A Reward from the Angel

"Hey, Amane, don't you think you tried too hard this time?" Itsuki grumbled, sounding

somewhat astonished as he stared at the exam rankings that had been posted on the

bulletin board in the hallway.

Even after their group study session, Amane had continued working diligently,

preparing for the exams. He'd wanted to be proud of himself for a change. Also, the

studying had helped distract him from certain coquettish words that had been

whispered in his ear.

They were looking at the result of his efforts—and all the work he'd done to keep his

mind off her suggestive expressions and the words that she had uttered—which had

led him to rank sixth in their grade this time.

"Wow, it's hard to believe I made it that far."

"You really worked for it. Proud of yourself?"

"…Pretty proud, I guess. But there's no guarantee that I'll be able to do it again."

"What a stoic guy…"

He didn't want Mahiru to see him climb so high only to fall back down out of

negligence. There would be no point to it unless he could consistently place in the

upper ranks.

Considering that college entrance exams were also coming up, it would be absurd to

be satisfied with this one success and give up trying.

Hasty preparations would not be enough for the entrance exams since students from

other schools would also be vying for spots, so Amane vowed to keep studying hard

so that he would be ready for what was to come as well.

Incidentally, Mahiru had placed far ahead of anyone else, in the top spot again. This

was nothing if not expected, but Amane knew that it was because of how hard she

worked, and that she never took it for granted.

"It looks like you took sixth place this time, Fujimiya."

Mahiru, who had arrived to look at the bulletin board after Amane and Itsuki, smiled

beautifully as she noticed Amane's name.

She was in angel mode, and Amane smiled casually back at her, trying not to let any of

his inner turmoil show on his face.

He felt the prickle of people's eyes on him, but he was already getting used to talking

with Mahiru in public. The stares still made him uncomfortable, but he was able to

soldier through without too much distress.

"Looks that way." Amane nodded. "Good for me, I guess."

"Heh-heh, he really worked hard, ya know," Itsuki interjected. "Studying during breaks

and everything."

"…Ah, well—"

"If you worked that hard, shouldn't you give yourself a reward?" Mahiru asked.

"I… guess so."

Recalling the reward that Mahiru had promised him caused Amane to experience an

indescribable surge of emotion.

She had promised to let him lie in her lap and to clean his ears. He had done so much

to erase the thought from his mind that he had genuinely forgotten about it, but she'd

said she would do it if he made it into the top ten.

He could always decline, but… there was no way he could bring himself to reject such

an opportunity, if the girl he liked wanted to pamper him like that.

"…Speaking of which, congratulations on the top spot. Shouldn't you be the one

treating yourself?"

"I suppose so. But it's not good to pamper oneself too much."

"But you're already so strict with yourself that I think you could stand to be a little

indulgent. Well, that's not for me to say, though."

Now that they were on the subject, Amane realized that he would be receiving

something special from Mahiru, but he had nothing to give back, and he wondered

what he should do.

On the other hand, he had no idea what he could offer her, so he would have to ask

about it after they got home.

Looking at Mahiru wearing her angelic smile, Itsuki quietly whispered to Amane,

"How about you reward her?"

Amane didn't need to be told twice, and he made a mental note to ask her about it

when they got home.

"Huh? A reward for me?"

When Amane posed the question to Mahiru as she was preparing dinner at home with

her apron on, she turned around with a puzzled expression on her face.

Amane hadn't been able to settle down, remembering the devilish smile she'd put on

the other day and thinking about the reward that was probably waiting for him after

dinner. But Mahiru hadn't seemed to notice, and now her expression showed that his

question was entirely unexpected.

"There's not really anything specific that I want, but…"

"Or something you want me to do…?"

"You do for me? Hmm, let me think. I guess I'd like you to cut that cucumber thinly

with the slicer."

"That's not what I mean… Well, if there isn't anything, you don't have to force yourself

to answer, you know."

Amane had a feeling she wasn't taking his question seriously, but he didn't want to

push too hard, so he backed down easily.

If Mahiru really didn't need anything, that was fine, but if there was something she'd

like him to do, and it was within Amane's capabilities, he intended to grant her

request.

For the time being, she'd said she wanted him to feed the cucumber into the slicer, so

he washed his hands and cut it thinly, but this was just helping her out rather than a

reward.

"Rub some salt on that and set it aside."

"Yes, ma'am… Is there really nothing more?"

"Not really. I'm content with how things are at the moment… And anyway, I think that

I'll be able to fulfill my one wish by myself."

