Chapter 41: Indirect Kiss
Takumi trailed behind the sisters from a distance and unexpectedly spotted a shabby-looking man with a cap pulled low, stubble covering his face, staring intently at the two girls. He immediately stopped eavesdropping on their conversation, stepped up quietly, and gave the man's shoulder a light pat.
The guy jumped in fright and whipped around—only to lock eyes with a pair of glowing red pupils.
A slow, calm voice spoke.
"What were you planning to do?"
"I've been unemployed for three months… I wanted to steal something."
"I see. You believe your speed is world-class, right? Go snatch that girl's phone and bag, then hand it over to me in a secluded spot. Now go."
Takumi patted the man's shoulder again.
In an instant, the guy felt like an Olympic sprinter had possessed him. A fierce gust of wind kicked up as he bolted forward, snatching the bag containing their phones and swimsuits right before the Akizuki sisters could react.
"Thief!!"
The sisters shouted in alarm.
But in this small park, in the middle of such sweltering heat, almost no one was out strolling at three or four in the afternoon. Their cries echoed uselessly. They gave chase, but the man vanished after a short distance.
The sisters stopped, panting.
"Damn it… what do we do, sis?"
"There wasn't anything valuable in the bag… but my phone was inside. If it's gone, I'll lose so many important contacts."
"If only there was a guy with us right now…"
"Huh? Marina? Airi? What's wrong?"
The sisters' faces lit up at the familiar voice. They turned to see Takumi jogging toward them from about a hundred meters away.
"Kouichi! How are you here?" Marina asked quickly.
"I was walking Nao home and heading to the station—this road's on the way. I thought I heard your voices, so I ran over to check."
"Big sis, never mind that! Kouichi-kun, someone just stole our bag and ran that way! Can you help get it back?"
Takumi didn't waste words. Mana flared inside him—he unleashed his second-tier physical enhancement in a burst.
The sisters blinked, and he was already just a tiny silhouette speeding away.
"So fast!"
"That speed would make the entire track team hang their heads in shame."
"I wonder if he can make it in time…"
Both girls stared in amazement, secretly wondering if he was some kind of decathlete. Could he compete in the Ironman Decathlon or something?
Three minutes later, Takumi came jogging back, holding the stolen bag casually in one hand.
Marina's face bloomed with genuine joy. She accepted it with both hands and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much! Really, thank you!"
"No need to be so formal. Even if we weren't acquaintances, I'd have to help. But seriously—you two girls shouldn't walk through quiet, out-of-the-way places like this when heading home. Japan's pretty safe, but you still can't let your guard down."
"You're right, Kouichi. We'll be more careful from now on."
"The long-haired one—what happened to that disgusting thief? Did you beat him up? Call the police?"
"Nah. The second he saw me chasing, he panicked, dropped the bag, and ran off. Nothing's missing, so it's all good."
"Eh? I thought for sure you'd catch him."
Airi sounded a little disappointed.
If possible, she really wanted to give that jerk a piece of her mind.
"Airi, catching criminals isn't a civilian's job," Marina said gently. "If we pushed him too hard, he might've turned around and hurt Kouichi. If something like that happened because of us… I'd never forgive myself."
"It's fine. I'm not that fragile. Anyway—if there's nothing else, I'll get going."
Takumi gave a carefree wave and started to stride off.
"Wait!"
"Hm?"
"Um… it's still early. Why don't we grab something to eat? Our treat—as thanks. How about it?"
"No need. It was nothing."
"That's so rude! You're seriously turning down an invitation from two beautiful girls? You're all 'no need to repay kindness,' but my sister lives by 'repay kindness with gratitude,' right, sis?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah. Kouichi, if you're not in a huge rush… please let us treat you. Don't refuse."
"Well… if you insist, I'd be honored."
At a nearby café specializing in cold drinks, Takumi ordered a parfait and took a bite. It was refreshingly cool, sending a pleasant chill straight through him.
Marina just got a milk tea.
Airi ordered an iced lemon drink. She took one sip and immediately stuck her tongue out.
"So sour!"
Noticing that neither Takumi nor Marina was saying anything, Airi's blue eyes sparkled mischievously. She slid the lemon drink across the table toward Takumi.
"Looks like I ordered wrong. This is way too sour. Rather than waste it… here, you finish it. You should thank me, y'know."
Takumi chuckled.
"Thanks a lot."
He accepted without hesitation, took a pull through the straw, and found it wasn't actually that bad—just the intense cold and tartness hitting his mouth all at once made it feel sharper at first.
After he finished it off and was about to dig back into his parfait, he noticed both sisters staring at him.
He touched his cheek self-consciously.
"Is there something on my face?"
Airi—the usual spoiled princess—blushed faintly and looked away.
"Nothing…"
Marina's cheeks were also tinged pink. She lowered her head to sip her milk tea, thinking to herself: Airi, honestly… that was basically an indirect kiss! She's way too bold. And Kouichi-kun… how is he this oblivious?
The mood at the table suddenly turned strangely awkward. Takumi had no idea why, so he stayed quiet.
Just then, another customer walked into the café.
Takumi noticed right away—the girl was wearing the same uniform as the sisters. One carried a guitar; the other held a handheld camcorder.
The guitarist looked utterly average, so Takumi barely registered her.
But the one with the camcorder made him pause.
Same hair color as Marina, but black eyes. Something about her felt familiar. After a moment's thought, he placed her—Sana Kuranaka.
A first-year student, one of Airi's close friends since middle school. She'd always been close with the cheerful Airi. When she learned Airi's new stepfather was a university professor, she'd been openly jealous. Sana had a strong interest in adult topics and was part of the film club. She'd been dying to shoot a musical movie starring Airi.
In the OVA storyline, she'd been drugged with an aphrodisiac by that scumbag stepfather, lost her virginity in a haze, secretly filmed some risqué shots of Airi, handed them over, and eventually helped him force himself on Airi. But judging by her current innocent expression, none of that had happened yet.
"So hot~! Come on, Ran, let's get some AC! Huh? Airi! And Marina-senpai!"
Sana spotted the sisters and lit up, heading straight over—only to freeze when she noticed Takumi.
Marina quickly stood.
"Kuranaka-san! What a coincidence."
"Yeah, super coincidental! Um… I'm not interrupting, am I?"
She grinned and lifted her camcorder playfully.
"Wow, news scoop! The Akizuki sisters—two of the Golden Flowers—on a date with a mysterious boy. Too bad I'm just film club. If I were newspaper club, this would be front-page headline material."
"There's nothing like that! Kouichi and I aren't like that. Don't spread weird rumors! I don't care, but my sister has a boyfriend. If something strange starts circulating, what then?"
Airi—rarely flustered—jumped to her feet.
Sana laughed.
"Okay, okay~ Our little songstress is embarrassed! That face is too precious—I have to capture it!"
"Nooo, don't film!"
Airi lunged. Sana dodged with a giggle. The two girls immediately devolved into a playful tussle.
Takumi calmly kept eating his parfait, thinking to himself: Kuranaka Sana… is she basically the 2D version of that scandal photographer? She really loves that camera.
Wanna read ahead? Join my Patreon and support the story: patreon.com/ArealMaster