Stealing Spree

Chapter 2389: Sickly Manipulator

chapter 2389: sickly manipulator



returning to the infirmary, i found minami shouko had fallen into a deep sleep. her breathing was rough and uneven.

it looked like her fever was still taking its toll on her. i took out a wet towel and gently placed it over her forehead, hoping to ease her discomfort.

however, the sensation of the wet towel on her skin stirred minami shouko awake. her eyes fluttered open to reveal a confused gaze as she found me hovering over her.

"y-you. why are you here?" she spoke despite the difficulty it caused her, her voice raspy and weak.

"why, huh? i've found a sick senior in the infirmary. i thought i should look after her before the lunch break ends. alas, she woke up and found me wiping her forehead."

i intentionally used a playful tone with minami shouko, hoping it would help ease her discomfort.

"in any case, don't mind me, senpai. you're not supposed to be up yet, you know? rest, or i'll have to scold you like i do with the others."

minami shouko blinked a few times then nodded weakly before closing her eyes again. but a few seconds later, perhaps realizing that i had just ordered her, she opened them again and protested, "you cheeky guy. y-you're not supposed to tell me what to do... i'm your senior." i couldn't help but smile at her stubbornness. "haven't we established our relationship already, senpai? even though you're my senior, i'm the guy who's providing you with a genuine connection. let me do this, okay?"

minami shouko pouted but she didn't protest further. instead, she let out a small sigh and closed her eyes again, pulling the blanket up to her face.

i sat down on the chair beside her, holding the towel to keep it cold, occasionally dabbing her forehead.

"if your girls find you here, they won't like it, will they?" minami shouko mumbled from beneath the blanket, opening her eyes slightly to meet my gaze.

"don't worry, i've got it covered," i assured her with a wink, keeping my voice low. "it's not like i'm eloping with you. i'm just taking care of a sickly senior."

minami shouko's eyes twinkled for a brief moment before they grew serious again. "what do you mean, 'sickly'?" she murmured, her voice filled with a hint of vulnerability.

"exactly what i mean, look at you," i said with a gentle smile, placing the cold towel back on her forehead. "but you know, it's quite a discovery finding you here. where's the usual manipulator that pushed me to do all her bidding before revealing herself?"

as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and the start of the next class, minami shouko's eyes fluttered open again. "you should go back... i'll be fine,"

her voice was still weak but with a hint of resilience.

"alright. you don't have to go to the student council today, senpai. i'll tell shizu. rest up," i said, giving her hand one last gentle squeeze before standing up.

as i turned around to leave, minami shouko called out to me one last time, "thank you, onoda-kun."

her voice was frail, but the sincerity in it was unmistakable.

"don't mention it, senpai. just remember, you can always find me. i promised to take care of you when i asked you to stop all your pranks," i responded before slipping out of the infirmary and returning to the school building.

the fifth period passed by in a blur and soon the festive atmosphere for the incoming workshop settled in.

we, the five representatives of our class, soon stood up to get to the venue. on the way there, we ran into the representatives of the other class.

as usual, i saw the familiar faces of watanabe, komoe, maaya, misaki, rae and sachi. they're also chosen as representatives of their respective classes.

but since there's a prize at stake in this workshop, their fellow representatives forbid them from approaching me, treating this walk to the venue as the start of the competition.

how laughable.

as if they could stop misaki from droning on me. boldly squeezing herself between nami and me, the innocent forehead girl gave them a cheeky grin as she hugged my arm, "hehe. i'm sorry, sister nanami. i won't be next to ruki later. let me have this moment."

the other girls rolled their eyes in unison, but they didn't argue. they knew it was pointless. instead, they passed the blame on me for not preventing my girl from doing what she wanted. nami, in particular, wordlessly mouthed, "ruu, you're with me for the entirety of this

workshop."

i scratched my cheek as i shamelessly smiled, nodding at her before pulling misaki closer to me which prompted chii who was hugging my other arm to do the same.

and because of this sight, the competitive atmosphere turned into something else as many eyes fell on me, hostile and not.