Oath with the angel

"I was in a terrible situation..."

After taking a bath to wash off the dust and feel refreshed, Shu leant back on the sofa, letting the unique post-workout fatigue lull her.

As expected, the enemy team had a strong hit in the cavalry battle.

Well, I had expected it, but I caused a lot of trouble for Kadowaki and the others because they would actively collide with me.

However, Hiiragi was happily smiling and saying, ``This is also youth,'' so perhaps Hiiragi likes these kinds of competitions in general.

In the end, I couldn't stay until the end due to the enemy team's excessive offensive, but thanks to Kokonoe's good fight, I was able to steal the headband of the opposing team more than I expected.

Kokonoe was active, but I could see that Midday, who was watching on the enemy team, smiled when he saw the lap.

After that, I managed to finish the afternoon session, and the closing ceremony was held.

There were too many things to do today, and I was physically and mentally exhausted, but today is not the end.

(...I have to say it)

Mahiru mustered up the courage to make his relationship with Shu public and chose to get involved with Shu.

Procrastinating without responding to that thought would not be possible even for a man to wind up.

(What should I say?)

Although he is determined, when it comes to confessing again, confusion and hesitation are born, which is probably why Zhou is said to be lazy.

For Zhou, this is the first time in his life that he has seriously fallen in love with her and confessed to her, so naturally he is worried.

As a woman, I wonder if it would be nice to be treated in a romantic atmosphere, or if I could express my feelings in a way that would make me happy. .

While I was holding my forehead thinking about this and that, I heard the unlocking sound coming from the front door.

I was startled and shook because the sound indicated that the girl who was the owner of the duplicate key and who was bothering Zhou had visited this house.

It was the first time for me to be so nervous about a noise coming from the front door.

The door closes and I hear the locking sound.

There was a sound of slippers stomping on the floor, as if they were filled with air... A familiar flaxen-haired girl appeared from the hallway leading to the entrance.

"Zhou-kun"

Light red lips are soft and bend, creating a gentle expression.

In the middle of the day, with a smile that was as usual, no, a sweeter smile than usual, and not even a trace of the turmoil at school, my heart was beating faster.

Whether he knew about Shu's upset or not, Mahiru sat down next to Shu as usual.

The distance between them is not even a fist's length apart.

When she tried to straighten her posture, her soft-looking hair wavy, and it still conveyed the scent of soap.

Apparently, he took a bath first to sweat like Zhou. Upon closer inspection, her smooth, milky white skin was even more complex than usual.

Mahiru smiled beautifully at Shu, who was getting even more nervous after taking a bath.

"Zhou-kun, I think that Zhou-kun has a lot of things he wants to say or ask me…can I say one thing first?"

"Oh, oh?"

Midday lowered his head to the circumstance that suddenly set himself up.

"I'm sorry that I blocked your escape route and attracted attention that wasn't very favorable to Shuu-kun. I'm really sorry."

"picture?"

"...Well, I knew it would happen like this."

I understand what midday was worried about when midday, who raised her face, said awkwardly.

Mahiru knows her influence, and that's why she's always been careful about her behavior so that she can be loved by everyone.

That midday showed Zhou to be an important person in public. I could see that he was confused, and Zhou knew that he was doing it even in the middle of the day.

"Well, well, I also understood that you were doing it even in the middle of the day."

"Aren't you angry?"

"That's not true though."

"I see, that's good."

Rather, as Zhou, I made up my mind because I was prepared for midday, and I don't think I hate it because I know how serious she is.

"I was aware of the fact that I was a little forceful. If you don't like it, I'm sorry.

"cormorant..."

Even in the middle of the day, Zhou was told to give up in a roundabout way, and Shu groaned.

Of course, I was aware of that, but there was something in my heart that was said directly to the person I was in love with.

If you look at the eyes in the middle of the day with a hesitant look, they are tinged with a mischievous glow.

Still, the look that seems to be expecting somewhere seems to be asking to be stepped in by the surroundings.

I purr and open my mouth slowly.

"Um, uh, midday."

"yes"

"...Mahiru, do you like me?"

"Yes. I like you... I like Shuu-kun. I like him as a man."

At the timid question, Mahiru smiled slightly and affirmed.

I had expected the answer, but my heart was beating so loudly that I could feel the hot blood reaching every corner of my body.

I was vaguely aware of Mahiru's kindness, but I ignored it.

It was natural for him to feel joy and excitement since this was directly hit to Shu.

As I froze, feeling an overwhelming sense of joy, Mahiru smiled bitterly as I wondered what she was thinking when she saw Shuu like that.

"It's not like I want you to reply right away."

"picture?"

"I wanted to convey my resolution in my own way.

Mahiru, who apparently misunderstood that Zhou was confused, smiled as if her worries had been lifted.

"From now on, I just want to make Zhou-kun fall in love with me enough to blow away his hesitation."

Midday was probably about to stand up with a confident expression that no one but Zhou had ever seen, so Zhou reached out to her and pulled her up.

(--I don't want to act pathetic by letting you say this far and not replying.)

Mahiru respected Zhou's wishes and told her to go slowly, so Zhou shook off his hesitation and wrapped his arms around her.

My delicate body tightened in my arms, and then I suddenly lost my strength as if I understood that I was being hugged by the surroundings.

