Stealing Spree

While Tadano was still being guided by Shimura toward the goal, we moved to the side, trying to avoid drawing too much attention to ourselves.

"Ruu, you always surprise everyone when you join an activity. Are you Superman?" Nami teased, her playful tone cutting through the background noise.

So, in her eyes, I was already something like a superhuman?

"Nope. I'm Batman," I jokingly answered with a deadpan expression, drawing more laughter from the group.

Satsuki, who had been watching the final leg with folded arms, walked up, her signature grumpy expression plastered on her face. "Don't get cocky just because you kept up, Ruki. Next time, I'll race you."

I raised an eyebrow, playing along. "Race? Satsuki. Spare me the humiliation."

Truthfully, if it were a marathon, I might have a chance due to my stamina. But in a sprint? Satsuki would probably leave me in the dust. She was that quick.

She rolled her eyes, though I could see the hint of satisfaction on her face. She even closed the distance to pinch my sides. "Whatever you say, idiot."

The other girls also chimed in, taking their chances to get close to me. I praised Aya and Misaki, pampering them both and hugging them while hidden in the middle of the girls.

I praised and spoiled Aya and Misaki like I always do, pampering the two with hugs while we stayed hidden in the middle of the group.

Some were as bold as Saki, who cheekily asked for a kiss. Naturally, I didn't reject them. Who am I to refuse their sweet lips?

Shortly after that, our playful intimacy toned down a little.

I saw Orimura-sensei coming over, stopwatch in hand. She had just finished recording Wakaba's group's time.

Just looking at her pleased expression beneath the snarky exterior, I could already guess the result.

"... Eight seconds quicker than the record time. You shameless brat. Try to act like it's difficult sometimes!"

Upon saying that, she walked away, not even giving us time to react.

Those who overheard congratulated us again, but somehow, I ended up receiving most of the praise, especially for flawlessly navigating Station 4.

None of my girls refuted it, they even pushed me at the front to receive all that attention as they giggled from behind me, knowing full well I didn't really enjoy being in the spotlight.

I kept my usual smile on, which either annoyed some or pleased others. It was always a mix.

And then, when the next teams were preparing for their turns, Ryouko-san also came over, congratulating us on the new record. But her eyes, filled with a sense of pride, were locked directly on me.

"Ruki-kun. Maybe I should put you as a standard in my next activities. You didn't even break a sweat." She said with a wry smile.

The girls around me quickly chimed in, agreeing with her. Did they really want to see me struggle that badly?

"I think that's a good idea, Sensei," I replied, playing along.

She knew I was just joking though. Nonetheless, that earned me the sight of my girls' smiles and laughter.

Of course, when the next creative activity rolled around, Ryouko-san and the rest would definitely want to see me perform and excel in it.

Meanwhile, once they all finished their preparations, the other teams began their attempts.

They're aiming not just to break our new record but also to win this particular match.

Although Ogawa already mellowed out a bit, most likely thanks to my advice-slash-threat and Mami, he still couldn't help but see me as someone he needed to beat.

And obviously, Fukuda, even more so.

Even if it sounded superficial, they'd probably feel a lot better if that happened.

For them, breaking our record wasn't just about winning the activity; it seemed like it would restore some of their bruised pride.

Even Sakuma had my shadow lingering in his mind. Satsuki had already fallen for me and he was also starting to suspect that I had become a lot closer to Setsuna-nee recently.

My very existence had become a heavy burden for some of these guys - especially the ones who had the girls they liked stolen by me. But do I care about their feelings? Absolutely not.

I couldn't be bothered with their imagined rivalries. If cursing my name in secret gave them peace, I'd gladly offer them a strand of hair to nail into a straw doll in the middle of a dark forest. Whatever floats their boat.

All along, my intention was always simple.

If I wasn't doing things for my own benefit, it would only be for my girls or those close to me. Even Enomoto couldn't be put to be a rival in my book and certainly not Ichihara Jun.

As for the boys in my class who hated my guts, they were nothing more than buzzing flies. I could ignore them, but if their buzzing got too close, I'd swat them down. Just like with that silent guy.

Alright. Enough with that thought.

With the attention shifting to the other teams, I escorted the girls to the spectator side,

sitting with them for a bit before returning to help facilitate the activity.

I stood in the middle of the gymnasium, watching closely for any foul play.

However, because of my presence there, something interesting happened.

Or should I call it laughable?

Some participants, particularly those easily angered or charmed, got distracted. Distracted enough to make mistakes.

Distracted enough for them to make an error.

A few stumbled over obstacles, forgot the color sequence, or fumbled the ball. It got so bad that Orimura-sensei called me back to handle the stopwatch instead.

Because of those errors, the idea of anyone breaking our record quickly became an illusion.

At one point, the hype died down and only those who wanted to try the activity continued to enjoy it mostly girls from both classes.

Of course, not a surprise, some of them looked at me as though I was to blame for what happened.

I simply shrugged off all those criticisms, focusing more on being an assistant first and foremost.

If I could give them a piece of advice, I'd say, they should use the energy they're putting on their hostility to me into something else. That way, they could also be productive, no?

By the time all the teams finished the activity and Orimura-sensei recorded their finish times,

our mixed team became the undisputable record holder.

With the activity winding down, the final times were tallied and ranked.

Surprisingly, it was Wakaba's group who competed alongside us who got the second rank.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any prize for that.

As the gymnasium buzzed with activity with most of them throwing us their praises, Ryouko- san called for everyone's attention, clapping her hands to gather us around. "Alright class, that wraps it up! Congratulations to Onoda-kun's team for being the quickest to finish the whole activity. They earned the privilege of influencing the next one. You all should look forward to it. As for the teams winning in their respective matches, send your representatives to me on Monday."

With the congratulations already said and done, that announcement became a little lukewarm.

Orimura-sensei played it off as something humorous before they finally dismissed everyone. "Now, go get some water, cool off, and... return to your classrooms well-behaved."

With that, the participants began dispersing, most heading toward the water stations set up outside the gymnasium.

Some were congratulating each other, others grumbling about their own mistakes, and of course, a few still throwing subtle glares in my direction. Not that I paid them any mind.

After escorting my girls just outside the gymnasium, I turned back around to continue with my duty.

As I stepped back in, I found Orimura-sensei standing close, arms crossed and an amused expression on her face.

"Shameless brat, you're really something else. Are you not going to hide it anymore?"

I understood what she was talking about here. She watched it, after all. The girls around me weren't also hiding their affection for me. Only the blind ones would brush that away as nothing.

Nonetheless, just like earlier, I acted oblivious, "What are you talking about, sensei?"

"Forget it," Displeased, Orimura-sensei clicked her tongue and turned around. Looking past her shoulder, I could see Ryouko-san smilingly shaking her head.

I walked over to her, and scanned our surroundings before wrapping my arms around her,

"You also deserved congratulations, Ryouko-san. That activity is great."

"Stop that. We both know you and Sanae also have a hand in it, without you, I would probably fumble again."

"Well, if you say it like that, I guess I could ask for a personal reward?"

"... Do you really have to ask for that? I think I can give you anything you ask, Ruki-kun."

"Now, that's spoiling me, Ryouko-san. That's not good."

Or so, I said. But even with Orimura-sensei taking furtive glances at us, I boldly claimed Ryouko-san's lips - my reward.

With this, the activity was officially over and it was a resounding success.

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