Culture Festival, Day Two

It was the second day of the culture festival.

Amane was on shift in the afternoon, so he was free all morning, but…

"I haven't been to my alma mater in a long time, but it's just like it always

was. They've done some reorganizing, but the atmosphere is just the same."

Amane's father, Shuuto, who they hadn't seen since summer, mumbled to

himself as he stood in front of the doors looking up at the school building with a

smile.

Standing there next to him, or more accurately, snuggled up right beside him,

Amane's mother, Shihoko, was also smiling gently. "I suppose we haven't

visited since Amane's entrance ceremony," she remarked.

As always, they were being affectionate. Amane was used to it, but it was

attracting some attention from the people around them, and Amane wished

just a little that he could put some distance between himself and them and

pretend like they were not related.

Of course, Mahiru was hanging on his arm, stopping him from going

anywhere. The look in her caramel-colored eyes was warm, and told him to

resign himself to it, so there was nothing Amane could do.

"…Um, so, do we also have to walk around with you?"

"Oh, how can you say that when we haven't seen you in months?" his mother

exclaimed. "What a terrible son you are."

"I'm too old to hang around with my parents."

"Don't be ridiculous… Ah, could this be the sort of hateful rebellion against

doing things with your parents that so frequently occurs in adolescence?"

"I don't hate you…you just stand out."

At the present moment, they were very conspicuous.

It was clear to see that the two of them were a youthful and well-matched

couple. One rarely saw middle-aged couples that were as flirty as they were.

Amane knew that if his classmates saw them, he would get teased about it

later, so if possible, he didn't want to walk around with them.

Mahiru, on the other hand, had apparently never had her parents participate

in a school event, and she must have been happy that Shihoko and Shuuto had

come, because she seemed to want to walk around with them.

Amane felt guilty disregarding her meager request, since he knew about her

family history, and if it would make his girlfriend happy, he was prepared to put

up with it, but still, embarrassing things were embarrassing.

"…Do we really stand out?" his mother grumbled. "I think you two are plenty

conspicuous yourselves."

Then she looked at Amane and Mahiru, who were snuggled close together,

and smiled in satisfaction.

Somehow or other, Amane knew that her look was one of both amusement

and encouragement, and he could feel his cheek threaten to start twitching.

"…Even so, between a couple of students and a pair of parents, the parents

stand out more."

"Well, that may be true," his mother admitted, "but it doesn't change the fact

that you do stand out. In fact, you're showing off, aren't you?"

"We are not… Anyway, listen, you want to go around to the different snack

stands, right? Well, we have our shifts this afternoon, so if we're going, let's

hurry up."

"Oh, so you're going to come with us?"

"Yeah, as a chaperone."

"I don't know, I think there's a chance that you two might be more

passionately in love. Right, Shuuto?"

"Ah-ha-ha, she's right!"

His father's friendly, gentle smile never faded. Amane held his head in his

hand and let out a soft sigh.

Unlike his mother, Amane's father didn't tease them, which made things

more difficult because Amane couldn't strongly object or argue with him. It

would throw the whole mood off, so he couldn't talk back to sharply, or even at

all.

"…Just tell me where you want to go first."

"Let's see. We'll get to see where you and Mahiru are working this afternoon,

right? So if we set that room aside for the moment, I think I'd like to see some

of the shops that are selling handmade goods, since we're here. The pamphlet

said that the handicrafts club and the industrial arts club have booths."

"I guess I can show you where those are."

For now, the best thing to do would be to hurry up and fulfill his father's

request.

If they stayed where they were, they were just going to needlessly attract

even more attention, so ultimately, Amane compromised. He put his arm

around Mahiru's back, who was gazing up at him lovingly, and urged her

forward with a little push, and they went into the school building.

"Your parents are super close, huh, Fujimiya? Just like you guys," Ayaka

chuckled.

She was watching Amane's parents, who were looking at the handicraft club's

handmade merchandise as they expressed their harmonious relationship with

their whole bodies.

Ayaka was working as a shopkeeper. Amane didn't know much about which

clubs his classmates belonged to, but apparently Kido was in the handicrafts

club, and it was currently her turn to mind the store.

