Stealing Spree

"Wait! Forget that. I misspoke. I meant devoted to Ryouko, not me!"

Just when I thought she was not going to realize it, Orimura-sensei suddenly jumped up in panic as she desperately corrected herself.

Maybe if she was a little closer to me, she would've grabbed my collar and shooklike crazy.

Nonetheless, I had this gut feeling that it was more of a slip of the tongue rather than a misspoken word. It could be her real thoughts leaking out unintentionally in the heat of the moment.

In response to her, I put on a teasing smile which immediately triggered her.

"What are you smiling at, you brat?!"

"Nothing, sensei. I just thought it might be more interesting to be courted by you."

While I didn't really mind if she started helpingto get more alone twith Ryouko-san, that's not really going to change anything. This request might as well not exist since I'm already devoted to her.

Also, at scorner of my head, I was also looking forward to what Orimura-sensei would do if she didn't correct herself.

"No! Erase that thought in your head! Next time, Ryouko will be with us." Orimura-sensei shook her head furiously. Her poor table also beca victim of her attempt to deflect, hitting it as hard as she could.

The sound rang out so loud that even from where I was sitting, I could see how her palm turned red from it.

But even if that's the case, her current stance showed that she's not amused by me.

Is that enough to deter me? Obviously not.

"I understand. But sensei, think about it for a moment. Won't it be better if you actually succeeded? It will prove your point more"

"You... I... I don't need it."

There's something strange in her reply and halfway through it, her voice just dipped lower as though she had a different answer but shelved it down, perhaps for the sake of her friend.

If she's like this, my fascination with great friendship would surely preventfrom pushing her further.

However, a question popped up in my head.

Will she be satisfied this way?

I don't have an answer to that as only Orimura-sensei will know what she really wants.

"Hmm. Alright. If sensei says so, who am I to change your mind?"

I relaxed my face and body, releasing the slight tension building up on me.

Upon hearing that, Orimura-sensei audibly sighed in relief. It's like she had just passed a deadly situation.

I continued observing her reaction and found her also relaxing.

And then, a few moments later, she stood up and walked over to me.

Taking the empty space next to me, Orimura-sensei then placed her hand on top of my head, ruffling my kempt hair.

"I'm glad you're a bit reasonable this time, shameless brat. You should always be like this."

"Sensei, I'm always reasonable. You're the one who--"

"Psh. Don't argue with me. Just you wait. You'll find how liberating it is to devote yourself to only one woman."

Maybe it will be liberating. However, I really cannot see myself leaving everyone.

I've already walked away from the girls before and it's not a great sight. Those tears that I have only begun to realize how precious they were haunting me. I vow to myself never to hurt and make them cry again...

"I'm afraid you'll fail this time, sensei." I forced a smile before slowly removing her hand from my head.

Maybe sensing the emotion in my voice, Orimura-sensei got stuck staring at me. Even when her hand dropped to my side, her eyes lingered on my face.

And then slowly, her body inched closer.

Whether that was an unconscious act or not, I have no idea. However, it didn't take long before her arms closed in around me, embracing my head and then pullinginside it.

Compared to her panicky state earlier, this felt more like her own impulsive reaction.

And when she realized what she had done, it was all too late.

"This... Don't misunderstand, shameless brat. You sounded lonely. My body moved on its own."

That couldn't be an excuse because that's really what happened.

In any case, I just looked up at her and smiled before silently mouthing, "Thank you..."

She's someone whose feet are grounded in the norms of this society. That's why I get her reasoning in her quest to correct my ways. But like Eguchi-sensei, she's also someone who's compassionate to others.

Orimura-sensei released a sigh again and then instead of releasingin her arms, she tightened her embrace. I went along with it and eventually, my head pressed down against her softness. Consequently, my arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her just the same.

I thought it should be enough for her to pull back but Orimura-sensei didn't do anything. She let it happen before finally, her hand returned to the top of my head, affectionately caressing it.

"It's surprising, shameless brat. I never thought you'd have this weak side on you."

"No one's perfect, sensei. Of course, I'm already defective as I am. I'm like this because I made it my goal to live for them in the future. And I'm sure nothing is going to change my mind."

"You're still on that tirade. You're young, Onoda. You have a lot more to learn before you can be certain of your future. I'll help you straighten your path so... bear with me, alright?"

Orimura-sensei's tone was softer now. It's like she dropped her guard down after seeing that I'm not always as shameless as I portrayed myself to be.

Her caresses felt good and more than that, her embrace was warm and cozy.

"I can't promise anything, sensei. But one thing I can say is... I like this. Being close to you, that is."

"Ugh. Don't ruin the moment, you idiot. Hurry up and get better. You still have a class to take."

"Sensei, I forgot to mention. I don't have a class anymore. I got approval to leave early. Didn't I arrive here with my schoolbag? After we're done here. I'll be leaving the school today."

"Huh? Wait. Where are you going?"

"Somewhere with sof my girls. I'll be escorting them on an important trip."

There's no point keeping it from her anymore. She's already mostly aware of my affairs anyway.

Furthermore, it's also my way to check how she's going to react.

And sure enough, Orimura-sensei halted her gentle strokes on my head as she immediately focused on what I mentioned.

"Girls? Haa... You shameless brat. I thought I was making progress."

"Sensei, you can't be serious. Showing a weak side to you doesn't mean I'm already changing... You have a long way to go before you see sprogress, if not at all."

I shrugged and lifted my head to look at her again.

Orimura-sensei's face was twitching. She's both taken aback and annoyed. Following that, her fingers on top of my head curled and grasped a clump of my hair before yanking my head back.

I resisted it since she used her strength there. If I let her be, she would have broken my neck.

However, because of what I did, the result becrather interesting.

Our gazes coincided once more in a way we could both see each other's reflection. Orimura-sensei closed her eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled. Likewise, I cleared my thoughts before framing her in the middle of my vision

A moment later, as my arms tightened around her back, her hand loosened its hold and slid down to my nape.

Her palm was sweaty and warm and the sensation transferred to me.

Without communicating further, Orimura-sensei gently pushed on it, bringing my head up. But at the stime, she lowered her head, capturing my lips with hers as soon as they collided.

"... I changed my mind. I don't have the luxury of tto wait for the next instance, shameless brat." She declared after pulling back momentarily.

And then without waiting forto reply, the woman pressed in once again, sealing my lips with another kiss.

It's hard to figure out her emotion through it but at the very least, I could sense her desperation. She probably thought she was doomed to fail if I left today without my faith in myself being shaken.

However, she still hadn't realized that by doing this, she once again put herself at the forefront. Just like last time.

She should've learned her lesson that... I could so easily turn all of this in my favor and she'd be powerless to stop me.