Stealing Spree

A quiet neighborhood. That’s what we have here.

It’s almost as if we’re living in a subdivision wherein there were hardly any small kids running about. Even the playground located a few blocks from our house was empty most of the time.

If Minoru went there, he would get the whole playground by himself.

Well, it’s not like this during our time. Perhaps, most couples here didn’t get another child and most of the kids from back then had already grown up, like us.

Although there were probably newlywed couples settling in around this neighborhood, most of the time, they wouldn’t focus on making a family. Hence the reason why there were not many kids around.

At this time and age, most of them were too career-focused that the companionship was what they’re only looking for through their partners.

It’s not just around this neighborhood. The whole country was suffering from a decline in childbirth because of the same reasons I stated above.

Ah. In any case, that’s just what I read about in an article during my free time. Whether it was true or not, there’s no way for me to tell since I could only base it around the neighborhoods I was familiar with.

I just began thinking about it now that I was walking along these streets and quiet neighborhoods once more.

A few minutes later, I arrived in front of Eimi’s house.

Because I’d only been here once, I read the sign in front to make sure that I was at the right place. Fortunately, the houseplate still reads as ‘Nikaido’.

I stood in front of their gate waiting for her to come out but around two minutes later, she’s still inside. Due to that, I sent a simple message on my phone saying I was already outside.

A few seconds after my message was successfully sent, I heard noises coming from inside their house.

Although faint, I could recognize Eimi’s voice as she was arguing with another girl along with her laugh.

If I had to guess, it was her cousin that was making fun of her for seeing her hurriedly moving just because of my message.

Three minutes later, Eimi in a frilly white blouse and maroon skirt went out of their door.

Since I was standing in front of their gate, her eyes immediately met mine.

As soon as that happened, Eimi hurriedly averted her gaze in embarrassment.

I thought she would stay stuck in that front door of theirs but someone pushed her from behind. “This girl, what are you stopping at the front door for? Go to him!”

With a teasing smile on her lips, the owner of the voice showed a thumbs up towards me.

Well, that’s her cousin, alright. But compared to last time wherein she made a loud noise to interrupt us, she seemed so eager to send Eimi to me this time.

Looking at the girl, she seemed to be a truly outgoing person, however, her body build was that of a petite. If not for recognizing her voice from what I heard earlier, I would probably think she’s Eimi’s little sister.

“Anzu-nee, stop pushing me!” Eimi complained as she turned around to face her older cousin. However, instead of listening to her, the girl she called Anzu-nee grabbed her arm and pulled her as she went over to the gate where I was waiting.

“You’re Onoda-kun, right? I have heard enough from this little girl. She’s too reserved, I tell you! That’s why I couldn’t wrap my head around when I saw you two kissing right there!” The girl pointed at the spot where we were last week.

For her to call Eimi as a little girl, she probably has a complex about her height and body build. She wanted to show off as the older one. And she did it right away by giving me this kind of strong first impression.

Well, there’s no doubt that they’re cousins, she also had chestnut-colored hair and the two had some similarities on their faces.

“Ah… I’m sorry for that, onee-san. We’ll be careful from now on.” I didn’t know how to answer what she said so I simply apologized since Eimi told me that she got in a bad mood last week because of seeing us.

To my surprise though, the girl’s bright eyes lit up as she almost jumped excitedly. With her hands on her hips and her chin raised higher, she seemed so proud about what I said.

As for which part… it’s the way I called her.

“See that, Eimi? He called your sister ‘onee-san’! I like this guy already! Invite him inside later and I’ll have him eat the Nikaido family’s special karaage!”

“I know, Anzu-nee. Stop troubling Onoda-kun. I will invite him like you said so please, don’t take the wheel from me.”

Looking at the troubled Eimi who appeared as if she’s having trouble catching up with her cousin’s thought process, I could only send her an encouraging smile when she shifted her eyes back to me.

Well, it looked like the girl was the one steering the conversation and perhaps out of respect for her, she couldn’t rudely tell her to leave us alone.

“Onoda-kun, I’m sorry for my sister’s behavior.” With an apologetic expression, Eimi lowered her head before taking that last step to get out of the gate and join me.

“Huh? Eimi, why are you saying sorry? Do you think I’m embarrassing myself in front of your boyfriend? Onoda-kun, you don’t think I’m troublesome, right?” As she tried seeking out validation from me, the little girl err… the onee-san had her cheeks puffed out as her eyes stared intently at me.

Perhaps if I said the wrong word here, that previous bright smile of hers would turn into a frown.

Before answering her, I alternated my gaze between the two cousins. Eimi had a worried look in her eyes while the other girl had an expectant expression. She’s positive that I wouldn’t say anything bad.

“Yes, onee-san. You’re not troublesome. May I ask for your permission to take Eimi with me? We’re just going to shop.”

The little girl grinned upon hearing my answer before it switched to a teasing smile once more, “Heh… How polite. And you’re already calling her Eimi. Nice guts, Onoda-kun. Look at Eimi, she’s already blushing from what you said.” She then tiptoed to tap my shoulder as a form of praise.

I intentionally lowered my body slightly to help her do that and in response, she became more eager to tap my shoulder.

With this, the first impression she had for me was probably kind of successful.

And just like she said, the girl beside me was already blushing when she heard me call her by her first name. After she recovered from that, she boldly clasped my hand on hers.

When her cousin saw it, she smiled meaningfully but didn’t comment again.

I guess she’s not that uncontrollable, she’s truly happy for Eimi. Perhaps it was just her personality to be this… forward.

“So, onee-san’s answer is?”

I didn’t really need her permission to take Eimi since we already had a plan together. Furthermore, she’s not her mother.

However, since this little girl was already here, it’s better to be on good terms with Eimi’s relatives. Moreover, this one might be proven troublesome if I got into her bad side.

“Go ahead, of course. And don’t forget to stop by later. Her parents aren’t home so there will only be three of us. Good for you, am I right?”

Asking another teasing question, I nodded obediently while acting truly elated. It’s better to go with the flow for now

“Alright, you go now, lovebirds. Take care of my cute little Eimi, Onoda-kun.” After saying that, she turned around and began walking back to their house. However, three steps later, as if she remembered something, she twisted her body and shouted. “And don’t be too intimate in public! If you’re going to kiss, do it here!”

Really? What’s wrong with this girl?

“Ugh… I’m really sorry for that, Ono-- Ruki.”

Eimi tried apologizing but in the end, when she changed the way she calls me, she was once again taken over by the red streak filling up her neck and whole face.

With how adorable her display this time, the somewhat overwhelmed feeling I got from her cousin was washed away. Moreover, I couldn’t help but reach onto her cheek to caress it.

And because of that, we heard a whistle coming from their front door. The little girl was grinning from ear to ear again as she watched our intimate display of affection.