Chapter 10: The Angel and the Cultural Festival Tour
Amane and Mahiru had changed into their school uniforms and put their costumes in their lockers, and were going around the school for the time being to explore the festival.
It was a little past lunchtime, but there were still a large number of food and refreshment stalls open for business. The students’ shifts were usually swapped around at this time, so the number of customers may be increasing.
The pair were tired from their unfamiliar roles in customer service and were now hungry, so they wandered around the school to try and find a suitable spot to eat, but… Mahiru was standing out. He heard a few voices here and there saying, “Look; it’s that maid,” so he assumed that his class’ sales were a thriving success—there were a lot of customers that arrived. From Amane’s point of view, it wasn’t very comfortable, but since Mahiru had given up or was already used to it, Amane didn’t worry about it too much.
“What do you fancy eating, Mahiru?”
“I would like something I don’t usually have.”
“Hmm, even if you say that… maybe yakisoba or takoyaki?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t make yakisoba, but Mahiru wasn’t partial to its traditional strong flavor, and usually focused more on the saltiness or made it with red bean paste. And as for takoyaki, they didn’t have the right equipment to cook it to begin with. He didn’t eat out much, so he didn’t know much about the foods regularly sold at fairs.
Since he rarely ate it, he took the chance to walk toward a class selling yakisoba with sauce, but heard a familiar voice coming from the stairs along the way. It was in the direction of the stairs that led to the school roof, which Amane thought was kept closed, but once he climbed the stairs and looked at the landing… sat there was a classmate he’d recently started talking to.
“Huh? Fujimiya-kun and Shiina-san?”
Amane blinked at the sight of Ayaka calling his name in a puzzled voice. There weren’t many places to sit at school, so he wasn’t surprised at her location, but… he was more curious about the position she sat in. Next to her was a male student with his mouth full of yakisoba, and Ayaka was sidling up to him and putting her hand under his chin. He could see him spilling his yakisoba.
“…What are you doing here?”
“Eh? Exactly how it looks. Lunch, we’re having lunch. Look, Sou-chan, it’s the Fujimiya-kun I mentioned before.”
“Nm.”
The male student looked at Amane with a muffled groan and gulped at his yakisoba, looking like he hadn’t chewed properly before swallowing. However… Perhaps as an effect of rushing himself, his expression clouded and he started pounding his chest. Ayaka must have expected this, saying, “You have to chew properly,” and handed him a bottle of tea. After he drank about a third of the bottle, Ayaka wiped his mouth with a wet tissue as the piece of food was dislodged from his throat, and the student showed a relieved expression. Since he was eating yakisoba, the tissue was stained with sauce.
The male student being taken care of looked dissatisfied, murmuring, “Could you not treat me like a child?” Ayaka began to smile and wiped his mouth even more. The student didn’t refuse despite his annoyance, likely a testament to their mutual trust.
“Umm, is this your boyfriend, Kido?”
“Y-You’re right. He’s my childhood friend and boyfriend. Here, Sou-chan, introduce yourself.”
“So you thought I wouldn’t do anything unless urged on like a child…?”
“You’re shy, Sou-chan. Come on, they’re not bad people.”
“I don’t think you would introduce me to bad people in the first place. …I’m Kayano Souji.”
Souji politely bowed, and Ayaka tried to pat his head and praise him with a “Well done,” but he smoothly brushed her away. Impressed by Ayaka’s strong mental fortitude, Amane couldn’t help but stare at Souji. Perhaps this was their usual dynamic. All he’d heard from Ayaka was that he had amazing muscles, so Amane was expecting him to have a more muscular physique… He could tell that Souji was taller than himself, but he couldn’t notice the presence of muscles beneath his uniform. In fact, Hiiragi Kazuya appeared to have the better physique between them.
Amane observed them without speaking a word, trying not to be rude, but Ayaka seemed to understand what he was thinking and smiled teasingly.
“Sou-chan’s the type to look amazing when he strips.”
“I-it’d be amazing if he stripped…”
“That’s right, Shiina-san. My boyfriend’s amazing. Ehehe.”
