Chapter 9
'What kind of chocolate would you like for Valentine’s Day this year?”
One day soon after February began.
Since he didn’t have a part-time job today, Amane had made dinner with Mahiru slowly, and in order to reduce the burden on her, but just as he was in a situation where all that was left was to wait for the rice to cook, such a question came over him, and Amane blinked.
Speaking of February, Valentine’s Day, this year’s Amane understood, but he hadn’t expected it to come out of Mahiru’s mouth
“You’re going to ask me directly this time."
Last year, when they weren’t dating, she’d apparently asked Chitóse for help and asked about Amane’s preferences, but since they were dating this year, she asked him directly without holding back.
I thought she’d be working behind the scenes a little longer, but she’s asking so openly that the receiver is a little freaked out.
Mahiru let out a cool laugh as she checked the time displayed on the rice cooker as Amane started acting a little suspiciously.
"I’m sure Amane-kun would realize that I’m preparing Valentine’s Day at the right time, even if we’re dating. I don’t want him to pretend he didn’t notice."
“It’s only natural when the world’s in an uproar. That’s how Mahiru is."
Knowing Mahiru, who seemed to have made serious preparations on her birthday, it wasn’t hard to imagine that she’d make careful preparations on Valentine’s Day, either. Even if it was Dull Amane, if he showed her how Mahirou hid in his preparations and did something, he’d consider the timing and come to think of it as Valentine's Day.
In that case, it wouldn't have been strange for him to have thought of giving Amane what he wanted from the start without a surprise. He thought it was too good, though.
“Even if you hide it, they'll find out anyway, so it's only natural that they'd want to prepare something you want to eat”
“I know you think so, but you already know what Mahiru likes, don't you?"
Mahiru had received the answer through Chitóse that it wasn’t too sweet last year, and she’d probably figured out Amane’s tastes in food from the day they met to this day
It seemed like it would be easy to make something Amane liked...or so I thought, but for some reason, Mahiru looked dissatisfied.
“I understand that it's not very sweet, but the Oranjet and Gateau Chocola I made before aren't any good. Whether you like it or not is different from what you want to eat, so I asked you what you wanted to eat”
“I don't care what Mahiru made for me, though."
If I said this, I'd think it was irresponsible, but in reality, Amane didn’t have any particular hope. In feet, everything Mahiru made was delicious, and it had sunk into his heart over the past year.
It drew out so many different repertoires out of nowhere that it made Amane’s tongue growl, making him wonder if there was anything he couldn’t make anymore, so expecting Mahiru to make something like that without knowing was one ofthe best things about it.
That's why it doesn't matter if it's true or not, but depending on the circumstances, it can get on the creator's nerves, so he can't say it too openly.
As for Mahiru, she was showing more slight exasperation than anger.
“..I know you're really happy about anything and everything, but there are a lot of things you don't want to ask, so please be careful.”
“Sorry. I want you to prioritize what Mahiru wants to make. I like all the food you make, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll get.. You want to make this and that while making sweets, don't you? I wanted you to put that first”
Valentine’s Day was probably the day Mahiru enjoyed making sweets, and Amane had a strong meaning of gratefully accepting Mahilu’s feelings, so he wasn’t particularly concerned with the sweets themselves
She knew it was delicious, so even if she didn’t choose, happiness for Amane awaited her, and she wanted him to prioritize the feelings Mahiru wanted to make
I felt like she’d get mad at me again if I said that, so I wrapped it up a bit to convey it to her, but Mahiru let out a deep sigh, as if anticipating even that.
“Shuu-kun, I don't want you to be like that.. Geez. You can't give a girl a choice that doesn't matter too much.”
"You're the only one.. Actually, I don't think you'll ever get the chance to beg someone else to make a choice.”
“I know.”
"Yeah, I know him well."
Since this was obvious to both of us, we smiled and lightly played catch after catch.
"..Is there really no hope?”
“You think I know a lot about sweets?”
"I'm surprised you know. When you go to the cake shop with me, you often look at the display cases and the baked sweets on the shelves.”
“I'm just watching."
Thanks to the influence of his parents, Amane had been able to eat a decent amount of food, and he had been taught a lot of things. If his cooking was to a certain extent, I could tell just by looking at it.
I couldn’t say that much about sweets, but I did get a good look at the things on display when I went on dates with Mahiru or went out to buy cake on a day when it was nothing. I’d seen them and remembered their names, but that didn’t mean I wanted to eat them.
"Besides, I'm prioritizing seeing things that make Mahiru happy rather than liking them.” "Please prioritize yourself a little more, Amane-kun. My preferences don't matter;’
“That's not good. I want to buy something that suits Mahiru the best when I go buy cake." "Geez."
