A New Semester

A new school semester had started, but not much had changed.

Everyone seemed to have spent the winter vacation relaxing, so there weren't any

major developments the way summer vacation could sometimes bring. The usual cast

of characters was back, and no one had undergone a drastic image change or anything.

Amane was seated at his desk, quietly gazing at a classroom that was somewhat more

boisterous than usual, when a shadow loomed over him.

"Yo, Amane, what's good."

"Thanks, can't complain."

It was Itsuki, who had entered the classroom from behind Amane's seat. Itsuki was no

exception and had also remained the same.

Amane hadn't seen him since Christmas, but he was wearing the same flippant smile

as always.

"So did you have a good holiday?"

"…P-pretty much, yeah."

"C'mon, you're holding something back. Was there some kind of… progress?"

"What? Look, it's not like that. And just so you know, nothing happened."

That wasn't actually true, of course. But Amane wouldn't dream of telling Itsuki that

Mahiru had stayed over at his place, even if it had been an accident.

He knew the moment he told Itsuki, Itsuki was guaranteed to tell Chitose, and it wasn't

hard to imagine that the two of them would start teasing and poking fun at him first

chance they got.

Aside from that incident, all that had happened over the break was his parents coming

over and their communal visit to the shrine, which surely fell into the category of

nothing.

"…Hmm?"

"I didn't really do anything."

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but…"

Amane found Itsuki's rather triumphant smile pretty irritating but decided that

responding would just encourage him, so he let it go.

He looked around the classroom, hunting for some topic that would let him change

the subject… but nothing was particularly new or notable.

As always, the girls were standing around Yuuta Kadowaki, the so-called prince of their

grade. As always, the boys in the room were openly jealous, even though Yuuta himself

wore a slightly troubled expression.

"That dynamic hasn't changed one bit," Amane remarked.

"Yeah, good ol' Yuuta. Same old spectacle, huh?"

In the end, Amane, who considered it none of his business, and Itsuki, who had a

girlfriend and wasn't interested in other girls, smiled wryly at Yuuta's popularity and

continued scanning their familiar surroundings.

"Come to think of it, I heard that Shiina might have a boyfriend, you know."

A group of several girls formed nearby, and Amane could hear what they were talking

about. He suddenly stiffened.

"Oh, Risa told me, yeah. She went on a shrine visit and saw her holding hands with a

boy."

"Yeah, I heard! Shiina has never been swayed by anyone before, but maybe that was

because she had a boyfriend?"

"Sounds like he was a really cool-looking guy, but Risa said she's never seen him

before. He must be from another school."

Somehow, it felt like the attention of the whole classroom shifted to the girls'

conversation. Even Yuuta seemed to be looking over and perking up his ears.

Only Itsuki was looking at Amane.

"Hey, Amane."

"I know nothing."

"I didn't even ask you anything yet."

"I'm not involved."

"Sure."

Itsuki smiled knowingly at Amane, who had shut him down in a quiet voice, then

flicked Amane's bangs up and out of the way.

"Say, you always hide your face, but it's not too shabby."

"I can't take that as anything but mockery when you say it."

Itsuki could be a real prankster, and he never seemed to take much of anything

seriously, and he was definitely a good-looking guy himself, so when he told Amane

that he had an attractive face, it sounded decidedly sarcastic.

Amane knew he was an average-looking guy at best, and it made him uncomfortable

to hear other people talking about his appearance.

He slapped Itsuki's hand away from his bangs and scowled, but his friend only grinned.

"That's just the sort of guy you are."

"Shut up."

"Well, can't say it's out of character."

Amane was still acting cold, and Itsuki grinned at him without even a hint of anger.

"There's a rumor going around school."

They were still seated across from each other at the dining table after dinner when he

shared the news, and Mahiru's face stiffened, as if she already knew exactly what he

was talking about.

Mahiru was sure to have the most trouble from the situation.

As far as Amane could tell from what he'd heard, he had yet to be identified as the

mystery man, but even so, it must have been exhausting, having everyone suddenly

asking her about having a boyfriend.

