Chapter 7: His First Part-Time Job
A week had passed since Amane’s part-time job had been set in stone, and he had received a message from Fumika, the owner, letting him know that his uniform had been prepared and that she’d decided on his shift schedule.
After discussing, they decided that Amane would work three weekdays and one Saturday, for a total of four days per week. As the second year student he was, Amane had to be mindful of his upcoming entrance exams, so he made sure that his work hours would not interfere with his studies. In all likelihood, he’d have a similar schedule to students who participated in extracurricular activities and the like.
With the entrance exams closing in next year, Amane had no intention of cutting any corners with his studies, and his current work schedule seemed to pose no problems.
It’s pretty tough to balance everything without making any compromises.
On top of his usual endeavors as a student, Amane had to study hard and make preparations for the upcoming exams, and he now had a part-time job to boot. He used to have nothing better to do with his time before he met Mahiru, so from Amane’s point of view, his new schedule was packed to the absolute brim.
He wasn’t all that stressed about it, however, since he had a clear goal in mind and was more than prepared to spare no effort to achieve it. He did feel busy, but it was outweighed by an even greater sense of fulfillment.
Pumping himself up, he quietly muttered, “Let’s do this,” as he wrote down his future plans in his schedule.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
“Alrighty then, I’m starting work today, so you can head on home before me.”
Today was the first day Amane would begin working, and he notified Mahiru of this after school let out. She looked lonely as she smiled at him.
Although Amane’s heart ached slightly at the sight, there was nothing that he could do about it. He had taken on the job in order to secure Mahiru’s smile, so he couldn’t afford to second guess himself now.
Despite Mahiru not knowing the reason behind his part-time job, she understood that Amane had made a firm decision and was taking the initiative, so she respected his wishes. She didn’t want to do anything that would make him hesitate in his decision.
However, her understanding nature only made Amane feel even more anxious.
No doubt she’ll feel lonely…
Not only was Mahiru the type to generally put others first, but once she committed, she was extremely attentive, pushing herself hard, and was quick to give in to their wishes over her own, out of concern for them and their circumstances.
While some would label her modesty a virtue, it could easily cause her to stress herself out without her even realizing it, so Amane resolved to be more attentive to her now that he’d started his part-time job.
“Oh, you’re starting your job today, Amane? Wow! Good luck!”
As he watched Mahiru’s slightly crestfallen face with a tinge of guilt in his heart, Chitose offered him some words of encouragement. It seemed that she was about to leave school with Mahiru.
Perhaps Chitose had noticed that Mahiru was feeling a little lonely, because she had been paying more attention to Mahiru ever since Amane had decided to get himself a job. He appreciated her taking the time to look out for Mahiru, but the occasional furtive glances scared him slightly.
“You’d better not tail me,” warned Amane.
“I’d… never do something like that, y’know?” Chitose assured, albeit with a slight delay.
“I can’t put my faith in you right now, especially with that pause.”
Chitose was acting a little suspicious given her almost robotic tone, but Amane figured that if he warned her in advance, she wouldn’t go out of her way to follow him.
Chitose wasn’t the type to do things people disliked, but her keen curiosity sometimes drove her to attempt to secretly investigate. Knowing that, Amane couldn’t take her words at face value. He knew that her actions resulted in the other person’s benefit most of the time, but he’d prefer for her to stay put given that all he’d be doing is working at an ordinary part-time job.
“…You can come visit once I’ve gotten used to the job, but please, wait until then,” Amane requested. “I don’t wanna let you guys see my customer service skills while they’re still clumsy-looking.”
“You say that, but you looked like you had the role down perfectly back at the cultural festival,” Chitose noted.
“Though, what I did was pretty basic, right? Plus, it was Kido’s advice that did the trick, to be honest.”
“…Looks like I’ll be able to visit your part-time job soon then, Amane-kun,” Mahiru chimed in after a moment of silence. “You are a quick learner, after all. I will be looking forward to it.”
