Finish Your Homework First

"Amane, help me!"

"Nope."

Chitose was sitting at the living room table holding her mechanical

pencil. Amane didn't bother to hide his exasperation as he rejected her cry

for help.

Chitose had spent the night at Mahiru's, apparently with the intention of

finishing her summer assignments.

Perhaps in an attempt to get Amane involved, too, she had decided,

without asking, to do her work at his apartment and had come over for that

purpose. But Amane had finished his assignments nearly a month earlier

and was just doing some self-study, so he was in no hurry to join her.

There was no reason for him to rush over to the table, so instead, he sat

on the sofa leafing through a magazine, occasionally looking over at

Chitose.

"First of all, this is your fault for putting off your work and not finishing

it. You've got to plan ahead. I think it's much better to work hard early on

and finish your assignments, then have fun for the rest of summer vacation,

than to find yourself in a bind at the end and close out the holidays tired and

in a bad mood."

"Ugh."

"You could have done it together with Itsuki. He already finished his

assignments, too, and he even worked at it little by little. If you had done

the same thing, you wouldn't be struggling now."

"Ugggh."

"In fact, why are you so sure that you can just rely on other people to

help you get it done? You're the one who has to solve the problems. Your

laziness is just coming back to bite you, and the quickest way to get it over

with is to quit floundering around, pull up to the table, and do the work."

"Mahiruuu, Amane's bullying meee!"

Amane had thought he was making a sound argument, but now Chitose

was whining to Mahiru.

Mahiru had just poured her friend some juice, and she came in carrying

a tray with glasses full of orange liquid on it.

"You shouldn't be so harsh with her, Amane."

Mahiru smiled wryly as she chided Amane before passing him a glass of

orange juice.

"See!" Chitose said. Mahiru's reinforcement had gotten her worked up,

and she shot Amane a look that said he ought to follow his girlfriend's

example.

However, Mahiru was not completely on Chitose's side, either. If

anything, her way of thinking was closer to Amane's, which was why she

had finished her assignments early and had already moved on to

independent study.

It was Mahiru's style to steadily work away at her assignments, but she

had already finished all her summer homework. No matter the task, it

wasn't much fun to be hounded by deadlines, so she got done what she

needed to do and then reviewed so as not to forget the material.

Amane was relieved that her line of thinking was basically the same as

his own.

"Heh-heh, if only the old Amane who didn't know how to pick up after

himself could hear you say that," she teased.

"Uh, well, about that…"

Though his was a different type of laziness, once Mahiru delivered this

blow of sound logic, Amane couldn't say anything more.

"Oh, she really told you!" Chitose cackled when she saw that Mahiru

had shut him up.

Mahiru had just set a glass of orange juice down on the table. She smiled

gently at the amused Chitose, then slowly placed her hand on her friend's

shoulder.

"Putting all that aside, Chitose, you'd better get to work, okay?"

"Not you, too, Mahiru! Weren't you on my side?!"

"I am on your side. But that doesn't mean you don't have work to do. I

asked you at the beginning of summer vacation if you wanted to do the

assignments together, but you decided to slack off…"

"Ugggh."

"This is nothing but the consequences of your own actions."

Chitose had chosen to play around, despite Mahiru's invitation, which

didn't exactly invite sympathy.

"Chitose, you may have a lot of homework left, but I'm here with you,

so you'll be fine."

"Mahiru…!"

"Right now, if you work at the table until dinner, you can get about

halfway through it… Right?"

"Nooo!"

Mahiru sent Chitose spiraling into despair by snipping, with natural

ease, the spider's thread of hope that the other girl was reaching for.

Amane looked over at Chitose and commented "Poor thing" with an air

of indifference, before taking a sip of the orange juice he had been given.

He was tentatively prepared to swap in for Mahiru if Chitose was really

stumped, or more likely if Mahiru got tired of coaching her, but Chitose

would never learn if they babied her too much, so they were trying to be

firm with her.

Chitose whined and moaned, but still she reluctantly prepared to do her

work. Amane looked on from the side, as he considered going out to buy

her something sweet later.

"I'm. So. Tiiired!"

Chitose had been frantically working away at her assignments, taking

short breaks along the way, but as one might have expected, it eventually

wore her out. She flopped down and rolled around on the carpet like she

was throwing a tantrum.

It was fine because she was wearing shorts that day, but she was moving

in a way that would have revealed her underwear had she been wearing a

skirt. Amane watched her with unconcealed dismay.

"What are you gonna do if you spill juice or something with all that

flailing around?" he asked.

"If that happens, I'll just have to throw myself on your mercy."

"Rather than throw away your pride, you should try harder not to spill

things in the first place. Besides, it would suck if the carpet and your

clothes got dirty, right?"

Mahiru was considerately holding their two cups, which had been sitting

on the table, so there was nothing to worry about, but if she had let them be,

an accident might have occurred.

Amane wouldn't have been angry about juice spilling on the carpet, but

considering the time and effort it would take to remove the stain, he still

didn't want Chitose to spill any.