That must have been why Mahiru was moving stiffly and stepping just a little wearily

when she came over to Amane's apartment that day.

"…It's all right, because no one knows that it was you, Amane, but everyone's really

taken it the wrong way. This is going to be a difficult misunderstanding to clear up."

"Is holding your hand enough to turn someone into your boyfriend?"

"I don't know. For the time being, I've been strongly denying everything, telling people

that the boy was just an acquaintance. Now we have to wait for the rumor to die down."

"Mm, well, I guess there's nothing else we can do, huh?"

Obviously, people would think less of Mahiru if they thought that she was dating a guy

like Amane, so he hoped that the rumors would burn out quickly. She was clearly

stressed, having person after person question her about a maybe-boyfriend.

At the same time, Amane felt an uneasy tinge of regret and embarrassment whenever

he heard the rumors circulating, so he also wanted to put the whole thing behind them.

Amane sighed heavily, while Mahiru just quietly cast her eyes downward.

"…Did we really look that much like sweethearts?" Mahiru suddenly asked.

"I wonder. To be honest, I can't really see you ever going out with a guy like me. You'd

definitely go for a smarter, more attractive guy, so I think even if I saw us standing side

by side, I'd assume we were simply acquaintances rather than boyfriend and

girlfriend."

"That's not true."

"Huh?"

Mahiru had answered him in a stronger voice than expected. When he turned to look

at her again, she was not wearing the worried face she'd been making earlier. Instead,

for some reason, Mahiru seemed a little… angry. She had a determined look about her.

"Amane, your assessment of yourself is quite low, but it's not accurate. I think that

you're a very well-balanced person. You're kind and considerate and gentlemanly, so I

think you've got a very good personality. And when you got all dressed up, I think you

looked really nice, too."

Her words were far too kind. Amane could scarcely believe that she was talking about

him. His face began to turn bright red. He never would have imagined that Mahiru

thought so highly of him, and she was saying these things so earnestly that it made

him feel awkward to be on the receiving end of her praise.

Apparently, he was not the only one feeling a bit awkward. Midway through, Mahiru's

voice had begun to tremble, but she still looked Amane directly in the eye, making sure

that he fully understood that this was her honest opinion. Of course, that didn't make

it any less embarrassing.

"Oh r-really…? Um, o-okay, thanks."

"S-so, um, well… don't put yourself down so much."

"Y-yeah…"

Amane didn't feel any urge to argue with her. It was obvious that she wouldn't hear it.

Mahiru's cheeks were tinged with red as she squirmed and shifted, looking at the floor.

Amane groaned. He wasn't sure what to do, either. Anything had to be better than

doing nothing while the frustration and humiliation kept bubbling up inside him.

"…Uh, I'm gonna go wash the dishes."

"O-okay."

At the moment, a tactical retreat seemed like the best play. Avoid and escape. Staying

here to watch Mahiru tremble in shame was bad for his heart.

As he took two deep breaths and then stood up from the table and gathered the dishes

and carried them to the sink, Mahiru sank into the living room sofa and buried her face

in a cushion. She was acting as if she was the one in anguish over getting unexpected

compliments.

"If you're that embarrassed," Amane grumbled to himself, "maybe you shouldn't have

said anything." But he felt as if a slight weight had been lifted off his chest by Mahiru's

words. The whole thing had been heart-wrenching, for sure, but also a bit of a relief.

Even though it was winter, Amane decided to wash the dishes with cold water. He

hoped the icy shock would help clear his mind.

"Hey, hey, Amane? Can I borrow the angel?"

The phone call from Chitose came in the evening, three days after the new semester

had started.

Normally, they would talk through a messaging app, but for some unknown reason,

she actually called him. And she was asking about Mahiru. Amane was really confused.

Chitose asked to borrow Mahiru, but Mahiru's not mine to lend out, so if Chitose wants

some of her time, she had better ask her herself.

"Don't ask me. Ask her."

"Is she there with you?"

"…She is, but—"

"All right, ask her if she wants to hang out together tomorrow after school."

"Ask her yourself!"

