Poolside Playboys Are Expected

Eventually, a thoroughly shaken Amane was able to

regain his composure, and he set foot into the pool with

Mahiru by his side.

For Amane, who was already at adult height, the water

came up to about his hips, but for Mahiru it reached her

solar plexus, which didn't make it seem particularly shallow.

She looked up at Amane with a slightly worried expression.

"…Mahiru, you're not gonna drown; you'll be fine."

"Amane, people can die by drowning in as little as thirty

centimeters of water."

"Okay, listen… I won't let that happen, but if by some

chance you do, I'll give you CPR."

In order to encourage her, he spoke cheerfully, but

Mahiru kept clinging to Amane's arm and looked up at him

again. In her eyes, he saw a little bit of sulking and a shade

of expectation.

"…You won't keep me from drowning?"

Without meaning to, his gaze locked on Mahiru after she

murmured this with a tone of slight disappointment.

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The small bulge formed by her pouting lips looked

dissatisfied and…kind of pleading, but he figured that was

his imagination.

Looking at her light-pink lips, which hadn't lost any of

their luster even though she wasn't wearing lip balm, Amane

gulped audibly. But there was no way he could cast away all

reason and kiss her then and there, so he shifted his gaze to

the side.

"…I-I'd like for us to wait a little bit longer, so…um, we

can't, not here."

"I—I never said that I want you to do it here. But, well…

I'm starting to wonder if you don't want to, Amane."

"Of course I don't not w-want to!! I always want to!"

Surely there wasn't a guy in the world who didn't want to

kiss the girl he liked. Even Amane, who was not a

particularly romantic person, still wanted to touch Mahiru a

lot and kiss her as much as he pleased.

He knew they had to work up to it step by step, and he

was confident that she would pull away if he was always

forcing his desires on her, so he had been holding back, but

it was unthinkable that he didn't want to.

At Amane's strong assertion, Mahiru once again flushed

red, pressed her forehead against his arm, and hid her face.

The fact that she was red all the way to her ears made

Amane think that he had said something wrong, and he

began to blush as well.

"…Y-you've got the wrong idea—"

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"…Do I?"

"Well, it's not wrong exactly, but, um… If we do that, I'll

have a hard time today, so please just wait a little longer."

Amane had often been ridiculed by Itsuki for being a late

bloomer and a wuss, and at this point, he couldn't deny it.

From Mahiru's perspective, she was probably getting

really impatient with Amane. He was treasuring her too

much and moving at a slow pace, and she had been waiting

for him the whole time.

…I guess Mahiru wants to go further?

She must want to do more things that lovers do?

He looked down at Mahiru to confirm his thoughts, and

she had her eyes turned up at him with half of her flushed

face still hidden.

"…You do what you like, Amane. But Chitose said that

making yourself hold back too long isn't good… Don't overdo

it…"

"Ugh, Chitoseee—"

"A-after all, Chitose has been in a relationship longer than

either of us, so…"

"She's definitely been a bad influence on you, don't you

see?! L-listen, Mahiru, we can go at whatever pace feels right

for us. I'm not trying to go unreasonably fast, and, um…if we

rush too much, I think you'll end up floundering, too."

He believed she also wanted to move things forward, but

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he was worried that if they hurried things, Mahiru would

feel like she was under too much pressure, so Amane

thought a slow pace was best.

Amane wanted to proceed slowly for his own sake, too,

since he didn't know what he might do if he let himself get

carried away.

When he appealed to her with earnest eyes, Mahiru

looked down, making an embarrassed face, and pressed her

forehead against his arm once more.

"O-okay. Um… Sh-should we go swimming?"

"Y-yeah, we should…"

"…This is my first time coming to a place like this, so

please tell me about everything."

She added quietly that she had rarely gone places with

other people, so Amane took her hand, and they walked to

the middle of the shallow pool.

He guessed that her family had probably never taken her

to any kind of amusement park before, and he felt sad for

her. He decided they should go experience one of those

together sometime.

"So over summer break, how about we check off all of

your 'firsts,' Mahiru?"

"…P-putting it that way is embarrassing, but…okay."

Mahiru flushed red but smiled happily. Amane beamed

back at her and pulled her along by the hand to a spot that

seemed to have slightly fewer people.

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Mahiru had been anxious about potential drownings, but

perhaps because she was with Amane, she didn't seem

worried as long as they were just playing in the water.

When Amane rented an inner tube and handed it to

Mahiru, she grumbled about it with a slightly peeved

expression. "I feel like I'm being treated like a child…" Yet

maybe because it gave her a sense of safety, she put the ring

around her body.