"I was convinced you were the manager of some sports club or something,

Kido…"

Amane, who had been keeping a certain distance from his parents, stared at

Ayaka, who was wearing an apron that was apparently handmade.

This was a girl who had publicly declared her attraction to muscular bodies

and talked about how much she loved muscles all the time, so Amane had been

certain that she must be a manager for one of the sports clubs. He'd imagined

her taking every opportunity to be where the boys were and look at their

muscles, so it was a surprise to find her in the handicrafts club.

"Well, there's nothing illegal about a healthy appreciation for muscles. But

unfortunately, I'm flying solo right now. Besides, Sou would get pouty."

"Kayano would?"

"He doesn't think a thing of me looking at guys who are professional

bodybuilders on TV or in photographs, but, well, he told me to quit drooling

over other students."

"I feel like that's less jealousy and more concern for your reputation, Kido."

Kayano probably didn't want other people seeing a cute girl gazing spellbound

and almost drooling over somebody's muscles. Especially if that girl was his own

girlfriend.

But Ayaka seemed to object and puffed out her cheeks sharply.

"How rude! I'm very choosy about who I ogle, you know."

Ayaka insisted that she didn't ogle just any set of pumped-up muscles, but she

didn't deny the ogling itself. Instead she put her hands on her hips and threw

out her chest.

"Well, I'm in the handicrafts club because my dad's always begging me to

please act more ladylike, but… Actually, I guess the main reason is because I get

to make clothes for Sou myself, and even take his measurements in person to

do that."

"Whoa, you're hardcore…"

"Th-there's nothing wrong with that, is there? I—I mean, look at Miss Shiina,

she seems like someone who would personally make you some clothes if you

stripped and let her take your measurements."

"Please don't give Mahiru any indecent ideas."

If anything, Mahiru would get embarrassed and refuse to look at Amane's

naked body, so she would never want him to strip in the first place. He wouldn't

know what to do if she started acting like Ayaka.

Amane did not bother to hide his exasperation when Ayaka looked

disappointed for some reason. Just then, Mahiru, who had been looking at

crafts with Amane's parents, came over to them and cocked her head

questioningly.

"You were deep in conversation over here. What are you talking about?"

"Oh, about how happy you would be if Fujimiya stripped."

"No way that would make her happy. Right, Mahiru?"

"S-something like that would…not, I don't think."

"Why was that such a weak denial?"

He'd expected her to deny it forcefully, with a bright-red face, but her denial

had been a little bit hesitant, and Amane couldn't hide his surprise.

"Oh, have I finally convinced Mahiru of the appeal of big muscles?"

"Don't say weird things like that, please. And it would be great if you wouldn't

give Mahiru any weird ideas, either."

"All I ever did was talk about how great they are. I'd like it if you would not

call the beauty of the human body a 'weird idea'. I think it's offensive to say

that admiring the result of someone's hard work building their body and

refining their physique is a 'weird idea'."

"Uh, right, sorry."

Ayaka lectured him with an unexpectedly serious face, so he apologized on

instinct.

"…Yeah, but even so, what are you going to do if you awaken something in

Mahiru?"

"Couldn't you just get naked?"

"I'm not doing that."

He could see that Mahiru was visibly overheating, so he wasn't going to take

anything off. He had no doubt that she wouldn't be able to make eye contact

with him for a while.

He glared at Ayaka, telling her that not everyone wanted to see naked bodies,

but Ayaka didn't look the least bit ashamed. With a grin, she mumbled, "But I

bet Miss Shiina would like to see…"

Mahiru, meanwhile, was shaking her head back and forth, and her face was

red, so Ayaka was probably being ridiculous, when she imagined that anyone

else was like her.

Mahiru, who seemed like she was about to boil over, mumbled, with

trembling lips, "I hardly ever even think about such vulgar things."

"Oh, so you do think about them at least a little?" Ayaka prodded, and Mahiru

zipped her lips up tight.

Amane, for his part, pretended like he didn't hear anything. In Mahiru's case,

it was probably because she was interested in her sweetheart. He had to

believe that it didn't come out of some prurient interest, like with Ayaka.

"My, my, it looks like you're having a fun conversation!"

