Stealing Spree

Five minutes later, I left the Alchemy Research Club.

I got Enomoto's request which was stupidly simple in exchange for the piece of information that I needed.

What kind of request was it?

The dude asked me to stop eyeing Nikka.

Yeah. With his recovered poker face, Enomoto raised that request. And because of it, I couldn't determine whether he was looking out for that childhood friend or he was just confirming his suspicion about what I tried to do there.

In short, that guy was playing mind games with me. There's no winner or loser. Yet, I understood that it might be his way of telling me not to treat him the same as Ichihara Jun or Inugaki.

Furthermore, having understood that I wasn't the type to grovel on my knees to show respect to a senior, Enomoto would probably not demand it from me.

In any case, the little reaction he showed earlier was already a dead giveaway that he cares for the girl. No attempt of masking it as a probe to me could make me think otherwise.

And that's why I accepted his request after acting like he caught me and my intention.

Still, since I was only looking through my perspective and not his, I would never treat my assumptions as the truth.

I have to confirm it in our future interactions.

And likewise, I will have to make sure that he won't be able to read me next time.

Anyway, moving past that, I finally got a name.

From Enomoto's words, he himself wasn't certain that that person was the mastermind.

He mentioned a motive though.

"He was taught a lesson by Ichihara for trying to get close to Kujou. His older sister who graduated last year became one of the girls Ichihara managed to catch."

That's how Enomoto worded it.

It's another dude who's holding a grudge against Ichihara Jun.

Furthermore, he also raised the point that Tanaka might also be holding a grudge against either of the two or both of them.

As for the reason why they specifically involved me, Enomoto brought up the library incident.

Because I stood up against the couple there and suddenly got pushed into the spotlight by being appointed as the Disciplinary Officer, I became the most convenient tool for them to use.

And yep, I was only being used. And perhaps, due to Marika's growing trust in me, it became more convenient for them to use me.

That's about it.

I guess I have to wait for Marika's update regarding the follower she sent to tail Tanaka.

Although I didn't have high hopes for it, any information they could fish out might be able to confirm Enomoto's information.

"Takashima Gentoku... Another third-year student."

I couldn't help but let that name roll on my tongue as I made my way to finish my daily routine.

Somehow, the surname Takashima was a little familiar to me. Someone's silhouette flashed in my mind when I heard it earlier.

Considering every memory I repressed in my mind concerned the girls that I've stolen, there's a high chance that one of them was surnamed, Takashima. Whether she's related to the guy or not, that's something I needed to discover.

Haa... Looks like this situation is becoming too complex. While Enomoto's threat lowered due to this fruitful visit, Ichihara Jun and that mastermind's threat rose.

I now have to deal with them completely. For Marika's sake.

-

-

Upon arriving at the Book Club, I was greeted by the sight of Kanzaki attentively listening to Haruko explaining something to her.

I failed to hear their topic but I could put out a guess and it would probably not be too far off considering our uptight Class President straightened her back and acted flustered at my appearance.

Well, I didn't probe into it. I simply greeted the girl before moving to check on my girls.

After drinking a cup of Mina's tea, Edel accompanied me next door where I showed my face in front of Minori and Yuika-senpai. The green-haired senior stared at me with a slight hint of anticipation. It's as if she's expecting me to make a move on her today. On the other hand, the orange-haired senior was as wary as ever. But there's also a change in her behavior, she stopped trying to run away upon seeing me.

I guess that's the result of the last time I was here. Though short, our talk back then was a little fruitful – meaning, we now had a slight understanding of each other.

Well, without showing how pleased I was to see their behavior change, I greeted the two with the same amiable smile and sat down across from them.

Naturally, Edel was in her 'koala mode', not wanting to pass up the chance to stick close to me.

Due to that, I earned another contemptuous glare from Yuika-senpai. Minori-senpai sighed in slight disappointment but when she saw Edel's carefree attitude as the silver-haired koala happily and comfortably clung to me, she dropped it and faced my gaze with a certain conviction.

"Okay then… Are you here to chat with us again, Ruki?"

"Ruki?!" When Edel heard the way Minori-senpai addressed me, her koala-mode turned off for a moment as she raised her head to seek confirmation, "Uhm… did I miss some significant event between you two?"

"Maybe not that significant. The last time I was here, Minori-senpai asked me if she could call me by name. I said yes. As for Yuika-senpai…"

"I won't call you by your first name! You're Onoda and call me 'senpai'!"

And there she goes. Pitching in to clarify her position on this, Yuika-senpai's timidity seemingly vanished into thin air.

On the other hand, Minori-senpai simply nodded in confirmation.

With that, Edel, who thought she missed a development between me and her last two sisters, laughed awkwardly and buried her face in my chest once more.

"I get it that she's like a koala even to Haru… But this… Edel-senpai has gone from bad to worse. Clinging to a boy she should hate. Hmph!" Ending that with a rather contemptuous humming, Yuika-senpai made a face at me before turning her head sideways, not daring to look at me.

Edel didn't let that pass. With the awkwardness magically disappearing, she declared, "I love Ruki, Yuiyui! He's different from most boys. Come and hug him and you'll understand."

"No way!"

"Eh, a kiss then?"

"Never!"

"You're being difficult, Yuiyui. How will you understand his charm like that?"

"I don't need to!"

Somehow, the two started to banter like that. Minori-senpai and I could only watch helplessly and wait for them to stop.

But I admit, that was amusing. Seeing Edel defend and proudly boast about me in front of the two made my chest flutter with happiness.

"Alright, take a drink, you two." Minori-senpai somehow produced a pitcher of water from somewhere and handed cups of water to the two as soon as they stopped their bantering.

While the two were busy quenching their dried-up throats, the green-haired senior turned to me, "And Ruki, you have yet to answer my question."

"Ah. I apologize, senpai. Actually, yes, I'm here to chat with you. I promised I am going to help but I seldom visit…"

I scratched my head and put on an embarrassed smile.

That's the truth, anyway. While we already chatted once, the two had yet to open up completely to me. They still hated my guts or just the fact that I am a guy.

Or maybe it's not that intense anymore, evidenced by what had transpired in this room since we arrived.

"Or, you're just trying to prove to us that you're different from the others." Minori-senpai pointed at me as if she already read me like a book.

"Yeah. That too. I mean, Minori-senpai… It will be hard for the two of you in the future if you continue hating men. Although I won't suggest using me as your punching bag to drain the unbearable negative feelings you have towards us men, I decided to continue appearing in front of you like this until you get used to my shameless face."

Honestly, I never planned to say that at this moment. But now that I'm here and we're already on this topic, I might as well be straightforward and shameless about my intention.

Unexpectedly, Minori-senpai, Yuika-senpai, and even Edel, who was breathing raggedly on my chest, reacted to it.

The two seniors sitting across us nodded at each other before their lips drew an arc. Minori-senpai then resignedly raised her hand as though issuing her surrender. Yuika-senpai quickly erased the smile on her lips and replaced it with a pout as I got subjected to her impassioned gaze.

As for Edel, she reached for my cheeks and pinched them with all her might, "Un. Your tongue is as impressive as always, Ruki."

After saying that, she then turned her gaze to the two girls, her koala trait restrained for a moment, "Minori, Yuiyui, you heard him. Turn off your hate filter for a moment. Is his sincerity still lacking for you?"

Following that question, a few seconds of silence ensued. The two couldn't answer right away.

In any case, with my eyes also focusing on them, there's no need for them to voice it out anymore. It's already written on their faces and shown by their bodily gestures.

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