While holding on to the tube, Mahiru relaxed and floated

on top of the water, gazing up at Amane with a placid look.

Amane was standing by the side watching her, just in

case, but the way things were going, he figured she wouldn't

have any trouble enjoying herself.

"This feels great, doesn't it?" Mahiru smiled, bobbing

around in her ring by Amane's side.

"Sure does," Amane leaned against the edge of the inner

tube and nodded.

Amane liked swimming but had never particularly cared

for playing around in the shallow pools. But being able to

spend a relaxing time with Mahiru was not a bad thing. If

they had been with Chitose and Itsuki, the two of them

would have wanted to play with a beach ball or go down the

waterslides or something.

That kind of stuff wasn't bad, either, but Amane liked

having some relaxing alone time with Mahiru.

"With the ring, you won't drown, and you can enjoy the

water as much as you like."

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"…But it's awfully humiliating, using one at this age."

"Even adult women use them all the time. Look, there are

people sitting in inner tubes over there, too."

Amane pointed to where some women in swimsuits were

floating with their backsides down in the holes of their rings.

Rather than using them as swimming aids, most of the

adults were chilling in similar positions.

Mahiru, who had stuck her body through the ring, looked

in the direction Amane was indicating, then excitedly stood

back up for a second and sat down into the ring.

Floating there with her body fully supported by the inner

tube, Mahiru blinked several times, then smiled, looking

mighty pleased with herself. She seemed to like it.

Her bare, milk-white legs, sticking out of the bottom of

Amane's rash guard, kicked and splashed in the water.

Her legs were slender yet amply soft, and Amane got

splashed in the face while he was captivated by their beauty.

Mahiru was giggling, wearing a happy, carefree smile.

Amane couldn't tell whether she had known where he was

looking, or whether she had done that on purpose, but…for

the time being, he splashed her lightly to get back at her, and

Mahiru's smile widened.

"Now you've done it, hey!"

She had probably been trying to snap him out of his

trance.

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Mahiru launched another water attack against him, and

Amane smiled a little and struck back.

But since Mahiru was rather immobile in the inner tube,

she made for an easy target.

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With the palm of his hand, Amane gently splashed some

water onto Mahiru's chest, and she did the same back at

him. She must have also been holding back as this attack

only reached his chest.

Amane was fully soaked. The water still felt cool on his

skin. He smiled with his whole face and splashed Mahiru

some more.

He was going easy on her because Mahiru seemed liable

to flip over if he overdid it, but she was cheerfully kicking the

water in a stroking motion, splashing away.

Each time she kicked, she was thrown a little off-balance.

"Mahiru, hey—"

It would have been awful if she tipped over with the inner

tube, so Amane leaned against the ring to stabilize her, and

Mahiru clung tightly to him.

She was still frightened of falling into the water.

"If you thrash around too much, you're going to fall over."

"Uh…sorry."

"I'm right here, so it's fine, but…"

"…If I wasn't with you, I wouldn't have been playing

around so much," she whispered quietly.

Against his better judgment, Amane stared at Mahiru.

She wrapped her arms around his back, buried her face in

his chest, and continued, "…But I am with you, and I'm

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having so much fun… The whole world is sparkling…

Besides, I knew you would help me if I needed it."

"…I, um, I don't know what to say when you tell me cute

things like that."

Amane's face automatically turned red at her whispered

words of love.

It made him want to groan.

How can she be so cute in every way?!

…I really love this girl…

Of course, this wasn't a surprise, but Amane could feel his

chest grow hot just from the affection she was directing his

way. He felt overwhelmed with love.

If they had been at home, he would have stroked her hair

and never let her go, but since they were in a public space,

he knew he had to restrain himself.

And so after hugging her for a moment, he whispered, "…

Once we get home, I'll show you how much I love you," and

then he let her go. Even though Mahiru was soaked through

with water, her face was as red as a boiled octopus.

"…That's all I've ever wanted," he heard her murmur.

Ultimately, it was Amane who ended up sinking. Holding

back a groan, he closed his eyes and tried to think about

something else.

Seeing Amane like that, Mahiru smiled with great

satisfaction, her cheeks still red, and whispered, "I want to

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show you my love, too."

Amane glared at her, wondering if she wasn't already

doing so, with the way she was acting, and she smiled at him

again.

"I want a chance to be in control, too. Recently, you've

completely outwitted me."

"…No way, you came onto me so aggressively before we

were dating. It's still my turn."

"We're skipping over too many of my turns. I want to get

the chance to embarrass you, too."