"The wish you really want granted?"

"What do you think that is?"

Amane looked up from the slicer and saw Mahiru smiling gently.

For a second, her expression looked like the devilish grin she had worn the other day,

and he couldn't bear to look directly at her, so he dropped his eyes back down to the

countertop.

"…I d-don't know."

"Exactly. So don't worry about it. I'm happy as is."

Amane could sense the smile in her voice.

Mahiru went back to cooking, giving off an air like she wasn't going to let Amane

investigate any further. Amane didn't know what to do, so he just kept on thinly slicing

the cucumber.

"All right, lie down, Amane."

After dinner was over, the dreaded reward time arrived.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Mahiru sat down on one side of the

sofa and smiled at him as she patted her knees. Amane was at a loss for words.

Mahiru's outfit for the day was shorts with black tights, so he would technically be

lying in her clothed lap, but only an incredibly thin layer of fabric separated him from

her skin.

To make matters worse, she had taken a bath after getting home today, and her whole

body smelled wonderful.

It would be suicide for Amane to lie in her lap in such a risky situation.

"…No, um—"

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but isn't this what you asked for?"

"I-it is what I wished for, but the thing is, now that it's actually happening, I'm nervous,

like… i-it's embarrassing, you know?"

"Well then, why did you ask for it?"

"Th-that must have been male instincts or something."

"Well, you can follow those male instincts, it's fine, but… this is your reward for

working so hard. You don't need to be shy, okay? I'm going to spoil you a lot."

Mahiru patted her lap again, and Amane gulped.

It had gotten quite warm lately, so her tights were thinner than before.

He could just barely see the color of her skin through the sheer material, and it stirred

up some strong emotions.

Even if her thighs were covered by the tights, the smooth beauty of her slender legs

was on display, luring Amane in.

It probably wasn't Mahiru's intention at all, but the way she was dressed that day was

going to be the death of him.

Rightfully, he should have somehow found a way to decline her offer and devise a

peaceful way out for his heart and soul, but under the pretext of a reward, Amane's

"male instincts" had gotten him into this mess.

Gingerly, he sat down beside Mahiru and lowered his head onto her lap.

He had experienced this once before, and just as he remembered, her legs were very

soft. Since the fabric separating him from her was even thinner than it had been last

time, the texture and warmth of her skin came through clearly, and Amane felt his

heart squeeze tightly.

He wasn't sure where to look, so he faced upward for the time being and saw Mahiru

smiling down at him.

His view of her face, however, was partially obscured by something… or, rather, two

somethings. It was only May, but the temperature had been rising, and the shirt that

Mahiru was wearing was also quite thin. On top of that, the material followed the lines

of her body closely, highlighting her shapely figure beneath the fine cloth.

Amane had to turn over. If he stayed like that, he was going to explode from shame.

"All right, I'm going to clean your ears now."

Completely unaware of Amane's inner distress, Mahiru announced this with a smile.

She sounded somewhat excited. Mahiru reached for the ear pick and tissues that were

sitting on the table, and something soft pressed down on the side of his head.

(?!)

Sirens blared in Amane's mind, but Mahiru didn't seem to notice. She quickly grabbed

the ear pick and sat back up. Amane's heart was pounding as he felt the weight of her

soft body. Mentally, he was no longer prepared to handle an ear cleaning.

"Now, hold still," Mahiru whispered in a soothing voice, and she gently fixed his head

in place with one hand.

She reminded him not to move while she was cleaning his ears, but Amane found it

very difficult to stay still, for several reasons.

Even so, there was no way that he was going to struggle against her, so he stayed

obediently still and stared hard at the side of the table as something rigid was slowly

inserted into his ear hole.

He got chills for a moment. He was more sensitive where his skin was thinner. Amane

never felt ticklish when he cleaned his own ears, but when Mahiru was doing it, he got

a strange feeling, probably because he wasn't in control… and because it was exciting

to know that it was the girl he loved who was doing it.

He knew that Mahiru was going to do a careful job because of her personality, but

somehow having her oh-so-gently clean out his ear was kind of ticklish.

It was a little too tingly to really be pleasant, but at the same time, it had an unusual

appeal that ignited certain desires.

At the very least, there was an indescribable niceness to it, pleasant enough that he

was not going to resist having his ears cleaned like this.

"It doesn't hurt, does it?" Mahiru asked.

"Mm… it doesn't hurt. It feels good."

