Stealing Spree

I nodded quickly before playfully saluting. “Understood, Ma’am. I’ll wait for your return before I leave for part-time.”

Juri also nodded in satisfaction, “Good. Setsu, take care of Ruki in my place, alright? You can scold him if you want, just don’t… fight. You know you won’t be able to win against him.”

Setsuna-nee let out a growl like an angry tiger. But it came out like a cat instead.

“Psh. If anything, I’ll tie that shameless bastard to your bed.”

“Oh? Is that your kink, Setsuna-nee?” I couldn’t help but throw in a playful jab and that earned me a flying pillow to my face.

“Shut up, idiot!” Setsuna-nee hissed before finally turning to face our direction.

Mhm… She’s really Satsuki’s sister. That sounded almost the same. As for the pillow. That was well-deserved.

Juri laughed and pinched my cheek, “Okay. Looks like you’re getting along quite well. I’ll leave you to it, Ruki.”

With that, she grabbed her small bag from the desk, slipped on her shoes, put on a cardigan and headed for the door. She paused just long enough to wink and blow me a kiss, then slipped out, the soft click of the door shutting behind her echoing in the sudden quiet.

Now it was just Setsuna-nee and me.

After a long silence, she finally muttered something. But it was as I expected.

“Shameless bastard.”

Her voice was rough, like she’d been holding her breath the whole time and it came out cracked.

Her shoulders hunched higher, like she was bracing for impact, which didn’t come.

Due to that, I couldn’t help the small chuckle that slipped out from me. “Mhm. I’m the most shameless guy in the world. What can I do though? I promised to take care of her.”

“Ugh. Are you hearing yourself now? Did you say the same thing to Satsu-chan?”

Setsuna-nee’s voice came out sharper than she probably meant it to. And it was edged with that familiar mix of irritation and something softer she was trying hard to bury.

She still wouldn’t look at me fully though. Her eyes were fixed somewhere around my collarbone like direct eye contact might burn her.

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I let the silence settle just long enough to make her squirm.

“Yeah,” I admitted, keeping my tone light but honest. “Pretty much the same thing. Word for word, even. Because it’s true for her too. And for Juri. And for every girl who’s stupid enough to let me stick around.”

Setsuna-nee finally snapped her gaze up to mine, those sharp eyes narrowing into slits. “Stupid enough? That’s how you see them?”

“No.” I shook my head slowly, meeting her glare head-on. “My bad. I should rephrase that. ‘For every sweet girl who let the stupid me stick around. Mhm. That’s right. I’m the stupid one. They’re all too good for a bastard like me. But they stay anyway. And I’m greedy and selfish enough to keep all of them.”

Her mouth opened, closed, opened again like she couldn’t decide whether to yell or throw another pillow. In the end, she just huffed and flopped back against her own headboard, arms crossed tight over her chest again.

In any case, since I said I was going to talk to her and there was that date still hanging above us, I slowly stood up from Juri’s bed and walked over to Setsuna-nee’s side, stopping just at the edge of her mattress.

She turned her head away but didn’t actually tell me to get away.

I looked at her figure. The hoodie she was wearing was swallowing her frame like armor but at the same time, it couldn’t completely hide the alluring figure beneath it. Especially the chest part.

With her arms crossed like this, they were fully accentuated. Just like Anzu-nee, in place of her small frame, she was blessed to be bigger in other places.

Of course, she’s probably not that happy to have that, as it became the magnet that kept pulling stupid guys to try and court her.

And yet, I still managed to crawl deep into her headspace.

“Setsuna-nee-san,” I said softly, keeping my voice low and steady. “You can keep pretending I’m not here if it makes you feel better. But Juri’s gone for a bit, and I’m not leaving until we talk.”

“You’re so full of yourself,” She muttered with a sharp tone. “Who said I want to talk to you?”

“No one. But you’ve been grumpy since I arrived. And you didn’t kick me out when I showed up. That’s gotta mean something, no? Besides, I’m curious… what have you planned for our date?”

