Going Around the Culture Festival with the Angel

After changing back into their school uniforms and storing their costumes in

their lockers, Amane and Mahiru walked around the school, figuring they ought

to tour the culture festival.

It was a little bit past lunchtime, but the refreshment booths selling food and

drinks were still doing brisk business. Many of the students were also changing

shifts around that time, so the booths were actually probably even busier than

before.

Amane had also been working hard in the unfamiliar business of customer

service, so he wanted to wander around the school and pick out whatever he

felt like eating, but…as he probably should have expected, Mahiru stood out.

Here and there, he heard voices remarking that she was the maid from the

café, so it was safe to say that their class café was popular. He was glad that so

many people had come by.

Amane was uncomfortable hearing people whisper about Mahiru, but she

had resigned herself to it, or rather, she ignored it as a matter of course, so he

decided not to worry about it too much, either.

"What do you want to eat, Mahiru?"

"Let me see… Something that I don't usually eat would be nice, I think."

"Something you don't usually eat, huh? …Like yakisoba, or takoyaki?"

It wasn't that they never made yakisoba, but since Mahiru didn't like foods

with strong flavors all that much, if they did make yakisoba, it would only be

seasoned with some salt or maybe with a basic sauce. When it came to

takoyaki, they didn't even have the equipment to make it at home.

They almost never ate out, and they rarely had the chance to eat festival

foods.

Since it was a rare opportunity, Amane decided he wanted to eat yakisoba

with a flavorful sauce, and he started walking toward one of the food stalls. But

on the way, he heard some familiar voices coming from the stairwell.

They were coming from the stairs that led up to the roof. Thinking that the

roof access ought to be closed off, Amane went up the stairs a little way, and

when he looked at the landing…there were some classmates with whom he had

recently become acquainted with.

"Oh, Fujimiya and Shiina?"

Amane blinked in surprise to see Ayaka, who had called their names in a

curious tone of voice.

There were hardly any places to sit inside the school, so he wasn't surprised

by the fact that she was there, but…he was surprised by the position she was in.

Next to Ayaka was a male student with his cheeks stuffed with yakisoba, and

Ayaka was cuddled up close to him, with her hand right under his chin. It looked

like she was trying to make sure he didn't drop any noodles.

"…What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Huh? Just what it looks like. Eating, we're eating. Look, Sou sweetie, it's

Fujimiya, the guy I mentioned earlier."

"Mm."

The male student looked at Amane and made a muffled sound of

acknowledgement with his mouth full. Then he gulped down his yakisoba… Or

at least he tried, but maybe because it was so sudden, he frowned, and

pounded on his chest.

As if she had expected that to happen, Ayaka handed him a bottle of tea. "It's

because you don't chew properly," she scolded.

After drinking about a third of the bottle and washing down the noodles, the

male student wore a look of relief. Ayaka helped clean his mouth. His mouth

must have been covered in sauce because he was eating yakisoba, and the wet

wipe she used was stained brown.

As she dabbed at his mouth, the boy scowled and grumbled, "Could you not

treat me like a little kid?"

Ayaka wiped his mouth again, grinning as she did. Amane reasoned that even

though he seemed a little annoyed by it, the fact that he didn't try to stop her

showed that they had a strong relationship.

"Um, is this your boyfriend, Kido?"

"Oh, bingo! This is my childhood friend and boyfriend. Go on, Sou sweetie,

introduce yourself."

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who won't do it unless you prod me like

a kid…?"

"It's just because you're shy, sweetie. Go on, he's not a bad person."

"If he was a bad person, you wouldn't be introducing us in the first place… I'm

Souji Kayano."

When Souji nodded in greeting, Ayaka patted his head as if to congratulate

him on a job well done, and he brushed her hand away.

Ayaka didn't seem to mind, as if she was used to it. Feeling impressed in a

certain sense by how strong Ayaka's resolve must be, Amane looked Souji over.

The only information he had heard from Ayaka was that the boy had amazing

muscles, so he'd expected her boyfriend's nice physique to be more apparent,

but… Amane could tell that he was taller, but he couldn't quite get a sense for

his build through his school uniform. If anything, Amane thought that Kazuya

had a nicer build.

He tried to check him out inconspicuously so he wouldn't appear rude, but

Ayaka seemed to be able to tell what Amane was looking at, and smiled very

playfully.

"Sou here is the type that looks great when he takes it all off, okay?"

"W-when he takes it all off…"

"That's right, Miss Shiina, my boyfriend is really impressive. Oh-ho-ho!" Ayaka

said, wearing a subtly smirking smile.

Seeing her grin, Amane was thinking it would probably be best not to let

Mahiru hear too much more about the subject. But it was Souji himself who

objected.

"Knock it off, stop bragging. It's embarrassing… Actually, wait, what are you

telling people when I'm not around? Have you been bragging about my muscles

again?"

"I've just been saying that my boyfriend has great muscles."

"I wish you would stop that… They're not even anything to boast about."

"How can you say that?! To me, they're the best in the world!"

"She says, when she was drooling over a bodybuilding special on TV the other

day…"

"Ah, that's just like a little snack I have sometimes… Your muscles are staples

and a luxury I can't live without! You're special, Sou!" Ayaka declared plainly,

with great seriousness.

Amane was too focused on the part about bodybuilders to notice her going

on about her boyfriend.

Does she really like muscles that much…? I don't understand her world.

If anything, Mahiru had a thing for certain smells, so in a sense he couldn't

help feeling like she might get along well with Ayaka. He had complicated

feelings about hearing them talk about what parts of their boyfriends' bodies

they fetishized, so if possible, he would have preferred them to talk about it in

private, someplace where the boys themselves were not.

When Amane took a step back and looked at Ayaka, amazed in several senses

of the word, Souji seemed to more or less pick up on what he was thinking, and

without trying to hide his exasperation, he whacked Ayaka gently on the head.

"That's enough. You're scaring him off."

"That's because you're saying weird stuff, Sou sweetie."

"…Sorry, man, my girl Ayaka is, well—"

"What's wrong with me?!"

She gave her boyfriend a sour look, but it seemed to be just more of their

teasing.

Even as she stuck her lip out in a pout as if she was mad at him, Ayaka was

casually, lovingly stroking his muscles. Amane couldn't help but smile.

Souji didn't seem to mind, or rather, he let her do as she pleased, probably

because she always did that. As he let it happen, he bobbed his head in a little

bow at Amane, and without thinking, Amane also let his head bob a few times.

As for Mahiru, she had been keeping silent, as if she was thinking something

over, but for some reason she suddenly clung to Amane and started patting his

stomach.

"…You know, Amane looks great when he takes it off, too."

"It doesn't have to be a competition, and I don't look that great. If I had to

guess, I'd have a hard time measuring up to him."

"You look plenty good to me."

She was touching Amane and blushing as she did, so a bitter smile rose to his

face of its own accord as he wondered why she was doing that.

"Come to think of it, have you two eaten lunch yet, Fujimiya?"

As he was calming Mahiru down, suddenly Ayaka asked the question like it

had just occurred to her.