While Amane was thinking about how to soothe the bright-red Mahiru, his

parents walked over, wearing relaxed smiles. Apparently they had purchased

something they liked, and they were putting their purchase in a bag.

Ayaka seemed surprised by their sudden appearance. After blinking several

times, she straightened up in her seat, and put on what was probably her best

customer service smile. It was a sophisticated one that didn't reveal the

slightest hint of the grin she had been wearing during their earlier discussion.

Amane couldn't help but freeze up at how completely she had changed her

demeanor.

"Ah, you must be Fujimiya's parents. My name is Ayaka Kido, and I'm a

classmate of Fujimiya and Miss Shiina."

"Very pleased to meet you. I'm Shuuto Fujimiya. This is my wife, Shihoko."

Amane's father gave his name and introduced Amane's mother. Ayaka

bobbed her head with a smile. It was plain to see that she was feigning

friendliness, so Amane cracked a smile.

"What were you kids talking about?"

"…About Kido's interests."

His father asked the question, so Amane gave a basic answer while averting

his eyes, and his mother got a curious twinkle in her eye.

"Oh, what kind of interests do you have, dear?"

"Let's see, people watching…I guess you could call it? I like watching people

who are working hard and cheering them on."

She was appreciating people's bodies, so she wasn't lying. And cheering

people on as they exerted themselves, that was certainly about muscles too, so

it didn't feel inconsistent. At the same time, it wasn't entirely accurate either.

"So, how is our Amane doing, from your perspective? Is he trying hard?"

"Let me see…I think he is trying his best. However, I haven't actually known

him for that long, so I guess I would say Fujimiya is still sort of an unknown

quantity…"

Amane was sure he remembered Ayaka talking about his muscles, but he

couldn't make a crack about it in front of his parents. It would be unbearable if

he accidentally sparked such an embarrassing conversation.

Mahiru must have understood that too, because she was also staying quiet.

But in a moment when his parents' attention was captured by the conversation,

she stealthily patted Amane's stomach, making him worry that Ayaka might

have poisoned her after all.

As he brushed her hand away, he chided her, "Save that for home, please."

Mahiru, who seemed to have realized just what she was doing in front of

other people, quickly flushed red.

"From what I can see," Ayaka continued, "Fujimiya seems happy and

motivated when he's with Miss Shiina, so I look forward to observing their

relationship from close-up."

"Oh, so the two of them are getting on well together at school too?"

"Yes, very much so. So well, in fact, that it's affecting the rest of us who have

to watch."

"C'mon, Kido, cut it out with the weird comments."

"Hey, that wasn't weird, just the truth. I just really think you're a very wellmatched couple, you know?"

Perhaps as payback for saying that her praise of muscles was weird, Ayaka

raved about Amane and Mahiru while wearing an impish grin that was nothing

like the smile she had given his parents a moment earlier.

Amane's parents smiled happily. They must have been imagining Amane and

Mahiru flirting in class. It made Amane want to get out of there immediately.

Amane was aware that his own face was just as red as Mahiru's had been a

moment earlier, and he glared at Ayaka to warn her against saying unnecessary

things, but Ayaka wasn't bothered at all.

"Sounds like you've gained the approval of everyone in your class too," his

father remarked. "That's wonderful, son."

"Shut up."

When his father congratulated him with a soft, genuine smile, Amane twisted

his mouth in an uncomfortable grimace and turned away sulkily.

"Amane, you look dead inside…"

"Gee, I wonder why…"

Shuuto and Shihoko left the handicrafts club's stall behind and started

walking around the school again. Mahiru followed behind the two of them at a

relaxed pace, holding tightly onto Amane so that he wouldn't run away.

Amane was staring at his parents' backs as they enjoyed themselves, trying to

hide how disgruntled he was, but he was wearing a disinterested face.

The looks are making me uncomfortable.

Since he was walking around with his attention-grabbing parents, the stares

were especially piercing.

Recently, Amane had gotten somewhat used to having people's eyes on him,

and although he still didn't like it, it was part of moving through the world as

Mahiru's boyfriend.

But this time, the looks were different.

They weren't looks of jealousy or spite, but rather, they were full of curiosity.

Since Amane and Mahiru's faces were well-known, people were staring at them

with even more interest.