Ayaka grinned. Amane thought it was best not to let Mahiru hear any more, but it was Souji himself who cut her off.
“Stop bragging about that. It’s embarrassing… Hey, what did you say when I wasn’t around? Did you brag about my muscles again?”
“‘My boyfriend has amazing muscles,’ I said.”
“I wish you wouldn’t brag about them… it’s not something you should boast about.”
“That’s not true! You’re the best in the world for me!”
“You were drooling at the bodybuilder special on TV the other day, so what are you talking about…?”
“Th-That’s just a snack to eat from time to time… Sou-chan’s my staple and a luxury dish, so you’re essential! Sou-chan is special!”
Ayaka spoke very seriously and clearly, but as far as Amane was concerned, she was too curious about the bodybuilder’s nonsense to think straight.
She liked muscles to that extent… It’s a world I don’t really understand.
Strictly speaking, even Mahiru had a smell fetish, so Amane thought that she could get along with Ayaka, in a way. He felt complicated hearing them talk about which parts of their boyfriend they fetishized, so he wished they would do that while he wasn’t around.
That’s amazing in a lot of ways, he thought, and took a step back to observe Ayaka with some much needed distance. Souji apparently guessed what he was thinking and slapped her on the head ahead of time without trying to hide his exasperation.
“That’s enough. You should stop there.”
“It’s because you said something weird, Sou-chan.”
“…I’m sorry about my Ayaka.”
“It’s my fault?!”
She looked at him with eyes that said he was being unfair, but it was likely an extension of their playful flirting. Amane could only laugh at Ayaka, who was pouting her lips reproachfully and casually stroking his muscles with a “You little…” Souji didn’t feel bad, either—or rather, he let her do as she pleased, as he usually did—and bowed his head in Amane’s direction, the latter unable to do anything but scratch his head.
As for Mahiru, she was silent, as if she’d been thinking about something, but for some reason, she suddenly stuck close and started touching Amane’s stomach.
“…You’d be amazing if you took it off too, Amane-kun.”
“You don’t have to compete with her, and I don’t have that much muscle, it’s getting hard for me to put more on.”
“This is plenty for me.”
Her cheeks flushed as she touched Amane, and a bitter smile naturally came over his face, wondering how it had come to this.
“By the way, have you two eaten yet?”
As he soothed Mahiru, Ayaka suddenly murmured as if remembering something.
Since they had the same shift, their shift ended at the same time as Ayaka’s. However, it seemed she had quickly gotten ready and left as her boyfriend was waiting for her. Even her classmates on the same shift were unlikely to have eaten as early as her.
“No, we’re just about to go buy some yakisoba.”
“Ah, yakisoba? This is good. Sou-chan’s class is making it.”
“Sou-chan ate most of it, though,” said Ayaka, who was smiling, and Souji countered with, “You were the one who forced me to eat so much.”
“I see, I see. Anyway, so you two want yakisoba. In that case, I’ll give you this.”
Laughing, she handed Mahiru a ticket with the words: 100¥ Yakisoba Discount written on it for some reason.
“It’s a special ticket for relatives. Sou-chan said I could give it to someone else I’m close to. …Is that okay?”
“If you want to give it to them, Ayaka, then go ahead. It won’t change the fact that it’ll sell.”
“Yay!”
Ayaka smiled and handed them two sheets’ worth of discounts. Amane was both grateful and apologetic. When he looked at her face, he saw that her cheeks were relaxed.
“Ah, don’t worry about it. We’ll get tired of yakisoba after this, so we won’t be using it anymore. Besides, I feel like having some sausages right now.”
“I need more protein than carbohydrates right now,” Ayaka said while smiling. Amane was sure that sausages would have a lot more fat between the two, but didn’t dare say it out loud and gave his honest words of appreciation instead.
“Thank you very much, Kido-san. I’ll thank you someday.”
“It’s nothing. I didn’t do it for something in return… Ah yeah, Shiina-san, Shiina-san.”
“Y-yes?”
“How much muscle does he have, your Fujimiya-kun?”