I replied to Mahiru, who was expressing her dissatisfaction by bringing her lips to the center, saying, "Maybe it’s because I like you,” but she scolded me even harder than before, saying "Geez!"
He had a strong tone of voice, but it wasn’t like he was angry or anything; he’d already known from all the time they’d known each other that he was hiding his embarrassment, so he brushed it off with a light smile, only to be met with a sigh from Mahiru this time “..So, what do you really want? Ifyou don't,you can go learn a secret recipe from Chitose-san.”
“Cut it out.”
Amane couldn’t hide his shuddering at Mahiru’s nonchalantly taking out her last resort, so he instinctively refused in a tone that suggested who she was, but Mahilu’s smile never wavered.
She knew that if she teased Mahiru too much, she’d get retaliated for her hardships, but she couldn't help but say it out loud because when she expressed her affection for him, he’d be happy to react in a different way. This time, this was what she got for going too fer.
Remembering the power of Chitose's respectable Russian roulette chocolate last year, Mahiru seemed unable to bear the fearsome Amane of war any longer, as she let out a heavy breath from her mouth and lost her love for him in amusement.
"Hehe, I'm just kidding. You're not very good at stimulating things, are you, Amane-kun?" “You know I'm worse at spicy food than Mahiru."
“That's why I always try to adjust the spiciness of the food. But if you're going to borrow Chitose-san's recipe, you should follow her instructions.”
“I'm sorry.”
“I really don't intend to put it into practice, you know? But if you keep saying it doesn't matter what it is, it'll be a problem for me too... I'd like some kind of hope, like genre or raw materials."
"..Something that's less sweet and lasts fora moderate amount of time? It'd be a waste to eat it all in a day. It's strange to ask fora long shelf life to reduce the amount of sugar, though."
It’s only natural, but sweets last fora long time thanks to the embalming effect caused by the basic water retention of sugar, save for the use of preservatives, and naturally, they tend not to last long if the sugar is reduced.
If she wanted to keep it sweet enough to last for a long time, it would be safe to use preservatives, but she wouldn’t use the preservatives as a common present in a normal household, and Mahiru probably wouldn't do it, either. In the first place, it was feintly dangerous on the market.
I considered retracting that it was a troublesome order, if I do say so myself, but Mahiru nodded and said, "Understood" more easily than I’d expected.
"In that case, I'd like to process the chocolate itself instead of the cake. I think it'll last a little if you fill it with as little water as possible, so I hope you'll enjoy all kinds of flavors."
“I’ll leave that to you, or rather, I'm looking forward to everything, so I'd be happy if you could make what Mahiru wants."
Amane didn’t know the details, but was it okay for Mahiru to have a good idea of what she wanted to make? Or should he feel sorry for making her put all her energy into it?
Mahiru seemed to have already decided what to make inside herself, so I called out to her, “Don’t push yourself” but she just stared blankly at me.
“I'll make anything you like, Amane-kun."
"The scary thing about Mahiru is that everything she says is true."
“I don't joke around at times like this, you know?”
“I'm satisfied with your cooking, Mahiru."
"Okay, I'll see if I can find an opening and mix the new recipes into the menu."
“You’re a bundle of ambition..."
Thanks to Koyuki's loving education, Mahiru’s repertoire boasted an unbelievable amount, but with her overflowing learning ability and ambition, she seemed to remember even more new recipes, and while she was happy for the benefit of the favor, she was also worried about a lot of things.
Even now, she’s plenty full, so what’s she planning to do if she grabs any more of my stomach?
"Please look forward to the chocolate and cooking."
“I’ll look forward to it, but don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
“I know how strong I am."
“I’m envious of your confidence."
"Hehe."
As I thought about how I was no match for Mahiru, who had a proud yet somehow mischievous smile on her face, I took a spoon out ofa drawer to stop the rice that had just
finished steaming.
Once they entered February in the first place, the world would accelerate their business battle for Valentine's Day.
N aturally, the atmosphere spr ead to a variety of places, and even at Amane’s school, as Valentine’s Day approached, the girls were getting along well on the girls’ side, and the boys on the boys’ side were getting more and more excited because of their expectations.
Amane hadn’t been particularly interested in that, but Mahiru would definitely give it to him this year, so he wasn’t completely unconcerned.
On the other hand, I don’t think there’s anything more to it than that, so it’s inevitable that I’d end up looking at everyone’s excitement as if it were someone else’s problem from the moment I took a step back.
