The Daily Life of Tokyo’s Phantom Thief [88]

“Mm—nyan…”

The drunkard whimpered awake, and the first thing she saw was the sleeping face of a handsome school-age guy.

Momoka stared, blank and besotted, for a good while—unable to pull herself out of the beauty of this younger, athletic-type pretty boy—drooling a wet patch onto Rinto’s arm.

Only when her brain—aged seventy by the hangover—finally crawled back online did the memories she’d blacked out under alcohol begin to return.

“…?…??…………?!?!”

Memories of having pounced on a schoolboy flashed before her eyes.

Overlay that with Rinto’s sleeping face right in front of her, and the heat of his big hand holding her tight—and Momoka exploded on the spot!

She clapped both hands over her face and thrashed in Rinto’s arms, squealing:

“Ahhhh…! I finally ate a fan, ahhhh…!”

“And he’s a schoolboy?! What is this youth, three years late… Wait, is this a crime? Are the police gonna come—uwaaaah~! (。>﹏﹏﹏<)”

Rinto wasn’t moved an inch by her gremlin lines.

He only looked her dead in the eyes, seriously, with clear, steady pupils:

“Maybe you weren’t serious—but I was. There’s no misunderstanding, no heat-of-the-moment. I like you. That’s why I held you.”

Uu…~!

One sentence from Rinto shattered all her tangled thoughts and melted her sensitive maiden heart (?), through and through.

Momoka truly didn’t know how to face him; her lips trembled in a wavy line—about to cry again.

Rinto stared at her earnestly, their noses touching.

He looped his arms around her neck; tangled together on the bed, they shared a good-morning kiss:

“I’ll take responsibility. Momoka, I love you. Be with me.”

“~~~… I… love you too?”

Rinto had Momoka so turned around she didn’t know which way was north; bliss-drunken memories flooded her brain again.

Her first time in life—and her first love.

With the boy she’d quietly fallen for these three months, the one she lived with.

Younger than her, and impossibly handsome and reliable—far too luxurious for her…

Happiness slid into her lungs like anesthesia; her not-very-smart brain went fuzzy. She wanted to melt in his arms.

But in the middle of that sweet kiss, Momoka suddenly snapped awake—out of sheer inferiority.

She pushed his face away and pinched his lips, flustered:

“No, no, no! I absolutely can’t!”

“As much as I want to show off to Nana and Rin that I ate a super-handsome, super-amazing schoolboy fan and make them die of envy… I can’t!”

The idiot pressed her lips tight, fighting sobs:

“You—you already got together with those gymnastics twins… They suit you more.”

“You’re a brilliant boy with a limitless future. Don’t let a piece of societal trash like me cling to you… Let’s treat last night like a dream. Let’s spare each other, okay? I absolutely won’t wreck your relationship—I'll keep it sec—kya?!”

Rinto couldn’t be bothered to listen to her self-loathing nonsense; he flipped her and pinned her down!

Realizing what he meant to do, Momoka flushed to the roots and flailed:

“Wait, don’t—! Go to your twins! Don’t waste time on trash like me…!”

Rinto: “If you’re trash, then liking you makes me trash. It’s a done deal—stop thinking all that noise.”

Uu—this awful man…!

Momoka realized she couldn’t out-talk him—not with logic, not even with self-sabotage.

When he chose to “let himself go,” he out-degenerated her by miles.

She couldn’t refuse him at all; her body and heart were fully in his hands—his captive.

In her glazed gaze, Rinto swept her damp hair aside and pressed his forehead to hers:

“I won’t give you up. I’m also not breaking up with the twins. If that makes me a scumbag, fine—I accept it.”

“I’m going to be honest with you—and with myself. I like all of you. I don’t want to give up any of you. …By the way, I was already scheduled to meet them today. I’m going to see them and explain everything.”

“…You idiot… idiot, idiot, idiot…”

Momoka hiccuped and whimpered, trembling without knowing if it was from joy or anger.

She was satisfied by the joy of “achievement in love,” and at the same time she felt the taboo thrill of stealing someone’s boyfriend—which, perversely, felt exactly like her.

“You’re scum; I’m scum… so it doesn’t matter…”

“I like you, I love you… Even though I butted into someone else’s love and stole someone else’s boyfriend, I feel stupidly happy… so it doesn’t matter. If we’re going to hell, I’ll go with you. Let’s be bad people together… hehe, hehehe~”

Rinto: “Momoka, that smile is seriously gross. …I love you too.”

The idiot couple got the order of operations completely wrong—only now confirming the relationship—but honestly, it suited them.

…

By the time the sun was high at noon, Rinto finally got up to wash.

After laughing and crying herself out, Momoka had fallen fast asleep in his bed—likely for the whole day.

Last night’s chaos had trashed the place; stepping out of the shower, Rinto grimaced:

“I really should consider moving. This rickety old house can’t handle this kind of stress. If the floor actually collapses, we’re doomed… But why am I not tired at all?”

Somehow, despite babysitting a drunken Momoka and not sleeping a wink, he felt clear-headed—sharp enough to hear her long, steady breathing through the wall. He felt great.

Don’t tell me that’s also related to the Phantom Thief power… Rinto felt a twinge.

But Momoka and the twins mattered more right now.