"So that was your goal all along? …Argh."

Amane knew that Mahiru would have loved to embarrass

him whenever the opportunity presented itself, so he

steadied himself, ready to turn the tables on her.

Mahiru often toyed with him, exposing his pathetic side,

so in an attempt to gain the advantage for once, he made a

show of brushing back some of the hair on the side of her

head and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek.

She seemed to have confidence to spare, but Amane

somehow swallowed the shame that welled up inside him

and peered down at his adorable girlfriend, who was frozen

in place with a bright-red face.

"…Still love me?"

"N-not cute…"

"Well, I've never been much of a charmer. Here, let's go

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take a break, shall we? I'll go buy us some drinks."

When he ruffled her soaking-wet hair, Mahiru seemed to

unfreeze. She mumbled sulkily, "I'll have an orange juice,"

and then she head-butted him.

It was obviously an attempt to hide her embarrassment,

so Amane laughed quietly and patted her head again.

"So this is what happens when I take my eyes off you?"

When Amane returned from buying drinks, Mahiru was

being hassled by two guys.

This is why I didn't want her out of my sight. This is my

fault, but—

Even though it was a weekday, there was still a long line at

the food court, so it had taken him some time, and sure

enough, two guys had come up to talk to Mahiru.

They were in public, so obviously the guys were less likely

to force her to go with them or anything, but as her

boyfriend, Amane was not amused. He didn't even want

random people to talk to her.

Mahiru herself was not even attempting to hide her

annoyance. Apparently strange men hitting on her didn't get

an angelic smile. She had zipped the front of the rash guard

all the way up and wasn't smiling, giving them no openings.

Amane sighed softly.

…They can't even tell how much they're bothering her, so

I doubt they're going to be able to pick up any girls, but…

To begin with, they should have been able to tell that a girl

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sitting alone, wearing a men's rash guard, who looked like

she was waiting for someone, might already have a partner.

If they hadn't been able to guess, that didn't speak well for

their ability to pick up girls. And if they were able to but

decided to try to pick her up anyway, then they were real

jerks.

Amane was probably thinking such harsh thoughts

because he was annoyed that it was his girlfriend they were

hitting on.

Mahiru was sitting politely on the bench and probably

hadn't been able to escape from the men because she didn't

want to leave that spot until Amane came back. Deciding

that he would apologize to her later for making her wait, he

hurried over.

"Sorry for the wait."

The moment he spoke, holding their drinks in both hands,

Mahiru's face lit up. It was obvious that they had been

bothering her.

Mahiru's expression made her look like a completely

different person, and the guys gaped at her as if they had

been caught off guard. They turned to look at Amane.

The two exuded a subtle sense of superiority as they sized

him up, probably because he hadn't dressed up that day—

after all, he couldn't use styling wax when going to the pool,

so he'd only brushed and combed his hair, and it didn't look

as good.

"Sorry, but she's with me, so I'd appreciate it if you would

leave us alone."

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Amane was used to people looking down on him, so he

wasn't bothered by their stares and smiled at them stiffly.

The guys' smirks turned even nastier.

"She's with you? Seriously? What a bad match!"

"A sad sack like you, with a girl like this…? Unbelievable."

Sorry for being a sad sack!

Amane knew he was plain-looking; he wasn't going to

argue that point. But as to whether he was a good or bad

match for Mahiru, well, he figured that these guys had to be

even less worthy of her. There was no way that the kind of

gaudy guys who walked around making passes at girls would

ever appeal to someone as elegant, beautiful, and ephemeral

as Mahiru.

The whole situation was a headache, and when Amane

was puzzling over how to argue with them without making

them angry, Mahiru suddenly chuckled quietly, "Heh-heh."

He looked at Mahiru, who had laughed out of nowhere,

and she was elegantly holding her hand over her mouth,

covering her smile.

"They're right," she said. "If I had to say whether you were

sunny or gloomy, you're a gloomy one."

"Don't laugh…"

"I know that my boyfriend isn't very cheerful. He's a quiet,

calm person."

Amane watched her attentively, unsure of what Mahiru

was trying to say, as she looked directly at the other guys for

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the first time.

There was no kindness in her eyes. They seemed cold.

…I bet she's angry.

Mahiru hated it when people made fun of Amane. So he

expected her to show the guys how she felt. She seemed to

despise them.

"And even if he is gloomy, what's wrong with that?"

Mahiru's words didn't sound particularly angry.

But in a tone that said they didn't really understand the

problem, the would-be pickup artists responded with a

dumbfounded, "Huh?"