Amane was just trailing listlessly behind his parents, who were walking ahead,

flirting with each other as they visited the various refreshment booths.

Mahiru saw how he was acting and frowned uncomfortably.

"If you hate it that much, we can split up from them…," she suggested.

"I don't hate it or anything, just, my family…when I see them acting like that, I

guess I get embarrassed…"

"…You're really not one to talk, Amane, I think you're just like your father."

"In what way?"

"Recently, you've been, well, how do I put this…? Unconsciously, and I know

you're my boyfriend, but you've been, like, giving off a particular vibe…"

Mahiru lowered her pink cheeks and stuck her lip out in a little pout as she

pointed out that he had been doing things like casually squeezing her hand and

putting his arm around her shoulders. Unable to argue, Amane pressed his lips

into a straight line.

In fact, they had been flirting in front of people, not excessively, but with

restraint. They had been touching a little bit like sweethearts did, but that was

apparently weighing on Mahiru's mind. She didn't seem to hate it, but she did

seem embarrassed by it.

"…Honestly, y-you could be bolder about it, but, um…I know it'll make my

heart pound. I'm glad that you've found your confidence, but because of that, I

get flustered sometimes. And then, I get way too worried about the strangest

things, and…s-sometimes feel like a loser."

"I think that last part is taking it too far."

"But—"

"So then what do you think of me?"

He was greatly troubled by the thought that Mahiru might still consider him a

loser, but, well, since they had been dating for a whole four months and hadn't

done anything more than kissing, if she said he was a loser, then he must be a

loser.

But he had thought that they both wanted to wait, and that Mahiru

understood it was a choice he was making because he wanted to treasure her.

But Amane was unhappy that she thought moving so slowly was his standard.

"Sorry for being so slow."

"I-I'm not trying to pressure you, and I know that you're taking your time

precisely because you want to be careful. But I think you're worrying about me

too much, Amane, and putting yourself last, so… I wonder if that isn't difficult

for you?"

Although Mahiru was inexperienced, and knew even less than Amane about

relations between the sexes, he figured she must be aware of the physiological

responses that were typical in men, and that she must have actually noticed

those responses in the course of spending time with him.

Amane guessed that she had worded her question so carefully because she

knew how he felt, and what's more, because she understood that he hadn't

done anything because he respected her and wasn't going to force her into

anything.

From Amane's perspective, it was humiliating to have her worry about his

feelings like that, plus he was just fully realizing his inexperience, which kept

him from exercising enough self-restraint. But he was glad that Mahiru didn't

perceive that as a bad thing.

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't difficult, but listen, I… If you're happy, Mahiru,

then I'm happy…I don't think we have to rush ahead or anything."

"…Please realize that I am also happy if you're happy, Amane."

"That's why your happiness is the most important."

"We're just going around in circles, aren't we?"

With a discontented look, she poked her fingertip into his side repeatedly, but

it wasn't enough to change his feelings.

He looked down at Mahiru's disapproving face and smiled softly to tell her

that he wasn't going to budge, which prompted her to make an even more

disapproving expression, so to pacify her, he tickled the hand he was holding

with one fingertip.

"You don't need to worry about me, Mahiru."

"…That's one of the irritating things about you, Amane."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about that."

He made this assertion, implying that he wasn't going to budge, and with an

expression that was difficult to read—not angry, but containing exasperation

and a little bit of irritation—Mahiru head-butted Amane's upper arm.

"So you also understand how cute my darling Mahiru is, right?"

"Oh, of course I do! Sweet Mahiru has plenty of charms…the more I get to

know her, the cuter she is."

Although they had just met for the first time that day, Amane's mother

Shihoko and his friend Chitose were kindred spirits. They were admiring Mahiru

together. Watching them talk just made Amane let out a huge sigh.

"You two are a dangerous mix…"

Itsuki and Chitose were on the same café shift with Amane that day, so they

were also free to move about during the morning. Everything had been going

well until Amane's group had run into them by chance and, unavoidably, he had

introduced his parents.

That was when the problems started. At first, Chitose had quietly behaved

herself, but once Amane's mother had started doting on Mahiru, Chitose hadn't

been able to hold herself back, and had joined in.

