Stealing Spree

On our way to the Club Building, I told Marika that we didn't need to separate anymore. She could keep clinging on my arm and I would keep a firm hold on her hand, publicly showing our intimacy.

Given what happened, if I let things end up getting swept under the rug by Ichihara Jun's influence again, there's no doubt that it would just be more troublesome for us.

He could still act like the pompous idiot that he is to make things difficult for the girl. Not to mention, he'd keep obstructing me from approaching her.

About time to limit his interference.

Honestly, I'd happily hand him over to Takashima and Tanaka to be tormented. However, their involvement was still up in the air because of the guy's lack of courage to come out in hiding.

As a result, I decided to take the initiative for now.

And for starters, showcasing this kind of closeness publicly.

With at least two-thirds of the school body aware of their status, doing this would undermine the public perception that Marika is his fiancee Through this, similar to Nami and the others, my relationship with her would become vague and clear at the same time.

True to my expectations, given how eye-catching Marika and I are, it didn't really take long for it to be picked up.

.

Students stopped walking or pausing what they were doing as we passed them by. Some even rubbed their eyes to make sure that they were not hallucinating.

Seeing their reactions made me wonder if I should do this with everyone. Or better yet, with Nakanishi-senpai as well. For sure, if they're just envious of me because of the rumors, I'd definitely be declared public enemy number 1 for that. I wouldn't be surprised if an underground club formed that would be dedicated to cursing me.

That's a funny thought but it might not be far from reality.

"Ruki-kun. I love this." Marika cheerfully whispered as she continued to bury her face on my arm.

Yep. She couldn't care less about the other students' reaction to this. Her head was occupied with the thought of savoring this moment.

Just like this, we soon arrived at the Club Building and continued upstairs to the Student Council. With Shizu, Komoe, and Watanabe there, I didn’t need to worry about leaving the ringlet girl in their care.

Having done everything I needed to do in school, I packed my things and made my way to the station.

While moving, I updated everyone, including Satsuki and Sena who were already waiting for the start of their matches.

Satsuki was as always quick to reply. She also updated me on the current state of the whole Basketball Club. They’re once again feeling restless. This time, the pressure came not just from their opponent. The reality that their team was one game away from competing for the winner’s trophy hits the seniors of the club quite hard. Even the stalwart Kanno-senpai was shaking in her shoes.

I mean, it’s a whole lot of pressure. Furthermore, with their friends, the school, and everyone supporting them all praying for their success, it also added another layer to that pressure.

It made them afraid to disappoint everyone.

When I asked her if she was also feeling the pressure, the grumpy girl instantly answered yes. And following that, she expressed how she wanted me to take the pressure off from all of them, by any means possible.

That’s a tall order… It’s not like the lucky accident from yesterday could be recreated, right? In any case, I unhesitatingly gave her a positive answer, telling her to wait for me.

On Sena’s side, the girl wasn’t feeling pressured at all. But her teammates are. They’re all inexperienced, after all. With the format of the match being five people in each team fighting one at a time with the winner decided by whoever gets three wins first, they’re all afraid to drag Sena down.

No matter how skilled she is, it’s irrelevant if they all lose their matches.

Well, nothing could be done with it. Moreover, Sena was more focused on having me watch her in the ring than the competition itself. She was also not that optimistic about their chances.

Nonetheless, no matter how she played it cool, knowing how competitive she is when it comes to boxing, there’s no way she won’t feel terrible if they lose…

Aika was already there with Sena. Since their match ended early on, her time was spent watching other matches before coming to see the girl. Although a little depressed at the result of their match, the energetic girl cast that off by taking the time to enjoy her free time there.

In any case, cheering her up was still within my plan. That’s the least I could do to make up for not being there to cheer for her. Even if it’s not my fault that I missed it, it’s something a diligent boyfriend should do for their girl, right?

As I continued to check on messages and reply to my girls, I soon arrived at the station.

I quickly made my way to the platform and took a seat there to wait for the train carrying Akane and the others.

Instead of using the same route as yesterday to go to the venue, we’re going to just continue on the train and walk the remaining distance from the station.

Apart from Akane and Yae, Ririka, Yua, Miyako, Hiyori and Eimi were also coming. Elizabeth and Yukari along with Aoi and Ria would be following later. All four of them still have to finish a task, either from class or their club. Furthermore, they’d be picking up Ria from her school.

Miho, who hadn’t fully recovered from her cold yet, was advised to come home and rest. She’s also afraid to infect others with her cold. I called and checked on her state. Compared to when I picked her up earlier, she looked worse. It’s as if she pushed herself through finishing her classes, resulting in her cold to stage a comeback.

She’s too stubborn not to skip a day. I could’ve scolded her but seeing how she’s already tucking herself in her bed, I held back and just watched over her.

As for the two noble ladies, they might also come a bit later.

Mizuki said she’d stop by with Suzuki-san when she finished dealing with an urgent business at home. On the other hand, Otoha was going to see her grandfather who’s still pretty much recuperating from the time he collapsed and got hospitalized.

Hitomi was updating me every ten minutes or so. And judging from her word choices, she’s also looking forward to seeing me… Well, she’s becoming more open to me nowadays, especially after how she stood up against her own grandfather’s advice to cut off being in a relationship with the same guy dating her young lady.

With that, everyone was accounted for. All my girls from the other school would be coming to watch Sena’s match. If they’re also going to come with me when I go to Satsuki’s match, it’s going to be another gathering for them.

No doubt, I will be juggling myself left and right this time. But hey, it’s a win for me. There’s nothing more important for me than taking care of all of them.

Anyway, apart from my girls, it appears that Eri and Futaba were also coming to watch Fuyu’s match and they’re naturally coming with Akane and the others.

What a way to make it difficult for me…

Ten minutes later, Nami messaged me that they were about to set off, sending me a photo of them already geared up to cheer our basketball team.

With how large their group would be, I doubt they’d all fit in one bus. Not to mention, they’re not the only ones coming to the venue. Those who were there yesterday would surely return and with the hype spreading to almost everyone, a lot more were compelled to go and watch.

Thankfully, Shizu and Haruko were also there to help Nami in organizing and leading them.

The only thing I worry about is the possible interference by Ichihara Jun and his goons. That’s why I tasked Uchiyama and the others to watch over that clown and report to me regarding his movement.

Mhm. They're once again proving their usefulness

Another five minutes later, I pocketed my phone and stood up from the bench I was sitting on.

And like most people on the platform, I turned my head to the upcoming train.

That’s my ride.

As soon as it stopped and the train doors opened, even amidst the crowd of passengers getting off, I immediately found the girl who was probably tasked to pick me up.

I raised my hand and called for her.

“Ririka. Here.”

With her head following the direction of my voice, the girl found me, and almost instantly, her face brightened up with a jubilant grin. Her sidetail bobbed up and down, also expressing that joy, as she traversed the distance between us.

Well, given that Eri and Futaba were with them, I easily understood what she was going to do. Take the chance while we’re still out of their sight.

And so, even before she reached me, I opened my arms to welcome her in my embrace.

It might look overly dramatic to some but who cares, right? But what about it?

Even if we’ve seen each other this morning, missing each other was always a given for us.