He briefly wondered if she didn't have Mahiru's contact information, but then he

remembered at Christmastime when Chitose had been so busy messing with Mahiru

that she had completely forgotten to exchange numbers with the girl.

So she must have decided that the best way to get to Mahiru was through Amane, who

definitely had Mahiru's contact information and could often be found right beside her,

too. He could understand the thought process, but he wanted to tell her that he wasn't

a carrier pigeon, delivering messages back and forth like it was his job.

For the time being, he decided that she had better talk to Mahiru directly, so he handed

the phone over to Mahiru, who was sitting next to him looking confused, and told her,

"Chitose wants to talk to you."

Mahiru looked perplexed but dutifully took the smartphone and held it up to her ear

as Amane leaned back in his seat.

"Mahiru here… Huh, tomorrow? S-sure, I don't have any particular plans, but…"

Amane smiled mischievously as he watched Mahiru's troubled expression.

I bet Chitose's putting the pressure on her by talking a mile a minute like always.

Mahiru didn't look upset or anything. She just seemed earnestly surprised by the

sudden proposal and unsure how to handle it.

She was shooting glances over at Amane, so he told her, "I'll leave it up to your

judgment. She wants to hang out with you, not me."

Even Mahiru hung out with friends sometimes, but she preferred to come home after

a few hours and spend her time in the kitchen.

Amane thought that she could do with an excuse to go relax a bit, though he wasn't

entirely sure that hanging out with Chitose really lent itself to relaxation.

"S-sure… Um, in that case, I think I'll accept your invitation, but…"

Perhaps Amane's assurance had been the deciding factor. When she told Chitose as

much, the happy "Yay!!" from the other end of the phone line was clearly audible, and

Mahiru reflexively pulled the phone away from her ear.

Amane caught Mahiru's eye and gave her a knowing smile. Chitose could be… a lot to

handle. Mahiru also smiled, looking a bit nervous but also relieved and even happy.

When Chitose finally settled down, Mahiru returned the phone to her ear. Amane

watched them chat for another moment or two before Mahiru eventually hung up.

"Thank you very much," she said politely. "Here's your phone back."

Their conversation had apparently reached a resolution, and tomorrow she would be

joining Chitose on some excursion.

"Well, that was sudden. Then again, that's how Chitose always operates."

"W-well, I certainly was surprised."

"She's not a bad person. She can just be a little forceful."

Amane knew that was quite the understatement. Chitose usually meant well, but she

could definitely be pushy.

Mahiru wore a troubled smile, as if she already knew that, but she didn't seem upset,

so that was good, Amane thought. He'd always found it a little sad how few people got

along with their buddies' girlfriends.

"Go have fun tomorrow; don't worry about me."

"All right."

"…Oh, that's right—"

"What?"

There was one thing that Amane had to warn her about.

"If she starts harassing you or makes you uncomfortable, feel free to give her a smack.

You don't have to hold back. That girl is exactly like my mom—she loves cute things,

so she's almost certainly going to get handsy with a beauty like you."

Amane had managed to keep Chitose in check before, but now he was a little worried

to be sending Mahiru off alone with her. Mahiru was undeniably beautiful—she turned

heads wherever she went. He knew she had to be careful about getting hit on by

strangers, but Chitose was another matter. Yes, he had relied on Chitose's keen insight

on the occasion of Mahiru's birthday, but he also knew that when it came to cute

things, the girl just couldn't help herself. Amane felt it was necessary to at least warn

Mahiru about Chitose's wandering hands.

"Now, I don't think she's going to bother you too much, but if you only give her a

halfhearted rejection, she's bound to get excited and pounce you, so be careful." Amane

noticed that Mahiru's lips were pressed tightly together so he cocked his head

quizzically and asked, "Hey, what's up?"

"…Nothing at all."

Mahiru quietly averted her eyes.

On the day that Mahiru was supposed to hang out with Chitose, Amane hurried home

and spent some quiet time alone for the first time in a while.

Recently, he and Mahiru had been spending pretty much every day together, especially

with her making his lunch sometimes, so this was almost like a holiday for Amane.

Of course, he was happy that they were together so often… but sometimes it was nice

to have space to himself like this, too.

