HOT NOVEL UPDATES



Hint: To Play after pausing the player, use this button

Amane continued to drink his coffee while waiting for Mahiru’s embarrassed cheeks to cool off, but once he looked around, he became painfully aware how a good reputation was great for attracting customers. He had intended to prepare a lot of seats just in case, but he had yet to see even one of them vacant. It was no different from when he was on shift, but it seemed that they were always packed with customers.

Without bias, Mahiru and Yuuta were the ones who stood out the most, but the customers still flooded in when they were on break, so it must have been the choice of clothing that helped attract a lot of curious onlookers. The fact that young boys and girls, who usually wore school uniforms, were dressed in maid and butler uniforms as they were seemed to make the ones wearing it feel uneasy.

For Amane himself, it was extremely unfamiliar to him. Take the fact that Chitose was wearing clothes that were used to service others, for example. Amane never imagined she would do so. He glanced over toward her and found her dealing with customers while scattering her smile across the café, but she didn’t appear as daring as one might think from her clothing. She was sporting a short maid-themed miniskirt, and Chitose’s lively and amicable atmosphere complimented the look very well, and Amane was in agreement.

“…Is something wrong with Chitose-san?”

She’s full of energy, Amane thought as he gazed at her, and Mahiru, who seemed to have been able to suppress her embarrassment inside, called out to him curiously.

“Hm, well… It didn’t really hit me when we were working together, but I just thought it felt strange to see a classmate wearing that kind of outfit. I should’ve gotten used to it.”

“Hehe, clothes like this aren’t something you wear every day.”

“Curiosity is one of the factors that attracts customers, isn’t it? Besides, the customers have said that they look adorable and charming. After all, it genuinely looks good on everyone.”

The audience was a mix of students and visitors, but he could hear most of their thoughts and opinions, wondering who was cute or handsome, and whether they wanted to woo a waiter or not. While it wasn’t like they didn’t understand their feelings, the staff themselves could hear them clearly and had to suppress any bitter smiles. Amane glanced aside at the troubled staff members, and once he looked back at Mahiru, he saw a troubled expression, and she appeared to be forcing more strength into her eyelashes.

“Something wrong?”

“Nothing… Amane-kun, do you think everyone… or rather, those girls, are cute?”

“They’re normal, I guess.” Amane started to guess what Mahiru was trying to say, so he smiled and hid his lips with the ends of his fingers. “Objectively, I can tell that they are cute from their beauty and mannerisms. But don’t worry, you’re the only one who makes me want to love and dote on you so much for being cute, Mahiru.”

“Y-You’re saying that again…”

“Just felt like you wanted me to say it, is all. You might stay jealous if I didn’t.”

This time, as Amane whispered quietly so that no one else could hear, Mahiru tightly closed her lips, and then lowered her eyes in shame again.

“…I feel like an idiot for getting anxious.” Mahiru mumbled.

“You can confirm my feelings any time you want, Mahiru. Until you’re convinced and satisfied.”

“I’ll be so embarrassed if I do that…”

“Wouldn’t you be at ease if you did that, though?”

“Are you trying to end me?”

“What an exaggeration.”

“Not at all. You’re the one always tormenting my heart, Amane-kun… it’s too much of a burden on me.”

“Well, if you don’t want to, then…”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, but… umm, I’d just like you to go easy on me.”

As Mahiru’s shoulders shrank, he thought that he was tempted to tease her once she said such words, but also noted that he had to be careful not to make her squirm if he went ahead with it. At any rate, when he replied, “I’ll do my best,” she glared at him with a bit of dissatisfaction. He could tell she didn’t have much faith in him.

“…Next time you tease me, I’ll tease you back.” Mahiru poked fun at him in retaliation.

“Oh?” Amane playfully replied. “I’m curious about that.”

“…I may start ignoring you in retaliation.” Mahiru turned away and smiled so cutely that Amane couldn’t help but smile, and she snatched some of his cookies in all her displeasure; Mahiru turned away to pout even harder.

✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧

Amane knew they couldn’t have a good conversation while it was crowded, so he ended the conversation at just the right time and left the café with a sigh, wondering where to head next.

The cultural festival lasted until 4pm. It would close in about an hour and a half. After which, he’d be busy again with tallying up the sales, reporting, and preparing for the next day, so he wanted to enjoy himself before then, but he had already visited the places he was interested in.

“Any other places you want to check out, Mahiru?”

“Let’s see… we’ve looked around quite a bit. How about we head over to the gymnasium? They have set up a stage.”

“The stage, huh? What are they doing now?”

There was a stage section in the afternoon during the cultural festival, and volunteer students were doing all sorts of things for the festival. According to Amane’s memory, there should have been concerts and plays written on the schedule.

He looked at the pamphlet and saw that the Light Music Club was currently holding their own concert.

“They’re having a concert right now. Are you interested?”

