After the Test, a Moment

Two days passed, and the tests were over. Amane felt liberated.

He surprisingly spent less time sitting at his desk during exams than when regular

classes were in session, and he found that test prep was easier than his usual studies.

Though this time around, there had been additional pressure, because he was more

invested in the outcome.

Typically, Amane put in a reasonable amount of effort and always got a decent score.

However, this time, he'd spent extra time studying and really focused on acing his

exams. He'd been a bit nervous going into the tests, but now that they were over, he

felt satisfied with his performance.

He had gotten together with Mahiru to compare their answers from the previous day's

tests, and although he hadn't gotten a perfect score, it seemed like he had gotten a very

good one. They would probably go over today's questions in detail once they got home,

and Amane was confident that he had answered better this time around.

Amane leaned back against his chair and let his body relax as he took a break. Chitose

staggered over, looking like she had been drained of all vitality.

"Amaneee, how'd it go?"

Her expression lacked its usual luster. Amane knew that Chitose was not a big fan of

studying. She was a quick learner but not the kind of person to put in the work, and in

this case, she didn't prepare enough.

"There wasn't anything specific that gave me trouble, so I think I did well," he

answered.

"Wow, you were really serious about it this time. You gonna ask me how I did?"

"Let me guess, you did terribly but somehow avoided failing?"

"You got it."

"After all that tutoring, it'd be a shame if you still failed."

Compared to Itsuki and Chitose, and even Yuuta, Mahiru and Amane were far enough

ahead in their studies that they had time to help Chitose so she could pass the tests.

Chitose's cheekiness and her attitude toward school often got in the way of her

studies, but fundamentally, she had a good head on her shoulders and wasn't bad at

understanding the material—so as long as it was taught well, she would grasp it

quickly.

As for whether she would retain the information after the tests, that depended on

whether she ever bothered to review it.

"It's fine, it's fine! I did better than ever before!" she said triumphantly.

"Glad to hear it. Not that the bar was all that high, but… as long as you're happy, I'm

happy. Just remember to work hard at the end of the semester, too."

"Whaa—? We just finished these tests; don't talk about the next ones… that's

depressing… Right now, I want to celebrate our freedom! Right, Itsuki?"

"That's right! We shouldn't spend the present dwelling on the past or thinking about

some far-off future."

Itsuki, slumped listlessly in his chair behind Amane, groaned and agreed with what

Chitose had said. Itsuki had obviously studied more seriously than Chitose, but the

English exam had practically done him in, and he had no energy left.

"I want to compare my test answers with someone, though," Amane said.

"No way! Don't make us think about the tests anymore!"

Itsuki and Chitose clung to each other, looking absolutely exhausted, commiserating

over their trials and tribulations.

"You seem lively enough to me," Amane grumbled, and shifted his gaze to the throng

of people in the classroom who had finished their exams.

They were gathering one after another around Mahiru, probably to compare answers

with her.

They wanted to see Mahiru's answers, since she had gotten nearly perfect scores on

previous tests. With a humble smile, Mahiru pulled out her various answer sheets.

Amane had no desire to join the fray, so he would compare answers with her at home.

"…Must be tough."

He didn't call Mahiru by name, but it must have been clear who he meant.

Itsuki and Chitose both looked over at Mahiru and grinned.

"Well, the angel is cute, and clever, and popular, so she's in great demand."

"You could get in there too and help her out?"

"I don't see any need for that," he scoffed.

"Yeah, guess you're right."

"Plus, you'll be there when she gets home"—Itsuki didn't say that part out loud, but

Amane knew the logical conclusion of that train of thought. He was grateful to his

friend for not voicing it, but Itsuki's grinning face, which basically said he knew all

about it, was more than enough to make Amane irritable.

Itsuki laughed again at Amane's scowl, and the lines in Amane's forehead grew deeper.

Then he heard another voice laughing with amusement, and he relaxed his grimace

just a little.

"Itsuki, if you tease him too much, Fujimiya will pout," Yuuta remarked.

"He's fine, he's fine, Amane won't get mad at me just for that."

"It looked like the vein in his temple was going to pop just now, though."

"Uh-oh, I think you're right."

Yuuta surprised Amane by stepping in to arbitrate. He shrugged and decided not to

smack Itsuki after all.

"Fujimiya, how were your grades? Must be good, looking at your face."

"Well, I think I did fairly well," Amane nodded. "How about you?"

"Thanks to your help, I feel like I scored more points than usual," Yuuta said. "Though

I won't know until I compare answers with someone later."

"I see; that's good to hear."