Once again, her head snapped back to me as they narrowed into a glare. Yet, her cheeks gradually turned pink, not just from everything she’d definitely overheard under that blanket but also my question.

“You waltz in here, flirt with Juri right in front of me, do… whatever that was under the blanket, and now you want to talk? To ask me about the plan you told me to think about?”

She exhaled grumpily as she rolled her eyes.

“Well, to be fair, you didn’t exactly stop us.”

Her face went scarlet. She grabbed the pillow again and chucked it at my chest. Harder this time.

I caught it easily, tossing it back onto her lap with a soft thud.

“Shameless bastard!” She hissed in frustration.

Ignoring that, I sat down on the edge of her bed slowly, giving her plenty of time to scoot away or tell me to get lost.

And yet, she didn’t.

“Yes… This is the shameless bastard you called. So, Setsuna-nee. Tell me how I can appease you.”

I put on my usual shameless smirk as I reached for her loose hair, tucking the stray strands behind her ear.

Setsuna-nee’s glare sharpened, but she didn’t flinch or pull away. If anything, her shoulders hunched higher, like she was bracing herself against the spark that simple touch sent through her.

“Don’t touch me, idiot,” She growled before turning her head away again, bringing the pillow to her face as if it could hide her from my gaze.

“Mhm. I didn’t. I only fixed that hair.”

“Who told you to? Psh. You’re not my boyfriend.”

“Do I claim to be? I’m fine like this though. Admiring my Satsuki’s strong sister and my Juri’s best friend.” I pulled my hand back but I shifted closer, traversing the remaining distance until her toes pressed on my thigh.

“Anyway, you haven’t answered me, Setsuna-nee-san. Both with the date and what can I do to appease you.”

Setsuna-nee made this frustrated little sound in the back of her throat. It sounded like a growl and a groan at the same time.

Growl because she’s still annoyed at how I seemed to nonchalantly approach like this after what happened.

Groan because she’s finding it helpless. She didn’t exactly want to push away. That much was something I could confirm now. But at the same time, she also didn’t want to do anything with me right now.

She’s that conflicted.

I guess it’s all my fault. But since I said I would take responsibility. I had to break in somewhere in her defenses, right?

That’s why after a few seconds, I shifted back to my previous position, opening a distance between us.

Upon sensing that, Setsuna-nee snapped back at me and clicked her tongue before tossing the pillow aside. It landed on her right with a soft thud.

She sat up straighter and took a deep breath while crossing her arms tight over her chest again like armor, but the movement only made her hoodie pull up slightly, flashing a strip of smooth thigh that disappeared under those tiny shorts.

“Don’t flatter yourself, shameless brat. I’m not… I’m not like Juri. Or Satsuki. I’m not just gonna fall into your lap because you smile and say pretty words. Besides, I haven’t thought of anything yet, so stop pressing me for it.”

Haven’t thought of anything yet, huh? I guess she also couldn’t decide what to expect for that date.

“Alright, I’ll stop pressing you for it,” I said softly, keeping my tone gentle but honest. “Anyway, you’re not like anyone else. That’s why I’m here, Setsuna-nee-san. Not just for Juri. For you too.”

Her glare faltered for a split second, something softer flickering behind those sharp eyes before she caught herself and scowled harder.

“You’re so full of shit,” She muttered, looking away again. But her shoulders weren’t as stiff now. The tension was still there, but it felt different. Less like she wanted to kick me out and more like she was fighting herself.

“Perhaps, but I’m just being honest. You’ve never seen a most honest guy like me, you know?”

“Hmph. There’s Ryou, you know?”

“Oh. Sakuma, huh? I guess he can be honest too. Have you changed your mind about him? He’s still coming to me for advice, you know? Although he’s like that, his feelings are probably genuine.”

“Unlike you.” Setsuna-nee finished. But the way she said it wasn’t as sharp as before. It sounded almost like a challenge, like she was testing if I’d back down or push forward.