Midday, who was on top of Zhou's leg because he suddenly pulled it, looked up at Zhou while leaning on his chest.

Surprise, confusion, and a hint of anticipation could be seen in her caramel-colored eyes.

"You know. This is the first time I've seriously fallen in love with someone. Or rather, I didn't think it would happen. I thought it was impossible."

"…Is it because something happened a long time ago?"

"Oh yeah"

I nodded slightly while hugging him so as not to let go of midday.

The reason why I hesitated to say that I loved Shu so much, and somewhere in my heart I refused to accept that he liked me, was because of the words of betrayal from my friend in middle school that had been deep in my heart. Probably because it was stabbed like a wedge.

``It may be a boring thing, but...I was betrayed by the people I thought were my friends.They laughed at me and told me I was worthless...I was the only one I thought was my friend, and I... I was just being used by them. Even I think it's ridiculous."

Zhou's parents were known locally as relatively wealthy families.

Although they did not have enough to hire a housekeeper like the Midday family, at least their income was much better than other families, and although Zhou himself never showed off, the quality of his possessions was good.

Perhaps they were jealous of this, or perhaps they were trying to take advantage of it, but several of their classmates came to Shu's side.

"I think you can understand midday too. … If your parents are wealthy, people around you want something financial.

"...yes"

They were friendly and friendly. Even though we only started in the middle of middle school, we got along well and became good friends to the point where we could call ourselves best friends.

We were so close that I thought we would continue our relationship even after I went to high school.

When I saw them cursing me like that, my heart felt like it was going to collapse.

"I was so stupid that I couldn't see through their true nature. I know that. Even if I knew, I became afraid to trust people."

I feared that if I trusted him, I would be betrayed in the same way.

"I know that not everyone is like that. Other than those people, they may have genuinely been friends with me. There isn't, right?"

"...yes"

"That's why I left my hometown. I wanted to spend a quiet time in a place where no one knew about my parents."

Of course, he recovered thanks to the encouragement of his parents, who couldn't bear to look down on Zhou, but it would be difficult to stay in his hometown with a wound on his chest, so his parents decided to make Zhou a Shooto. I sent him to my alma mater.

I met Mahiru when I was living alone so as not to worry the two who couldn't be apart due to work.

"... Foolish people, those who betrayed Zhou-kun. Even though Zhou-kun is so kind and wonderful."

Mahiru reaches out to touch Zhou's cheek and smiles sadly, and Zhou also smiles faintly.

"That's why I thought you couldn't fall in love with someone from the bottom of your heart....I didn't think it would be overturned so easily."

I stare at midday again.

Midday is the first time, and probably the last time, that my heart gradually warms just by catching it in my field of vision, and I am filled with feelings of love and affection.

That's all, Zhou was impatient in the middle of the day.

"...At first, I thought you weren't cute."

"I know. They told me that to my face."

"I'm sorry about that, really....When we first met, you weren't honest, you were cold, and you weren't cute. I started thinking that."

In the beginning, I thought I didn't want to get involved in vain.

When did that change?

"I started to want to know more. I wanted to touch it. I wanted to cherish it from the bottom of my heart.

"...yes"

"For a long time, I was patient. Before I could, midday stepped forward."

"Fufu... I was patient too. Zhou-kun is cool, so I was wondering what I should do if someone else took it, and I was nervous that he would like me. I did."

"You're the only one who likes that sort of thing."

"Mm. Say that again..."

It was a dissatisfied midday that he would belittled again, but he repeatedly blinked at the expression of Zhou.

Zhou now had a serious look and expression that made up his mind, instead of the pitiful face that Mahiru always gave up.

"... so from now on... I'll do my best to make that curiosity less curiosity."

"picture?"

"I'll do my best to become a good man so that people won't say that Midday is a curiosity. I won't be inferior to Midday... but I can be proud of it."

I'm trying to become a respectable man so that no one will complain, so that I can proudly stand next to Midday.

Not only for midday, but also for myself. To have confidence in yourself.

The first step should be to start with these words.

"I like midday....Will you go out with me?"

Staring at her transparent caramel-colored eyes and slowly whispering, her clear eyes became moist as if a film had been stretched out, but the drops didn't spill out, they just reflected around her.

Midday smiled at Zhou, closing his eyes to hide them.

"...Yeah"

Midday, who conveyed his approval with a small, yet trembling voice that could only be heard by Zhou no matter who else was, buried his face in Zhou's chest again.

The hand that wraps tightly around the back strongly stops the lap and does not let go.

Amane wrapped her arms tightly around Mahiru's small back, feeling a sense of unease as she seemed to be telling her that she would never let her escape again.

(――Never let go)

I want to cherish this. I want to make you happy. I want to love.

That was the first feeling I felt after communicating with Mahiru.

"I want to make midday happy"

"Because it's not a guarantee?"

Midday, who slowly raised her face, asked mischievously, so Zhou laughed and brought his lips to Midday's ear.

"This is my wish. I want to make you happy with my own hands. If I were to say it in terms of determination...I will cherish it and make you happy, absolutely."

"...Yeah"

Midday nodded with a sweet smile that seemed to have melted in the heat at the words of the oath that were filled with plenty of passion.