Stealing Spree

Yua and I spent at least half an hour in that room, pouring everything we had on each other. Although we ended up a little exhausted and drenched in sweat, I found towels to wipe ourselves clean before truly making our way back to their designated room.

As expected, Auntie Misora and even Mashiro-san bombarded us with questions about where we went. Making up an excuse that we went on the roof to sightsee, the two of us got scolded by the two angry women.

The third model who’s probably the same age as them also dipped her hands in it, telling us to be responsible since we apparently wasted her time as well.

I mean, they’re supposed to have a small meeting before dispersing for the day. But because of Yua missing in action, that got delayed.

Luckily, Sayo-san took our side, raising the argument of giving us some slack after the tiring day. I noticed her winking at us right after that save though. Whether that had any meaning or not, there’s no way to confirm it.

In any case, I managed to slip out right after that, giving me the freedom of movement that I needed for the favor I would be granting to Juri.

On my way to meet the girl, Yua, who I already informed about the result of that little rendezvous with Juri earlier, gave me a thumbs up as well as her assurance that she’d be able to stretch the time for me without raising any suspicion.

And likewise, Juri messaged me that she already managed to slip away from her agency’s supervisor. She already made her way to the place we designated as our meetup spot.

As for her manager that I haven’t met yet, Juri told me how she managed to employ her help in drawing the others out of our supposed path outside.

And with this, the stage was set for us. Whoever that bigshot may be, he’d have no choice but to give up on scoring a dinner date with Juri.

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As I walked along the empty corridor of the fourth floor of the building, the lights in the ceiling illuminated my path brightly. The busy footsteps of people couldn’t be heard anymore as they began packing up to leave the premises.

The air circulating on this floor was damp, making the atmosphere rather tense. Nonetheless, with a clear destination in my mind, I quickly reached it.

Standing before the same door of the room where I met her earlier, I knocked twice and waited for a few moments before it opened from the inside.

With her earlier makeup off as well as having reverted to her original outfit when I saw her near the entrance, Juri welcomed me with a relieved smile.

I quickly entered the room and pulled the door behind me.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

Looking at how she’s fidgeting once again, the girl must’ve other concerns filling her mind.

She met my gaze and nodded before a hint of concern covered her expression, “Un. But Onoda-kun, are you sure your companion won’t look for you?”

I see. She hadn’t forgotten that I was here with someone else. Although her question was laden with concern, no doubt, she was curious about the identity of my companion.

Naturally, I still had no reason to tell her about Yua and my complexities. That’s why I replied without changing my expression.

“Yes, don’t worry about it. I told them that I have something to do first. And even if they left me behind, I think I can find my way back home.”

“… Okay. If they left you behind, tell me so I can send you home.”

“Understood. I’ll be in your care.” I put on a smile first before beginning to slip into my act.

I reached for her hand and entwined our fingers before taking my place next to her.

Juri was momentarily stunned. She lowered her gaze to stare at our connection. That was kind of a brazen move from me but I did it for a reason.

Rather than start our act in front of that guy, I’d let her be accustomed to it right at this moment so that she wouldn’t falter later.

And sure enough, Juri eventually recovered. She looked me in the eye as she sought confirmation.

I returned a nod before saying, “From this moment onward, I’m your boyfriend. Are we clear, Juri?”

Hearing me call her by her first name, the girl’s eyes instantly widened. I could feel her pulse starting to race but almost instantly, it calmed down like a clear pond.

Her fingers then gradually folded, locking our hands tightly. “Yes, Ruki. I’m in your care from this moment onward.”

Upon saying that, the girl naturally slipped into the role we created for ourselves. And while looking at me with very realistic affection, a smile bloomed on her lips.

“Shall we?”

Beating me to say it, Juri then took the first step forward, pulling me along with her.

Somehow, I could sense her elation from that simple gesture. If I wasn’t used to acting, I might mistake that for her real feelings. Like she said before, she might be interested in me but not to the point of having romantic affection.

What she showed just now were just her acting skills that were seemingly more realistic than when Nami initially did.

“Sure. Let’s talk about the details on our way there. In the meantime, let’s keep this up.”

After saying this, I followed her out of the room.

Standing in this empty corridor, the two of us looked to our left and right. After making sure that it was devoid of people, we picked a direction to go.

This building has three sets of stairs and an elevator. However, the elevator was in maintenance. Which explained why we were all walking up and down the stairs.

Yua and the people from SS Agency were on the left side of the building while the ones from Juri’s agency were on the right.

If we took either of those stairs, there’s a possibility that someone might spot us.

As for the central stairs that would lead us directly to the lobby and in front of the entrance and exit doors, that would be the busiest at the moment. That studio and the representatives from the magazine who oversaw the photoshoot were gathered there.

While they’re not directly on the stairs, most of the helpers that we encountered today were using them.

And with that, our only option to go down was to pick either the left or the right stairs.

Using the process of elimination, the one that would be less risky was naturally the right side. Furthermore, we could also flaunt our fake relationship with anyone from her agency if ever. That would get us the eyewitness that we needed to further reinforce the idea that Juri is already dating someone.

However, there were a few people that I needed to avoid; the other model with Yua earlier as well as that female supervisor.

I actually tried to put on a disguise, however, I couldn’t find a fitting one. Due to that, I could only use the old method; changing my hairstyle.

I combed my hair from front to back using my fingers, lifting my bangs and letting them naturally fall to the side.

“That definitely suits you better, Ruki. You look way cooler and more mature. No one will believe that you’re a few years my junior.”

Upon witnessing my poor attempt at changing my hairstyle, Juri positively commented.

Moreover, I watched her pull wax from her out of nowhere – or maybe it’s in her skirt pocket, I don’t know – and used her fingers to apply it to my hair, preventing it from returning to its natural form.

She had us halt our steps for a moment. The girl then circled around me, checking me out. After returning to my side, she sidled closer and unabashedly hugged my arm. “Un. It’s now perfect. Though I must say… You look really awesome no matter what kind of style you put on. As expected of my boyfriend?”

“You’re trying to make me blush, are you?” I replied as I played along with her.

Juri impishly giggled, something I witnessed from her for the first time, “I sure am. Unfortunately, you’re a tough nut to crack. Apart from that cool, handsome smile of yours, you’re like a stone where the legendary sword of Arthur got stuck.

“That’s an exaggeration. You just have to try harder than that, my dear girlfriend.” Copying her earlier intonation, I answered playfully.

“Okay. Let’s not call each other like that. It sounded weird.”

“Yeah. I couldn’t agree more.”

Shaking our heads at the same time, we instantly reached an agreement to shelve that absurd way of using endearment. We then stared at each other seriously before our expressions cracked followed by our laughter which disturbed the silence of our surroundings.

With this, we started descending the stairs, hand in hand, and fully committed to our act.