Stealing Spree

The sounds of activity in the area filled our ears as we approached the end of the path. It’s mostly the noises coming from the footsteps but there was occasional shouting from the adults who were probably busy preparing the dinner and the tables that they’re going to use.

Next to me, Juri was in a jubilant mood. She’s still touching her lips that had yet to dry and our hands remained entwined. Since there’s no one around us yet, we’re completely in tune regarding extending our moment as a couple.

Since the path was actually quite long, we talked a lot more than we already did. I heard about her college, her small troubles regarding some of her electives as well as the frustration of not being able to be inconspicuous due to her cool beauty and disposition.

She told me before that many already tried courting and Setsuna-nee would always be there to deflect them for her but still, on the occasions when they’re not together, those guys would return to try again. And due to that, even though she couldn’t admit to it fully, she seemed to have developed a disdain for them.

Initially, she’s fine acting nice and friendly to those smooth talkers who wouldn’t immediately show their interest but every time they would ask her for a drink or a meal outside, it would always end with them trying something.

Well, they didn’t try something illegal, of course. But they would sometimes act like that was a date and would invite her for a drink at a bar. Or worse, they’d straight up believe that they could invite her home.

Whenever that happened, she’d just bail out on them or escape before they could even try anything. After many experiences like that, she already built a preventive mindset not to be cornered.

Those experiences further reinforced her growing belief that men in college were all cut from the same cloth.

She also openly admitted that me being younger than her and someone who showed as much propriety as she had hoped for someone might be one of the reasons why she became drawn to me. Still, she insisted that I really fit her type. A humble and capable guy who was immeasurably considerate.

When I asked her if she would still be drawn to me if the first thing she witnessed was that scene in the bathroom, Juri almost choked me with her arms while her knuckle annoyedly rubbed against my scalp while saying, “I don’t know what kind of circumstance will lead to that but I probably will be awkward around you. For someone like me who emphasized propriety, that would be the most inappropriate thing to witness... Uhm, it’s different this time because I can’t hold onto that when it comes to you.”

Mhm. That was the first time she acted like that around me but I deserved it for asking that kind of question. And if you think about it, that sounds about right.

Everything would change if our first meeting set off her propriety alarm on me – making her way more cautious to be in my presence.

But thanks to that moment when Setsuna-nee left us alone in her room, I managed to leave a great first impression on her – no matter how trivial opening that PET bottle was.

“Ruki, where should we start? Should I take you to see the others first? When I talked to Shizu and Haruko earlier, I mentioned this plan. They’re also thinking of opportunities to meet you.”

That’s what Juri said as soon as we left that open area where the professors, teachers, and other camp managers were busy preparing. Other students were lingering around them. Those who were bored and didn’t want to walk around.

I don’t know a lot of them but they probably heard about me. Some were even surprised to see me considering I am a first year and I should be at the other hill.

Those who know me by name and had already had a few interactions with me like the members of the Basketball Club approached me, looking intrigued.

I politely greeted them like I usually do before telling them honestly that I was tasked to accompany Juri. The woman at my side followed up, explaining to them how this happened.

They know Satsuki and they’ve seen Setsuna-nee, after all. Due to that, they left us alone after exchanging a few words.

The boys were only curious because even though I was supposed to be a junior, I was once again in the company of a beautiful girl.

Apart from them, I also spotted Uchiyama and the other two who became my followers. They didn’t bother me that much upon understanding that I was on their hill because of a task. Furthermore, most of their followers were still scared of me so rather than trouble me with their nonsense, they opted to just stay away and behave like I asked them to.

Unfortunately, even though I’ve seen a lot of familiar faces, I didn't see any of my girls walking about with their group or just being together.

Now, here’s Juri, telling me that she told me about this plan...

If I have to guess, they’re probably waiting for Juri to bring me over somewhere outside the public eye.

“Where, huh? Well then, let’s diligently patrol for now. You know me, Juri. Even if I’m also dying to see and be with them, I won’t simply set you aside for it. Because it’s the same for me, this is my chance to be with you. Let’s not cut it short.”

This was probably the one thing that wouldn’t change for me, or rather, I would never change this kind of mindset. Every moment with my girls is important. This is just like when Akane is overly being considerate of the other girls. I’m not a fan of them sacrificing their own time for the benefit of others…

Juri's eyes seemed to smile upon hearing that and another look of satisfaction occupied her face, “I understand. My eyes are being opened. They truly know how you will respond, Ruki. I asked them if they want me to bring you over to them but they said I shouldn’t tell you about it because you’re going to push it back in favor of spending more time with me.”

This girl... looks like it’s not just a small talk earlier, huh? They’ve had a meaningful conversation with me as their main topic. I could somehow imagine Haruko and Shizu grinning by now while thinking about this moment.

“Well, you went to talk to the two girls who are among the top when it comes to understanding me. But then again, everyone will surely say the same thing as I’m already like an open book to all of them.”

“How fascinating... I’ll take this chance to talk to them further.”

“Juri, you know you can ask me about myself.”

“Eh. That’s no fun. You’re too humble to speak about yourself truthfully, Ruki. I bet things that you find you’re lacking in will be seen differently by those close to you.”

Uh... I couldn’t refute that one.

I scratched my head like a silly idiot who got caught by my own words, “You don’t have to bet. That’s truly the case.”

“Pfft. There you go. Don’t worry. I’ll still weigh everything and interpret it in my own way. You see, even if all agree on our affection for you, there will still be differences in how we view you. For example, Satsuki-chan loves you a lot but it’s built up by everything you did for her. You’re also the reason why she’s close to her sister again. You would be frustrated if you saw how they interacted before.”

Juri pinched my cheeks but this time not because she’s annoyed, she just found me adorable. And then as we continued our patrol like this, she talked more about the example she gave. In other words, I listened to the past interactions of the Maemura sisters seen by her eyes and she compared it to how it is now. That’s to solidify what she mentioned regarding how my girls view me.

Naturally, it became more meaningful for us when I also started raising points. In the end, rather than catching troublemakers, we just had a wonderful walk around the night scenery of this hill while we talked about ourselves.

Maybe around twenty minutes later, we doubled back to the gathering area and into some other path where my Haruko and the other girls were waiting.