Stealing Spree
chapter-2013

Upon exiting the station, Umi and I continued walking hand-in-hand while Sumire kept glancing back at us from time to time.

She clearly wanted to return to my side and get the same treatment. However, she also had this stubborn bone in her that didn't want to admit being embarrassed.

Umi couldn't help but whisper at each other, discussing her friend's behavior. Just like she said, she'd never acted this way before.

But then again, it must have been because Sumire had never liked anyone before. Apparently, she never had a crush on someone. She's the athletic girl who loves to listen to music and has no time to care about boys.

Although she's great at socializing and has been pretty well-liked by her seniors, no one has yet to truly catch her fancy. Until she met me, I guess?

If there's one then it's her quick idolization of Yue a.k.a. Mabushisa Asahi who's also a girl like her.

Anyway, Umi also honestly admitted that she had crushes before but kept it to herself since she was not interested in getting a boyfriend. It's enough for her to admire someone from afar. Not to mention, she's timid and soft-spoken to boot.

She was also uncomfortable when we first met. I mean, it was mostly Sumire who approached a stranger like me on the train. But after getting to know me, she gradually finds it comforting to be in my presence.

I don't know what she exactly meant by that, honestly. Nevertheless, I patted her head again to show my appreciation.

Our conversation came to a stop right there because we soon entered a shopping district that was part of the route to their house.

There were more people out and about so for Umi's sake, we let go of each other's hand.

With her personality, she's still not at a level where she can ignore the doubtful stares of strangers.

It's better like this than making her uncomfortable.

In any case, since there was more foot traffic here, we caught up with Sumire who seemed to stop before a certain sports shop. Her eyes seemingly homed into one of the products on display.

I followed her gaze and saw that she was staring at the pair of a softball bat and gloves on display.

It's probably branded and expensive for it to be showcased like that. Upon glimpsing at the price tag, it's close to what I earned from Ichihara Jun's hired delinquents.

For a middle school girl like Sumire, it will take her a month or two of not spending her allowance before she can afford it.

"Mhm. When is your birthday, Sumire?"

"Eh? What? Why are you asking?"

"Maybe I will surprise you with something?"

"That... Don't tell me... No! I'm not thinking of buying that! I'm satisfied with the regular ones." With her eyes shining from realization, the girl tried to clarify in panic.

I guess I'm being obvious with my intention, huh? Besides, it's probably going to trouble her more if I do get it for her.

It's the same kind of troubled feelings I was getting whenever my girls with rich backgrounds tried to gift me with expensive things. For example, the condominium unit that Mizuki signed to my name.

"Is that so? Then let's go in. I'll buy you one right now."

"Wait. Senpai. You don't have to. And my birthday is still months away!"

"It's fine. I've already decided. Treat it as my congratulatory gift for you becoming the 4th batter."

Why wait for her birthday when there's already a cause for celebration?

Even though their next competition would probably start during summer vacation, she might as well get new gear for her training.

It will also aid her in overcoming the incident today that relates to the sport itself.

"... Umi. Senpai is not listening to me. Help."

Sensing that I wasn't going to back down no matter what she said, Sumire turned to her friend for assistance.

Unfortunately for her Umi was already on my ally in this regard

"I don't think I can help out. Ruki-senpai looks determined. Just accept it, Sumire."

"Hear that? I'm glad Umi understands me well."

Once again, I dotingly patted Umi's head before pulling Sumire into the shop.

Five minutes later, we stepped out of it with Sumire already holding onto the bag containing the new bat that I had her picked.

It's considerably cheaper than the one on display. She tried to pick the cheapest one but even a layman like me knows to check for quality so she eventually gave up and turned to a decent yet budget-friendly brand. It's also the shop's best selling so I got a discount when I bought her a pair of gloves to pair with it.

"Unbelievable... How can I continue sulking if you're being this good to me, senpai?"

"Give up and just allow this handsome senior of yours to pamper you."

"Ugh. You win this time!"

Although she sounded like she was forcing herself to give up, the girl's subsequent laughter reflected her current state. Jubilant.

After this, we continued on our way with Sumire taking my other side.

We also stopped by a stationery shop where I bought Umi a small gift too in the form of a set of pens. I couldn't splurge this time since there's no excuse to use. Nevertheless, Umi appreciated it a lot since she picked it herself after we circled the shop.

Then before leaving the shopping district and continuing to their neighborhood where we had to part ways, we bought some snacks to eat while walking.

We stopped by a park to finish them and the two tried to contest on who would feed me. In the end, I took a bite of what they were eating before letting them do the same on mine.

Just like this, this short detour out of my original destination ended up being a moment that I spent with my lovely juniors.

When it was time for us to get up and continue on our way, Umi asked me to hug her.

I naturally granted that even hugging her from behind and cuddling her while we sat on that bench.

As for Sumire, the girl pulled me somewhere obscure or out of the public eye before asking for the same treatment.

I guess when it comes to these things, she's more reserved than Umi.

"Do you think Umi won't know what we're doing here?" I teasingly asked Sumire as she slowly settled in my embrace.

She's almost a head shorter than me so her default was to bury her face on my neck and rub her nose on it.

My scent must also be calming for her because after sniffing me once, her breathing stabilized and she became more relaxed while enjoying this moment.

Her figure was probably on the smaller side but she's still developing. Who knows? Her figure might be more like Satsuki's after her muscles continued to develop from relentless practice.

"How can she not? We... We were talking about you a lot, senpai. We're trying to understand why you find us precious when you have all the other senior girls around like Chii-

chan-senpai..."

Instead of playing into my teasing, the girl's answer was more in serious territory.

Looks like my influence was really getting to them, huh? But that's to be expected after what happened. It's great to hear that they're thinking about this a lot. Their actions were surely the result of looking into what they eventually decided to do regarding my enigmatic way of catching them in my net.

"I'll be honest with you. I simply adore you both a lot and that's enough for me to find you precious. As you already know, I'm not your typical senior."

Sumire raised her gaze to stare at my face. From her bright eyes, I could see a lot of things that she couldn't really put into words. For example, she's probably wondering why she's drawn to me.

I don't really have an answer to that so I can only do what I do best. Dote on her.

I put on a smile and started caressing her face.

Little by little, an enchanting smile also peeked from her lips as she shyly whispered, "I'm glad I talked to you on the train back then, senpai..."

A simple sentence but it contained most of her feelings for me.

If Asahi became her idol when it comes to her songs. I probably became the closest she could have to a figure she looked up to. It's not so close to being loved yet but she loves the feeling of being appreciated by me.

"Me too." I kissed her forehead and continued with a playful, "Next time, I'll bring you and Umi with me to see Asahi. I'm sure you three will be thrilled to meet each other."

Upon hearing that, Sumire's eyes widened as though she just heard something unbelievable. But then, her face became beet red, perhaps because of the kiss on her forehead.