From there, they'd very quickly realized their affinity, and ultimately Mahiru

ended up trembling with bright-red cheeks as the two of them praised this and

that about her.

Her caramel-colored eyes, welling up with embarrassment, were looking to

Amane for help. But there was no way he could triumph against Chitose and his

mother working together, so for the time being, he let them do as they pleased,

and took refuge with the other males.

"Thank you for looking after our Amane," Amane's father said.

"Nothing to it," Itsuki replied.

"…Geez."

"What's the matter, Amane? You aren't going to deny it, are you?"

"It's a fact that you do try to help me out. Whether your help is needed, and

whether it actually improved anything, is a different question."

Occasionally, Itsuki did meddle where it was none of his business, but

generally he was helpful and did look after Amane. Amane did feel a debt of

gratitude to him, and he rarely said so, but he appreciated Itsuki every day.

If Itsuki hadn't been around, his relationship with Mahiru probably never

would have progressed. In a sense, Itsuki came in a set with Chitose, and they

could be considered key figures in his courtship with Mahiru.

He was grateful to his friend, so he didn't deny father's words, and for some

reason, Itsuki averted his eyes.

"You sure can be honest about things like that, man."

"Are you trying to start a fight about how I'm usually too sulky?"

"Taking it that way is the very definition of sulky, you know. Wait, so you

knew that you were acting that way this whole time?"

"Shut up, you jerk," Amane slapped him on the back, but he was just fooling

around a little, so Itsuki didn't try to stop him. Instead, he grinned and looked

over at Amane's family.

Even Amane's father was giving him an amused smile. Amane couldn't stand

it, but when he turned away, he could still hear their smiles in their voices as

they spoke.

"Well, Amane can be sulky, and he's not very upfront about his feelings, but I

think he's an honest guy."

"Amane's always been like that, you know. He's always had a hard time

letting people get close, but I'm glad that he has a friend who understands

him."

"No, no, I'm the one who should be glad that I get to be his friend.

"…Do you think you two could maybe talk about this when I'm not around?"

"But—"

"Right, okay then, we'll talk later over text…"

Amane had meant that he didn't want to listen to their conversation, but the

way things unfolded, Itsuki and Shuuto somehow started exchanging contact

information. Amane felt a headache coming on. It seemed like they were

opening a secret back channel through which anything he did would be

reported to his father, so he wished they would stop.

However, even if he put a stop to it, Chitose and Shihoko seemed likely to

conspire to do something anyway, so he felt a keen hunch that trying to

interfere was pointless.

No matter what I do, Mahiru and I are going to get made fun of…

He knew that his parents and friends would probably talk about them with

affection, but the thought was still unbearable.

Thinking that he had better warn them all off gossiping later, he looked away

—and there, in the corner of his vision, he spotted Itsuki's father, Daiki, who he

had also met the day before.

Daiki was a parent, so it wasn't strange that he would come to both days of

the festival, but he didn't seem like he was going to come over and speak to

them. He was just watching them from afar with a troubled look on his face.

Amane was confused.

Daiki's gaze was directed toward Itsuki, so perhaps he was worried about his

son.

"Amane, what's…?"

Itsuki noticed Amane looking worried, and when he also turned to look, his

handsome face stiffened.

Amane knew that father and son were not on good terms by any means, but

as Itsuki's friend, seeing such an obvious response made Amane extremely

uncomfortable.

He looked at Itsuki, wondering what to do. Itsuki's lips were trembling like he

had something to say, but that never turned into words. Instead he turned

away and pretended not to see his father.

Itsuki walked straight over to Chitose, who was still chatting excitedly, and

flashed a big grin.

"Chi, let's go buy some food soon, yeah? If we don't get in line soon, we'll be

working hungry this afternoon."

"Uh-oh, we don't want that. Not when serving customers takes so much

stamina. Ah, sorry, but we'll be going now."

"Oh? Well, we're planning to come to your café this afternoon, so we'll see

you then."

"Yes, we're looking forward to it."

Chitose bowed politely, and they left. Itsuki was subtly hurrying her along.

Chitose's expression probably would have soured if she had noticed Daiki, but

still, Amane couldn't help but feel like Itsuki was being too blatant about his

feelings toward his father.