After stroking Mahiru’s cheek, Amane then gently ran his hand through her soft flaxen hair as she tried to see him off with a meek look. Surprised, Mahiru’s caramel-colored eyes widened, and Amane’s expression softened as he looked at her intently.
“Anyhow, I’ll do what I can to get used to it before long, and I’ll make it a point to come home quickly,” Amane said, trying to reassure her.
“……I am willing to wait no matter how long it takes, but please come back as soon as you can.”
“Got it,” he said softly. “I’ll be looking forward to dinner tonight, so I’m gonna do my best.”
Mind you, their classmates were already aware that Amane and Mahiru lived next to one another, but it’d still be embarrassing if their classmates found out they were having dinner together each night as if it was the most natural thing in the world, so they were conversing in hushed tones. Chitose, however, grinned from ear to ear as she stood nearby within earshot, and even Itsuki whistled at them in jest.
In the meantime, Amane opted to give Itsuki a light slap with the back of his hand.
“Ow!”
Itsuki pretended to stagger, tumbling melodramatically toward Chitose as he leaned against her. But Chitose, seemingly focused on Mahiru’s bashful facial expression instead, theatrically shoved Itsuki away and blurted out, “Ikkun, you’re way too heavy,” which only inspired a pout from the mischievous Itsuki.
Amane laughed away at the two of them, and soon even Mahiru joined in and giggled along. Now a little embarrassed, Itsuki then began to poke Amane in the side to get back at him.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
Though reluctant to cut their lively conversation short, Amane had left school to make his way on over to his part-time job.
As it was his first day, he had arranged to work with Souji, a schoolmate and senior part-timer. Perhaps Ayaka had a hand in this too, as when they passed each other in the hallway, she smiled and said, “So, please take care of Sou-chan from now on!”
If anything, Amane’s position made it likely for him to be taken care of instead, but he nodded along willingly after seeing Ayaka’s innocent-looking smile.
He and Souji had decided to meet up at the school entrance before heading to the café together, but even after spotting Amane walking up to him, Souji maintained a serene-looking expression, making it tricky to guess what he was thinking.
“I’ll be counting on you starting today,” Souji said.
“Likewise. I’ll probably cause you trouble until I get more experience, though…”
“I’m sure we’ve been causing most of the trouble, actually. Ayaka was quite eager when recommending you.”
“N-No, it’s thanks to her that I found the job in the first place,” Amane attempted to make his gratitude clear. “Whether I feel like I owe her one or not, I wouldn’t get upset with her over something like this.”
Ayaka’s invitation had come at just the right moment. She was able to land him a job at a place with decent pay and a coworker he knew that even worked around his circumstances as a student. Amane felt very grateful for what she’d done.
Ayaka made a request quite typical of her when Amane mentioned that he wanted to do something in return, saying, “Lemme help you build your muscles to Shiina-san’s liking.” Although his face twitched a little at her response, Amane decided to accept that offer of hers.
Amane was at a loss, unsure of whether the fact that he had both Yuuta and Ayaka as his training coaches was something he could laugh about. For the time being, he was content with the arrangement as long as it led to Mahiru being happy.
Souji lightly ran his fingers through his naturally curly hair and muttered, “I hope so,” while sighing. Amane was unsure whether Souji was aware of his exchange with Ayaka or not.
Whatever the case, he seemed to be having a hard time dealing with Ayaka’s outbursts. Her love for muscles rang loud and clear even to someone like Amane, who hadn’t known her for too long. Souji, being her childhood friend and boyfriend, must’ve had it a lot worse.
All in all, I’m sure she’s a good girl deep down…
Amane understood her to be a friendly, unpretentious girl who happened to also be skillful and kind enough to properly calculate gains and losses, so he wasn’t put off, per se, but the struggles of her boyfriend, Souji, were clear as day. Souji seemed to have noticed the look in Amane’s eyes, as he sighed even deeper.