“I don’t listen to music often, so I might as well.”

“That’s true. You don’t play much background music, Mahiru. And if you do, it’s always Western music.”

Mahiru was sensitive to trends, but she didn’t know much about music. Rather, she preferred to listen to Western music composed many years ago, rather than Japanese music, the reason was simply due to her preferences. Even if a famous male idol who often made appearances on TV was shown, she only knew enough to match their name and face.

“If you’re curious then, Mahiru, let’s give it a go. I’m rather keen too.”

“You’re right.”

There weren’t any shops in particular he wanted to visit, so Amane took Mahiru by the hand and headed for the gym, both out of curiosity and to kill time. The gym had already turned off most of the lights, and the functional lighting strongly illuminated the stage. He could hear the sound even from outside the gym, but when he went inside, it was much louder than he expected. Feeling ticklish from the sound that reverberated in his stomach, he gently closed the door so as not to bother the other spectators and slipped into the empty space.

When he looked up, he saw that a group of volunteers were currently standing on the stage performing a song. There was a familiar face among them, so Amane narrowed his eyes and looked at him. Standing in front of the microphone stand was a face Amane had often seen since the morning.

“…Huh? If it isn’t Kadowaki. Don’t think he mentioned a performance.”

He had been to karaoke with him a few times, so Amane was well aware of how good he was at singing, but he didn’t expect him to be on stage like this at all. Especially since he hadn’t heard any rumors about it. In addition to his club activities, Amane was also surprised by the vitality he had to stand on stage while also preparing for the cultural festival.

Yuuta himself didn’t seem to enjoy standing out too much, so it struck Amane as surprising.

“Kadowaki-san really can do anything.”

“That’s not something you can say, Mahiru.”

Mahiru seemed impressed, but Mahiru was much of the same species herself. She could do everything; studying, exercising, housework, and to a proficient level at that. It was hard to find someone as good at everything as Mahiru was.

“There are some things even I can’t do.”

“Any examples?”

“…What about swimming?”

“I suppose so. After all that, you couldn’t swim in the end.”

“If you think I’ll be able to swim in a day, then you’re too naive. No matter how much I practiced, I never improved…”


“I’m sorry.”

Mahiru lightly bumped her fist into his upper arm, apparently dissatisfied with the notion of being unable to swim, so he smiled wryly and looked back at the stage. He didn’t seem to appreciate standing out, but Yuuta, who seemed used to it despite that, didn’t look timid when in front of so many spectators, and was actually acting bold. He had the guts to respond with fan service, giving soft smiles and loose waves. After which, since Amane had happened to choose a space without any obstructions so he could see better, Yuuta’s gaze met Amane’s, and his cheeks twitched ever so slightly.

It appeared that Yuuta wasn’t expecting his friend to appear. Amane waved his hand dismissively as he swore to himself that he’d listen to what he had to say later, and Yuuta blinked before giving out a smile different from before. Female students screamed in joy at his smile, so neither Amane nor Mahiru could help but hold back their laughter, thinking that things were the same as ever in that regard.

✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧

“Why didn’t you say you were going on stage?”

Yuuta headed over to the wall where Amane and Mahiru were standing by after his performance ended and gave them a troubled expression. He then tightened his necktie back up as he had loosened it before singing.

“I wasn’t planning on going out at first, but the vocalist girl got a leg injury in her club a week ago… It seems the doctor stopped her from going out because she was injured, so I took her place.”

It was also a performance where she had to move her body, so it would certainly have been impossible if she had been injured.

“I see. Is she okay?”

“Yeah. She was really frustrated that she couldn’t perform, so I feel bad. She did seem to enjoy watching, though.”

“Well, I guess that can’t be helped… Still, I’m surprised you were able to sing that well as a substitute. It was perfect.”

“You think so? Thank goodness.”

Amane knew from their time in karaoke that he was a natural singer, but was still surprised to see Yuuta’s skills up close. He wasn’t at all overwhelmed by the audience, quite the opposite; he managed to charm the audience and he left them mesmerized.

He was impressed by how good he was at listening to the girls’ cheer, but Yuuta seemed to have seen him, too, as he scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

“…It really is embarrassing. It’s pretty embarrassing when a friend sees you.”

“Was it bad of me to come watch?”

“No, that’s not true. I was a little relieved to see you and Shiina-san looking the same as always. It’s reassuring to have someone you’re used to.”

“If anything, I was saved in that regard,” Yuuta said bashfully, and the girls around him, who had been secretly watching him, murmured.

He’s at the center of attention as usual, Amane thought with a wry smile on his face, and he smiled teasingly at Yuuta, who was smiling as if his embarrassment and pride had hit him all at once. Mahiru simply thanked him with a calm smile and said, “Nice work,” taking the stance of accompanying Amane to the very end. It was likely a deliberate move to prevent others from being unnecessarily jealous, even if it was well-known that she and Amane were dating. Despite that, acting too friendly with him in front of others would leave a bad impression on those watching Yuuta, and could stir up trouble.