…How did they get to this point, I wonder?

Amane let out a soft sigh at Itsuki, who was ignoring Daiki as if he wasn't

there.

"…Sorry for the trouble."

After watching to make sure that Itsuki and Chitose had left, Daiki, who had

been watching them from afar, approached Amane, wearing a bitter smile.

Even for Amane, it was a supremely uncomfortable situation, but still, it

wasn't like he could poke his nose too deeply into their problems, so he just

watched his friends leave.

Amane's mother seemed to notice Daiki approaching, and she walked up to

him with Mahiru in tow.

Amane introduced him. "This is Itsuki's father."

"Is he now? Our son owes a lot to your son Itsuki."

"Oh, no, I'm sure it's the other way around…"

Watching his parents and Daiki introduce themselves after their normal

parental humility contest, Amane felt incredibly awkward.

"…Ah, but, Daiki, what just happened?"

"I was expecting it. I've always given Itsuki's girlfriend a hard time, so Itsuki

keeps his distance. I get it."

Daiki accepted the situation matter-of-factly. He seemed more resigned than

sad. Shuuto and Shihoko both seemed to pick up on the fact that Daiki's

relationship with Chitose, his son Itsuki's girlfriend, was not good, and they

frowned, looking a little concerned.

While chatting with his parents, Amane had previously mentioned that two of

his friends were having a hard time because their parents didn't approve of

their relationship, so they probably remembered that conversation.

Daiki didn't appear to pay any attention to Amane's parents' reaction, and

after looking into the distance as if recalling the scene from a moment earlier,

he smiled a little.

"But, wow, you're really on good terms with Fujimiya's parents, Miss Shiina.

I'm surprised to see that."

"Thank you for your kind words."

"Of course, she's our future daughter-in-law. Even if she wasn't, she's a good

girl, and she's easy to pamper."

That was partially because of Shihoko's and Shuuto's personalities. And also,

since Amane's relationship with Mahiru had his parents' official approval, he

thought it was only natural that they would try to get along with his partner and

their future daughter-in-law. But Amane had been hesitant to say that, since it

might sound like a dig at Daiki, but…his mother didn't seem worried when she

declared it without reservation.

Amane thought that maybe she had done it on purpose, but there seemed to

be more thought behind it than he first assumed. His father also didn't make

any attempt to stop her. It was clear that she didn't mean anything bad by it,

she was just genuinely smitten with Mahiru.

Listening to her talk, Mahiru looked embarrassed, and Daiki's eyes opened

wide like he was taken aback. Then a beat later, he put on a strained smile.

"Well, with her, I suppose the two of you don't have any complaints at all."

"That's certainly true. Because she is the person our son has chosen. His

judgment didn't fail him, and when we met our darling Mahiru, we knew that

she was someone we could trust with Amane."

Amane felt some objection to the idea that he was being entrusted to

anybody, but it was a fact that she did look after him, so he couldn't complain.

"I really envy you," Daiki said. "It didn't work out like that for my foolish son."

"You don't trust your son's judgment?"

"My son isn't the accomplished heir that he needs to become, you see. He's

just a kid, with a long, long way to go."

"Oh my, I don't think that's quite right. From what Amane tells us, your son

seems like a very considerate and kind young man."

"Well…"

Daiki was hesitant to go on. Shihoko smiled at him calmly.

Maybe she was feeling something as a fellow parent, because normally she

wouldn't have pressed the issue so far, but this time, Amane's mother wasn't

holding back.

They had just watched Itsuki run away from his father to protect his girlfriend,

and that was probably why she was acting like this.

"I understand that as a parent, there are certain qualities you hope for in the

partner your child chooses, but…children rebel if you restrain them too much,

after all. Considering you worked so hard to raise such a lovely son, I think one

of your duties as an adult is to trust his judgment and see what happens."

Shihoko told Daiki that with a smile, and Daiki made a sour face as if he had

swallowed something bitter. It wasn't a hateful expression; rather, it looked like

she had touched a sore spot.

Amane looked at his mother, who didn't appear to have anything further to

say, and put on a faintly bitter smile, like his father, Shuuto.