"You should try to act more like an adult," Mahiru chimed in.

Mahiru's smile was a little strained, but she didn't seem inclined to put a

stop to Chitose's behavior. She probably knew that if she didn't let her

friend relax a little, she would get worn out.

"Hmm, well, since there's nowhere for me to lie down, I'm moving to

Mahiru's lap!"

"Hold up; that's my special reserved seat."

"So stingy. Mahiru, can I?"

"…If Amane says no, then the answer is no."

Mahiru cast her eyes down and slowly shook her head a little

awkwardly.

At this, Chitose didn't show the slightest bit of dissatisfaction at being

rejected and put on a broad grin instead. "I may not get to use your lap as a

pillow, but as long as you look happy, that's good enough for me."

Mahiru looked more embarrassed than happy, but her cheeks, though

flushed, had curved into a smile, so maybe Chitose was right.

Maybe the words special reserved seat had made Mahiru happy.

"All right then. You better hurry up and enjoy your spot in my place,

Amane. It'll inspire me to do my work."

"Not a chance. You'd definitely tease me for it. I know it's mine, so I'll

enjoy it when you're not around."

"I bet you will."

"I'm allowed—it's my special privilege. Anyway, I'm gonna go buy you

something sweet, so get to it and do your work."

"Really?!"

Chitose jumped to her feet, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Her

reaction drove home the fact that she was easily bribed.

It was clear from her smile that she'd been waiting for those words.

Both Amane and Mahiru broke out in wry grins.

"It's your reward," Amane said. "If you sit down and work seriously, I'll

go buy something for you right now."

"I will, I will! That's just like you, Amane, so generous! Something

from my regular shop would be great! A cheesecake, okay? One of the

soufflé ones!"

"I didn't expect you to put in an order… Well, it's not that far away, so I

guess it's fine, but…"

Compared to the cake shop nearby, Chitose's favorite spot was a little

farther away, and its prices were a little higher. It wasn't terribly expensive,

though, and Mahiru also seemed to like the cakes there, so Amane had no

objection about going.

"And for you, Mahiru?"

"Huh, for me…?"

"If you're going to buy for everyone, why doesn't Mahiru go with you?"

"Because you'll slack off, so she can't leave. Besides, it would be wrong

to make her walk in the blazing sun."

"It's incredible how little faith you have in me… But you're a

gentleman, Amane, so I'll be generous and swallow my feelings this time."

"If you keep this up, I'm not going to get you anything."

"Won't that defeat the purpose of going…?"

"Well then, hush. And get to work on those assignments."

Chitose looked at him like she couldn't believe what she was hearing,

but he ignored it and asked Mahiru what she wanted. He got his answer—

gâteau chocolate—and stood up to leave.

He expected that demand for cakes was lower during the summer

season, but it wasn't impossible that they would be sold out. It would

probably be best to go early.

"All right, I'm off."

Amane left the living room with his wallet in hand and Mahiru trailing

gracefully behind him.

Apparently, she planned to walk him out. As Amane sat on the entryway

ledge and put on his sneakers, Mahiru crouched down on her knees beside

him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just feel bad sending you out in the heat…"

"It's fine; I'm the one who suggested it. You have the more-important

job of watching over Chitose."

"Heh-heh, Chitose is a little childish at times, but when she puts her

mind to it, she can be very serious, you know?"

"Yeah, but still… Be clever about taking breaks and get her to work

hard, okay?"

"Roger that."

Mahiru let a giggle slip out as she nodded in agreement, and Amane

smiled back at her as he stood up.

"Well then, be back soon."

"Ah, hang on, Amane, can you wait a minute?"

She called out to stop him, and when he turned around, Mahiru suddenly

leaned against his chest.

When he stiffened at the sudden movement, Mahiru stirred restlessly

and put her arms around his back, pulling her body tight against his.

He almost let out a groan at the sweet scent that gently drifted up from

her and the soft feeling of her body. Somehow enduring the sensation, he

stroked Mahiru's head for lack of anything better to do, and she looked up

at him, her eyes narrowed as if his touch tickled.

"…I'm a little worn out from all the studying today, so I needed to

replenish my reserves," she whispered quietly.

Unable to bear it any longer, Amane embraced Mahiru back. He saw a

shy look in her eyes, but at the same time, she was smiling happily.

"…When you say stuff like that, it makes me never want to let go."

"That would be a problem. Chitose would be sad."

"…How about after Chitose goes home?"

"I'd love nothing more."

Mahiru nodded and buried her head in Amane's chest once more, and

Amane pledged in his heart to finish his errand and return home quickly.

He discovered the letter on his way back from buying cakes for the girls,

when he peeked into his mailbox in the lobby.

Mixed in with the usual advertising flyers was a single unfamiliar

envelope.

On it, his name was written in neat letters, Mr. Amane Fujimiya. He

turned it over calmly, wondering who on earth would have sent such a thing

and couldn't believe what he saw.

The name of the sender was written on the back.

Asahi Shiina.

