Chapter 102: For Now

"Mori, look at me."

I reached for her hand again. That made her turn her face back to me before she pulled her hand away.

"What?"

She asked, a bit wary about what I will say.

"Can I kiss you?"

I repeated the words I once asked her.

"You…"

It immediately triggered her memory back when I asked her with those words in that empty room.

"… You can't"

And like what she did before, there's still a pause before she answered.

"You looked away again. After all the trouble I did just to give you a chance with him."

Now, I'm using the fact that I helped her get her time with Ogawa.

"I want to give him my first kiss..."

Mori muttered softly but it's enough for me to hear it.

"I see. Okay, I can wait until after you got your first kiss with him."

"Huh? I didn't tell you that I'll let you kiss me after it."

She retorted but her face turned red from the thought. This girl. How will she get her first kiss from him anyway? Steal it from him?

"Hey, I'm just trying to be optimistic. If you want, I can give it to you."

"No. You keep asking me for a kiss. Are my lips too attractive for you?"

Eh, what's this? Why is she being smug right now?

If you show me an attitude like that, I can only reciprocate, right?

"Yes, they're too attractive for me, I keep thinking about it since then. If you gave me permission back at that empty room, we might've enjoyed it together."

"You… Stop speaking about shameless things!"

Ah. That reaction. I see. She thought she would put me off from what she said.

Then let's try again.

"Aren't you curious, though? I'm trying hard to hold myself back to kiss you, Mori. Won't you give me permission for one kiss?"

I stood in front of her and leaned towards her. Our faces were just in front of each other. She pulled herself back to get away from me but I only needed to lean down to chase after her.

"Onoda, you're forcing me right now."

She put her hand to cover her face before slowly saying those words to me.

I guess she's defeated now. She won't try doing that act again. 

"Alright, I give up. Have it your way then."

I stepped away and sat at the corner of the table away from her.

Well, it's not that I'm giving up. I'm just trying another approach. This girl is too devoted to that guy. Maybe the idea for her to like another guy was buried deep inside her. If I couldn't dig into that then I'll stop wasting my time for now. I still have a lot of things to do. I better use my time wisely.

I stopped looking at her, turned my back and took out my phone. I turned it on and checked my mails and messages. There's a number of them now. Using my time to reply to these girls is better than trying to force someone.

She might be easy to coerce and she kept thinking about what I'm asking her but she's too devoted to Ogawa, it will take time to change her mind. Maybe letting her off for now will be good in the future.

I could feel that Mori stayed at where she was. As to what she was thinking or doing, I don't know.

I messaged Kana to wait for me at the school gates or maybe in front of the Club Building. I'll walk with her and spend time with her today. I really miss her.

She immediately replied and soon we kept mailing each other that I literally forgot for a moment that Mori was here with me. It was that enjoyable to talk with Kana.

Should I just join the Literature Club to mess with that Kenji? He's the only guy there and it looks like he's having a harem but yeah everyone in there was already marked by me. Kana is already mine, Fujii is also on its way, Otsuka-senpai, the curious girl won't be able to contain her curiosity soon and lastly, Ishida-senpai, if I'm guessing right then she's infatuated to Kenji but since he's Kana's boyfriend she was holding herself back. It will be a good idea to steal her as well.

It was exactly at the moment when Kana excused herself before I heard Mori's voice, calling out my name.

I turned around and saw her looking at me, still sitting there.

"Onoda…"

She didn't move from where she was. Did she use the time to think things through?

"What is it?"

I asked her to confirm.

"N-nothing."

She stuttered. I guess she just felt uncomfortable from the sudden silence. She still hasn't made up her mind.

"I see. I'm leaving then."

I stood up and turned towards the door. I'm really just wasting my time by staying here.

We might have that deal where she will be mine during the swap but her head is still full of Ogawa. The deal was pretty useless at this point.

"Wait."

"What? Isn't this what you wanted? I'm giving up, Mori. The deal between us. Let's scrap that."

I turned back to look at her and saw her staring at me.

I don't know what she's thinking but she didn't have any reaction to what I said.

"I thought you wanted me. That's what you told me back in that empty room. Now you told me you like me. Which of the two was the lie?"

I see. So that's what she was thinking about.

"Look, I do and still want you. I just realized that they're the same. Mori, I like you. I really do."

I answered her truthfully. It might just be my desire back then but I realized that my desire wasn't just about stealing someone from another.

And that 'want' was just a convenient word to use when I still hadn't remembered those emotions. Everyone who became my target was someone I really came to like. The reason might be too shallow but that's my desire which shaped me to become like this. Now that I control this desire, I can stop it anytime but that doesn't mean I will stop at stealing someone or should I call it liking someone else now?

I just have a clear view of what my desire truly is.

Nami, Himeko, Shio and Miwa-nee, I don't want to stop at trying to steal them. But my other targets such as Mori and Kanzaki or even Haruko's other lovers, if they really don't like me to steal them then I'll stop. For now.

