: Contact with the Angel and the Reaction from Others

After Mahiru declared her intent to have more frequent contact with Amane, she made

good on her promise and began to approach him more often. At first, this amounted

to nothing more than greetings and small talk, so as not to draw undue attention or

give anyone reasons to think he might be more than a friend of a friend. Mahiru was

obviously taking great care to avoid any sudden disruptions to his daily life.

When they discussed their studies, like classmates often did, they didn't get stares of

jealousy—instead, the other students looked at them with admiration. At times like

these, Amane was grateful that studying came easily to him. Honestly, it was difficult

to keep up with Mahiru, since she usually did the whole year's worth of schoolwork in

advance, but Mahiru was kind enough to tailor the discussion to Amane's level of

understanding, so they were able to play the part of ordinary classmates without any

trouble. It also helped that Chitose and Itsuki, and sometimes even Yuuta, were usually

with them.

In the way that all people ease into gradual change, Amane got used to having light

conversations with Mahiru about daily life or their mutual friends or their classes, and

any looks of jealousy that might have been directed at him from other boys faded into

the background. Only the boys in love with Mahiru continued giving him sharp glares.

"Why Fujimiya…?"

Amane was in his seat in the classroom, staring at his textbooks, when he happened

to overhear some boys sitting near him whispering in resentful tones.

Until just a moment ago, Amane had been discussing the previous class's homework

with Mahiru, and apparently the boys had spotted them.

As for why Mahiru had chosen to have that discussion with Amane, it was because

there simply weren't that many people who could keep up with her on that topic.

Chitose, her closest friend, never prepared for class, so there was no way she really

understood everything they were supposed to be learning right now. Chitose's

boyfriend, Itsuki, was the same.

And so when it came to academic topics, it was easier to talk to Amane. He'd always

had an easy time with schoolwork, and now that he had Mahiru's guidance, he'd

become an even better student than before. This was the power of Mahiru the angel.

"What do you mean, why me?" Amane answered loudly. "I happen to be able to follow

along with what she's talking about. It's not like we were having some hot-and-heavy

conversation over here."

When it came to interactions with Mahiru at school, there was some occasional small

talk, but it was mostly about their studies.

Mahiru seemed to be taking her time approaching him, so no one would suspect

anything, and was careful not to talk about anything normal classmates wouldn't share.

Rather, they had been having conversations befitting exemplary students, serious

conversations that left no room for doubt.

"I guess that's probably true, but…"

"If you've got a problem with it, you guys should get to studying and come join the

discussion," Amane continued. "Having you guys look at me all jealous is a real pain.

Studying is what we're here to do."

"Huh, no way… I don't get that stuff… I already have no idea what you two were even

talking about…"

"Just read the textbook," Amane admonished. "All we're doing is looking ahead of the

material we're learning now. If that's impossible for you, then I don't know what to say

other than give up now."

"That's harsh…"

"Don't blame me for the sorry state of your studies. And anyway, I don't know what

you guys are thinking, but I'm not that close with Shiina."

Amane answered them dispassionately, and the other boys ground their teeth in

frustration. He wasn't particularly good friends with any of them—in fact, he saw

them all as enemies who might discover his relationship with Mahiru—so he felt no

obligation to be overly accommodating.

Mahiru was only starting with light, casual conversation as a way to steadily work up

to being his friend openly at school. That meant they talked about schoolwork a lot,

but even if any of these other boys were on top of their studies, he doubted whether

she would befriend any of them.

Amane did his best to look utterly disinterested, but the two boys who were speaking

to him stared at him suspiciously.

"You… you don't seem bothered by the fact that you and Shiina only talk about school

stuff…"

"Don't you have any interest in the angel, Fujimiya?"

"Not in the angel, no."

Amane hadn't fallen for the "angel." That wasn't a lie.

The one he loved wasn't the angel—it was the real Mahiru, the side of her she only let

him see. He loved the Mahiru who could be infuriatingly stubborn and sarcastic but

was also tenderhearted and shy, the one who tended to indulge him, who had a

penchant for feeling lonely, and who sometimes looked so fragile he worried she might

break into a million pieces.

