1858 Continuing on the Assistance

Around thirty minutes later, out of the eighteen groups that I have to assist, I’m already down to the last one. Two groups declined my assistance in setting up their tents but they still requested for me to stay which Shiina allowed.

Right. They declined because they’re not all on-board in having me help them in their task. Within those two groups, there was at least one girl who didn't look at me favorably and would rather not interact with me at all. However, their groupmates didn’t share the same sentiment. Hence instead of skipping to the next group, those who wanted to get to know me beyond my public image asked me to accompany them while they worked on it.

To not further deepen the animosity of those girls who don't like my presence, I apologized and assured them that they could treat me as air while I was there.

I have to keep up my image even if they openly look at me warily or with hostility, right? Besides, whether the apology will lessen their negative views on me doesn't matter to me. In fact, I would prefer for everyone’s curiosity towards me to die down. That way, I can silently move without gathering too much attention. Even if I get used to it, the inconvenience is still there.

Unfortunately, simply keeping up my amiable façade brings me into most of the girls’ good graces.

Maybe the saying is true that the more controversial a person is, the more interesting they will be.

Despite the numerous negative rumors about me floating around, my popularity remained to be on the upward trend.

And a large part of it is because of how I act in public. I heard from some of the girls that they don't believe most of the rumors and it’s only because I’m easily approachable that girls often seen around me are being linked with me.

Of course, since I would never outright deny my relationship with my girls, I told them that the rumors were partly true. That I am close to all of them without fully disclosing how close we are by my definition.

If they found out that ‘close’ in my dictionary means someone who I share romantic feelings with, their favorable impression of me would probably flip.

Anyway, like with Rae, I also made sure to properly take care of my girls when their group’s turn arrived.

I helped Kanzaki in leading her group which in turn got us a fair bit of time to spare before Shiina dragged me to the next one. We didn’t do anything too intimate. She simply asked me for a hug while we sat inside their finished tent. With Misumi also among their group, that girl took her chance to at least approach me with the intention of getting to know me more.

Aya’s group was also mostly the same. And given that she’s with Wakaba and Kashiwagi, those two helped us out to have a private time together. Still, with Wakaba still a little bothered by me, that girl had me work hard when it came to assisting them with their task. Thankfully, I have the adorable Aya by my side, soothing my feelings.

It actually became like a comic skit. With Wakaba abusing her powers while Aya continuously comforts me by my side. Kashiwagi was neutral. Like Shiina, she took the role of an audience and laughed at how silly we looked.

Watanabe stuck to my side when I helped out their group. Nothing special happened there other than the other members wondering why the girl was acting like my secretary. I told them that it was because I knew her secret. And we got a good laugh from seeing Watanabe deny that. Of course, Kaede also laughed at her friend’s expression.

Uh. Wait. Watanabe isn’t one of my girls. But well, that’s kind of a significant moment, right? Especially for Kaede.

Maaya let me take care of Misaki who, at the first second, threw herself at me. When Shiina saw that, she also became curious as to why the innocent forehead girl got so attached to me. Misaki heard her murmur. While hugging my arm tightly, the girl gave her answer, “Because Ruki cares for me a lot and I love him.”

Honestly, that also caught me off-guard. But faced with her innocent smile and the expression that didn’t have any hint of falsehood, the girl successfully made my heart throb for her. I found us an opportunity to sneak out of their sight. And there, I asked Misaki if I could kiss her.

My innocent forehead girl enthusiastically nodded. I mean, even though there weren’t that many instances yet, she was always the one asking for my kiss. That was why, at that time, I thought it should be my turn. Upon getting her consent, I eagerly kissed her while conveying my affection for her.

It’s too late to back out now. I’ll just atone in my next life for corrupting her.

Before leaving for the next group, I naturally didn’t forget about my Maaya. I sneaked in a kiss and a hug just that made her melt in my arms.

In Satsuki’s group, because they’re among the latter half of the eighteen groups, they’re already at the last stages of setting up their tent. I didn’t need to do that much anymore and we finished it quite quickly.

Thanks to that, the grumpy girl jumped at the first opportunity to satisfy her longing for me. Even though Shimura and her friends were present when we entered the tent, she asked for me to spoil her.

The three considerately left us alone during that. However, it still didn’t reach the level of intimacy I’ve shared with Chii and Hana during my extended time with them.

When the other three returned from their cabin, carrying their things to be put inside, Satsuki was already satisfied.

At least, she said kisses were enough in the meantime. She knew that I couldn’t stay for too long, after all.

However, my stay in their group didn’t end with only spending time with Satsuki. Knowing that it could also be her chance to get closer to me, Shimura bravely stepped forward to ask for my time.

She didn’t throw herself at me. She’s not that thirsty for my affection or attention. We simply sat down inside their tent and had a small talk where she shared with me how fun the camping trip was for her. She did emphasize the ‘chance to talk to me’ though. Then, while we were at it, she also showed me some of the photos she took while they were out in the woods earlier.

In a way, Shimura is pretty wholesome and she probably won’t be as straightforward as Kanzaki when it comes to expressing her interest in me. If I’m not wrong, it’s probably enough for her that I’m not ignoring her. Or rather, she’s satisfied to be able to talk to me about her hobby and her thoughts about this trip. I don’t know. That was the vibe I was getting from her. A simple girl.

During the turn of Komoe’s group, that girl timidly stayed by my side, saying she had yet to acclimate with them fully. Due to that, instead of helping them with their tent, I ended up helping the girl be comfortable with her group. Thanks to Hayakawa, the Class 2 President’s assistance, it became an easier task.

I knew her troubles. She’s still bugged by the fact that she almost dropped out. Even if she’s already closer to me and my girls as well as Watanabe, she probably didn’t feel that welcomed in their class anymore.

However, truthfully, it’s just her mind fooling her to think that way. I’m certain she can overcome it in the future but as long as she’s not ready yet, I guess I’ll keep sticking around to help her out.

Before I left their group, Komoe kissed me on the cheek and thanked me for her help.

Somehow, she toned down her boldness this time. It was possibly because of her group or she was originally like that before meeting me. She’s returning to her past self before she skipped school.

In any case, that’s that. With Shiina still accompanying me by my side, we made our way to the last group; Nami’s group.