Published at 23rd of September 2024 2:04 pm

Chapter 2158: Assurance

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"Well then, senpai. Let's continue this talk some other time. You may not believe me yet but I assure you, I won't do anything to hurt Kana."

After a brief exchange of playful banter, which ended with Momoiro-senpai's cheeks flushing a bright shade of pink, I gently pulled her aside, away from the crowded hallway and the prying eyes of other students.

I needed to address what had been hanging in the air between us before Kana and Rumi's appearance.

The usually bubbly and energetic Momoiro-senpai now stood in front of me, her demeanor serious. I could sense her bright eyes carefully studying my face. It was clear she was trying to gauge the sincerity of my words. To see if she could truly trust me with something she

deemed important.

With a carefree expression replaced with one of deep contemplation, Momoiro-senpai pursed her lips.

After a moment of silence, she bit her lower lip, her gaze dropping to the floor. She slowly nodded but I instantly caught the sullen look occupying her face.

It wasn't disappointment. Rather, it was more like a mix of frustration and shame. She seemed embarrassed by her own actions, as if constantly interrogating me was something she felt guilty about but couldn't help doing.

She's a good person. I could tell that much just from the concern she showed for Kana. Her protective nature was commendable, and I was glad that Kana had someone like her looking out for her.

However, if Momoiro-senpai ever discovered the complexities of our relationships, how tangled and unconventional they were, I had no doubt she'd be firmly against it.

Most likely, she'd react similarly to how Arisa and Izumi did before they came to accept me: with rejection and disbelief.

However, unlike those two, there was no attraction between Momoiro-senpai and me, and that made the situation even more delicate.

That's why I wasn't keen on revealing the full extent of my relationship with Kana and the others. It wasn't something I could easily explain, nor was it something she would likely understand or accept. At least, not right away.

I didn't know if things would change in the future. But at this moment, all I could do was try to reassure her, to offer her the comfort of my words.

"I believe you. I really do. Just that..." Momoiro-senpai finally spoke, her voice soft but earnest. However, it also ended up trailing.

Her eyes met mine again, and this time they were filled with a mixture of trust and lingering doubt. She wanted to believe in me but it was clear that letting go of her apprehensions wasn't easy.

I maintained a gentle smile, my expression calm and understanding. It's quite a stark contrast to her conflicted one. Then, I said softly as my hand dropped on top of her head, "It's fine to be doubtful. I get that. I won't fault you for it, since my actions are what led you to suspect me in the first place."

Although she appeared surprised at the sudden drop of my hand, Momoiro-senpai didn't slap it away. Her shoulders seemed to relax slightly but there was still tension in her posture. "Kana is really important to me. I don't want to see her get hurt. I hope you understand that, Onoda-kun."

"I do. And that's why I'm grateful for your concern. It shows how much you care for her. But please trust me when I say that I care for her too, more than you might realize." I assured her. This time, I pulled back my hand to fix a fair bit of her hair that loosened from her hurried movements from earlier. It might've come across as intimate but my hand already moved before I knew it.

With her cheeks adopting another hint of blush, Momoiro-senpai faltered for a moment before nodding again, her expression softening slightly.

Perhaps in an attempt to hide that, she put on a cheerful grin as her knuckle reached my chest, “Alright, Onoda-kun. I'll take your word for now. But I'll continue keeping an eye on you. Or whatever's happening... Also, you're quite cheeky for a junior, aren't you?"

I chuckled lightly, appreciating her honesty and protectiveness. "Yes, quite. I might be cheeky but you know what Kana used to call me?"

"What?"

"Shameless."

.

"Pfft... I can tell why."

With that, our conversation came to a close. I could see some of her usual cheerfulness returning, her lips curling into a small, hesitant smile. It was a start. And for now, that was enough.

After that, we returned to Kana and Rumi's side and bid farewell to the overprotective senior. As I brought the two girls with me, I felt someone pinching my sides followed by a slightly jealous voice whispering to my ear, "Shameless junior. Did we just see you make a move on Momoiro? Are you also after her?"

I glanced at the source of that voice and put on a shameful grin, "No, of course not, Rumi. My body moved on its own."

"What? You can't control yourself now? What do you think about this, Kana?"

"Hmm? If Ruki says so, it must be the truth, no? I mean, it's his trait, Rumi. He's passively considerate to anyone." Kana answered before closing to my side. She then nudged me with her elbow and cutely winked.

What does that mean? Is she telling me she's helping me fend off Rumi's obvious jealousy? Or is she hinting at me that I did great at handling Momoiro-senpai?

Uh... It's hard to tell.

"Bah... I won't be so sure, Kana. Before we knew it, your friend might also become one of us." "Maybe... But it's Ruki. I'm certain he can also take care of someone like Suzuha."

Alright. Now, I'm speechless.

Thankfully, we soon reached Marika's classroom. This time, I let the two girls call for her, forcing them to stop with whatever dangerous topic they were treading on.

I watched from a distance to see how those around Marika would react. Also, I used the opportunity to mark the few who still cared about Marika.

There are still at least a few of them among many others. Unfortunately, because they're intimidated by Ichihara Jun's followers, they can only try to blend in with the others when approaching the golden ringlet girl.

A minute later, Marika after going back to grab her purse joined Kana and Rumi to return to

me.

As soon as the ringlet girl saw me, a bright, cheerful smile pasted on her lips as she waved jubilantly.

"Ruki-kun... Hehe. Let's go to the cafeteria first. Let's buy more food and desserts. My treat."

"Mhm. No problem. We're also planning to do that."

Well, there are no tall boxed lunches today. Nami couldn't do it again without more practice according to her mother and Yayoi-san didn't want to steal the other girl's thunder for making lunch for me every day. She's only going to do it once a week.

In any case, most girls already brought their lunches. What we're going to buy might just be bread or instant cup noodles since we couldn't bring out those rice meals outside the

cafeteria.

The option of buying from the convenience store was also open but we'd lose a lot of time to

go there.

So, bread it is. There's a wide selection of it in the cafeteria anyway.

On our way down, we once again gathered attention. We ignored it as usual but I could tell that Rumi and Kana weren't comfortable with it. That's why to take their mind off of the unwanted attention, I brought a topic to talk about while we walked.

As for Marika, she's already used to being the center of attention so she just merrily led the way while pulling me with her at times.

They're the last girls I had to pick up so it's fine for us to take our time like this. Minori-senpai had already come down to the second floor earlier when I picked up Haruko and the others.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the clubroom. The idle chatter was already ongoing but as soon as they saw me, the girls flocked to my side, helping me carry the mountain of food we bought from the cafeteria.

And just like this, we got another sumptuous meal where the girls also got to forge or strengthen their bond. Of course, I repeated what I did yesterday. I didn't miss anyone and also called Akane and the others from the other schools to check on them.

Once that's done... I escorted them back to the School Building before going to my next destination. The Administration Building.

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