Stealing Spree

Chapter 917 Eguchi-sensei’s Development

“Are you sure about this, sensei?” I asked. My voice was laced with uncertainty.

“Yes. I gave it a lot of thought. Do you think I can ask anyone else for this?”

“No. Probably not.”

“See. Onoda-kun, you’re the only one that can help me.” Eguchi-sensei said in confidence. The amount of trust she had in me was already this huge even though I haven’t helped her that much.

“Uhm, if that’s the case then I’ll do my best. It’s for sensei, after all.”

“I know I can count on you. You can go slowly at first. Don’t rush.”

“I understand.”

And so, I grabbed the mouse and moved the wheel, scrolling through and reading what was written on the word processor.

Ah. Right. I was now sitting in front of her computer. After talking for a bit about my new position in the Student Council, Eguchi-sensei came out with the real reason why she asked to see me.

To proofread and check for irregularities in her new lesson plan for the rest of the school year.

Why me when there’s Orimura-sensei or other teachers that could do it for her? Honestly, I also couldn’t understand her reason.

Something along the lines of ‘You managed to point out what’s wrong in my activities, who’s to say you won’t pick out irregularities in my lesson plan?’

I was on the verge of saying, ‘Sensei, I’m simply a student. And an average one when it comes to academics.’

Unfortunately, once I saw how enthusiastic she was, even smiling beautifully that was a complete contrast to how she was in our class, I lost the reason to burst her optimistic bubble.

Somehow, I found out that I already developed a soft spot for this teacher… I didn’t want her to be that gloomy again or see her forlorn self whenever rain clouds filled the sky.

Anyway, since it’s bonus points as her Student Assistant as well as giving me an advantage on what to expect in her class, I diligently did the task she delegated to me.

At first, she sat a little far away but when I started asking questions to have her clarify what she had written, her chair slowly inched forward until we were now sitting next to each other. Or better yet, she’s leaning extremely close that our faces were centimeters from contact.

Yet, Eguchi-sensei remained oblivious to that as she was too focused on what was on the screen and my next questions.

By the time I reached the last page, our arms were already rubbing on each other and I could feel her soft, bountiful hills slightly pressing on me. Even so, she’s still unaware.

Well, I could point that out to her but it’s easy to foresee what’s going to happen if I did. She’d retreat to a corner and would never dare get close to me again. Although the first reason could be said to be understandable and thoughtful of me, the second one surely wasn’t.

It’s my perverseness. It reacted to her. I couldn’t throw away the chance to be this close to her.

Uh… it’s not like I intentionally pushed her closer but I guess, no matter what angle one looked at it, it was low on me…

Thankfully, Orimura-sensei didn’t suddenly show up.

Now that we’re done, I simply slowly slink away, rolling the wheels of my chair to let her take my previous spot. This way, it felt natural.

“What do you think, sensei?” I asked after I saw her saving the document and processing it to print.

“Un. Great job! Like I thought, I can count on you.” Showing an almost blinding smile, Eguchi-sensei unconsciously put a hand on my head and patted it endearingly.

I thought she would show an extreme reaction again like last time. Surprisingly, that didn’t happen.

And even when she suddenly paused, instead of pulling her arm away, she steeled herself to keep it there while silently murmuring, “Uhm… Now I have a question for you, Onoda-kun, what do you think? Am I doing good?”

Although her head was lowered and it was almost at the same level as mine, she turned her head to the side, averting my gaze.

Based on our current circumstances, she’s clearly asking about her lack of reaction even though she already knew that she was touching me.

But I somehow got the urge to tease her a little, “Mhm… Sensei put a lot of effort into that lesson plan. I also have to thank you for letting me see it. I think I can prepare for that.”

“Eh? No… That’s not what I meant.”

“Hmm? Then what are you talking about, sensei?”

As soon as I said that, I felt her hand gradually curling as they dug into my hair. Following that, I noticed how her shoulder moved a bit, pushing herself closer.

Bit by bit, she began gently stroking my hair. And as though it’s not enough, she slowly turned her head to face me again, “This… I can now… touch you.”

Acting as though I only realized it, I raised my head slightly to meet her gaze, “Oh! Now that you mention it… it looks like it’s only a matter of time before your awkwardness with the opposite gender will dissipate. When that happens, my role might come to an end.”

“Huh? Wait. Onoda-kun, how come you suddenly reached that conclusion?”

“Am I wrong, sensei? Aren’t I here to let you be accustomed to us, boys?”

“No! I took you as my… Student Assistant because of your ability.”

And that’s the truth. However, because of the recent incident in this room where Eguchi-sensei tried to douse herself in cold water and I prevented that by holding onto her, her mind would automatically fall back to that.

Uh. Aren’t I only going to tease her for a bit? She’s already flustered enough that I had no idea what she’s going to do next if I continue with this.

I better stop…

“I see… Then I misunderstood sensei’s intention. I apologize.”

“You don’t have to! Go and raise your head, Onoda-kun.”

I tried bowing my head but her voice and her hands grabbing my shoulder prevented me from completing it.

Lifting my head, I saw her panicked expression as though she was about to blame herself if I completed that apologetic gesture.

“Don’t do that again, do you hear me?” She quickly said as she tried relaxing her expression.

However, her hold on my shoulder remained. And when her eyes focused on it, Eguchi-sensei visibly shook once more. Looks like patting my head wasn’t an issue anymore but a more daring contact was still a no-go.

To prevent her from falling into another extreme reaction, I swiftly slid my chair backward and away from her range.

I then stood up and walked towards her fridge as I calmly picked a drink for both of us. “A soda is fine, right, sensei? Or do you want a beer?”

“Y-yes…”

“Is that a yes for soda or beer?”

“S-soda!”

“Alright… Wait a bit.”

Perhaps understanding what I was trying to do, Eguchi-sensei started taking deep breaths to calm herself down. And to give her the necessary time, I intentionally prolonged picking up our drinks.

When I returned and handed her the can, Eguchi-sensei was smiling gratefully. Perhaps, it’s for all of my considerations. Little did she know that I pushed her to reach that point…

Uh. Now I feel a little guilty.

I pulled my chair back near her and sat down.

Since I was done with my work, I already planned to leave after I finished drinking the bottle of water.

“Onoda-kun, thank you. You’re really something else…” Eguchi-sensei muttered quietly as she once again dotingly and proudly patted my head.