“Still, it’s too bad. I wished Itsuki could have seen this.”

“Whaaat? I wish you wouldn’t say that. I’m sure he’d be dissatisfied or start making fun of me for not telling him in advance.”

“Well, at least endure that much. It’s on you for hiding it from him.”

“It was decided in a rush, so it can’t be helped. It was an emergency.”

“Cut it out,” he said with a laugh, so Amane vowed to himself that he’d mention it when they gathered in class later, so he relaxed his cheeks and patted Yuuta lightly on the shoulder, saying, “Heh, no chance.”

✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧

“Amazing work everyone! We all worked so hard on the first day!”

Amane continued to watch the performances with Mahiru and Yuuta until the stage closed and they returned back to class. The first day of the cultural festival was now over, and everyone in the class was gathered to take breaks and shifts. Each of them wore their own satisfied expression, showing how much fun they had.

When the executive committee member, Itsuki, expressed his gratitude to everyone, his classmates started to let out cries of joy. After the commotion subsided to a certain extent, Itsuki cleared his throat and drew attention to himself once more.

“Okay, let’s clean up a little bit in preparation for tomorrow. Accountants; make sure the total sales, the number of orders, and the amount of money we have on hand match up properly, and be sure to report any discrepancies. Put the money in the designated bag and submit it to me. I’ll hand it over to the management. Those working in the back, go prepare the space for tomorrow, and once you’re done, go organize all our equipment. Those who handled customer service will give the classroom a deep clean.”

“Okaaay.”

Each student had a designated job, and everyone nodded obediently as they undertook their role.

Amane was cleaning, so he rolled up his sleeves to get it over with and went to fetch a bucket and some water. A year ago, cleaning had been one of his weaker points, but thanks to Mahiru’s guidance and his new daily life, he was able to do it on an average level, albeit not proficiently. To be precise, he was at least able to keep things tidy and orderly.

“…You’re so fast.”

Ayaka sounded impressed as Amane cleaned in perfect sync with Mahiru.

“No, Mahiru’s more skilled than I am. She’s like my teacher. I really couldn’t clean up at first.”

“I didn’t expect you to be so methodical, Fujimiya-kun.”

“Amane-kun can keep it together when he’s not in his own house.”

Mahiru, who was folding up and removing the dirty tablecloths, seemed to be listening to their conversation, and the teasing tone of her voice was, of course, aimed at Amane.

He had nothing to say when implicitly told that he was sloppy in his own house. It was nothing but facts, and he knew he couldn’t complain, but he wasn’t happy being teased.

“I can’t help it. That’s what it means to be a man who lives alone.”

“Even so, it was so terrible. There wasn’t even a place to stand when walking.”

“…That’s just how it is.”

“Whaaat? He doesn’t live alone, but my Sou-chan’s room is always clean, you know? He says he cleans it up because he knows when I am coming. Thanks to that, there was never anything hidden under his bed.”

“Don’t go sniffing around for those.”

Just the thought of their girlfriend looking for such things was enough to send shivers down a boy’s spine. Amane could only hope that girlfriends across the country would be more lenient in their endeavors to expose what their boyfriend was hiding. In Amane’s case, there was nothing to be searched for; or found, so he didn’t think much of it, but most boyfriends had something stashed away, and unrelenting probing from their partners would inevitably cause some problems.

“Ah, well, I wasn’t aiming to look for it, but I was just wondering if he had some. You know, it happens a lot in manga, right?”

“You’re reading too much manga.”

“That’s the thing. Sou-chan was exasperated, saying that I was so straightforward about it. …By the way, what about you, Fujimiya-kun?”

“I’m spotless. No matter how deep you search, you won’t find a thing.”

“Ahaha.”

Hearing Ayaka laugh heartily, Amane sympathized with Souji, thinking that he too wasn’t without his fair share of misfortune. Puzzled, Mahiru tilted her head stiffly.

“What are you talking about?”

Mahiru must have been working hard to clean and wasn’t able to hear what he was saying, and she looked confused. Amane quickly averted his eyes, hoping to come off as natural as possible.

“Nothing in particular.”

“Hmm, I don’t think you need any of those, Fujimiya-kun, since you have Shiina-san with you.”

“Kido.” Amane glared at Ayaka, Don’t say anything weird. She was smiling mischievously while Amane endured the embarrassment slowly seeping out from deep inside him.

In contrast to Ayaka, who was smiling more and more at him, Mahiru blinked her eyes with increased curiosity, and Amane couldn’t stand it, so he took her by the hand and pulled her away from Kido.



Share This :


COMMENTS

No Comments Yet

Post a new comment

Register or Login