The seat beside him felt a little cold, though.

Man, I really got used to having Mahiru around, huh?

Only a few months had passed since they'd first met, and he was already taking her

presence for granted. Amane felt like they'd gotten very close, more like two people

who'd known each other for years, rather than months. He figured that they must be

quite compatible.

Personally, Amane really liked where they were in their relationship—they were close

enough to enjoy the time they spent together without stepping on each other's toes.

The only problem was, he liked it so much that he didn't want to let go.

Man, I'm simpleminded.

Amane wasn't the kind of guy to come out and passionately declare his love, but he

couldn't deny that his feelings for Mahiru went far beyond those of a neighbor and a

friend. At the same time, he refused to allow himself to develop any serious romantic

interest in her. If he let the scales tip any further, he didn't think he would be able to

see Mahiru as a friend anymore. Amane was aware of the tension in his heart, and it

made him deeply uneasy.

That's why he took his romantic feelings and stuffed them deep down in his gut where

nobody would see them.

Mahiru would only be troubled by his affection, he knew. She cared about him in her

own way, but it was obvious that she was not in love with him or anything like that.

There was no way that she would ever fall for a loser like him.

Sure, she sometimes said nice things about him, but that didn't mean she thought

about him that way, and if he tried to complicate their relationship by taking it in a

direction that she didn't like, it would only make things awkward.

Amane turned to look out the window, hoping to get away from the squirming

uneasiness in his chest.

It was winter, so the days ended early, and a curtain of utter darkness had fallen over

the sky. It was just past six o'clock, but it already seemed late at night.

Mahiru was with Chitose, so she wasn't going to be out too late, but even so, he felt a

little anxious at the idea of two good-looking high school girls walking around alone

in this darkness.

When will you two be done?

When he sent this message to Chitose, who always kept her smartphone close, he got

a reply right away.

We're saying good-bye soon.

Feeling relieved that Chitose wasn't going to keep them out all night, Amane sent

another message asking when they expected to get to the station. Then he stood up

from the sofa and headed for the bathroom.

I think I have a little hair wax left over from the other day.

He wasn't all that interested in styling his hair, but if he was planning to go meet

Mahiru in public, it was the least he could do.

If he was being honest, getting dressed up was a huge pain, but Amane's parents had

taught him how to make himself presentable. Surely he could reproduce the hairstyle

from memory.

When he looked in the mirror, Amane saw his usual gloomy self staring back at him.

He popped open the hair wax, confident that he could transform the uncouth,

unfashionable youth standing before him.

It was the middle of winter, and on top of that, the sun had set, so the temperature had

dipped quite low.

After considering both warmth and fashion, Amane decided on a light-gray sweater

and navy blue peacoat, paired with fleece-lined black skinny jeans, but even so, he was

undeniably cold. He could only imagine how cold Mahiru must have felt in only her

school uniform and jacket.

Even though Mahiru wore thick tights during the winter, her uniform's skirt, its length

determined by school regulations, still looked downright freezing to him. He wanted

to tell her it'd be better to wear sweatpants underneath it.

Some of the girls he walked past were wearing even shorter skirts. Amane was keenly

aware of the tremendous lengths some people would go to in pursuit of fashion.

As these thoughts bounced around in his mind, he nestled the lower half of his face in

the scarf he had received from Mahiru and hurried to the nearest station.

Apparently, the girls had taken the train to a big shopping complex. The station was

within walking distance of Amane's apartment, and according to Chitose, the train

should be arriving any moment, so he had probably shown up at just the right time.

As Amane walked, his freshly styled hair was blown about a bit by the wind, but not

badly enough to mess it up.

If it had gotten too ruffled, of course he would have had to stop to fix it, however

reluctant he might be. Amane was quickly gaining a newfound respect for anyone who

strove to be fashionable every day.

He was walking silently, lost in his own thoughts, when the station came into view.

Considering the direction of the apartment complex, Mahiru should come out of this exit,

so if I wait nearby, I'm sure I'll see her.

He leaned against the wall near the exit and waited, checking the time. Before long, a

girl with familiar blond hair came out of the gates.

