Stealing Spree

Chapter 2321: Interest

 n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

With the addition of Sumire and Umi, I decided to walk them home. The five of us got off at the next station, not leaving Hana behind.

Chii's house was the closest to the station while Sumire and Umi's houses were in the same area, maybe just a few streets away from each other. Because of that, it didn't take too much time to complete.

Just that, I intentionally made a few detours to prolong my time with Chii who ended up sulking despite her willingness to give her seat to Sumire earlier. Sumire and I also stopped by at the same park last Saturday, teasing the girl further. Hana even considerately let her be alone with me by accompanying Umi to the bathroom.

When they returned, Sumire was already crimson red from the short kiss that we shared. It's not an extension of last time but another appreciation for her dedication. She's doing her best in practice and with her reconciliation with Nagai, the strained atmosphere in their club had all but dissipated.

After that, it became a silent walk when only Umi and Hana were left by my side. The shy girl remained silent, after all. But she kept her hold on my hand, enjoying the blissfulness of being next to me.

We didn't have a lot of time to spend together but I always look forward to our exchange of messages. She's more talkative there, after all. But I guess that's just Umi's trait. Although she had this straightforward nature, she's just not really that used to hold a conversation. Add her shyness and it's a perfect recipe for a cute but silent type.

When I asked her if there was a place she wanted to go with me with just the two of us, her suggestion caught me a little off guard.

Manga Cafe and Zoo. I thought she'd be the type to want a library date but a manga cafe sounds good too. It seems she's fond of reading manga too. As for the zoo, she just wanted to look at the different animals we would normally not see every day.

Although I didn't make a promise to fulfill that, my head had already started planning to bring her to one of those two places when the opportunity arose.

After that, Hana and I took the bus home. Once we arrived there, I thought of checking out if she was holding up on her training with her Aunt. And she properly delivered by having me watch her make dinner for herself which she even shared with me just to extend my time with her.

Not like I wasn't planning to stay with her for a bit longer. It's just Hana girl thought I would leave right away because Akane called me midway while we were still on the bus.

My mindset was still the same as before anyway. I tend to focus on who was in front of or with me, maximizing our time together and the opportunity that I would otherwise not get on a different day.

Honestly, if I was also given the opportunity from the other three earlier, I'd extend it as much as possible.

It was close to eight in the evening when I left her house and past eight when I arrived home to Akane, Miwa-nee and Fuyu who took care of my silly wife during the day.

"Akane didn't give you any trouble, right?" I asked Fuyu on our way to the station. We already finished dinner and just like the previous instances, I couldn't just send her home alone. "Let's see. I should say no here, right? But we both know Akane. Even on a normal day, she was always a headache but in a good way. And it's the same now. She's simply longing for you more than usual. Besides, Futaba and Eri were also helping so you don't have to worry too much. If, and only if something happened, you'll hear it first from us." Fuyu giggled at the end, maybe recalling Akane's antics during the day.

"You're right, that girl is always a handful." I laughingly agreed, thinking back to the previous times when Akane's clinginess kept on reaching a new peak. But who am I to complain? It was flattering to know that she missed me so much.

Fuyu and the other two were the MVPs for keeping her contained. I could only imagine the trouble they were facing during the time that I was keeping my distance from Akane.

And despite all that, they remained close. That's why their friendship was too precious.

"A handful, yes. But Akane is someone who's also incredibly loving and considerate." Fuyu nodded, "Something she picked up on you, I guess? Anyway, enough about Akane, Ruki-kun. Should I not be pampered too?"

Not wasting a beat, Fuyu moved from simply holding my hand to snuggling to my side the moment we sat down on the train.

"You don't have to ask me for that, I'll always pamper you given the opportunity." As I held her close, I switched our topic to talking about how their day went.

Other than Akane's antics, she concluded that it was a fairly normal day for her. She went to school, studied and then practiced tennis.

And speaking of tennis, her interest was once again piqued as she lifted my arm to check on my arm muscles.

"This looks like an arm of a pro already, Ruki-kun. Really, you don't have to keep pushing yourself for it. I'm more than glad to be able to play with you sometimes."

"That's why I'm keeping up with swinging the racket, you know? That way, I can still give you a challenge. Won't that be more exciting for you?"

"It will be. However, make sure to not force yourself, especially when you have a lot of other commitments. You're already splitting yourself for everyone. If possible, I'd like to see you pursuing something that was really your interest. I understand how you want to devote your everything to us but leave something for yourself too, alright?" Fuyu said as she squeezed my arm, her concern being conveyed through it.

With my heart warmed up by her words, I stared into her eyes and nodded. "You're right, Fuyu. I'll keep that in mind."

She's not wrong and I'm sure everyone has the same sentiment as her. But until I find something that truly interests me, I'll keep doing my best to match their interests. Normally, my attempts to dabble in their interests may be insulting considering their dedication to it. However, the moment I set myself on this path of taking them all in, I've already stepped away from the normalcy most people live in. And I'm enjoying every bit of it. I'm enjoying my time with them and I don't feel like I need another interest to focus on. That was flawed, I understood it that much. But that's how I have lived my life ever since my desire manifested. I can never be normal again but I can keep the sense of normalcy, at least. After a while, the train arrived at our destination and I escorted Fuyu up to their door, greeting Fubuki-chan and her mother before going back.