"Oh really? I'm glad. I've heard that this is supposed to be romantic for guys, but… well,

does this feel romantic for you?"

"…A little, I guess."

"Well, you are a guy, after all."

"Have I given you any reason to doubt it?"

If Amane wasn't a guy, he wouldn't be writhing in agony on the inside, and he wouldn't

be so excited by the softness of her skin. As it was, he couldn't help getting flustered

being held close and pampered by the person he loved.

"Heh-heh, it's because you're such a gentleman, Amane. I didn't think you had much

interest."

"On the assumption that I am a gentleman, what I want and what I do are very

different. You ought to be careful; there are men who will smile to your face, then

attack you when you're alone."

"By that logic, you wouldn't really be a man then, would you?"

Amane felt like he had just been called out and bit his lip unhappily. That said, it didn't

seem like Mahiru had meant it as an insult. She continued peacefully with her cleaning.

"Here, Amane, turn over. I want to do the other side."

Even as he frowned harder, Amane turned and presented the opposite ear. Facing her

belly, however, was a new kind of penance. If he looked down, he would see her shorts,

and that wouldn't be good, so he had no option but to stare docilely at her stomach.

Amane wasn't sure if this was heaven or hell.

It would probably be heavenly if he could be honest about his desires, but as long as

he was stuck between what he wanted and what he knew was right, it was like he was

plunging one foot right into hell.

"…Amane, you've been kind of trembling since we started, but…"

"Please don't pay any attention to that."

There was no way he could even begin to tell her what he was feeling inside. After all,

if he said any of it out loud, Mahiru would definitely pull away from him.

So there was nothing to be done but obediently accept the ear cleaning and hide his

desires at all costs. This angel, pampering him innocently with no ulterior motives,

was a frightening creature.

Mahiru seemed to have some questions about Amane's behavior, but he was facing her

and couldn't make eye contact, so she gave up on investigating further and went back

to cleaning his ear.

Feeling an inexpressible pleasantness and a ticklish sensation, Amane closed his eyes

and waited for it to be over.

Whenever he opened his eyes, he felt slightly guilty about what was happening, so he

kept them shut. But without his vision, his other senses seemed to become more acute.

He inhaled her sweet smell, as well as the scents of her shampoo and body wash, and

he felt the softness of her thighs. He was beside himself.

He couldn't stop thinking about how amazing it would be if he could have his fill of

these sensations without holding back.

"Amane, when I'm done with your ears, can I play with your hair?"

"…If you want."

If he escaped soon, he wouldn't have to experience this conflict any longer. However,

Amane was still a guy, and if a girl was going to let him continue lying in her lap, he

wasn't going to argue. Even as he felt conflicted over wanting her to stop and wanting

her to do more, in the end, he gave in to his desires. It made him realize that in many

ways, he was very weak willed.

Mahiru gave every indication of being pleased by Amane's consent.

"I'm almost finished, okay?" she said as she carefully scraped out his ear.

Ah, over already? Amane thought, feeling just a little bit disappointed, suffering lonely

agony yet again.

But he didn't let it show on his face or in his movements.

The slightly ticklish yet pleasant feeling came to an end as Mahiru pulled out the ear

cleaning tool.

In its place came a different lovely sensation as Mahiru's fingers slipped smoothly

through his hair.

"All right, all done."

Mahiru combed through his hair with gentle hands as if she was comforting a child,

and Amane simultaneously felt embarrassed and like he wanted to surrender himself

to her entirely.

He knew that if it came down to it, the latter feeling was stronger, and a silent groan

threatened to escape his lips.

Mahiru's intention had been to pamper him thoroughly as a reward, and he was

definitely getting spoiled.

Part of him wanted to fight against Mahiru, who seemed to be enjoying her chance to

indulge Amane just as she had promised. Though it felt so good that any willpower he

had was uprooted entirely, leaving him utterly helpless to resist.

…I'm getting spoiled…

He was getting his head caressed by her tender hands while fully savoring her

feminine scent and warmth. It didn't sound like such a big deal when he put it into

words, but it felt incredibly good and left him practically euphoric. Amane could

imagine losing himself if he were allowed to enjoy these kinds of pleasures every day.

The thought had a certain appeal to it.

When Amane let out a sigh and relaxed his muscles, he heard a quiet giggle.

"You're like a pampered little boy, for once," Mahiru softly teased.

"…Whose fault is that?"

"My fault." Mahiru giggled sweetly and swept her fingers through his hair again. "I

always want to dote on you, because I want an excuse to touch you. Your hair feels so

nice to brush."