"I love him, whether he's sunny or gloomy, it doesn't

matter. I fell for the whole package—his personality, looks,

and attitude. Whether he seems like a good match is

irrelevant. My love for him isn't such a flimsy thing that I

would ever worry about such questions."

Mahiru made this definitive assertion, then smiled

sweetly at Amane.

He felt his chest grow hot as it was full of love and

affection, a smile she never would have shown the other

guys. Amane had never imagined anyone would tell him they

loved him in such a bold way, and while it was a little

embarrassing, the feelings of happiness came to him first.

"I hope that you boys meet wonderful girls someday who

think of you in the same way."

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Mahiru beamed, but it wasn't the sticky-sweet smile like

gooey honey and chocolate mixed together that she always

used toward Amane. Mahiru finished them off with the

perfect angelic smile that she used in public, and the guys

stared at her, flabbergasted. Their faces were red, like they'd

been scalded by Mahiru's radiant smile. Amane briefly

thought that if she had shown them her real face, the one

that she only showed him, they would have been reduced to

ash.

"Ah, well, um…"

Stammering, one of the guys tried to reach a hand out

toward Mahiru.

"Hey, guys, over there."

Amane casually brushed the outstretched hand away and

pointed past them.

The guys turned to look where Amane was pointing and

saw that there was a man in a lookout tower who was

watching them.

The pool management took safety very seriously, so there

were lookout towers all over the place. The people posted

there were to caution patrons against roughhousing near the

water's edge and to keep anybody from drowning, but of

course they were also monitoring whether there were any

suspicious characters lurking about.

Once the two guys realized that the employee was looking

at them, they ran off in a hurry with embarrassed

expressions. Amane didn't feel bad for laughing at them for

being cowards, despite having had the courage to chat up a

girl out of their league who looked like she was already there

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with a guy.

It was finally just the two of them, so Amane sat down

beside Mahiru.

"Sorry for taking so long."

He figured the first thing he needed to do was apologize.

After all, Mahiru had been placed in an uncomfortable

situation because he had left her alone.

"No, it was busy, wasn't it? Plus, that happens all the time

when I'm by myself."

"…I'm sure that's true, but it's my fault you were left

alone. I bet you were scared."

"They seemed to understand what I was saying, so I

wasn't afraid."

I doubt they were listening to you; I think they just left

because other people started staring.

The exchange probably would have gone on a little longer

if the pool employee hadn't been there. Amane would have

gotten fed up with it halfway through and tried to take

Mahiru's hand and leave, but whether the other guys would

have let them go was a different matter.

Amane handed Mahiru the orange juice she had requested

and drank some of his own soda through a straw.

"…You weren't scared?" he asked.

"No, more like upset that they ruined my good mood."

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"Sorry. Cheer up, okay?"

"It wasn't your fault, but…all right, okay, let me have a sip

of your drink, and it's a deal." Mahiru pointed to the soda

Amane was drinking and smiled impishly.

"I can't say no to you." He smiled wryly and handed her

his cup.

He could tell that she was acting deliberately playful so he

wouldn't feel too guilty, and he recognized the thoughtful

understanding behind her words.

Without saying anything more about what had just

happened, Mahiru took the soda from Amane and sipped

it…frowning with determination. Her eyes even filled with

tears.

It was a strongly carbonated beverage, but not enough to

cause such an intense reaction. Amane hadn't been bothered

by it, but that didn't seem to be the case for Mahiru.

"Uh, did it taste weird?"

"…No, I just rarely have carbonated drinks… They really

irritate the throat, don't they?"

Mahiru's eyes were watering from the strong sensation.

Come to think of it, Mahiru only drank water, tea, coffee,

and sometimes fruit juice. That was it; he had never seen her

drinking a carbonated beverage before.

Mahiru wasn't that sensitive to spicy foods, but she didn't

seem to care for this kind of bubbly sensation.

"I'm surprised you would want a sip of something like

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this; you never drink soda… So why did you want to try it?"

Seems like she could have anticipated this would happen.

He took his drink back from Mahiru and patted her head.

She looked up at him, eyes still watery from the fizziness.

"…Because I wanted to enjoy the flavor with you, Amane,"

she mumbled quietly.

Amane nearly dropped the soda, narrowly avoiding a

disaster.

…My girlfriend is utterly adorable.

Amane wondered if "utterly" might sound disparaging,

but he meant it as high praise. Also, he was in agony.

Even at the best of times, he found it hard to deal with

how cute her appearance and mannerisms were, and when

she said that she wanted to share the same drink, he had to

stifle a groan.