According to Mahiru, the angel persona was like a combat uniform she put on to go

outside, a set of armor she wore to protect her vulnerable interior. And it wasn't as if

he loved the armor. Of course, after all was said and done, that didn't change the fact

that he liked Mahiru, but it was for more than just her public facade.

The two boys now seemed suspicious of how readily Amane had shut that line of

questioning down. He dismissed without hesitation the idea that he was interested in

the angel, and they looked at him in disbelief.

"…You're telling me you don't think she's cute, Fujimiya?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not interested in boys, either. Look, I've got eyes. It's

not that I don't think she's cute—I mean, she's obviously very beautiful, and she has a

good personality. But that doesn't mean I have to fall in love with her or anything."

"Then what do you like, Fujimiya?!"

The boys made a dissatisfied racket, causing their classmates to glance over, which

was slightly awkward.

Leaving aside the fact that he was actually enamored with Mahiru, Amane didn't

understand the reasoning that just because there was a cute, kind, perfect girl around

that he must, as a member of the opposite sex, be in love with her. If that was true,

wouldn't every boy in school be lovestruck?

Just looking around their classroom, it was clear that not every single boy was head

over heels for Mahiru. There were people who appreciated her as one would a piece

of art, and there were plenty of boys who were in love with other girls. Of course, that

didn't change the fact that she was extremely easy to idolize.

"Lemme ask you: What do you guys like about the angel?" Amane muttered with some

exasperation, and the two boys' expressions became lively, as if they were finally

interested.

"She's super cute, and nice to everyone, and so neat and ladylike, and she can do

anything! Wouldn't it just be the greatest to have her as your girlfriend?"

"Huh… right…," Amane mumbled. He knew what they were trying to say, but he gave

them a skeptical glance questioning whether those were reasons enough to love her.

"She really is beautiful, and her figure is ideal, too. Like an angel out of a daydream or

something. I mean, she is an angel, but—"

"It's not just that she's cute and has a good personality; she seriously can do anything

she tries her hand at. Even her figure is extraordinary. Though usually her assets are

hidden under her uniform… But trust me, she looks amazing in her gym clothes.

Insanely impressive."

"That's… crazy all right," Amane muttered.

"I like flat girls like Shirakawa, too, but man, you know, girls with big ones are just the

best. It's every guy's dream."

"You guys are being rude. I think it'd be better if you all shut up now, for everyone's

sake."

Amane was suddenly in a rather unpleasant mood.

He could feel the sharp stares trained in their direction from around the room, and

even though he knew they weren't pointed at him, exactly, it was still enough to make

his blood run cold. Amane didn't have to look to know just who was giving him the

angriest glares. He was not looking forward to dealing with that later.

The last thing Amane wanted was for people to lump him together with these two

louts, so he made a point of turning his attention to his textbook. Letting his eyes glide

over the course material that he had been discussing with Mahiru earlier, he sighed

softly at the two oafs beside him who had begun a particularly vulgar conversation,

even for high school boys.

"…You know, I really don't think that Shiina is even going to take a second look at you

if you keep going on and on about your urges in public."

Amane figured that most girls probably did not appreciate a guy who participated in

that kind of dirty talk. All the more so if they themselves had full figures.

On top of that, he knew that Mahiru did not appreciate it when someone approached

her just because of her physical appearance. In fact, it was likely to put her off if she

suspected they were only interested in her body.

When Amane glanced over at where Mahiru was sitting, he knew the girls must have

heard them, because Mahiru was patting Chitose's arm, trying to calm her friend's

raging bloodlust.

Itsuki sometimes teased Chitose in private, but that was between the two of them. If

some stranger started casually talking about her body, she had every reason to be

furious.

Mahiru's angelic expression never faltered as she comforted her friend, but Amane got

the feeling that she, too, looked angry somehow.

I didn't say anything, though…

In his mind, Amane offered this explanation to Mahiru, then shut out the conversation

of his two annoying male classmates by focusing on his book.

The pair didn't seem to mind all the dirty looks they were getting, and Amane felt no

obligation to step in. Or more accurately, he had already tried to stop them, and they

were continuing nonetheless.

Amane quietly let out another heavy sigh when the boys started talking about how

great the angel was.

The angel is probably only the angel because guys like you act like that.

He didn't voice the thought. The words just rolled around in his mouth and vanished

without ever coming out.

"…Um, Miss Shiina?"