While they conversed, Amane and Souji arrived at the station. Though he needed to board the train to get to his job, it was only about two stops away from the nearest station. Since Itsuki and Chitose’s houses were even further away, he would probably be able to return home from his shift before Mahiru got tired of waiting. The café wasn’t far from the station either, so commuting should be a non-issue.
“Is your house within walking distance from the school, Fujimiya?” Souji asked, watching Amane charge money onto his IC card as he didn’t own a commuter pass. [6]
“Yeah. My apartment isn’t too far from our school, you see.”
“Oh, that’s pretty neat. Sounds like you can sleep in with your house being that close to school.”
“Well, I do think I’ve got more leeway when it comes to getting to school, but sometimes Mahiru comes and wakes me up…”
In the past, he’d wake up with enough time to spare if it wasn’t a holiday, but since Mahiru started coming over to make him breakfast, he had even more time to spare in the mornings. Although he could wake up without her help, he secretly indulged in the blissful moment of waking up to Mahiru’s voice, so he occasionally asked her to wake him up. Since she had often come to his house to make breakfast while he was sleeping to begin with, it didn’t seem to increase her workload.
“Color me surprised,” Souji murmured. “I was sure you’d be the super responsible type, Fujimiya.”
“If that’s what you thought, then I must be looking pretty put together these days. I’m actually a total mess, to be honest with you.”
While his personal life had become less chaotic compared to the past, he still relied on Mahiru significantly, so when labeled responsible, he couldn’t help but tilt his head. Of course, he didn’t leave everything to Mahiru, and he did what he could on his own, but her burden was still significant.
Although he truly was cautious and considerate now, Amane still considered himself to be somewhat self-indulgent. He’d met Souji during the culture festival, so Amane must have been maintaining a decent appearance at the time to be seen as the responsible type by Souji.
“Our standards of being a ‘total mess’ are two different things here,” reckoned Souji. “If we’re talking about being a total mess, then just look at Ayaka…”
“Kido? A mess?”
“Ayaka looks reliable and organized, right? But at home, she’s really lax and lazes around. Not that I’m one to talk, though.”
“I can’t really imagine that, honestly.”
“Well, Ayaka’s got her act together when she’s out and about, and she’ll even go as far as trying to take care of me instead. But as soon as she lets her guard down, she’ll relax much more than I ever do. She looks independent on the outside, but it’s a different story on the inside.”
“…Sounds like she just wants to be spoiled by you, Kayano,” deduced Amane. “Isn’t it precisely because you’re her boyfriend that she’s acting like that?”
He had seen Ayaka make the occasional careless mistake, but still thought of her as a dependable woman with a strong core and a knack for being considerate. The fact that she didn’t show her relaxed side outside and only showed it to her boyfriend, Souji, must have meant something.
Souji blinked. After thinking for a while, he looked down at the ground with a bashful expression.
“…Wait a second, could that be seen as humble bragging?” he realized. “Sorry.”
“D-Don’t be sorry, I’m not bothered by it…” Amane hesitated.
He averted his gaze, since seeing Souji’s embarrassed expression made him feel awkward as well. He thought that perhaps he had unconsciously bragged about himself in a similar way, so as his expression tightened in his own shame, he tried to keep his lips from trembling.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
Amane absentmindedly strolled with Souji as they bantered, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at their workplace: the café. This was Amane’s first time working properly like this, and he was briefly somewhat nervous, but Souji, whether intentionally or not, entered the café with Amane in tow without hesitation.
With the sound of a fairly nostalgic bell chiming behind him, Amane set foot inside the café for the first time as an employee. They were greeted by a male employee who appeared to be college-aged. Amane couldn’t recall seeing him during his previous visit.
At first glance, he was an older, stylish-looking young man wearing the waiter uniform that Amane would soon be wearing himself.
“Welcome, Kayano-kun. Would this young man be the new recruit we talked about?”
“Yeah. We’re on the same shift, so it worked out perfectly.”
