Stealing Spree

An hour later, Akane, Fuyu and I set off for school. Akane's period was close to ending, so she was feeling more energetic than usual but that still wouldn't diminish her extra clinginess. Fuyu, on the other hand, was more subdued, probably still thinking about last night.

I couldn't blame her; the thought of Futaba asking for my help was definitely something so unusual for her. She's not like Akane who could accept anyone as long as I took interest in them. In any case, what we did last night and in the bathroom was enough to lessen her worry, even if just a bit.

On the platform before we got on the train, Eimi joined us. Thankfully, our times matched this time. These past few days we couldn't catch each other because Akane and I were always going out earlier than most students. And since Eimi also couldn't rush, we'd always miss each other even though our neighborhoods were close.

"Ruki. Hehe.Good morning." Eimi ran up to me, hugging me even before Akane had the chance to react. Like everyone, she looked really good in her uniform. "Good morning to you too, Akane and... uhm Yuuki-san?"

"Un, good morning, Nikaido-san." Fuyu returned the greeting with a somewhat stiff smile before turning to me, "... I see. I understand now. She's also one of us. No wonder she's that close to you back then."

Ah. Right. That did happen, huh? She only thought Eimi was another close friend. And surely, she'd also understand that the girls who came with us to watch her match during the interhigh were also my girls.

"Mhm. Sorry. You said you didn't want to know but... you already met most of them." I scratched my cheek before squeezing her hand.

"Why are you saying sorry? Hmph. I just have to continue what I'm doing right? To make you fall for me more." Fuyu said. Then, she flashed a mischievous smile that was more competitive than playful, "By the way, Nikaido-san. Do you know tennis? Let's play sometimes."

This girl... So, she's going to thrash them in her own court, huh?

Understanding what she meant by that, a pleasant smile formed on Eimi's lips, "Sure. I don't mind. Can we also do a cook-off sometimes? You know, Yuuki-san, we can make something Ruki will love."

And there we go. Eimi was also not going to back down on her expertise as the daughter of a restaurant owner.

"Oh! That's nice! Let's all play and have husband be the judge." As I expected, Akane wouldn't let herself be left out of the conversation. If it's a competition related to me, she'd always want to come out on top to cement herself as my number one.

I tried to join in their conversation but at this point, I would just be stirring the pot more than necessary. Instead, I let them have their banter while we settled ourselves on the train.

The first few minutes were spent in peace, or should I say, in a peaceful chaos that was the norm for our group. Akane was leaning on my shoulder, Fuyu had her hand in mine, and Eimi had my other hand after I extended it behind Akane.

Once again, our presence drew whispers and glances from other passengers. But what could they do? At this point, only a few were left who would be surprised at our public displays of affection.

When the train reached the second stop, we were joined by Eri and there was no Futaba in sight.

That was a surprise but considering what happened last night, that girl might've been still rolling in bed, or the guilt finally crept up to her that she became afraid to face me or us.

After greeting us with a pleasant smile, Eri stood in front and used the dangling handles for balance. "Futaba, that girl, she said she was not feeling well when I went to pick her up. Did she catch a cold last night, Ruki?"

"No. I made sure to send her home safe and secure. But I guess you'll hear about what might be the cause later."

"Hmm? Did something happen?"

"Yeah. But it's not good to talk about it in public. I want to tell it to you myself but I'll leave that to her to explain. Just don't worry about her, okay?"

"Well, it's just weird. This is the first time in a while that she's missed school," Eri mused, frowning slightly as she studied her phone. Akane and Fuyu exchanged glances, both knowing full well what had happened the night before. They remained silent, though, not wanting to spill the beans before Futaba had the chance to explain.

But will Futaba tell her? I mean, what I asked her was to not keep it a secret from Akane and Fuyu.

Still, I couldn't help but get worried that she chose to miss school today.

I temporarily released my hand from Fuyu's hold to pull my phone. I looked up her name in my list of contacts on the messaging app and sent a message for the first time.

If she's really drowning in guilt, then I was half as responsible for it.

I thought about what I would write carefully before hitting send. Then, before I could pocket my phone, I saw another message that I couldn't ignore.

It was from Anzu-nee... After what happened between us, she had finally come to terms with it. Her message was short. Only one sentence.

"Little brother, let's talk when you come to visit this weekend."

Since it's written in text, it's hard to gauge the emotion behind it. I could imagine her writing and deleting a few times before deciding that it's better to just talk in person than pour in her feelings on the text.

I quickly wrote a reply, "And here I'm worried I won't hear from you, Anzu-nee. Sure. I'll be there. But if you like, I can come and meet you anytime."

I wasn't expecting a quick reply but to my surprise, Anzu-nee responded almost immediately. "That sounds tempting but let's hold back for a minute, cheeky little brother. If you're worried about me, don't be. I'm fine. Eimi and I also talked at length about it."

As I read that, I glanced at my girl seated at the left of Akane who was still holding my other hand tightly. Maybe understanding why I did that, she gave me a comforting smile.

Marika's aunt's impending arrival today.

Futaba taking a day off.

And Anzu-nee finally contacted me.

It's just the start of our day but it feels like a lot has happened already.

In any case, the rest of our train ride was filled with a mix of casual banter and light teasing, mostly between Akane and Fuyu, while Eri remained slightly confused about the sudden change in Futaba's behavior. Still, when she got teased, she eventually joined, and it turned into our usual morning commute.

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