"Mahiru!" he called out to her.

Recognizing his voice, Mahiru turned to look—and the moment she laid eyes on

Amane, she practically froze.

"Ah… what? Wh-why?"

She was obviously surprised by his appearance. Chitose must have told her that he

was coming to meet her, but she clearly hadn't expected him to show up looking like

he had during their New Year's shrine visit.

But Amane hadn't even entertained the idea of coming out with his usual sloppy

appearance and normal hairdo. He would be in trouble if someone identified him as

the mystery man, so if he was going to accompany Mahiru in public, he needed to dress

up a bit. He had to disguise himself, of course, but he also felt like he should look

decent if he was going to be seen with her in public.

"What, did you think I couldn't dress myself? I can't exactly come meet you at the

station in my normal clothes, now can I?"

"…I suppose not, but—"

"Does it look bad? I checked myself in the mirror, but maybe it's weird…"

He had chosen an ordinary, safe outfit and tried to style his hair like it had been on the

day of the shrine visit, so Amane had hoped that he didn't look too strange. But now

he realized that it probably looked all wrong to anybody with real taste.

He could feel people's gazes flicker over him from time to time, so there was a good

chance that he did look weird after all. It was a bit of a shock to realize that he looked

unfashionable despite trying his best.

But Mahiru shook her head, appearing flustered. "It looks good," she reassured him,

and Amane felt himself breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you think so. Look, it's already dark, right? It would be dangerous to walk

home alone."

"…I kn-know that, but—"

"I guess you probably didn't want me to come meet you after all. Well, if you don't want

to walk together, I can walk a little ways ahead, and you can just follow me, I guess…"

"I—I never said that. I, umm… really do appreciate it."

"Of course."

Amane was happy to hear that she didn't object to him being there. He pulled a hand

out of his pocket and offered it to her. Timidly, she pressed her palm into his. Maybe it

was because of the cold weather, but her hand felt much chillier than he expected.

"So cold. What happened to your gloves?"

"I washed them, so they're still drying. And anyway, where are yours?"

"I just stuck my hands in my pockets."

He couldn't scold her too much, since he'd also forgotten to wear gloves, a lesson he

should have learned as a child.

Amane didn't say anything further and simply kept her dainty hand nestled in his

palm. It felt incredibly delicate compared to his.

"…So warm…," Mahiru mumbled quietly, and her eyes twinkled happily as she smiled.

Amane felt his heart wrench when he saw her innocent expression, but he refused to

let it show and kept his attention solely focused on her small hand in his as he casually

slipped Mahiru's schoolbag, as well as several shopping bags she'd acquired on her

outing, over his shoulder.

Mahiru glanced up at him but didn't say anything.

"What is it?" he asked.

Abruptly, Mahiru turned away. Her ears and cheeks were slightly red, probably from

the cold, he thought.

"Come on, let's go home. Do you want to stop at the convenience store on the way? The

pork buns are good this time of year."

"…I'm happy with a sweet bean bun."

"You sure do like sweets… What are we doing about dinner?"

"I've marinated some eggs and prepared some char siu pork and bamboo shoots, so

we're having ramen."

"Ramen is perfect on a cold day, huh?"

"Yes, it is."

Amane hadn't looked in the refrigerator, so he was pleasantly surprised to hear the

evening's menu. Sure, the soup and noodles would be prepackaged, but Mahiru had

made the toppings by hand. Amane's mouth started to water as he imagined the thick

slices of pork and perfectly seasoned soft-boiled eggs.

They were sure to hit the spot on a chilly winter evening.

"…I wonder if I'll be able to eat a whole bowl of ramen after a bean bun?"

"Well then, how about you give me half? That way, you can probably finish both."

"…Okay."

For some reason, Mahiru looked a little embarrassed, so Amane smiled slightly and

squeezed her hand just a little.

"Shiina was spotted with another mystery man!"

The following day, Itsuki shot him a hard look. "Not only are the rumors still spreading,

somebody added fuel to the fire. What're ya gonna do, Amane?"

Amane turned away sharply. "Hell if I know…"