"…Really?"

"Yes. It's smooth and glossy. How do you get your hair to do that…?"

"…I just use the shampoo my mom recommended."

Shihoko had been very insistent about making sure he didn't neglect and damage his

fine hair. Subsequently, Amane used shampoo and conditioner found in beauty salons,

the kind that boasted about being good for your lustrous locks. He didn't hate the scent

of it, and he liked the feeling when he ran his fingers through his hair after it dried, so

he kept using the product.

"You should talk, your hair is super smooth, Mahiru."

He gathered a tuft of the flaxen strands into his hand, and it felt even softer and

smoother than his.

Of course, the girl had silkier, glossier hair; Amane's couldn't compete. Mahiru's had a

texture that made him want to touch it forever, and it had a clean, soapy scent that

wasn't overly strong. It was irresistible.

"I think this every time I pat your head, but you must take a lot of care in looking after

your hair."

"…Well, I've never been negligent about it."

"I can tell. By the way, I've been touching your head whenever I like, but… is that all

right? They say that a woman's hair is her life, and all that."

"…I like it when you touch me, Amane."

Amane was glad that she couldn't see his face, because he was sure his expression

contorted into something strange when Mahiru said those words.

Shame, delight, confusion, panic… If Mahiru had seen all those strong emotions

written on his face, she probably would have started to distrust him.

I get carried away because she says things like that.

Unable to say anything out loud, Amane tried to return to his normal expression. He

closed his eyes and sighed.

When he opened his eyes, Mahiru's shirt was right in front of him.

Apparently, he had fallen asleep again—his consciousness had drifted away on a

cushion of comfort and joy. Though he had no idea how long he'd slept, and that made

him anxious.

The hand combing his hair had stopped.

He sat up timidly and saw that Mahiru was leaning back against the sofa, breathing

heavily in her sleep.

"Defenseless," Amane mumbled at Mahiru, whose gentle breaths were rhythmically

rising and falling, then checked the clock and felt his cheek twitch.

It was an hour before midnight. He had been lying in Mahiru's lap since nine, after they

had finished cleaning up dinner and doing other household chores. Which meant that

he had been in the same position for almost two hours straight.

Mahiru had probably fallen asleep after being stuck on the couch for so long. Amane

knew that she wouldn't have been able to bring herself to move and disturb him, so

she had just nodded off where she sat.

He thought she ought to be more vigilant, since she was in a guy's apartment, but he

was the one who'd fallen asleep in her lap in the first place, so he bore some

responsibility.

He gazed at Mahiru's sleeping face, wondering what he should do, and decided for the

time being to go ahead and take a bath.

Mahiru had already taken hers for the evening, but Amane hadn't taken his yet. Even

if he was going to wake her up, it was better to let her sleep for now and get his bath

out of the way. There was also the possibility that Mahiru would wake up on her own

while he was bathing.

With that decided, Amane hurriedly went back to his room to get a change of clothes.

Once Amane finished his bath, he checked the living room and sighed softly.

As before, Mahiru was completely submerged in the depths of sleep and hadn't stirred,

even with the noise from the hair dryer.

"Mahiru, wake up," Amane said, and gently shook her the shoulder. She was still fast

asleep. Her head slumped to the side, showing she was truly unconscious, so for the

time being, Amane propped her back up.

He figured it must have been tiring, sitting there with his head in her lap for so long,

and she had probably nodded off. For now, it was clear that she wouldn't wake up any

time soon.

I feel like this happened last time, too…

It must have been around the end of last year. He remembered lending Mahiru his own

bed after she inadvertently fell asleep.

Amane had a feeling they were headed down the same path this time as well.

He shook her again, more forcefully, and called her name, but she didn't wake up.

He heard a quiet, little groan, but it was more like a snore than words.

This wasn't the first time that Amane had seen Mahiru asleep and defenseless, and he

couldn't help but wonder, again, whether it was all right for her to have this much faith

in him.

Cursing his luck, Amane poked Mahiru's cheek, but she didn't stir. He was only met

with the feeling of her smooth and soft skin. His thumb traced a path down her cheek,

stroking it gently.

When he reached her slightly slack lips, he found the texture to be even softer and

more supple. They reminded him of ripe fruit and looked like they would taste sweet.

It wouldn't have been impossible for him to taste that sweetness in that moment,

when she was this vulnerable. He could have enjoyed that delicious fruit and savored

it as he pleased.