…That must be Mahiru's father.

He had heard that her mother's name was Sayo, so it wasn't from her.

What's more, Mahiru's father was probably the only one who knew

about Amane.

He must have seen them that time when Mahiru came down to meet him

in the lobby. It wouldn't have taken much digging to figure out that Amane

was close with Mahiru.

But Amane couldn't think of a reason why the man would go out of his

way to send him a letter. Why would he send a letter not to his daughter, but

to his daughter's boyfriend?

According to Mahiru, her father had no interest in her. That was what

she had said, but if he really wasn't interested, he wouldn't have come to

see how she was doing.

Amane didn't have a clue what Mahiru's father was after. He was at a

complete loss.

He decided to go back to his apartment for the time being, then open the

letter after Chitose left. With that settled, he tucked the envelope away in

his bag.

"You've been acting strangely ever since you got back, Amane. Did

something happen?"

Once Chitose had finished about 70 percent of her homework, moaning

all the while, and gone home, Mahiru peered at Amane's face questioningly.

Amane had considered opening the letter after Mahiru went home, but

she seemed to have realized he was hiding something.

It wasn't that he wanted to hide it, he just didn't know what might be

written in the letter, so he had decided that it would be best not to carelessly

tell Mahiru about it. But if she was going to suspect him, he would rather

tell her right from the start.

"Ah, well, how should I put it—?"

"Oh… Um, if you don't want to tell me, I won't force you to."

Apparently, Mahiru was ready to respect Amane's wishes absolutely. He

looked at her as he uncrossed his legs.

"It's not exactly that I don't want to tell you," he said, "more like you

probably won't want to hear it."

"I won't want to hear it…? Ah, so that's what it is."

She must have realized that it had something to do with her parents

because the next moment, a faint, bitter smile crossed her lips.

"Don't tell me that man was here again?"

"No, it's not that. But…there was a letter, addressed to me."

"Addressed to you? From who?"

"…The name Asahi Shiina was written on it."

"That'll be my father, then," Mahiru said, nodding readily.

She didn't seem as upset as Amane had expected. She seemed detached

—not shocked, just a little bit surprised.

He did, however, detect a slight frostiness in her gaze, probably due to

the treatment she'd received from her parents.

"I do wonder why he sent a letter to you, and how he knew about our

relationship, but I don't suppose that's any of my concern."

"Aren't you curious about what it says?"

"I don't make a habit of looking at other people's mail," Mahiru

declared decisively. "The letter may be from my father, but it's addressed to

you, Amane."

At that point, Amane realized that he had been so worried about Mahiru,

but she was more preoccupied with looking out for him.

And yet rather than accepting the letter for what it was, she seemed

instead to want nothing to do with it.

She appeared only just a little less composed than usual as she shifted

her gaze about the room and said in a chilly voice, "If you're going to read

it, go ahead. Would you like me to leave?"

Amane flashed her a small, strained smile and shook his head. "Hmm…

I'm not sure how to put this, but I guess I want you beside me. If you don't

want to stay, I can look at it myself, but I'm kind of nervous about getting a

letter from my girlfriend's father."

"In that case, I'll be right here… I'll leave it up to you whether to tell me

what's in the letter."

Mahiru picked up a textbook from the table and started to read. Amane

sighed softly, then pulled the envelope out of his bag, which had been

sitting beside him.

He carefully opened the envelope, which was glued tightly shut. He took

out the stationery from inside it, then scanned the words written on the

paper.

To summarize, the letter said that Mahiru's father wanted to get together

and talk. He had included his contact information.

…Why is he sending this to me?

Maybe he hadn't come to see how Mahiru was doing, after all. Amane

had absolutely no idea why her father would reach out to him, a person with

whom he had basically no connection.

"…I guess, it seems like he wants to meet me."

"Not his daughter, but you? Is that so?"

Mahiru's voice had turned even chillier, so on instinct, he stroked her

head, and she narrowed her eyes as if his touch had tickled her.

"I mean, I'm not angry or anything…," she said. "I genuinely don't

understand what he's planning. I don't know why he wants to meet up with

you."

"…Normally, I'd assume it's because I'm dating his daughter, or

something, but…"

"Not likely. I can't imagine him interfering at this stage, when he's

neglected me up until now."

"…What do you think I should do?"

"I don't care; I don't have any intention of keeping you from seeing

him." Her words were very frank—she really did seem inclined to leave it

up to Amane. "Oh, and if you're worried that meeting him might put you in

danger, I don't think you need to be concerned. I don't think he's qualified

to be a parent, but otherwise I believe he's a sensible person—and not

someone who would try to threaten you or anything… Though, that might

sound strange, coming from someone who hardly knows anything about

him."

"…Mahiru."

"I don't know what he's scheming, but he's not the type of person who

would hurt someone, so you can rest assured about that. You're free to go or

not go, whatever you want."

After Mahiru finished speaking, she leaned against him, as if putting

herself in Amane's hands.

"Okay," he answered quietly, before looking at the letter one more time.