Souji nodded at the other male employee, who already seemed to be aware of the situation and greeted them both with a friendly smile. Then, he ushered Amane forward and headed for the hallway that led directly into the back of the café. Souji turned his head to look behind him, and Amane followed suit. He caught a glimpse of an older male customer entering the café.
“We’ve got customers, so we’ll go get changed first,” Souji informed. “Sorry, Miyamoto-san, we’ll greet you properly later.”
“Got it,” he replied. “See you later, rookie.”
Miyamoto, as he was called, playfully winked at Amane, who was carrying himself a little awkwardly due to his nervousness, and then turned his attention to the customer who had just entered. Seeing Miyamoto waving his hand behind his back as they lost the chance to get acquainted, Amane and Souji headed for the employee changing room in the back.
“This locker’s yours, Fujimiya. And here’s your key. Your uniform’s in the locker, so go ahead and get changed.”
The owner, Fumika, had apparently entrusted Souji with taking care of Amane, so Souji handed Amane the locker key and began to change, taking off his blazer. Amane did the same, putting on his work uniform. The prepared uniform, which had been adjusted for his size in advance, fit Amane’s body perfectly.
What Amane was now wearing was a relatively simple outfit consisting of a white shirt, black vest, matching waiter’s apron and slacks, similar to what the male employee named Miyamoto was wearing when they met earlier. His neck was adorned with a black tie, and although the outfit was more casual than the waiter’s uniform he had worn during the cultural festival, it was still a refined and fitting attire for a waiter.
Since he was in a customer service job and couldn’t afford to have a gloomy atmosphere, Amane styled his hair in a fresh way to brighten the room, but was anxious about whether it suited the outfit. Checking the full-length mirror in the changing room, he was puzzled by the unfamiliar sight. Souji, on the other hand, was already wearing his uniform and stood with a dignified posture.
Perhaps Souji was already used to wearing the uniform as he looked confident in it, unlike Amane, who couldn’t help but feel as if the outfit was wearing him. Souji, who usually didn’t seem particularly energetic but somewhat sleepy, now had a slightly more focused expression on his face, probably because he was in work mode.
“…Don’t I look strange in this?” Amane couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.
“Looks perfectly fine to me. I bet Shiina-san would be delighted to see you in that.”
Perhaps Souji already understood that Mahiru was head over heels for Amane, and although his words weren’t meant to tease, they were spun playfully.
“I–I don’t plan on showing this to Mahiru, for a little while at least…”
“I’ve got a hunch that Shiina-san’ll be disappointed.”
“Yep, she already is. I managed to convince her to accept the wait in the end, though.”
Amane planned to get used to the job as soon as possible, to limit the possibility of chaos and mistakes, and have her wait until then. He then let out a small bitter smile, and so did Souji.
“Your turn—did Kido enjoy seeing you in your uniform?” Amane prodded in return.
“Ayaka prefers undressing rather than dressing up.”
“Oh…”
Quick to understand, the look on Amane’s face showed that he was pretty sure that he understood completely, and Souji could only sigh and smile bitterly in response.
“…It’s not that Ayaka has no interest in seeing me dressed up. It’s just that her fetish gets in the way,” Souji clarified.
“Well, I can’t deny that you’ve got some impressive muscles. Any secret to that?”
Having changed together, Souji had naturally shown his skin, and his muscles were more prominent than one could imagine from just seeing him clothed.
However, his muscles weren’t unnecessarily bulky, but rather, they gave the impression of being well-defined and toned, as if he was carved like an ancient statue in marble. Amane couldn’t help but be impressed.
No wonder Kido fell this hard for him…
Although Yuuta, who had a well-proportioned, athletic body, and Kazuya, who appeared even more well-trained, were comparable, Souji’s physique seemed to possess a different kind of physical beauty.
“Ayaka would be more than happy to give you a better rundown than I could. She’d tell you more than you’d ask for, too.”
“Oh… Yeah, that makes sense…” Amane wholeheartedly agreed.
