Stealing Spree

The night continued after Futaba's return upstairs. I got maybe a little over twenty minutes before I heard another set of footsteps lightly treading down the stairs.

They must've grilled Futaba, right? Since there's the precedent of Eri asking me for advice, it wouldn't be hard to figure out that Futaba also went to consult with me about something. On top of that, Futaba would confess about the favor she asked me.

I imagined Akane and Eri pressing their friend for details while Fuyu watched from the side.

Anyway, I took a quick look at the direction of the stairs and found a familiar pair of thighs before gradually revealing the enchanting figure of their school's ice flower.

Fuyu still had her hair done in a ponytail but the hair tie was lowered down her nape, giving her hair a more comfortable look.

She was hugging the pillow she brought from their house. I saw it earlier in her bag and asked her if she'd let me lie on it.

That must be why she brought it down with her.

In any case, since she probably noticed that the light was turned off, she was being careful not to make any noise. Most likely, she was thinking I might be asleep already.

Due to that, I got the idea of pretending to sleep and surprise her.

I kept my ears peeled for the sound of Fuyu's approaching footsteps.

"Ruki-kun?"

Judging from the distance, Fuyu called out to me when she reached the doorway closest to the stairs.

When I didn't answer, her light footsteps continued to approach my position.

I could feel her approach accompanied by her pleasant fragrance. Even though Eri and Futaba also left behind their distinct fragrance because of their stay here, I was more sensitive to my girl's smell.

A few more steps and my senses picked up that she was already standing in front of the sofa, looking directly at my face from above.

The sound of Fuyu crouching down then came next, most likely to see my face clearer. That move brought more of her fragrance to my nose.

I held myself back from inhaling crazily and held on to the surprise that I planned for her. "You're unfair, Ruki-kun... I said I'm going to visit you... Won't you wake up?"

Fuyu murmured silently, her cool breath brushing against my face.

Despite saying that, I guess she didn't want to disturb my sleep. What a thoughtful girl.

To make it appear natural, I moved only after a while, acting like I was unconsciously adjusting my sleeping posture.

Fuyu silently gasped and waited in bated breaths. But as soon as she noticed it was not an indication of me waking up, she poked my cheek in frustration.

"Hmph. You got me excited for a moment." Fuyu adorably whispered but not long after that, she retracted her finger and cupped my cheek within her palm.

It's warm and cozy. My instinct was telling me to rub my face there but since I wasn't truly asleep, I didn't react to it.

As she started caressing my cheek, Fuyu's voice continued to flow out as she vocalized the thoughts running in her head. I'm the only listener and in her perspective, I am currently asleep. So she probably thought it was fine to say them out loud.

What a privilege.

"Hey, Ruki-kun... It has only been a day but I cannot stop thinking about you anymore. You're always on my mind even during class... What kind of spell did you put me under?"

"My heart cannot stop beating for you anymore. I know you heard this from me already but I always thought you were just an annoying guy, hurting my best friend. How can I fall for a bastard like you?"

"If I tell Eri and Futaba about how I fall for you, they will also say it's impossible. I got so drawn to your presence by only watching you from afar."

"This must be Akane's witchcraft. She won't stop talking about you and I unconsciously became more curious about you as a person. All those girls I've seen you with... They must be the girls you're still with, am I right? I envy them..."

After airing all that out, I felt her thumb move to my lips as she started caressing them gently. And then, she raised herself slightly, her face hovering above my face.

A part of her hair slid down and brushed against my face followed by another sigh from the girl.

I thought her lips would follow right after that but the girl stopped just a few centimeters before stealing my lips.

She then retreated and sat back down to the ground, her hand also sliding from my face to my shoulder. She grabbed the blanket covering me and lifted it. Finding my hand lying on the side, she grabbed it and held it in hers.

Ultimately, the girl also managed to hold herself back from taking advantage of the 'sleeping'

me.

Alright. Let's stop this. I shouldn't let her wait for me like this for a small surprise.

Starting with my fingers curling up to hold her hand tightly, I turned my body sideways, facing her.

I opened my eyes and was welcomed by the sight of Fuyu covering her mouth in pleasant surprise.

My lips curved up to an affectionate smile as I lifted her hand to my lips, kissing the back of it. "D-did I wake you up?" Rather than suspect that I was awake all this time, Fuyu immediately thought that I woke up because of her. Look at how pure she is...

"No. I was waiting for you. I only rested my eyes for a bit."

"You're lying. You were asleep."

"If that's the case, should I close my eyes and sleep? Looks like my Fuyu didn't want me to

stay awake."

"No! Wait... I didn't say that... Uhm... Did you hear me talking?"

Fuyu nervously fidgeted as though she was about to be exposed. Looking at her eyes, she was hoping for me to say no.

Well, I don't want to lie to her so... what should I do? Tease her, of course!

"Hmm? Did my Fuyu confess her embarrassing secrets to me while I was asleep?"

"I'm not crazy enough to do that!" Fuyu swiftly reacted. Perhaps if I wasn't holding her hand,

she would jump at me and cover my mouth. A moment later, she continued in a tamer tone while actively avoiding my gaze.

"Not embarrassing secrets... But I did say things I would rather not say to you directly."

Look at her being honest as well. Are we actually fated to be together? In any case, I'm not

done teasing her yet.

"Heh. Let me recall. Maybe I heard it from my dream."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, isn't it possible to pick up your voice and it got projected into my dream? Let me see... I recalled that you sneaked into my side. You rambled about me not waiting for you. Then, you poked my cheek before caressing it. You also did the same to my lips... Ah. And you chickened out from kissing me!"

Although my tone sounded like I was just vaguely recalling my dream, I narrated the exact order of what she did just a minute ago.

As soon as I finished speaking, I checked on the girl's expression.

Her eyes widened as though she found it unbelievable but slowly, realization came over her.

She puffed up her cheeks, her eyebrows slanting downwards as she suspiciously glared at me. "Ruki-kun. Are you awake all this time? That means... you heard everything..."

"Ah. You got me." I comically smiled and stuck my tongue out.

"You meanie!" Fuyu lashed out, hitting me with the pillow she was just hugging. It wasn't

painful, of course, but the girl vented out her frustration from knowing that I listened to her

whole speech.

"I thought of surprising you but you started talking. I got too invested in listening to you. You don't have to envy them, I love you just as much."

"I don't care. You're still a meanie. Next time, I'll hit you with my serve."

"That's a dangerous threat, you know? Could I still be forgiven?"

"Kiss me and move over. I'm going to sleep here with you." Fuyu boldly declared as pushed

her head in.

Looking like she's about to plunge herself into the battlefield, the girl put her game face on.

"That doesn't sound like a punishment."

"Doesn't matter. It is what I want, Ruki-kun. Also, I won't hand you over to Akane tonight."

After declaring that, the girl didn't wait for me to kiss her, she caught my lips herself and pushed my body further into the sofa.

Without breaking our lips' connection, Fuyu slipped into the blanket, making use of the little space she created next to me. In response, I supported her movements, enclosing her within my arm and offering my shoulder for her head to lie down on. She grabbed my collar to pull herself closer before slipping it from my side to embrace me tightly. As for her lower half, her legs got entangled with mine and we completely became all over each other.

A minute or so later, with our lips separating, Fuyu opened her eyes again and inspected our current state, “Ruki-kun... I love you. I love being this close to you."

"I know. I feel the same way."

We looked into each other's eyes, our mutual affection radiation from them. Fuyu sweetly giggled and beamed her most beautiful smile before asking me to kiss her again.

Can I even reject that? Our night has just started. Fuyu said she won't hand me to Akane... Will

she be able to succeed in that?

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