"Now, we just met you, and we have no right to speak out of turn, but…if you

try to keep a child from walking down a path they've chosen for themselves,

even if it's clearly an error, they'll never listen to you."

Shuuto stared at Daiki with the same pleasant smile as Shihoko as he brought

the argument to a close, and Amane scratched his cheek and sighed softly.

Amane didn't really think that it was the sort of conversation that he ought to

butt into. But he understood that, for better or worse, Daiki was stubborn, and

he also knew that the situation as seen from a parent's perspective was

different from the way it looked to the couple in question.

If Daiki already understood that Chitose was not a bad person, that meant

there was a disconnect between perception and expectation.

"Please let me say one thing, too," Amane added. "Um, well…I know that you

don't think very highly of Chitose, but…she's not a bad person. Recently, she's

been working hard and trying to get your approval. I'm not going to tell you to

accept her or anything, but…please, take a closer look at her."

Daiki's standards were very high, but there was nothing about Chitose that

made her incapable of meeting them. She wasn't stupid or anything, and she

was someone who could read the room when it was important. And she could

be kind and considerate.

It was simply that Daiki and Chitose had different values, that was all, and he

didn't want Daiki to ignore everything that was good about her.

Daiki gazed for a moment in wonderment after Amane's hesitant statement,

then looked away awkwardly.

"…I understand, young Fujimiya, that you hold my son in high regard, and that

you have confidence in his girlfriend. I also know about the efforts that they

have been making. And I understand that a child is not his parent. And yet—"

"And yet?"

"—I don't think that she has had a good influence on my son. Even accepting

that my delinquent son has had a good impact on you, that doesn't change my

perception of her. That's what I need you to understand."

Amane's words, if he had to say, came from a place of support for Itsuki. He

wanted to support his friend, no matter what. He hadn't really considered

Daiki's feelings.

Amane knew that the man's feelings weren't going to change just because an

outsider like Amane said one thing or another, but…to have his input rejected,

however gently, to his face, made his chest hurt just a little.

…I knew that this was an issue that was beyond me, but…

Ultimately, this was an issue between Daiki, Itsuki, and Chitose, and Amane

could never truly know what Daiki thought of them.

Without peeking into the man's heart, there was no way to know exactly why

he wasn't able to accept Chitose.

"You don't need to worry, young Fujimiya, I'm not scheming to get rid of her. I

just have my own way of thinking, and I simply cannot approve of her. You can

understand that, surely?"

"…I'm sorry, that was too forward of me, it wasn't my place."

"No, I'm glad that my son has made a friend like you. Because you seem to

genuinely care about him."

Daiki didn't seem upset. He just put on a faint smile with a little bitterness

mixed in, and passed his gaze over each member of Amane's party with calm

eyes.

"Never mind about me, I want you to continue being good friends with my

son, if you would."

Daiki told him this in a firm, heartfelt voice, and lowered his head a little, then

left quietly, leaving Amane and his family bewildered.

Even though he understood that Daiki had his own way of thinking about

things, Amane let out a heavy sigh that carried inexpressible feelings of

disappointment, exasperation, and sadness at things not going the way he had

hoped.

"…Amane, usually you're rather short with Mister Akazawa and Chitose, but

at times like that, you really stand up for them, don't you?"

After they had lunch, Amane and Mahiru split off from his parents for a while.

They had finished changing clothes in preparation for their afternoon shift, and

were waiting in the break room for their work to start in about twenty minutes'

time.

"…I mean, yeah, they're my friends."

"You're not very upfront about your feelings, you know?"

"Oh, hush. I'm upfront with you, aren't I?"

"I don't know if I'd call it upfront, maybe blunt…sometimes, you astound me

so much it's shocking, and it sends my heart racing."

"I'm glad to hear I can get your heart racing."

"Oh, you!"

Mahiru started slapping him. It was more like she was fed up with him than

actually unhappy, and Amane shrugged.

"Well, as you saw, I don't push it too far when I stand up for Itsuki and

Chitose. They would both hate that. Besides, I know what Daiki wasn't saying."

"What he wasn't saying?"

"Mm…so, their family is pretty wealthy. I don't think you've ever been there,

Mahiru, but their house is kind of a mansion."