What’s this girl even saying with that serious face? Amane thought as much and couldn’t help but feel exasperated, but as for Mahiru, the one being asked, she blinked repeatedly before starting to panic for some reason.
“N-No, Amane-kun is mine!”
“Oh, how adorable you are. Don’t worry, Sou-chan is the best for me. I was just curious.”
“Are you setting your eyes on others now?”
“Th-That’s not true! Trust me, Sou-chan!”
Caught up in the moment, Ayaka waved her hand, but Souji puffed out his cheeks in an easy-to-understand manner, and she apparently realized he was half joking.
“Sou-chan, you dummy,” Ayaka murmured in a sweet voice, before turning to Mahiru, who was still a little wary of her intentions. “That’s not it. He’s got good material… I’d like to help him raise it as it is… It’d be a waste, wouldn’t it? Fujimiya-kun is tall and slender, so it’d look good if he built some more muscle.”
“…I don’t want him to get any cooler. It is troubling.”
“Ah. Fujimiya-kun was working hard for the event, after all. His popularity might skyrocket.”
“I get it,” Ayaka nodded at her with a knowing look, to which Mahiru pouted her lips.
Amane wasn’t sure whether he should be pleased that Mahiru had been able to open up a little to Ayaka, or whether he should comment on Mahiru’s strange reason for jealousy. He thought her worries were unfounded. Becoming as popular as Mahiru wouldn’t happen for Amane. If a girl were to confront him after he started dressing well all the time, they would’ve had plenty of chances already. Of course, even if they did, there was no way for them to open up his heart.
There were plenty of people around with a better face than him, and he didn’t believe that he was as handsome as Mahiru thought he was. Despite this, Mahiru looked worried, so Amane smiled awkwardly and stroked her head.
“I’m only interested in you, Mahiru. Even if there’s a girl who does fancy me, she’ll be unfavorable the moment she tries to tear us apart, so don’t worry.”
“Even so, it is worrisome.”
“Well, I do feel the same way. Either way, you don’t have to worry so much, Mahiru.”
“…I feel like you don’t understand…”
He tried to reassure her, but for some reason, Mahiru frowned in dissatisfaction once more, and when he was bewildered, Ayaka smiled teasingly and said, “You must have it rough, Shiina-san.”
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
Amane and Mahiru, who had gratefully received discount coupons from Ayaka and Souji and split them between them, immediately bought the yakisoba and decided to eat it in the backyard.
There was no vacancy in the rest area that was set up, and they couldn’t stay in the waiting room with all the equipment, so they instead came to the backyard, which seemed like it would be free by process of elimination. Since outsiders couldn’t enter the back of the backyard, there were a few students there, but there were still places to sit.
Amane laid out a towel where Mahiru was sitting and sat down on a bench in a tree’s shadow, then leaned against the backrest wholeheartedly.
“Everything’s so lively. I can’t calm down.”
“Fufu, you do prefer quiet environments after all, Amane-kun.”
“Also, I don’t like it when everyone stares at you, Mahiru. It’s like they’re rubbing salt on my wound.”
“I don’t believe that is the case, but…”
“My mind’s all worn down.”
There was nothing he could do about it, so he put up with it, but he couldn’t just brush it aside. Mahiru was in her uniform, so their gazes were less intense than when she was a maid, but beautiful girls would inevitably attract attention despite that. The girl in question had given up, and she seemed to be used to it, so Amane couldn’t say much, and only mumbled slightly.
Mahiru seemed to understand that, too, as she patted his head with a troubled smile, and Amane accepted it and sighed softly.
“I’m sure even more people will come tomorrow. No doubt we’ll have some kind of reputation among the customers, and we’ll be working in the afternoon.”
“Well, once we endure tomorrow, it will be over… Speaking of which, where are Shihoko-san and Shuuto-san?”
Amane scratched his cheek and shrugged at Mahiru, who seemed to find it strange that his parents, who had been so enthusiastic about coming to see her and Amane in their serving outfits, were nowhere to be seen.
“They’ll be here tomorrow. And since they’re taking a break, they’ve booked to stay at a hotel. About a two-day stay.”
“Really?!”
“Why do you look so happy?”
