Stealing Spree

Letting me know about her past and what happened to her, it's an indication that Mina had already accepted me.

I unhesitatingly nodded to her question.

That's also my goal why I keep coming here. It might look like I was just trying to keep my promise to always see her but I was actually hoping to understand her just like how I understood the girls around me.

Even though we've been entangled with each other more than once, including this time, I admit I still didn't know enough about her.

Because she's not removing her hand covering her face, I removed it myself, exposing her fully flushed face in front of me.

Lowering my head to take her lips once more, I took advantage of this current position we ended up with.

Besides, what I was aiming for was to make her relax.

I'm not sure if this will be effective though.

In any case, once our lips touched for the second time today, I hooked her arms onto my back once more before slipping my hand beneath her to lift her up.

"I'm ready to hear about it. And I'm all in to stay like this with you." I smiled.

Mina who somehow realized what just happened tried to push me away but with my hand supporting her back, that's a fruitless endeavour.

Instead of separating herself from me, Mina ended up even closer wherein we could now hear each other's heartbeats.

"Why, of all guys, do we end up being entangled with a shameless guy like you?" Mina whispered a question.

I couldn't see her expression since she ended up resting her head on my shoulder.

And despite that question, I only felt her heartbeat quickened as her arms tightened on me. Following that, she also fixed herself to completely sit on my lap.

At this point, we're no different from a couple who's spending their quality time while being as close to each other as possible.

"Because normal guys won't do it. Without shamelessness like mine, they will only be kept at your arm's length. Never to know what's what."

That's how it is. If it's a normal guy like… Ogawa. Ah. No. That's just a coward. He's lower than a normal guy.

In any case, if it's their definition of normal. Given how they're only opening up to those close to them, forget knowing about their past, they wouldn't be able to hold a conversation like this.

Not knowing how to respond to my answer, Mina released a soft sigh before her somewhat stiff body loosened up like a liquid as she made herself comfortable in my embrace.

To not make her uncomfortable, I let her do what she wanted while only keeping my support on her back.

As Mina's head rested itself in the middle of my chest, her softer-than-normal voice travelled to my ears.

"Is this what Himeko felt? Being in your arms, it feels like I can rest and not think about anything in here. It's as warm as Haru when I opened up to her. No. It's a bit different than that."

"I honestly don't know but I'm flattered to hear that from you."

"Just shut up for now… And keep holding me. You'll hear me out, right?"

"Naturally, isn't that why I'm here?"

"Then…"

After twists and turns, Mina finally started her story.

Mina's past was somewhat as full of complications as what happened to Himeko. And like I thought, Mina wasn't an inherent introvert like Aya or Himeko.

In truth, she's the opposite of it. Ever since kindergarten, she was always the most outgoing person. The brightest of them who often lift up the mood no matter how heavy it is.

In every class she would end up joining, she's the mood maker. And because of that, everyone in her class could be considered her friend.

Hell, even the neighbouring class would know that an energetic Nakano Mina exists.

However, that only lasted until she graduated from grade school.

When she became a middle schooler, a certain problem happened in her family.

Her father abandoned them. Both Mina and her mother. He abandoned them while spreading to the neighborhood that Mina isn't his daughter. That Mina's mother cheated on him and Mina was born from that affair.

Whether that was true or not, after that day, her mother became scorned by everyone in their neighborhood and Mina became avoided by everyone like a plague. None of her 'friends' came to comfort her.

Although she tried to be positive and continued being an extrovert who exudes so much brilliance, in the end, those who were crowding around her from before completely isolated her.

Add to that, her mother who was as lively as her before what happened became depressed to the point of not having the energy to go to work.

However, because Mina was still showing off the smile to not add to the burden in her mind, her mother soon recovered from that depression.

Naturally, the reason for that was to continue raising Mina even without her husband.

It was somewhat similar to Miwa-nee and Minoru's circumstances, however, her soon-to-be ex-husband didn't broadcast the truth that Minoru's not his.

Furthermore, according to Mina, her mother had always been faithful. It was her father who cheated. Perhaps, to be at a higher moral ground when he filed for divorce to marry his mistress.

Around a year after he left, they received more than half the sum of his wealth.

Their divorce went up to court and… It was proven that there's no infidelity that was done by her mother.

Even though her father refused to take a DNA test saying he already knew what would be the result, her mother stealthily did it and submitted the result to the court.

And that gave the reason for the court to rule that she was defamed by her own husband for his selfish purpose.

Although the issue was settled and her mother's worries had been lifted, Mina stopped becoming an extrovert after a year of being isolated.

Even if those 'friends' of hers, who heard about what actually happened, apologized to her. She only accepted it but she never associated herself with them anymore.

When she reached high school, they moved to this city to start anew. But even with the new environment, she kept her distance from her classmates.

In fear of suffering the same thing all over again when something similar happened to her.

However, during her first year, she met Haruko who, according to Mina, was somewhat like her.

Haruko never interacted with her classmates and despite being famous for her beauty, she kept everything to herself.

Naturally, that's the time when I had just cut her off.

In the end, the two had their first interaction at the Book Club when they both joined it. Haruko recommended to her that book, The Lone Cub.

Among all of Haruko's girls, Mina was the first one who fell into her clutches.

"Then Haruko managed to open you up to the idea of… girl's love," I said in a playful tone after hearing her continuously sighing as soon as her story ended.

"This guy, get serious. I fell in love with Haru because unlike those 'friends' who will leave me after a rumor, no matter what happened, Haru made me feel that she's always beside me. Also, she's like you, stupidly honest. Do you know what she told me when I confessed to her?"

"What?"

"That she's not into girls. And that there's an idiot out there who she's waiting to arrive. That's you, right? The idiot." Mina's lips curved upwards as she pressed her forefinger on my cheek.