He knew Momoka’s nerves were at their rawest.

What kept her with him now was love, but nothing about her career had been solved.

Her exaggerated inferiority toward him came from that.

Years of pent-up self-loathing had burst out all at once; now it had turned into attachment to him.

He’d become her anchor point, the weight that kept her moored to Tokyo, this unkind place.

…Which meant he had to take responsibility, Rinto decided.

He would lay everything out for the twins.

He felt deeply sorry toward Kasumi and Sumire; in substance, he had cheated—no excuses.

But even cheating, he had to state his position openly. He wouldn’t hide it.

Prepared in both sweet memory and resolve, Rinto stepped out the door.

…

“—Huh? Rinto-nii, you and Momoka-nee already got together? Last night?”

Yoshizawa Kasumi froze on the love hotel bed, sitting duck-style and super cute.

For some reason she was in a cheerleader cosplay uniform—one of the really short, midriff-baring ones.

Her little sister, Yoshizawa Sumire, was in the classic anime sailor uniform—but her top and skirt were also absurdly short.

The hotel’s costume rental service, clearly. They’d really been looking forward to today’s date.

Facing the two sisters perched on the bed, Rinto spoke as solemnly as he’d resolved to:

“Sorry, Kasumi, Sumire. I know this is unfair to you. The least I can do is be honest.”

“I couldn’t hold back my feelings for Momoka. I confessed. The responsibility is all mine—”

Kasumi: “Aiya~! I knew I should have moved faster. There goes my ‘server first’ achievement! What do we do, Sumi—only thing left to divide is which of us goes first, huh?”

Sumire: “Honestly, I’m relieved. At least when senpai remembers his first love in the future, he’ll think of Momoka-nee. Then Onee-chan and I don’t have to fight—it’s fair in a way.”

…Huh?

The more he listened, the weirder it felt—their emotional lines were far too steady.

Once so yandere-coded, Sumire now seemed to have expected this—almost calm.

Even the more excitable Kasumi sounded more like she was play-pouting than confronting a cheating boyfriend.

Seeing Rinto’s bewildered face, the sisters explained:

“Rinto-nii, you still think we were just joking last time about letting you start a harem, right? You really don’t trust us—that hurts our feelings more.”

“Onee-chan and I agreed long ago. We both love you. But if you can only love one person, isn’t that pitiful for everyone else? Sharing is better—everyone’s happier that way.”

Sumire’s eyes were surprisingly clear as she laid it out, making Rinto marvel:

“After all, senpai, you’re like a wish-granting machine—a heart-stealing Phantom Thief. If one day Momoka-nee wanted to give up Tokyo and go home, you wouldn’t bear to let her go, would you? You’d do everything to keep her. Confessing would be the natural result.”

…She’d pegged him perfectly. Rinto was shaken.

Kasumi grinned wickedly and dragged Rinto onto the bed.

Pillowed on his shoulder, she laughed, delighted:

“We’re greedy sisters—we want to share you. So if you don’t have an iron heart and can’t satisfy all our harem demands, that’s when we’ll be disappointed~”

“You’re the legendary Phantom Thief—the one who can change the world. Kick social rules to the curb! All we want is equal love from you—and then let’s make a ton of legends together!”

Rinto: “…The more generous you are, the guiltier I feel. I really understand Momoka’s feelings now.”

Guilt and love boiled together in him. He hugged the sisters tight, never wanting to let go.

Thanks to last night with Momoka, he also felt less hesitant—no more dithering about whether to act.

Sumire kissed his cheek, settling into his arms:

“If senpai feels sorry for us, then never let go. We want to be with you forever—to the ends of the earth, to the end of the world.”

“I swear it. I’ll never let either of you go.”

Rinto realized sharply: he was Momoka’s anchor, and the sisters’—

and they were his. They pinned him firmly to this world.

He must have grown weaker, he thought.

The lone-wolf Phantom Thief he once was had been stronger—afraid of no one, judging the world with borrowed power.

But now he had a soft spot, favorites—he couldn’t be a just judge anymore.

And that was better. He was content.

He’d rather be a selfish thief and step onstage as an unabashed defendant.

Even if the road ahead led to ruin, he wouldn’t turn back.

Even if fate brought extinction—if the moon itself fell toward the earth—he’d push the moon back for their sake.

Kasumi: “…But, speaking of which. Rinto-nii only just got together with Momoka-nee last night. You’re probably not in peak condition… Should we go easy?”

Sumire: “Mm, true… I heard from Hina in the practice room next door that boys’ stamina in that area isn’t great. Senpai has to deal with two of us—maybe we should pretend to be gentle?”

“Hey, you two little imps.”

Enough was enough. Warm-and-fuzzy Rinto flipped straight to provoked.

Amid the sisters’ giggles, he pressed them down, firm:

“So you really think I’m too pure and too gentle, huh? Let me tell you—Momoka the small fry didn’t even draw out a third of my power. I’m actually dissatisfied.”

“Since you’re this confident, I have to show you the real thing. Stand at attention!”

The sisters’ laughter rang on and on—athletes made far more noise than small-fry Momoka.

The confident Miss Yoshizawa…

—

This is a fan translation of 东京偷心贼的日常 by 七月雨季. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!