In fact, Amane could easily imagine her enthusiastically talking about it while swinging her ponytail and smiling with her bright eyes and relaxed expression, which made him involuntarily let out a slightly strained smile.
Ayaka could never hit the brakes once she started talking about something she loved, and she often wanted to teach Amane about the fascination of muscles. However, even Amane had his limits in learning about something that was not his own hobby, and he would appreciate if she could keep it in moderation.
“…Do you feel like working out as well, Fujimiya?”
“Well, I do. It’s better for me appearance-wise to be moderately fit, and I’m willing to bet it’d make Mahiru happy, too… Though that’s because your little princess loves teaching her a bunch of stuff.”
“I’m sorry about that. I really am.”
“N-No need, it’s fine—it just gives me another reason to improve myself.”
Souji looked conflicted as he apologized on behalf of his girlfriend for enthusiastically preaching the greatness of muscles, so Amane shrugged his shoulders and waved the topic away with his hand to reassure his friend.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
“Aw, I’m so sorry I couldn’t greet you when you arrived…,” Fumika apologized sullenly.
Amane had been guided by Souji to the kitchen used to prepare light meals for the customers, and had been taught where all the utensils were and how to use them. Then Fumika, who had arrived later, apologized to him with a mildly depressed look on her face.
“I did recall that you were coming today… though knowing that Souji-kun is with you brought me great comfort. But welcome once again, Fujimiya-kun. Your uniform suits you splendidly, which is a delight. Ayaka-san’s suggestion was right on the money.”
“Ayaka’s intuition is always bang on, but that’s what makes it so odd,” muttered Souji softly, and Amane almost laughed, but he held it in, and simply bowed his head to Fumika.
“I will be in your care going forward, and I am excited to work with you,” Amane said politely.
“The pleasure’s all mine, so please take care of me as well,” Fumika returned. “Um… If I may ask, have you had the chance to meet our other staff members yet?”
“Only Miyamoto-san so far,” Souji volunteered. “And he has yet to meet Oohashi-san. I believe she was making coffee behind the counter earlier, so he hasn’t made her acquaintance yet.”
“Shall we begin with introductions, then? We don’t appear to have any pending orders, so now’s the perfect time. After all, you will all be working alongside each other going forward,” suggested Fumika with a gentle smile. She then gestured to Souji, instructing, “Switch places with Miyamoto-san and the other staff out in the front for the time being,” and called out to the other employees, sounding composed as she stood by the doorway.
Souji reassured Amane with a pat on the back, and then went out front to take care of customers.
Replacing Souji in the kitchen were two people: the man named Miyamoto who had been conversing with Souji before, and a woman seemingly in her early twenties who sported a loose and wavy hairstyle of medium length and an impressive height rarely seen in women. She looked to be a college student and exuded an air of maturity, standing at least a fist taller than Chitose. She was likely over one hundred and seventy centimeters tall.
Considering what Souji had said, she was probably ‘Oohashi.’
“Oh! You must be the guy Kayano-chan brought in earlier! He did say we were gonna get more part-timers soon. Nice to meet’cha!”
The woman smiled casually and approached Amane, scoping him out with interest as she circled around him.
Since she was tall, her face was inevitably close to his when she approached him. Amane couldn’t push her away without being rude, as she was both a senior and a woman, so all he could do was grit his teeth in confusion.
Seeing Amane’s predicament, Miyamoto sighed in exasperation and grabbed the woman by the scruff of her neck, pulling her away. Amane froze at the sudden turn of events, and while still holding the woman by the scruff of her neck, Miyamoto gave him a refreshing smile.
“Sorry for that—I’m sure it came as a surprise. I’m Miyamoto Daichi, and this thing here is Oohashi Rino. If you ever run into any problems, don’t hesitate to give us a shout.”
“Don’t you introduce me like that! Believe it or not, I am currently running into some problems! Being grabbed like this, I mean!” Rino protested. “Big problems!”