“I had a promise with Shuuto-san that he would teach me the taste of motherly cooking, so I thought the opportunity had come rather quickly.”
“So he’s a man with a motherly taste… Well, if anything, I’m more familiar with my Dad’s cooking.”
Both Shihoko and Shuuto had decided on their turn for cooking based on date and time, so Amane was familiar with the flavors of both his Mom’s and Dad’s cooking. However, Shihoko’s cooking was mainly focused on seasonings, quantity, and was tailored more towards a man’s taste, so while it was no different from home cooking, it didn’t give off that feeling completely.
Shuuto was better at cooking and had a delicate but comforting taste, so if he had to describe the taste of his family, it probably had to be Shuuto’s.
It’s just that Mahiru herself was so skilled at cooking that there was little need for her to learn from his father… but the fact that she was trying to learn how to cater to the Fujimiya family’s way seemed to be of importance, and she herself was rather enthusiastic about it.
“It’s not like I’m dissatisfied with your taste, Mahiru.”
“That’s that, and this is this. I would like to make it for you should you ever want it.”
“That’s the thing… As far as I’m concerned, the taste of your food is the taste of our family’s. So, you don’t have to force yourself to learn it.”
“…When you let your guard down, you always say something like that!”
Eventually, or rather, Mahiru already had custody over Amane’s stomach and subjected it to such delicious food day after day, so there was no doubt in his mind that Mahiru’s cooking was the taste of his family’s. It was a taste unique to the both of them, different from the Fujimiya’s.
Mahiru’s cheeks blushed furiously at Amane’s words, and now with a cherry blossom-like appearance, Mahiru prodded her wet towel against his cheeks, wanting him to become the same color. He caressed her hair to soothe her as he secured the nearly-falling yakisoba on his lap.
As she had styled her hair into braids in the morning, her somewhat wavy, flowing hair caught against the wind, and even her cheeks were puffed out.
“…Are you still thinking you can fool me with headpats, Amane-kun?”
“Not really, but I know you’ll be pleased.”
“That part of you is unfair.”
He smiled quietly at Mahiru, who was pretending to act cold but was ruined by the redness of her cheeks, and this time he stroked her hair softly.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
After lunch, Amane and Mahiru resumed their school tour, but after being showered with voices and gazes no matter where they went, Mahiru seemed a little fatigued. Part of the reason they were getting attention was because they were holding hands so they wouldn’t get separated, but she didn’t seem to want to let go. Mahiru’s fingers, which were tenderly yet firmly wrapped around Amane’s, insisted on not letting him go.
When he looked at Mahiru after being jeered at by a first-year student passing by, she gave a neat, lady-like smile and leaned in closer to him, so she probably didn’t intend to leave. In fact, she seemed to be determined to stay close.
…I don’t really mind, but I think all the students know that we’re dating.
Most likely, the students of this school knew that Mahiru had started dating Amane—she’d openly spoken about him being her important person at the sports festival and declared that they’d started dating once the following week began.
Mahiru was famous not only among her classmates but also among her seniors and juniors too, which seemed to have caused it to spread even further, but at that time, the boys’ disappointment was palpable and they were dejected. Amane had even been approached by an unfamiliar upperclassman without Mahiru around. Afterward, Mahiru, who had come running after being told by a classmate, finished the student off with a smile.
Since they had still been dating after overcoming that, he didn’t think there were still any boys so naive to believe that they had a chance to interrupt their relationship. Even if he didn’t confront them directly and insist so, just walking alongside Mahiru was enough to convey the message. However, it seemed Mahiru had a plan up her sleeve, and she wouldn’t leave Amane’s side. Even after parting ways with a classmate, she remained modestly huddled together.
“Is something the matter?” Amane asked and turned toward Mahiru.
“You look so stunning, Amane-kun.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about your hairstyle, and the way you carry yourself.”
“Well, this hairstyle’s the one I used for the café.”
“Yes. That’s what I mean,” Mahiru confirmed.
