Stealing Spree

Following my words of not stopping even after I finished my dance with Setsuna-nee, my presence on the dance floor continued.

Starting with the girls who were already smitten by me, I danced with Shimura and Misumi during the next two loops.

I had to guide Shimura throughout the dance. She’s not expecting to get invited as well, after all. That’s why when it happened, her mind seemingly short-circuited, she became lost in her delight while acting so bashful that she couldn’t even grip my hands properly.

On the other hand, Misumi expressed her doubt. She asked me why I also invited her. I guess despite her usual boldness in her attempts to get close or be noticed by me, she’s well aware of how ridiculous my actions have been tonight. To ease her mind, I, at least, let her in on my thoughts while we’re in the middle of the dance. Like Setsuna-nee, she called me crazy for even attempting this for the reason I revealed.

“Man, you look like you’re still looking for another girl to dance with. Honestly, it’s impressively absurd watching you do all this.”

Upon returning with Misumi back to where our class was gathered, Hino popped up on my side before I could move to the next girl. Well, I was expecting him to do this since he’s been figuring out how to approach me ever since earlier. As for his reason, I had no idea. What he just said must be his genuine thoughts.

A few steps behind Hino, I saw Fukuda and Mushitani staring at me. Their gazes filled with bitterness.

I mean, everyone I invited to a dance accepted me, while the two of them got rejected by the girls they tried to invite for a dance.

That’s their fault though. They’re still rejecting the reality of our situation. They dared to invite Chii and Hana. Obviously, they both experienced a swift rejection.

Fukuda was becoming like the deluded Ogawa. Or maybe he thought Chii’s goodwill to him would still push her to accept his invitation considering I keep inviting other girls for a dance. On the other hand, Mushitani probably thought he’d be met by Hana’s angelic smile. Alas, Hana couldn’t care less about her public image anymore. She’s just keeping it up out of habit. And honestly, I also expected Hana to shut Mushitani down like she was crushing a bug but I guess she held back on doing that on this occasion.

Anyway, I still couldn’t care less about their bitterness. Compared to them, Ogawa was behaving this time. He didn’t try his luck on Nami and he’s not glaring at me with bitter resentment. My threat was still working, I guess?

“Come on, is it that impressive? Anyone can do this. Just don’t expect to succeed every time.” Eventually, I replied to Hino, downplaying the significance of what I was doing.

But then again, those cursing at me were already tired enough after the number of times I’ve returned to the dance floor with another girl reached ten. At this point, while they’re still paying attention to me, they’ve switched to guessing when I am going to stop, if not at all, and who the next girl will be.

Besides, some guys thought they could do the same. In the end, a lot of them failed, drawing the ire of the girl they tried to invite after dancing with another. Of course, the girl who accepted their first invitation also became pissed at them...

That’s such an otherworldly difference in treatment. If I have to guess, some are already wondering how I can accomplish this feat and why the girls I’ve danced with aren’t pissed at me. Well, good luck to them finding an answer.

“Dude, stop joking. Only you can accomplish this.” Hino shook his head, rejecting my answer, “Anyway, I’m not here to argue. I just came to say how impressed I am... You’re making a follower out of me.”

“Are you sure you can say that? Fukuda and Mushitani treat me like their archnemesis.”

“Huh? That’s their issue with you though. Even if we’re considered a group, I don’t see any reason to have a beef with you. Besides, you helped me talk to Yoneda...”

“Heh. So you’re going to turn your back on them because I helped you out once? Man, isn’t that bad for your friendship with them?”

“Dude, it’s not like I’m selling them out to you. If they get mad at me just because I’m on good terms with you, I don’t think I’m the problem.”

This guy... Isn’t it normal to be on your friends’ side when it comes to their conflict with another guy? And yet here he is, trying to separate my issue with them from his attempt to get close to me. If anything, I could say that he’s open-minded. However, it’s definitely not a good look at his character. It’s like he’s abandoning them for his own benefit, after all.

But then again, I might be reading this wrongly. I’m the guy who will never accept being friends with any other guy. I’m ignorant of how things should be handled. Common sense dictates that you should side with your friend and not his enemy, right? And yet Hino here is trying to build a connection with me.

“Alright. That’s a good point. So, what now? I’m kinda busy here, you see.”

“Oh. Go ahead. Sorry for interrupting you, man.”

“Wait. Be honest with me, are you trying to get my advice again? Have you tried inviting Yoneda yet?”

Thinking about it, this should be his reason for approaching me. It just got derailed when I probed him about his friendship with those two bitter idiots.

Since I wasn’t really in a rush, I could at least hear him out. You know, to sow more seeds of conflict between them.

Hino shook his head as he smiled awkwardly. Even without saying it, his reaction was enough to prove that I was correct. He’s here to get advice from me.

“Do you think I have a chance?”

“Well, it’s simple. You won’t know if you don’t try.” I swiftly answered.

There’s no point giving him false hope. He’s not even that successful in approaching her earlier. It would be best for him to stop before stumbling further.

“Then, what if she rejects my invitation?”

“Dude, it’s not the end yet even if she rejects you tonight. At least you tried, no? But to be honest, I’ll advise you not to approach her for an invite. You’ve just gotten acquainted today. Don’t be in such a rush.”

“I see. You’re right. I never thought of inviting her at first but seeing you succeed every time made me think I should at least try...” Hino scratched his head, looking ashamed.

Look at this guy... he’s sensible. But I guess that’s the only good thing about him. I don’t really think I should give advice to someone. I mean, I have a different set of values after all. What works with me will not work with someone else.

Anyway, I didn’t say anything else after that. I walked away and went to invite Kushii who reluctantly accepted my invitation.

And from there, I continued with my plan of inviting girls and dancing until the end. I was interrupted a few times by someone talking to me or blocking my way but that didn’t stop me.

After Kushii, I went to get Sachi then Kaede and Watanabe. Yep. Since I already run out of girls who I considered close to me to invite, I switched to anyone who could catch my eye. Everyone from our class wasn’t spared; Wakaba, Kashiwagi, An-rin, and even those who weren’t related to me like Amano. Following that, I also invited that one other 1st-year Basketball Club member and Rae’s three friends, including the one from Class 2.

Ah. Right. The Class Presidents Hayakawa and Umeda from too. As for the rest, I picked randomly.

I planned to invite Shiina and Sara too. Unfortunately, the chance never came. Because when the Dean’s group who left to resolve the complaint against me returned, they followed them to their cabin area.

That’s why for the next hour until the end of this activity, nothing noteworthy happened anymore other than the completion of my plan.

Ultimately, the hostility that piled up against me was dissolved due to how ridiculous it became. Even the girls I invited during the last half hour accepted it not because they admired me or anything, they just jumped on the bandwagon after seeing many others doing the same.

Many started believing that the reason I kept dancing was some kind of challenge on my part. Thanks to that, they once again dismissed the idea that I was dating multiple girls. Nonetheless, I still got branded as a showoff, especially by those who hated my guts.

Before long, we lined up again and concluded this night’s gathering as the Camp Managers guided us back to our cabin area.

The camp activities for today are officially over.