Stealing Spree

As they say, time quickly passes when you’re having fun. Before Nami and I could notice, it was already close to five in the afternoon when we called it a day at the karaoke booth.

Spending almost an hour there, the two of us thoroughly enjoyed it. Obviously, it’s impossible to get too intimate there. Unlike the karaoke places that had private rooms, the booths in the arcade were small enough to be considered a room.

Hell, it was even impossible for us to stretch our legs inside if we sat down normally. Due to that, we opted to just make use of one side, lifting our legs to occupy it completely.

During our talk and the following singing session, my back was against the corner of the booth while Nami leaned against my chest. She squeezed between my open legs to get her place as close to me as possible. And there, I held her as tight as I could, sharing a kiss whenever the moment felt right.

Upon leaving the arcade, Nami told me that we had one last stop for this day. Based on how delighted she appeared when I showed her some of the photos Koizumi-san took earlier, I instantly understood where she planned on taking me.

To the Purikura or the photo sticker booth where we could print this memory in a tangible form. For her, this short date might’ve been unplanned but given how rare it was for us to be alone together, she – and perhaps all of my girls – would always treasure this kind of moment.

“Un. These turned out nice… Look, Ruu. You’re really handsome here. No wonder you’re being scouted to be a model.”

“Alright. That’s the fifth time you said that and we’re not even close to the exit yet.” I helplessly replied as I glanced at the girl giggling happily and full of affection.

Ever since picking that up from the booth, she somewhat became similar to Koizumi-san in her nonstop compliments. Even now, Nami’s eyes never left the photo stickers on her hand. If not for me holding her hand and guiding her every step, she’d probably tripped three times by now.

“Heh… Is my handsome boyfriend embarrassed? Too bad, you can’t fault me when I’m just telling the truth.”

“True. I can’t fault you. However, Nami, have you forgotten? I can do the same. Watch.”

Grabbing the photos from her hands, I began intentionally talking loudly, getting the attention of every person around us.

“Oh, wow! This is superb! You’re too beautiful here, Nami. Hey, hey, onee-san, onii-san. Can you look at this? Isn’t my girlfriend too perfect to be called simply as beautiful?”

Upon picking out the people that looked rather interested, I started approaching them one by one to shamelessly ask for their opinion.

Yeah, I won’t just compliment her with my words, I’ll be getting the agreement of everyone around us.

And I wasn’t disappointed. As soon as they glanced at the photos, they could only agree with me, especially when they got a glimpse of Nami at my side.

Repeating that a few times even if some got weirded out by me, the girl at my side was thoroughly defeated. Furthermore, not knowing what to say to the endless compliments from those agreeing with me, she became utterly flustered.

In the end, all the girl could do to retaliate was pinch my sides while hiding her face from plain sight.

That continued until we reached outside. By then, Nami grumpily bit my neck as her puny form of revenge.

“You’re too shameless to be defeated, idiot Ruu.”

“Mhm. I know. I won’t be able to steal you otherwise.”

“There you go again. You made me fall in love with you!.” She rebutted before taking the photos back from my hands.

After staring at it for the last time today, she quickly stored them in her bag before hugging my arm again as we continued on our way.

“Anyway, Ruu. Aren’t you also going to accompany Yua tomorrow? Won’t you be scouted by her agency as well?”

Huh? Why does she sound so certain there?

“Why will they scout me? Koizumi-san is one thing but I doubt everyone will think I’m that photogenic. It’s enough that I watch her.”

“Sure, sure. Even after everything that happened, you’re still not convinced with your appeal, huh?” Nami sarcastically answered.

Well, I was just trying to be a little reserved. It’s all too surreal, after all. In any case, if that truly happened tomorrow then… I will be dealing with it as I see fit.

“Mhm. I mean, Ogawa is still more handsome than me, right?”

“Idiot Ruu. It’s not just about being handsome. Didn’t Koizumi-san explain that to you? You are more charismatic than any of the boys in our school or even everyone close to our age. You know, I can’t help but feel a little excited at the possibility that I’ll be able to see your face in a magazine.”

“… You’ll feel proud?”

“Yes! That’s the word! I’ll be very proud of my handsome boyfriend. Heh, but it’s still your decision. You’re trying out a lot for your career. Just know that no matter what happens, I’ll be supporting you.”

“Thank you. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, hmm? We’ll see how it goes.”

I said I was open to other possibilities anyway. Whether it’s through the bet with Koizumi-san or tomorrow at Yua’s modeling work, it didn’t matter. For sure, Yua would also encourage me if it happened in front of her.

“That’s the spirit!” Nami energetically remarked, tapping my back as though she was channeling courage and determination into me.

A few minutes later, we soon reached the bus stop. I escorted Nami inside before going back down to watch the bus go.

It’s a short date. But it’s certainly memorable. I mean, I also have half of the photo stickers in my pockets. The same as Nami, I’ll keep them as another record of this day.

Following this, I went back to the mall to pick up the belongings that I stored in the locker before leaving again to finally meet the one I was waiting for.

Ten minutes later, I watched as a speeding car screeched to a halt in front of me. Without needing to check the driver, I opened the door and entered it.

Not waiting for my butt to settle on the seat, the driver lunged her arms towards me, followed by her words of apology, “… I kept you waiting, Ru-kun. I’m sorry.”

Ayu was still wearing a training outfit; a jacket on top of a sports bra as well as breathable pants that covered up to her calf. Her face was devoid of makeup. Furthermore, I could see hints of exhaustion as well as desperation in it. Her hair was still a little disheveled, she probably only combed it once and tied it to her back hurriedly to not get in the way of her driving.

In short, this woman rushed here without fixing herself up as soon as she found her window of escape.

And now, hearing her apologize to me, I couldn’t help but sigh helplessly.

Cupping her cheeks within my palm, I calmly said while staring straight into her eyes, “Ayu, do I look like I’m waiting for an apology? You kept me updated all day. That’s more than enough.”

Still looking a little unconvinced, Ayu replied, “Even so, the night’s about to fall. I’m more than four hours late…”

“So what? The most important thing here was… you arrived and you didn’t stand me up. Come on, Ayu. We’re going on a date, not an apology trip.” I said as I gently caressed her face, trying to ease her expression.

However, that’s still not enough, Ayu opened and closed her mouth a few times before staring down below as though she was ashamed to meet my gaze. “Ru-kun…”

I contemplated for a moment, thinking of a way to settle this situation. Soon enough, a smirk rose on my lips as I held her by her chin.

"Alright, Ayu. If you really want to apologize for being late... I think a kiss will be enough to write it off. What do you think?"

In cases like this, satisfying someone's need to apologize was a sure way to diffuse the situation.

Obviously, she's just too stubborn. The same as me and most of my girls.