But Amane's self-control, and the knowledge that he would never recover if Mahiru

rejected him, kept him back. Yet he couldn't stop touching her altogether. Amane

laughed at himself for being such a coward, and he stared at Mahiru, whose beautiful

sleeping face was so generously exposed.

She doesn't even know how I feel…

Mahiru probably had no idea how anxious he got when she was overly careless like

this.

Unconsciously, Amane let out a huge sigh, gently stroked Mahiru's defenseless,

sleeping face, and chuckled quietly.

Amane felt like he was being a shameful wimp, even more than usual. On the other

hand, he was also convinced that his cowardice was what had allowed him to win

Mahiru's trust.

It occurred to him that if he had gained her trust to this degree, he might be on the

way to getting her to like him.

Even if he wanted to confess his feelings, he was too much of a weakling, too anxious

about opening up to her.

"…If I could simply tell you I love you, I wouldn't have any worries," he grumbled

quietly.

With the pad of his thumb, Amane gently stroked her tender lips and sighed.

The fact that the girl he loved trusted him this much and was here in this vulnerable

state felt gratifying and lovely, but it was also torture. Before long, he was going to have

to get her to understand the conflict he was feeling.

He made up his mind to scold her a little bit when she woke up, then grabbed her by

the shoulders and shook her.

"Mahiru, wake up. It's time to go home."

He shook her kind of hard, to prompt her to wake up.

He could have stared at her adorable sleeping face forever, but if he looked too long,

he was going to want to do something, and he wouldn't be able to sleep with her here

anyway.

He had reluctantly allowed her to stay over several times before, or maybe it would be

more accurate to say he had lent her his bed. He knew that, as a last resort, he could

let her sleep in his room.

If possible, he wanted her to return to her own apartment. If Mahiru slept in Amane's

bed, it would smell extremely sweet and nice, and that would cause him all sorts of

difficulties until her scent faded, and he wanted to avoid that if he could.

With that one goal, Amane shook Mahiru and gently slapped her soft cheeks. With

extremely sluggish movements, she raised her eyelids with a flutter of her long

eyelashes.

However, the vibrant caramel-colored eyes that peeked out from behind them seemed

somewhat vacant and unfocused. He couldn't tell where she was looking, and her

bleary eyes started to slip listlessly back behind the curtain of her eyelids.

"Mahiru, I'm begging you, please wake up. Go sleep at home."

"…Unh…"

"Don't groan, just say yes."

"…Yes…"

She answered him in a mumbling voice that didn't sound like she understood the

situation, so with his cheek twitching, Amane tried even harder to rouse her back to

consciousness, shaking her harder but not so hard as to rattle her brain.

It must have had some effect, because Mahiru showed him her eyes again, but—this

time, she fell forward, directly against Amane, and buried her face in his chest.

In a quiet, muffled voice, she mumbled, "Smells nice," as she rubbed her cheek against

him. A small sound squeaked out from the back of Amane's throat when he heard her

moaning.

Seriously, this girl is…

He tried to tear himself away from her slack body, so defenseless that he had to

wonder if she wasn't doing it on purpose at this point, but he couldn't. At the same

time, he felt the urge to stay just as he was, to wrap his arms around her and dote on

her. It probably would have been best to immediately pull away and go bang his head

on the wall.

Biting his lip hard, Amane grabbed Mahiru's shoulders and slowly pushed her away

from his body, and she looked up at him blankly, with dazed, spiritless eyes.

"Mahiru, it's late already; how about you go home? We've got school tomorrow, you

know, so if you oversleep, you'll have a hard time. I'll walk you to your door."

Mahiru only lived next door, but she was definitely out of it, so he felt anxious about

her leaving the apartment.

Whether Mahiru had understood him or not, she said, "Good niii…" in a lifeless voice

and staggered to her feet, which was a good sign. She looked like she might fall right

back down on the floor, so Amane ended up rushing over to support her.

She was wiped out from the tests, and on top of that, she had let him lie in her lap for

a long time. Sitting still for so long must have been physically taxing. Sleepiness was

bearing down on her, and she could hardly stand.

…No way around it.

Amane was sure that even if he lent her his shoulder and somehow got her as far as

her door, she would still fall flat on her face the second she walked in.

He sighed softly and gazed into Mahiru's face as she leaned her full weight on him.

"Mahiru, you've reached your limit, so I'm going to take you to your room. Can I borrow

your keys? I'm going with you into your apartment."

