Stealing Spree

As far as I could recall, Machida and her group were untouchable. Or rather, one had to think twice before approaching them on their own. Because more often than not, they’d be made fun of by them. Likewise, it’s equally dreadful to be approached by them because they've more than likely selected you as their target of amusement.

It was probably what happened to me the last time I met them but Machida sent them away which was surprising, to say the least.

Sure, they had never put anyone in an extremely embarrassing situation but getting laughed at over nothing would never be pleasant. Who in their right mind would willingly volunteer as a laughingstock? Maybe those opportunists who wanted to get close to them. But even if there was one or two of them who fit the bill, no one had ever managed to enter their tightly-knit group.

That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if ever a reunion would happen in the future, everyone would pour out their grievances about their attitudes during middle school.

As I was pretty detached from our class back then, I also had no idea whether Machida was feeling remorseful about it or not. Maybe the latter as she's probably the type who'd think that nothing's wrong with what they were doing. They were simply having fun.

She’s not like the egotistic Saionji Azusa who was already content as long as she remained at the top of the hierarchy. That girl wouldn’t unnecessarily make fun of someone. In fact, she's more than gracious to those around her as long as they pay the price through flattery.

Uh… now, I can't help but miss that senior as well.

Anyway, if I could compare Machida to someone... She's probably closer to Aoi or the past Ohori-senpai. Just that, Machida had the backing of her group whereas Aoi and Ohori-senpai were naturals when it comes to it.

“By the way, which school are you attending, Onoda-kun?”

After a few minutes of silence, Machida once again opened her mouth. This time, it felt like she pushed her reset button and went into interrogation mode.

She's that curious about me, huh? She even disregarded how cold I was being.

“Haven't you asked the same question before?”

“Did I? I forgot. Hehe.”

Ah. Same. I also couldn't recall if she asked me about it. She did pop out from nowhere and I was also pretty indifferent to her back then.

“4th High.” Still keeping up with the act, I kept my answer short.

“Oh! That 4th High, huh? Wait. Isn't that pretty far even if it's from the same city?”

Because that's the point. I was running away to start again in a new environment. Alas, my past caught up to me.

“Not really. I'd say it's almost the same distance to your school.”

“It's not! Ah. Right. Your house is right in that direction. Silly me.”

Machida acted cutesy by sticking her tongue out. I could only see it from the corner of my eye though. Why is she like this?

“Anyhow… Why am I trying this hard to converse with you? What spell did you cast on me?”

Ah. So she also noticed how she's acting, huh?

But if it's a spell… I should consult Nina on that one.

“You tell me. I'm wondering about that too. Normally, you should've started minding your own business already.”

With a shrug, I took a glance at her and found the girl with her hand covering her mouth.

Her eyes were smiling and before long, her soft giggling began.

“This is it, Onoda-kun. The reason why you're such an enigma. You have this kind of pull that no girl can resist.”

“Don't exaggerate it.”

“But it's the truth! It's fine if you don't believe me but I bet you have plenty of girls buzzing around you. It makes me wonder if that was also the case last year. You always disappeared whenever there was no class in session.”

That's quite accurate, huh? This girl… Is she also like Nami with her superb observational skills?

In any case, it's not enough to rouse my interest.

For the next few minutes, Machida continued with her meddlesome streak to figure me out. And obviously, I kept up with my act of not entertaining her.

Ah. No. I've probably entertained her enough because I kept replying to her.

In my defense, she'll be more annoying if I let her keep buzzing at my side. Furthermore, she continued sniffing me like a bear addicted to honey.

Most passengers looked at us as though we were a couple quarreling. And with how pretty she looked, I earned the most animosity because of how cold my responses were.

But those were irrelevant. I couldn't care less about their opinion.

I was more concerned about whether I have to sit through this train ride with the girl on my side or not.

With my station coming up next, that seemed to be the case now.

“Oh! I'm getting off at the next station. That's also your stop, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Great! Help guide me somewhere, Onoda-kun.”

“I refuse.”

“Come on. It's close to your neighborhood. You're the best person to have as a guide.”

“I'm busy.”

“Boo. Help out this lady in distress.”

“You look plenty capable to me. Besides, you're going somewhere. I don't know if it's a date or not but shouldn't you know the place already? Machida… once again, take a hint.”

Although my tone remained the same, I raised my volume a little to hammer it to her that I had no plans of following her whims.

And sure enough, it was effective. Machida frowned in frustration. She already tried everything she could think of but it was no use to me.

“Unbelievable. You're too tough to crack. What are you made of? Diamond?”

“Guess.”

“Argh… I'll stick to you regardless. I'll even follow you home until you agree to walk me somewhere.”

This girl… She's really too persistent. Should I have just scared her by being overly touchy? Nah. That's probably what she's aiming for. Even if on the off chance that I'm wrong, I should stop acting that way to other girls… I mean, it all turned out the same, after all. They all became drawn to me…

“Sure, be my guest. You can ask Akane instead. But I doubt she'll give you her time of the day.”

“W-what? Do you live with her?”

“Yes, so?”

“... A married couple. What a scoop.”

“Isn't that old news already?”

“It's only a rumor but you're confirming it now. Wow.”

With our topic diverting in that direction, Machida reacted the way I expected her to. She's fascinated by the discovery.

However, whether that's enough to shake her off my back or not, it's still up in the air.