They'd been on the same shift, so they had rotated out at the same time. But

Ayaka's boyfriend had been waiting for her, so she'd wasted no time switching

out. Their other classmates on the same shift probably hadn't gotten their food

as quickly as she had.

"No, we're about to. We were thinking of going to buy some yakisoba or

something."

"Ah, yakisoba? It's real good, Sou's class is the one making it." Ayaka laughed

and added, "Sou ate most of it though, huh?"

"That's because you kept telling me to eat more. You were basically forcing it

on me," Souji shot back quietly.

"I see, okay so you two want to get some yakisoba, right? In that case, I'll give

you this."

She held out some kind of ticket to Mahiru with a smile. It was good for one

hundred yen off an order of yakisoba.

"It's a discount coupon for friends and family. Sweetie said that I can give

them to other folks I'm friends with… They're good, right?"

"If you want to give one to them, I think you can. My class still gets a sale

either way."

"Whoo-hoo!"

Ayaka grinned and thrust two tickets at them. Amane looked her in the face,

feeling grateful and a little guilty, and Ayaka broke into a carefree grin again.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about it, you know? I'm sure we'll get sick of

eating so much yakisoba, so we won't use them. Besides, if I had to say, I feel

more like a hot dog right now anyway."

Ayaka laughed and added that she wanted protein more than carbs. Amane

thought that a hot dog seemed like it had a lot of fat, too, but he decided to not

point that out. He meekly said, "Thanks," and decided to accept the favor with

gratitude.

"Thank you very much, Miss Kido. Allow me to return the favor someday."

"Oh, go on! I wasn't looking for any kind of reward…ah, but then, Miss

Shiina?"

"Y-yes?"

"How good are Fujimiya's muscles?"

Mahiru's expression was timid, and a shade of astonishment appeared on her

face as she marveled at Ayaka's question. Mahiru blinked repeatedly in

surprise, then got flustered for some reason.

"I'm n-not telling, Amane is mine."

"Oh, how cute. No, no, my sweet Sou is the best in the world, okay? I'm

simply curious, that's all."

"Looking at other guys, are you?"

"N-no I would never! Believe me, Sou sweetie!"

Picking up on Mahiru's panic, Ayaka waved her hand in front of her face, but

she seemed to know that Souji was half joking. She puffed her cheeks out and

grumbled that Souji was being a jerk in a voice that had a slightly sweet ring to

it. Then she turned to Mahiru, who was still a little bit on her guard, with a

beaming smile.

"Sou's got the wrong idea. But if he's got the right stuff to start with…I mean,

I'd like to help him develop…don't you think it's a waste? Fujimiya's got the

height and he's slender. He'd look really nice if he put on some more muscle."

"…If he gets any better looking than he already is, I'll be in trouble."

"Ah, Fujimiya's the real deal after today, though. His popularity is gonna go

through the roof!"

Ayaka nodded with a know-it-all look on her face, while Mahiru stuck her lip

out in a pout.

Amane wasn't sure whether he should be glad that Mahiru was being frank

with Ayaka, or whether he should poke fun at her for starting to get jealous.

He knew that he wasn't likely to get popular enough that Mahiru would have

to worry. To begin with, if he had been attractive enough for Ayaka to approach

him, she would have had plenty of chances to do so already. Of course, it never

would have worked.

Anyway, there were plenty of people more handsome than Amane, and he

was not as developed as a person as Mahiru thought.

Even so, Mahiru seemed concerned. With a gentle, wry smile, Amane ruffled

her hair.

"I really have no interest in any one other than you, Mahiru, and even if

someone did like me, I would never return the feelings of someone who forced

their way between a happy couple, so please, don't worry."

"Even if that's true, I don't like the idea."

"Well, I feel pretty much the same way, yeah? Come on, you don't have to

worry like that, it's all right."

"…I feel like you're not understanding me…"

He tried to set her at ease, but for some reason, Mahiru frowned again in

apparent dissatisfaction, leaving him confused.

Ayaka laughed and teased, "It's hard out there, even for Miss Shiina."

After Amane and Mahiru had gratefully accepted the discount tickets from

Ayaka and Souji, the couples parted ways. Amane and Mahiru quickly

purchased some yakisoba, and went to the back garden to eat.

There were no open seats in the established lounge areas, and they couldn't

very well linger in the dressing rooms where all the equipment had been

stashed, so by process of elimination, they went to the back garden, which

seemed likely to be open.

Outsiders weren't allowed all the way into the back garden, so there were

only a few students there. There were plenty of places to sit.

Amane spread a towel over the bench where Mahiru wanted to sit, and they

took a seat in a spot that was under the shade of a tree. Then he leaned against

the backrest lavishly.

"You know, when things are too lively, I just start to lose it."

"Heh-heh, you do prefer a quiet environment, don't you, Amane?"

"And I don't like people looking you up and down, either. Actually, I hate it."

"It's not that big of a deal, though…"

"It wears away at my soul."

There had been no way out of it, so he had endured it all day, but he hadn't

enjoyed it. Since Mahiru had changed into her school uniform, the stares had

settled down, more so than when she was dressed as a maid, but she was still

beautiful and continued to attract a lot of attention.

Well, Mahiru seemed to have resigned herself to it and grown accustomed to

the attention, so he couldn't raise too many objections and just grumbled his

complaints quietly.

Mahiru also seemed to understand, because she smiled wryly, as if she was

not sure what to do, and patted his head to comfort him.

Amane sighed softly as he accepted the gesture. "I bet even more people will

come in tomorrow with how popular we were, and because we're working in

the afternoon."

"Well, if we can make it through tomorrow, it'll be over then… Come to think

of it, what about your parents?"

Mahiru seemed to think it was strange that they hadn't seen Amane's

parents, since they had been eager to come see the two teenagers in their

costumes.

Amane scratched his cheek and shrugged. "They said they're coming

tomorrow. And that they've got some vacation time, so they're getting a hotel

and should be here for a couple of days."

"Oh, really?!"

"Why do you look so happy about it?"

"Because recently, I got your father to promise to teach me his mom's home

cooking techniques, and my chance is coming sooner than I thought."

"He's a man, but he calls it 'Mom's home cooking'…well, I guess if I had to say,

I'm more familiar with the taste of my dad's cooking anyway."

Amane's parents, Shihoko and Shuuto, each did their share of cooking dinner

on their allotted days, so Amane was very familiar with the way they both made

food. However, his mother Shihoko's cooking for her otherwise all-male

household focused on bold flavors, high volume, and many options, so although

it certainly was his mother's cooking, it didn't really have a 'Mom's home

cooking' feel to it.

His father Shuuto was better at cooking, and his flavors were more delicate

but comforting. The taste of home for Amane had to be his father's cooking.

He wasn't skilled enough that Mahiru needed to learn from him…but it

sounded like it was important to her to learn the flavors of the Fujimiya

household, and for some reason, she seemed determined to do so.

"I'm really quite satisfied with your cooking, you know?"

"That's one thing, this is another. I want to be able to make things for you

whenever you feel like eating them."

"Got it… But to me, the flavor of your cooking is the flavor of home, so you

don't have to force yourself to learn."

