Marika and I separated at the shoe locker area. Tanaka-senpai showed up there to accompany her upstairs. After that, I ran into Sachi. It's now a habit for her to encounter me in the same area. And somehow, she's always filling me in with the latest rumors in our school.
I guess that's her way of not making our interaction monotonous. I'm also doing small talk because I appreciate her gestures. Unfortunately, our interactions will possibly remain contained within that small window during the mornings.
Our school day started with another short lesson from Shio. She made it compact and easy to understand, letting us have free time to talk about our class's festival preparations.
Then the other class leading up to lunch break also passed in a breeze. The only notable thing that happened during it was when we moved to the science classroom and the girls shuffled our seats again. It became Saki and Mio's turn to sandwich me in the bench seats in front of a long table. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⸺fire.net
Did they act mischievous during it? Well, if sneaking in kisses can be counted as one, then they did. More than that? Even the chance-taker wasn't bold enough to do it in the middle of the class. Instead, she bided her time, sneaking us away on our way back to our classroom. We almost got marked late during the 4th period because of it.
At lunch, our venue was obviously the same empty clubroom. When I fulfilled my promise to pick up Marika, I saved time by also picking up Kana, Rumi, Edel and even Minori-senpai.
This time, I didn't stubbornly insist on picking them all up or walking them back to their classroom. I focused on pampering them while we were all in the same room.
Ah. Right. I paid a little more attention to Yuika-senpai and endured the silent scrutiny I was getting from Minori-senpai. Well, rather than scrutiny, I could feel like she's waiting for me to make a move on her. Even if she's insisting that she's not going to fall for me and she'll only ask me to help her with her urges, I can tell. I mean, when it comes to picking up the subtle nuances from a girl, I'm probably the best at it. As for being dense or insensitive about certain things, those are different. It happens when my relationship with a girl is already defined. I sometimes miss out on a sign because I always believe them when they tell me that everything is fine.
And so, when it was time for me to go to the Administration Building, I walked over to Minori-senpai, asking her for her time.
We walked side by side as we exited the clubroom. Looking at how stiff she was moving, she already had an idea why I brought her out while I left my girls inside.
Any of them would surely come with me if I asked them. However, considering I openly approached her, they immediately picked up my reason for choosing her.
"So, Onoda-kun. What is this about? Out of all the girls you could have picked, you asked for me. Are you intentionally neglecting them for me?" Minori-senpai asked with a stern expression, her brow threatening to clash.
"No. Why will I neglect them? They're my reason for living."
"... Then why?" Her stern expression softened up. She was baffled by my answer. She wanted to figure out my reasoning.
I grinned, keeping my stride relaxed as I glanced at her. "I've got somewhere to be, and I figured out this is the most ideal moment for me to talk to you. Plus, I owe you some time, don't I? Don't worry, after I'm done with everything I need to do, the rest of my time will be dedicated to them."
Her lips twitched. I had no idea if it was turning to a smile or a frown but she held it back as she tilted her head slightly. "Simply audacious. I'm not one of your girls, you know. I've been clear about that. "
"Mhm. You've been very clear about it, yet you didn't reject my invitation. And that's why… it's up to you if you want to stay for a while here with me, or I can just go on my way."
Minori-senpai's brows furrowed, crossing her arms as I stopped before the door of another empty clubroom where we could get our privacy.
I slowly opened the door and gestured for her to step inside first.
She hesitated as she studied me but after a beat, she sighed and walked past me into the room.
The faint creak of the door echoed in the empty space as I followed her in, letting it close behind us with a soft click.
The clubroom remained the same. A few dusty desks pushed against the walls and the sofa my girls and I usually used. The curtains were still covering the light coming from outside, making the place dark.
Minori-senpai turned to face me, sitting down on the sofa. Her posture screamed defiance, but the way her eyes flicked over me betrayed a curiosity she couldn't quite hide.
"Alright, Onoda-kun. You've got me here. What is it you are planning here? Don't tell me you're about to confess or something ridiculous like that."
I shook my head and smiled before closing the distance between us, taking the seat next to her.
"Confess? Nah, I think we both know where we stand, senpai. I just wanted to check in with you. You've been wanting to talk to me about Yuika-senpai, right? It wasn't enough that you scolded me for taking advantage of her vulnerability."
Her expression faltered for a split second, caught off guard by my directness. She quickly recovered, though, tilting her chin up with a smirk. "Taken advantage? That's a funny way to describe it, Onoda-kun. That's not how Yuika narrated it. You upheld your promise to take care of her. If things happened that way between you two, who am I to be angry on her behalf when she loves the bond that you've created?"
Ah… I see. It's not that she's staring at me because she wanted to scold me. It's the other way around. She wanted me to scold her. For being nosy when Yuika-senpai never blamed me, and what happened between us was a result of something we both agreed to.
"Alright. I'll take my words back, and I apologize. I finally understand, senpai." I said as I lowered my head to her. "It appears I assumed wrongly. Can we be honest to each other now?"
"Raise your head, you audacious junior…" She grasped my head and raised it.
As our gaze met, I instantly saw how her eyes were trembling. She finally pulled down the mask she was wearing.
"Senpai, didn't I tell you that you could rely on me? If I wasn't open to you, would you still be able to rely on me?" I said, bringing back our conversation from the past. The day she opened up to me.
She couldn't form special connections, but the way she treated the girls in the club and Haruko was telling a different story. In short, she's only putting their well-being first before her own.
And that's why her reaction upon finding out that Yuika-senpai had crossed the line with me, her first reaction was to interrogate and scold me. Once that was cleared, embarrassment filled her head and she probably wanted to apologize to me. She just had no idea how to approach me with that intention.
Now… I created that opportunity for her.
After staring at me for at least half a minute, Minori-senpai let out a sigh. Her hand moved from my cheek, placing it on top of my head, patting me gently. "You're terrible, Onoda-kun. Stop seeing through me every time."
With that, I couldn't help but grin. "Sorry, it's a force of habit. But I'm glad…"
"Mhm. I'm glad you're not upset with me. This Casanova ensnared Yuika-senpai, after all."
Minori-senpai shook her head before headbutting me. There's a bit of force in it, but instead of pulling back after hitting me, she rested it there and closed her eyes.
"Cheeky brat. Yuika has been smiling more recently. She's happy with her decision. And it won't take long before she can step away from her past. You have the ability to make it come true. Himeko, Mina and Edel… they are now far from their past selves. They opened up and are now changing for the better. Now… there's only me left who cannot take that step."
I listened to her intently, digesting each emotion laced with her words.
"If I have that ability, don't you think I have a fair chance to affect you the same way, senpai?"
Upon saying that, I moved closer to her, my arm circling to the back of her head as I pulled her in for a tight embrace. "Do not hesitate, senpai. If you need my help, just ring me up. Be it satisfying your urges or walking you out of the past, I'll help you through it."