Chapter 103: Sakuma's Suspicion

I left that clubroom after that and well, I didn't take another look at what's happening at the other room where Nami and Ogawa are. It's still only the first act and there will be more in the following days. For the time being, I have to manage my time.

Yae already sent me a message that she'll be waiting for me at my house. I informed Akane about her arrival. Her answer was positive but I know she will be pouting again later.

That Yae. She will find Miwa-nee there, I wonder what will happen. I haven't told her about what happened yet.

Ah. Let's not think about it. I'll go home soon, I'll worry about it later.

Where should I go now though? Kana was still at their clubroom, should I try visiting her?

Ah. Not today. 

I guess I'll take a walk for now.

Leaving the Club Building I wandered around the school and my feet led me to the Gymnasium, I could hear sounds of dribbling from inside, the practice for Basketball Club was still ongoing.

I wanted to take a look at Satsuki if she's doing well, I couldn't help but be worried about her.

I was about to push the door to the Gymnasium open when someone called out to me.

"Onoda?"

Hearing that voice, I looked back and saw Sakuma who's still in his practice uniform. He was catching his breath, looks like he ran from his club to here. Did he saw me walking towards here or it's just a coincidence that he chose to go here at this time?

And what's he doing here? Doesn't he have his own practice?

It's easy to guess why he is here anyway. To look for Satsuki. This guy...

"Yo. What brings you here? Your practice ended?"

I turned around and asked him.

"Not yet, I just want to look at Maemura. What about you? Why are you here?"

He answered but yeah his tone sounds like someone suspicious about something. This guy. Should I just come out about what relationship I have with Satsuki?

That sounds like a good idea to stop him but it's not the time yet. Maybe after I completely took his place in Satsuki's heart.

"I still can't decide on which club I want to join, I've already toured every cultural club so now I'm trying to see the Basketball Club."

I answered him and it's partly true, I don't want to join this club though. I just really want to see that girl.

"Hmm. Are you sure you're not here for Maemura?"

Still with the same tone, Sakuma asked.

Err... Isn't that obvious? Of course I am here for her. I am even hoping of pulling her out for a few minutes to continue what we're about to do earlier.

"She's part of the reason why I choose to go here, actually. Afterwards, I'll visit your club."

Using that excuse, I answered him with a straight face but it seems to have no effect on him.

"Man, that sounds like an excuse. Tell me honestly, Onoda. What are you to her?"

He didn't buy the excuse and his question was slowly turning to confirm his possible suspicion.

Err... I'm the man who took her virginity. He'll surely be speechless if he heard these words from me.

"Why? Don't tell me… Are you jealous of me, Sakuma?"

"No. I just noticed that you two were too close these days. She even called you to her house."

Was that the only thing he noticed? Ah. Let's answer him with half-truths. This guy is clearly jealous of me, just from his acts and the way he questioned me, it's clearly like that.

"Ah. I see. That thing still haunts your mind. You already know I'm helping Maemura. If I tell you that she asked me to come again this Sunday, what will you think?"

This answer will surely rile him up. He will imagine what really went on between me and Satsuki.

"That… you two are hiding something from me."

He paused a bit before finishing his answer. Looks like he imagined what really happened.

"Haa. This guy. Come on, let's talk."

I slung my arm over his shoulder and pulled him away from the Gymnasium.

"Huh? Why?"

Even if he was confused, he couldn't do anything but get dragged by me.

This guy. I have to somehow clear up his suspicion about us, that way, I can ask him about their past.

"Just come with me. Isn't it bad to stand in front of the Gymnasium just to talk?"

"Alright."

He looked reluctant but I didn't give him much of a choice anyway, so in the end he could only give up and be dragged away by me.

I brought him away to where we can talk alone. Well, I want to pry out the information about their past from him. It's better for me to hear his side first before hearing Satsuki's.

"About what I asked you earlier, it's true, Maemura told me to come again this Sunday. Do you know the reason?"

I told him truthfully when we settled somewhere far from the Gymnasium.

"How can I know?"

He's still wary of me but since I keep giving him information like this, it lowered now. Maybe he has some other thoughts inside his mind but I will keep feeding him half-truths until he became convinced again.

"It's about your past. I kept asking her about it to better help you two and she told me she will tell me this Sunday."

Well, my goal now is not to help them. Their past was not simple, for it to last this long before he made up his mind. What did he do or what really happened that he couldn't make up his mind to go to her house and resolve it once and for all?

"I see. But Onoda, yesterday, before the lunchbreak ends, you're together, right? I saw you chasing after her from the door."

Ah. This was why he became suspicious. He saw me chasing after her. I should've noticed. Aya saw me yesterday, so the possibility of him seeing me as well was high.