Mahiru was too cute to even look at. Amane turned away,

just holding on to Mahiru's hand, and she leaned against

him, hooking her arm in his.

"…Me too. I want a sip of your orange juice later."

"Heh-heh, sure." Mahiru laughed faintly.

Without looking at her, he put his elbow up on the bench's

armrest and faced the opposite direction.

That was probably why he didn't notice them getting

closer.

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"Hey, you over there, the cute little lady and the sad sack

little boy, you wanna play with us?"

Someone called out to the two of them in a familiar,

easygoing tone. Amane recognized it, but he hadn't been

expecting to hear it.

When Amane looked toward the voice, he saw exactly the

faces he predicted:

A handsome, if shallow-looking, male and a boyish but

beautiful girl. Both faces he saw frequently at school.

Amane shot them a suspicious look without really

meaning to, but he didn't feel bad about it.

"Why are you here, Itsuki?"

"I'm not stalking you, promise. It's a coincidence,

seriously," Itsuki earnestly insisted. "You know I'm not that

nosy." He waved his hand dismissively.

Amane decided that their friends probably hadn't been

following them. For one thing, if they had been watching,

Itsuki and Chitose would surely have come to Mahiru's

rescue when she was getting hit on.

He figured that, in terms of timing, they had probably

spotted Mahiru after he'd rejoined her at the bench. It was

also clear from Chitose's expression that this was just a

coincidence.

"I mean, we heard that you were going to the pool

sometime this week, but of course I never expected to bump

into you in such a big place, even if we showed up on the

same day. Sorry for intruding on your lovey-dovey time."

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"…Hey—"

Amane wasn't going to complain, since they had run into

each other by chance, but he cast a sharp glance at Chitose,

who had a big grin when she teased him.

Which is to say, he ended up glaring directly at her, since

Chitose was also in her bathing suit, and it would have been

rude to look at her body too much.

Chitose was wearing an orange top and swim shorts.

When she noticed Amane staring at her, she smirked again

and shouted, "Oh no, a pervert!" and wriggled around, even

though it was obvious from the direction of his gaze that he

wasn't looking at her body.

Letting out a huge sigh at Chitose's ridiculousness, Amane

appealed to Itsuki with an imploring look, but Itsuki said,

"It's summer, so she's got too much energy." He didn't seem

inclined to try to stop her.

Feeling exasperated, Amane turned to Mahiru and saw

that she had unzipped the front of the rash guard, which was

previously zipped up to hide herself from the wannabe

pickup artists. Even though it was a rash guard, she must

have been hot with the fastener closed all the way up to her

neck.

She had unfastened it down to her chest and was fanning

a little air through the shirt.

Chitose blinked at her, "Hmm? Mahiru?"

"Yes?"

"…You wore that bikini?"

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"This one?"

"Yeah, I mean, you got the other black string— Mmph!"

Chitose's voice was muffled midway through her sentence

by Mahiru forcibly covering up her mouth.

Mahiru had risen halfway to her feet to reach Chitose. She

must have realized that Amane was staring at her, because

she froze.

"…It's nothing," Mahiru said, shaking her head. Her

cheeks were red.

"There was another swimsuit."

"No, ah, that one, well… I'm embarrassed to wear that one

in public, so…"

"You were about to spill out of it, huh? I thought it would

be cute for you to wear when you and Amane were alone—

Mmph!"

"Chitose, you need to shut up now."

"O-okay!"

Mahiru covered Chitose's mouth again. Chitose seemed

absolutely remorseless.

Amane was surprised to hear Mahiru had purchased a

swimsuit that she would be hesitant to wear in public, but

once she said that it was for when they were alone together,

his heart seemed like it would go crazy at the boldness of it

all.

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"…Is it really that risqué?"

"Not really. Mahiru has good taste; it's just that it doesn't

cover much."

"Chitose…"

"If I say any more, I think she's really going to get pissed

at me, so please understand you'll just have to see it for

yourself, Amane."

"I-I'm not showing!"

Mahiru rejected the idea outright, her face as red as a ripe

apple. Amane didn't feel guilty about being a little

disappointed.

Of course, if Mahiru was opposed to it, he wouldn't tell

her he wanted to see it no matter what, but still, it would be

a lie if he said that he didn't want to see his girlfriend like

that.

From the way Chitose was talking, the other bathing suit

wasn't just revealing, it was a bold expression of Mahiru's

fine style.