“Then you’d best greet him properly first. The conversation will start from there.”
After scolding Oohashi, who looked frustrated, Miyamoto then reluctantly let go of her clothes. She then fixed her disheveled collar and turned to Amane with a friendly smile.
“I’m so sorry for startling you; I’m Oohashi Rino, your senior. That makes you my junior, so feel free to rely on me anytime, Kouhai-kun.” [7]
“You’re better off not relying on her. She often makes a mess of things.”
“C’mon, that was uncalled for, Daichi. No need to be so rude,” Rino fired back.
“Tell me, how many times is it now that I’ve had to clean up after you…? How many times have you caused trouble for our customers?”
“I said I’m working on all of that! And I am sorry! It wasn’t on purpose!”
“Yes, it wasn’t on purpose, and I do admit that it was unexpected, but you do recognize that you cause too much trouble in general, don’t you?”
Miyamoto spoke firmly and gently as if speaking to a child, not allowing any rebuttal, and though his words were gentle enough, his eyes weren’t smiling. Amane inferred that Oohashi had messed up quite badly given that she struggled to raise her head. Eventually, “I get it already!” She relented with a shout.
What am I supposed to do…
Watching the two bicker, almost like some lover’s quarrel, Amane felt unsure of how to react. However, Miyamoto seemed to come to his senses and awkwardly rubbed his cheek, saying, “Sorry, we got carried away and left you out of it.”
“Anyways, back on track. We’re all fellow colleagues starting today, so let’s get along, okay?”
“Yes. Uh, Miyamoto-san and Oohashi-san, right? I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Fujimiya Amane.”
“I see, I see. Fujimiya-chan, then, huh? Got it, loud and clear.”
“…She tends to use ‘–chan’ quite a bit, so just bear with it, Fujimiya-kun.”
“W-Well, you can call me whatever you like…”
Amane didn’t intend to kick up a fuss about the nickname, but he couldn’t help but feel it was a little odd given his age and appearance. Miyamoto sighed at the sorry sight of Oohashi and turned his gaze to Fumika, who had been watching the situation calmly.
“So, what should we have Fujimiya-kun do today?” he asked.
“First, I’d like him to get familiar with the inner workings of the café. It’s important for him to learn how to relax and understand the ins and outs of the job before starting any service work,” Fumika specified. “It looks like he has already looked over the manual, and with Souji-kun having taught him too, I’d like him to prioritize aligning his knowledge with the actual work environment today. Luckily for us, it’s a weekday, so we don’t have too many customers yet.”
“I’m sorry for all this trouble,” Amane offered a preemptive apology.
“No need to apologize. It’s rare to find someone who can become an immediate asset, especially when they’re just starting out. We have enough staff today, so there’s no need to get ahead of yourself,” Fumika tried to comfort him.
“If you ask me whether we have enough staff, Owner, I’d say that’s up for debate. It feels like we’re barely managing with our current shifts… Well, this café isn’t the largest, so we’ve just about managed to keep up, using the current number of employees. …But, that’s why having you join us is actually a big help, Fujimiya-kun.”
Grinning, Miyamoto patted Amane’s shoulder encouragingly, causing Fumika to smile warmly as she watched them.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
Amane rode the elevator up to his apartment, feeling exhaustion weigh heavily on him. His senior coworkers had trained him a great deal, but by the time he got home it was already the time when he’d typically take a bath and go to bed. He couldn’t help but let out a long, deep sigh.
Despite only working for around four hours, Amane was utterly exhausted, likely due to the unfamiliar environment and duties. Although he hadn’t made any major mistakes (or rather, wasn’t entrusted with any tasks that could lead to said major mistakes), first-time experiences and nervousness always went hand in hand.
Fortunately, his coworkers, although quirky, were all kind and helpful toward the inexperienced Amane. The calm and gentle atmosphere made it a very pleasant workplace.
Still, it was tiring all the same.