Amane had been worried about everyone's results, since their Saturday study session

had turned into a video game tournament halfway through, but based on the

impression he was getting from Yuuta, it had worked out okay.

Amane's expression softened a little as he thought back on that day and mused that it

might be nice to get together and study like that sometimes. Itsuki's face then showed

a clear look of discontent.

"Hey, you're letting Yuuta off awfully easy, aren't you, Amane?"

"Don't worry about him; reflect on your own bad habits."

"I believe that I am loved, even when you say such things."

"Don't get creepy. I—"

"That's right, there's only one person in this world who Amane loves."

Even though he muttered it under his breath, Itsuki had still crossed a line. Amane

grabbed his friend in a solid headlock.

Yuuta laughed and made no attempt to interfere, as though he knew that Itsuki

deserved it.

Chitose also seemed amused. "Itsuki, you're a real dummy." She smirked.

Itsuki, who was getting a knuckle forcibly ground into his forehead, had a foolish smile

on his face, as if it didn't hurt at all.

Amane wasn't putting any real strength behind the attack, so it shouldn't have hurt

that much, but he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at how calm Itsuki was acting.

"Well, you're definitely devoted, Fujimiya. That's easy to see."

"Not you too, Kadowaki…"

"Hey, I didn't say what you're devoted to, just that you're devoted!" Yuuta beamed.

Amane couldn't think of anything to say, so he just turned away.

His behavior must have been amusing, because Itsuki, Chitose, and Yuuta all laughed

like something was hilarious. Amane stared in the opposite direction, biting his lip and

feeling extremely embarrassed.

Mahiru must have gotten free just at that moment. She locked eyes with him and

smiled.

Amane groaned, feeling even more embarrassed now that Mahiru had looked at him,

but she calmly walked over, wearing a smile on her face.

"Looks like you're having fun over here," she said. "What were you talking about?"

"Hmm? We were talking about how cute Amane is!"

"Watch it, Chitose—"

"That is what we were talking about, right?"

"Basically, they were all teasing me."

"Oh yeah, that too."

"See?! She admits it."

Amane shot Chitose a pointed look to tell her to cut it out, but Chitose seemed totally

indifferent. Instead, he glared at Itsuki, who was supposed to be in charge of

controlling her.

"Why are you glaring at me?"

"Maybe because you're the one who started all this in the first place?"

"So… what were you talking about, then?" Mahiru asked again.

"Oh, just the fact that Amane's a pure, innocent, devoted boy…," Chitose murmured.

Amane really wished she would shut up already.

"I don't know what all this nonsense about being 'pure' or whatever is." He scowled.

"What do you even mean, anyway? What's so pure about me?"

Itsuki put on a dramatic expression of exaggerated surprise. "Oh, don't tell me you

weren't aware…?"

Amane kicked his friend under the desk and glanced over at Mahiru. She was looking

upward slightly, with her usual smile on, as if she was pondering something.

"Actually, we were talking about how Fujimiya is rather stoic. I guess calling him

straightforward would be more accurate," Yuuta added.

"I see." Mahiru nodded. "Fujimiya is definitely the type to work hard once he sets his

mind to something. In that sense, he's a very straightforward person, isn't he? I think

that's a wonderful quality to have."

"It really is. I just wish that he would have some more confidence about it."

"That's very true," she agreed.

Amane couldn't stand being there a second longer listening to the two of them mock

him with their excessive praise.

He made eye contact with Mahiru, who gave him a gentle smile.

He felt embarrassed and immediately averted his eyes and saw that the rest of their

classmates were looking over enviously.

Their attention was not focused on him, but on Mahiru and Yuuta, who somehow

seemed to be hitting it off talking about Amane. That was a relief, but it brought up

some slightly complicated feelings.

Seeing the two most popular people chattering away and getting along with each other

would naturally attract attention. Amane felt a slight tinge of jealousy himself at the

fact that neither of the two seemed to be the least bit bothered by everyone looking at

them.

"What's wrong, Amane?" Chitose asked. "You're blushing…"

"I am not."

"You are too! And you're trying to hide it. Oh, Mahiru? After school, let's go have fun

somewhere, all five of us. We're all together already, and the tests are over, so let's

party!"

Completely ignoring Amane's uncooperative attitude, Chitose pivoted to Mahiru with

a suggestion. It was a casual invitation, without too much pressure, but with her usual

angelic smile still on her face, Mahiru answered, "Of course, if everyone wants to."

"The five of us" must have included Amane, too, but he probably didn't have the right

to veto the plan, and Chitose must have understood that he wasn't likely to reject it

anyway.

Chitose was wearing an expression that said, "I got you!"

Amane looked away again as he nodded his assent.