That's probably the reason why we heard him outside.

Ah. That made me remember the tightness of Satsuki's insides when she heard his voice. Damn, my desire to have her again got ignited.

"Yes. We were together."

There's no point lying about it when he explicitly told me this. Why didn't he say something like this yesterday, anyway? Was he hoping he could catch us in our lie?

"What did the two of you do together?"

Err... I confessed to her and poured my love for her, in the form of white seed.

"Sorry, Sakuma. I can't tell you. I promised Maemura. I even lied yesterday when you asked, remember? This is the reason."

How can I tell him what we did? He'll probably break down if he found out we had sex in school. Not just once but twice.

"Can I trust you on this, Onoda?"

You can't, of course. I already stole her from you. Sorry but I won't give her back again.

"Well, I won't tell you to trust me completely. Unless Maemura gives me permission to tell you, you won't know what happened."

It doesn't matter if he picks up the hint. At least I'm not lying to him with this. Only, I'm not giving him the whole truth.

"Alright. If you say it like that, I have no choice but to accept it."

Now he's back to his normal self. Did it work? I don't know and I don't care. Even if he suspected us, he wouldn't know the truth unless he caught us in the act.

Satsuki is mine now. I won't give her to him.

"Alright, I'll get going then. Since you already caught me trying to see Maemura, I'll come clean. It's a lie when I say I'll check out her club. I still hate athletic clubs."

I patted his shoulder just like how he did it earlier.

"Man, I know you only made an excuse. Did Maemura call you here?"

This guy is growing sharper by the day. Well, he might be getting closer to the truth but he won't be able to reach it.

"No. She seems down earlier so I'm going to see if she's fine now."

"I guess we have the same reason for trying to see her."

So he also noticed her condition earlier but it was too bad for him. Satsuki turned to me and not him.

"Then I'll entrust it to you, Sakuma."

I stood up and acted like I'm going to leave.

Seeing Satsuki right now won't do us any good so I turned my focus to letting this guy spill some beans for me.

"Thanks. Ah. Wait Onoda. Do you really want to know?"

He thanked me and stopped me from leaving with that question.

Finally. I got him to trust me again.

Ah. Maybe this isn't trust. Who knows what's going on in his mind right now? Hemight be willing to tell me their past now but he will surely withhold a lot of information.

"I know this sounds intrusive but I'm honestly really curious about it. If not for my constant pestering, Maemura won't agree to tell me. What really happened between the two of you?"

Will their stories be different from each other? What was that thing that he did that he became too afraid to resolve for the past years? If he really likes her, why stall it this long when he could literally walk in through their door and talk to her about it?

"It's a bit complicated Onoda. And it's not something we can just talk about. Even until today only those involved knew about it."

Tsk. So he will back out again.

"Haa. Alright, I wanted to hear your side as well but I guess I'll just hear it from Maemura."

I put on a disappointed face and sighed.

"If I tell you, can you promise me you won't tell anyone else?"

Who would want to know about it anyway?

"Of course. I'm a keeper of secrets, you know? If you haven't asked, I have a ton of secrets that were sealed in my mouth."

Well, it's all about the secrets about myself and all of my girls. Those counts, right?

"Keeper of secrets eh? But you're pretty honest with me."

He teased.

If I'm completely honest, you won't be able to tease like that, you know?

"Well, it's you and it's not like I told you everything. Only within the acceptable range."

"Ah. You're right. I'll tell you some of it, keep this a secret, alright?"

Alright, I'll settle for 'some of it'. It's better than nothing.

"That's great. Then let me buy you a drink. "

I immediately went to the nearest vending machine. It's to make sure he won't make the excuse of having his throat dry to run away. I'll listen and pry the information out of his mouth.

"This guy. Alright, listen. When I reached the 6th grade, our family moved here from the countryside. During that time, I was sent to the Maemura's to live there for a while."

He took the canned soda I bought for him and started his story.

"Eh? So your families are close friends?"

He really lived with her before. Maybe that's when she developed that deep love of hers. But 6th grade really? What will be that impactful to let it seep deep inside her?

"You could say that. My father is a junior of Maemura's father, so my father asked for a favor from her father."

He continued his story. And this time, I only waited for his next words.

"During the time I was living there, I got to know Maemura, due to her height which was taller than most boys around the neighborhood or class, she was often teased or bullied by others about it and that always leads to her getting into a fight with anyone."

"Wait, Sakuma. Are you sure it's fine for you to tell me your whole story with her? Or is this included to that 'some of it'?"

I stopped him and he scratched his head upon the realization.

This idiot. But that's a great piece of information. I can infer some things with that. Since they were living under the same roof, the two grew close to each other.

But that's not enough to explain why she came to love him. There's possibly an event that led to that.