He felt nervous about going into a girl's apartment and didn't like having to ask Mahiru

for permission when she was obviously passed out. However, he figured that if she had

to choose between that and staying over in a boy's apartment, she would probably

prefer the former, no matter how many times she had done the latter already. Amane

also knew he would be able to relax and sleep better if Mahiru was at home tucked

into her own bed, instead of his.

He had roused Mahiru enough to ask for her permission, which slightly eased his

discomfort.

In response to his question, Mahiru slowly nodded her head.

After confirming her consent, Amane pulled the keys out of Mahiru's pocket, trying

his best not to make contact with her hip while he did so, and cradled her in his arms.

Mahiru must have been very tired, because she leaned into him and fell half asleep

again. If Amane didn't get her back home soon, she was going to fall asleep right in his

arms.

He stepped out of his apartment, trying his best not to make much noise. He walked

over to Mahiru's door and, still holding her, carefully unlocked it. Then he slowly

carried her into the apartment.

"…Pardon the intrusion."

The interior was, of course, laid out the same way as his. Amane knew it had the same

floor plan, so he also knew where the bedroom ought to be.

But his heart started pounding the second he stepped in. Mahiru's apartment had a

sweet, invigorating smell, and it was decorated differently from his. Her meticulous

and tidy personality was evident. The flooring was polished to a high shine, and he

couldn't spot any dirt worth mentioning. There was a mirror and some flowers sitting

on the shoe cubby that stood against the wall, which gave the place a subdued, yet

bright and brilliant atmosphere.

Amane glanced into the living room beyond the entryway. He got the impression that

an adult had decorated it, with a collection of clean and cheerful furniture in basic

tones of soft white and pale blue to go with the natural colors of the wood floor.

Despite that, the apartment didn't really look like anyone lived in it. It showed hardly

any signs of habitation. Besides sleeping and going to school, Mahiru had recently

been spending most of her time over at Amane's apartment, so in a certain sense, it

was almost like she wasn't living there.

After having that realization, Amane quietly opened the door to the room he assumed

was her bedroom and stepped inside.

It was the first time in his life that he had been inside a girl's bedroom. It was such a

lovely space that Amane thought other girls would get upset if they had to live up to

this standard.

Just like the living room, the basic colors were white and light blue, but it was fancier

than the living room. He would best describe it as tidy and stylish.

Amane also thought that it looked more lived-in and showcased Mahiru's personality

more. The place was well-kept, as was Mahiru's habit. On top of the desk, next to her

textbooks and cookbooks, sat the stuffed animal that she had won at the game center

when Amane had taken her there.

Also, the stuffed bear that he had gifted her for her last birthday was there, just as

immaculate as on the day he'd given it. It was sitting beside her pillow on the bed, and

it now had a navy-blue ribbon tied inconspicuously around it, mostly concealed by the

original ribbon that had always been there.

Amane had heard that she treasured the stuffed bear, but seeing in person that she

had it sitting there by her pillow, he felt his cheeks grow hot.

Imagining her sleeping with it every night was almost too much to stand.

Biting the inside of his cheek in a desperate attempt to keep it together, Amane slowly

lowered Mahiru onto the bed and covered her with the blanket. He was once again

grateful that she had worn shorts with tights today.

Maybe because she felt the sensation of her body sinking into the bed, Mahiru, who

had been almost entirely asleep, opened her bleary eyes a little.

Smiling in spite of himself at her sleepy expression, Amane got down on his knees and

gently stroked Mahiru's head with the palm of his hand.

"You're home now. I'll give your key back later, so don't worry about that."

She had touched him plenty that day, so he figured it would be all right to touch her a

little bit, too. As he scooped up a piece of hair that had fallen across her face to move

it out of the way, he poked at her supple cheek, and she giggled like it tickled and put

on a smile that was several times softer than usual.

Without pause, with sleepy, bleary eyes, she patted the bed beside her.

"…You too, Amane…"

He froze as he considered what the rest of that sentence could mean.

She seemed to be telling him to sleep there. Maybe even that she wanted him as a body

pillow.

…She doesn't mean that; she doesn't know what she's saying.

Amane tried to persuade himself of this as he pushed back against certain desires that

had momentarily threatened to lure him astray.

He was afraid that if he lingered, Mahiru would say something unthinkable, so he

impatiently stroked her head very gently, like he was putting a child to bed, and lulled

her to sleep.

"I'm going home now. Okay?"

"…No."