Exiting the elevator and walking to his apartment with heavier steps than usual, he opened the door as always—only to see Mahiru rushing toward him from the hallway leading to the living room. Noticing her hurried approach, Amane blinked in surprise.
Something happen? She looks to be in quite the rush.
Mahiru responded to his surprised silence with a relieved smile.
“Welcome home, Amane-kun.”
“I’m home. You didn’t have to come running over like that, though. I’m sorry for making you wait.”
He assumed she had been waiting for him to come home all this time. Though he had informed her of when he was bound to return, being alone might have been disheartening for her. Ever since they started dating, Mahiru had been staying at Amane’s place outside of bath and bedtime, so her presence had become the norm. Suddenly being alone would naturally make her feel lonely.
“N-No, it’s not like that. I had plenty of things to do while you were away, Amane-kun.”
“You mean you had plenty to do, so you weren’t lonely?”
“…W-Well, that’s a different story.”
Amane couldn’t help but laugh at Mahiru’s blushing face as she looked away. Noticing his laughter, she puffed out her cheeks slightly. Despite the annoyed look she was attempting to pull off, her love shone through in a hint of sweetness.
As Mahiru turned away with a pout, Amane entered the house and took off his shoes without hiding his smile. Heading to the bathroom to wash his hands, he noticed the far light was turned on. When he looked back at Mahiru, she was standing there suddenly seeming in a better mood.
“Would you like to have dinner first? Or perhaps a bath?” she asked.
Mahiru’s words, with a slight rephrasing, could have sounded like a newlywed greeting. Amane almost responded in kind without thinking, but managed to hold back in the nick of time. Mahiru was probably unaware of what she’d said, which only made her look even more adorable. Surely, if he told her the words he had swallowed, her cheeks would instantly turn scarlet.
Deciding not to say anything for now, as it might cause her to malfunction, Amane swallowed the urge and simply smiled at Mahiru, who as ever wore a graceful smile, looking like she was perfectly happy entrusting everything to him.
“You must be hungry too, Mahiru. Shall we have dinner first?”
“Sure, then I shall dish up our dinner. I made you some dashimaki tamago as a reward for working hard on your first day at your new job.”
“Awesome! That’s one sweet reward.”
When Amane came home, the bath and dinner had been readied, and even his favorite dish was prepared. He was certainly living a charmed life.
“Fufu. You are easily pleased, aren’t you?”
“It is top-notch in my books, after all. It’s always so delicious and you make it to match my tastes, plus there’s the added bonus of it being prepped by you, Mahiru. Of course I would appreciate the hard work. Thanks as always.”
In the first place, it wasn’t a matter of being easily pleased. Amane knew full well that it took a great deal of effort for Mahiru to make it specifically for him, and the fact that she made anything for him at all was more than enough, really.
On top of that, it was incredibly delicious, making it a very luxurious reward.
Amane was immensely grateful that she not only cooked for him every day but also took his preferences into account. He was reminded once again that she was a truly invaluable partner.
I gotta repay her for this devotion…
Amane washed his hands and headed for the living room, but out of the blue, Mahiru clung to his back.
He tried to turn around to check her expression, but as she was pressing her face firmly against his back, it was a futile move. All he could tell was that she seemed to be embarrassed.
As Mahiru rubbed her forehead against him, she hugged him tightly, squeezing his stomach.
…Man, good thing I’ve been working out.
Amane chuckled a little, and Mahiru seemed to have noticed this through his breath and the shaking of his stomach, so she slapped his abdomen.
“…I appreciate that you’re grateful, but surprise attacks are off-limits,” Mahiru uttered.
“So if I let you know in advance, can I shower you with praise?” Amane teased. “Is that within limits?”
“Th-That would be troubling in its own way!” Mahiru separated from him as she said so. “…One of these days, I will turn the tables on you,” she heralded and hurried off into the kitchen with a determined look on her face.
Heh, what a gutsy way of wiggling her way out of that…
Amane quietly chuckled at her brave escape and went back to his room to change.
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