[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-stealing-spree":3,"chapter-stealing-spree-stealing-spree-chapter-1971":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Stealing Spree",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1762146,2333,"Chapter 1971 This isn't it","stealing-spree-chapter-1971",1971,"\u003Cp>To my disappointment, everything I did was not enough to get Machida off of my back. Her persistence was astounding. Furthermore, she wasn’t lying when she said she was getting off at the same station.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as we exited the train station, the girl caught up to my large strides – even if it was difficult for her – and followed me home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that's the current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hi, Shimizu. Do you remember me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“... You, Machida-san from the next class. Why did you follow him? And husband, how come you failed to discourage her from following you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I expected, Akane has always been pretty sharp when it comes to figuring out whether I've taken an interest in a girl or not. Unlike how she acted around the other girls, she immediately took an aggressive stance toward Machida who promptly hid behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You called him husband. How cute.” Machida mischievously snickered, causing Akane to glare at her with intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That shut her up, at least.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring that, I scratched my head and wryly smiled, “Sorry, Akane. This one is difficult to shake off. She's like a gum stuck to my hair. Even if I disregard her existence, she's still going to follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eh? Onoda-kun, that kind of metaphor is… unsatisfactory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. It suits you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Machida tried to protest but Akane shut her down, plastering that label on her. Although she didn't want to accept it, Machida could only force a smile as she faced Akane's hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, she should've expected this. Even if she's trying to be annoying following me after I acted particularly cold and dismissive to her, Akane was another issue altogether.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, I trusted Akane could handle her or whatever she had in mind. Moreover, by observing Akane's reactions, I could say that she's pretty enthusiastic about this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like, she finally found something she could help me with. Taking up the task of dealing with Machida, she'd make that an accomplishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a minute of having a standoff right at our front door, Akane stepped to the side letting us in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While I went to change out of my sweat-soaked attire, Akane led Machida to the living room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I made sure that they wouldn't suddenly claw at each other like cats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I whispered to Akane how I encountered the girl as well as her request. Unfortunately, that's enough time to properly explain everything to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other hand, I still acted the same around Machida. I even kissed Akane in front of her to check on how she would react to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, the girl simply watched it in silence. There's no indication that she's shocked or embarrassed. She possibly steeled her mind on what to expect here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of her intention, it's making me applaud her determination to see through this decision to follow me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, I still don't think she can capture my interest like this. Moreover, Akane already knows what she has to do. She can get us answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spent at most ten minutes going up the stairs, changing into a new set of clothes, and bringing my used clothes down to the laundry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I carefully approached the living room, I listened in on the two girls’ ongoing conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is an eye-opener. It's honestly amazing to think that you've easily gotten permission to live together like a married couple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop with your flattery, Machida-san. If you finished your drink, you can go now. I've invited you in for husband's sake. But remember, I'm not at all happy to see you here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looks like Akane ran out of patience, huh? I mean, Machida was trying too hard here. She could've taken a step back after being confronted at our doorstep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eh? Wait. Are you jealous of me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. You're just annoying. Do you think things will always go your way? I don't know what gave you the courage to follow him here. If I was any other girl, your face would be swollen by now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh… I get that. You're quite tolerant, aren't you? Is it because you trust Onoda-kun completely?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That's part of it. The true reason is because he entrusted you to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Akane must've already detected my presence. She even turned her head in this direction even though I was barely exposed to her view yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And judging from her smirk that instantly disappeared when she faced Machida again, she was about to dig through the girl's inner thoughts and allow me to hear it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I have to guess, they spent those few minutes alone sizing up each other without touching upon the crux of the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean by that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Machida, I thought you were sharp. It meant he dumped you on me because you're not that interesting to him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eh? That's mean!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mean or not, you can't deny it. You experienced it yourself. The fact that you're now sitting here talking to me is proof.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, that's not really what I was expecting to hear but she's not wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You see. Ruki can see through your intentions right away. You said you're curious because he's an enigma but you never showed him a good reason to entertain you. You did nothing but to annoy him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I'll be honest. I did approach him because I was curious. But I'm not trying to be annoying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, you can say that because you're oblivious to it. Machida-san, you're unaware because you're used to getting your way easily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That… No. It's not true. You're misunderstanding something here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay. I'll give you a chance. Tell me, why did you insist on following him? Even if you didn't encounter him at the station, I'm sure you could reach your destination without needing a guide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Am I that untrustworthy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can answer that question yourself. What would you feel if someone followed you to your house after you rejected them multiple times?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I'd be creeped out. But this is different!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps understanding that she was contradicting herself there, Machida clutched her hair and lowered her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, she looked up with a resigned look on her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“... Uh. This is embarrassing but don't laugh, okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Onoda-kun… He has this enticing sweet scent that melted my reason. Before I knew it, I had already followed him here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you kidding me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah. I bet anyone who hears that reasoning will find that absurd. But considering I also noticed that behavior earlier, she's probably telling the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this girl, is she being dumb on purpose or she's originally like this without her group's backing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I'm serious!” Machida asserted by raising her voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akane stared at her for a few seconds before turning in my direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Husband, can you confirm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Eh? Onoda-kun?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since I was called, I stepped out of the shadows and entered the living room. Machida jumped in surprise upon seeing me. And little by little, her clear complexion gradually changed color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, the girl was caught in an embarrassing situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Machida, that's quite a delay. Shouldn't you feel embarrassed way earlier on the train? Or were you too engrossed in sniffing me that it only caught up to you now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Husband, I think that's not it. Machida-san here is embarrassed because eavesdropped while she was confessing her inner thoughts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh… It's both!” Machida shouted as she once again lifted her head. She tried to put on a straight face but upon seeing our amused expressions, the girl was instantly defeated. “... I'm sorry. I don't mean anything about that but can you forget about it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Akane swiftly shook her head, “Nope. Anyway, husband, I'll guide her to her destination. It's fine, right? I think we have a lot more to talk about.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Akane, don't tell me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As always, leave this to me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even before I could finish my words, the silly girl cut me off before winking at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah. I know what she's thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this isn't it. Whatever is on her head isn't why I let her handle Machida…\u003C\u002Fp>",1352,"2026-06-08T09:44:01.644Z",1,"novelbin.me","b8a3fe2f24721287c476cc21771089b7f9717dbb432e79a4a150948a009a1a72","stealing-spree-chapter-1972","stealing-spree-chapter-1970",2873,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstealing-spree-cover.jpg"]