Chapter 220: Wonder

Every school will always have a few or a group of problem students giving headaches to the faculty or the whole school administration. There was one in my middle school. I didn't have any direct contact with them but I was once targeted by them because I was seen with the girlfriend of one of their leaders.

Of course, that girl was someone I successfully stole and they never found out about it.

When they targeted me, I hadn't started to work on the girl yet. They took me to the roof and they tried to scare me off thinking I am one of the timid boys.

If I remember correctly, I was about to act like how they perceived me but I changed my mind halfway. As for the reason. It was because one of them mentioned Akane and how they would mess with her. Later that day, I waited for them outside the school.

The next day after that, the delinquent group started distancing themselves away from me.

Now that I think about it, I got triggered when they mentioned Akane back then but I continued ignoring her. Despite telling her to get herself a boyfriend, I was probably also preventing that to happen, unconsciously. There was also that time when some boys in class got curious and asked me about her. However, I shut all of them down. Not even thinking of introducing them to her.

Ugh. I could only remember that now, eh? 

"Currently, the leader of the group is Araya-senpai. He's a 3rd-year and is a known delinquent since middle school.

Izumi-senpai started. She is someone too mild for being a delinquent or maybe I still haven't seen that side of hers fully. She's like a different person when she's around Ogawa after all.

"So he's the boss of every delinquent in school?"

I still have no idea how the power structure is. If Fukuda is someone near the bottom then he's out of luck.

Haa... Why did he have to become like a fool to Chii? That girl was now trying to help him when the possibility of him acting it out was high.

"You could say that. I'm not always hanging out with them but their group could be pretty scary."

I also wonder how you are still in that group when you're always at your club. There's even that 2nd-year chasing after you. Maybe that's not the only one? She has the habit of skipping class if she's bored after all. And Arisa-senpai won't be there with her.

"How scary? What's the worst thing that they did?"

I can't be too confident. I'm in high school now. Sometimes most of those who will turn delinquent are those who have a background in sport. It's not that I'm afraid of them, I'm still worried about implicating my girls.

"There's that rumor where they fought college students because of a girl. They also often pick on pushovers turning them to their errand boys."

Typical eh? That's not noteworthy, to say the least.

Well, it's all according to what Izumi-senpai heard anyway.

"I see. What about you, senpai? Are they not messing with you? Remember that day where I thought you're smoking? I saw you with a 2nd-year."

When I mentioned that, Izumi-senpai facepalmed and turned her head away.

"Forget about that. That guy wanted me to be his girl. I'm using him for my convenience."

Convenience, eh? He called himself her dog. I wonder what kind of convenience he was providing?

"What if that guy snapped, senpai? Will you be fine?"

Even if he's obedient to her now, he's bossy when it comes to his underclassmen. Is he really like Fukuda? But yeah, I still don't know a lot about those guys. I might have to ask Chii since she's always hanging out with them.

"Why? Are you worrying about me? Not only Arisa, but you're now also trying to get me?"

Ah. Of course, she will arrive at that conclusion. My question oozed out of my consideration again. I had just been lectured by Arisa-senpai and I'm probably subconsciously doing it again.

Let's make the same excuse as before.

"Like I said before, you're Nami's friend. You also considered yourself as her friend, right?"

"Don't use Nanami as your excuse when I saw what you did yesterday. And you don't have to think about that. I'm not a delinquent for show."

Ugh. Right. That excuse sounded funny now after she witnessed that.

"If you say it like that then I really have no choice but to stop poking my nose in."

She's not my target or one of my girls l and she's trying to avoid being involved with me. There's really no point for now.

"That's right. So is that enough, Onoda?"

"Yes. Thank you, Mentor. At least I learned something for today."

Even if it's superficial knowledge about that group, I guess this is enough. I told Chii that I could only talk to him out of it, nothing more. But will he become like that Enomoto who's fine being a dog to Izumi-senpai?

"Ugh. That sounded like you're complaining."

"Of course, I am complaining. I'm looking forward to learning something from this, senpai. I can only rely on Arisa-senpai when you swap again next week."

"Alright. I'll think up something next week. Happy?"

"Yes. I'll look forward to that."

-

-

After that, we spent around 30 minutes where I kept on asking her miscellaneous questions where most of it were something she couldn't answer because she didn't know.

Following that was silence so I took out my phone to check my messages and Izumi-senpai did the same. However, I noticed how she kept stealing a glance at me from where she was as if she wanted to ask me something but she's restraining herself to do it

Now that I think about it. I'm alone with her here.

"Senpai. If you want to ask something then don't be shy. We're here wasting time anyway. I'll answer it if I can."

It's to waste time but… I also wanted to know what's in her mind. I'm sure, she's too of me that she never moved an inch since earlier.

"I-it's nothing."

"You stuttered, that's not nothing."

"Ugh. Fine. You seem to be experienced with girls. What should I do to make Ogawa look at me? You saw what happened to us yesterday and you and Arisa even reenacted it but with different outcomes… Why did you still kiss Arisa? She was about to pull out."

"I see. Those sentences sounded fake. What you really want to ask is only that last question, right?"

"Just answer it."

"Haa… Alright. Because what Arisa-senpai did was totally effective. I was successfully seduced by her actions. And most importantly, I'm not indecisive. I can restrain myself but in that kind of situation, that's the best thing to do. Plus, I asked her if we should continue and she agreed. If she rejected me then I would stop."

"So, does that mean you can kiss anyone if you get their permission?"

Eh? How did this girl arrive there? That's not what I'm trying to say.

"No. Arisa-senpai is a special case. However, I can kiss anyone as long as I like that someone."

"Even if it's not Nanami?"

Is she trying to catch me with my words to snitch me out? No. That sounded like something she wouldn't do. Nami is her greatest rival for Ogawa, even now. What's the purpose of this question then?

"Senpai, I can't help but feel that you're trying to have me say something I shouldn't. What will you get from this?"

"Nothing. I'm only curious. Arisa wouldn't easily warm up to anyone. Even if she acted playful like that, that's actually a layer of her defense. But you broke through it easily and her smiles when she was trying to cover up what you two did yesterday… That's something I haven't seen in a while."

"I see. So it's about Arisa-senpai. I can't help but admire your friendship, senpai. I only acted like how I always acted around her. The same way I act around you right now."

There's really something more about Arisa-senpai. Now I can't help but be curious. Will I see her today?

"We've been together since we were young. I know everything about her, the same thing that she knows everything about me. You're the second person who made her act like that."

"Who's the first?"

"You don't have to know, Onoda. But I advise you not to play with her. You said she's a special case which means she's someone you don't really like. Yet you still kissed her and a passionate one at that. If you hurt her. I won't ever forgive you. Just remember that."

Right. Even if I hadn't realized the nature of my desire back then. All those girls who I stole were someone I liked. Even if they hated me in the end, I couldn't deny that it's what I felt about them.

But Arisa-senpai is the first girl I kissed without feeling like that. It just naturally happened. I wonder what that means to me? Or to us?