"A mansion…really?"

"Right, a mansion. Like a real classic Japanese manor house."

Amane had been surprised the first time he had gone over to hang out at

Itsuki's invitation. Amane had thought that his own house was large, but still it

was no match for a luxurious Japanese mansion with its own detached

outbuildings, a pond with a bridge, and well-kept gardens.

Itsuki himself had sounded a little embarrassed about his "musty old house,"

as he'd put it, but to Amane, it seemed less old-fashioned and more historical.

He thought it was a handsome place, undamaged and well cared for over the

years.

"Anyway, he comes from that kind of family. Apparently he's got a brother

who's pretty much an adult already, and his brother will be inheriting the

house, but that doesn't change the fact that Itsuki is the second son of a

prestigious family."

"…I see."

"Well, Itsuki claims that since he's the second son and not the heir, he can do

whatever he wants. He says he doesn't want his parents putting limits on who

he can date."

Amane could understand Itsuki's insistence, and also how he wouldn't want

his parents deciding something like that for him despite being at an age where

he could think for himself.

However, he hadn't gotten the sense from seeing Daiki earlier that his

rejection of Chitose was entirely because of her influence over Itsuki. Amane

had a feeling that there was some other main reason why he would not accept

Chitose.

He would probably never know unless he asked Daiki directly, but it was also

obviously not the sort of thing that he thought the man was likely to talk about.

Even so, it wasn't great that he wouldn't listen to the two people at the

center of the issue. Amane wasn't inclined to take Daiki's side.

"I know that Itsuki's dad probably has his own way of thinking about things,

but, you know, from where I stand, considering that forcing them apart will

make them rebel and give rise to more friction, I think things would be easier

going forward, both practically and emotionally, if he would compromise with

them a little."

Amane concluded with a shrug, conceding that it wasn't his place to talk,

since he wasn't one of the people involved. Mahiru stared fixedly at Amane,

then her face softened into a loving smile.

"…I'm feeling a little jealous of Mister Akazawa."

"Jealous?"

When he heard that completely unexpected word, his eyes widened

automatically.

As for Mahiru, she prefaced what she was about to say with an awkward

smile. "This might be inappropriate, but…," she began. Then she sighed softly as

she expressed her thoughts on the matter. "I don't think it's an unbearable

situation from their perspective, Amane. Even though they don't agree, Itsuki's

father is still thinking about what's best for him and trying to protect him, right?

There's no denying that he's prioritizing his own values, but…even so, that's still

a form of parental love."

When she said the words parental love, it made him stiffen, slightly enough

that he hoped she didn't notice.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about me."

Mahiru smiled faintly. Apparently she had noticed Amane's concern. She

played with a bit of her hair, winding it around her fingers, and gently cast her

eyes downward.

"At this point, I'm not expecting anything from my parents. But you know,

seeing them and thinking about the tenuous relationship that I have with my

family, I do feel jealous. Well, even if my family reached out to me, I don't think

I would accept their offer at this point."

She added quietly that she already considered that link severed, and twirled

her hair into a tight spiral.

In response to this gesture, which seemed to be occupying her attention

somewhat, Amane carefully reached out and unwound the lock of silky hair

from her fingers. Then he went straight on to gently stroke her cheek.

Mahiru gazed up into his eyes.

Amane could see that her eyes were wavering slightly, but decided not to

point that out, and smiled calmly back at her.

"Well, you've got my parents, Mahiru, so you kind of get to experience it, in a

way. My parents always say that all their affection is wasted on me anyway."

Mahiru was already like a daughter to the Fujimiya family.

What's more, Amane's parents fawned over her even more than their

biological son. His parents were aware that Mahiru was starved for love, which

only made them dote on her more.

Mahiru blinked dramatically several times at Amane's words, then as his

meaning sunk in, she slowly broke into a broad smile.

"…Heh-heh, that's not true. You're wonderful, Amane."

"Thank you very much… You are loved, so you don't need to be so anxious

about it."

"Okay."

Looking a little bashful, Mahiru leaned in close to Amane, who was by her

side. Amane also smiled a little, and accepted her into his arms, and they

quietly cuddled close together for a little while.