"…The second I let my guard down, you go and say stuff like that."

Sooner or later, she would have him by the stomach—actually, it was fair to

say that she already did. He got to eat delicious food every day, so there was no

doubt that the taste of Mahiru's cooking was the taste of home. It was the

flavor of their time together, distinct from the tastes of the Fujimiya household.

Out-of-season cherry blossoms bloomed on Mahiru's cheeks and he could tell

by the way she slapped him with the wet wipe she was holding that she was

quietly trying to get him to turn the same color.

The yakisoba sitting on her lap seemed in danger of falling off. As he moved it

out of the way, he ruffled her hair in an attempt to pacify her.

The gesture lifted her hair, which fell in loose waves thanks to the braids she

had been wearing that morning. The increased volume seemed to reach

Mahiru's cheeks, which she puffed up in displeasure.

"…Amane, you don't think that you can get away with that just by patting my

head, do you?"

"I don't think that, but I do think you like it."

"Goes to show how hopeless you are."

Mahiru huffed and pretended to be curt with him, but Amane could see the

redness of her cheeks, and he chuckled quietly at the spoiled Mahiru, and this

time stroked her head and put her hair back in order.

Amane and Mahiru finished their lunch and resumed their tour of the school.

But everywhere they went, they faced stares and whispers, and Mahiru looked

like she was getting a little tired.

It was possible that they were attracting extra attention because they were

holding hands so that they didn't lose each other, but the one thing that Mahiru

seemed most reluctant to do was to let go of Amane's hand. Mahiru's fingers,

entwined unassumingly but firmly with Amane's, insisted that he couldn't let

her go.

He got looks of encouragement from classmates who had been with them in

the first year of school, when the two of them had their first chance meeting.

When he looked at Mahiru, she softly leaned in close to him, wearing a graceful

smile, so he knew she had no intention of letting go. If anything, she seemed

even more insistent on holding on.

…Not that I really mind, but I think the whole school knows that we're dating

now.

Pretty much every student at their school knew when Mahiru had first started

going out with Amane. She had boldly announced at the school sports day that

Amane was her important person, then declared that they had started dating at

the beginning of the following week.

Since Mahiru was famous not only among their year, but also with students in

the upper and lower grades, the news spread quickly. The disappointment

among the boys had been terrible. Amane had even been hounded for answers

by an unfamiliar upperclassman once, when Mahiru wasn't around.

According to reports from their classmates, after that incident, Mahiru had

rushed to put a stop to it all with a smile on her face.

They had overcome such obstacles and continued dating, so at this point it

was safe to assume that nobody else was going to try to get in between the

couple. They didn't have to make a big deal about it, just walking around

together was enough.

But Mahiru wouldn't leave Amane's side. It was like she was expecting

something to happen. Even after they left their classmates behind, Mahiru

stayed snuggled up to him pretty closely.

"Something the matter?"

"You look really sharp today."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, your hairstyle, and, like, your whole attitude."

"I mean, I did come out with my hair still styled from our café."

"So that's why."

"I don't really understand, but…"

If it was possible for Amane to become more popular by changing his

hairstyle, he would have already been popular before he even started officially

going out with Mahiru, so he didn't think he was so popular that she needed to

cling to him and assert her claim. Personally, he was happy to have her clinging

to him, but on the other hand, having her so close meant that he couldn't help

but notice the feeling of her body, so he found himself wishing that she would

pull away just a little bit more.

Mahiru herself seemed to enjoy it, so he was letting her do as she pleased,

but he couldn't help but feel a little bit uncomfortable.

Amane thought about how, thanks to Mahiru, he had even gotten used to

being the center of attention. As he walked slowly around the school with her,

he tried as hard as he could to ignore the crowds around them.

Amane looked at the pamphlet that had been given out listing all the different

exhibitions, but Mahiru was already quietly leading the way—actually, she was

steering them directly toward the haunted house.

…I get the sense that Mahiru doesn't really go for scary stuff, though.

The one time they had watched some horror together, Mahiru had put on a

brave front, but she had gone very pale and had gripped his hand very tightly.

Her words and the expression on her face had been at odds, and Amane had

figured that she probably didn't care for the horror genre.

But maybe she had decided that it wouldn't be a problem, since of course a

haunted house constructed on a student budget couldn't possibly compare with

a properly built television set.

"Do you want to go to the haunted house that badly?"

"Eh?"

Mahiru stopped suddenly and looked timidly up at him. Her expression

looked decidedly lost. Maybe she had been meaning to walk around aimlessly,

and hadn't thought that far ahead.

Mahiru looked around, wearing a stiff expression, like a machine in need of

oil. Amane was certain that she had not even considered going to the haunted

house.

"Th-that wasn't my intention, but…"

"This whole time I was sure that was where you were leading us. Although,

you can't really handle scary things, so I guess that was ridiculous."

"…That's not true."

"Look at me and say that again. You can't even look me in the eye."

Mahiru tried to evade the issue rather than admit to her weakness, but her

expression and her posture were ruining her chances. Amane was not gracious

enough to believe her, in spite of how obviously flustered she was.

I don't think being sensitive to scary things is really anything to be ashamed

of, though.

Rather, he thought it was cute. But Mahiru herself seemed unhappy.

He had been thinking how charming it was, but Mahiru seemed to have

figured that out, and she looked up at Amane with a little bit of dissatisfaction

in her eyes. But those eyes were watery, maybe because she hadn't gotten over

the shock of the earlier incident, so it probably didn't have the impact she was

hoping for.

"Really, it's fine. We'll go to the haunted house, too."

"It's fine, huh? All right, how about we watch a horror movie together soon?"

"…Th-that would be great."

"Your voice is really shaky, isn't it?"

He'd said it more or less as a joke, but Mahiru was posturing and agreeing to

go, which conversely put Amane in a tough spot.

"Are you gonna be all right, putting on a brave front? Don't come crying to me

when you can't sleep alone."

"I'm not bluffing. And if the worst happens…I'll make you take responsibility."

"Living people can be scarier than ghosts, you know."

"I don't think you're scary, Amane, and besides, we've already slept together

several times, so there."

She pressed herself tightly against his arm and turned her eyes upward at

him. Quickly, he pressed a finger over Mahiru's mouth, and softly let out a sigh.

Sure, he had dozed off in her presence even before they'd started dating, and

Mahiru had even stayed over at his place, plus they had slept in the same bed at

his parents' house over the summer break. In a certain sense, she had spent the

night multiple times.

However, it was a statement that seemed extremely likely to invite

misunderstanding. The students around them were already murmuring faintly.

They didn't actually have that kind of relationship yet, and Amane had

complicated feelings about being misunderstood.

"…That sounds like an invitation to me."

"Stop getting the wrong idea. Anyway, you're the one who invited me to stay

over, Amane."

"I didn't have any ulterior motives. I just wanted to see you shiver."

"I'd call that an ulterior motive."

She slapped him lightly on his side, so he grasped her prodding hand again

and stopped her.