"This year’s Kadoowaki looks like Valentine’s Day."
Yuuta, who had finished his morning practice and was now sitting in his seat, opening his textbook and preparing for first period, was endlessly serious, and Amane couldn’t help but murmur to himself as the girls from other classes came to see him and sent passionate looks at him from a distance.
I’m impressed that she’s able to go out of her way to come all the way to the other classes to see the person she’d like, but it’s terrifying that this isn’t just one person, but multiple people, and that they’re changing every time they see each other’s feces, or rather, increasing in number.
Ittsuki, who had been quietly flipping through the word cards by his side, looked up at Amane’s voice, and then looked at him with a slightly pitying look. He must have remembered last year.
"It’s probably dangerous. He’s the track and field club president and ace, and he's a smart guy with a good fece and personality. Of course he'd attack so hard that a girl would sweep him up and throw him away.”
“Don’t sweep. Don't clean.”
“It's just an example. Well, whether Yuuta's happy about that or not is a different story." “Looks like she's more confused than I am.”
She didn't seem to dislike the feet that people liked her in and of itself, but she seemed to have her own thoughts about how the shrill cheering had become part of her daily life, and she often lowered her eyebrows in confusion.
As her friend, she was worried that she might earn animosity from the other boys for her popularity, but it was probably a good thing that the boys didn’t get seriously jealous of Yuuta’s good character and hardships oozing out of him.
“I hope you don’t misjudge the amount this year."
“It’d be bad if I had an estimate, but getting used to it is terrifying."
“You’re right.. Seeing Kadowaki popular all year round is numbing my senses."
“It’s a big event for the person in question just to be confessed to by one person."
Being able to express one's affection from a single person was a big deal, and for Amane at least, it required the resolve and courage of a lifetime
I was already more worried about Yuuta than impressed by how many of them were pointing that at him.
"Yuuta herself isn’t good at being pushed around by girls, and she flatly refuses just because she wants to stay track and field. It’d be rude to go out with someone she doesn’t know very well. It would be like Yuuta to turn down even Yoridori Midori."
"Kadowaki is a sensible and honest person at the level where the word ’honest’ has become human."
Yuuta’s earnestness and sincerity toward others like that was very desirable for Amane.
For Amane, who didn’t understand at all what it meant to go out with someone as a test, or to advance with multiple people at the same time, even though he wasn’t fond of hearing the world around him, it was harder not to like Yuuta when he saw how earnestly he looked at his partner and refused despite being in a position where he could choose as many people as he wanted.
It might have been natural if she’d said it was obvious, but her personality, which allowed her to take that obvious course of action as a matter of course, was a wonderful thing for Amane and important to him as a person.
“Your opinion of Yuuta is ridiculously high."
“Well, you can tell just by looking at him. He’s a good guy.”
“Kuh, even though you don’t praise me!”
"Itsuki, please try not to make fun of me.”
"Then you don’t have to praise me."
“Hey”
“I know you won’t say anything about me, but you'll admit it anyway."
“Shut up. Shut up!”
"Ha ha ha."
“What's with this guy?” Itsuki looked at him, but he didn’t falter. In fact, his face relaxed in amusement. Amane glared at him for a moment, then sighed.
It’s like Amane loses the moment he realizes that, but it’s embarrassing and a little irritating to be called that openly.
I had no intention of continuing to react and adding more materials to Ituki’s teasing, so I stopped charging in there and chased Fui and Ituki out of my sight, only to be laughed at funnyly again from outside my field of vision.
"Well, Valentine’s Day is easy for us.”
Compared to Yuuta, Amane and the others were easygoing, so there was no need to rush. She’s basically unpopular, and Mahiru's here in the first place, so all she has to do is get it from Mahirou, and Itsuki, where Chitóse is.
If it was the same as last year, Amane would probably get some friend chocolate from Chitóse, but that was it
I didn't have to worry too much about returning the favor, and I didn’t have any other desire to want it, so it looked like I could actually spend Valentine's Day in peace.
“Oh, that’s right I’m looking forward to your Mirakuru cooking this year."
“Boyfriend, stop that outburst.”
“You think you can stop me?”
"..She probably won’t listen."
Lately, she’s become a little m ore docile, and she has shown her willingness to take things seriously, but it’s the same as always that she puts her all into the wrong direction at these kinds of events.
The chocolate I got from Chitóse last year was delicious, so I wanted her to extend that direction, but I also had a vague guess that Chitase wouldn’t be able to keep it under normal circumstances.
As Amane warily wondered what she was planning to do this year, Itsuki raised a finger proudly for some reason and smiled fearlessly.