At the moment, Amane was having a very hard time

looking straight at her, but assuming that the other one

revealed even more skin, Mahiru's refusal was probably his

saving grace.

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But of course, as a young man, he would have liked to see

it.

Maybe he looked a little disappointed, because Chitose

smirked, and Mahiru repeatedly glanced at him with

uncertainty.

"You won't show him?" Chitose asked.

"…That's not up for discussion right now," Mahiru feebly

responded. Then, as if to escape from Chitose's and Amane's

gazes, she put up the hood on the rash guard and hung her

head.

Even if Amane couldn't see her face, he could imagine that

it was burning red, enough to make it look like she had

gotten a sunburn.

"…Chitose, don't tease her too badly. And, Mahiru, you

don't need to worry about what I think."

"But she's such a cutie!"

"Why say something so obvious?"

"Oh, this boy's a natural…"

Mahiru being cute was an indisputable fact, but when he

agreed with her, Chitose looked at Amane with faint

amazement in her eyes.

Before they started dating, Amane already knew from the

beginning that Mahiru was cute, so it wasn't that surprising

of a thing to say. But his friends seemed to be bewildered to

hear him say it, and their eyes went wide.

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"…Well, if you didn't wind up infatuated in the end,

Amane… You used to say you would never get a girlfriend

and never fall in love, but look at you now…"

"Shut up."

"You know, the feeling of being in love will change a

person!"

"Will you two quit making fun of me? First of all, Mahiru

being cute is a well-known fact, and anyway it's normal to

think that your girlfriend is attractive. Itsuki, you're

constantly bragging about how cute Chitose is."

Itsuki had been going on and on about his girlfriend ever

since Amane had known him. Compared to that, Amane

hadn't said much at all.

When Amane turned the tables and looked fed up with the

two of them, insisting that it wasn't such a strange thing for

him to feel that way about Mahiru, they shrugged defeatedly.

Amane glared at them, feeling slightly irritated by their

attitude, but Itsuki just smiled wryly.

"Ah, but I think we'd better leave it there for now."

"What do you mean?"

"Mahiru looks like she's having a hard time."

At Itsuki's mention of Mahiru, Amane looked over and

saw she was holding the hood down over her head and

trembling, probably feeling extremely self-conscious.

He knew she felt shy about being complimented too much

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in front of other people. She looked up at him, her eyes filled

with tears of mortification.

"…That's a good and bad thing about you, Amane," she

mumbled, hiding deep within the hood.

Amane couldn't do anything but wait for Mahiru to pull

herself together.

Once Mahiru recovered from her embarrassment, the four

of them hung out together, which was great because it made

it much harder for any other guys to approach Mahiru.

As long as the four of them moved as a group, no one

would be left alone, and Amane was paying close attention

to make sure it didn't happen again.

Moreover, since Itsuki was obviously outgoing and

handsome, the Platonic ideal of a cheerful guy, and the type

who had a friendly aura about him, any men who might have

been aiming to pick up one of the girls probably thought

better of it after one look at him.

However, since Chitose, Mahiru, and Itsuki were all

extremely attractive, Amane couldn't help but feel like all

eyes were on them.

"Mahiru, Mahiru, take this!"

"Kyah! …Geez, come on, Chitose!"

Without saying anything, Mahiru had pushed the group

toward playing in the shallow pool.

Mahiru and Chitose were happily splashing each other,

while Amane sat on the edge of the pool and watched them.

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It was charming, watching two girls who were such good

friends cheerfully playing around.

Also, they were both exceptionally beautiful in different

ways, so watching them was a feast for the eyes.

"Man, it's so nice to see the girls getting along like that."

Itsuki was sitting beside Amane, watching them with a

grin.

"You sound like a creepy old man," Amane replied.

"How rude! You're one to talk, ogling them while they

play."

"I'm not that bad."

"But I bet you were thinking about how nice it was to

watch, you taciturn guy."

"I could say the same about you."

"At least I'm honest about it," Itsuki quipped, gazing idly

at Mahiru, who was giggling as she splashed Chitose with

water.

"So why were you watching her with that faraway look in

your eyes?" Itsuki asked, wiping the foolish grin from his

face. He leaned forward a little bit and peered at Amane.

"Well, how do I put this? Mahiru seems to have gotten

even cuter than before."

"Listen to you, going on about your girlfriend, too."

"I'm not bragging; it's just—she smiles a lot now. She

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didn't used to smile this way at all."

"We never saw her back then, but…do you mean she was

cold?"

"Yeah. She was always cool and had a sharp tongue. It was

because she didn't trust anyone… I was thinking it's nice to

see her this way now."