Mahiru seemed happy to have her hand grasped, because her face, which had

been looking a little dissatisfied, softened into a smile. So Amane smiled back at

Mahiru and pulled her by the hand.

Of course, he pulled her in the direction of the haunted house.

"…Um?"

"I thought we'd go in, since we came all the way here. You're the one who

first said we would go through the haunted house, after all."

"I—I certainly did say that. B-but you d-don't have to b-be mean…"

Mahiru squirmed restlessly and looked up at him with faintly misty eyes.

Amane chuckled a little and mercilessly pulled her toward the haunted house.

After that, she clung tightly to him the whole time they were inside the

haunted house, but for the sake of her reputation, he decided not to mention it

to Chitose and the others.

After they got out of the haunted house, Mahiru seemed somewhat

exhausted from surprise and fright. Supporting her from behind, Amane headed

for a lounge area, but he suddenly caught sight of the back of a familiar figure,

and an unintended gasp escaped his lips.

"…Is that Itsuki's…?"

It wasn't someone he saw very often, so he called out timidly toward the

person, and they turned around, their back straight as a rod.

It was a man the same age as Amane's parents, Shihoko and Shuuto. Despite

having a handsome face, he was wearing a craggy expression with no trace of

softness or gentleness.

When he saw the man's face, exactly as it appeared in his memories, Amane

breathed a sigh of relief that he was not mistaken and formally straightened his

posture. Beside him, Mahiru looked up at him questioningly, so he whispered to

her, quietly, so that the man couldn't hear him, "It's Itsuki's dad."

"Nice to see you again. I've changed my hair a little, so it might be hard to

recognize me, but I'm Fujimiya."

The man who was Itsuki's father, Daiki, took a good look at Amane's face, and

his expression, that people said looked unapproachable, seemed to soften a bit.

"Fujimiya, huh? I hardly recognize you."

"Ah-ha-ha, well, that must be because I used to look so gloomy."

"That's not what I meant, but…I was thinking you look like you've gained

some confidence, which is great. No need to put yourself down."

Itsuki had often complained that his father scolded him a lot, but Daiki

seemed to like Amane a fair bit and appeared to be impressed by the changes

he saw.

Amane had to admit that Daiki could be hardheaded when it came to his son

Itsuki, but for the most part he was reasonable and sensible, so it was no

hardship for Amane to speak with him. If he had to say one way or another, he

found it rather enjoyable.

Daiki sounded and looked impressed, which made Amane feel a little

embarrassed. Then Daiki's gaze shifted to Mahiru.

"Who's that young lady?"

"Ah, umm. This is the girl I'm dating."

It was an unusually reserved way of introducing her. He'd chosen it because

he wasn't sure how friendly he should be with Daiki. It was quite difficult to

know how to act toward a friend's parents, so there was no helping feeling that

way.

He could tell by the way she had stiffened slightly that Mahiru was feeling

embarrassed and awkward, but she put on her angelic smile, and bowed her

head slightly.

To Mahiru, this man was a stranger, so she treated him as such. Given Daiki's

personality, that was probably the right choice anyway.

"How do you do? I'm Mahiru Shiina. As Amane was kind enough to explain,

the two of us are dating."

"It's very nice to meet you. I am Itsuki's father, Daiki Akazawa."

Daiki bowed politely at the waist, then glanced over at Amane. Amane got the

feeling that Daiki was trying to tell him he was a pretty smooth operator, but he

purposely pretended not to notice and smiled cheerfully back at him.

"I see…well, what can I say? So Fujimiya is dating a girl, huh? I hadn't heard

anything about it, what a surprise!"

"Not a word from Itsuki?"

"He basically doesn't talk to me, you know. I'm sure he just thought there was

no need to tell me."

"Well, I don't think his friend's dating situation is something he'd go out of his

way to talk about anyway."

Though Amane felt disappointed to hear that Itsuki's relationship with his

father was strained as always, he didn't let it show outwardly.

"So you're dating Fujimiya…which must mean you've been looking after my

fool of a son, too. I'm sorry for all the trouble."

"Not at all, in fact, we're very indebted to Mister Akazawa."

"Are you sure he isn't making a nuisance of himself?"

"Far from it. He's kind and thoughtful and helps us out all the time. I sincerely

hope to be good friends with Mister Akazawa for a long time to come."

After hearing Mahiru praise his son without making any jokes about how nosy

he could be, Daiki sighed with admiration.

"…Fujimiya, seems like you've found a wonderful girl. I'm happy to see it."

"I sure have. Mahiru is a fine young lady."

"P-please don't make jokes like that right now."

She'd probably never imagined that Amane would commend her like that out

loud in front of his friend's father, and it was easy to see the color rise in her

pale cheeks.

She cast her eyes down bashfully, and casually launched a direct attack

against his back with her palm in such a way that Daiki wouldn't notice, which

made Amane chuckle quietly. Her attack only had the force of a light slap, so it

didn't hurt or even tickle. Instead, it made the corners of his mouth curl up in

amusement.

"It looks like you get along well, which is the most important thing, although it

seems like you might get in trouble for that kind of behavior. I'm happy to see

it, though."

"Sorry, we'll be careful. By the way, have you visited our classroom today?"

"No, I was intending to, but…how do I put this? There was something about

the atmosphere in there…it was hard for me to go in."

"Ah…"

Daiki was the kind of person who didn't have much interest in these sorts of

exhibitions. He was also the type who had never expressed any interest in pop

culture like manga or video games. Considering all that, it wasn't strange that

he found it difficult to walk into their classroom.

"I'm sure it would put the students in an awkward position if I were to go in

alone. Especially with the way I look."

"In your case, sir, I think it has more to do with the expression on your face

than your appearance. If you'd like, we could go in with you? It's our class, but I

did want to go visit as a customer."

"No, I couldn't possibly impose on you like that. Not when you're spending

your precious free time together with your sweetheart. Besides…I'm sure that

girl must be in the classroom as well."

"…Yes, she is."

"I hate the idea of her seeing me and it causing her shrink back, or feel

uneasy. If we come face-to-face, I'll probably lash out at her, you see," Daiki

said with an uncomfortable smile.

Amane frowned, but didn't question him any further.

Amane didn't have very good feelings about the relationship between Chitose

and Daiki. However, he knew that Chitose didn't hold any malice toward Daiki.

And that Daiki had his own way of thinking which made him reject Chitose.

Even though he understood that, Amane was Itsuki's friend, and he wished

that they would settle the issues between them.

"Sorry for bothering you kids. I'll walk around to the other rooms."

"But…"

"I wouldn't want to ruin the mood. You two have fun," Daiki said, and walked

away before Amane and Mahiru could even try to stop him.

Amane let out a soft sigh.

"…He's still on bad terms with Chitose?"

"Yeah… That's kind of a whole thing, but Itsuki's dad isn't a bad person. There

are some folks he just can't get along with. I think Daiki's personality is

inherently a bad match for people like Itsuki and Chitose."

Fundamentally, Daiki had a deeply serious and stubborn nature, something

that even Amane, who had only interacted with him a little bit, could tell.