“I’m not really following…”
If a change in his hairstyle was all it took for him to be popular, it would’ve happened when he started dating Mahiru, and there wasn’t much reason for her to insist on sticking close to him. Of course, in reality, Amane was very happy that she was clinging to him so intimately, but on the other hand, he couldn’t help but savor the sensation pressed up against his arm, so he wished for her to pull away a little at times. Amane let her do as she pleased, however, as Mahiru herself seemed intent on doing it. It couldn’t be said that he wasn’t at least somewhat restless, though.
In part because of Mahiru, he was getting used to the attention. Amane averted his eyes from the reality before him as he slowly walked through the school. He was checking the distributed pamphlet for the events each class was hosting, but Mahiru was plainly leading the way—or rather, guiding him—and beyond him stood a haunted house.
I don’t remember Mahiru being too good with horror, though…
They happened to watch a horror show one time, yet Mahiru had taken his hand with a pale face, and she was putting on a brave face at the time. Her words and her expression told completely different stories, so horror was likely to be out of her comfort zone. However, the haunted house here was hosted by students, and lacked the budget compared to the horror depicted on TV, so perhaps she decided it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Do you really want to go to the haunted house that badly?”
“Eh?”
Mahiru suddenly stopped and timidly looked up at Amane, as if she hadn’t thought about it at all. She was probably planning to walk around randomly, so she hadn’t thought that far ahead. Her eyes darted around, her expression changing as awkwardly as a broken machine. Evidently, Mahiru wasn’t thinking of entering the haunted house.
“Th-That wasn’t my intention.”
“I thought you wanted to go. Well, Mahiru’s not good with horror, so that’s impossible.”
“…That’s not true.”
“Look me in the eyes and say it. You’re averting your eyes like crazy.”
Mahiru, who was trying to hide her weaknesses from him, flurried to cover it up, but her expression and attitude were giving it away. Amane wasn’t naive enough to believe her when she was so obviously flustered.
I don’t think it’s embarrassing to say you don’t like scary things.
If anything, he thought it was adorable, but she didn’t seem to think the same. Mahiru looked up at Amane with a slightly dissatisfied look in her eyes, likely realizing that he found it endearing. Her eyes remained slightly moist, yet her stare wasn’t intense. The prior shock had yet to fade away from her mind.
“I won’t be scared. Let’s go to the haunted house.”
“So you say? Then let’s watch a horror movie together sometime.”
“…Th-That’s exactly what I want.”
“Your voice is trembling like crazy.”
He’d said it as a joke, but Mahiru doubled down and put on airs in a stubborn stunt of vanity, which troubled Amane.
“Are you sure you want to act tough? I don’t care if you can’t sleep alone.”
“I am not doing so, and if anything happens… I’ll have you take responsibility.”
“Flesh and blood can be scarier than ghosts.”
“You’re not so scary, Amane-kun. We’ve slept together so many times before, after all.”
Mahiru leaned in close to his arm and looked up at him, so he gently covered her mouth with his finger and sighed softly. It was true that Mahiru had dozed off and stayed the night before they started dating, and they did sleep together back at home during summer vacation. In that way, they had slept together a number of times. However, that was a misleading choice of words. The students around them began to murmur slightly. As someone who hadn’t yet entered into that kind of relationship, he felt complicated for being misunderstood for it.
“…That sounds like an invitation.”
“Please don’t get the wrong idea. You’re the one who invited me in the first place.”
“I had no ulterior motives. I only want to see you trembling in fear.”
“That too is an ulterior motive.”
She poked him in the side, so he adjusted his grip on her hand to stop her.
Perhaps she was pleased to be held, as her slightly dissatisfied face softened along with it. Amane smiled back and pulled Mahiru by the hand—
“…Um?”
—In the direction of the haunted house, of course.
“Since we’ve come all this way, I thought we’d give it a go. After all, you did say you’d enter the haunted house, Mahiru.”
“I-I did say that, but… Y-You’re so mean…”
As Mahiru squirmed and stared at him with slightly moist eyes, Amane smiled a little and mercilessly pulled her hand back toward the haunted house. Amane decided not to tell Chitose to protect Mahiru’s honor. That being, the fact that she had clung onto his arm the whole time inside the haunted house, of course.
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