Compared to when they first met, Mahiru smiled much

more openly now.

She had a carefree smile and honesty to her that seemed

unrecognizable compared to the distant and sharp-tongued

Mahiru of the past.

Amane felt proud that Mahiru had changed because of

him, but it was also thanks to Chitose. Since they were both

girls, they could talk about things together and understand

each other.

Whenever he saw the two of them having fun together, as

they were just then, he felt really happy.

"I agree; I've also been thinking that Mahiru has changed

a lot. She used to be like some kind of statue, and hard to

approach, but now all I can see is a supercute girl who loves

Amane."

"Who loves me…? Listen—"

"I mean, it's easy to tell, with that much pure affection

directed your way. Even on a normal day, it's obvious that

she treats you special."

"…By the way, I want to ask, from what you could see, has

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Mahiru been interested in me for a really long time?"

"If anything, she was brimming over with love, wondering

what was taking you so long."

"Seriously?"

He'd had a vague inkling that she liked him since before

they started dating, but apparently Itsuki had seen it even

before Amane had considered the possibility.

"I think that Mahiru probably started to change around

the time she started to trust you and like you," Itsuki said.

"I wonder…?"

"And having Chi around maybe helped, too. She's

excitable and friendly, for better or worse, so she pulled

Mahiru out of her shell."

"…I'm begging you to get your girlfriend under control."

"It's fine, it's fine. Chi never treads where she really can't

go. Besides, look, they're smiling so much."

When Amane looked over to where Itsuki was pointing

again, Chitose was hanging onto Mahiru, who looked

embarrassed yet accepting of her own shyness.

He could tell from the look in her eyes and her soft

expression that Mahiru trusted Chitose as well. It was good

that she was finding more friends to depend on.

But he wanted to be person she relied on the most.

Itsuki patted Amane on the back to tell him not to worry,

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and Amane responded with a wry smile.

"Hey, hey, you melancholy young men there standing by

the poolside, come over here and play with us!" Chitose

waved at them as she clung to Mahiru.

Mahiru waved her hand reservedly, too, looking like she

wanted Amane to join them.

"When you get invited by a couple of cute girls, there's no

way you don't answer their calls." Itsuki plunged into the

pool with a grin and headed toward the girls. Smiling,

Amane watched him go, and he, too, took off toward Mahiru

and the others.

"Whew, we really played a lot!"

After enjoying themselves for several hours, they were

naturally a little tired, despite being high school students,

and the four teenagers sat down on a bench to rest.

They had borrowed a ball to play volleyball, and at

Chitose's insistence, Mahiru had tried going down a small

waterslide, which had been an exciting experience for her.

Sitting beside Amane, Mahiru looked refreshed but must

have been fairly exhausted, because she was leaning lightly

against him.

"That was fun, huh? It's been a long time since I played

like that," she said.

"Mm, me too," Amane agreed. "It's been a while since I

moved around that much."

"Well, you didn't participate any more than you had to at

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Sports Day, eh, Amane? I bet swimming was good exercise,"

Itsuki remarked.

Amane wasn't exactly unathletic, but sports still weren't

his strong suit, and he rarely got such a total workout. Even

during gym, though he took the class seriously, he never

worked his whole body into a good sweat.

"Partway, you went for a serious swim, didn't you,

Amane?"

"Well, a pool is a place for swimming, so…I think it's nice

to swim from time to time."

"Mahiru was watching you while you swam, you know?"

Chitose added.

"Ah, s-sorry, Mahiru."

Mahiru had been playing happily with Chitose, so Amane

had gone off to enjoy some light swimming, but he realized

he might have made her wait around for him.

But Mahiru shook her head.

"Y-you don't need to apologize, but…it must be nice."

After a little thought, Amane figured out what she meant.

Mahiru didn't know how to swim, so she must have been

jealous of Amane, who could do so without any issues.

But he definitely wouldn't out her in front of Chitose and

Itsuki, so he just smiled softly and stroked her hair. If they

had another opportunity, it would probably be good to

practice swimming.

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"Let's go to the pool together again sometime," Amane

suggested.

"O-okay."

"Huh, what's that?" Chitose interrupted. "You say you

want to see Mahiru's black bikini?"

"You idiot, I definitely don't want to suggest she wear that

in public."

"But you want to appreciate it when you're alone?"

Chitose prodded.

"That's…different, since I'm her boyfriend, right?"

Thinking about Mahiru wearing a black bikini in front of

everyone made Amane uncomfortable. Even though she

wore his rash guard, he would have liked it if she had also

put on swimming shorts.