In contrast, he wouldn't exactly say that people like Itsuki and Chitose were

foolish, but they certainly didn't follow the standard straight and narrow path in

life, and they were unconventional and flexible people.

Amane didn't think that the two of them, who would never want to force

themselves to fit a certain mold just because someone else told them to, were

likely to obediently listen to what Daiki said, so it made sense that they didn't

get along.

But if someone asked Amane if he blamed Daiki for it, he would say that he

did not. Though many of Daiki's demands were old-fashioned, they were well

within the realm of common sense.

"Itsuki's dad has some expectations that are a little too strict, for sure. It's not

that he just treats Chitose harshly out of spite… And that's exactly why they're

stuck with no way to resolve their issues."

If Daiki was going to approve of Chitose, he surely would have done so

already.

Amane knew that it couldn't feel very good to have one of your parents

butting into your love life, but he could also understand why a parent would

want their child to find the best partner they could.

Itsuki almost never talked about it, and Amane wasn't usually aware of what

was going on in his home life, but the Akazawa family had high social standing,

which probably compounded the issue.

"You'd think it would be better for them if she could do something and gain

his approval, but… It may be impossible."

"Right, maybe… I think the two of them go really well together, and that they

are deeply connected. It seems wrong to me to try to separate them… I wish he

would give it up."

"You're right about that… And I think Itsuki's dad knows it, too, and that he's

interfering as little as possible now. But until one of them folds and they come

to an agreement, things will probably stay awkward."

After sighing once more, Mahiru also frowned, looking troubled, and rested

her head against Amane's shoulder. "But I wish there was something we could

do," she mumbled quietly.

After parting with Daiki, Amane and Mahiru headed toward their own

classroom, thinking they could buy some refreshments and take a break at the

same time. Compared to the other classrooms, quite a line had formed at the

reception desk.

They had peeked outside occasionally, even while they were on their own

shift, but now they could see that the place had been booming since morning. It

looked like their initial popularity had only attracted more visitors.

Even though it was their own classroom, customers were customers, and

Amane obediently lined up with Mahiru to wait their turn. Their classmates

looked busy, running their eyes down a list of names.

"Oh, Fujimiya and the an—and Miss Shiina. Don't tell me you've come back to

help?"

"Unfortunately, you've got the wrong idea. We thought we'd give the

customer side of things a try. And also see how Itsuki and Chitose are doing."

"Ah, those two are getting along great. Well, kinda."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No matter what we do, Itsuki's waaay too flashy."

"That's because being flashy is basically part of his identity."

"Rude."

Itsuki was always cheerful and funny, and he would probably never

completely lose that unless something really extreme happened. For an

exhibition like this one, although he was taking it seriously, his usual attitude

was going to show through. He wasn't likely to leave his joking behind.

And there were some students who appreciated Itsuki's humor, which made

him a popular butler in his own way. Anyway, since it was a student exhibition,

he didn't have to adhere too strictly to butler etiquette, and he could get away

with merely looking the part.

"Okay, so I can put you down as a party of two, right? You'll probably have to

wait a little while, though."

"It's crowded, so that makes sense… Are you doing okay, Mahiru? You're not

too tired?"

"I'm fine. I—I am tired, but mentally, after that, um, earlier program…"

"That's because you pretended to be tough and went in."

"…I wasn't pretending."

Mahiru averted her eyes. Seeing her bluff like that only made him want to

tease her more, but if he teased her too much, she would pout, so he decided

to avoid mentioning it again.

Instead, he whispered quietly, "Remember your promise about the horror

movie." She glared at him with a tremor in her eyes, but this time, Amane was

the one who pretended not to notice.

The boy at the reception desk, who had been watching from the sidelines,

also glared at Amane. "Do that somewhere else, please."

Feeling uncomfortable, Amane looked elsewhere.

They waited outside, and when their turn came, they followed the host into

their own classroom, where they were greeted by two familiar faces. Amane

felt himself frown.

Sure enough, Itsuki and Chitose were their servers, just as he had told the

receptionist he wanted.

They were wearing more formal smiles than they had during the practice

periods, and in response to Amane's faintly displeased expression, he saw their

cheeks start twitching.

They were looking at him like they had succeeded in playing some sort of

prank, which nearly set Amane's face twitching in exasperation.

"Welcome back, Master. And the missus!"

"Hey, come on, Itsuki! That greeting's not in the manual!"

Basically, since they were supposed to be running a maid and butler style of

café, the class had settled on a unified way to address their customers. But

when his two friends purposely addressed them in a totally wrong way, Amane

couldn't hold out any longer, and his face screwed up into an exasperated

grimace.

Mahiru averted her eyes bashfully. She was probably embarrassed by being

called "the missus."

"No, no, preposterous! This greeting is listed in a special page of the manual

that's only for the two of you—a page I kept top secret."

"You're sure you're not making that up?"

"Now, now. Allow us to show you to your seats."

It wasn't good to give them special treatment in front of the other customers,

but in spite of the reproachful glances, Itsuki showed no concern at all.

It seemed like it would be pointless to say anything, so Amane reluctantly

followed their prompting to his seat.

Amane briefly had his attention captured by the elegance of Mahiru's

movements as she smoothly took her seat in the chair that Itsuki pulled out for

her.

With a grin, Chitose said, "Did you enjoy your break?" Following the manual,

she presented them with menus that were actually entirely unnecessary, since

Amane had completely memorized the offerings.

"Mm, yes, we did enjoy it. We haven't finished going around to every room

yet, so we plan to keep going after this."

"That's great, just great. I figured sweet Mahiru must have been looking

forward to her break, since she kept hoping it would come sooner."

"Was I really that bad?"

"Well you know, she told me she wanted to walk around and see all the

different spots."

He glanced over at Mahiru, who was changing the subject by ordering. "One A

set, please," she requested, with faintly red cheeks.

At home, he hadn't really seen her get excited about the culture festival, but

it sounded like, in her own way, Mahiru had been looking forward to spending

the time with Amane.

He smiled a little at the charming Mahiru, and, as he promised himself he

would ask her for the details later, he ordered the same thing as her. Perhaps

she could tell what he was thinking, because she glared at him just a little bit,

but she didn't seem unhappy about it, so that gave him some peace of mind.

Chitose took his order and didn't even try to hide her grin as she went to tell

the back of the house their orders. As she left, Amane remembered the sack of

donuts he had in his lap and held them out to Itsuki.

The donuts were round, bite-size, deep-fried balls of dough, so he would be

able to snack on them when he had free time. Amane recalled that there should

be toothpicks set out in the back, in which case, it would be easy for the other

staff to eat them as well, without getting their hands dirty.

"Oh, that's right. Another class is selling these, so I brought some for

everyone. Give some to the guys in the back, too, whenever they have a break."

"Oh, awesome, thanks!"

"It's fine, it was my idea, so you don't have to worry about it, but if you're

going to thank me, do it more like a butler…"

"Oh, Master, your favor is truly a gift to us all…"

"Yeah, never mind. You can drop that, too."

Itsuki was wearing a happy face. He muttered to himself that he'd eaten lunch

but was already getting hungry again.

