Harem Stealing System-Chapter 25: A deserved response and a question

"Ohhh shhit!!!"

Petter was still clutching Eiden’s collar with surprising strength, half-lifting him off the ground like a sack of guilty potatoes.

Ughhh... he’s strong for a fat bastard, Eiden thought, grimacing as his feet barely touched the floor. Petter’s face looked like a man who had just caught his imaginary girlfriend cheating with the guy she told him not to worry about. And in this scenario, Eiden had somehow become that guy.

"Who is she? What’s your relationship with her?" Deuel asked, eyes narrowed like a suspicious older brother. Harry stood frozen, mouth hanging open as if buffering a reaction. John, meanwhile, was still lost in deep thought, possibly building conspiracy theories.

But then Petter’s voice cut through, sharp and desperate. "Why? How? Where? When?!" His eyes glistened with pain. "She had that face the sacred face! The kind girls in anime make when they’re falling for the protagonist!" His grip tightened, Eiden lampooned " Is anime girls the only thing this Ugly ass thinks about" ?. But Petter continue as his gripped tighten. "Why you of all people?! Why was she looking at you like that?!" He leaned closer, his forehead almost touching Eiden’s. "Speak, Eiden. I shall hear the truth!"

Eiden managed to tap on Petter’s arm weakly, gasping, "Let... me go... I can’t breathe or talk..." Petter’s bloodshot eyes flared with even more intensity. "My hands shall relish ending this profane traitor here and now !"

"Eiden!" A voice rang out from behind them.

Everyone froze and turned. It was Sasha, walking briskly over. Petter blinked, then loosened his grip and let Eiden fall to the ground. Eiden coughed violently a few times, hands on knees as he sucked in air like it was gold.

Saved... he thought, eyes watery. Bless you, Sasha. "I wanted to talk to you about something," Sasha said, glancing between the boys. "Are you busy?"

Eiden shook his head so hard it almost fell off. "Not at all! Let’s go!" Without waiting for another word, he practically ran to her side and escaped like a prisoner granted unexpected parole. The group behind them watched in stunned silence as their silhouettes disappeared down the street.

A long moment passed before John finally muttered, "Wait... was that girl from earlier just using Eiden to get close to me?"

"SHUT UP!!" the other three shouted in unison.

Eiden walked beside Sasha, stealing glances at her to calm his nerves. His throat still burned a little from Petter’s chokehold. "So, what is it?" he asked, wiping sweat from his brow. Sasha turned to him, about to say something when

"Heyyy, Sasha!" They both turned to see Crysty approaching with a couple of her friends. Sasha blinked, then looked back at Eiden apologetically. "I’ll talk to you about it later, okay?"

She raised her hand and called out, "Coming!" Then jogged off toward Crysty’s group. Eiden blinked at her retreating figure, then slumped with a sigh. What was she gonna say? Damn it, I hate cliffhangers in real life...

He turned on his heel and quickly slipped away from the area, determined not to get dragged into Crysty’s orbit or, God forbid, another spontaneous group conversation.

A change of scenery wouldn’t hurt anyway, he thought, cutting through an alternate path home.

As he walked along the quieter side street, a familiar figure caught his eye. Wait... that’s Arin. His eyes widened. She wasn’t alone.

Walking beside her was none other than Ruel.

You’ve got to be kidding me. Eiden instinctively ducked into the bushes by the roadside like a trained stalker in an espionage anime.

He crouched low, pushing a few leaves aside just enough to peek. Ruel looked tense, his voice laced with emotion. "Tell me why...?"

Arin was silent, walking beside him with an unreadable expression. Ruel pressed on. "Just tell me the reason. Why did you break up with me? I swear, I’ll fix it. Whatever it is, I’ll change, okay?"

She remained silent, not even sparing him a glance. "I know, okay? I play around too much, I flirt a lot, but that’s just how I am! I’m a sociable guy! I can’t say no to people easily I just get swept up in stuff. But you... you’re the only one I actually love. The others are just friends I swear. We just mess around, nothing serious!"

Eiden squinted from the bush, eyebrows twitching. Oh my gawwwd. This guy. If I didn’t know better, I might actually fall for this bullsht. Just because his tongue doesn’t have bones, he’s twisting it like a damn snake.*

He shifted his gaze to Arin. Her face hadn’t changed at all. Emotionless. Cold. Then, without a single word, she stopped walking and turned around.

Ruel, desperate, reached for her wrist. "Wait! Hear me out, please !"Eiden’s teeth clenched. This son of a ..

But before either of them could react further, Arin pulled out her phone and flashed the screen toward him. On it was a message:

"911."

Ruel blinked, frozen. "Are you for real? Are you seriously doing this to me?" Eiden nearly laughed aloud but held it in. And now he’s playing the victim card. Classic. But... wait.

His expression shifted slightly. Aren’t I doing the same thing, just from a different angle? Aren’t I trying to get her to like me by poking holes in Ruel’s rep? So then... am I really any better than him? The question gnawed at him. For once, his internal monologue didn’t have an instant comeback.

As Ruel stood there dumbfounded, Arin simply walked away without a word. Her expression never wavered. Calm. Unbothered. Moments after her figure vanished down the street, Ruel let out a guttural scream.

"FUUUUUUUCCCCCKKK!!"

He kicked a can, then stomped on it repeatedly like it owed him money. After throwing in a few more dramatic curses, he stormed off, still muttering to himself like a man in a late-stage mental breakdown.

Eiden stepped out from the bushes slowly, brushing a few leaves from his shirt. "Heh," he chuckled to himself. "Serves you right."

Not in the mood to linger any longer, Eiden rushed back home. His brain was still lightly fried from emotional whiplash. But just as he neared the gate, he spotted Sasha standing there. Alone. Waiting. He slowed down and walked toward her. "Hey," he called out gently.

She turned to him, eyes softer than before, and walked a bit closer. Eiden raised an eyebrow. "So... what is it that you wanted to talk about earlier?" She hesitated. Her fingers fidgeted slightly. Her expression turned serious.

"Keep this a secret, okay?" Eiden tilted his head, puzzled. "Uh... sure. Tell me." Sasha took a deep breath exhaled and said : "I think... Crysty likes you."

"Huh!!!?"

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