Yes. For now. The changes that happened to me cleared the fog that's covering this desire but I still need to satisfy it.

"I see but you also like Nanami, right?"

"Yes. I'm not like Ogawa who can only like and be devoted to only one. So there's that. You can choose whether you still want me around to try and get you to like me or have me stop pursuing you."

I'm giving her a choice. It all depends on her now.

"Nanami. Did she know about this?"

Mori asked. I guess she's also curious why I'm still pursuing Nami when she already accepted Ogawa.

"Yes. She knew and it did bother her but she still needs me for our act."

I answered her.

I still need to think whether to tell Nami about my past. She wanted to know but I'm afraid that she'll hate the things I did. There's not only blackmailing and I'm still keeping those videos and pictures I took.

"She's my bestfriend and my rival to Kazuo. I knew all this time that I couldn't beat her. Even with my schemes and this deal we agreed upon. Now she's his girlfriend while still having you at her side."

Ah. She's probably wondering why Nami was letting me pursue her when she already has Ogawa. Will she confront her about this?

"I'll steal her from him soon. You see, I'm not fond of sharing the girl I like with another guy."

I told my girls from before to keep their relationships but yeah, I forbid them to have any physical contact with their boyfriend.

Well, I'm sure some of them broke it since my eyes weren't always with them.

"You're not normal, Onoda. Why do you like us anyway? No, even if it's just me. Why do you like me?"

Mori asked again, I guess I'll answer everything I can answer for now. I'm letting her choose. She needs to hear this as well after all.

"Do you want me to give you an honest answer or a beautiful lie?"

"Let's see. Let me hear the beautiful lie first."

"So, you can be playful like this as well. I like you because of how devoted you are to the guy you like. If that turned to me, then I will surely not let that go to waste."

"You… Alright. What about the honest answer?"

She was embarrassed by that beautiful lie. Well, it's not really a lie but that's not my real reason for liking her.

"It's because I have this desire to steal you away from Ogawa. That simple."

"Eh? Steal me from him? I'm not his girl..."

Mori was taken aback from my answer.

"I know but you like him. If you turn that liking to me, isn't that me stealing you from him?"

I smiled at her and took a seat next to her. It's kinda tiring standing in front of her.

She didn't mind it and just continued asking me her questions.

"Do you hate Kazuo? Is that why you're doing this?"

Ah. Right. From her perspective, it might be interpreted like that.

"No, I don't hate him at all. This is just my desire. Well, it now has a lot of meanings and it won't be easily understood even if I explain it to you. So, Mori, I won't make it hard for you. I like you, this won't change. But if you want me to stop, then I will."

I hate his character type though. The indecisiveness and denseness, well it's better for me if he stays like that. He has his own harem that I could steal in the future after all. My desire will truly be satisfied if I successfully took away all of them.

"Why does it sound like you're giving up easily?"

She turned to me and her questioning eyes were fixed on me.

Whatever it is in her mind, I can guess. She thinks my feelings for her are so shallow that I can easily give it up.

"Because that's really how it is, I can give up easily if you want me to stop but if you choose to give me a chance, I'll make you mine and won't let your feelings go to waste."

With all of these questions from her. I already have an idea of what she will choose.

"It's not like I haven't been confessed to before but Onoda, you're different. No. You're almost an anomaly. Telling me all this and I can see that you're saying that in all honesty. If only Kazuo can be like you…"

Anomaly eh? Well, he won't be Kazuo if he became like me. Look at him, he still couldn't hold Nami's hand even if he was envious when he was looking at us back in their clubroom.

"Well, I could still lie just to get someone before but now, I will be honest with my feelings."

This is one of the things that changed. I will be honest with them now. Well, only to the girls I like of course. The number of relationships I have is not normal after all. If someone else knew about this not only will I be condemned, they will all be implicated.

"I'm sorry Onoda. Right now, I can only see him, even if he doesn't like me."

Finally, Mori made her choice. She's still too devoted to him.

Ah. I was already expecting this. I guess it's better this way, let her see the guy he likes to be all over another girl. Surely, she will be frustrated soon.

"Alright, I'll stop trying to steal you, Mori. You'll still have your time with him, don't worry."

I smiled at her and stood up. Well, let's just say that's my gift to her. That's her chance to make the guy she likes to look at her.

Stealing her later will be more satisfying for my desire if she succeeded. It will also help me get Nami for myself if Ogawa becomes too distracted to Mori and his other harem members who will surely compete for his attention now that their strongest rival has got herself a guy.

Don't change Ogawa. I'm rooting for you to stay as you are.

"Thank you, Onoda."

Mori honestly thanked me. If she knew I only postponed it, I wonder what she would think about it?

Well, I told her that my feelings won't change. Maybe it will also chip away at her resistance every time she remembers it.