"This year seems to be a bit different from last year;’
"It doesn’t seem like a metaphor.”
"They’re going to make it a dish that’s elaborate and elaborate, so I’m sure Amane will be happy to cry.”
"That’s definitely a physical one."
"That’s great It’s another exciting performance this year.”
“I’m about to burst into tears."
Based on her own belief and pride, as well as Mahiru’s advice as a stopper, she’d never make something she couldn't eat, hut Chitóse was the kind of person who would create food that would make you flabbergasted as long as it was edible.
The feet that she loves stimuli is also the biggest reason why she can’t stop herself. If you think about it based on Chitose’s standards, which have a higher resistance value than a normal person’s, I’d like you to understand that it could be dangerous for her to have lower resistance values than normal people.
As Itsuki held his stomach and laughed as if it had nothing to do with him at all, Amane couldn't help but seriously think with a straight face that it would be better for him to physically hold his stomach, too.
“Good for you. I f you start crying now, you might b e able to resist!”
"Yeah, let’s start shedding tears to build up your resistance. Ill tell Chitóse to give the taste tester plenty of samples."
“You sold your best friend!"
“It’s okay, it’s fine. I can eat anything you make for your cute girlfriend."
“That’s impossible!"
"You’re the one who recommended that to your best friend, aren’t you?”
“Could you please stop making something so dangerous that it’s made by humans?”
As Amane and Itsuki bickered, taking advantage of the feet that classes hadn’t started yet, Chitóse, the ringleader of the conversation and the stimulated production Meister, cut into the conversation with a stoic expression.
She doesn't seem angry, but she seems to be dissatisfied with the treatment. She's patting Ituki on the shoulder.
“Could you stop sending me stuff that's mixed with stimulants, Chitóse?"
“Nooo!"
“Then I'll experiment with Itsuki and make it something that'll be acceptable. You can feed me as much as you want”
“It can't be helped, meow."
“It was clearly sold just now!? 1th!?"
“It's okay, it's fine.”
What's going to be okay?
He wanted to butt in, but Amane, who had succeeded in creating a victim first, ignored Ituki’s full-power, sullen face and averted his eyes
“Well, I'll make sure it's edible. It's not good to waste food."
“Are you sure you don't want to waste the stimulants?"
“I'm just trying to develop an unknown flavor in order to reach a new level. I keep it in the food I can eat I'U do it until Mahirun approves."
“..Don't break Mahiru's tongue, seriously."
Mahiru's approval naturally meant that she'd taste-test it too, so as her boyfriend, I couldn't tolerate anything that went too fer.
He didn’t mind Itsaki and Amane feinting in agony, but he was hesitant to let Mahiru do that—or rather, he wanted to avoid it
“Oh, come on. I won't do anything that'll make your stomach hurt or your tongue hurt. Also, Mahirun has a better resistance to spicy food than Amane, so she's surprisingly good at licking it I've kept it to a delicious range, too.”
"That's why Ituki screamed last year;’
“You don't like spicy food, do you? Don't worry, 111 make it with yours. It's different from tasting it!”
“Yay! What a happy declaration!’’
“Don't talk in monotone, geez!”
Chitóse was frowning at Itsuki, who seemed to have zero trust in her since she had a criminal record, so I clasped my hands together in my mind, thinking that at this rate, Itski would probably be forced to sample something slightly more stimulating than me.
“Well, look forward to my and Mahirun's chocolates. Keep it a secret until the day o£”
“I don't mind, but.. I'm grateful enough to receive it.”
“Heh heh. Be grateful."
Chitóse put her hands on her hips and showed me a smug look, so I honestly replied, "Thank you for everything,’’ since I was happy to receive it, and I heard Chitase mutter, That s what it’s like to have your momentum whittled away.
“Hey, Amane."
"What is it?”
"What would you do if you got chocolate from another girl?”
Amane tilted his head as he was asked in a voice quieter than before, more restrained so that no one would overhear.
“Ah, obligatory chocolate? If you're going to give it to me, I'll just accept it and give it back normally. I don't expect to get it at all."
“Why do you assume it's obligation chocolate?”
"No, I'm Mahiru, and I feel obligated. I don't have any.”
Though they weren’t all students, most of them probably knew that Amane and Mahiru were dating, and they didn’t think they’d get the real deal at all, nor did they want to.
“Wow, you're so servile.”
“This isn't servile. If anything, it'd be weirder if I said something like,'Someone should be able to do it!' in this situation. I'm not that overconfident or flippant, though."
“Well, that's true, but.”
