Stealing Spree

For the duration of my stay in her office, Coach Ayu never brought up what happened again. She left it at that and even if I tried to bring it up to clear what’s the score between us, she’d mercilessly shut that down by coldly glaring at me along with loudly tapping her table in irritation.

Thinking about it, she’s somehow similar to Arisa-senpai on that part. Or even Saki when we first did it… ．

The former told me that it’s a one-time thing and I should be loyal to Nami while the latter told me to not put any meaning to what we did and just act normally.

However, look at where that took them… Arisa-senpai and I became aware of the irresistible attraction we had for each other. Furthermore, I’m still waiting for another chance with her. To make her mine once and for all. Or if not that, to make her understand that I very much like to stay by her side. On the other hand, Saki and I already crossed that bridge together. She’s mine now and she already met my parents.

What about this situation with Coach Ayu then? I could admit that it’s my fault for being a teaser that her pent-up feelings burst forth. Nonetheless, she’s still the one who initiated it…

Because of that, if I was formerly clear with what I thought of Coach Ayu, it’s definitely muddled by now.

That kiss we shared… It’s something I hadn’t expected but at the same time, I got so into it that I even responded and guided her to properly do it. Perhaps, if she didn’t break it off, there’s a higher probability for me to take it a step further. Like going around the table to pin her on a chair which could result in the intimacy between us sinking deeper where there would be no hope for her to resurface.

… In the end, it still resulted in this, huh. The wall I raised to block my desire from extending to her has so easily crumbled and it’s by my own machinations as well.

However, with her current stance of not wanting to bring it up again… perhaps I could once again draw the line and follow her stance to not talk about it again.

There’s that phrase though.

If it happened once, it would definitely happen again in the future.

Not talking about it instead of drawing a conclusion to what path we should take was just a band-aid solution. It’s like covering a water leak from a pipe using scotch tape.

It would still leak out, little by little until it came off completely.

“Take this and go now. Your program for tomorrow is also great so there’s no issue on that part. Remember, your training program is slowly gaining popularity. Perhaps by tomorrow, you might fill up all 60 slots. Either way, we expect you to keep at it and a month later, see the first batch of graduates from your program.”

Ending it by putting the envelope, thick with cash, in my hand, she then sent me out of her room.

When I tried looking back to see if she’d have a change of heart, I caught her staring at my back. But when she noticed and our gazes met, she hurriedly avoided eye contact with me.

Really, I don’t know what to make of it…

–

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After leaving the boxing gym, I passed by a donut shop to pick up a treat for Sena’s family.

Since I had that habit of focusing on what’s in front of me, I soon stopped thinking about Coach Ayu as soon as I reached the Imai Household’s front gate.

Like I thought, being invited inside was impossible. Or rather, Sena opted not to. It would be too awkward since they’re all girls there. If I joined in, her mother and brother would definitely be confused why I was among their group. And even if she ended up introducing me, they’d also wonder who the other seven were to me.

Due to that, Sena met me outside first. Taking the chance when there’s no one passing by on their street, Sena asked me to pamper and praise her for her recent results in her training.

Following that, I gave her what I bought for her family and asked her if she wanted to come with us. To the karaoke box.

Although the sun was close to setting, there’s still plenty of time for us to spend together.

“I’ll come! I can’t miss that! My Ruki’s singing voice!” That’s her reaction. Every sentence was exclaimed in excitement. By how she acted, no one would probably think that she’s a skilled boxer instead of a pretty maiden in love.

Ten minutes later, the nine of us walked along the busy streets once more, gathering stares from everyone.

When we entered the nearest karaoke center, the part-timers at the counter couldn’t believe what he’s seeing.

In fact, I was ignored completely even though I was the one who paid for the room… That part-timer was all smiles and was even trying to appeal to my girls as he guided us to our room.

Furthermore, because of how mesmerized he was, he tried preventing me from entering, thinking that I’m not with them.

Too bad for him, he got berated by no less than eight attractive women with different aesthetics. Elizabeth grilled him to the bone that he ended up running away in fright.

Well, her cryptic way of talking was probably the culprit. It would take a genius to decipher what she’s trying to say right away. Good thing I got practice from the years I was with her.

Once that part-timer left, the girls pulled me inside with them and the following hours became another memorable time for all of us.

“Ruki… This! Can you sing this for us?”

Halfway through it and after they finished singing what they wanted. Yukari approached me and pointed at a specific song.

It’s none other than Asahi’s Steal your Heart.

“The lyrics sound close to our story. Stealing our hearts then leaving us alone… It’s kind of cruel but I can remember those times with you.” Yukari earnestly continued and that earned a nod for everyone except Akane.

All of them were girls I stole and cut off. Just like Yue or Asahi, whatever she’s using nowadays.

No wonder it would resonate with them even if the experiences they shared with me were different from each other.

When Akane saw them clamoring around me to push me into singing it, her face twisted into a teasing smirk as she joined them with their pure endeavor.

In the end, I gave in to them and stood up. Picking up the mic and keying the code for that song, the girls rejoin in their seats.

But the one who thoroughly enjoyed it was my silly girl. I bet I would be the recipient of a teasing session when we arrive home.

Well, I wouldn’t go down without a fight. Before the first verse started, I turned around and made a suggestion.

“Why don’t we make this a duet? I want to sing with all of you. Can we?”

And with that, my girls divided the parts of the song where they’d sing it with me, starting with Akane who’s pouting her lips because her fun was cut short.

She quickly recovered from it though. To continue her fun, as soon as that song ended, the recorded video was instantly posted in their group.

Due to that, I was instantly bombarded by the girls who weren’t present about their desire to come to a karaoke box with me.