Amane smiled at him and felt guilty that he was about to say something that

threatened to dampen his friend's mood a little bit.

"Hey, Itsuki?"

"Hmm?"

"I ran into your dad. I thought you should know."

Amane could see Itsuki's body stiffen a little.

He'd tried to do his best to report it when Chitose wasn't around, so that's

why he had chosen that moment. But it looked like the revelation was already

sapping Itsuki's motivation to serve the customers, so Amane honestly wished

he hadn't said anything.

Itsuki's usually unshakable, easygoing smile dimmed, and in its place, a sour

expression rose to his face. Then in an effort to conceal it, he forced himself to

form a smile again.

"Ah, he didn't ask about Chitose or anything," Amane added. "He said it was

hard to come in here, so he went off somewhere else. That's all I wanted to

report."

"Ah… Well, my dad doesn't handle stuff like this very well. Even if you get him

to come, I mean, Chi will probably get upset about it, so it's probably for the

best that he doesn't come in, but…"

Itsuki shrugged and grumbled. "Even though I gave him a ticket out of

obligation, I never actually expected him to come, you know. If he comes back

again, I'll ask him. At any rate, I don't think he's coming to see me today."

With a smile that made it hard to read what he was thinking, Itsuki returned

to the back of the café carrying the bag of donuts in one hand. Amane sighed

softly.

…I really hope things go well, somehow.

He assumed that their issues couldn't be resolved so simply. But going slowly

was okay, and all he could do was hope that they could find a way to

understand each other.

Chitose carried out their orders instead of Itsuki, and cocked her head

curiously when she saw the expressions that Amane and Mahiru were wearing.

They were both feeling a little down because of the thing with Daiki.

"Oh, what's up, you two? Have a fight?"

"Do you really think we would fight?"

"Normally, I'd say that all couples have arguments, but…in your case, you

both listen to each other, so amazingly I'm not sure I can dispute you on that

one, Amane."

She answered him in a low, earnest voice that blended exasperation with

admiration. But as far as Amane was concerned, he didn't think it was all that

unusual.

Fundamentally, Mahiru was gentle and open-minded, so she almost never got

angry anyway. Moreover, she seldom got upset with him. Even if she was mad

because of someone else, it wasn't really in her nature for her to lose her

temper.

If he got into an argument with a girl like that, it was basically guaranteed to

be Amane's fault, and if it came to that, they were more likely to start a

discussion than have it out in an argument. He would want to know what had

gone wrong and how he had hurt her feelings, and the two of them would talk

about the reasons and solutions.

He had never made her so mad that they couldn't even talk about it, and if it

ever happened, he would be sure to apologize profusely.

So they almost never found themselves quarreling.

Mahiru also heard the word fight, and repeatedly blinked her caramel-colored

eyes in surprise, as if to say that she had never actually experienced that.

Amane smiled a little because that was just the reaction he'd expected.

She had never really been angry at Amane. He could recall one time she told

him off when she thought he was being spineless, but that wasn't true anger.

More like a scolding, and if anything, she had actually been angry on Amane's

behalf.

"Well, suffice it to say that we're not fighting. We've just got a lot of difficult

things on our minds and are worrying over what to do about them."

"Hmm? Well, so long as you two aren't fighting, then I'm happy. But in other

news, Amane, aren't your parents coming?"

The word parents made his body stiffen for a moment, but Chitose didn't

seem to notice and leaned in close.

Amane felt a little relieved that she seemed to have pushed Daiki's presence

to the back of her mind for the moment.

"Well, according to my dear Mahiru, I'm going to get along great with your

mother, so I'm curious to meet her. I've just got to say hello."

"Not only do you seem like you'll get along great, she's basically your kindred

spirit, and I can just see how Mahiru is going to suffer as a result."

It didn't just seem like Chitose would get along with his mother, Shihoko.

Their ways of thinking were quite similar as well. Amane thought back

nostalgically to when he had first met Chitose, and he recalled how she had

been just as exhausting as his mother.

They were exactly alike in their love for cute things, their extreme touchyfeeliness, and their intense love for Mahiru, so Mahiru would probably get

doted on and played with by both of them.

Mahiru seemed to have no trouble imagining the scene. The corners of her

mouth twitched and trembled, but Amane pretended not to see it.

Well, you're either going to be turned into a dress-up doll, or have them

hanging all over you, so best of luck.

None of that would hurt her, so he didn't have to worry about that. Mahiru

was giving him a pleading look, but there was nothing that Amane could do to

save her from her fate. He hoped she had the strong will to endure it.

"Well, go easy on her, okay? Also, shouldn't you be getting back to work?"

"Eep, you're right, Mako is glaring at me!"

Makoto, who was on the same shift, was staring at Chitose like he had some

choice words for her. As Amane suspected, she wasn't supposed to be casually

chatting.

Chitose stuck out her tongue in a playful bid for forgiveness, and Makoto gave

her a chilly look, so Amane urged her to hurry up and get back to work.

Watching Chitose's back as she reluctantly left to return to work, Amane

exhaled softly.

"All I can do is cheer you on from the sidelines, but good luck, Mahiru."

"You're not getting involved?"

"No, there's nothing I can do about those two, not when they're all fired up

like that. Do your best. If you really hate the idea, then you have to be clear."

"H-hate it, huh…? Um…I'm definitely going to end up being their dress-up

doll, aren't I?"

"Probably, yeah."

Even under normal circumstances, Amane's mother liked to dote on Mahiru

and dress her up, so once she met Chitose, she was likely to start scheming

even more energetically. After all, his mother already considered Mahiru to be

her daughter-in-law, so she seemed likely to drag her to a boutique and make

her try on this and that, and then buy her several outfits. He could imagine

Chitose accompanying them with enthusiasm.

But when it came to all that, Amane didn't have much power to stop them.

His mother had always wanted a daughter, and she had taken such a liking to

Mahiru specifically.

"Well, if it means you're going to get all dressed up, then from where I stand, I

don't think there's any need for me to stop it."

"When you put it that way, you know I can't refuse…"

"I mean, if you want to turn down the two of them and let me dress you up as

I please instead, that would be okay, too."

He didn't exactly have anything in particular that he wanted to make her

wear, but there was something intriguing about the idea of getting Mahiru to

put on clothes that he thought would look good on her.

"…I'd like you to do that, even if the two of them weren't involved. If it means

dressing me the way you like, then yes, please," Mahiru mumbled quietly and

averted her eyes bashfully.

Mahiru was what he liked, and that was true no matter what she was

wearing, but he couldn't say that there, so he just smiled happily over how

charming his girlfriend was as he slowly sipped his coffee.

Amane drank his coffee as he waited for her to calm down a little. As he

looked around, he keenly realized just how effective the rumors had been in

drawing customers.

They had thought that they had set up quite a lot of tables, but Amane still

didn't see a single open seat. It had been the same while Mahiru and him were

on their shift. They constantly had a full house, with no break in the customer

traffic.

There was no need to exaggerate—Yuuta and Mahiru may have been the

main attractions, but even after the two of them had finished their shifts,

customers were still thronging to the café, probably thanks to the fancy

costumes.

