A Power Outage, Anxiety, and Warmth

"Ah!"

Amane let out a panicked yelp as he was suddenly plunged into darkness.

The weather had been calling for storms all week due to an unusual pressure front,

and indeed, the sounds of thunder and heavy rain outside were unceasing. But Amane

hadn't expected it to get bad enough to knock out the power.

After an especially loud crack of thunder, the lights went out all at once, from the bulbs

to the television. It was a total blackout.

Luckily, his computer had been unplugged, so it likely hadn't suffered any damage, but

he would have to check the other appliances later.

"Do you have your phone? I left mine in a backpack in my bedroom."

He wished he had a flashlight handy, but a phone would have to do. Unfortunately,

Amane had left his in his room, but he figured Mahiru would have hers. She had been

sitting next to him, working on problems in a textbook, when the lights cut out.

However, there was no reply.

"…Mahiru?" he called out anxiously.

Amane thought he felt something tugging on his sleeve. He asked what happened, and

still, there was no answer. He blindly extended a hand toward where Mahiru had been

sitting, and brushed up against something slender that he assumed was Mahiru's

arm… It was easy to tell that she was trembling as she started and pulled away.

There was a loud thud as something fell down, and then a groan. He heard a grumbling

voice come from the floor.

"What a disgrace…"

"…Um, sorry I startled you."

"…No. I startled myself; that's all."

Mahiru didn't seem particularly bothered by her fall from the sofa as she groped

around and found her original position.

Amane was worried that she had landed hard on something, but she didn't seem to be

in pain or anything. Then, perhaps while Mahiru searched for the hem of Amane's shirt

again, her fingertips brushed against him lightly.

It tickled, and without thinking, he grabbed her slim wrist, and she started trembling

again. This time, she didn't fall off the sofa.

"Looking for something?"

"…Are you being sarcastic?"

"Why in the world would I be?"

"I thought you would make fun of me for getting so shaken up by a little blackout…"

"I'm not that much of an ass."

Usually, Mahiru was very levelheaded and not the kind to scare easily—but she was

still a teenager, and even an adult could feel anxious if the power suddenly went out.

Outside, the thunder rolled on, accompanying the endless drumming of raindrops, but

inside the apartment, it was quiet and still. Mahiru continued fiddling nervously with

the hem of Amane's shirt, but she didn't make any moves to brush off his hand. He had

been a little nervous about touching her at first, but now he gently squeezed her hand.

"…So I guess you're not a big fan of the dark?"

He spoke to her softly and could more or less make out that she shook her head.

"…I don't hate it, but…"

"Mm-hmm?"

"…I just don't like it when it's bright one moment and dark the next—that's all."

"Ah, okay."

"I'm not really afraid of the dark, and I don't feel scared."

"Sure, yeah."

Mahiru stubbornly dismissed her fears in an even more aloof tone than usual, but

Amane had spent enough time with her to know it was all an adorable bluff.

He smiled slightly, thinking that the cover of darkness could be a good thing, but

Mahiru added in a small voice, "…There's just one thing."

He stopped smiling and leaned slightly toward Mahiru. "Hmm?"

"…When we sit like this, I know I'm not alone, and I feel better," Mahiru mumbled. She

sounded relieved.

"I see," said Amane, and he gently squeezed her hand again.

"…The power's back on. I'm going to check my appliances."

The moment the lights in the room flashed to life, Mahiru gently slipped out of

Amane's hold and stood up.

Amane smiled wryly at her transparent change in attitude, but he noticed that the ears

poking out from under her flaxen hair were red and decided to not say anything.

He stood up, too, to go look at the circuit breaker and check that nothing had

malfunctioned. When he passed Mahiru, he heard a small "Thank you" and couldn't

help but stare at her.

In a fluster, Mahiru turned away quickly and went to the kitchen to escape. Amane

simply scratched his cheek and headed for the washroom to check on the breakers

there.

Once inside, he noticed that his reflection in the mirror had slightly flushed cheeks.

"That's weird," he muttered as he turned away bashfully