Stealing Spree

Like I promised, I waited until Mina returned before departing. Seeing her mother peacefully sleeping in her room, I got nagged at by her for exhausting her again.

Well, what can I say? Yayoi-san was just as irresistible as Mina was. I was more impressed that the girl hadn't passed out yet. After all, I also made sure to satisfy her as much as I could earlier.

Anyway, before leaving, she complimented my trimmed haircut, saying I looked cleaner and more handsome with it.

Before I could reply, she already disappeared to her mother's room, hiding her embarrassed face from me.

Because of that, I could only quietly bid farewell to her.

With my next destination set, I took my time checking on the other girls.

My original plan of going to the hotel was moved to tomorrow but despite that, Himeko and Maaya were sending me updates on how hectic it had become for them.

That's why on my way to pick up Yuika-senpai, I spent it talking to them; comforting Himeko and teasing Maaya.

If that's enough to distract them with how tiring the day was, then it's worth the effort.

By the time I reached the place Yuika-senpai set, the time was already close to two o'clock in the afternoon. Orimura-sensei's special swimming class for her is at three o'clock and it will be for an hour.

When I asked Yuika-senpai if Minori-senpai would join us today, she said she opted out for next time instead. Which means... she'd be meeting me alone.

It made me a little worried if she'd be comfortable with just me but considering everything that happened between us, she, more or less, warmed up to me already.

Amidst the bustling street, near the city center, the place Yuika-senpai designated for our rendezvous was unexpectedly crowded.

As I approached, I couldn't help but frown upon spotting her. At the moment, she was surrounded by a group of overzealous boys. Most of them weren't even of our age but because of her simple yet alluring outfit that accentuated her curves, it made her the center of attention.

Judging from experience, they found her an easy target while she was waiting for me there.

Really, there's no shortage of nerve with some guys. I mean, here's Yuika-senpai, dressed in something that could only be described as 'casual but still hot', and they swarm around her like bees to a flower in bloom. The sun was high in the sky, casting a gentle glow on her skin that made her look like a goddess among mere mortals. And these boys, with their oversized smiles and sweaty foreheads, think they stand a chance?

Not counting the fact that she's afraid of men and wishes not to associate with anyone because of her trauma, the girl was naturally unable to extricate herself from the situation.

That's why I didn't dally any longer. I strode through the crowd, my eyes locked on her like a homing beacon as I made my way over. The closer I got, the more my irritation grew.

Should I give them a lesson before we leave? Nah... What's important was to bring her out of that situation as soon as possible. Yuika-senpai decided to open up to me, trust me.

It's now my responsibility to extract her from this awkward situation without causing a scene and protect her.

As I approached, I could see the tension in her eyes with the way she clutched her bag tightly to her chest and the panic-stricken shake of her head when they asked for her name.

I confidently strode in, crashing against one of them, pushing them out of the way while pivoting my foot to trip another guy before saying, "Yuika-senpai, am I late?"

As those words left my mouth, the four idiots toppled over on top of each other like dominoes, their smirks replaced with looks of shock and indignation. I didn't bother to check if they were alright; I simply looked down on them with an intimidating expression that told them to stay down.

Of course, they wouldn't just accept it and slink away like whipped puppies. One of the boys, a little taller than the rest and obviously the leader of the pack, straightened himself out and glared at me.

At this point, I was already holding Yuika-senpai's hand, calming down the fear that spread throughout her body.

I ignored the dude and checked on her before whispering, "I'm sorry I'm late, senpai. You can relax now. No one can bother you anymore."

Yuika-senpai nodded, her grip on my hand tightening. She was visibly shaking, and it took a few seconds before she could speak up, "It's okay, Onoda-kun... Thank you."

"Alright. Stay behind me. Let me settle this first." I whispered back to her, turning to face the boy who had the audacity to glare at me.

As always, someone as overconfident as this dude would do something as openly as harassing someone on the street. And that's the same for the other three who were already standing up.

"Who the hell do you think you are, man?!" The leader yelled, pointing a finger at me.

"I'm her boyfriend. Got a problem with that?"

I naturally lied but still, it's probably not wrong to call myself like that.

And sensing how Yuika-senpai reacted to it, it seems she didn't disagree with that title. Or maybe she just didn't know how to react.

In any case, the leader didn't seem to care about our supposed relationship status and took a step closer, his chest puffed out like a peacock in mating season. "You're not fooling us. No way a girl like her would go out with a wimp like you. She's obviously just playing hard to get!"

How delusional could these boys be? I couldn't help but chuckle internally at the leader's bravado. I took a step forward, my expression unchanging as I met his gaze.

"A wimp, huh? Do you want to try me? This time, you won't just topple over." I said with a smirk, my voice calm but firm.

Since we were gathering attention from the passersby, I decided to wrap this up quickly. I lowered my voice and said in a colder tone, "Look, I don't want to cause a scene, but if you don't leave us alone now, things are going to get messy. You don't want to be that guy who got his ass kicked by a 'wimp' in public, right?"

Was that effective? Obviously not. With four of them here, they thought they had this in the big. And as someone who foiled their plans, they had to assert their 'alpha male' status. But I've dealt with guys like this countless times before.

Taking them down was easy. I just need them to throw the first punch.

The leader took the bait, lunging at me with a wild swing. I stepped aside, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it, making him yelp in pain. With a swift move, I pushed him to the ground and stepped on his hand, making him howl. The other three looked at their leader's predicament but they charged in any way, fueled by their bruised egos and misplaced sense of loyalty.

They were sloppy, telegraphing their moves with exaggerated windups. I dodged one punch, and delivered a swift kick to another's stomach, making him crumble to the ground. The third tried to tackle me, but I sidestepped and sent him flying into a nearby trash can. The sound of the collision was music to my ears.

That's quite out of the movie, no?

As for the last one, upon seeing how the passersby had already taken their phones and started recording, he only hesitated once before running away. Coward.

Without giving the groaning idiots on the ground another glance, I turned to check on Yuika-senpai, held her hand and led her away from the scene.

"I apologize, senpai. I should've been the one waiting at that location, not you. I put you in such a predicament. Who knows what would happen if I was any more late."

Yuika-senpai looked up at me and stepped a bit closer, letting our shoulders touch as we walked, "D-don't be... I should've learned how to reject them but... I got scared."

"It's not your fault, senpai. They're the ones who should learn to take 'no' for an answer," I said reassuringly, squeezing her hand gently. "Wanna take a rest somewhere first?"

Yuika-senpai nodded. Her eyes reflected how much she trusted me.

I couldn't help but feel a newfound sense of protectiveness towards this girl.

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