Apparently, seeing young people who usually wore school uniforms all

dressed up in maid and butler costumes struck a chord with people.

For Amane's part, he merely thought that it all looked very out of place.

Chitose, for example, was a person who Amane had never imagined would

wear a uniform for serving other people.

He glanced over at Chitose, who was attending to a customer while lavishing

them with a cheerful smile, but he didn't see any of the industriousness that her

uniform would lead him to imagine. However, her friendly, animated

disposition certainly matched her short maid outfit, he couldn't argue with that.

"…What's going on with Chitose?"

While he was watching Chitose, thinking that she had way too much energy,

Mahiru spoke up in a curious voice. She seemed to have somehow managed to

shut away her bashfulness.

"Mm, well…I didn't really get this feeling when we were working together, but

maybe our classmates feel uncomfortable in these kinds of costumes. It's not

like we're used to wearing this stuff."

"Heh-heh, that's because clothes like these aren't things that we would ever

normally wear."

"The novelty of it has to be one of the reasons why the customers are coming

in. Plus, the customers are saying we look cute and cool. Well, it's definitely

true the outfits do look great on everyone."

There were some guests mixed in among the students sitting in the customer

seats, but most customers seemed to be there to see a particular employee.

Amane could hear voices evaluating who among the servers looked especially

cute or cool.

He wasn't unsympathetic to their feelings, but since they were loud enough

to be heard, the servers were having to force themselves to smile.

After reviewing the employees' difficult situation, Amane looked at Mahiru

and saw that she was wearing a concerned expression with a faint bit of tension

in her brow.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing… Amane, do you also…think everyone…or actually, do think that the

girls…look cute?"

"Yeah, about as much as I normally do."

He somehow or other sensed what Mahiru was trying to say, so he smiled,

barely trying to hide his lips with the knuckle of his bent finger.

"If I'm being objective, I'd say that they're undeniably cute and charming. But

you're the only one I love, Mahiru, so rest assured."

"Th-there you go again, saying things like that…"

"You seemed like you wanted an explanation. If I didn't say it, you'd probably

start getting jealous again."

This time Amane had been whispering quietly enough that other people

couldn't hear him. Mahiru pressed her lips tightly closed in frustration, then

cast her eyes downward again in embarrassment.

"…I feel stupid for getting anxious about it."

"I don't mind you checking in with me every time until you're satisfied."

"If I actually do that, I'll just get embarrassed."

"Will you be satisfied if I tell you that I love it when you look embarrassed?"

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration."

"No, it's not. My heart is always agonizing over you, Amane, or maybe I

should say…it's really hard on me."

"If you don't like it—"

"I don't dislike it, but…I guess I'd like it if you'd, um, go easy on me."

Mahiru squirmed and drew herself inward. Hearing her say such things just

made Amane want to tease her more, but if he did it too much she would pout,

so he also reasoned that he had better use moderation.

For the time being he answered, "I can do that."

But he could feel dissatisfied eyes glaring at him. He got the sense that he

hadn't entirely gained her trust.

"…Next time someone does any tormenting, it's going to be me, okay?"

"I'd be interested to see that."

"…If you're going to do that on purpose, I'm not talking to you."

Mahiru was extremely adorable when she turned away in a huff, and when it

made him smile in spite of himself, she snatched away his cookie, looking

displeased, before turning her face away again.

Naturally, in such a crowded place, they couldn't linger for a long

conversation, so after a reasonable amount of time, they finished up their chat

and left the café. Amane let out a sigh, and wondered where they should head

next.

The culture festival ran until four o'clock. After about another hour and a half,

they would close things down.

Then things would get busy again as the students totaled up their sales,

listened to the day's reports, and prepared for the following day. Amane

wanted to enjoy himself until then, but they had already visited all of the

notable rooms.

"Mahiru, are there any other places you want to go?"

"Let me see…we've already checked out a good amount. What if we go check

out the stage in the gym for a little while?"

"The stage, huh? What was it they're doing right now?"

At their culture festival, there was a stage set up in the afternoon, where

interested students could put on various performances. Amane remembered

that there was a list of live acts and shows written in the schedule.

When he checked the pamphlet, it said that there was currently a live

performance by the popular music club going on.

"It says there's a live band right now. You interested?"

"I don't listen to much music, so if they're putting on a whole show—"

"You don't usually turn on any background music, Mahiru, and even if you do,

it's always classical music, huh?"

Mahiru was generally sensitive to trends, but she didn't know much about

music, or rather, her preferences lay with the classical Western music she liked

and listened to, rather than popular Japanese music.

When it came to the famous male pop idols that often appeared on

television, Mahiru only seemed to know enough to match up their names and

faces.

"Well, if you're interested, Mahiru, let's go. I'd like to see it."

"Sure, okay."

There were no other stands they particularly wanted to visit, so to satisfy

their curiosity and kill some time, Amane took Mahiru by the hand and headed

for the gymnasium.

It already had most of the lights turned out, and the lights that were on were

focused on illuminating the stage.

They'd been able to hear the music from outside the gym, but it was much

louder once they were inside. Feeling a tickle from the music that seemed to

resonate in their guts, they softly closed the door so as not to bother the other

spectators and slipped into an open spot.

When Amane lifted his head, the group that was volunteering at the moment

was standing on a platform where they were going to perform their song.

Among them was a face that he recognized. Amane narrowed his eyes and

took a closer look.

Standing there in front of the mic stand was a familiar face that Amane had

seen many times since that morning.

"…Whoa, that's Kadowaki! He never told me he was performing!"

They had been to karaoke together countless times, so Amane knew what a

good singer his friend was, but he had never expected to see him standing on

stage like that. Even more so, because he hadn't heard any gossip about it.

Amane was surprised by Yuuta's vitality. In addition to his club activities and

preparing for this culture festival, there he was, standing on stage.

However, this was unexpected because Yuuta himself didn't seem to like to

attract too much attention.

"Mister Kadowaki really can do anything, can't he?

"You're one to talk, Mahiru."

Mahiru seemed impressed, but she was the same way. She was also basically

capable of anything. She could do schoolwork and sports and housework, and

all of it at a high level. People as accomplished as Mahiru were quite rare.

"There are things that even I can't do," Mahiru confessed.

"Like?"

"…Swimming."

"I guess that counts. Ultimately, you never did learn to swim, did you?"

"If you think someone can learn to swim in just one day, you're dreaming. No

matter how much I practiced, I just never made any progress, but…"

"Sorry."

Mahiru gently pummeled his upper arm with her fists, registering her

objection to the way he said she "never learned to swim." Smiling wryly at her

reaction, Amane turned his gaze back toward the stage.

Yuuta didn't seem to like to stand out, but he had mentioned before that he

was used to getting attention. Even in front of lots of spectators, he didn't look

concerned. Confidence oozed from every pore.

He had no problem standing up there wearing a mellow smile, gently waving

his hand back and forth at the audience.

And then, the area in front of Yuuta just happened to open up and make it

easy for him to see to the back of the crowd. When he met Amane's eye, his

cheek twitched faintly.