Chitose's face and tone of voice are lower than usual, as if she's worried about something. “But the world isn't that simple. It's possible to fall in love with someone with a clear partner. You can't control how your heart moves."
“I've told you about that before, but.. I've already reached the conclusion that I can't respond. And why are you assuming there's someone like that?”
“So we can't talk about what ifs?”
“Hey, heyi’
“It's probably impossible from Amane's point of view. But I don't think it's impossible. It's not like there's no guarantee that he'll respond because he likes you. Isn't there a time when Amane did the same?"
I wanted to cherish and love her, but it wasn't all about wanting her to go out with me. I'd thought it was fine as longas Mahiru was happy.
“I don't know about Amane, but I think you should be a little more worried about him. Mahirun's really worried about you.”
“Well, I know that, and I don't want to make Mahiru sad, so I'll be careful. ..Don't you think it's a little self-conscious to think that maybe she likes me after all?”
"If Amane says so, that's interesting in its own way.”
“Hey”
If I glared at her, she'd give me a relaxed smile, so I let my guard down.
"Well, for the time being, all I'm saying is that it'll happen if you make Mahirun cry;’
When Amane stiffened up, remembering last year's events at the mention of making her cry, Chitóse stared at him in wide-eyed amazement, as if to say, You're lying. Ittsuki was looking at him the same way, so it was extremely uncomfortable.
“..Did you make her cry?”
"I haven't made her cry lately!”
"Lately...”
“..I made her cry on her birthday, though."
There's no way Amane is willing to do anything to hurt Mahiru, and he's doing his best to make sure she's smiling as much as possible, but.,
When it's her birthday, it'll probably be a different matter.
I didn't make her sad or hurt her. I was proud that those were tears of joy, and Mahiru said they were happy tears.
I f the act o f making her cry actively is not good enough, she will be judged, but if that counts, it will be very troubling in the future, so I would like you to over look it “Ah. Well, let's just say it's safe."
“What position are you from..?”
"I'm in the position of Mahirun's best friend!”
“Exactly.”
"Ehem." Mahiru, who’d been talking to Ayaka worriedly about Amane, who was holding his forehead in response to Chitose’s puffed-out chest, came over, so he waved his hand dismissively and replied, “Ifs nothing."
faraway, though."
"She lives in a nice place, doesn't she?”
Perhaps because there were no customers around just before closing time, Ohashi, who had been going to work in the same way, returned with the Sai Fung he had washed.
Lately, she had apparently dropped it and stopped breaking it, but since Miyamoto was a little wary, she didn't trust him when it came to work.
“Well, I got accepted on a recommendation and got a room first.”
“Are you proud of your smarts?”
"My grades and lifestyle were better than yours."
Recently, it had begun to be hard to tell that they were exchanging light jabs rather than prodding each other, so Amane had also left the exchange alone, saying there was no need to intervene
By the way, it seemed that the relationship between Miyamoto and Oohashi hadn’t changed since then, and though they’d been fighting and arguing the strength of their winnings had been somewhat suppressed. If anything, since they were getting closer to playing around, it could be called progress.
It didn’t seem like they’d been watching each other, but they were steadily getting closer than before. There was a unique atmosphere between the two of them, but Amane couldn't tell what it was.
Well, it wasn't something to stick his nose deep into, and if he stimulated it and went in a strange direction, it seemed like the grudge would turn in his direction, so Amane just watched quietly.
"By the way, what are you gonna do about Fujimiya, Valentine's Day?”
She seemed to have gotten back to the topic, casually asking as she lightly brushed Ohashi off, so I answered honestly, “I'm sure you know I'm on vacation for my shift, so there’s nothing to hide."
"I'll be spending time with her normally, though."
"You're making a lot of messes."
"On the other hand, isn't leaving Valentine's Day alone dangerous for a lover?”
“That’s right Even Kayano's taking a break this time."
Souji, who wasn’t here today, had gone to work for Christmas, but this time he’d put the word “vacation” in his shift schedule.
“..Miyamoto-san.”
"Unfortunately, I have work to do. Well, the owner gives me sweets every year, so it’s fine.”
“I don't think it's right to shift just for that”
“You’re inside too, aren't you?”
"I mean, you're letting me eat your limited menu for free."
“You too, huh?”
“Shut up, you idiot!”
Oohashi, who was saying words that didn’t even sound like childish rebuttals, seemed a little fidgety for some reason, and I was relieved to hear that she wasn't completely unrewarded.
The two ofthem accused him of “why are you laughing?" so Amane hurriedly tightened his face and put on his usual amiable smile as he hurried overto the dishes he had washed back from the table.
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