Stealing Spree

It was already thirty minutes into the club hours when Aya and I reached the Literature Club. Unlike the previous days, only Kana and Rae were there inside, writing and editing the finished scenarios.

As for the rest, they had already gone to the empty clubroom we were going to use for the booth. It was big enough to accommodate everyone from the six clubs.

After staying in the clubroom for a while, helping out with proofreading what they finished, I brought the three girls to join the others.

Upon arriving, Aya joined Kana and the other two to continue writing. As for me, I busied myself helping out where I could.

At first, I joined Hina, Nami, Hana, and Rumi on the drawing board as they polished the system we’d apply to the interactive adventure booth. Mina and Himeko were also there but they’re more of a support, especially with Mina brewing pots of tea that she’s distributing to everyone.

Himeko then clung to me from behind, hugging me tightly while we listened to their discussion.

Of course, that led to the girls doing the same thing, one by one. They did it like they were about to say something, but before doing so, they’d pull me to them first.

Perhaps if not for Minori-senpai bailing me out of it, I’d continue to be juggled by them in increasing intimacy.

That wouldn’t be good. After all, it would disrupt their work. It’s one thing for me to pamper them as I go around but if I ended up becoming the reason why we’re not getting any work done, I’d feel bad.

Well, my girls know how to hold back too, so as soon as Minori-senpai pulled me out, they continued with their discussion.

After that, Minori-senpai brought me to Yuika-senpai, who’s helping out Saki as they go over their scripts. Their roles were already set. Yuika-senpai will have a minor role in one of the scenarios, while Saki will be joining me on the last one.

Well, with how much they added, the scenario I’d written with Rumi back then had already been expanded twice. I could only recognize the ending that I’ve written.

The other girls who were also practicing their line eventually joined us and somehow, it ended up turning into the same situation. Even Otsuka-senpai jumped in for the opportunity. But when the other girls pointed at her, she made the excuse of being curious about how broad my back was.

Eventually, my lovely koala, Edel, dragged me away to a corner where she claimed her daily dose of cuddling with me.

While doing so, I heard from her an update about her mother. She got in contact with her again and like last time, she’s questioning her about me. In the end, she showed my photo to her. And not just any photo, it’s one of those cosplay photos that flooded their group chat.

According to her, her parents were both anime otaku. They even went to the Summer Comiket together once. But as far as cosplaying is concerned, they were both too busy to take it as a hobby.

Yeah. It looks like I earned some points just by Edel showing me in a cosplay… Honestly, I still haven’t learned those basic phrases. It’s not like she wouldn’t be able to understand me if I talked in my native language, it’s just that it’d be difficult because it had been a while since Edel’s mother stayed in our country.

The last time was before her grandmother passed away.

Somehow, I got the feeling that our talk might eventually turn into a meeting but even if that’s the case, I’m confident to face her and show her that Edel’s trauma has already been dealt with by me.

That’s all that matters to her mother, after all. She was still blaming herself for what happened to the girl.

Anyway, Edel eventually fell asleep in my arms. I had to carry her and lay her down somewhere. The other girls helped with that.

After extracting myself from Edel, I then found myself drawn to my alluring senior, Reira-senpai.

On my way to join Chii and the gyarus who were listing the things they’d buy later, I caught her staring at me with a pout.

She then acted like she needed my help when, in fact, she simply wanted to keep me by her side. Of course, she’s still trying to pretend she’s not affected by seeing me close to the other girls. But little by little, she’s probably coming to terms with how close she truly wanted us to be.

And that’s my current situation at the moment.

On my left, Reira-senpai was talking about a prop that she thought would be useful while secretly, she’s holding my hand underneath the table. Then on my left was Nikka-senpai just happily doodling some kind of chemical formula on her notes. She had nothing else to do, after all.

Reira-senpai’s fingers laced with mine under the table. Her grip was subtle but firm as if she was staking a quiet claim on me while pretending to be engrossed in her prop discussion. She expertly hid it from her voice as she talked about some enchanted lantern idea for one of the booth’s scenarios, but the occasional glance she shot my way told me her focus wasn’t entirely on the props.

How adorable.

On my right, Nikka-senpai’s pen scratched across her notebook, her doodles of chemical structures spiraling into something that looked more like abstract art than science. Or maybe an alchemical equation? I don’t know.

She hummed jovially, her hair swaying as she tilted her head, completely unbothered by the chaos of the room.

Compared to the quiet and almost forlorn atmosphere in their Alchemy Research Club, the lively atmosphere here seemed to be refreshing for her.

Every now and then, she’d nudge my knee with hers, a playful little bump that felt more like a check-in than anything else, like she was saying, I’m here, don’t forget me or I’ll tell on Enomoto. The girls also didn’t let her feel like a stranger. Mina would not forget handing her a cup of tea. Then, Kana, Rae and Aya would also ask her some questions about chemistry. As for where they’re going to use that, I had no idea.

As I looked around the clubroom, a lively unison of voices and movement as everyone worked toward the Cultural Festival’s looming deadline wrapped around us.

I could hear Chii’s infectious laugh echo from the corner where she, An-rin, and Kushii were sprawled out, surrounded by a mess of papers listing supplies we’d need to grab later before that sleepover. Their list was probably half serious, half absurd. And knowing An-rin, she’d sneak in something like “glitter bombs” just to mess with everyone.

Hina’s voice cut through occasionally, firm but warm, as she guided Nami and Rumi through another round of tweaks to the booth’s interactive system.

Mina’s tea tray made its rounds, the faint floral scent mixing with the room’s energy, while Himeko hovered nearby, her shy smile peeking out as she refilled cups.

And then next to me, Reira-senpai’s words wash over me while my thumb gently rubs her knuckles under the table. Her explanation about the lantern’s glow effect was detailed, but I could tell she was stretching it out, buying time to keep me close.

Nikka-senpai, meanwhile, had abandoned her chemical doodles and was now sketching what looked suspiciously like a chibi version of me in a butler outfit, her lips twitching with a suppressed grin.

… The girls showed one of the photos to her earlier.

“Senpai,” I whispered as I tilted my head toward Reira. “I get it. You’re passionate about this lantern. Should I start calling you the Prop Queen now?”

Her eyes narrowed at me as she huffed. Then, the corner of her mouth curled up. “Don’t get cheeky on me, Ruki-kun. It’s a good idea, and you know it. Unless you’d rather we stick with boring old lightsticks and call it a day?”

“Nah, I trust your vision. But if we’re going for lanterns, we’d better make sure they don’t set the booth on fire. Where will we hang out if we accidentally burn the Club Building down?”

Reira-senpai clicked her tongue as her fingers tightened around mine, a silent acknowledgment of the game we were playing, her pretending to be all business and me teasing just enough to crack her facade.

“You’re lucky I’m here to keep things professional,” She pressed her thumb on my palm, nudging me closer to her, which I did, resulting in our shoulders touching momentarily.

Right on time, Nikka-senpai’s pen paused and she leaned over, propping her chin on her hand as she slid her notebook toward me. “Onoda-kun, what do you think? Accurate or what?”

Her chibi sketch of me had exaggeratedly broad shoulders and a comically smug smirk, complete with a tiny speech bubble that read, “Bow to your butler.”

Alright. Maybe it’s not just a photo but an entire clip of me doing that line. I wonder who’s the culprit? Nami? Or maybe it’s Chii. Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s not like she’s going to spread it around.