Apparently he hadn't been expecting them to come.

Swearing he would ask Yuuta about it later, Amane casually waved back, and

after blinking a few times, Yuuta put on a completely different smile than

before.

When they saw the way his face changed, the girls all shrieked, so both

Amane and Mahiru couldn't help but grin.

Same as it ever was, huh?

"Why didn't you tell us you were performing?"

Amane tried to grill Yuuta about it when he came to see them after his

number was over, where they were standing by the wall. But Yuuta frowned

and laughed awkwardly as he fastened his necktie, which had been open to

allow him to sing.

"I wasn't planning to at first, but our vocalist hurt his leg at practice a week

ago… As you might expect, the doctor told him not to perform while he had an

injury, and I guess you could say I was the pinch hitter."

It was the kind of performance that required moving around a lot, so it

certainly would have been impossible with an injury.

"Gotcha. Is the guy who hurt his leg okay?" Amane asked.

"Yeah, he's all right. Of course, he seemed disappointed that he couldn't

perform, so that was too bad. But it sounds like he still enjoyed watching it."

"Well, there was no helping it… But, wow, you sang amazing for a pinch

hitter! It was perfect."

"Did I? That's good."

Yuuta had always been an outstanding singer, something Amane had

experienced personally at their karaoke sessions, but he'd never expected

Yuuta to stay so cool standing up on stage in front of an audience. More than

that, he captivated the spectators.

Amane had been impressed by his friend's skill as he listened to the cheers

from the girls. Yuuta could see that, and scratched his cheek bashfully.

"…Still, this is kind of embarrassing. I guess I feel self-conscious knowing that

my friends were watching."

"Would it have been better if we didn't watch?"

"No, that's not what I mean. I see both of you all the time, so it was a little

reassuring to have you here. That relief when you see some familiar people in

the crowd, you know?"

Yuuta smiled bashfully and said that it had actually been helpful to have them

there, and the girls around them, who had been stealthily watching their

interaction, burst into a commotion.

Amane silently chuckled at the way his friend always attracted attention

wherever he went. He smiled at Yuuta, who was wearing a smile that was

equally bashful and proud. "Glad to be of service," he said.

Mahiru simply acknowledged his effort with a gentle smile of her own. "Well

done up there," she said, stubbornly maintaining her stance as Amane's

companion.

She was probably doing so to prevent unnecessary jealousy from coming her

way. It was well-known that Mahiru was dating Amane, but even so, if she

acted too friendly with Yuuta in public, it might cause trouble or give the wrong

impression.

"But it's too bad," Amane said. "I wish I'd known so I could've brought Itsuki

and the others."

"Ah, I'd rather you didn't tell Itsuki. He'll complain that I didn't tell him, and

probably make fun of me, too."

"Well, you're just going to have to grin and bear it. It's your fault for keeping it

a secret."

"What could I do? It got decided so suddenly. Call it an act of god."

Yuuta was laughing and telling him to drop it, so Amane swore he would say

something later when the whole class was assembled. He punched Yuuta lightly

on the shoulder with a smile. "Not a chance," he said.

"Great job on day one, everyone! Boy, we really worked hard!"

The stage performances went on until the end of the day, and after watching

the rest of the show with Mahiru and Yuuta, Amane returned to their

classroom.

The program for day one of the culture festival was over, and his classmates,

who had all completed their own shifts, were gathered in the classroom. Amane

could tell they'd enjoyed themselves, because it showed on their faces.

When Itsuki expressed his appreciation for their efforts as their festival

committee member, Amane's classmates all raised a shout.

After the commotion had settled down somewhat, Itsuki cleared his throat

and got their attention again.

"Okay, so now we've gotta get through prep for tomorrow and a little bit of

cleanup. Accounting, tally up our sales and the number of orders and check that

it matches the cash we have on hand, then report to me. Put the money into

the bag they gave us and hand that over to me, too. I'll go turn it in to

management. You guys in back of house, get ready for tomorrow, and the

hospitality team can clean the classroom. Once you're done with that, go

organize equipment in the back."

"Okay!"

Each group had their marching orders and obediently started on their given

tasks.

Amane was on cleaning duty, so in order to get it done quickly, he rolled up

his sleeves and went to fill up some buckets with water.

A year earlier, he had been the worst of the worst when it came to cleaning,

but thanks to Mahiru's guidance and daily practice, he had gotten to the point

where it might not be his specialty, but he could get it done with average skill. It

was probably more accurate to say that he had gotten to the point where he

could maintain a state of cleanliness.

"…You're making quick work of that."

Ayaka spoke up, sounding impressed, when she saw Amane cleaning in sync

with Mahiru.

"Oh, no, Mahiru's much better at this than I am. She's basically like my

teacher. At first, I really couldn't even pick up after myself."

"I'm surprised to hear that. I always imagined you as a methodical person,

Fujimiya."

"You have always acted very mature outside the house, Amane," Mahiru

added in a teasing tone of voice. She had apparently been listening to their

conversation as she folded and put away the dirty tablecloths.

The only thing Amane could do after she implied that he was slovenly at

home was to keep quiet. She was right enough that he couldn't complain, but

he didn't like getting made fun of too much.

"It's unavoidable, right? That's just what guys who live alone are like."

"Even so, it was really bad. When I walked into your apartment, there was

nowhere to step."

"…That's just how it is."

"Is that so?" Ayaka remarked. "Well, he doesn't live alone, but my sweet Sou

keeps a clean room, you know? Since I go in there, he always keeps it perfectly

tidy. There's not even anything under the bed!"

"Even so, you should stop poking around."

Most guys would balk at the thought of their girlfriend brazenly looking for

things under their bed.

Amane wished that every girl in every couple in the whole country would stop

digging up things that were supposed to be hidden.

In Amane's case, there wasn't anything for Mahiru to find, so he wasn't overly

concerned. But he figured that most guys would mind, and he could only

assume it would be problematic if certain things were found.

"Ah, no, I wasn't trying to poke around," Ayaka insisted, "but I was just

curious if he had the usual stuff or not. You know, like how it always is in

manga?"

"Clearly you've been reading too many."

"Fair, fair. Besides, Sou is way too easy to read… By the way, what about you,

Fujimiya?"

"I don't appreciate your groundless suspicions."

"Ah-ha-ha!"

Ayaka cackled with laughter, and Amane was suddenly filled with sympathy

for her boyfriend.

Mahiru tilted her head slightly. "What are you two talking about?" she asked.

Mahiru had apparently been busy with her work, and was not following their

conversation. She looked at them questioningly, and Amane acted as natural as

possible, but averted his eyes.

"Nothing important."

"Hmm, I guess we're talking about something that Fujimiya doesn't need

since he has you, Miss Shiina."

"Kido!"

He glared at Ayaka, and yelled at her not to say weird things. Ayaka was

smiling impishly, as he held back the shame that came slowly oozing up from

the depths.

His glaring only made her smile more. At the same time, Mahiru was standing

there blinking, looking even more confused. Amane couldn't stand it any longer,

and he took Mahiru by the hand and dragged her away from Ayaka.