That evening, Mahiru had gone to Amane's apartment as usual, but she was wearing a

stormy expression. She was acting so differently that he unintentionally called her by

her last name.

"What is it?"

Her reply was curt. She was definitely mad about something.

Seeing the fundamentally gentle and tolerant Mahiru so bothered gave Amane a bit of

a stomachache.

"What's got you in a bad mood?"

"I am not in a bad mood."

"…No, you definitely are."

"Am not."

Mahiru was sitting next to him on the sofa, her expression unchanging. It wasn't exactly

obvious that she was angry—more like she was oozing displeasure. It might have been

more accurate to say that the air around her felt prickly.

Amane struggled to think of what might be aggravating her—then he remembered she

had seen him talking to their classmates earlier that day.

"…Ah, maybe you think I joined in with those guys discussing your figure?"

If Mahiru thought that, he could understand why she would be upset. It probably

wasn't very pleasant to picture the person you were sitting with drooling over your

body.

Mahiru had stiffened at Amane's words, so his conjecture had probably been accurate.

"You overheard us, didn't you?"

"Yeah, well, uh… I heard that part of the conversation, but…"

"Sorry. That must have been awful for you to have to hear."

"No, I, um… I'm used to hearing comments about my appearance, and it's not the first

time someone's remarked directly on my figure, so it was more like 'Oh, I see.'"

Mahiru had been conducting herself as the angel for many years, and her statement

was typical of a girl who never failed to put in the effort to maintain her good looks.

However, from the way Mahiru said it, Amane could tell she'd been the victim of

harassment before, and he felt ashamed to belong to the same gender as anyone who

would be so crude.

"Well, I was appalled they had the nerve to say those things in a place with girls around.

I mean, their preferences are their own business, but if they had to get all worked up

like that, you'd think they'd have the decency to at least do it somewhere in private. I

can't even imagine saying those kinds of things in front of all those people."

"One hundred percent."

The boys should have thought about the time and the place, but they clearly hadn't. It

had been inappropriate for them to have a conversation like that where other people

could hear. Actually, as far as Amane was concerned, it was indecent to talk about that

kind of thing at all.

"I noticed you were bothered by what they said, Amane, and I could hear that you

didn't join in. The other girls were impressed, too."

"Th-thank goodness… You know I wouldn't want to get mixed up with that."

"…If anything, it made me a bit worried. Maybe you focus a little too much on always

being a gentleman… and not enough on remembering that you're a man."

"Isn't that a little harsh?"

He felt irritated that his classmates, and even Mahiru, doubted his manliness.

"It's the truth," she said, turning away. She was still giving off hints that she was a little

upset about something, and when she noticed Amane frowning, she hugged a cushion

to her knees. "…Apparently you don't consider me very attractive, which hurts my

confidence."

"And just what, exactly, brought you to that conclusion?"

"You apparently aren't interested, for one."

She must had heard him say he had no interest in the angel.

"Wait, what I said was that I don't have any interest in the angel. The angel is the

character you play at school, right? What I meant was that even though I'm interested

in Mahiru, I don't have much interest in Mahiru masquerading as the angel. I think it

looks like a tough gig; that's all."

"…So you do find me attractive, then?"

"I'd have to be blind to think otherwise. You're incredibly beautiful. As the person most

often by your side, I can assure you of that."

Amane couldn't imagine how anyone could see it any other way. After spending so

much time with Mahiru, he had gotten to know many different facets of her personality

and had come to regard her with great affection. His love for her only increased and

never diminished. That alone was proof that she was appealing.

As Amane spoke, Mahiru began nervously pinching and tugging at the fabric of the

cushion she was clutching. She couldn't seem to look him in the eye.

"I-if that's true, then it's fine, but…"

Mahiru squirmed and nodded like she was hesitating to say something, then buried

her face in the cushion. Her ears were bright red, poking out from beneath her blond

hair, and it was very obvious she was embarrassed.

When she got like this, he knew the only thing to do was give her some space, so

Amane turned away, leaning against the sofa's armrest.

He knew if he didn't cool off, Mahiru would be sure to see it in his face when she

recovered.

…If it embarrasses her so much, she could just not say anything.

As the two of them both considered their words, Amane let out a sigh too quiet for

Mahiru to hear.