"There's no way I'm hanging around in a girl's bedroom. You'll absolutely regret asking

once you wake up. I can already see you beating me with your pillow."

If Amane joined her in bed, not only would he be unable to get a wink of sleep, but

once she woke up, Mahiru would be confused and would turn bright red. Then, to hide

her embarrassment, she was almost guaranteed to whack him with her pillow.

He could also anticipate that afterward, things would get awkward between them, so

for the sake of Amane's sanity and the next day's mood, he had to use all his willpower

to get out of there.

Mahiru was still dozing off, but seemed to be resisting sleep and Amane's frantic

attempts to pacify her.

In that case—Amane grabbed the bear from beside her and pushed it against her face.

"This guy says he'll sleep here instead of me, so relax and go to bed."

It appeared she had been keeping the stuffed animal close when she slept, so Amane

decided to use it to lull her to sleep.

He untangled his fingers from her soft hair and gently, gently whispered good night.

Mahiru groaned in an adorable voice and embraced the stuffed bear in front of her.

She looked innocent and childlike, a far cry from her usual prim and proper act, and

so sweet that he wanted to caress her again.

She was so charming that he might have spontaneously snapped a picture, if he'd had

his smartphone on hand, and he felt relieved that he hadn't brought anything with him

other than the key to his apartment. It would be very inappropriate to photograph a

sleeping girl's face. He knew it was weird to even consider it.

At last, Mahiru's eyelids, rimmed with long eyelashes, covered the entirety of her

eyeballs, and she started breathing peacefully in her sleep.

Amane sighed quietly, careful not to wake her again.

…She's too careless. That was terrifying.

Amane knew that she only behaved this way because she was with him. That didn't

change the fact that it was difficult for him to watch the girl he loved let her guard

down so completely like that.

Praising himself for resisting temptation, Amane left Mahiru's room as silently as he

could and walked right out of her apartment.

He knew that it would take quite a bit of time before he was able to sleep that night.

"G-good morning…"

"M-morning…"

Inevitably, the next day, the two of them each felt too awkward to look at the other.

Mahiru almost never came to his apartment this early, but naturally, given what had

happened, she had come over to talk.

Amane had had difficulty falling asleep after everything that had happened yesterday,

and it didn't make it any easier when she suddenly appeared first thing in the morning.

He recalled the pleasant sensation of lying in her lap, the rich fruity scent, and the full

softness that had come down on his head in the middle of it. Then the memory of

Mahiru's apartment, which he had basically entered on his own, with permission at

least, surfaced in his mind. Her cherubic sleeping face and sweet pleading voice were

impossible to forget.

He had spent the night tossing and turning in bed, tortured by how lovely she had

looked while hugging the teddy bear.

Writhing in agony, he had just finally managed to go to sleep when morning arrived,

but he was awakened by his alarm, resulting in his current state of exhaustion.

Mahiru, on the other hand, looked fresh and had a good complexion, as if she had slept

just fine. She seemed very anxious, though, and constantly fidgeted like she was trying

hard to conceal her embarrassment.

Amane had been just about to eat breakfast when Mahiru had barged in. Now he was

stuck, unsure of how to proceed.

Her reward had been too exhilarating, and now that he knew that feeling, he found it

hard to look at Mahiru directly. To make matters worse, Mahiru didn't seem to realize

what had happened, so feelings of guilt weighed on his chest, in addition to the shame.

"…Wh-what are you doing here in the morning? Oh, I know, you came to get your key

back, right? Sorry for taking it home with me."

"Ah, no, I… well, there is that, but that's not why I'm here."

No matter how close they might be, Amane felt it was wrong to take home a girl's

house key. He was already feeling bad about setting foot in her apartment, even though

he hadn't really been able to avoid it.

…As I suspected, she's mad that I saw her bedroom.

Amane remembered her room being very neat and tidy, but he couldn't fault her for

being upset that he had rudely taken a look while she was basically unconscious. If

he'd happened to see her underwear or something hung up to dry, Mahiru probably

wouldn't have looked at him or spoken to him for a while, and Amane was sure he

would have had to avoid her for some time as well.

Thankfully he hadn't caught sight of anything like that.

"C-can I ask you one thing?" Mahiru inquired.

"Sure."

"…O-on top of my desk, there should have been a picture frame, but…"

"A picture frame?" Amane asked.

It wouldn't have been polite to scrutinize her room too closely, so Amane had only

taken a quick look around, and he didn't particularly remember there being one. It

sounded like it had been jumbled in with the rest of the stuff on her desk, judging by

her tone.