"Come on, Mahiru, you're not gonna show him?"

"I said we'll talk about it later."

Mahiru turned away uncooperatively. Amane smiled

slightly and patted her head gently again.

The group left the water park together and went to a

diner.

It was six o'clock, which was usually a little early for

dinner, but they had been swimming, playing, and using up

so much energy that they were hungry and figured it was the

perfect time to eat.

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Mahiru had never had the chance to go to a diner before

and was a little nervous. She looked cute fidgeting, and

Amane laughed in spite of himself. She slapped him from an

angle that Chitose and Itsuki couldn't see, and he reined it

in.

"That reminds me—you're going to Amane's parents'

house over the summer break, right, Mahiru?" Chitose asked

as she cut into her hamburger steak.

Mahiru had probably told her she was going with Amane

to his family home so they could make plans together. Now,

of course, Chitose was smirking at him.

"Oh yeah, that—you're going there to introduce yourself,

right?" Itsuki asked.

"Unfortunately, Mahiru has already met my parents."

"Oh, that's right… Well, at this point, it's more like a wife

accompanying her husband for his homecoming, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, say whatever you like."

The two of them weren't even close to being married—or

even engaged. So Amane's first thought was to question

what Itsuki was saying. But it was unusual for high schoolers

in a relationship to go for such a long visit with each other's

parents, so there was at least something to his friend's

observation.

Amane quickly let the subject drop and took a bite of the

rolled omelet from the Japanese set menu. Chitose didn't

crack a joke, but instead she looked at him with

disappointment.

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Ignoring her, he continued to eat, but somehow the eggs

were unsatisfactory. They had a bland, flat taste, unlike

Mahiru's omelets, and though he didn't complain, they left

him feeling unsatisfied.

Convinced that Mahiru's cooking was the best after all,

Amane glanced over at her and saw she looked slightly

embarrassed.

Apparently the talk of her being his wife made her shy.

"So you're going to Amane's house, huh…? His mom must

be thrilled," Itsuki remarked.

"You're acquainted with Amane's mother, Itsuki?"

"No, but I've heard about her… And from Amane's stories,

I've got a good picture of what she's like."

"My mom is a lot… Every time, it's like she's never met a

stranger."

It seemed like Itsuki had immediately been able to tell,

just by hearing about her, that Amane's mother had a lot in

common with Chitose. If the two of them met, they would

probably feel a sense of kinship.

"Huh, what's that?"

"Mm, just talking about how cute you are, Chi."

Itsuki casually dodged the question with a compliment,

and Chitose looked delighted.

"Oh, you!" she fawned. "Ah, and by the way, Amane, let

me know as soon as you've decided the dates for your trip

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home. I want to hang out with Mahiru before you go."

"Sure thing. We'll probably go in August, so you can have

at it until then… Just don't forget to do your homework."

"Why do you sound like my mom?"

"I believe last year you made a big fuss about not being

done with your homework, so…"

Chitose was the type to procrastinate and then panic,

trying to get everything done before the end of the break.

On the other hand, Amane was the type to get it done

early then review a little every day, while Itsuki liked to work

slowly but steadily, so both of them had gotten stuck helping

Chitose with her work before.

This year Amane had already finished his assignments,

and Mahiru had as well, so they had been reviewing

together.

"But I don't wanna do it… Ah! Maybe this year I can get a

sweet angel to teach me?"

"I don't mind teaching you, but the next time you call me

an angel, I'm rescinding the offer."

"Ah, so strict! But I love stern Mahiru, too."

Thinking how charming it was to see Mahiru sharing

friendly banter with Chitose, Amane took another bite of his

food before it got cold.

"Mahiru, tomorrow I'd like to eat omelets."

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She was sitting beside him, and when he told her this in a

quiet voice, Mahiru's gaze shifted to the tray in front of

Amane.

"You're eating one right now, aren't you?"

"This one's no good. Somehow the flavor is lacking. Yours

are the best."

"Heh-heh, you're hopeless. All right, I'll wake you up

tomorrow with breakfast."

"Mm."

During summer vacation, Amane stopped getting up

early, so he would be grateful for Mahiru if she did.

It would probably be bad for his heart to see her face first

thing, but there could be no doubt that it would be an

extraordinary way to start the day.

Amane was in a good mood, and as he looked forward to

tomorrow's breakfast, Itsuki stared at him in astonishment.

"You're basically living together…"

"Shut up."

Only half living together, but he didn't say that out loud

and quietly sipped his slightly cooled miso soup.