mixing in some fertilizer or something?”

Otsuka-senpai’s purple eyes glinted with curiosity as she leaned closer, peering at the small mound of soil I was patting down with my hands. Her luscious, long hair swayed slightly as she tilted her head, looking like she was trying to solve a puzzle.

I chuckled as I brushed the dirt off my palms before glancing up at her. “Patience, Karen. We still don’t have seed, right? Besides… didn’t I tell you to call me differently? We’re also practicing for that group date, no? You should start calling me more endearingly, as your fake boyfriend.”

Her purple eyes widened for a split second and her cheeks reddened slightly as she processed my words.

Otsuka-senpai fidgeted at my side as though she was convincing herself to call me the same way she did back at the camping trip, where the supposedly just a short kiss turned into a full-blown passionate one.

“E-endearingly? Like… Ruki? Ugh. How can I get used to this? Everyone is already calling intimately.” She tried to use her hair to cover the flush on her face but that only made her more adorable.

To most people, they could only see her as this overly curious girl who would not miss asking about things she’s seeing or hearing for the first time. But once you peel that away, she’s just an innocent girl whose social skills hinge on whether something got her curious or nothing.

“That’s just how it is, Karen. Because they love me.”

“But… I don’t love you.”

“I know. You’re curious about me, no? Then, you can just call me by my name. Don’t think about it as being intimate, make it more casual. That way, you’ll get used to it soon enough.”

Upon saying that, I handed her the hand shovel before backing away just a bit to open the space for her, “Now, Karen, come here. I’ll show how this is done.”

Otsuka-senpai hesitated for a moment before grabbing it and then placing herself in front of me.

When the other girls saw this scene, they paused their digging. Their eyes focused on us, either with veiled jealousy or amusement.

Sumire’s pout was practically audible from across the garden. All that was left was for her to stomp her way to my side and ask me to kiss her.

Umi’s shy smile flickered as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She’s really adorable like this. And she’s too considerate.

Nina, predictably, struck a dramatic pose. She clutched her shovel and pointed it at her chest as if she was being stabbed by it before muttering something about her night prince claiming another victim.

If Marika and Misaki were also here, those two might just flank my sides as they would be just as curious as Otsuka-senpai on what I was doing. Luckily, they’re busy playing Maaya’s board game. The one we improved together.

After giving a wink and a smile to the gallery, I focused on Otsuka-senpai, who was now kneeling beside me. I placed my hand on her shoulders, easing the tension on them as she gripped the shovel a little too tightly.

“Alright, Karen, loosen up. This is not similar to defusing a bomb. Just dig a little, make the soil nice and soft, so when the seeds arrive, we can just put them in. Like this.”

With that, my hand slid down her arms to hold her wrists as I guided her in scooping a small amount of dirt and patting it down gently.

Once she got the hang of it, I let go and just leaned in closer to use my body to support her in case she found it exhausting to bend. As for my arms, they eventually wrapped around her navel, slipping them from her sides.

Although noticing what I did, Otsuka-senpai only turned to me momentarily before letting it happen. She then nodded as her brows furrowed in concentration, repeating what I just guided her to do.

Her hands were clumsy at first but she quickly got the hang of it, her curiosity driving her to perfect the motion.

“Like this, Ruki?” She asked. Notably, the way she called me by my name had become more natural. This should be the result when she’s not being overly conscious about it.

“Exactly like that. See? You can do this too. And the name sounds good coming from you. Keep it up, and we’ll both be ready for that group date in no time. They will completely buy the lie that I’m your boyfriend.”

Being behind her, the heat exuding from the top of her head was more noticeable. She then ducked her head, focusing way too hard on the dirt to hide it.

I didn’t call her out on that and simply watched. But then, once she finished, she slightly twisted her body, just enough for her to meet my gaze. Her purple eyes flickered with a mix of curiosity and something else—maybe a spark of boldness she didn’t usually show.

“Y-you’re too smooth, Ruki. It’s unfair. How am I supposed to keep up when you’re like… this?” She gestured vaguely at me, like my entire existence was some kind of cheat code. Then, she looked around us as though checking if the other girls were watching.

Once she noticed that everyone was busy with something else, she leaned close before whispering, “… I think I still need more practice about the other thing, Ruki.”

“Other thing?” I pretended not to understand what she was hinting at.

“You know… What we did back then… To make our relationship more convincing…”

“Which is?”

At this point, I couldn’t help the grin that was forming on my lips. But because she’s too embarrassed to look at my face straight while saying all that, she failed to pick up on it.

“Come on, you’re teasing me, Ruki. You know what I mean…”

Of course, she wants another kissing session, I guess? She’s even boldly asking for it despite the other girls being here with us.

Besides, since I’d also given her a tour earlier, she’s aware that we’d get a lot of privacy on the second floor of the clubhouse.

Karen’s cheeks were now glowing red as her purple eyes alternated between me and the ground like she was trying to summon the courage to say it outright.

Really, without the curiosity buff, she’s just as shy as most girls when it comes to saying something she normally wouldn’t.

The way she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, her fingers twisting the fabric, was almost too cute for me to handle.

Almost.

I leaned in just a bit closer, letting my voice drop to a teasing murmur, “Karen, you’re gonna have to spell it out for me. I’m a shameless idiot, remember? Can’t read minds unless they’re shouting.”

For the first time in a while, her squishy cheeks puffed out in that adorable way that made her look like a flustered kitten. “Ruki, you know what I mean! The… the kissing thing! From the camping trip!”

Her voice was a hushed squeak, like she was worried the other girls digging in the garden plots a few feet away might overhear. “If we’re gonna pull off this fake boyfriend thing, we need to… practice more. So it looks natural, right?”

I raised an eyebrow, fighting the urge to grin wider. I glanced over at the other girls. Sumire was still pouting, stabbing her shovel into the dirt like it personally offended her. Umi was now more focused on her garden plot. And Nina, well, Nina was being Nina. When she’s not fawning over me, she has this cool vibe going on around her.

“Practice, huh? You can say it more honestly, Karen. You want to experience it again. The kiss that takes your breath away.” I said with just enough mischief to keep her from being too flustered. “You don’t have to hide it. After all, it’s my responsibility to see through this promise I made with you. So, should we sneak upstairs?”

Her face went from pink to full-on scarlet, but instead of saying no, the girl lowered her head before giving a faint nod. “… Just the kiss. I won’t ask for more.”

Or so she said, but would we be able to stop just like last time? Well, there’s only one way to find out.

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