Amane searched his memory but had no recollection of a picture frame, so he figured

he had just missed it.

"No, I didn't see one, but… did something happen? Did I bump into it and break it, or

something?"

"N-no! A-as long as you didn't see it, that's fine… if you didn't see it."

Apparently, Mahiru had something displayed in a picture frame that he wasn't

supposed to see. Her obvious relief made him kind of wish he had. But it was a matter

of privacy, so he wasn't going to say that out loud.

Mahiru looked like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Amane scratched his cheek. "I tried not to look at your room too much, you know? All

I saw was the lineup of stuffed animals I gave you, and the teddy bear by your pillow

that you sleep with…"

"Forget you saw that!" Mahiru slapped Amane's arm softly.

"But you already told me about it…," Amane answered without thinking.

Mahiru glared at him. "Don't tell me I was hugging the stuffed animal while you were

there."

"…You were half asleep, and you demanded that I sleep there with you, which I wasn't

about to do, so instead, I brought you the bear to sleep with."

"Sleep there with me?!"

Mahiru looked shocked, like she couldn't believe her own words. Gradually, her whole

face turned red.

She must not want to believe she said something like that when she was half asleep…

"D-did I really say something like that?!"

"N-not only did you say it, you actually called my name and patted the space beside

you… like you were telling me to climb into the same bed…"

"Aaugh!"

Mahiru put her hands on her cheeks and made a pathetic noise. Her face was bright

red, and her eyes were wavering like she might cry.

"N-no way, I don't usually have such… thoughts! I just, um, I… felt relaxed since you

were around, so… it's not that I really had any untoward desires… it must have been

something like I wanted your b-body heat, that's it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Please don't ask me anymore!"

It was truly rare for Mahiru to raise her voice, and she was breathing hard as she

sharply turned away.

For once, Amane was the calm one. "F-fine, I don't really understand why you're so

upset, but I'm not going to pry. Just be careful from now on. You were half asleep, but

I did more or less get your permission before I took you home. But if you hadn't woken

up, I was going to have to put you to bed in my room."

"…That would have been fine."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Amane could tell that she had said something quietly, but he hadn't been able to make

out Mahiru's mumbling. It seemed like it wasn't meant for him to hear.

"Anyway, you've got to understand that no matter how much of a trusted friend I am,

I can't just let you sleep here. If you try it again, I'll have no choice but to use you as a

body pillow when I sleep, no joke."

Though he had just made quite a bold claim, Amane knew that he wouldn't get any

rest if something like that happened. He was just trying to warn Mahiru against being

so careless. There were a few people she really trusted, but he still thought she ought

to be more cautious, even around those companions.

In response to Amane's slightly critical tone, Mahiru blinked dramatically, then put on

a faint smile.

"Says the same Amane who fell asleep so easily in my lap. You've dozed off in my lap

twice now, you know?"

"Th-that's a different conversation. It's a completely different matter for a guy to fall

asleep in front of a member of the opposite sex than for a girl to do it. I wouldn't be in

any danger."

"…Even though you don't know for sure that I won't do anything?"

"Would you?"

"Let me think… Maybe I would take your picture or something, as a joke."

Amane grew weak as Mahiru looked at him smugly, as if to say, "What do you think

about that?" but Mahiru didn't seem to notice.

"…I wouldn't really care, but now I'm going to have to check your phone."

"And what if I saved it on the cloud before you realized, and then deleted it from my

phone?

"Stop talking about it. I'm starting to believe you might try and it's freaking me out. Also,

my 'doing something' and your 'doing something' are different matters, so seriously, be

more careful." Amane grabbed her shoulders and spoke soberly. "You're not

understanding me at all."

Mahiru looked surprised, but didn't pull away, and didn't avert her eyes, either. "I

understand perfectly well. It's fine."

"You really don't. Not even a little."

"How rude! I said I do. I think you're underestimating me."

"If you understood, you wouldn't be doing these things."

"…You still need work, Amane."

Amane frowned, not sure why she was getting so frustrated with him, but Mahiru just

sighed softly, slipped out of his grasp, and headed for the hallway.

In Mahiru's hand was the house key that she had come to collect, which she must have

grabbed without him noticing. He had left it on the tray on top of his shoe cubby in the

entryway of his apartment.

"You have some thinking to do, Amane," she said as she left his apartment.

Amane thought that she might just as well direct that line at herself. Holding his

forehead, he grumbled, "Which one of us doesn't understand?"