Stealing Spree

"Senpai, you're not eating properly, are you?"

"Huh?! What? Why do you say that? Can't I just be slim for fun?" Minami Shouko blurted out, a little too defensively for my comfort. She was obviously trying to dodge the question, but her cheeks turned a shade of red.

"No. I can tell. This may sound bragging but having held a lot of girls in my arms, I can tell if it's natural or not. There wasn't enough flesh under your skin. The luster in your eyes is dimmer too," I said, stroking her cheek gently.

"That's not because I'm not eating properly."

"Really? Then what's the reason?"

Although we were still in the middle of the 'rehearsal' with all eyes from the other girls on us, I pressed on to better understand this girl. The opportunity already presented itself, there's no point waiting for next time.

"Onoda-kun, you're quite persistent."

"Well, this is how I am, senpai. Don't you know this already? The moment you got involved with me, you should've prepared yourself for how meddlesome I could be. But honestly, I wouldn't bring it up if I didn't notice how you're like skin and bones underneath this uniform. I should've noticed earlier."

Minami Shouko squirmed helplessly, trying to pull away from my embrace but failing to escape. Her eyes searched the room but the other girls were still watching intently even though they couldn't catch our voices.

After a while, she gave up and sighed, "Okay, okay. Maybe I've been skipping meals here and there but it's not because I'm intentionally starving myself."

"Not intentional? Senpai, you won't get this skinny if it's not intentional. But well, I'll respect it if you don't want to tell. What about I bring you with us during lunch starting next week?"

"Huh? Y-you don't have to."

"I insist.""

"This guy... You just said respect but here you are insisting on something again."

"Well, will it be better if I tell you I'm worried? And I'm suspecting you being sick once in a while is a result of your poor eating habits."

Minami Shouko failed to respond to that. And with the saying that goes 'silence means yes', I took it as her answer.

I didn't miss the hint of sadness in her eyes, though. It's definitely not just about skipping meals. Was it her way of rebelling? In that case, it's a stupid method if she wants to make a statement to whoever she's rebelling against.

16-98

"Alright. What about this? I'll bring you something to eat instead of bringing you with me to where we're gathering. I can pass by your classroom when I pick up my girls."

"You're not going to give up, are you?"

Instead of answering me, that was what she whispered back as she sighed in defeat. "Nope," I whispered back, a smirk playing on my lips as I held her closer. "You're too precious to be wasting away like this, senpai. Besides, I enjoy having a cushion to hold onto,"

That last part was intentional, of course. To rile her up.

And sure enough, it was effective.

"What cushion?! Ugh... You just called me skin and bones and now this?!" She exclaimed, but the playful annoyance in her voice didn't hide the relief.

Looking at her expression, I couldn't help but interpret that relief as though she had finally found someone who cared enough to push through her defenses.

And with that, Minami Shouko stopped squirming from my embrace, letting me hold her tighter as we pushed through the neglected 'rehearsal' scene.

By the time we finished, she hurriedly ran away from me, hiding her face from the other girls in the clubhouse.

Clicking her tongue while looking very amused, An-rin said, "Onoda-han, you're not sparing anyone, are ya? Will I be charmed in the future as well?"

"Well, I wouldn't know unless you want me to charm you, An-rin" I teased her back, winking before returning to Misaki and Chii who were both shaking their heads at the result of the 'rehearsal.

Anyway, while acting like those secret whispers didn't happen, Misaki and I started reviewing the acts that we performed.

Of course, I got reprimanded for those long pauses and intimate gestures that put both Kushii and Minami Shouko in a flustered state.

My defense? I merely improvised to make the scene feel more authentic which was met with pouts and boos from everyone.

To get away from it, I stood up and announced that it was time for us to shovel the garden plots.

An-rin instantly tried to slip away but Kushii held her back. As for Minami Shouko, Chii and Misaki flanked her and dragged her with them as we all walked out to the back door and straight to the recently cleaned garden plots that were originally made by the previous occupants of the clubhouse.

Just like this, we spent the next few minutes making the garden plots suitable for planting potatoes. Amidst groans and complaints, I supervised and occasionally tossed a light-hearted joke here and there to keep the mood up. The girls, despite their initial protests, eventually got into it. There's something therapeutic about working with soil, getting your hands dirty, and the promise of a good meal in the future.

Oh. Forget that last line. We still didn't have the seeds and fertilizers. We're still just preparing it.

Anyway, once we were done, I prepared snacks for them inside, using whatever was inside the fridge. I don't know if it's Mutsumi-senpai who filled it but somehow, it became stocked with not just snacks but also ingredients we could use for cooking simple dishes.

Since there was only a little time to prepare, I made an omelet for them and partnered it with a cool drink.

When we finished eating, everyone sighed in satisfaction as they rested on the floor of the clubhouse. It was a simple meal, not even accompanied by rice, but it felt like a feast after our gardening efforts.

"Ah... This place is better than our club Chizuru. Can we not, like, go back there?"

An-rin asked, stretching her arms out with a tired smile.

"Wait. We can't. At least not yet... We joined the collaboration for the Festival! Our club

will help Kii's Literature Club in their booth."

"Oh. Right... Onoda-han, we're looking forward to it. Give us easy roles, 'kay?" An-rin grinned as she looked up at me.

"No problem. I'll give you the most taxing- I mean, the most suitable role, An-rin" I teasingly smirked, making the girl laugh as she understood that I decided to single her out because of her antics.

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